Chapter 117 Yang Pan's Ambition

That night, bars, small restaurants, and food stalls in Changsha were almost open all night because the Chinese team defeated South Korea 3-0, winning a thorough victory and raising their eyebrows in pride on their own soil.

After the match, Yang Pan, who had one goal and two assists, was named the best player. In an interview, he emphasized, "This victory is dedicated to Zhang Jun by the entire National Olympic team. We hope he overcomes his injury in Europe and returns to us soon."

Almost no reporter expected Yang Pan to say that, mentioning a name that even the Football Association was reluctant to mention on this victorious night. Although many media outlets later said that these were words of encouragement from Yang Pan, a close friend of Zhang Jun, Li Yan believed that Yang Pan was expressing his dissatisfaction with the Football Association in his own way.

In fact, there was another thing during the game that deeply stimulated everyone. Two huge portraits silently watched the entire match in the Chinese fan section, but as the game neared its end, some fans hastily made two banners and hung them on either side of the portraits. On the left was "Luo Wenqiang, step down!" and on the right, unexpectedly, was "*** Bless Zhang Jun!"

When the two banners were hung up, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause, to the point where some reporters and players didn't know what had happened. Because the ball had just gone out of bounds, there was nothing worth cheering about so loudly.

But Yang Pan noticed, and more and more people noticed. So, after the game, Yang Pan specifically led the team to bow to the portraits to express their gratitude to these upright and lovely fans.

Unfortunately, the leaders of CCTV5 were afraid of offending the Football Association, and it would be difficult to explain to their superiors if they asked about it, so they never gave that section of the stands a shot. Viewers watching TV naturally couldn't understand why such loud applause suddenly erupted, and they missed the most exciting part of the game in the stands.

But Luo Wenqiang, who was present at the scene, saw it clearly. Although he forced a smile on his face, he felt a little angry in his heart: You scold us when we lose, and now you scold us when we win! What exactly do you want? You fans who don't understand anything!

Chen Wei, who was beside him, accompanied him with a cautious smile, but he was very happy inside. He finally knew Luo Wenqiang's status in the hearts of Chinese fans. Regardless of the team's performance, Luo Wenqiang would definitely be scolded. In that case, if the National Olympic team plays well, as long as I appear frequently, the fans' impression of me will definitely be good. As long as I deliberately distinguish myself from Luo Wenqiang, the layman, then I will naturally be the best successor when Luo Wenqiang leaves. Haha, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Why don't you understand, Luo Wenqiang? Now even the Premier of the State Council is implementing a policy of being close to the people, let alone the Football Association?

※※※

Putting aside those dirty tricks of officialdom, the complete victory in Changsha on May 1 was undoubtedly the most enjoyable for countless Chinese fans, even more exhilarating than the 9-1 victory over Malaysia in Wuhan.

Yang Pan and Li Yongle, who performed outstandingly in this game, were also called the "two diamonds of the midfield" by the Chinese media because of their familiar relationship. Yang Pan was already famous, so there was no need to mention him.

Li Yongle was different. As a college student player, he became the main midfielder, and even the core, of the Chinese National Olympic team, which made the story even more legendary. Many reporters once again rushed to Luoyang and Beijing to dig up everything about him. The resourceful reporters even revealed his experience of fighting in junior high school.

His junior high school class teacher said proudly in a newspaper: "He showed extraordinary qualities even when he was fighting. This child is hardworking and serious no matter what he does, so I could tell in junior high school that he would definitely achieve something in the future!"

Bai Hongfei was very realistic: "He is a very special player in the team. When others are relaxing, he is the only one practicing on the field. I once tried to persuade him, but he said that his goal was to be a professional player... He worked very hard, and now his efforts have finally paid off. I am very happy for him."

Because of Li Yan's suggestion, *Titan Sports* was prepared early and once again seized the opportunity when reporting on Li Yongle, launching Li Yongle's album--"A Common Hero" when others were still rushing around for interviews.

