Chapter 357: Lin Quan's Sharp Comments on the Two Greatest of All Time, Messi and Ronaldo
The reporter interviewing Lin Quan happened to be a woman, and seeing her trying hard not to laugh made Lin Quan laugh himself.
"How about I go to the locker room, take a shower, and change clothes before continuing the interview?"
Despite the earlier chaotic scene, Lin Quan was in a great mood since the team won and moved a step closer to achieving the sextuple.
"No need, no need! I'll just ask a few quick questions!" The female reporter quickly shook her head, clearly worried that if he left, he might not come back, and she couldn't exactly storm the locker room to interview him.
"Alright then," Lin Quan thought, knowing that if he stayed and did the interview, he might not have to attend the post-match press conference, where Guardiola would likely want him to handle many questions.
The reporter introduced herself as being from France's L'Équipe.
"Lin, first of all, congratulations to your team on beating the opponents and reaching the Club World Cup final. Do you and your teammates have confidence in winning the final?"
Lin Quan nodded firmly. "Of course, we're here for the championship. No matter who the opponent is in the final, we are confident we can beat them and achieve the club's first sextuple!"
Lin Quan's answer was direct and almost arrogant, as if the final opponent wasn't even worth mentioning. If there were no surprises, their final opponent would likely be Argentina's San Lorenzo, last year's Copa Libertadores champion. For the past seven years, the Club World Cup finals had typically been between the UEFA Champions League winner and the South American champion, with European teams winning six times and losing only once. The only loss came in 2012 when Chelsea lost to Corinthians, largely due to the team's morale collapsing after controversial refereeing in a match against Manchester United.
Chelsea's loss didn't prove much, as the gap between European and South American teams had been widening, with European teams now generally having a clear advantage. Unless Manchester City made significant errors, their chances of losing were very low. Plus, with the sextuple dream so close, City's players were sure to give their all in the final.
The reporters didn't seem to think the South American champions posed much of a threat to the European champions, so they quickly wrapped up questions about the match and moved on to more pressing topics.
"Lin, the Ballon d'Or ceremony is approaching, and you are one of the top contenders. Do you feel confident about winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or this year?"
The Ballon d'Or ceremony was set for January 14th, and on December 2nd, FIFA had announced the final three candidates: Lin Quan, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi. Compared to last year, this year's Ballon d'Or discussion had less hype, not because the award had lost influence but because there was little suspense about the outcome. Last year, without a major tournament, the award mainly considered players' performances in their clubs and World Cup qualifiers, making Ribéry and Ronaldo the top contenders. This led to significant controversy, with many believing Ribéry deserved the award more, and FIFA's last-minute rule changes and voting discrepancies only added to the drama.
This year, after winning both the Champions League and the World Cup, Lin Quan was the clear frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or, with a significant lead over his competitors. As a result, the usual heated debates among fans were much quieter this time.
Lin Quan smiled at the reporter's question and replied, "If I say I'm not confident, would you think I'm being insincere?"
The reporters chuckled, confirming his assumption.
"Well," Lin Quan cleared his throat and continued seriously, "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is the highest honor for a player, something every player aspires to. If I were to win this award, I would be incredibly honored."
Lin Quan didn't directly answer whether he was confident about winning. Instead, he took the opportunity to praise the Ballon d'Or, emphasizing its importance and stature in the football world, making the award itself seem more prestigious.
"And how do you evaluate your two competitors, Ronaldo and Messi?" the reporters quickly asked, shifting to another hot topic.
Before Lin Quan's rise, the football world was dominated by Messi and Ronaldo. But now, it seemed the landscape had shifted to a three-way rivalry, with Lin Quan in a leading position. This development surprised many, and people were curious about Lin Quan's future status in football. If he continued performing as he had been, it was likely he would surpass both Messi and Ronaldo in the foreseeable future, a feat few players could claim.
"Messi and Ronaldo are both outstanding players," Lin Quan said sincerely. "One is incredibly gifted, and the other is exceptionally disciplined. They are great role models for young players. Competing with them on the pitch in the same era is an honor."
Lin Quan's response wasn't just politeness; it reflected his genuine thoughts. Messi and Ronaldo represented two different paths in football: one based on natural talent and the other on hard work.
Messi possessed rare, visible talent, utilizing it to become an unstoppable force on the field. Ronaldo, while also talented, relied more on his extraordinary discipline and hard work to reach his level of greatness.
"Attack at all costs!" Mourinho couldn't sit still anymore. If Chelsea lost and Manchester City won, their previous lead would vanish completely. Burnley was just incompetent, unable to even beat Manchester City's full reserve squad! Now Chelsea could only hope to secure a win themselves. No matter what, they had to win this game. Winning against Southampton would ensure that, regardless of Manchester City's result, they would maintain at least a three-point lead.
