In the training base of Marseille, the 25-year-old Ivory Coast center Didier Drogba threw the team newspaper on the table and asked unconvincedly.
Opposite him, Marseille's Egyptian center Mido also showed the same look.
They are all young players, who respects whom?
"Su Dong is really popular recently, and I heard he is the favorite for the first European Golden Boy Award." Egyptian center Mido said with a sneer.
"Better than your two teammates in Ajax?" Drogba was curious.
Mido shook his head, "I haven't played against Su Dong, so I don't know, but he does seem to be a troublesome character."
As an Egyptian player, Mido once played for Ajax, but he had a conflict with coach Koeman. In the locker room, he once threw a pair of scissors at teammate Ibrahimovic, which scared the Ajax.
Jax quickly loaned him out.
After a year on loan at Celta Vigo in La Liga, Mido returned to Ajax and was sold to Marseille.
Here, he formed an African double center with Didier Drogba.
"How much trouble can a nineteen-year-old boy have?" Drogba was still unconvinced.
Mido shook his head and smiled. Although he and Drogba are teammates and have a good relationship, deep down, he still looks down on Drogba's vision. The Ivorian has never seen what a genius is.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you have to know, Didier, there are some things in this world that are really different."
"For example, you often talk about Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart?"
Mido smiled. Although he threw a pair of scissors at Ibrahimovic, scaring the Swedish center into screaming, the relationship between the two was still very good. On the contrary, it was his relationship with Van der Vaart.
It's pretty average.
"Ibrahimovic is indeed very special. He is a little taller than me, but he is very flexible and has very fine skills with his feet. He is one of those people who can obviously rely on his body to play football, but in the end he has to impress you with his skills with his feet.
The weirdo."
"Van der Vaart is one of those players who you know is a genius at first sight. Although he has lost his speed after a serious injury, his talent and awareness of playing football are still there. In time, he will definitely become the best in European football.
star, even though I am quite unconvinced by him."
At the end of the sentence, Mido smiled bitterly.
When introducing the two Ajax teammates, Mido had pride on his face.
He was once one of the many talented stars at Ajax, but unfortunately, he left.
But even so, it does not prevent him from being proud of being a member of Ajax at all.
"What about Su Dong?" Drogba asked with concern.
"I have watched his videos and highlights, and I think he is very special."
"What's so special?"
"At 1.95 meters tall, he is very similar to Ibrahimovic, and both of them have very delicate skills with their feet. But what is different from my good friend is that Su Dong is better at using his body, and the most impressive
What impresses people is that he is very fast and his impact is amazing.”
"Is he better than Ibrahimovic?"
Mido shook his head, "I don't know, there is no comparison, but I feel that Su Dong is more comprehensive, while Ibrahimovic's brain circuit is a little different from ordinary people, and he often has some messy thoughts."
Is this evaluation good or bad?
Drogba is a little funny. He is also very interested in Ibrahimovic and Sudong, because both of them are high forwards.
"Soon, we can personally test the quality of this Su Dong." Drogba said happily.
Challenging the strong was also the source of motivation for him to climb up from the lower leagues.
What he wants to do most is to defeat every target that stands in front of him and make himself stronger than them.
"Your performance this season is no worse than Su Dong." Mido said.
Drogba glanced at the Egyptian center and smiled, "He is in La Liga and has scored seven goals in five games."
"Valencia's overall strength is stronger, and they have assisters like Vicente and Aimar. In addition, La Liga's defense is generally poor, so it is not surprising that they scored seven goals in five rounds.
Without you, I would probably still be able to score as many goals, maybe even more than him."
"Furthermore, even in Ligue 1, you are not bad. You have scored five goals and three assists in eight rounds. This report is impressive enough."
After being praised by his teammates, Drogba smiled slightly, but he did not show much pride. He was somewhat unfazed by the humiliation that was not consistent with his age of 25. He is a person with very rich experience!
"Valencia's central defenders are not tall either. Needless to say Ayala, Marchena is only 1.83 meters tall. Physical strength is not their strong point. With your strength, there will definitely be a chance, and we will also
I will definitely help you!”
Mido's words made Drogba a little eager to try.
Su Dong is currently on the rise, and has naturally become the target of many players who play center, and Drogba is just one of them.
The Ivorians really want to compete with Sudong in this Champions League group match.
They are both centers. He wants to know who is stronger!
…………
…………
Following the team to the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, France, Su Dong was surprised by the enthusiasm and enthusiasm at the scene.
