Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

The game continues.

After Lyon kicked off, they pressed forward with all their players.

Claude Pierre frantically waved his hands on the sidelines, signaling all his players to push forward into the halfway line. But his players' eyes had already glazed over—glazed over by the triumphant last-minute winner.

Ninety-third minute.

Lyon's final attack.

Pjanic received the ball in midfield and attempted to pass it to Lisandro Lopez at the edge of the penalty area.

Zhang Kuang retreated to the edge of the penalty area to participate in the defense.

Although his defensive ability is not strong, his physical strength is unmatched.

Lopez tried to use his body to push away Zhang Kuang to catch the ball, but the moment their shoulders collided, Lopez felt like he had hit a wall, and his body staggered backward uncontrollably.

Zhang Kuang intercepted the ball.

Lopez fell to the ground and signaled to the referee that he had committed a foul.

The referee ignored it.

Zhang Kuang passed the ball to Birsa on the wing.

Bielsa dribbled forward, and Lyon's players could no longer catch him.

The stoppage time has ended.

Referee Olivier Thial put his whistle in his mouth and glanced at his watch.

Then—"Beep, beep, beep—!"

The final whistle blew throughout the Gerland Stadium as the match came to a close.

3: 2.

Auxerre defeated Lyon away from home.

Auxerre were the Ligue 1 champions in the 2009-2010 season.

The moment the whistle blew, the Stade Gerland erupted in a frenzy, a massive wave of excitement fueled by just a few thousand Auxerre fans and a few thousand fans from China.

"Arrogant! Arrogant! Arrogant!"

That red area, like a burning flame, stood out starkly against the white Stade Gerland. The five-starred red flag fluttered in the night wind, and the cheers, shouts, and screams of Auxerre fans and Chinese fans mingled together, forming a massive wave of sound that swept across the entire stadium.

Zhang Kuang stood near the center circle, hands on his hips, looking up at the night sky.

There were no stars in the Lyon night sky, only the stadium lights and the light pollution from the distant city. But he felt the sky was brighter than ever before.

champion.

French Ligue 1 champions.

Six months ago, he was an 18-year-old boy who had been banned, expelled, and abandoned by the world. He flew to France alone with 200,000 yuan in compensation and a suitcase, unable to speak a complete sentence in French.

He is now the French Ligue 1 champion.

French Ligue 1 Golden Boot.

The first Asian player in Ligue 1 history to score 33 or more goals in a single season.

The youngest winner of the Golden Boot in Ligue 1 history.

All of this was achieved in just half a season.

This is truly magical!

"open!"

Grishdin rushed up from behind and grabbed him, his massive weight causing him to stumble. Then Minho, Olic, Birsa, Sidibe, Ndinga—the Auxerre players surged in from all directions, surrounding him and chanting "one, two, three" as they tossed him into the air.

"We are the champions!" Grihidin roared in his ear, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "We are the fucking champions!"

"We are the champions!"

"We are the champions!"

"Hey, don't throw me! Throw the coach, the head coach!" Zhang shouted wildly.

"Oh, right, head coach, let's go..."

Everyone realized what was happening and turned to leave. If Grihidin hadn't managed to get Zhang Kuang to stay, he probably would have been smashed to the ground.

"Damn it, they didn't even bother to drop me off safely before leaving?"

"Haha, let's go, let's throw the coach away..."

Next, the audience and media saw the Auxerre players throwing their coach around on the field in celebration. It was also the first time Fernandez had experienced such a celebration, and he was both scared and excited.

-

Next, he exchanged jerseys with the home team and thanked the fans. Zhang Kuang especially wanted to thank the Chinese fans who had traveled a long way to support him.

"Arrogant, arrogant, I love you!"

"Arrogant, arrogant, I love you!"

"Arrogant, arrogant, I love you!"

"..."

"Arrogant! Sign one!"

Someone threw a jersey from the stands; it was Auxerre's number 33. Zhang Kuang caught the jersey and a marker, then signed his name on the jersey before throwing it back.

"Anyone else want to sign? Hurry up! But don't push or trample, come one at a time, everyone will get their turn," Zhang shouted into the crowd with a smug laugh.

Another cheer erupted from the stands, and then everyone lined up in an orderly fashion.

Then, more items were passed down from the stands—jerseys, scarves, hats, posters, and even a five-star red flag.

He signed off on each item one by one, and handed them back one by one.

After signing for about twenty minutes, a staff member came over and whispered in his ear, "Zhang, it's time to go back. The team needs to assemble."

Zhang Kuang nodded, threw the last signed jersey onto the stands, and then bowed to the fans.

"Thank you all," he said in Chinese. "Thank you for coming to watch me play football."

The cheers from the stands grew even louder.

"Arrogant! You are our pride!"

"Keep it up, you arrogant brat!"

"Arrogant! Sleep with fewer women, don't ruin your health!"

"Ha ha……"

Zhang Kuang laughed, waved at them, and turned to walk towards the players' tunnel.

In the players' tunnel, a staff member stopped him.

"Zhang, you've won the MVP award for this game. You need to go to the backdrop for an interview. There are probably dozens of media outlets waiting."

Zhang Kuang nodded and followed the staff into the news gathering area.