"...He is not a person who likes to attract attention. Most of the time, he only likes to be with football. Except for particularly close friends, he is not good at socializing. In the eyes of many people, he is such a weirdo. But his friends, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan, believe that he is an extremely serious and enthusiastic person about football, a good opponent, and a reliable teammate. When facing our reporters, although his words are still a bit dull, his enthusiasm and persistence can still be revealed through his slightly dull words and deeds. When he was still studying at R University in Beijing, he became good friends with our reporters. At that time, in addition to his extraordinary dedication to football, he was as simple as any other college student. Now, he has become the core midfielder of the National Olympic team, and his popularity is no less than that of Yang Pan. He is still the same as before, only thinking about football. If you chat with him, if you don't talk about football, it will probably be a cold scene. Some people therefore say that he is a boring person, but the reporter knows that it is because they don't understand him. He never goes to bars, doesn't know how to spend the money he earns, and saves it all in the bank. He doesn't go shopping, and he is not interested in topics such as girlfriends. His style of play is just like his personality: simple and clear, practical and efficient, never procrastinating, and organizing the National Olympic team's midfield in an orderly manner, giving the Chinese team's midfield, which has always been criticized, a key figure to solve problems. Qiu Suhui, in evaluating this beloved disciple who he personally recruited into the National Olympic team, said: 'He has all the potential to become a world-class midfielder. He is a midfielder genius that China produces only once every twenty years.' For Qiu Suhui, who has ten years of experience in Europe and has coached countless people, saying such a thing is not because he is protecting his own."

"He is famous now, but the future is not necessarily smooth. He is a college student player, and his relationship still belongs to R University. After the Olympic Games qualifiers, Qiu Suhui will arrange training and flight training until the Olympic Games. These can allow him to get full training, but what about after the Athens Olympic Games? Where will he go? Continue to go back to R University to study? This is obviously unrealistic and not conducive to his development. It is said that many domestic clubs have sent him invitations. Because he has not yet become an agent due to his rapid rise to fame, he needs to take care of these things himself. However, he does not seem interested in the invitations from domestic clubs. He told reporters that he still wants to play football abroad, following the path of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan. Indeed, the experiences of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan prove one thing: it is easier to succeed if you start your career abroad. He is now a blank sheet of paper, and it is more suitable for him to grow up abroad, but the domestic football environment is really not reassuring."

"Despite such difficulties, he is still full of confidence in the future. He always treats sudden happiness with a normal heart, as well as various difficulties that will come in the future. Such a person, except for being a little taller, no one would treat him as a rising football star, the core midfielder of the National Olympic team, if he walked on the street. Li Yongle is such a person, a hero on the field, an ordinary person in life."

※※※

Li Yongle has now become the focus of people's discussion, but he is very calm and still lives his own life. But there is one question that he has to face squarely. As the media worried, after the Olympic Games, where will this "midfield genius that China produces only once every twenty years" go?

Yang Pan has also been very concerned about this old friend. Before he returned to Italy, he left Hua Fang's phone number to Li Yongle and promised to contact Sister Hua, who was with Zhang Jun in Italy, and asked her to be Li Yongle's agent, fully representing his affairs of going abroad to play football. Li Yongle had no objection to this. Since she is the agent of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan, then she must be worthy of his trust.

Yang Pan still gave Li Yongle a piece of advice, "When choosing where to play football, don't use 'wanting to be Zhang Jun's opponent' as a reason, that's not good. You must choose the place that suits you best, and you don't have much qualification to be picky now, but I believe Sister Hua will still find you a satisfactory place."

Li Yongle accepted the advice: "I won't force it. Whether it's the Netherlands, Italy, or somewhere else, as long as it is conducive to my future development. Oh, yes, when you go back to Italy, please say hello to Kaka for me and congratulate him."

"Congratulate? Congratulate what?" Yang Pan was a little confused.

"Huh? Don't you know? AC Milan has won the championship in advance."

"The game with Roma hasn't been played yet. If they want to win the championship in advance, they have to beat Roma tonight."

"Anyway, it's the same. This year's league title can't escape them. Congratulating them in advance can make me look far-sighted."

"Tch! He and I are enemies. You want me to congratulate him on winning the championship, and we have nothing to show for this season..."

"Ha! Anyway, it's normal for Bologna to have nothing to show for it. And you performed so well, maybe you'll be fighting side by side next season!" Li Yongle laughed.

