Chapter 1 The Beginning

Despite the absence of several key players, the outside world was very optimistic about the Chinese team with Zhang Jun, believing that even if they couldn't successfully defend their title, reaching the top four shouldn't be a problem. The performance in the qualifiers didn't mean anything at all. In 2002, Brazil replaced four head coaches in the qualifiers, recruited more than sixty players, and lost the most games in the history of the World Cup qualifiers. And then what? They won the World Cup.

The Chinese team was the same. Many people found this example to corroborate their view, believing that the Chinese team's performance could definitely reproduce its glory. The expectation of the Chinese people was at least the top four, and then reaching the final. If they didn't win the championship, they had to be the runner-up—Chinese people are always easily blindly confident, but after blind confidence is shattered, they will go to the other extreme, blind self-deprecation.

An important point that made them so confident was that Zhang Jun's performance in the training camp and warm-up matches before the World Cup was better than when he was in Florence. This made those who believed in ghosts and gods think that Zhang Jun was the god who saved Chinese football, and there would be no problem with him there. All the monsters and demons blocking the Chinese team's path to defending the title would be kicked away by him!

The World Cup opened in such a situation, which was all good, not a little good, but a great good. As the host, Brazil cleanly and beautifully swept Jamaica from the Caribbean and North America 4-0 in the opening match. This game made all the fans cheer, and many praises such as offensive football and artistic football were added to Brazil. At the same time, those commentators also believed that the game held in Brazil would definitely be a game where offensive football prevailed, and it would definitely bring a visual feast to the fans.

The subsequent games confirmed the experts' speculation. In Brazil, a hotbed of football, there are enthusiastic and critical fans. No team can play utilitarian football in this atmosphere. Even the most utilitarian Italian team rarely scored a high score of 4-1 in the first game. After the games of the first seven groups were over, people and the media began to look forward to the defending champion's appearance.

The pre-match hype was enough, now it was time to see their performance.

No one expected that Zhang Jun would suffer a heavy blow at the beginning of his third World Cup journey.

The Chinese team's first opponent was South Africa from Africa. The opposing coach was very afraid of Zhang Jun's ability. He arranged two to three players to surround and intercept him in the game. Even so, Zhang Jun still broke through several times to form a shot, although it didn't go in in the end, it scared the South African coach half to death. He remembered that there was only one way to deal with this kind of player that a few people couldn't keep an eye on, but it was also the best way—foul!

Push him to the ground again and again, pull him and trip him, let's see how you can threaten my goal!

So Zhang Jun started his familiar set of defenses again: constantly falling to the ground, and constantly standing up. And constantly being knocked down again, and constantly standing up again...

The Chinese team's offense was disrupted by South Africa's barbaric and unreasonable tactics, and there was no way to advance forward at all. The scene became ugly, and Brazilian fans booed. They didn't like the Chinese team very much, and they were dissatisfied when they saw the game being so dull and ugly.

Even the Chinese commentators felt that their team was playing terribly compared to the previous passionate games.

Only Ke Lu could make people scream occasionally. He was the most popular person in the Chinese team in Brazil, because the Brazilians admired his skills very much.

Advocaat saw that South Africa and his team were not at the same level, he waved his hand to let the whole team press forward and try to score a goal as soon as possible to break the deadlock, otherwise this draw would only be detrimental to him. South Africa was South Africa, and he was the defending champion. If they drew, they would be heroes, but if they drew, they would be scolded.

Under this thought, the Chinese team pressed more and more forward, leaving large areas of space behind them unattended. And Sima Hongxin, who was guarding in front of the goal, didn't remind his teammates either. No one cared. If An Ke was there, he would have rushed out of the penalty area and shouted at the defenders in front of him to retreat.

In this way, the South African team seized an opportunity for the Chinese team to press forward across the board, and passed the football long to the front court. Keyinane, the fastest forward in their team, started from the center line and chased after the ball. In a few steps, he broke away from the Chinese team's defense line. Only Xiang Tao was still sprinting back diagonally from the left wing to the right. But after all, he was thirty-two years old, facing the opponent's twenty-five-year-old forward, how could he catch up in speed with a difference of dozens of meters?

Sima Hongxin's goalkeeping skills may be better than An Ke, but his attack was very poor, so he generally didn't attack. This time was the same, he still guarded the goal without attacking in the face of the opponent's one-on-one opportunity, which allowed the opponent to easily score from an angle! South Africa was leading the defending champion!

There was a cheer at the scene, while the stands of the Chinese fans were silent.

