Nine and a half

Chapter 295 It's Time to Wake Up (Chinese National Football Team Story)
Many interesting things happened during the group stage of the 2018 World Cup:

1. Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson pops a balloon during the match.

2. Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi powerfully volleyed the ball during his celebration, and the ball hit the post and bounced back, striking him in the face.

3. Defending champions Germany lose to Mexico; Mexicans' overly enthusiastic celebrations cause a minor earthquake.

4. Defending champions Germany were surprisingly eliminated after losing to South Korea.

5
Of course, most of the attention surrounding these events was overshadowed by Gao Qi's astonishing performance.

For the first time in history, Gao Qi led the Chinese national football team to the Round of 16 in the World Cup!

Gao Qi scores eight goals in three group stage matches, aiming to break Fontaine's single-tournament record of 13 goals.

China's sharpest sword is drawn.

The Chinese national team advanced to the knockout stage of this World Cup as the second-place team in their group with two draws and one win.

"Chinese red shines at the World Cup, a historic breakthrough ignites national pride."

The achievements of Chinese football are inseparable from Gao Qi's perseverance and tenacious fighting spirit.

World Cup Knockout Stage Preview: China vs. France.

There was no exaggerated praise of "collective merit" in the dumpling-making process. Major media outlets described Gao Qi's contributions to Chinese football in a pragmatic and objective manner, emphasizing both his ability and his competitive spirit.

The number of comments, likes, and shares skyrocketed.
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[That's right! Stop fucking giving Gao Qi's credit to others all the time. I work myself to the bone at work every day, only to have my credit stolen by those lazy, idle bosses. I don't want to see Gao Qi's credit stolen after get off work!]
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[It's been many, many years since anyone has been able to ignite the passion of the people like Gao Qi did.]
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[He's so cool! In every game that seemed destined for defeat, he pulled off a miraculous comeback.]
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[He led a group of mediocre players, narrowly escaping defeats from Spain and Portugal, and ultimately staging a comeback against Nigeria to advance to the World Cup knockout stage! This remarkable achievement has elevated Gao Qi's status in the hearts of Chinese football fans, surpassing even Pelé and Maradona!]
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[Without a doubt, Gao Qi is the number one athlete in the world!]
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[Is our opponent in the knockout stage France? How strong is the French team? I don't usually watch football.]
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I don't usually watch football, but think about it this way: the Chinese national team is called the "Super Platinum Generation," and the French team is called the "Platinum Generation," so we definitely have a better chance of winning!
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Against France, given the level of the other players on the Chinese national team, Gao Qi likely won't offer much support and may only have a few touches of the ball.

Television stations and online media outlets launched a massive publicity campaign to promote Gao Qi's great contributions to Chinese football.

Landmark buildings in all Chinese cities are also displaying Gao Qi's jersey and name on a loop.

National pride and a sense of honor are constantly rising.

Gao Qi's status as a hero in the hearts of fans continues to rise.

Not only that.

FIFA and sponsors also worked globally to imbue the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia with an epic, heroic aura.

Infantino stared at the goal highlights on the screen, grinning from ear to ear.

"I never dreamed that the Chinese team could advance."

"If Gao can score against France, he will secure this year's Ballon d'Or, considering the vast difference in overall strength between the two teams!"

"."

"Maybe Gao will break Fang Dan's record?"

"Unlikely. Do you think the French team can let him score five goals?"

The French team's camp.

Deschamps looked at the little black boys on the green field with full confidence.

This French national team boasts a wealth of talent.

Even though the scene before me looks somewhat like: several plantation owners and a group of black people
Kante and Pogba, as long as the latter doesn't have a medical, this combination is enough to make a name for itself in World Cup history.

Griezmann + Giroud + Mbappe: a three-dimensional midfield and attacking finishing model.

Umtiti and Varane, as long as these two are in "healthy" condition, will be the most solid defensive line in the 2018 World Cup. They perfectly possess the skills, strength and defensive thinking of modern center-backs. Their aerial advantage and ground coverage make the French team's defense almost without any blind spots.

wrong.

Even without those guys.

Even if we field the second-string French team, they can still completely crush the Chinese team!

"What's the secret to defeating the Chinese team? Score more goals than Gao Qi!"

"."

The teaching assistant was completely bewildered, feeling that Deschamps' words were essentially meaningless.

But upon closer reflection...
Drawing on the experiences of Spain, Portugal, and Nigeria, Deschamps' words do indeed make sense.

They treated the Chinese team as a "normal World Cup-level team," overestimating its overall strength. During the match, Gao Qi always led them to "control the rhythm," "rationally allocate physical energy," "avoid wasting possession of the ball," "textbook-style positional pressure," "conservative transition offense," and "concentrate all resources to limit the Chinese team," etc.