Fifty thousand fans were seated in this football stadium that was specially renovated for the World Cup in France, creating an overwhelming momentum.
Even if it was just a warm-up, this group of fanatical fans were booing Valencia crazily.
Su Dong was surprised by the range of away games, but soon got used to it.
Almost every away game, I receive a flood of boos, which is a bit unaccustomed to me.
When Valencia was warming up, Su Dong felt a few unfriendly looks from the opposite side.
The first person he recognized was Marseille's main centre-back, Daniel Van Buyten.
The Belgian central defender is in the prime age of 25. He is 1.96 meters tall, even one centimeter taller than Su Dong. This shows that he is a central defender with a very good body.
Facing him, Su Dong's body may not have an advantage.
His partner is central defender Mete from Cote d'Ivoire. He is 1.85 meters tall but has the body of an African player and is very difficult to deal with.
When these two central defenders work together, they are still very capable in Ligue 1.
After meeting Van Buyten and Meter's eyes, Su Dong still felt a provocative gaze.
He quickly found the source.
From an African-American center, Didier Drogba!
The Ivory Coast center is 1.89 meters tall, but his strength is very good and his physical fitness is terrifying. In the first round of the group stage against Club Brugge, Drogba scored a hat trick.
Su Dong has seen those three goals, and they are all very lethal.
But, why is there a provocative look in his eyes?
The head coach of Marseille is the Frenchman Alain Perrin. The signature formation is the 4-4-2 double center. Drogba partners with the former Ajax Egyptian center Mido. Both players are tall, one is 1.89 meters and the other is
At 1.88 meters, this will be a big test for Valencia's defense.
Benitez is also very worried about this. The objective conditions are there and no one can ignore them.
…
"It seems that the No. 11 center became addicted to scoring goals against Bruges."
Aimar also noticed Drogba's kind eyes, looked at Su Dong again, and said with a smile.
Su Dong was also quite depressed. Unexpectedly, he got a little angry for no apparent reason and ended up attracting a challenger.
"Then you should worry more about the defense. Marchena and Ayala want to restrict Mido and Drogba..." Su Dong couldn't help laughing. The height difference is indeed quite obvious. The strength confrontation is estimated
It’s also quite annoying.
Sometimes he really feels that Alan Perrin's tactics are really simple and crude enough. Just putting two high center forwards out is enough to scare a large number of teams whose defense is not high enough.
Of course, Valencia's response strategy will not let Ayala and Marchena directly face the two high center forwards Drogba and Mido, but will try every means to prevent the opponent's wing from taking the ball.
…
At the beginning of the game, the two wing defenses composed of Carboni and Curro Torres actively defended, with the focus being to prevent the opponent's cross from the wing.
Marseille's two wings are also not simple.
Carmel Merian on the left came from Bordeaux last season and wore Bordeaux's No. 10 jersey. He was one of the contributors to Bordeaux's eventual promotion to the top four in the league and performed very well.
Steve Marais on the right was transferred from Fulham in the Premier League this summer and is also a very capable player.
The wings formed by these two players are the key factor for Marseille to be able to compete in Ligue 1 this season. Drogba was able to score five goals in eight rounds. At the same time, they also took advantage of the home court from the beginning to give Valencia two wings.
Roads create a lot of trouble.
Valencia was well prepared for this, after all, it was a long-distance away game.
But despite this, Marseille finally scored first in the 24th minute.
It was still the winger that Benitez had warned before the game. Carboni failed to keep an eye on Marais in time. As a result, the French international broke through with the ball and drove straight in. He sent a cross from the right side of the penalty area.
.
In the middle of the penalty area, Drogba quickly intervened, overpowered Marchena and Ayala, and scored with a header, opening the scoring for Marseille.
After the goal, the Ivory Coast center rushed out of the stadium excitedly, roaring all the way.
Having scored in two consecutive rounds of the Champions League group stage, and this is his fourth goal, Drogba's performance this season can be said to be quite outstanding.
More importantly, he still wanted to compete with Su Dong in his heart.
Aren't you quite hot?
Did you see my goal?
Let me also take a look at your strength and see if you live up to your reputation!
…
"See? He's challenging you!"
Aimar pointed at Drogba who was celebrating on the sidelines and asked Su Dong.
"I saw it." Su Dong replied calmly.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Of course I accept the challenge, otherwise what else could I do?" Su Dong also laughed and looked at Drogba with a different look.
