Chapter 675
The Fourth Crown! The Best Farewell Gift!
"The World Cup has a really big influence!"
After the Chinese national football team announced its World Cup roster, discussions about the participating teams lasted for more than a week.
Even Lin Feng, who was far away in Spain, was affected during this period.
Many reporters came specifically to ask him for his opinion on the national team roster at the Real Madrid post-match press conference, showing no interest in the content and result of the Real Madrid match.
I heard that after discussing the starting lineup, domestic fans have started studying and discussing the national team's tactics in the World Cup.
Some fans have even started acting as strategists, offering advice and strategies for the national team against their opponents in the group stage.
The Chinese team has been absent from the World Cup for eight years. Their hard-won qualification has naturally aroused the football enthusiasm of fans and even ordinary people.
The grassroots enthusiasm for football has not only driven the development of football-related industries, but has also positively contributed to youth training and the league.
It is said that the number of registered youth players in China in 2009 has increased rapidly from less than 8000 in 2005 to more than 90000!
Although this number is still far behind that of neighboring Japan and South Korea, Japan has around 50 registered youth players, while South Korea has more than 20.
The reason why Japanese and South Korean football has been able to maintain a top level in Asia for so long is due to their excellent youth training programs.
However, the upward trend in the number of domestically trained youth players is still very encouraging.
If the Chinese team achieves good results in this World Cup, it will definitely further stimulate the domestic football industry and attract more young people to participate in football.
Given China's massive population, even by the standards of Japan and South Korea, it would be commonplace for the number of young football players to exceed one million in the future.
If the number of youth training players can exceed one million, then Chinese football will truly have the foundation to become a world-class powerhouse.
If one of these players becomes a superstar like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, then the Chinese team might actually win the World Cup!
……
With the league entering its final stage, Real Madrid is focusing its main efforts on the league.
5月3日，西甲第35轮联赛，皇马坐镇主场3:2击败了奥萨苏纳。
Mourinho did not field his full starting lineup for this match, but instead fielded a team of half starters and half substitutes.
However, the key players were affected by the Champions League and the long journey, resulting in relatively poor form and Real Madrid's inability to break through the deadlock.
On the contrary, their opponents Osasuna, under the pressure of relegation, showed tremendous fighting spirit and once took the lead over Real Madrid.
However, with more key players coming on as substitutes in the second half, the opponent finally succumbed to Real Madrid's relentless attacks and gave Real Madrid the crucial three points!
In another match played at the same time, Barcelona, playing away, was also severely affected by the Champions League, and their game against Villarreal went into stoppage time before a winner was decided.
Ultimately, Barcelona narrowly defeated their opponents 2-1 thanks to a scorpion kick from Ibrahimovic.
After this round of matches, the point difference between the two teams remained at 4 points.
With only three rounds left in the league, Barcelona's chances of defending their title are dwindling.
On May 6, after a three-day rest, Real Madrid traveled to Mallorca, who were ranked 4th in the league, to play away.
Real Madrid's key players have fully recovered for this match, and Mourinho has therefore fielded most of his first-team players.
Mallorca is stronger than Osasuna in the previous match, but they are actually easier for Real Madrid to deal with.
Their current ranking is awkward; although they are in fourth place, they are not far behind Sevilla behind them.
If they lose this match to Real Madrid, they could very well be overtaken by Sevilla in the league standings.
This led to Mallorca having a serious fear of losing and a desire to win. Facing a top team like Real Madrid, they dared to be half-hearted, and naturally, they had to be severely punished.
The final score of the match was 1-4, with Lin Feng contributing two assists and two goals, and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. The two of them accounted for all of Real Madrid's goals.
Playing at home, Mallorca couldn't even get a single point, let alone beat Real Madrid and take all three points.
After this match, their league ranking was unsurprisingly overtaken by Sevilla.
However, the gap between the two teams is not large, only 1 point, so Mallorca may still have hope.