The backdrop featured the Auxerre team crest and the Ligue 1 logo, with the words "MAN OF THE MATCH" written on it. Dozens of cameras were pointed at him, their flashes stinging his eyes.

The first question came from a reporter from the French newspaper L'Équipe.

"Zhang, first of all, congratulations on winning the MVP award for this match, and congratulations on helping Auxerre win the Ligue 1 title. You scored three goals today, the third of which was a last-minute winner. Can you talk about that goal?"

Zhang Kuang thought for a moment: "That goal came from a teammate's pass. Yellen's back pass was excellent; I just needed to get into position and shoot. Goal! That's it."

"You make it sound so easy, but that goal was anything but easy." The reporter laughed. "You sprinted almost forty meters from your own half, at a speed exceeding forty kilometers per hour. Is that part of your usual training?"

Zhang Kuang shook his head: "This wasn't part of the training. It was necessary for the match. We needed a goal, so I ran. It's that simple."

The second question came from a reporter from The Times of London.

"Zhang, Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance at the game today. What are your thoughts on that?"

Zhang Kuang was stunned for a moment.

Is Ferguson here?

He didn't know, after all, he was on the field playing a game, so why would he care who was there today?

"I didn't know Sir Alex Ferguson was there," Zhang said arrogantly. "If he were, I would be honored. He is one of the greatest coaches in the world."

Do you think Manchester United will be your next destination?

Zhang Kuang glanced at the reporter.

"I'm currently a player for Auxerre. I have two years left on my contract, and we've just won the championship, so I don't want to discuss transfers at this time. Please understand."

The third question came from a reporter from the Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport".

"Zhang, Juventus' sporting director, Secco, is also here today. What are your thoughts on Juventus?"

Zhang Kuang took a deep breath.

These reporters really know how to get in and out of everything.

"Juventus is a great club," he said, "but I'm currently a player for Auxerre. As I've said before, I don't want to discuss transfers at this time."

The fourth question came from a reporter from a Chinese media outlet—CCTV.

Zhang Kuang recognized him; the reporter's surname was Wang, and he had seen him before at the pre-match press conference.

"Zhang Kuang, first of all, congratulations on winning the Ligue 1 title. This is the first time a Chinese player has won a league title in one of the top five European leagues. Is there anything you'd like to say to the fans back home?"

Zhang Kuang remained silent for two seconds.

"Thank you all for your support," he said. "Without your attention, I might not have made it this far. This championship is also a gift to you all."

Reporter Wang nodded and continued, "In your half-season with Auxerre, you've already scored 33 league goals, averaging more than two per game. Do you think you can do even better?"

Zhang laughed wildly: "Of course I can. I'm still young, and there's a lot I need to improve. My dribbling, passing, and defense—these all need improvement. I will continue to work hard in the future."

"Your training has always been criticized for not being aggressive enough," reporter Wang's tone became cautious. "Do you have anything to say about that?"

He stared arrogantly at the camera without looking away.

"I know some people say that," he said, "but my training method is different from others. I prefer to find my rhythm in games. I'm not a training player, I'm a game player. As long as I can score goals and help the team win, I don't think the training method matters."

"And what about your private life?" another Chinese reporter chimed in, his tone even sharper. "Won't your off-stage behavior—parties, women—affect your career?"

The news interview area fell silent for a second.

Zhang Kuang looked at the reporter without getting angry.

"My private life is my private matter," he said. "I don't think there's anything to discuss about it. I'm single, I haven't hurt anyone, and I haven't broken the law. My performance on the field has proven everything. If one day I don't perform well on the field, then you can criticize me."

The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but Zhang Kuang raised his hand to interrupt him.

"I know you care about me, thank you. But there are some questions that you wouldn't be satisfied with even if I answered them. So it's better not to answer them."

He paused.

"The only thing I can tell you is that I will not let my personal life interfere with my training and competitions. My professionalism is beyond anyone's judgment."

Reporter Wang interjected at the opportune moment, changing the subject.

"Arrogant, one last question. Would you consider returning to the national team? The fans back home are waiting for you."

His arrogant expression changed.

It wasn't anger, nor indifference, but a complex, indescribable expression.

"I've answered this question many times," he said. "My answer hasn't changed. Under the current system, I will not return to the national team."

It's not because I don't love my country, but because I don't trust the system. If the system changes one day, I'll consider it.

"But what if it never changes?"

Zhang Kuang glanced at the reporter.

"Then I'll never come back."

"Would you join another country's national team?"

Zhang Kuang: "No, because I don't want to change my nationality. My greatest pride in this life is being born in China and becoming a Chinese. I will not give up my Chinese identity for a little personal honor."

A reporter from Le Monde asked, "Zhang, without your incredible goal-scoring spree this half-season, Auxerre wouldn't have won the title. You might be leaving next season; do you have any good advice for Auxerre?"

Zhang Kuang: "First of all, Auxerre's victory was not achieved by any one person, but by the entire team. No matter how great I am, I couldn't possibly carry a team to victory. Therefore, I don't believe that Auxerre's victory was entirely due to me."

Secondly, I'm just a player. What advice can I give the club? Let the professionals handle the professional matters. I don't have the professional skills to offer professional advice. Thank you, that concludes the interview!