The camera scanned around the stands and aimed at a conspicuous and familiar person—dressed as the Monkey King, who else could it be but Niu Jianhua? Starting from 2002, after twelve years and four World Cups, he was now old. This time, he had to have his family accompany him to Brazil, otherwise his family would really not be at ease if he went on the road alone. Now the monkey soldiers dressed up next to him were his little grandson. He was happier than anyone else to be able to come to Brazil to watch the game, so he readily agreed to "escort" his grandfather. Now the grandfather and grandson were standing in the stands, silent. The proudly erected pheasant feathers on the Monkey King's sky-piercing crown were now weakly drooping.

This goal put the Chinese team in a very difficult situation all of a sudden. Now, if the Chinese team wants to score, they have to score at least two goals.

Zhang Jun ran tirelessly in the frontcourt, but it didn't have much effect. He would always fall into the opponent's sea of people. Ke Lu also faced the double-teaming of one or two people. In order to contain the Chinese team's most proud offense, the South African coach didn't hesitate to sacrifice troops in other places. And after the Chinese team lacked Yang Pan, who was extremely aggressive on the right, they could no longer pose any threat to the enemy on the wing. South Africa could also rest assured to put the defensive forces on the wing into the middle to contain Zhang Jun and Ke Lu.

When the game reached the thirty-seventh minute, Zhang Jun was tackled out of the sideline with the ball by the opponent on the wing. This was an ordinary foul, because the foul location was too far from the goal and the dangerous area, so the referee only ran over to give a verbal warning to the offending South African player, but did not show a yellow card, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Chinese fans. Because from a visual point of view, this was really a bad foul...

In the boos, Zhang Jun, who fell off the field, did not stand up again! The Chinese team's team doctor hurriedly ran over to examine him.

Advocaat was also very nervous about this. Zhang Jun was the only person he could trust. If Zhang Jun fell... he almost didn't know how to deal with the next two games!

He couldn't care about directing the game on the field. Although he couldn't leave the coaching area, his eyes were always fixed on Zhang Jun and the team doctor. He didn't know how long it had passed, he thought it had been a long time, but in fact it was less than a minute. The team doctor over there raised his head and found that the head coach was also looking at this side. He understood what the head coach was thinking, but... he shook his head at Advocaat.

It was all over.

Zhang Jun lay painfully on the sidelines. He opened his eyes wide and wanted to stand up, but he couldn't do it with his own strength.

Advocaat's mind went blank, and this blank lasted until the members of the Chinese coaching staff reminded him that he should substitute someone at this time. Only then did he let Li Jie play in a flustered manner, replacing Zhang Jun who was injured and unable to continue.

When the commentator saw this scene, even he couldn't control his emotions and cursed the offending South African player in the commentary. But what could cursing do? Zhang Jun's injured leg was already in a state where any foul could lead to serious consequences. They all knew this. It was just that they didn't want the tragedy to happen at the World Cup.

Lying on a stretcher and being carried off the field, Zhang Jun stared blankly at the blue sky. He didn't know if his World Cup journey would end here.

※※※

In this game, the Chinese team lost to South Africa 0-1, which was considered an upset. What attracted attention after the game was not that the Chinese team lost, but that Zhang Jun was injured again.

Advocaat angrily criticized the South African coach and players at the post-match press conference, believing that FIFA should severely punish this kind of foul that deliberately targeted the core players of a team, and he felt it was incredible that the referee didn't give a red card. He also attributed all the responsibility for the loss to the opponent's rogue tactics.

Compared to losing three points, the news that made the Chinese people feel even worse was still to come. The hospital's diagnosis results came out. Conservatively estimated, Zhang Jun would have to wait until after two games, that is, the round of sixteen... If Zhang Jun's last World Cup didn't want to end here, then his teammates would have to risk their lives to get the Chinese team to qualify for the group stage.

This situation was very unfavorable for the Chinese team. Their next opponent was the United States team, which was second only to them in strength in this group. They had the former genius boy Adu as their captain.

The Chinese team was in a precarious situation.

Captain Zhang Jun's injury and absence from the remaining two group matches also had a considerable impact on the team—a bad impact. There was no need to repeat that Zhang Jun was the spiritual core of the team. The Chinese team's morale was greatly affected.

In the second game, the Chinese team and the United States team attacked each other equally for ninety minutes, but neither side was able to break through the other's goal. Instead, there was a "bloody conflict" in the final stage of the game.

The United States team won Austria in the first game, so taking one point in this game was also acceptable, but the Chinese team absolutely couldn't accept it. The United States team kept dawdling at the last moment, which made the Chinese team's players and coaches very angry. Not only that, but their small actions on the field were not small either.

Even a calm person like Ke Lu was angered by these shameless small actions and deliberate delays in the game. A slight bump would make them lie on the ground for three or four minutes. How many times did they have to set up a goal kick, and which of them didn't walk off the field slowly like a stroll?