Real Madrid, led by Lin Feng, achieved a resounding victory, while Barcelona, also led by Messi, easily defeated their opponents.
The gap between the two teams remains at 4 points, but for Barcelona, the hope of winning the title is now only a theoretical possibility!
With only two rounds left in the league, if Real Madrid wins the next round, they will be crowned champions one round early.
Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid's next opponent, has become Barcelona's last hope.
On May 9, the penultimate round of La Liga kicked off.
Because this round of matches may determine the final champion ahead of schedule, in order to ensure fairness, La Liga has chosen to schedule all matches at the same time.
This season's La Liga is extremely competitive, with high-quality matches that keep fans captivated.
The various mysteries have kept fans on the edge of their seats.
The title race between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Champions League spot battle between Mallorca and Sevilla, and the relegation battle for seven teams...
Every fan can find something they like, and almost every game has something to watch!
Of course, the most attention-grabbing event is the battle for the top spot.
The Bernabéu Stadium had already been decorated before the match started.
If Real Madrid wins the title, they will hold a victory celebration on the spot.
Unfortunately, the La Liga title trophy is not awarded on the spot, but rather at the start of the next season's home game.
So at this point they couldn't see the championship trophy yet, and could only celebrate without one.
But it's too early to think about all that. If we want to celebrate, we have to get past Athletic Bilbao first!
The Basque Lions are not to be trifled with; their away ground is considered one of the most intimidating in La Liga, and even giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona tremble when they play there.
However, the lions of the Basque Country seem to turn into sick cats once they leave their homes.
Although it still acts aggressively and looks very intimidating, it actually has no fighting ability at all.
Just a few minutes into the match, Lin Feng scored a free kick to open the scoring for Real Madrid.
Ten minutes later, Ronaldo received a cross from his teammate, rose high in the penalty area and headed the ball into the net, extending the score to 2-0!
At this moment, the fans at the Bernabéu stadium had already begun celebrating.
Although opening champagne at halftime is a bit unsportsmanlike, seeing the Real Madrid team's high morale and their opponents looking like they were about to be stunned, they simply couldn't believe that the other side could turn the game around!
If they can turn this around, then it's no wonder Real Madrid will never win a championship in their lifetime!
The Real Madrid players' celebrations seemed to have angered the Basques.
After the start of the second half, they pulled one back with a counter-attack, which slightly reduced the volume of the celebrations in the stadium.
But soon, as Lin Feng staged his signature solo breakthrough in the counterattack, extending the score to 3-1, the cheers of the Meilinger fans rose again.
Seeing that the game was decided, Mourinho made substitutions, with Raul coming on to replace Benzema.
When Raul came on, he received a warm round of applause and cheers from the fans.
Raul himself stopped several times to wave towards the stands.
Rumors are circulating that this season might be the Lord of the Rings' last at the Bernabéu. After this season, he may seek a transfer to make way for younger players.
The current Real Madrid team has an overabundance of attacking talent and no longer needs an old player like him.
Raul is only 33 years old this year, and there is still fuel in the tank.
However, if he stays at Real Madrid, he may not get much playing time due to the intense competition.
In addition, his salary is relatively high, and supporting an aging player who can't play many games puts a considerable strain on Real Madrid's finances.
Therefore, his departure as a free agent is a win-win situation for both him and the team.
Of course, Raul himself did not want to leave.
But for a star of his caliber, it's very difficult to stay with one team for his entire career.
Unless he chooses to retire directly, or that team chooses to tank and doesn't care much about results.
Otherwise, under pressure to achieve results, it would be difficult for veterans to stay.
"Captain, here's your armband!"
The captain's armband for this match was worn by Lin Feng. After Raul came on the field, Lin Feng took the initiative to step forward, took off his armband, and put it on Raul's arm.
"Thank you!"
Raul gently stroked the old jersey he had worn countless times, a jersey that had witnessed Real Madrid's glory and decline for over a decade, his heart filled with reluctance.
This should be the last time he wears the captain's armband for Real Madrid and stands on the Bernabéu Stadium.