Actually.

The opponent's defense was a pile of crap, their control was a pile of crap, and their passing ability was a pile of crap.

Deschamps can easily knock down an A-rank card as long as he takes his hands off the keyboard.

How many goals did Guan Gaoqi score?
If the French team scores more goals than him, they will win the game.

"Boss, you're right!"

"Yes, we can't let our guard down,"

not far away.

Goalkeeper Lloris's lips trembled slightly.

He said to Umtiti and Varane, "It's normal that Spain and Portugal's defenses can't stop Gao. The three of us are much stronger than them, and we can definitely stop Gao!"

The three of us?
Umtiti's smile was forced.

His fighting ability was at its peak during this period. He would occasionally make mistakes due to impulsiveness, but his defensive and passing statistics were excellent. He did not become a flop due to injuries like he did later.

Varane frowned.

Over the years in the Champions League, he has been outplayed by Gao Qi countless times. Of course, the French genius center-back's experience has also increased rapidly during this "torture" process.

"It's boring!"

"This is boring! My match against Gao was completely unfair; his teammates were much weaker."

"I won't feel any sense of accomplishment if we beat the national team."

Pogba took off his shoes and muttered to himself.

Upon hearing this, Kanter grinned and said, "Paul, no matter who the opponent is, let's take the game seriously together."

Pogba looked dissatisfied and shouted, "It's not fair! No matter how many goals I score against the Chinese team, my Ballon d'Or ranking won't improve. But if I break through the French defense, my historical status will rise."

"Haha."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing these words.

The French team's stars were relaxed, but they didn't underestimate their opponents. After all, Gao Qi alone is capable of breaking down any defense!
"It's been a long and difficult journey to finally be able to face a superstar like Gao Qi."

Pavard remarked.

Upon hearing these words, Kanté couldn't help but look back on his past: as a child, he picked up trash on the roadside with his father. His father passed away when he was 11, and he picked up trash on his own. He started playing football with an amateur team called Surenne. Due to malnutrition in his early years and his short stature, he didn't start playing in the French Third Division until he was 22. After many hardships and wading through mud, he finally faced off against Gao Qi on the World Cup stage.

clap clap clap!
Giroud clapped his hands and encouraged loudly:
"Don't think like that. The Chinese team players must have put in a lot of effort and gone through a lot of hardships to get to the World Cup knockout stage."

"Therefore, we must respect them and not hold back!"

The Chinese national football team's training camp.

"Brother Qi, I dreamt that we beat the French team, and after the World Cup, I joined a Premier League club and became your teammate."

"Uh-huh."

Gao Qi was engrossed in reading a book.

As for his teammates' "arrogance"? He won't refute it with malice now.

When they were initially unfamiliar with the situation, Gao Qi would carefully analyze it, give his younger teammates suggestions on areas for improvement, and use examples of these grassroots rising stars.
Now?

He didn't want to say a word.

This phenomenon is common among Chinese football players. After winning against a weak team, they would leave joking messages on social media: "Are you going to play football in **?" "Let's go together, bro."

Genuine comments.

100% genuine reviews.

Of course, it's understandable that they got carried away by the media's praise.

Assistant Coach Li blew on his bangs and said, "Wake up! You think you can play in the Premier League with this level of skill? What era are we living in? Who the hell would want you?"

The Chinese national team player, oblivious to the severity in his words, retorted, "I also want to score a hat-trick against France, so what? Can't I even think about it?"

Everyone laughed.

The air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Gao Qi silently walked towards the locker room, holding the book.

Zhao, the translator, was good at reading people's expressions. He quickly followed and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Gao, several European media outlets have said that you will retire from the national team after the World Cup?"

Is that what The Sun said? "No."

“I’m not quitting.”

Gao Qi shook his head.

The Chinese national football team is of very poor overall level, but no matter how difficult it is, no matter how unlikely it is that we will not achieve good results in the World Cup, and no matter how much we are condemned by fans after our defeat, we will not regret it.

He is Chinese, he is a Chinese player, and he will not give up on Chinese football.

Time goes by.

The highly anticipated showdown has finally arrived.

July 1, 2018, St. Petersburg Stadium.

The place was packed with people, and every seat was taken.

The Chinese fans in the stands were ecstatic, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Zhuangdianertai! Zhuangdianertai! Good evening, viewers."

"We are now broadcasting live the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia."

"China vs. France".

"The Eastern Dragon encounters the Gallic Rooster."

