When Maxi Carey said goodbye to his wife at the door, he was hugged by his wife.
"Are you ready, honey?"
"What are you preparing for?" Kaili was a little surprised.
"Are you ready to face those media reporters?" My wife smiled. "They will definitely ask you what you think about Hu winning the World Footballer."
Carey did not expect that his wife would also use this topic to tease him. He shook his head: "I would suggest that they ask Meili. After all, Meili only won this award last year. He must have felt more deeply than me."
The wife smiled and punched her husband's chest lightly: "How bad you are!"
After speaking, he kissed his wife and said goodbye to her.
After getting into his car in the yard, he recalled his wife's problem.
He snorted softly.
World Footballer?
Amazing?
※※※
Matthew Miller had just entered the first team locker room with his bag on his back when he heard Charlie Potter bragging about his vision:
"...When he first came to the team, I could tell that he would achieve great things in the future!"
"Just blow it, Charlie! You can see the devil!"
"Hey, I'm the first person in our team to take the initiative to talk to him! Why should I take the initiative to talk to him? Isn't it because I see his potential?"
"Isn't our captain the first person to talk to Hu?"
"Ahem! The captain is fulfilling his own duties, which is different from mine!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Then someone lamented:
"When Hu came to our team, I remember there were people on the Internet saying that the club was just to sell jerseys..."
When Matthew Miller heard this, he immediately raised his hands and said:
"Me me me!"
After everyone turned their attention to him, he sold his father: "My father once said that the club spent money to buy Hu just to sell jerseys in China. He also complained about the thousand the club paid to buy Hu.
Two million pounds, I don’t know how many jerseys I need to sell to make back the money..."
Everyone was amused by what Matthew Miller's father said.
Selling jerseys?
In fact, Leeds City has received more than 12 million pounds in sponsorship fees from Chinese sponsors.
In the end, when Leeds City sold Hulay, the transfer fee was 120 million, which was already ten times what they spent to introduce Hulay.
In fact, don't look at these specific monetary figures, just look at the changes that Hulay has brought to the team after moving to Leeds City. It has already been well worth the money.
Those championships and the improvement of the team's reputation and status cannot be measured simply by money.
Everyone was enthusiastically discussing the fact that Hulay won the World Footballer, as if this honor also belonged to them.
Zhou Zijing listened to everyone's discussion in the crowd without saying a word, because unlike the excitement of other teammates, he was not very happy.
Hu Lai won the Ballon d'Or before, and now he has won the World Footballer of the Year award.
He is like a mountain that is rising rapidly. It is becoming increasingly difficult for him to conquer this mountain.
Although his performance at Leeds City is getting better and better, half way through the season, he has completed eight goals and five assists in all competitions.
It was his best season since joining Leeds City.
It also allowed him to secure his starting position in Leeds City.
But it's still far behind the records Hu Lai set with this team.
It is also far from his goal of replacing Hu Lai here.
For this reason, he really couldn't be happy with Hu Lai's achievements.
This is not out of jealousy, but some kind of... desperation.
Although he told Junpei Morikawa many times that he must defeat Hu Lai, he was not stupid, and he also knew how difficult it was to achieve this goal.
Hu Lai is such a bitch... He really doesn't leave anyone a way to survive!
Zhou Zijing was unwilling to join the discussion among his teammates, but his teammates at Leeds City would not let him go easily.
Charlie Potter called his name: "Zhou, in your China, the fact that Hu won the World Footballer must have a great response, right?"
Zhou Zijing forced a smile and excused himself: "Yes, yes..."
"Really? Then what did they say?"
"That's right, let's talk about it in detail, Zhou!"
Zhou Zijing's smile froze.
Next to him, Junpei Morikawa laughed happily.
※※※
In the backyard of the villa, Mauro Albertazzi stood in the center of the goal line facing the goal.
He was breathing heavily and his body was shaking slightly.
Behind him, a short beep sounded.
After hearing this prompt, Albertazzi quickly turned to the left.
As soon as he turned around, he saw a ball server about twenty meters away from him, shooting a football at him!
With no time to observe and think, he almost made a conditioned save action based on the afterimage of the football caught with his own eyes - he quickly rushed to the right and knocked the flying football out of the baseline with one palm!
After completing this save, Albertazzi did not lie on the ground, but quickly got up from the ground and stood on the goal line again with his back to the ball server.
Just when he stood up and was still breathing, there was another "beep" sound behind him.
He turned around almost at the same time as the sound sounded and jumped out again.
But this time he didn't pounce, it was in the right direction, but the distance when he jumped was not enough, so the football passed by his fingertips, then grazed the goalpost and flew into the goal, but was blocked by the net.
That's why I didn't continue flying out.
Alberta ignored the regret and displeasure for losing the ball, and quickly got up from the ground, stood in front of the goal line, and looked at the footballs in the goal.
When the prompt sounds, quickly turn around, save, and get up.
This cycle repeats.
Until there are no more footballs in the "magazine" behind the ball machine.
He just lay on the ground without getting up, his chest heaving violently, and his eyes looking at the sky blankly.
Until a human face appeared in his field of vision, blocking the sunlight.
"If you don't take a break during the holidays, why are you still practicing?"
His uncle, Salvatore Albertazzi, who was also his first goalkeeper coach, frowned and looked at Albertazzi, who was lying on the ground exhausted.
Albertazzi did not answer this question, but said:
"Hu Lai became 'Mr. Golden Ball'."