"Unlikely. Milan hasn't had any news so far. I guess they won't consider me this summer. Anyway, I've decided that I won't go anywhere except Milan!"

"So, are you going to continue to stay in Bologna next season?" Li Yongle was a little surprised.

"That's how it is until AC Milan makes a transfer request to me. Bologna is also pretty good, the team, and..." Yang Pan suddenly thought, besides football reasons, could there be other factors that prompted him to make such a decision? A name and a figure flashed through his mind, and then he rejected it with vigilance. "Impossible, impossible, she's just pretty."

"Huh? Yang Pan, what are you mumbling about?"

"Ah! No, nothing! Okay, I'll congratulate Kaka for you. Sigh! I have to see someone's smug face again..." Yang Pan sighed unwillingly.

※※※

"Hey! Kaka, take a break. There's a game tomorrow, don't be too tired!" Goalkeeper Dida caught Kaka's long shot and then said to Kaka in the distance while lying on the ground.

Kaka wiped a handful of sweat and then squinted his eyes to look at the eastern side of the sky, which had already begun to gradually darken. The sun's rays in the west could not reach the distant east. He knew that in the east, his other motherland, a group of teenagers like him were working hard for their dreams and for the future of Chinese football.

He really envied them.

Kaka wasn't pretending to be pretentious. He really envied Yang Pan for being able to return to his country to play for the nation. As for him... the Brazilian National Olympic team lost to the Paraguayan National Olympic team because of his absence, losing the opportunity to go to Athens and the opportunity to compete with Yang Pan, Li Yongle, and others in the Olympic Games.

Because AC Milan refused to release him, Kaka was also heavily criticized in Brazil, and he was under great pressure during that time. It wasn't until Zhang Jun was injured that the Brazilian media realized the harm of traveling back and forth on long journeys and changed to unanimously understanding Kaka. It was really ironic that his friend's serious injury relieved him, and that injury was exactly what he, Kaka, didn't want to see.

Now, AC Milan is only one game away from their seventeenth league title. For Kaka, who may win the league championship trophy in person in his first year in Serie A, this Serie A season is like a dream. He is the absolute main player of the team, he has scored eleven goals, he has saved the day many times, and he has been compared to Boban and Platini... He has become a "phenomenon." But despite this, let's not forget that Kaka is only a twenty-two-year-old young man. The achievements he has made at his age are indeed remarkable. But while he is being cheered for these achievements, he is also under great pressure.

What kind of person is Kaka?

He won the World Cup in his first selection for the national team, and he may win the league championship trophy in person in his first season in Serie A. He is so smooth, almost never encountering setbacks.

Then what about tomorrow's game? Can he suffer his first blow? Although Rome is suffering from an economic crisis, it is still a strong team.

There will only be two results at the San Siro stadium tomorrow: winning the championship in advance or not.

Kaka hopes to make the result only one through his efforts.

Which one is it?

"Last one!" Kaka shot the ball into Dida's goal with force. His long shot from twenty-three meters was both urgent and tricky, making AC Milan's main goalkeeper helpless.

Does that even need to be asked?

※※※

This was an extremely intense game. The Romans would not allow the Milanese to step on their corpses to win the championship trophy, because they were also strong contenders for the championship. After Juventus lost consecutively and fell to third place, only Roma had the ability to compete with AC Milan for the championship.

Rome has their new prince, and even the new prince of all of Italy--Francesco Totti. This Roman wolf with long hair is defending the dignity of the capital's football like a gladiator in the Colosseum, and is also the person that AC Milan needs to pay attention to.

Also needing attention are the unruly Cassano, the Brazilian rookie Mancini, the Roman midfielder Emerson... but Ancelotti knows very well that the only real threat to Rome is Totti. All of their attacks are initiated and mediated by this person. As long as Totti is watched, then Rome is just a wolf that has lost its teeth.

The important task of marking Totti was naturally handed over to AC Milan's most diligent and fierce Gattuso. Few people can find a good feeling in his full-court pressing defense. Even Kaka believes that if he and Gattuso were to fight each other on the field, the chances of winning would not be great.