"A clash between China's Super Golden Generation and France's Super Golden Generation"

The commentator blushed slightly after saying this and quickly added, "Gao Qi is about to face a group of brilliant stars cultivated by the French national youth training system."

"Tonight may be a match that goes down in history."

Among the younger generation of stars, Pogba's commercial value at this time was second only to Gao Qi.

but.

Tonight, he didn't try to grab the audience's attention with an exaggerated hairstyle or yin-yang sneakers.

Simple short hair, plain white sneakers.

His gaze toward the exit of the passage was perfectly calm.

Griezmann glanced disdainfully at the Chinese national team's formation, thinking it was blatant discrimination against people of Asian descent, though they did have a group of die-hard fans in China.

Giroud warmly embraced Gao Qi and gently patted the latter's chest: "Gao, I feel honored to meet you here."

"Me too."

Mbappe smiled.

Gao Qi nodded and continued walking forward, ignoring Lori's provocative gaze.

The lighting in the corridor was very dim.

It made the world outside the passage appear dazzling and colorful.

Gao Qi's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the World Cup trophy logo on the carpet.

Take a deep breath.

The director's camera just happened to cut to that spot.

The commentator paused for a moment, then said, "Gao Qi has won almost every club championship and individual honor, but the World Cup trophy may be something he can never achieve in his lifetime."

In the stands.

Football legends such as Pelé, Maradona, Beckenbauer, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Zidane are eagerly awaiting the arrival of these legends.

"It's truly remarkable that Gao Neng led the Chinese team this far!"

"Even if I were to go back to my youth, it would be difficult to lead Chinese football to this level."

"Reaching this point might just be the end for the Chinese team."

Maradona interrupted, "Don't talk about that, I think Gao will score a lot more goals tonight!"

Pele nodded, his tone full of confidence: "Tonight, I'm optimistic about the Chinese team."

"."

Everyone tried hard to suppress their laughter.

But when he saw Gao Qi, he couldn't really smile.

Beckenbauer adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and for some reason, he suddenly thought of the late Cruyff, and of Cruyff's words about the 'most perfect final model'.

pity.

Cruyff is no longer here.

"I'll take a look for you and see if the French defenses can force out the most perfect finishing move."

Commentary seat.

Wenger and Henry simply high-fived and hugged.

A deep bond between master and student?

Perhaps not.

After retiring, Henry often joined local Arsenal fans in criticizing Wenger.

Of course, Wenger has retired now.

The professor was also magnanimous and did not hold grudges over past grievances.

"Wouldn't it be biased to have two French commentators commentating on a French team's match?"

"Don't worry, we two commentators are always very objective when it comes to Gao's matches."

"Why isn't Van Gaal here? He was supposed to be my commentary partner."

"That guy thinks the World Cup's tactics are too outdated and Gao's performance violates the laws of football, so he's not coming. But I think he must be secretly hiding in front of the TV cheering for Gao."

The referee team led the players from both sides out of the line.

The stadium in St. Petersburg erupted in cheers.

The Chinese fans' shouts were so loud they were hoarse, and even the neutral and French stands couldn't help but cheer along.

"Gao Qi!"

"Gao Qi!"

"Gao Qi!"

The Russian DJ at the scene, speaking broken Chinese, began introducing the players' entrance: "The successor to the Italian number nine and a half, the legendary center forward, the legend of the Giallorossi, the King of the Premier League, the Emperor of European Football, the record holder for the Serie A Golden Boot, the Premier League Golden Boot, the Champions League Golden Boot, the European Golden Boot, the first player in Champions League final history to score a hat-trick in two consecutive finals, the sharpest sword from the East."

"Gao Qi!!!"

Cheers and applause mingled, making St. Petersburg seem as if it had welcomed its king.

Gao Qi waved towards the stands.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar bald head: Ivan de la Peña.

His mentor during the Roman era.

During his time with the Red Wolves, he learned a great deal from the second-generation experimental subject at La Masia, who was the fourth position.

Unfortunately, Ivan the Bald didn't want to cause Gao Qi any trouble and declined several invitations from Gao Qi's training team.

Followed by.

He saw Totti, De Rossi, Florenzi, Sabatini, Zanzi, and Mancini.
The images in my mind played back in reverse, like a revolving lantern.

At last.

My gaze shifted to Lina, who was wearing a Chinese national team jersey and raising her fist in the stands.

The memory is frozen on the sunset in Corsica.

The melodious national anthem began to play.

As Gao Qi sang, he looked up at the fluttering red flag.

[Task Triggered: The very last moment.]

[Mission Brief: From a Real Madrid reject to China's sharpest sword, you've climbed this far step by step.]

(End of this chapter)