Players who win both the Ballon d'Or and World Footballer of the Year in the same year will be called "Mr. Ballon d'Or".
There are many players who can become the World Footballer of the Year, and there are also many players who have won the Ballon d'Or - after all, it is selected every year - but not every player who wins these awards will become "Mr. Ballon d'Or".
Because the selection methods and standards of the Golden Globe Award and World Player of the Year are different. The Ballon d'Or Award looks at the past season, while the World Player of the Year looks at the past year, and the time is also different.
After winning the Ballon d'Or, some Ballon d'Or winners may not perform as expected in the second half of the season due to various reasons, and may lose the World Footballer of the Year.
For example, in the World Footballer selection last year, Bronze Ball winner Hu Lai did not even make the top three, which is a good illustration of the difference between the two awards.
Therefore, being able to win the two major awards of Ballon d'Or and World Footballer at the same time is enough to show that this player's performance in the selection cycles of these two awards in the past has conquered everyone, whether it is the opinions of professional judges or his influence around the world.
The strength is impeccable.
The "Mr. Golden Ball" the year before last was Mery Banega, and the "Mr. Golden Ball" last year was Hu Lai.
Hearing Albertazzi say this, his uncle knew why he wanted to use his vacation time to continue training.
Then he looked back at the ball machine and shook his head: "Then I'm afraid your practice is not enough."
Hearing this, Albertazi turned over from the ground and sat up: "Why is it not enough?"
"It's just a ball server, so you already know in advance which direction the ball will come from. Although this ball server has two launch ports, high ball and low ball... there are too few changes." His uncle explained to him.
"That……"
The uncle waved his hand and drew a set of arcs on the edge of the lawn, which was about the size of a restricted area of a standard football field:
"Build more ball servers, fill up this line, connect them together, and then use a program to control all the ball servers and let them shoot the ball randomly. In this way, when you turn around, you don't know from which direction the football is coming.
That’s it.”
Listening to his uncle's method, Albertazzi's eyes lit up.
※※※
Bang!
After Luo Kai took a run-up, he shot the football towards the goal.
However, the football failed to get over the moving wall, but hit the "head" of the wall and deflected to the side.
Seeing this result, Luo Kai shook his head, took a football and continued practicing.
Just as he was setting up the ball and preparing to retreat for a run-up, his friend Ricardo Barilla shouted to him from the sidelines: "Aren't you leaving yet, Luo?"
Luo Kai turned to look at him who had just returned from the gym and shook his head: "No, I have to practice for a while longer!"
"All right……"
Although Ricardo Barilla didn't quite understand why Luo Kai practiced longer than usual today, he respected Luo Kai's choice.
So he nodded and left on his own.
After Ricardo Barea left, Luo Kai resumed his approach and kicked the football.
This time the football did not hit the moving wall, nor did it hit the goal frame. Instead, it flew high over the crossbar and hit the ten-meter high barbed wire wall behind the goal.
With a snap, it lost all kinetic energy and fell down.
Luo Kai looked in the direction of the goal in a daze.
After a while, he started moving again, went to get a football, and continued to practice his elevator free kick.
※※※
When Luo Kai returned to the locker room after free kick practice, Barea had already left, and he was the only one left in the locker room.
After briefly taking a shower and changing clothes, he turned off the light and left.
When he walked to the parking lot, he saw a slim figure standing next to his car.
He sighed and finally walked over.
When the other party saw him, he happily came forward and said hello: "Why are you practicing later than usual?"
Then without waiting for Luo Kai to speak, he said again: "Are you free tonight? I would like to treat you to dinner, is that okay?"
Luo Kai looked at the French international and the star of the Tramed women's football team in front of him with some helplessness.
This is not the first time that the two of them have had a conversation like this, but every time when Lilith invites him, he refuses without hesitation.
He felt that his attitude was already very clear, and Lilith should be able to know it.
He should refuse this time too.
But today when he saw the smiling woman in front of him, he suddenly thought of the scene last night when Hu Lai and Li Qingqing held hands and showed off their trophies in front of the reporters' cameras.
Ever since the relationship between Hu Lai and Li Qingqing was officially announced, Luo Kai actually knew that it would never be possible for him and Li Qingqing, so he let go of the feelings in his heart.
In fact, he had gradually realized before that that everything was just his wishful thinking, and Li Qingqing had no intention of doing anything to him.
He is just a self-deceiving clown...
Why does seeing Lilith remind him of Hu Lai and Li Qingqing?
Because he suddenly realized that in front of him, Lilith seemed to be a clown who kept hitting walls.
Her confessions to herself were always rejected mercilessly by herself.
As for why you refused?
Is it because I hate the woman in front of me?
No, maybe it's just because he hasn't completely broken away from the excuses that deceived himself.
In Lilith today, he seemed to see himself in the past.
In the eyes of others, I'm afraid it's just so ridiculous.
"Of course..." Seeing that Luo Kai didn't answer, Lilith knew what the other party's answer was, so she shrugged and said with some self-deprecation: "It doesn't matter, if you are not free now..."
Luo Kai nodded: "I'm free."
"... Then I'll do it next time... Huh?"
Lilith, who was already prepared to be rejected again, didn't react until she finished speaking. She looked at Luo Kai with wide eyes, thinking that she had heard wrongly.
Under her surprised gaze, the handsome oriental man nodded and repeated:
