Chapter 219: Media's Praise and Declaration of Championship!
On December 3rd, after defeating Swansea 3-0 at home in the 13th round of the league, Lin Quan took a day off from the team to prepare to go to the headquarters of the Turin Sports Daily to receive an award.
Pellegrini didn't object to this at all. Instead, he even gave Lin Quan an extra day off to prevent him from being too rushed.
Naturally, Lin Quan gladly accepted.
Turin is located in the northern part of Italy, about 1400 kilometers from Manchester.
This city is the third largest city in Italy, with a long history and a large number of classical-style buildings preserved in the city.
Like Milan, Turin is also a sacred place for football in Italy.
There are two top Serie A teams here—Juventus and Torino.
Lin Quan's timing was quite coincidental, as there happened to be a Serie A match between Juventus and Udinese that afternoon.
Considering that the award ceremony was scheduled for the next morning, Lin Quan felt that since he had nothing else to do, he might as well buy a ticket to the match and experience the atmosphere of a Serie A game live.
Juventus Stadium, with a total capacity of 41,000 people, is not large, but it is very modern.
This stadium, funded by Juventus themselves, is the only dedicated football stadium owned by a team in the Serie A.
The stadium only started to be used two years ago, so all the facilities look very new, and the experience of watching the game live is very good.
The only drawback is that it's a bit small.
Compared to the home stadiums of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Juventus Stadium is indeed not large enough.
However, being small also has its advantages. At least when watching the game, the distance to the stadium is closer, and the viewing experience is better.
Due to the "Calciopoli" scandal, Juventus had a low point a few years ago.
However, after hiring the legendary captain Conte as the coach, Juventus gradually regained its form.
In the 2011-2012 season, they won their first Serie A title after returning to the league.
In the 2012-2013 season, the Old Lady continued her glorious performance from the previous season, successfully defending the title and achieving a record of 49 unbeaten matches across seasons.
This is currently the third-longest unbeaten streak in football history, behind AC Milan's 58-game unbeaten streak from 1990-1992 and Arsenal's 49-game unbeaten streak from 2002-2004.
Due to the later start time, Juventus ranks third.
With such a record, Juventus fans are full of confidence in the team and hope they can go further in the Champions League.
Since the 1995-1996 season, the Old Lady hasn't won the Champions League for 18 years.
Both the team and the fans are eager for the Champions League trophy!
However, to their disappointment, Juventus' performance in the Champions League group stage has been very poor.
Being defeated by the strong Real Madrid and drawing with them is barely acceptable, but being consecutively held to draws by weaker teams like Copenhagen and Galatasaray is somewhat unacceptable to Juventus fans.
Currently, with 6 points, Juventus is still struggling to qualify for the knockout stage.
With their current points, as long as they draw in the next match, they can advance.
However, given their current state, whether they can hold a draw at Galatasaray's devilish home ground, even Juventus themselves lack confidence.
This mentality has evidently affected their performance in the league as well.
In this round of matches, they faced the 12th-placed Udinese at home.
Juventus still struggled a lot, and in the first ninety minutes of the game, neither team scored. Juventus had 26 shots, but only 5 were on target, and they didn't score a goal.
Seeing that it was going to be a draw, in the 91st minute, Lin Quan's national team teammate, Fernando Llorente from Spain, scored the winning goal, finally helping the Old Lady secure the three points before the final whistle at home.
Seeing the Juventus players embracing each other excitedly celebrating on the field, Lin Quan shook his head.
Although he hadn't watched the Galatasaray match, based on his intuition, Juventus in this state would probably lose away.
A team that can achieve a 49-game unbeaten streak in the league definitely wouldn't look like this.
Juventus' current problem is not at the level of strength, but rather issues with the team's mentality and morale.
And this kind of problem is not easy to adjust in a short time.
Because Lin Quan didn't hide his whereabouts or wear sunglasses or exaggerated black windbreakers to watch the game, the live cameras quickly captured him.
After the game, the Italian media reported this news with exaggerated headlines: "Newly Crowned European Golden Boy Appears at Juventus Stadium, Lin Quan May Join the Old Lady!"
To prove that they were not sensationalizing, they even specifically published photos of Lin Quan watching the game at the scene.
This made some uninformed Juventus fans believe it:
"Is it true? Is Lin King coming to Juventus?"
"If this is true, then the Old Lady is going straight to the sky!"
"Compared to Pogba, Lin Quan is simply leading in all aspects. If he really joins Juventus, the team's strength will immediately improve to another level!"
"Sob, sob, sob, Lin Quan, please come to Juventus soon. With him, our Old Lady will have a superstar on par with Messi!"
Apart from uninformed fans who believed it, more fans questioned this report:
"Lin Quan is doing well at Manchester City. There's no reason for him to leave, right?"
"Yeah, considering the financial situation of Juventus, how can they afford to buy Lin Quan? Even if they manage to buy him, with Lin Quan's salary, Juventus can't afford it!"
"Okay, okay, stop guessing. Let me announce the correct answer. Lin Quan is here in Turin to receive the Golden Boy award trophy, and going to Juventus Stadium to watch the game is probably just a way to pass the time, nothing particularly profound."
Actually, this is a very simple reason, so mainstream newspapers, except for some tabloids that like to create gossip, didn't join the excitement.
Obviously, they thought of this possibility first.
Sure enough, at nine-thirty the next morning, Lin Quan arrived on time at the headquarters of the Turin Sports Daily to receive the trophy.
Before Lin Quan arrived, many reporters were already there. Most of the influential mainstream media in Europe came.
This surprised the Turin Sports Daily, responsible for presenting the award to Lin Quan.
They had presented awards to many players before, but they rarely encountered a situation where the winning player received such high attention.
Looking at the number of media present and their influence in the news industry, if you didn't know, you'd think they were giving out the Ballon d'Or today!
Of course, they wouldn't naively think that the influence of the Golden Boy award had increased. The only reason for this situation was obviously the young man who came to receive the award!
Indeed, being hailed as the first person below Messi, this kind of influence, I'm afraid even many top stars don't have it, right?
"Lin, congratulations, you deserve this trophy!"
The editor-in-chief in charge of presenting the award shook hands warmly with Lin Quan and whispered something to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Pierre!"
Lin Quan smiled politely, shook hands with him, and then turned around to accept a group photo with the journalists present.
The photo of him receiving the award will probably be published on the front pages of major media outlets soon!
Originally, the influence of the Golden Boy award wouldn't be so great, especially when the awarding time was so close to the Ballon d'Or, people naturally paid more attention to the Ballon d'Or, which had a higher gold content and broader influence.
But for some reason, the Ballon d'Or this year was postponed for a while.
This would make Lin Quan, who received the Golden Boy award, the focus of attention and discussion in the football world in the next few days.
After receiving the award, the next step was to give a speech and accept interviews from the journalists present.
"This year has been a lucky year for me. To receive such a prestigious award is a recognition of my efforts over the past year. I would like to thank the major selection media for their support and love, thank you for voting for me, I will prove with my actions that you have not chosen the wrong person!"
The journalists laughed. In previous selections, there might have been some difficulties. In some years, the top-ranked players were more or less similar in strength, and it was very difficult to choose one among them, no matter how you chose, there would be controversy.
But this year, this situation simply didn't exist. Lin Quan's leading position made all his competitors mere foils. Even the second-placed Pogba, the gap in terms of honors and personal strength was still very obvious.
In this case, their vote became very simple—just vote for Lin Quan!
And voting like this wouldn't cause any controversy at all!
"So, can I ask, what are your expectations for this year's league performance at Manchester City?"
The first question came from a journalist from The Guardian in the UK.
Although The Guardian is not the mouthpiece of Manchester City or Manchester United, overall, they are quite friendly towards the teams in Manchester.
"Hehe, with Manchester City's current performance in the league, if I say our goal is not the championship, you probably will accuse me of being hypocritical."
Although the journalists didn't admit it directly, judging from their expressions, it was probably close to ninety percent.
"Although the season is not even halfway through, our goal this year is very clear, which is to win the championship! We aim to launch an attack on the club's second league championship trophy and use the championship trophy to thank the fans for their support and love!"
If Lin Quan had made such a declaration at the beginning of the season, the journalists present would definitely have accused him of being arrogant and conceited.
But now, just take a look at the Premier League standings, and people have to admit that Manchester City's chances of winning the championship this year are very high.
A terrifying record of winning all home games, with only one draw away to Chelsea, winning 12 out of 13 league games, the best start in Premier League history.
With such results, who else but them could win the championship?
Unless Manchester City suffers a very serious collapse in the latter half, otherwise, they are definitely the top favorites for this season's Premier League title.