As for Kaka, Ancelotti just let him play as usual. For this young man, the coach knew that he would analyze the situation on the field and make judgments on his own.

The process of the game was indeed as Ancelotti expected. Totti is the core of Rome, the core of everything. Cassano did not play for some reason, and Gattuso's man-to-man marking of Totti made the Roman wolf very embarrassed. His tireless stamina, fierce defense, and fierce expression made the opponent tremble.

Even with the French defensive midfielder Damart focusing on Kaka, Rome still felt strenuous when facing this Brazilian young man. His sharp vertical breakthroughs, well-timed passes, and long shots that shocked Serie A made Rome's defense nervous.

When Kaka debuted in Sao Paulo, he became famous for his powerful long shots outside the penalty area, but many people did not know that Kaka's long-range shooting skills were actually taught by one person, and this person just made a long shot of 148 kilometers per hour in Serie A, and broke the record again in the National Olympic team, letting people see the power of Chinese-made "heavy artillery." Back then, when he was at Shuguang Middle School, Yang Pan discovered that Kaka's thigh muscles were very developed and his explosiveness was strong, so he intentionally taught him long shots, so as to enrich Shuguang's scoring methods, but he never expected that Kaka would use this to open the door to success in Serie A in the future.

Kaka never mentioned this past to anyone. When Ancelotti complacently said that Kaka's long shots were due to his good guidance, Kaka only modestly said that it was indeed the coach's credit.

In the second leg of the league between Bologna and AC Milan, Yang Pan missed the game due to a cold, and Bologna also lost to AC Milan 0:2. Therefore, the two have not met in an official match yet. It is really exciting to look forward to the future duel between Yang Pan and Kaka, long shot against long shot. Is Yang Pan's power type stronger, or does Kaka's angle type win?

Well, back to the game.

In the twenty-first minute of the first half, Kaka's central breakthrough and distribution to the side allowed Cafu, who was rushing up at high speed, to pass the ball into the penalty area. Then Shevchenko, the "Ukrainian nuclear warhead" who followed up in the middle, scored a powerful header, and the ball flew into the goal guarded by Pelizzoli.

AC Milan took the lead against Rome at home! This made San Siro boil, and Milan fans chanted the nickname of the goal scorer Shevchenko: "Sheva! Sheva! Sheva!!"

This goal forced Rome to start attacking early, and they began to put pressure on the Milan penalty area. But Totti was entangled by Gattuso and couldn't display half of his usual strength. With Totti frozen, Rome's attack was like a pool of stagnant water.

Ancelotti was indeed experienced.

During the halftime break, Capello sent on his other trump card: Antonio Cassano. A talented but unruly young man. He is about the same age as Kaka, and has a talent that amazes the entire Italy, but because of his personality, he has never been able to play as a main player in the Roma team, and was even removed from the Italian U21 national team by coach Gentile. But no matter what, no one will ever doubt his talent. This time, Capello replaced him in order to make a final push.

After all, with Totti frozen, Cassano's dribbling is the only way to revitalize Rome.

Sure enough, this kid used his skills to play AC Milan's left back Pancaro on the right as soon as he came on the field. He used a heel to pass the ball through Pancaro's crotch, and then quickly started a breakthrough. Pancaro, who had been nutmegged, would not allow himself to be broken through again, so he reached out and pulled down Cassano.

Totti's free kick did not pose any threat to Dida. Under Gattuso's mad dog-like care, his condition did not seem to be very good.

Cassano worked very hard. Subsequently, a central breakthrough in front of the penalty area forced Nesta to foul, and the referee gave Rome a twenty-two-meter free kick, which was still taken by Totti as usual.

This time, Totti's free kick was perfect, drilling through the AC Milan wall and looking like it was about to drill into the corner of the goal, but Shevchenko, who was in the wall, suddenly raised his hand and blocked the incoming ball, and the ball changed direction and flew out of the baseline!

The AC Milan goal was right behind the Roma fans, and there was an uproar in the stands. Totti also rushed to the referee, patted his arm and shouted to the referee: "It's a penalty! He used his hand! He blocked it with his hand!"

