329 Star Football Friendly Match and Brother Cheng Long
End of May 2002
Led by CCTV Sports Channel and the General Administration of Sports, the Mainland + Xiangjiang Star Team and the sports star team formed by non-national players or retired national players held a friendly match at the Workers' Stadium to warm up for the World Cup.
After all, this is China's first World Cup participation. The domestic football atmosphere is very strong, and many people in the entertainment industry want to come and enjoy the popularity.
Relevant officials and institutions also hope to have a positive publicity impact and spread the influence of the World Cup.
For this friendly match alone, the Stars' lineup is unprecedentedly luxurious.
From the mainland came Cao Xuan, Zhao Benshan, Feng Gong, Zhang Guoli, Xu Zheng, Huang Jianxiang, Bai Huihui and others.
President Xiangjiang Tan, Zeng Zhiwei, Hacken Lee, Simon Yam and others were present. Some artists from Taiwan Province also came, and there was also a surprise guest Cheng Long.
In addition, the actress cheerleading team also came with Na Ying, Song Dandan, Cao Ying, Tao Hong and others. Hu Jing and Mr. Zhou who returned to the capital to participate in the event also came to watch the fun.
Originally, this game was not so big in the beginning. The star teams were mainly composed of mainland stars, or even stars from Beijing. Most people did not have time to come.
As a result, after Lao Zhao invited Cao Xuan to join the team before, he decided on this competition.
Cao Xuan agreed to come to cheer. Lao Zhao, who had not planned to come, saw Cao Xuan coming and he, the inviter, was too embarrassed to show up.
At the same time, it happened that Zhang Guoli and Wang Gang from the crew of "Eternal Dragon Sword" were both members of the star football team. Cao Xuan came to participate in the event. Zhang Guoli and the two happened to be out of action for the past two days, so they also came over.
Then the two brought together Xiao Tao Hong and Xu Jinjiang who were also on the crew. The former called Xu Zheng, and the latter somehow got in touch with the Xiangjiang Star Team.
They discussed it and said, since it's so lively, let's come over to build up the momentum. Originally, the World Cup was approaching, so these people made an appointment to watch and play football. After saying hello, they went straight to the capital.
As a result, more and more people gathered together, and the star lineup became more and more luxurious. The competition became more serious, and many stars spontaneously came to show off their faces.
So, what was originally a normal friendly match later even alerted the General Administration of Sports, helped contact the management, and even took over the venue of the Workers' Sports. CCTV also sent a camera team to broadcast it on the sports channel.
What's even more exaggerated is that more than 30,000 tickets were sold for this friendly match, almost catching up with Guoan's usual home games.
If the ticket price hadn't been slightly higher and the publicity time was limited, there might have been a chance to fill up the entire workers' stadium.
No one will want any of the ticket revenue, and all the money and other related profits will be donated to charities later on.
…
At the stadium, players from both teams were warming up, and the audience and fans on the stage cheered enthusiastically. Basically, except for some die-hard fans, they were all supporters of the Star Team.
Not to mention, Cheng Long + Cao Xuan + Lao Zhao, the national popularity of these three people at this stage is comparable to that of the entire national football team, or even surpasses it by a large margin, not to mention there are a lot of other stars.
Even if we recruit all the current national football players, they may not be as popular as them, let alone the club players and retired national football players who are slightly less popular.
Although this game seems very formal, it strictly follows the time, and the various procedures are similar to those of a formal game. There are also professional referees and fourth officials.
But in fact, this is still a friendly match of a performance nature.
We can't really play like a formal game. Many rules have to be relaxed. At the very least, there are no restrictions on substitutions.
There are almost 30 people in the Star Team. Not to mention that they are all well-established. You have to put people up to play for a few minutes. The key point is that many of them are old men. It is really physically unbearable to play for 90 minutes.
Therefore, there are no restrictions on the substitution rules. If you don't have enough energy, you can substitute. All 11 people on the field can be substituted.
The coach of the Star Team is Song Shixiong, who is also the first-generation sports commentator on CCTV. He has very senior qualifications and is also the leader of the Chinese Star Team.
Mr. Song simply laid out the tactics, and there were no tactics at all, just a rough stance, a rough guide on how to play, and some distribution of positions.
"Xiao Cao, what are you kicking?"
As one of the top players in the team, although Cao Xuan is young, he is still highly regarded. Mr. Song asked him about it in particular.