Under Mourinho's command, Chelsea's players launched a ferocious attack on Southampton. Diego Costa, Schurrle, Hazard, Oscar, Fabregas… The lineup of Chelsea's midfield and attack was nothing short of spectacular, and their understanding had greatly improved over the half-season.
Under the onslaught of these top stars, Southampton's defense came under tremendous pressure. In the 45th minute of the first half, Fabregas delivered a brilliant pass, assisting Azar to score and level the match. This was Fabregas' 13th assist of the season, a testament to his efficiency.
Chelsea's offensive firepower this season owed much to the contributions of Fabregas and Diego Costa. One provided assists, and the other scored goals, together accounting for more than 70% of Chelsea's goals and significantly boosting the team's attacking capabilities.
Mourinho, seeing Hazard score, excitedly waved his fist. "Keep playing like this, and victory will surely be ours!" He thought. Fabregas had an exceptional game, and since joining Chelsea, he seemed to have found his place in the team, playing with increasing ease and confidence.
He demonstrated this confidence by daring to take the ball forward, much like Iniesta did at Barcelona. Throughout the first half, amid Southampton's tight defense, Fabregas managed five successful dribbles. Aside from the assist to Azar, he created two other significant threats in the first half.
In the 7th minute, he faced Wanyama directly on the left flank, anticipated the opponent's movements, then skillfully dribbled past him to deliver a cross into the penalty area. Unfortunately, a defender blocked the ball to the baseline, preventing a potential early lead for Chelsea.
In the 24th minute, Fabregas again threatened on the left with a dribble, accelerating inside to shake off his marker. Unfortunately, Schurrle was not on the same wavelength, wasting the cross delivered by Fabregas.
Continuing his excellent performance in the second half, in the 47th minute, Fabregas broke through the midfield to deliver a through ball to Diego Costa. Unfortunately, Costa ran too fast, and the slightly underpowered pass from Fabregas meant the chance was missed.
Mourinho was very pleased with Fabregas' performance, even giving him a thumbs-up from the sidelines. As Chelsea's midfield commander, as long as Fabregas was in form, Chelsea had a very high chance of winning.
However, everything came to a sudden halt following an incident involving the opposition. In the 55th minute, Fabregas was tripped in the penalty area's right flank in an attempt to break through. It was a clear foul, but to everyone's surprise, the referee, Taylor, issued Fabregas a yellow card, apparently believing he had dived.
This decision sparked intense displeasure from Fabregas, who chased after Taylor to protest the call. Mourinho was also visibly upset: "Damn it, that was a penalty!" Replay clearly showed that Fabregas was tripped by the defender Taggart.
However, Taylor did not change the call, insisting on his decision. The wrongful decision seemed to affect Fabregas' focus for the remainder of the game, and not just him—Chelsea's overall performance suffered as well.
Chelsea, once in control, now struggled to maintain their fluency in attack, reducing their threat significantly. Southampton took advantage of this respite to hold the score at 1:1 until the final whistle.
Chelsea, having held a great advantage, couldn't capitalize and unexpectedly dropped two points. If Manchester City managed to beat Burnley, Chelsea's lead would shrink to a single point.
As the game ended, Mourinho was reluctant to ask about the score from the Manchester City game, fearing that City had won and caught up. Fortunately, that nightmare did not materialize. Manchester City also ended their game in a draw, and Chelsea maintained their three-point lead.
This result was far from the expectations set before the game, leaving Mourinho and his players dissatisfied. The usually even-tempered Fabregas, speaking to reporters after the game, risked a suspension by openly criticizing the referee: "Mr. Taylor believes his eyes, but the cameras on the field strongly contradict him. I wouldn't suggest he visit an optometrist, rather, I'd recommend a psychiatrist, as I don't think he can sleep peacefully after making such a ridiculous call tonight."
Mourinho's comments were even more scathing: "I can't believe such a foul wasn't awarded a penalty. I'd like to find referee Taylor and wish him a happy new year. I'd also tell him that if he saw the incident on TV, he'd be ashamed of himself."
Besides the angry parties involved, Chelsea's fans were also outraged. They had hoped to use Manchester City's difficult schedule to widen the gap, but the referee's decisions thwarted these plans. Some fans, suspecting Taylor of bias because he was from Manchester, accused him of taking bribes from City to sabotage Chelsea.
The British media were all over the story of the two draws, propelling the issue to a climax. Sky Sports noted, "The two draws had starkly different implications for the teams involved. Manchester City's fans celebrated while Chelsea's roared in anger." BBC added, "Guardiola's bold use of young players and substitutes scraped a point in a nearly lost game, a decent result for City. But Mourinho's side, despite dominating, shockingly dropped two points—an absolute disaster for the Blues."
With the league still tightly contested and 19 rounds to go, the three-point gap didn't seem insurmountable. Especially since the two teams had one more direct encounter. If Manchester City could defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, they could erase the lead entirely. (End of chapter)