"You're welcome. Captain, run to a less crowded area later, and I'll pass you the ball!"
"it is good!"
This time, Raul did not refuse Lin Feng's offer.
Because he knew that he might never have another chance.
Lin Feng kept his word; whenever Raul came on, he would pass the ball to him whenever he had the chance.
In the 75th minute, Lin Feng forcefully dribbled into the penalty area, and after getting past the opposing defender, he selflessly passed the ball across to Raul, who was unmarked in the middle, even though he could have taken a shot himself.
Raul seized the opportunity and sent the ball into the empty net.
A few minutes later, Real Madrid won a free kick in the attacking third.
Lin Feng, who was in excellent form and had already scored a free kick in the first half, did not choose to take it himself, but instead gave the opportunity to Raul.
Unfortunately, Raul's free-kick skills are not very good, and this shot did not pose a threat.
It wasn't just Lin Feng creating opportunities for Raul; other Real Madrid players, even Cristiano Ronaldo who is always keen on racking up stats, gave up their own performances and chose to give the chance to Raul.
With the team's collective effort, Raul scored his second and third goals in the 88th minute and stoppage time, completing his hat-trick.
The moment the final whistle blew, the entire Bernabéu stadium erupted in celebration.
As Queen's classic song "We Are the Champions" played, a large number of confetti rained down from the sky above the stadium.
Real Madrid successfully wrested the league title back from their arch-rivals Barcelona.
This is their fourth trophy of the season. They are only one Copa del Rey and Champions League away from a sextuple!
"Drink my champagne bomb!"
"A muscular man launches a sneak attack!"
While Ramos and Marcelo were harassing their teammates with a huge bottle of champagne they'd somehow gotten their hands on, Raul was carrying the match ball, finding each teammate one by one and getting them to sign it.
According to the rules, players who complete a hat trick can take the match ball home as a souvenir.
This football was destined to be a treasured possession of Raul for a lifetime!
……
Because of the shorter stoppage time, Real Madrid's match started a few minutes earlier than Barcelona's.
But in fact, the outcome was already decided before the game even ended.
Affected by the result of another match, the entire Barcelona team was out of form, and they struggled against Sevilla's attack.
At the end of the 90 minutes of regular time, the score was still 2-2.
But after learning that another match had ended with Real Madrid defeating Athletic Bilbao 6-1, the Barcelona fans' worries finally died down.
In stoppage time, Messi, with his unreasonable breakthroughs, fought his way through multiple opposing defenders and scored the winning goal!
Unfortunately, his goal and the victory were not enough to help Barcelona keep their championship trophy.
After the match, the Barcelona players were in low spirits, and many even shed tears.
Messi didn't cry, but his forlorn figure broke the hearts of countless Messi fans.
"It's okay, we can always come back next year!"
Guardiola walked onto the pitch, hugged each of his players, gently patted them on the shoulder, and comforted them.
But these words of comfort didn't seem to have much effect; Barcelona has done enough this season.
If they win the next round, their league points will reach 97 this season!
This points total is already higher than the points they had when they won the title last season, but it still couldn't stop Real Madrid from snatching the league championship trophy from them.
Faced with such a formidable opponent, to what extent would they need to go to defeat them?
The Barcelona players don't know, and nobody else can know.
……
After winning the championship, Real Madrid held a grand parade of floats in Madrid.
Although the league title is not as prestigious as the Champions League, Real Madrid fans don't care about that.
Every trophy a team wins is precious, especially one they managed to snatch from their arch-rivals Barcelona, making it all the more significant.
Lin Feng and other members of the Real Madrid squad, dressed in smart suits, paraded through the streets holding trophies.
Countless Real Madrid fans lined the streets in front of and behind them, blocking the way completely.
At this time of year, Lin Feng would always remark on just how many people there were!
This number must be over a million people!
He even doubted whether all the citizens of Madrid had come.
The Spaniards' passion for football is truly astonishing! (End of Chapter)