"Then may I ask, do you have any specific goals for Manchester City in the Champions League this year?"
The journalist from Bild asked, because in the next match, Manchester City was going to play Bayern Munich away, and the German media attached great importance to this opponent that made them sit up and take notice.
"Compared to Pogba, Lin Quan is simply ahead in all aspects. If he really joins Juventus, the team's strength will immediately rise to another level!"
"Sob, sob, sob, Lin Quan, please come to Juventus soon. With him, our Old Lady will have a superstar on par with Messi!"
Apart from uninformed fans who believed it, more fans questioned this report:
"Lin Quan is doing well at Manchester City. There's no reason for him to leave, right?"
"Yeah, considering Juventus's financial situation, how could they afford to buy Lin Quan? Even if they manage to buy him, with Lin Quan's salary, Juventus can't afford it!"
"Alright, alright, stop speculating. Let me announce the correct answer: Lin Quan is here in Turin to receive the Golden Boy award trophy, and going to Juventus Stadium to watch the game is probably just a way to pass the time, nothing particularly profound."
Actually, this is a very simple reason, so mainstream newspapers, except for some tabloids that like to create gossip, didn't join the excitement.
Obviously, they thought of this possibility first.
Sure enough, at nine-thirty the next morning, Lin Quan arrived on time at the headquarters of the Turin Sports Daily to receive the trophy.
Before Lin Quan arrived, many reporters were already there. Most of the influential mainstream media in Europe came.
This surprised the Turin Sports Daily, responsible for presenting the award to Lin Quan.
They had presented awards to many players before, but they rarely encountered a situation where the winning player received such high attention.
Looking at the number of media present and their influence in the news industry, if you didn't know, you'd think they were giving out the Ballon d'Or today!
Of course, they wouldn't naively think that the influence of the Golden Boy award had increased. The only reason for this situation was obviously the young man who came to receive the award!
Indeed, being hailed as the first person below Messi, this kind of influence, I'm afraid even many top stars don't have it, right?
"Lin, congratulations, you deserve this trophy!"
The editor-in-chief in charge of presenting the award shook hands warmly with Lin Quan and whispered something to him.
"Thank you, Mr. Pierre!"
Lin Quan smiled politely, shook hands with him, and then turned around to accept a group photo with the journalists present.
The photo of him receiving the award will probably be published on the front pages of major media outlets soon!
Originally, the influence of the Golden Boy award wouldn't be so great, especially when the awarding time was so close to the Ballon d'Or, people naturally paid more attention to the Ballon d'Or, which had a higher gold content and broader influence.
But for some reason, the Ballon d'Or this year was postponed for a while.
This would make Lin Quan, who received the Golden Boy award, the focus of attention and discussion in the football world in the next few days.
After receiving the award, the next step was to give a speech and accept interviews from the journalists present.
"This year has been a lucky year for me. To receive such a prestigious award is a recognition of my efforts over the past year. I would like to thank the major selection media for their support and love, thank you for voting for me, I will prove with my actions that you have not chosen the wrong person!"
The journalists laughed. In previous selections, there might have been some difficulties. In some years, the top-ranked players were more or less similar in strength, and it was very difficult to choose one among them, no matter how you chose, there would be controversy.
But this year, this situation simply didn't exist. Lin Quan's leading position made all his competitors mere foils. Even the second-placed Pogba, the gap in terms of honors and personal strength was still very obvious.
In this case, their vote became very simple—just vote for Lin Quan!
And voting like this wouldn't cause any controversy at all!
"Lin, can you talk about your expectations for this year's league performance?"
The first question came from a journalist from The Guardian in the UK.
Although The Guardian is not the mouthpiece of Manchester City or Manchester United, overall, they are quite friendly towards the teams in Manchester.
"Hehe, with Manchester City's current performance in the league, if I say our goal is not the championship, you probably will accuse me of being hypocritical."
Although the journalists didn't admit it directly, judging from their expressions, it was probably close to ninety percent.
"Although the season is not even halfway through, our goal this year is very clear, which is to win the championship! We aim to launch an attack on the club's second league championship trophy and use the championship trophy to thank the fans for their support and love!"
If Lin Quan had made such a declaration at the beginning of the season, the journalists present would definitely have accused him of being arrogant and conceited.
But now, just take a look at the Premier League standings, and people have to admit that Manchester City's chances of winning the championship this year are very high.
