The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 176 The Brightest Spark in the World

"Mark Hughes was outstanding in this special championship final. He was under tremendous pressure and faced countless doubts and criticisms, but he won everything with an indisputable perfect performance: victory, championship, personal best..."

--Inscription

The Red Devils defeated Barcelona to win the European Cup Winners' Cup. The most excited and craziest person in the team was not Ferguson, but Mark Hughes.

Mark Hughes, with his best performance, dominated the whole stadium, scored two goals, and became the most handsome boy in the whole game. When the game ended and the awards were presented, Hughes held up the trophy with one hand and waved his other hand to the sky with a fist. He looked around and roared, and the momentum that shook the world made all the fans in the stadium feel his excitement and strong emotions. Of course, the English media broadcasting the live broadcast would capture the camera, and they kept aiming at Hughes for the live broadcast. Right in front of the camera, Mark Hughes's expression was hideous and distorted, which shocked people involuntarily. It was the passion that had been suppressed for a long time, the anger that had been criticized, the excitement of washing away humiliation, and the tenacity that ignited the whole audience, as well as the pride of winning the championship...

What no one could have imagined was that just 90 minutes before the game started, Hughes was almost mocked and humiliated by the media as Barcelona's abandoned child and the Red Devils' wooden stake. He was undoubtedly the focus of this final because he had played for two teams, and the media had even more verbal battles around him than who would win the championship. In the eyes of most media, especially the Spanish media, this guy who couldn't stay in Barcelona for a season was a loser. Now he was playing as the main striker in the opponent's lineup, so the result of this game was almost unpredictable.

It can be said that Mark Hughes came on the field with anger, and his performance attracted more attention than others.

Mark Hughes was born in Willerkeham, Wales on November 1963, 11. He is considered Giggs' predecessor. He became famous at a young age and joined the Manchester United youth team at the age of 1, and has since embarked on a professional path. The Manchester United youth team coach Owen believed that Hughes was more suitable to play as a striker rather than a midfielder. After Hughes changed to a striker, his ability really increased. After four years of hard training, Hughes finally stood out and was successfully promoted to a first-line player.

Atkinson, the then Red Devils coach, did not attach much importance to Hughes. It was not until November 1983 that Hughes got the chance to play for the Red Devils. Hughes seized the opportunity very well, performed very well throughout the game, and scored his first goal for the Red Devils. Later this season, Hughes played 11 times for the Red Devils and scored 11 goals, becoming a new star that surprised many media and fans. With his excellent performance in his debut season, Hughes soon became an indispensable sharp knife for the Red Devils' front line. In the 4-194 season, Hughes continued to get the opportunity to start, continued to output firepower steadily, scored 85 goals in 38 league games, and scored a total of 16 goals in all competitions, becoming the team's top scorer, and also helped the team win the FA Cup, ranked fourth in the league, and was elected the best newcomer.

Hughes enjoyed playing for the Red Devils and was loved by the fans. Not only that, he was successfully selected for the national team and scored a beautiful goal against Spain. Surprisingly, the Red Devils coach Atkinson did not like him and wanted to sell him while he was just becoming famous.

Such a sharp new star is of course highly sought after. At that time, Barcelona coach Venables hoped to bring Hughes in and team up with Lineker to create a British striker combination. Barcelona and the Red Devils hit it off immediately. Hughes was notified to leave even before the coach talked to him. He was deeply sad.

Barcelona and the Red Devils signed a contract in January 1986. The two sides agreed that Hughes would join Barcelona after the end of the season. Hughes then only scored one goal in 1 rounds and encountered a wave of fierce criticism.

Hughes joined Barcelona with a bad name and great hopes, but he found himself out of place here. The football systems of Spain and England are completely different. Spanish football emphasizes technology more, and often uses a small, fast and nimble style of play with wingers, which is very different from Hughes' style. Hughes soon found himself unwelcome. The referee would directly focus on his "fouls", his teammates rarely passed the ball, and the opponent relied on dexterity and speed to constantly steal the ball from his feet, leaving him isolated and helpless.

Hughes had no room to play at all and felt like a complete failure here.

Mark Hughes, the first Welsh player to play for Barcelona, ​​scored just four goals in 28 games and was booed and waving white handkerchiefs at him by the home fans.

Mark Hughes felt horrified and repulsed. He could not accept such harsh treatment from the fans. Off the pitch, adjusting to life in a foreign country was also a huge challenge. Hughes met his wife before leaving for Barcelona, ​​and life apart was difficult. Without his wife's support, family and friends, Hughes found it difficult to survive.

Barcelona loaned Hughes to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Hughes made 23 appearances and scored 7 goals in Bayern and won the championship with the team. Hughes had a pretty good time in Bayern Munich. He found his confidence and the joy of playing here. Many Bayern legends work in the club. People like Hoeness and Heinz know what the players need. They will get everything done in advance so that the players can play with peace of mind. A typical example is that he just arrived at Bayern Munich and the team gave him a brand new BMW during training the next day. In Barcelona, ​​he didn't know where to buy a car until he left.

Hughes likes Bayern Munich very much. He plays here seriously, works hard to score goals for the team and help the team win, but he has never had the urge to give everything for Bayern and the fans.

After all, it is objectively difficult to ask an Englishman, especially a Welshman, to integrate into Germany without any reservations and devote everything to German clubs and fans.

During Hughes' time at Bayern, the Red Devils underwent a huge change. Atkinson left and Ferguson took over. The Red Devils soon sent someone to contact Hughes, hoping that he would come back to play. Hughes later said: "If the Red Devils didn't want me to come back, I would stay at Bayern. They have a dominant position in the Bundesliga and are at the forefront of the industry in the field of sports science. I think they are much ahead of Barcelona and the Red Devils. Just a nutrition monitoring and hydration strategy, Bayern is 10 to 15 years ahead of the industry level."

