Fox in the Penalty Area

The Fox of the Forbidden Area Volume 79 A brand new version that has never been played before. Not long after Hu Lai returned to Jincheng to start strength training, Wang Guangwei heard that Hu Lai was back, so he also moved here. It happened to be convenient for him to learn how to drive. , because the driving school base where he learned to drive was in Liucheng District.

A few days after Wang Guangwei came to live, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar officially started in this time and space.

In fact, the atmosphere of the World Cup was very strong in China before. Traditional media such as TV and newspapers, as well as emerging media such as the Internet and mobile Internet, began to warm up and promote the World Cup a month earlier.

As the opening of the World Cup approached, the propaganda offensive became more and more violent.

It was so fierce that a ball blind would think that the Chinese team had entered the World Cup—of course, if the Chinese team really entered the World Cup, then the ball blind would find that the battle was a hundred times more intense than what he saw now.

Hu Lai found that although time and space have been changed, some things are really ingrained. I don't know if it is one of the basic rules of the multiverse.

That is, even though they did not participate in the competition, China's enthusiasm for the World Cup may be higher than those of the countries that participated in the World Cup...

This is true in the time and space he travels to, and it is still the same in the time and space he is in now.

Even crazier in this time and space.

After all, in this time and space, the Chinese team has not even participated in a World Cup. And in that time and space, at any rate, there was a competition experience.

When we entered the World Cup, we talked about "forty-four years of waiting." In this time and space, what the media advertised during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers was "a sixty-year wait", a full sixty years...

Hu Lai sometimes feels terrible when he thinks about it.

In sixty years, China has developed from the beginning of the reform and opening up to what it is today, and it has not taken sixty years yet.

Chinese football has never been able to break out of Asia.

It's no wonder that before the reform of the Football Association, the image of Chinese football was so bad that it really had to be reformed.

Of course, when it came to the World Cup, when the domestic media publicized, Hu Lai’s mentor Zhao Kangming had to be found out again and again as a "whip corpse"-the media talked a lot about how the Chinese team was in the 2005 World Cup qualifiers. The fact that they didn't even make it to the Top Ten was related to Zhao Kangming's red card.

So the poor director Zhao, who was the famous coach of Dongchuan Flash Star a month ago, everyone hoped that he could lead Flash Star to achieve good results in the new season of the Chinese League One, and successfully surpassed... Now the media has changed. Became a "sinner of Chinese football".

In this World Cup qualifier, the Chinese team performed better than the previous ones and entered the final stage of the top twelve. But still failed to reach the World Cup, and finally ended the top twelve with the fifth place in the group.

In the Asian Cup at the beginning of 2019, the Chinese team also reached the semi-finals, which gave many Chinese fans hope.

As a result, many people later learned that the highest level of football in Asia was not the Asian Cup at all, but the World Cup Asian qualifiers.

Those opponents that the Chinese team could beat in the Asian Cup, but in the top 12, it was extremely difficult. Even the Asian Cup champion may capsize in the top 12 and lose to the "underdog".

After the top 12 matches of this year, the Chinese national team has retired veterans on three lines. Which one of them is not a well-known figure in Chinese football? They are also top-notch bosses in their respective clubs, star players like Hu Lai and Wang Guangwei who need to be looked up to.

But they did their best only to allow the Chinese team to re-participate in the top 12 match after 20 years.

As for a boss like Qin Lin, he didn't even participate in this World Cup qualifier.

Generation after generation of Chinese players have devoted all their youth, but they still can't even touch the threshold of the World Cup.

Wang Xiaojun, Zhao Kangming, Qin Lin...

There are so many famous players and legends in the history of Chinese football, because they failed to lead the national team to the World Cup, they only have regrets and tears when talking about their careers.

When Qin Lin quit the national team, he choked up and apologized to the fans because he failed to fulfill everyone's wish and the ideal that made him chase half his life.

But in fact, it wasn't him who should apologize.

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The World Cup without the Chinese team is still very lively. For Hu Lai, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about this new football world.

Although it is a brand-new version compared with the football world he is familiar with, in fact, some general directions are almost the same.

For example, the strength of Chinese football is still very weak.

After all, there may be great changes between clubs, but the level of the national team can always be traced. A country's football level is directly related to its own economic development level and the level of football development.

And these are fixed, and it is difficult to change drastically.

The history of the world has not changed, and the world structure is exactly the same as that time and space. Naturally, the level of football development in each country is based on evidence.

Otherwise, when Hu Lai travels across the world and finds that the world's most powerful football country is actually India, he will probably lose his sense of substitution completely...

The birthplace of modern football is still England, and then with the colonial behavior of Britain and other European countries, football was brought to the world, thus becoming the world's number one sport.

If the British invented basketball in this time and space, then basketball may be the number one sport in the world now.

Because colonial expansion had a profound impact on the promotion of football.

Therefore, the world football map is not much different.

