This is a quiet house on the edge of Qinghu Lake. Behind the main courtyard wall of the house is a large manor covering an area of about ten acres.
Qinghu, a tourist attraction in this heavy industrial city in the north.
When the weather is nice, many people go boating on the lake, and many people gather and play in the surrounding farmhouses.
But that's the south shore of the lake.
Across the wide lake, it is much quieter on the north shore of the lake.
This large mansion is located on the north shore of the lake.
There is a road extending directly from the beltway to the door of this large house.
Usually, there aren't many cars coming here, and most of the houses are very quiet like the north shore of Qinghu Lake.
Dense woods radiate from both sides of the road.
The huge tree canopy covers the sky and the sun, covering this two-way two-lane highway very well. If you just look at it from a distance, it is difficult to find that there is a road here.
The entrance to this road is also very hidden. A dense forest suddenly separates from the middle, and there is a "tunnel" formed by the woods. This is the entrance of the road. There is no sign. You are on the highway and the four-lane road that comes out.
There are no road signs indicating such a road.
When a car drives in from here, it has to pass through four or five kilometers of winding tree-lined avenues before the view suddenly opens up.
You will see the sparkling, wide clear lake and a high-walled courtyard.
On weekdays, not a single person is seen here at all.
But today was different. The lawn in front of the house was filled with all kinds of luxury cars, and cars kept coming from far away on the road.
Coming off the beltway ten kilometers away, there were traffic policemen on duty to maintain order along the road.
The same is true at the entrance of the house. Several traffic policemen turned into security guards in the parking lot, directing guests to park.
Such lively scenes rarely occur here.
Fortunately, this place is far away from the south bank where tourists gather, otherwise it would definitely attract a large number of tourists to watch - just the expensive luxury cars in the parking lot would be enough to cause a sensation.
Why are there so many luxury cars parked outside a house hidden in the woods by a lake?
※※※
If the car alone surprised people, then the people getting out of the car surprised everyone even more.
This is the border of China, but many people getting off the bus look like foreigners!
So many foreigners gathered in a rural house in a second-tier city in China... Why is this?
There are too many doubts.
These foreigners seemed to know each other well. They greeted each other warmly after getting off the bus.
The gate of the house is open, and two red lanterns are hung at the door.
It has a very strong Chinese flavor.
The guests greeted each other outside the gate, then passed through the gate in small groups and walked into the courtyard.
In addition to these foreigners, there are also many Chinese people. Some of them are dressed casually, while others are in suits and leather shoes.
There are people of all ages. There are young people in their thirties and people in their sixties and seventies.
These people from different countries, speaking different languages, different ages, and different identities are all gathered here. What are they here to do?
※※※
In fact, it has attracted a lot of media attention.
Because they couldn't get close to the house, most of the media reporters gathered at the entrance where the road forks off the road, where they took pictures of the vehicles entering.
Through the car window, they could more or less see who was sitting inside.
Whenever a car passes by, they will exclaim: "Oh my God! It's Gao Hongbo!"
"Gotze is here too? Isn't he leading the team in the game?"
"I said I took a day off, and I guess I have to fly back tonight..."
"Look! Ji Ming! The president of the AFC is here..."
"Is this surprising? Isn't this quite normal?"
"There are so many big-name coaches... they really blind me..."
"Who is this? Such a dazzling bald head... Holy shit! Guardiola!"
When Guardiola appeared in everyone's sight, the reporters were particularly excited.
As a very successful head coach in international football, Guardiola is also very famous.
Although he always wins less and loses more in battles with Chang Sheng, this does not prevent him from being a top coach in the world. He has also won three Champions League titles personally.
This is a very remarkable achievement.
Of course, if you compare with Chang Sheng, you are far behind. But people like Chang Sheng are exceptions and must be listed separately.
A coach can win three Champions League championships in his coaching career, which is already outstanding and can be considered a legend.
For example, former Liverpool legendary manager Bob.
Paisley won three Champions League titles and became an eternal legend.
So it's not difficult to understand why these reporters were very excited after seeing Guardiola.
In world football, Guardiola has long been a big shot.
Even though he has retired, his influence in international football is still huge.
In other words, peaches and plums are everywhere.
That is power!
After Guardiola passed by, another bald man came.
This bald man also has a great background, Robert.