Whenever Ke Lu dribbled the ball, there was always an American player pulling and tugging at him, always preventing him from getting the ball comfortably. Moreover, if he made a slightly more intense move, the opponent would scream and fall to the ground, pretending to be very painful and rolling around on the ground, which made the Chinese people's teeth itch.

Every time Ke Lu saw this situation, the referee would call him for a foul. He could only clench his lips tightly and say nothing, and do nothing wrong, and turn around and run back.

But when the stoppage time came, the opponent came again. This time, when he was running forward, he slammed an elbow hard into the opponent's face. The man screamed again and fell to the ground. But this time it was for real, because from the hands covering his face, it could be clearly seen that bright red blood was seeping out from below!

"Beep!" Before the referee's whistle could fall, the American players rushed up, and the Chinese team members closest to Ke Lu also ran up to protect him. For a time, the two sides were at a stalemate.

The American player was rolling on the ground in pain. Ke Lu's elbow was comparable to "Malone's elbow", and he had actually broken the opponent's nasal bone. But the perpetrator stood indifferently outside the crowd, watching everything that happened because of him as if nothing had happened.

You like to pretend, don't you? I'll give you a quick one, so you can pretend to the end!

Ke Lu was naturally sent off with a red card, and he was also given an additional five-game ban by FIFA after the game! This way, he would miss the Chinese team's last group match. And what was even worse was yet to come, because Xiang Tao and an opposing player had some pushing and shoving in the conflict, and as a result, the two who shoved each other were each shown a yellow card. Since Xiang Tao had already received a yellow card in the first game, he would be suspended due to accumulated yellow cards and miss the last group match with Ke Lu!

In this way, the Chinese team was missing three absolute main players in the last game against Austria! Now, I'm afraid the Austrian coach is laughing to himself.

And Advocaat had the heart to commit suicide... How could things have turned out like this?!

※※※

In the third group match, Zhang Jun played with an injury even though his injury had not yet healed. But even so, whether the Chinese team could really win Austria depended on the result of the match between the United States and South Africa. The fate of their qualification was no longer in their own hands, but they had to look at other people's faces.

How sad, the defending champion has fallen to such a point!

When people looked at Zhang Jun running on the field with thick bandages wrapped around his knees, they were probably just lamenting and sighing. He was no longer young, and he was no longer the invincible forward who could save the team and change the outcome of the game with his own strength. Everything had changed, both him and this world.

Without Ke Lu's support, Zhang Jun was completely unable to get opportunities on the field, and he was unable to seize the few opportunities he had.

Kaka, the captain of the Brazilian team, who had already finished all the group matches and qualified in advance, was sitting in the stands of the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo at this moment, watching Zhang Jun fall and get up again and again on the field without saying a word. He bit his lip tightly, put his hands together in front of his chest, perhaps he was praying to God for his opponent...

He didn't expect that the joke he had inadvertently made before the World Cup would actually come true—the Chinese team might not even be able to qualify for the group stage!

How could this be?

Without Ke Lu, the Chinese team's offensive organization was weak, and without Xiang Tao, the defense was a mess. Sima Hongxin was simply unable to organize this defense line. Austria broke the deadlock with a sneak attack. They were leading the Chinese team 1-0!

Kaka closed his eyes painfully as the most undesirable scene happened.

Who can save the Chinese team?

Was it Zhang Jun? He had saved this team countless times, but this time... He finally broke into the penalty area, but his footsteps staggered and he fell to the ground, and the referee didn't even blow the whistle—the closest Austrian player to him was still four meters away! In the absence of defense, his injured leg prevented him from keeping his balance.

Ten minutes later, Austria scored another goal—this time it was a penalty kick. Sima Hongxin finally attacked once, but tripped the opposing forward, and the referee imposed the death penalty!

Shortly after this penalty kick was scored, Advocaat made a decision that broke the hearts of all Zhang Jun fans: he had Li Jie replace the exhausted Zhang Jun, and at the same time announced that he was giving up the game... The Chinese team's World Cup journey in Brazil had come to an end.

Everyone was desperate, even Kaka. Now, all Zhang Jun needed to do was wait for a dead ball, and then wave goodbye to the World Cup arena to the fans all over the world.

Xiang Tao squatted painfully on the ground, he held his head in his hands, perhaps he must be regretting the impulsive push he made in the last game. And Ke Lu stood next to him, saying nothing, still keeping his cold expression looking at the field. Sometimes he gave people the illusion that perhaps this calm person was the coach of the Chinese national team.

Zhang Jun noticed Li Jie standing with the fourth official on the sidelines. He knew that he was the one being replaced. But he was not willing to say goodbye to the World Cup like this, he was not willing to give up the game!

He was not willing!!