Cao Xuan, wearing the red No. 99 jersey, smiled and said: "I can do it. I'm not very good at playing. I just need to provide you with support."
"Then play winger. You are young and can run fast."
After taking the position, Cao Xuan went to the side to warm up. Brother Cheng Long, who had taken the midfield position, walked in and said with a smile.
"How about it? I'll kick and pass the ball for you later."
"Farewell, I don't know how to kick, so leave it to someone else."
The two of them had actually met twice before, but Cao Xuan had just debuted at that time, so he couldn't get close to his eldest brother, and he didn't see him as a little singer.
When he debuted that year, he stood like a gangster among the crowd.
But now Cao Xuan has become a popular star in the world music scene. As one of the few Chinese superstars with international influence in China, Cao Xuan is the center of attention even in a star-studded star team.
Naturally, he also received Cheng Long's initiative to say hello.
The two also talked about each other's experiences in the United States. Cao Xuan was chased and asked about Cheng Long wherever he went. Cheng Long, who is now in the United States for filming and promotion, was often asked about Cao Xuan.
The embarrassing thing is that they are not familiar with each other and have nothing to say, but they cannot show that their relationship is cold.
There are very few Chinese celebrities in the United States, so they should help each other and stick together to keep each other warm. Even if they have grudges, they have to keep it secret so that no one can see that they are not united.
This football match is a good opportunity for Cao Xuan and Cheng Long. After getting to know each other better, it will be more natural to talk to each other in the future.
"You are really popular now. People in the UK know you."
Cheng Long tightened his shoelaces. He was filming "Shanghai Noon 2" in the UK. He spoke to the crew a few days ago and the British crew even asked about Cao Xuan.
"I'm not even close to you. I really don't know the influence of big brother until I go abroad. Good guy, I never leave Jack Cheng."
Cao Xuan said modestly, and it was not that he was flattering. It was indeed what Cao Xuan meant. Although he is now considered a minor celebrity internationally, he is still far behind Cheng Long.
"You are quite popular abroad. Do you have any plans to go to Hollywood?"
Cheng Long looked around and asked in a low voice. Cao Xuan glanced at him: "Brother, do you have a project?"
"The project can't be discussed, but it is said that a boss wants to bring the two of us together, plus Jet Li, to create a Chinese A-level Hollywood production."
There are no strict standards for so-called Hollywood A-level production, and various themes are not necessarily analogous. However, in most cases, Hollywood A-level production by default means that the cost exceeds 100 million U.S. dollars in investment.
Cao Xuan laughed when he heard this: "Brother, do you believe this?"
Hollywood is very harsh on Chinese actors, and suppresses Asians even more than blacks.
Cheng Long's "Rush Hour" series was so popular, so why did he have to go back to Hong Kong to invest in various movies? On the one hand, it was to support newcomers, and on the other hand, he also knew that he would not last long in Hollywood, so he planned his escape in advance.
In so-called Hollywood A-level productions, there are currently only three Chinese who have won the leading role (heroine and heroine & big boss), Cheng Long, Jet Li and Yang Ziqiong.
There was no such thing as Bruce Lee at that time, and not counting, there were no movies starring Bruce Lee that exceeded US$100 million in investment.
Among them, the truly Chinese investments worth over 100 million US dollars are Cheng Long's "Rush Hour" series and "Around the World in 80 Days."
Cao Xuan will not belittle his fame, but he knows very well that the American music scene and Hollywood are completely different concepts.
No matter how popular he is in the music industry, it does not mean that he can get the same treatment as Cheng Long in Hollywood. Even Michael Jackson must abide by Hollywood rules when he moves to the film industry.
Not to mention, Cao Xuan simply does not believe that there will be Hollywood A-level productions that are mainly Chinese.
You know, these movies made by Cheng Long also added a white man and a black man to form a double male lead, with an all-Chinese cast. If Hollywood were so open-minded, it would not be Hollywood.
Cao Xuan was not optimistic about this so-called project at all, but Cheng Long was still optimistic.
He is now at the height of his popularity in Hollywood, and his salary has entered the $20 million club. He is a well-deserved first-line Hollywood superstar, chatting and laughing with major Hollywood entertainment bosses.
Therefore, Cheng Long felt that he still had hope to promote this project.
Cheng + Li, plus the popular Cao Xuan, are almost the strongest Chinese lineup in the world. If you add the votes from Asia, the project prospects are still very promising.