DiMatteo!!
The famous coach who has won two Champions League titles in his coaching career has now taken a leave of absence.
He currently serves as a senior technical advisor to the Italian Football Federation, basically a sinecure.
In addition to retired old men like Guardiola and Di Matteo, there are also many current head coaches who are either famous in their home leagues or have proven themselves with championships in the entire European arena.
There are many super celebrities here who would occupy the entire newspaper page when they appear alone.
But today they all showed up in large numbers.
Why exactly?
※※※
Walking under the two red lanterns hanging above the gate, passing through the courtyard gate, there is an open lawn.
There are some temporary tents set up on the lawn.
Under the tent, some people were busy setting up the dining table, while others were busy preparing ingredients, as if they were having a picnic.
Most people gathered on this lawn, chatting in small groups.
There is a two-story villa behind the lawn.
People kept running in and out through the open door.
When Guardiola and Di Matteo appeared at the gate of the courtyard one after another, they attracted the attention of everyone inside.
Everyone came over one after another to pay respect and greetings to the two legendary European coaches.
The two people greeted everyone, but they did not stop. Instead, they walked side by side through the path and slowly walked towards the gate of the villa.
While walking, they greet each other's bodies.
The person who came up to say hello did not follow them, but retreated.
The two people walked into the open door, and after entering, the busyness outside was left behind.
Sixty-year-old Jose.
Passarella was standing inside. After seeing the two people, he went up to them and said, "You are late, Pep and Robert."
"Hey, traffic jam!"
The two people said in unison, then looked at each other and smiled.
Then Jose.
Passarella led the way and they climbed the steps.
The three of them didn’t walk very fast. Jose.
Passarella walked slowly on purpose, while Guardiola and Di Matteo couldn't walk fast because of their age.
When they finally reached the second floor and turned a corner, they heard bursts of laughter coming from the front door.
Jose.
Passarella led them to the door and shouted inside: "Pep and Robert are here!"
A gap of laughter.
Guardiola and Di Matteo appeared at the door. People in the house saw them, and they also saw the people in the house.
In the huge study room, there were people sitting on chairs, sofas, and even on the floor.
All of these people are familiar faces.
However, the two people's eyes quickly passed them and fell on the table in the center of the study... the person behind it.
The old man was about the same age as them and had gray hair.
Although the face is covered with crisscrossing wrinkles, this face is still very familiar.
Now the face's eyes were bulging and staring at them, with a sense of self-importance: "Those who are late will consciously order three drinks as a penalty!"
His voice was hoarse, but he could tell he was in good spirits.
Guardiola spread his hands: "I have stomach bleeding."
DiMatteo pointed to his abdomen: "My liver is not good."
The wrinkles on that face were squeezed closer to the middle, almost hiding the eyes in the wrinkles.
"Hey, I said, don't rely on your old age to show off!"
"Okay, stop pretending, you are here to rely on your old age!" Guardiola walked up, walked around the table, and opened his arms to the person behind the table.
The wrinkles on that calm and self-possessed face were originally shrunk together, but after hearing what the other party said, they suddenly bloomed.
Then he opened his arms and hugged Guardiola, and then Di Matteo.
"I'm so happy to see you all alive!" The person behind the table, Chang Sheng, hugged them and patted their backs.
Guardiola also slapped him on the back and said: "You are our boss, and you are not dead yet. How dare we die before you? Even Rudy is almost 90, and he is still alive."
Are you fine? It's just that I can't fly, so I couldn't come. He asked me to bring you a message... Happy 80th birthday to you!"
Chang Sheng smiled. He scanned the audience and looked at the people in the room. They were all players who had played under him. Some of them became coaches after retiring, and some of them did not continue to engage in football after retiring.
related work.
But Chang Sheng looked at them, and they all still remembered their names, everyone, everyone.
"Yeah, I'm eighty years old...time flies so fast..."
He murmured with a smile.
※※※
Yes, that's right. So many people gathered in such an ordinary Chinese house just to celebrate Chang Sheng's birthday.
Today is September 27, 252, the 80th birthday of Chang Sheng, the most legendary and greatest coach in world football.
Chang Sheng became the head coach of Getafe at the age of 27 and retired at the age of 75. In his 48 years of coaching career, he won countless championships, trained countless players, and trained numerous players.
coach.
