Chapter 258 Passing Six People (Part 2)

Zhang Jun's wonderful goal didn't cause much of a stir in Italian football, only letting people see his terror in Serie B. It was the Chinese media that was a little excited, once again regarding Zhang Jun as a god descended to earth. Zhang Jun found it quite boring and ignored the media's hype. He was busy saying goodbye to Qiu Zhi.

After three days, Qiu Suhui was finally saying goodbye to Florence. In the remaining half a month, he would go to Germany, England, and Belgium to meet with the six Chinese players who were playing there and understand their current situation.

"Qiu Zhi is going to so many places? What about things at home?" Zhang Jun asked.

"I've left it to Lao Hu to handle. Anyway, the national team hasn't assembled yet, and there's nothing much going on. Besides, I have a very important matter to attend to in Europe," Qiu Suhui replied.

"What important matter?"

"Well, do you know that Chinese-British teenager, Cruyff Li, who's currently playing for Chelsea, Zhang Jun?"

Zhang Jun nodded. "His agent and my agent are both Hua Jie." Hua Jie had found Cruyff Li three months after the season started last year. At that time, he had just been transferred from the second team to the first team. It was Zhang Jun who recommended him to Hua Fang, which is how Hua Fang became his agent.

"Hmm, currently there are very loud calls in England for him to be selected for the England national team, do you know that?"

Zhang Jun nodded again.

"A large part of the reason I'm going to England this time is because of him. I want to persuade him to join the national team."

Zhang Jun was shocked by Qiu Zhi's words, "Join the national team? The Chinese national team? Qiu Zhi, China doesn't seem to recognize dual nationalities."

"I know, so I want to persuade him to change his nationality as well."

Zhang Jun was even more surprised. Was Qiu Zhi dreaming? How could this be possible? "Uh, Qiu Zhi, I know that Cruyff is a very excellent player, but he's already a British citizen. How can China allow..."

Qiu Suhui interrupted Zhang Jun's question with a memorized tone, "Because he was born in China, and both of his parents are Chinese, he only moved to England later. According to Article 4 of the Nationality Law of the People's Republic of China: If both or one of the parents are Chinese citizens, and the person is born in China, they have Chinese nationality. He originally possessed Chinese nationality, but later joined British nationality and renounced his Chinese nationality due to immigrating to England with his parents. But according to Article 7 of the Nationality Law: Foreigners or stateless persons who are willing to abide by the Chinese Constitution and laws and meet one of the following conditions may be approved to join Chinese nationality upon application: 1. Close relatives of Chinese; 2. Settled in China; 3. There are other legitimate reasons. I have specifically studied the relevant laws. Cruyff obviously fits this article. As long as he is willing, there is no problem."

"The problem is, Qiu Zhi, how are you going to convince him to voluntarily give up his British nationality and his position in the England national team, and then restore his Chinese nationality and join the Chinese national team?"

Qiu Suhui rubbed his nose and frowned with some difficulty, "I'm also scratching my head over this matter... In addition, he is currently performing outstandingly in the Premier League, and many British people are calling for Eriksson to recruit him into the England national team. And I and the Chinese Football Association have also taken a liking to him... According to FIFA regulations, a player cannot play for another national team after already playing for one national adult team, so I have to hurry."

Zhang Jun didn't speak. He really didn't know how Qiu Zhi was going to complete this "impossible mission."

※※※

Zhang Jun still felt a headache whenever he thought of this matter. In reality, this matter had nothing to do with him. Whether Qiu Zhi succeeded or not, it didn't have much to do with him. It would be better to have Cruyff Li, but if they didn't have Cruyff Li, they would still play. But every time he thought of Qiu Zhi's troubled expression, he couldn't help but want to help him.

Coincidentally, Hua Jie returned a week later. Then, Li Yongle, Yang Pan, and Zhang Jun, the three players under her, and Kaka found a time to get together and have a meal. This was the first gathering of the four of them after Zhang Jun went to Florence.

The opportunity was rare, but Zhang Jun always looked worried at the gathering, which puzzled the others.

"Zhang Jun, everything's going smoothly for you in Serie B recently, why are you still looking so gloomy?" Kaka asked.

Zhang Jun sighed. "What's bothering me is something outside of football."

"Off the field? Don't tell me you've got another scandal?" Kaka laughed.

Zhang Jun glared at him. "It's not my own business. Qiu Zhi is going to England to be a persuader. He wants to convince Cruyff to change his nationality and then join the Chinese national team."

The other three were shocked. "Convince Cruyff to change to Chinese nationality?!"

Zhang Jun wasn't surprised by their reaction. It would be strange if they didn't react. He nodded. "That's what's giving me a headache."