"Don't worry about whether it works or not. I just want to ask, if it works, will you come?"
"As long as the role does not vilify Chinese people and the role is not low, I will play it."
Cao Xuan made a promise. After all, if this project really comes to fruition, there will be no harm to Cao Xuan and he will be very happy.
Even though he was ranked behind Cheng and Li, Cao Xuan accepted it. After all, in terms of qualifications and Hollywood status, he was indeed inferior to the two of them, so it was not shameful to be a junior.
"Okay, we've made an appointment. I'll talk to you later when I know something about it."
Cheng Long is very ambitious. If it succeeds this time, the Chinese people will have a greater say in Hollywood.
He will also become the leader of Chinese and even Asian artists in Hollywood, and will have certain rights to have equal dialogue with major Hollywood companies.
However, while Cheng Long was very high-spirited, Cao Xuan was not very optimistic and even thought about his plan after his setback.
If Cheng Long fails, coupled with the collapse of other projects, and is forced to return to China for development, then Cao Xuan will have the opportunity to drag him into Hollywood again.
At this stage, there is a big gap between the two in terms of status in the film industry. When faced with Cao Xuan, Cheng Long only looks at his younger brother, and Cao Xuan cannot gain any independent say in front of him.
Therefore, even if Cao Xuan had the idea of dragging Cheng Long along, he could only wait silently.
In a few years, Jackie Chan will be frustrated in Hollywood and his status will decline, while Cao Xuan will further accumulate popularity and become an international music superstar. At that time, both parties will be able to truly achieve equality and discuss cooperation with each other.
, there is no one who is higher or lower.
Of course, this is just Cao Xuan's personal idea, which may not be correct and is somewhat selfish.
After all, if Jackie Chan really promotes this project and truly opens up the door for Chinese people in Hollywood, it may also be another bright road.
But this possibility is extremely low, so low that Cao Xuan feels that his plan to join forces to break into Hollywood is more reliable.
After chatting and laughing for a while, the football match officially started. Cao Xuan, Cheng Long and others were there, and received warm cheers from the audience.
The game was not intense, and was even a bit playful. The Stars team played vigorously, but the opponent was obviously letting off steam.
If you think about it, you can understand that although the team is made up of clubs and retired national players, they are all professional athletes. Even if there are a few stars with strong feet, they are all amateurs.
If we really have no scruples and let go of kicking, the Stars will have to let people kick more than double digits...
These professional athletes know how to make mistakes sometimes unconsciously or let their guard down to make the scene and the score as beautiful as possible.
Cao Xuan's footwork is average, his only advantage is that he has decent physical strength and can run.
And because of his great reputation, some teammates like to pass the ball to him, so he spends a lot of time with the ball. He often plays from the wing, from the center to the back, all the way to the penalty area.
People who don't know the skill really think that Cao Xuan is good. Anyone who knows football knows that he is just a blind player. He only knows how to dribble the ball, but he doesn't know how to pass.
But this kind of game is just for fun. No one expects Cao Xuan to be possessed by Maradona, pass five levels and defeat six generals, and score his own goal without a single kick.
Cao Xuan played blindly for 30 minutes. Zeng Zhiwei dived, and the referee awarded a penalty kick with a wink. Zeng Zhiwei gave up the opportunity to his elder brother.
Cheng Long did not kick, but waved for Cao Xuan to come. Cao Xuanqian gave way and refused to take the kick. The opponent's goalkeeper made a symbolic save, but the kick was still scored.
1:2
This kind of competition cannot be said to be a waste of water, it is simply a vast ocean.
As shameless as Cao Xuan was, he didn't want to celebrate too much. He gave everyone a high-five and was replaced.
Now that the goal has been scored, it's time for others to show their faces and perform.
In the end, the game ended at 4:5, and the Stars "narrowly lost" by one goal. If not for being professional, the score was controlled just right.
Cao Xuan and Cheng Long each scored a penalty kick, which perfectly reflected their fame and status. The other two goals were scored by Principal Tan and Bai Huihui, which perfectly reflected their strength.
So Mr. Lu Xun said it best, football is not about fighting and killing, football is about human feelings and sophistication. This game is simply full of "human feelings and sophistication"...
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ps: Recommended book "China Entertainment: Riding a Bicycle to Become the Movie King", the male protagonist is an actor, and the female protagonists who have a relationship are Wan Qian and Zhou Gongzi