Hughes also needed to consider his contracts with Bayern and Barcelona at this time. He hoped to get a long-term contract with Bayern, but it didn't happen. Not only that, Barcelona also had no intention of renewing the contract. After receiving Ferguson's invitation, Hughes began to make up his mind to return to England to play for the Red Devils.

In this way, from Barcelona to Bayern, and then back to the Red Devils, Hughes once again started his familiar yet unfamiliar journey. He reunited with his wife in England, and also reconnected with his friends, and quickly integrated into the English style of play. He gained trust and support in Ferguson's team, reawakened his previous impact, and quickly began to explode. Hughes is strong, aggressive, and tough. He is very brave when running, and he is very strong when he takes the ball with his back and faces the goal. He is excellent in headers, and he is also very threatening when he grabs points in front of the goal and shoots from long distances. He quickly became the sharpest weapon in the Red Devils' attack line, the strongest firepower output point of the Red Devils' front line, and also the Red Devils' stable scoring machine.

Hughes once again won the fans' love with his outstanding performance and continuous goals, and the nickname "Spark" was re-known by the Red Devils fans. In his first season back to the Red Devils, Hughes scored 38 goals in 14 games and was named the Player of the Season by the Professional Footballers Association. Hughes continued to maintain a stable output in the second season, scoring 37 goals in 13 games, and made great contributions to the Red Devils' victory in the FA Cup. Especially in the final against Crystal Palace, Hughes' goal saved the Red Devils from defeat and became the key man who finally helped the team win the championship.

Then this season, the Red Devils were invincible in the European Cup Winners' Cup and reached the final without any bloodshed. Hughes has been shining in the battle, charging forward and helping the team reach the final.

Facing his former club Barcelona, ​​Hughes has waited for the best opportunity to prove himself.

He was really holding back. In the first half, the Red Devils fought hard in the midfield, contracted the lineup, and based on the stranglehold in the midfield, the offense was mainly to seize the counterattack opportunities of steady defense and sudden attack. Hughes did not have many offensive opportunities in the entire frontcourt. Only his teammate McClair had a single shot, but unfortunately he missed the goal. Hughes was favored by Barcelona defenders in the first half. He was always closely watched and closely marked, making it difficult for him to have a chance to shoot. But even so, Hughes retreated very actively, not only helping his teammates to pass the ball, but also helping with defense, which was equivalent to adding a central midfielder in the midfield area. Hughes suppressed Barcelona's defenders more in the first half, especially the harassment of Coman was very effective.

After the start of the second half, the Red Devils changed their style of play and launched a strong attack. At this time, the opponent Barcelona still maintained its defense in a relatively high position in the midfield, which gave the Red Devils more offensive opportunities. After the Red Devils suppressed Barcelona and gained a midfield advantage, Hughes' chances began to come. He was able to run into empty space in the frontcourt many times and then cut into the opponent's penalty area, frequently threatening the opponent's defense when fighting with the defenders.

Hughes scored both goals for the Red Devils and almost achieved a hat trick. He was the biggest contributor to the Red Devils' victory. His first goal was an easy shot in front of the goal. Even if he didn't make a shot, Bruce's header would have gone into the net, but Hughes's sharpness and speed were fully demonstrated in this shot in front of the goal. Hughes' second goal was very exciting and was the key to the victory. When the Red Devils intercepted the ball in the midfield and prepared to counterattack, Mark Hughes predicted the gap in the defense line with his familiarity with his former teammates in Barcelona. He immediately decided to start at high speed to attack the opponent's hinterland. The counter-offside operation was very successful and directly tore through the opponent's defense line. Robson's pass was just right for Hughes who started early. After receiving the ball, he went straight to the heart of Barcelona. Barcelona goalkeeper Busquets certainly knew how powerful Hughes was. He came out to meet him in advance and defended with a very fierce frontal tackle, even at the cost of directly knocking Hughes down. With his familiarity with his opponent, Hughes easily passed Busquets with a change of direction and continued to take the initiative in attack. After Hughes changed direction, he pushed the ball forward a little too hard, and the ball rolled a little far and a little fast. Hughes tried his best to catch up with the bottom line of the penalty area. At this time, he was already at a very small angle with the ball, and it was close to 18 yards away from the goal. It was not easy to shoot directly, but Hughes was skilled and bold, and he swung his foot and shot a powerful shot. This shot was so crisp and clear that it flew into the Barcelona goal while the Barcelona defender was desperately chasing back!

2 is better than 0!

Hughes hits a double!

There was a wailing in the Barcelona command seat. Aleksandar Kolarov on the field had greeted Hughes before the game, but he did not expect that at this moment he could only chase back in despair and watch his former teammate score such a wonderful goal.

After the Red Devils took a two-goal lead, the whole team switched to defense. Hughes and his teammates actively retreated to the midfield and backcourt to defend, and struggled to withstand the opponent's counterattack, ultimately helping the Red Devils win the game 2-1.

Hughes was undoubtedly the best player of the game. He proved his strength to the whole world in this most crucial game. At this moment, he was the brightest "spark" in the world.

Spain's AS said: "What we saw today was a perfect story of revenge, how Mark Hughes responded to Barcelona's humiliation."

The Spaniard said: "Hughes was excellent today. He used two goals with excellent awareness and technique to declare his strength as a world-class striker. Hughes' experience at Barcelona was a failure, and this victory was his response to his career at Barcelona. Hughes has been criticized by Barcelona fans, but his two goals are full of Barcelona-style artistry, but they have the tenacity and strength that Barcelona lacks. This is the Hughes of the Red Devils, the Hughes who makes Barcelona unable to raise their heads."