The referee didn't even look at him and directly signaled the Roma team to take a corner kick. But the replay of the TV broadcast clearly showed that Shevchenko did use his arm to hit the ball out of the baseline, and Shevchenko was in the penalty area. Totti and Cassano surrounded the referee to demand an explanation, but to no avail. They could only accept the reality that the referee had made a misjudgment at a critical moment and take the corner kick.

The corner kick did not pose any threat to the Milan goal.

The Roma players accepted this reality, but the Roma fans were still unrelenting. They booed loudly every time an AC Milan player touched the ball and began to throw debris into the field. The enthusiasm and violence of the Roma fans are famous in Italy and even the whole of Europe. They have been punished by the Italian Football Association and UEFA for the problems of their home fans more than once or twice.

Just as the game was in the seventieth minute, a Roma fan threw a firecracker into the Milan penalty area. It happened that Dida was near the firecracker. After a loud noise, thick smoke came out, and Dida fell to the ground!

This sudden incident forced the game to be suspended. Medical staff, police, coaches, and referees all rushed to the scene, and the scene was in chaos. And the Roma fans in the stands behind were still scolding loudly: "Get up! Stop pretending to be dead, you Brazilian!"

Totti showed the demeanor of a captain in the face of this situation. He approached the Roma fan stand and then shouted to the fans: "Calm down! Stop making trouble! What we need most now is time! What you are doing is wasting time, it's not helping Rome, it's harming Rome!"

Even Capello came forward to persuade the Roma fans to calm down and stop making such extreme moves. There was really no need for something that endangered the safety of the players to happen for the sake of a game.

Taking advantage of the suspension of the game, some players went to the sidelines to ask for water.

Kaka kept drinking water. He seemed to still care about this atmosphere, the atmosphere created by the Roma fans. The two sides of fans cursed, shouted, and sang at each other, trying their best to suppress each other's voices.

Gattuso also came over to ask for water. He was really desperate today. Don't look at Totti being uncomfortable, but he also made Gattuso more tired than usual. Gattuso, who gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, saw Kaka next to him, his facial expression was still a bit stiff. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

Kaka nodded, "Fans, champion..."

"Ha! Don't care about those things! You know what? At the San Siro, you have to learn to enjoy this kind of pressure. We are Milan, the great Milan!" Gattuso threw down the water bottle and said to Kaka, "I'll show you how to enjoy the fans." He walked to a stand on the sidelines, where there was a group of die-hard Milan fans. When they saw Gattuso walking towards them, they all started shouting Gattuso's name loudly.

Gattuso raised his arms and waved them upwards vigorously, shouting loudly: "Shout! Louder! Let the Romans hear it and get weak knees! Shout louder!"

Sure enough, as if receiving instructions from the band conductor, the entire San Siro rang out with a burst of cheers that were louder than the last.

Kaka looked at this person's back, and his raised shoulders looked particularly broad, enough to carry the reliance of his teammates and fans. Gattuso's popularity is getting higher and higher. He has won the respect of Milan fans with his diligence, and it is no wonder that there are rumors that he will be the official captain after Paolo Maldini.

With such a person here, we will definitely win, and the champion must belong to us! Kaka's mood actually calmed down. He no longer felt nervous, and the fans' actions seemed to him like a bugle call to welcome the warriors back in triumph.

When can I become someone like him? Just waving his arms can stir up the atmosphere of the entire stadium. Kaka couldn't help thinking this while being excited.

In the subsequent game, although Roma worked very hard, they were unable to open Milan's goal until the end of the game, and lost the game 0:1 with regret.

AC Milan finally won the Serie A title in advance with two rounds remaining in their own home stadium. This is their seventeenth Serie A title in history. Although this advance victory did not come in a fair and honest way, so that everyone can be convinced, this will not hinder the carnival at the San Siro.

All Milan players wore t-shirts printed with "17" gold, waving Milan's red and black sword-striped flags, hugging each other, and cheering loudly. They ran to the east stand, and then to the south, hand in hand, lined up in a row, and bowed to thank the fans at the scene, and shared the ecstasy after winning the championship with them.