This may be his most remarkable contribution to world football.!
He did not leave any tactical system behind, because the tactical system is constantly changing. What you leave behind today may be outdated and useless tomorrow, just like the free men back then.
In terms of tactics and ideas, there is nothing commendable left over from the constant victory.
But he has trained countless excellent coaches for world football, which is probably more remarkable than leaving behind one or two tactical ideas.
And these outstanding coaches also inherited the tradition of their teachers and continued to train apprentices.
Just like this, generation after generation, there are endless disciples and descendants.
Today's European football is basically dominated by winning teams.
It was said before that Guardiola is famous all over the world, but compared with his constant victory, that is far behind.
These coaches of the winning team are either head coaches of the first team or devoted to youth training.
China, as a victorious motherland, has also benefited a lot.
Today's Chinese football has long stood in the world of football.
This is all thanks to the talents cultivated by Chang Sheng, the introduction of China's advanced football concepts, and his huge influence as a Chinese in world football that cannot be ignored...
Some media once said that Chang Sheng is the emperor of world football. He is not the president of FIFA or UEFA, but his words carry much more weight than these two presidents.
For such an amazing big shot, on his birthday, not to mention the Chairman of the Chinese Football Association, FIFA, UEFA, AFC and other prestigious figures also want to congratulate him!
※※※
More and more people came to Chang Sheng's study, and finally there was no room to sit on the floor.
His wife, Avril, who was already a white-haired old woman, appeared at the door: "Gentlemen, if you continue to squeeze in here, my house will be overcrowded!"
Chang Sheng also felt a little embarrassed. Everyone was chatting too happily before and completely ignored this matter - these famous coaches and officials in the international football world were all sitting on the ground in disgrace!
This is not the way to treat guests.
So he stood up and asked everyone to go downstairs and go to the lawn, where the air was better.
Everyone cheered and rushed out.
When Chang Sheng walked to the door, he found Avril still waiting for him outside.
At the age of sixty-eight, she has long lost the beautiful face and smooth skin of her youth. Time has also carved deep wrinkles on her face, and age spots have appeared on her face.
Chang Sheng saw her hand over her hand.
Avril held her hand, and the two of them turned the corner and walked slowly down the stairs step by step.
The wooden stairs creaked with every step.
The lawn outside the house was very lively and full of people.
But time in the room seemed to slow down and become quiet.
It seemed like every step down took a long time.
When he reached the corner of the stairs, Chang Sheng stopped and seemed to want to rest.
He gently took his palm out of Avril's hand, put it into his pocket, and fumbled around.
Then he took out a small green thing from it and handed it to Avril.
"Today is so lively. Everyone has come from all over the world to celebrate my birthday. But they don't know that today is also your birthday. But I have not forgotten, happy birthday, my dear."
Avril looked down at the birthday gift Chang Sheng held in his hand, which was a ring made of straw.
She smiled: "What a coincidence."
After saying that, she also took out something from her pocket, which was also a ring made of straw.
"I made one for you too! Happy birthday, my...uncle!"
The two people put on the ring for each other, then raised their heads and smiled at each other.
Chang Sheng handed his hand to Avril again, and Avril took it and continued to help her husband go downstairs.
While going downstairs, Avril felt Chang Sheng's hand holding her hand hard.
This feeling made her suddenly nostalgic.
Because when she first met her uncle, she followed him from Spain to China. She was very nervous all the way because she was afraid of flying.
At that time, the uncle also held his hand like this, squeezed it hard, and told her, don't be afraid, there is nothing to worry about.
Perhaps from that moment on, I fell in love with this uncle who was twelve years older than me...
The two of them just held each other's hands and walked slowly down the stairs.
Although there were many people waiting for him outside, he was not in a hurry.
On his eightieth birthday, he was very happy not that so many people came to see him, but that it was his wife who helped him down the stairs instead of crutches and nannies.
How happy it is to have family members by your side when you are in your twilight years...
The sunlight that slanted in from the gate shone on them as they stepped down the stairs, dragging long shadows behind them.
"The sun is so beautiful... What is happiness? Happiness means being able to go downstairs and bask in the sun when you are old, ha!"
Facing the bright sunshine, Chang Sheng raised his eyes and murmured.