A terrifying record of winning all home games, with only one draw away to Chelsea, winning 12 out of 13 league games, the best start in Premier League history.
With such results, who else but them could win the championship?
Unless Manchester City suffers a very serious collapse in the latter half, otherwise, they are definitely the top favorites for this season's Premier League title.
"Then may I ask, do you have any specific goals for Manchester City in the Champions League this year?"
The reporter from Bild opened the question, as Manchester City was set to play Bayern Munich away in the next match, the German media regarded this opponent with great importance.
From the current standings, the four teams in the Bundesliga all have the possibility of advancing as the second team in the group.
This means that once Manchester City advances as the first team in the group, there is a good chance they will draw a Bundesliga team.
"On the Champions League stage, we are just a new force. We still need to learn from the major giants and accumulate more match experience, so we will strive to play well in every match and go as far as possible!"
Lin Quan's answer made the Bild reporter nod slightly. He didn't state Manchester City's specific goals, but he expressed Manchester City's proactive attitude, which would satisfy the club's fans and avoid potential backlash from fans in the future.
This kid, he's still as slick as he was when he was in the Bundesliga.
"Lin, as we all know, you come from La Masia's youth training camp. Do you have any possibility of returning to Barcelona in the future and wearing the red and blue jersey for Barcelona?"
The question came from the mouthpiece of Barcelona, a journalist from Mundo Deportivo.
For Lin Quan, the feelings of Barcelona fans are quite complex.
On one hand, they are proud and proud that such an outstanding player has emerged from La Masia's youth training camp.
On the other hand, because of Lin Quan's departure from Camp Nou, many Barcelona fans see him as a traitor, believing that he betrayed the Blaugrana.
Especially after Lin Quan transferred to Manchester City, Barcelona fans once hated him, believing that he was a Judas bought by money.
However, with the scandals surrounding Rosell in the club being exposed one after another, some insiders have been revealed, which has changed the impression of Lin Quan among Barcelona fans.
This question from Mundo Deportivo is actually a test from the top of Barcelona.
They want to see if Lin Quan still has any feelings for Barcelona and if there is any possibility of returning to Camp Nou.
After hearing Mundo Deportivo's question, Lin Quan remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke: "Barcelona is a great team, and La Masia has nurtured countless stars. I am honored to have received professional football training here and started my professional career.
I wish Barcelona all the best in the future and hope they achieve more honors in the league and Champions League.
As for myself, I am doing well at Manchester City, and I have no plans to leave for now."
Lin Quan didn't speak too decisively, he just politely declined the invitation.
This disappointed the Mundo Deportivo reporter slightly.
Ah, times have changed! In the past, when Fabregas faced Barcelona's call, he willingly took a pay cut and even paid part of the transfer fee himself to return to Camp Nou and play for Barcelona.
But this generation of La Masia players, like Lin Quan, seems to have little interest in wearing Barcelona's red and blue jersey.
After hearing Lin Quan's statement, the mouthpieces of other clubs didn't have much to say.
But Lin Quan's words weren't too final. He just said he wouldn't leave Manchester City for now, which didn't mean he wouldn't leave in the future.
His contract with Manchester City is only five years, and at his current age, by the time this contract ends, Lin Quan will have just entered his prime.
By that time, he may have already won all the honors at Manchester City and may not be very interested in continuing to stay at Manchester City.
So other clubs still have a chance, and even after Lin Quan completes his three-year contract, they can offer to buy out the player's contract and bring him over two years early.
But Manchester City pays Lin Quan a very high salary. If they were to buy out the contract two years early, the club's side would probably have to bleed a lot.
...
While Lin Quan was receiving the Golden Boy award in Turin, on the same day, in the president's office of the Catalonia Barcelona Club, a group of uninvited guests broke in.
After showing their work permits and search warrants to the club's staff, they conducted a very detailed investigation and evidence collection of all the documents in Rosell's office, including all the information on his computer.
This scene caused unrest within the Barcelona team, and many people realized what might have happened.
Their former president Laporta, was sent to prison by Rosell's hand, could it be that Rosell is following in the footsteps of the former president?
A week later, the Catalonia Court of Appeal summoned Rosell.
It is rumored that at least 40 million euros of funds have gone missing, and the court suspects that Rosell embezzled this huge sum.
This news immediately shocked the entire football world, and people turned their attention to Catalonia and the La Liga giants Barcelona.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.