Brazil, Argentina, England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are traditional powerhouses in the football world with glorious traditions that have lasted for many years. And these countries also happen to be the countries that have won the World Cup so far.

Countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico, Croatia, the Czech Republic, and Poland rely entirely on the blowout of talents, and a group of "golden generations" can leave their names in world football history once. For mediocrity.

Teams such as Japan, South Korea, and Iran play an important role in Asian football. Australia and New Zealand have also joined the Asian Football Confederation successively. Only some Pacific island countries are left in the Oceania Football Confederation, which can almost be ignored.

After years of development, American football has also made great progress, and it is no longer the so-called "football desert".

African countries have a place in the world football because they are rich in football talents.

Countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates took advantage of the loopholes to recruit a group of naturalized players, and their level has also improved accordingly.

Even countries like Vietnam and Thailand have vigorously developed youth training and have made great progress.

Chinese fans always use the comparison of the strength of Asian football in the past as an example. They feel that the Chinese team can't even win against Vietnam and Thailand. Thailand is already a very difficult thing...

Fortunately, Chinese football has undergone drastic reforms in recent years, especially the emphasis on campus football and the cultivation of youth training talents, so that Chinese football has gradually found its sense again.

Hu Lai himself is one of the beneficiaries of this policy. He, Chen Xingyi, Luo Kai, and Wang Guangwei also became the first batch of representatives after the reform of Chinese football.

It's just that whether this kind of reform is really effective, and whether Chinese football is really on the right track because of this, no one knows at present.

Like neighboring Japan, their football reform program cannot be said to be a success until their national team has been able to participate in every World Cup on a regular basis.

Whether the reform of Chinese football is successful, at least we have to wait for the Chinese team to reach the World Cup finals.

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The map of world football is similar to the world that Hu Lai is familiar with, but when it comes to individual players, it is quite different...

He just crossed over before, and he heard that Celius Caesar, the first native star center in this world, was at the age of thirty in this year's World Cup-thirty years old, the golden age of a professional player. His quality has not begun to decline, but his experience and skills are at their peak. He is naturally ambitious and wants to lead the Italian national team to win the World Cup.

Zhang Qinghuan's model Louis Francis, the French international, is 34 years old this year, and his career has inevitably entered the late stage. However, due to the characteristics of the style of play and other reasons, the state is still very good, as the "commander" of the French national team. He also shoulders the ardent hopes of the French fans, hoping that he can lead the French team to regain the championship glory that the Gaul Rooster lost for twelve years in this World Cup.

When the French team won the World Cup 12 years ago, Francis was 22 years old, and he was not yet the main player of the French team, so he won the World Cup lying down. As the number one organizing midfielder in today's football, Francis has always been worried about not being able to win the World Cup with his own ability.

Grimand Aylmer, a German football superstar, is 32 years old this year. Nicknamed "The Sun" because Aylmer is a "B2B" midfielder. From his own penalty area to the opponent's penalty area, everything is within his coverage area, just like the sun in the sky, shining the sun all over the earth. However, when Hu Lai saw Aylmer's photo, he had a deeper understanding of his nickname-the nickname "Sun" should be a metaphor for his bald head reflecting the sun on the court, just like a little boy on the court. The sun, blinding the opponent's dog's eyes all the time...

But it is said that Aylmer actually had a head of flowing golden hair when he first debuted. He was handsome and blond, just like Apollo, the sun god. Perhaps the nickname "Sun" originated from this.

The German team is the defending champion of this World Cup, and Aylmer is the core of the team's core. In the last World Cup, it was he who led the German chariot to sweep the opponents, and finally won the World Cup with seven victories in seven games. He himself won the Ballon d'Or in that World Cup.

This time, the goal of him and the German team is naturally to successfully defend the title, breaking the spell that no team has been able to successfully defend the World Cup since Brazil successfully defended the World Cup in 1982 for forty years. As a player, at the age of thirty-two, he is still at his peak. But his opponents are not ordinary people.

Italy's Caesar, France's Francis, which one didn't come for the championship?

There is also Alexandra Celados from Spain, a Spanish striker who perfectly combines speed and skill. He is 28 years old this year and is the youngest of the four, nicknamed "Prince". He led Spain's "golden generation", and the only goal of this World Cup is naturally to win the championship.

The above four people have a unified title in world football: "Four Heavenly Kings".

They are recognized as the top four players in today's football, and all of them are Grand Slam players in terms of club honors. Only in the honor of the national team, there are some differences, and it is the only field in which they can distinguish themselves.

Both Aylmer and Francis have won the World Cup, but Aylmer won the championship as the core of the team, and Francis won the championship lying down, so Aylmer is better in this regard.

In terms of European Cup honors, Aylmer is a bit short of heroic. He has never won a European Cup, while Francis and Caesar both have a European Cup.