Yang Pan rolled his eyes at Zhang Jun. "It's not like you're going to be the one persuading him, what's giving you a headache?"

"I'm having a headache wondering how Qiu Zhi is going to persuade him..."

"Crazy—" Yang Pan curled his lip.

Kaka was still surprised by Qiu Suhui's decision. "I heard that in England, there's a very loud call for him to be selected for the England team. Qiu Suhui is making this move now... Does he intend to snatch someone away from England? What does Chinese football have to compare with England right now?"

Zhang Jun shook his head. "I just don't know how Qiu Zhi is going to convince someone to give up their infinitely promising England national team player status and come to China? Currently, Chinese football is simply incomparable to England. Changing nationality and national team, he would suffer great losses in terms of income and fame. Why would he come?" Without realizing it, he put himself in Cruyff's shoes. "Hua Jie, you're his agent, what kind of person is he?"

Hua Fang thought for a moment. "Well, how should I say it? He's usually a bit unruly and doesn't like being lectured by others, but he's still very kind. He's a bit of an extrovert, so he's relatively easy to get along with, as long as you don't violate his taboo."

"What taboo?" Li Yongle asked curiously.

"It's best not to mention anything about his family."

Zhang Jun asked, "Why? Isn't he an orphan?"

"Well, he used to have a very happy family. He was born in Qingdao, Shandong, and immigrated to England with his parents when he was two years old. As a result, just a few years after going to England, his mother unfortunately became a hostage of a robber in a bank robbery. When the police were carrying out the rescue operation, they accidentally shot his mother, hitting her in the neck, and she died on the spot. He was also at the scene at the time."

Everyone fell silent. Who would have thought that a player who came from the streets would have such a tragic story behind him?

"Then his father, because he lost his wife, was too devastated, and he didn't do business anymore. He just drank all day, and when he came back drunk, he would hit him. After that, he simply kicked him out of the house and disowned him as his son."

"How could he do that?" Kaka was a little angry. "Although I understand his feeling of grief from losing his wife, he can't take it out on a child! What does a child have to do with it?"

"Yeah, I don't agree either," Zhang Jun chimed in.

Although Li Yongle didn't speak, he nodded in agreement.

"I don't know about that. He himself doesn't want to recall this past and never mentions it to anyone else." Hua Fang shook her head.

"What about his father later?" Zhang Jun asked curiously.

"He's now in a nursing home, which is actually a mental hospital."

"A me...mental hospital?" Kaka was taken aback.

"Yes, his father, due to long-term alcoholism and excessive stimulation, was sent to a mental hospital only a year after kicking his son out of the house. However, Cruyff pays most of the expenses in the nursing home."

Zhang Jun was stunned. When he heard that his father kicked Cruyff out of the house, he thought it would be a tragedy about hatred. Now it seemed that the tragedy was still a tragedy, but it gave him a different feeling.

Yang Pan poked Zhang Jun at this time and whispered to him, "So he was a gangster, stealing wallets, and playing football, all to support his father, tsk tsk!" After speaking, he shook his head.

"But this kind of situation where he pays won't last long. His father now has terminal liver cancer, the surgery requires a lot of money, and the success rate is not necessarily high. With his previous contract, even the monthly cost of medicine is far from enough, not to mention the surgery fee. Plus, he owed a lot of money when he was a gangster. As soon as the creditors heard that he was famous now, they all came to his door. I got him a new contract, but by the time he raises enough money, his father will have passed away long ago. So now he can only use drugs to delay it, as long as he can."

"This... aren't the media reporting it? Aren't British reporters very good? Isn't he famous? Aren't so many fans calling for him to join the national team? Why can't they call for his father? Is none of this useful?" Zhang Jun was a little anxious.

Hua Fang shook her head. "The media has reported it, but it's some small tabloid gossip section. Compared to his past, people are more concerned about his football skills. And do you know why Cruyff always says he is an orphan? It's just that he doesn't want the British paparazzi to disturb his father. So when the media discloses it, he can only remain silent."

"Idiot! It would be great to use this opportunity to hype things up!" Yang Pan whispered beside him.

"I also once wanted to use that incident to help him publicize this matter and raise public sympathy. But he didn't agree, and we ended up arguing and still ended up with this result. He said that being a person must have principles, and his principle is that he doesn't want others to bring up his dead mother and crazy father again to attract other people's attention." Hua Fang shrugged.

Zhang Jun was speechless. Facing such a person, how should Qiu Zhi painstakingly persuade him to come to China?

Will joining Chinese nationality earn him as much as he does now? Will he have enough money to support himself and treat his father? Will it help him increase his fame and sign better commercial sponsorship contracts?

The answers were all no.