After thanking Jesus and the fans, Kaka stood in place, not knowing what to do. This was his first league title, his first championship in his first Serie A season. When they lost the Toyota Cup in Tokyo at the beginning of the year, many people thought they were finished. Later, when they were overturned by Deportivo La Coruña at home in Spain and eliminated from the Champions League, many people were even more determined in their belief that Milan was finished. But today, they proved themselves with their seventeenth Serie A title, and he, Kaka, was the key figure in winning the championship.

Countless cameras and reporters surrounded him, hoping he could say something.

"I...I'm too lucky and too happy! I didn't expect this to be my first Serie A season... Thank God!"

Yes, for Kaka, who has had a smooth football road, there are too many people he wants to thank, and it would probably take until dark to say them all one by one. As a devout Christian, he can only use the sentence "Thank God" to make a summary.

Have a good dream tonight, Kaka.

※※※

When Yang Pan returned to Bologna, he heard the news that Milan had won the championship in advance. So he made a phone call to congratulate someone, and at the same time extorted a meal. Then he only rested for half a day, and had not fully recovered from the jet lag, and devoted himself to training. His participation in the competition in his country delayed him some time, and he had to step up training to ensure that his main position was not taken back by Nervo.

Milan won the championship, but Bologna had nothing to show for it. This is the difference between a wealthy family and a small club. Yang Pan sighed helplessly. AC Milan is what he yearns for, but unfortunately his excellent performance in the second half of the season did not impress the wealthy family, and he had to continue to stay in Bologna to work tirelessly to prove himself.

"Yang! Congratulations to you!" Bellucci said to him as soon as he arrived at the training ground, making Yang Pan confused. "Congratulations? Congratulations for what?"

"The Chinese team entered the Athens Olympic Games! Isn't this a very congratulations thing? You did a great job! One hundred and seventy kilometers!"

Yang Pan just smiled: "Thank you, but our goal is not just to enter the Athens competition so simple."

"Do you still want to... I know how excellent you are, but your teammates may not be able to give you the support you need. If Zhang Jun is still there, it may be possible, but it is a pity that he is injured..."

These words stung Yang Pan. He was stunned for a moment and then smiled bitterly at Bellucci: "In short, it will be good to get to Athens, and any questions will be clear there. Whether the Chinese team can create history, everything will be revealed." Then he turned and left.

"What's wrong with him?" Signorelli, who had just arrived, also planned to congratulate Yang Pan, but he saw Yang Pan's back moving further and further away.

"Maybe I said something wrong." Bellucci said, looking at Yang Pan's back, "He just said that the Chinese team is going to create history at the Athens Olympic Games... I hope I didn't hear wrong."

"China's entry into the Athens Olympic Games is itself creating history, isn't it?" Nervo interjected. He did not know that as early as the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the Chinese football team participated in that Olympic Games. However, this time, the Chinese team lost all three games, did not score a goal, and was ridiculed by Blatter, then the Secretary-General of FIFA, as "the least enterprising team."

"If it is him, it is not impossible... If Italy can play against the Chinese team, it should remind those kids to be careful of Yang." Signorelli did not pay attention to Nervo.

"Hey! If China really has a chance to play against Italy, there will definitely not be many people supporting them. Poor team, I'll be a Chinese fan for once!" Bellucci shouted.

"There are more than one billion fans in China, will they still care about you? Didn't you see how many people paid attention to Yang when he returned to China? The number of reporters next to our training ground alone is several times more than that of Italy," Signorelli gave Bellucci a popular science lesson. "It's really a strange country, with so many fans supporting them, but they haven't had anything to praise in international football over the years. How good it would be if Yang was born in Italy!" He said, stroking his chin.

"Hey! You guys, what are you doing over there? Come over for training!" the coach shouted on the training field.

Several people hurried to run to the training field.

But no matter who it is, none of them guessed the meaning of Yang Pan's sentence. "Creating history" is not "scoring a goal, getting a point," or entering the top eight, such a boring official indicator. Yang Pan has only one idea in his mind: to go to Athens, to bring back the gold medal in the football event, and to create an incomparably glorious history for Chinese football!

This is really a crazy idea, isn't it?

But if there is such a group of people, it doesn't seem impossible!