"Prince" Serrados is the youngest of the four, and the latest to debut, but his rise is fast. The club has already won a grand slam. He has won the domestic league and cup championships, as well as the Champions League. Personal honors On the other hand, he also won the World Footballer and the European Ballon d'Or. Only the honor of the national team, because the youngest, so it is still blank.

For him, this World Cup is his best chance to achieve zero breakthrough. Because at the age of twenty-eight, he was in his prime. In the World Cup four years later, he is already thirty-two years old, and his state, which depends on speed, may not be as good as it is now.

In addition, the Spanish national team also has a group of players who have reached a mature stage like him. This group of "golden generation" who have cooperated tacitly has emerged since the World Youth Championship.

The favorites to win this year's World Cup are also the teams of these four people.

In addition to the "Four Heavenly Kings", there are many superstars in world football. Some of them are in their prime, some are starting to fade away, and some are just emerging, with an unlimited future.

For example, after the South American duo has been silent for many years, the two young people who emerged have been in the limelight in the past two years.

One is a young Argentine player nicknamed "Eagle", Meli Banega, who is only 19 years old. He is generally favored by the Argentine media and fans. The best successor to Orijo Iguovala.

After the "Eagle King" retired, a so-called successor would appear in Argentine football every few years, but I don't know if everyone missed it, or as Igovara's successor brought those young people There was too much pressure, in short, none of them met people's expectations.

From the current point of view, only this young man named Meli Banega is the most promising successor to Igovara.

When Hu Lai first knew about this person, the first thought that popped into his mind was Messi. After all, he had a similar background, so it was hard not to let him think about that person.

But take a closer look, this Argentine super talent, playing for the Spanish giants King Madrid...

Immediately, Hu Lai felt an indescribable sense of disobedience-Messi went to Real Madrid?

He can no longer treat Banega as Messi.

In terms of personal ability alone, Banega and Messi are indeed somewhat similar, fast, good at dribbling, sharp breakthroughs, and versatile in the frontcourt. But it's just similar. Hou Lai is very clear that Banega is not Messi's projection in this world, Messi is Messi, and Banega is Banega.

In addition to this Argentine genius, Brazil also produced a young genius named Kendor Kabanca.

Don't look at the two cards in the name, but there is no similarity with the "Kaka" in that world. Kaka is "unmatched in the world, and the man on the street is like a jade". His handsomeness is the biggest characteristic, but this Kabanka is not close to being handsome. He is a mixed race of blacks and Indians. He is not ugly, but he is definitely not ugly. Handsome, a dreadlock hairstyle is more wild.

The style of play is also completely different from Kaka's European style of striding the ball and attacking in a straight line. He is more like a samba football dancer, but he is different from the Neymar that Hou Lai knows. Neymar is a striker and Kabanka is a midfielder. His body is also much stronger than Neymar's, but his feet are the same flowers, like Ronaldinho is better than Neymar, and his nickname is very similar, his name is "Elf".

"Elf" Kabanka is only 20 years old, one year older than Bane. Both of them are the best of the young generation of South American football, and they are considered leaders who can lead their respective national teams to re-emerge in the future.

In addition to these two young geniuses, there are also many famous stars, such as Russia's Ivan Romanov, a high center forward who is nearly two meters tall, with a strong body, and his impact on the court is like Like a nuclear bomb, it got the nickname "Ivan the Terrible".

Another representative of Spain's "golden generation", goalkeeper Rodriguez Baker.

The central defenders of the England national team, George Birx and Tim Martin, both play for the same club and have worked together for more than ten years. Some media once thought it was a pity that the two defenders did not transfer, otherwise it would definitely set a record for the transfer fee of a defender in world football.

As well as their teammates in the England national team, the all-round midfielder "tough guy" Harry Burgard, his foot skills are not good enough, but he makes up for this shortcoming with his eternal fighting spirit and tenacious style. The long-range shot of the sky cannon made him the core midfielder of the England national team.

Dutch striker Maxi Carey, false nine, comprehensive skills, world-recognized master of free kicks, style of play chic.

...

There are also many world-class players with names and surnames that cannot be listed here.

In short, it is a bit different from the time and space that Hu Lai traveled through. There are no peerless twins here, but there are "Four Heavenly Kings", and even the "Four Heavenly Kings" cannot completely suppress the other superstars. There will be such a thing as a certain person winning the Ballon d'Or for several years in a row.

The world of football has not become a "Messi, Ronaldo and others" version.

Today's World Cup is a stage for these heroes and stars to show themselves to the fullest. They are not a foil for a certain person, nor are they teammates of so-and-so, they are them.

They have their own dreams and persistence, as well as their own dignity. They will not hug their thighs in order to win the championship, nor will they compete to be "so-and-so blow" or "group leader".

They will also praise the "Four Heavenly Kings", but they will not kneel on the ground and praise the "Four Heavenly Kings".

Even the fans of the "Four Heavenly Kings" will not say anything stupid about "forcing the Four Heavenly Kings".

For such a new version that has never been played before, Hu Lai yearns for it.