Chapter 722: Chapter 721: The Big Household of National Team Players, Witnessing the Miracle
"Hello everyone, this is Brick and Mortar Radio! I’m your good friend, Huang Jianxiang!"
"Hello everyone, I’m He Wei."
"Hello everyone, I’m Zhan Jun."
"Today is May 22, 2004, and the scene in front of us is coming from the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. Here, the final showdown of the European Union Cup is about to kick off."
"The stands are already filled with fans."
"The maximum capacity of this stadium is 50,000 people, but rumors have it that today there will be over 60,000 fans in the stands."
"UEFA has temporarily expanded the seating capacity of the stadium, of course, everything has been done with safety assurances."
"Both of today’s competing teams are champions."
"Wearing white jerseys are this year’s Spanish League champions Valencia! They’ve broken through under the siege of Real Madrid’s galácticos and Barcelona."
"And wearing sky blue jerseys are this year’s kings of England, Manchester City! They’ve scooped up all of England’s domestic championships this year, including the Premier League!"
"If they claim this championship, they will become the second team to become a five-time European Union Cup winner in twenty years, after Sporting Lisbon!"
"And the maker of Sporting Lisbon’s five-title feat is none other than the current leader of Manchester City... Deng Kai!"
"My opinion differs from many others."
"Most people believe that the miracle of Sporting Lisbon back then belonged to stars like Deng Kai, Ronaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Drogba, Ibrahimovic, and others."
"After all, that’s always what Deng Kai says in his interviews."
"But I’ve always thought that Deng Kai is being too humble."
"I firmly believe that Deng Kai was the soul of that Sporting Lisbon team! Just as he is now at Manchester City! He plays with flair yet lives humbly, which has led the world to underestimate his contributions!"
"Right now, at this moment, Deng Kai on the field is undoubtedly proof of my point."
"Otherwise, why isn’t Ronaldo here? Why not Ronaldinho? Why not Kaka? Why not Drogba?"
He Wei, somewhat unable to stand Huang Jianxiang’s excessive praise of Deng Kai, interjected, "Drogba has the Champions League final in three days."
The implication being... if your Deng Kai is that great, why isn’t he playing in the Champions League?
"Haha, the camera has turned to the spectators’ seats, and there are indeed many high-profile guests today!" Zhan Jun smoothed things over, "This is the family and friends area, with Hathaway and Keira making an appearance together, chatting and laughing as if they are good friends."
"Victoria, the wife of Beckham, is also nearby. This is truly a group of star footballers’ wives!"
"Does Hathaway not know that Keira is her rival in love?"
"The Sun Newspaper has always suspected that Deng Kai and Keira had more than a friendship, but they have no proof."
Huang Jianxiang is speechless, this is Channel 5, not some tabloid: "Well, Zhan Jun, maybe watch fewer tabloids. We in news should value truthfulness."
"Many players’ relatives and friends have also arrived at the venue, and we can roughly tell who they are because some players look so much like their parents."
"The camera has just caught a few fans with yellow skin... Are these... Could these be Deng Kai’s and Sun Jihai’s families? Yes, yes, I’ve interviewed them before!"
"There are also Hao Junmin, Yu Shihao, and a few other players who play for Sporting Lisbon. They are now part of Sporting Lisbon’s first team and have achieved a second-place finish this season for the club."
"Bear in mind, their opponent was Porto, who made it to the Champions League final."
"Hey, isn’t that Ronaldo sitting next to Deng Kai’s parents?"
"Yes, when Ronaldo was in Sporting Lisbon’s youth team, he used to lodge at Deng Kai’s house. He has a very good relationship with Deng Kai’s parents, and their families visit each other frequently during holidays."
"Wow! Beckham has also arrived at the venue! Sitting next to him is England’s national team coach, Sven-Eriksson. No wonder Victoria didn’t come over here, this side seems to be more about work-related conversations."
"The presence of England’s coach and captain probably indicates they are here for the final tactical scouting of their opponents."
Manchester City’s starting lineup has the lowest number of English players in the Premier League.
So the English weren’t here to scout.
They were here to investigate.
Deng Kai was Portugal’s primary core player, with Feng Te following him like a shadow.
Desailly was the captain of the France team, and Ribery was also highly likely to be called up by France.
Fabregas, Torres, and Villa were all said to be potential inclusions in the Spanish national team.
Lahm might be called up by the German team.
Chiellini was highly likely to join the Italian national team.
Cech was even a choice for the Czech national team’s goalkeeper.
Even Ashley Young could possibly catch the last train to the English national team.
Unknowingly, Manchester City had become a major household of national team players.
And that was just Europe.
Considering Africa, the Americas, and Asia, it was rare for someone on their team not to be an international player!
Of course, most of these players were unremarkable when they arrived.
But now, each and every one of them was a leading figure in their own country and region.
Many even set honor records for local players.
The Manchester City of two years and six championships had led too many of its players to the peak of their lives... before they even realized it.
Not just the English.
France’s head coach Jacques Santini and the team’s absolute core player Zidane also appeared in the stands.
Spanish head coach Aragones and the team’s captain and former Golden Ball winner Raul were also present.
Apart from investigating, they were also conducting their final assessments.
Valencia had many excellent Spanish players.
And furthermore... Spain and Portugal were in the same group.
In addition to that, the German coaching staff, Italian coaching staff, Russian coaching staff.
Even Greece’s head coach Rehhagel was at the scene.
This time, Greece and Portugal were in the same group too, and their situation of advancing was very dire.
But the Greeks had confidence in Rehhagel.
After all, this was the same coach who pulled off the Kaiserslautern miracle years ago.
Do you know about Trigella?
Have you heard of Maxa?
Rehhagel was those two from years back!
"He hasn’t changed a bit," Rehhagel observed Deng Kai, warming up on the pitch with his teammates, "He interferes with everything, he’s very concerned about the condition of every player on the team."
"In the matches he’s involved in, it’s rare for there to be any mishaps. I think it has a lot to do with how he takes care of everyone."
"He doesn’t let any player get nervous."
Two years ago, in the Champions League, the Lisbon team led by Deng Kai effortlessly eliminated Rehhagel’s Kaiserslautern with an incredibly exaggerated scoreline.
That battle completely shattered the struggling Kaiserslautern.