Li Yongle passed the football forward to the striker, but the one who received the ball was Zhang Jun, who had retreated to the center circle!

Anyway, this was his last World Cup, and anyway, he no longer had to worry about losing anything, so even if this leg was crippled from now on, there was nothing to regret. A man leaves his name behind him, and a goose leaves its call, even if he really can't save the Chinese team from being eliminated, he has to leave something behind, in this World Cup, in front of Kaka—he knew that Kaka must be watching him in some corner of this stadium, he was so eager to compete with him, but sorry... Kaka, there's no way to fulfill your wish.

Zhang Jun received the ball and turned around in one go. He started from the center circle, and then shook off the first Austrian player who tried to stop him. Then, facing the closing defense of two players, he rushed past them with the ball!

He dribbled past three defenders in one breath.

The fourth defender turned over from the side, trying to knock him down. After so many years, everyone knows that there is only one way to deal with Zhang Jun: foul! Injure him, so that he can't play anymore. A Zhang Jun who can't play is nothing...

Zhang Jun staggered from the collision, but he protected the football and didn't fall down. Instead, the person who hit him fell to the ground and didn't get up.

He dribbled the ball towards the Austrian goal with astonishing persistence. His speed could no longer be called "chasing the wind". At the age of thirty-one, he couldn't run fast anymore, but his experience and skills still made it impossible for those third-rate defenders to easily steal the ball from him.

Four people!

The fifth was a center back. Zhang Jun made a sudden stop. The opponent thought he was going to shoot, but Zhang Jun flicked the ball away from him, who had already lost his center of gravity, and then dribbled the ball into the penalty area!

The cheers of the Chinese fans rang out, and they began to cheer for Zhang Jun. Even Kaka, who was almost crying in pain, stood up from his seat.

Shoot! Shoot it in! Zhang Jun!! Let me see, you're not old, Zhang Jun, you're not old yet!

Heavy and violent panting lingered around Zhang Jun's ears, refusing to dissipate. Zhang Jun knew that it was his own breathing. His physical strength, his body, his legs could no longer support him, and could no longer take him to pursue his World Cup dream...

The goal and the goalkeeper appeared in his shaking vision. He raised his foot...

"Shoot!!" Kaka shouted loudly.

"goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!"

"shooot! Andagoooal!!!! zhangjunsgoal! supergoal!!!"

"The ball is in! The ball is in! The ball is in!!" The Chinese commentator shouted with tears in his voice, "We've pulled back a goal! But there are only five minutes left before the end of the game... We don't have time, and Zhang Jun is about to come off the field. This is the last goal he left for the Chinese national team, this is the last classic he left for the World Cup! Goodbye, Zhang Jun... Goodbye, World Cup..."

Zhang Jun, who had finished shooting, couldn't keep his balance and was knocked out of the baseline by the defender who caught up. The Austrian goalkeeper was stunned in place. He knelt on one knee, stretched out his hands, as if surrendering, and looked at Zhang Jun, who had fallen out, in disbelief.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. The football rolled gently into the goal, and the Austrian players stopped chasing and covered their heads with their hands. Who could have imagined that Zhang Jun, who was considered to be no threat at all, would erupt at the last moment?

The next moment, everything was back, time, sound, everything was back. Zhang Jun rolled around until he was blocked by the advertising board before stopping. Wu Shangshan rushed over and hugged him, roaring at him like crazy. But what was he roaring? Zhang Jun didn't understand. He stood up again, gently pushed Wu Shangshan away, and then slowly walked off the field...

His time was up.

A goal that was enough to be included in the top ten goals in the World Cup, but Zhang Jun didn't celebrate at all. He just walked away slowly, not even raising his hand to applaud and thank the audience. But the fans in the audience spontaneously stood up and applauded him.

Kaka watched the figure with his head down walk towards the sidelines step by step. He clenched his fists tightly and felt his body trembling slightly. Why? He kept asking himself in his heart, we agreed to compete again! Why? Why are you leaving first?! Don't go, Zhang Jun! Don't go! Stay, let's compete again! Let me win you, let me win you... once...

Hundreds of millions of Chinese TV viewers did not hear a word of commentary from the front-line commentator. All that came from the microphone was low sobbing. In front of the TV, more people cried along with him. They were not crying because they were eliminated in the World Cup group stage. For Chinese fans, they were already happy enough. They were heartbroken for the departure of one person, and that person said goodbye to the World Cup arena in this way, without even looking up. He used to love this stage so much, he left and came back, but now he was leaving so resolutely.

This was the only goal he scored for the national team without kissing the flag on his chest.

Zhang Jun walked halfway and got off the field by himself. Li Jie didn't need to wait for Zhang Jun to hug him before going up, but he still ran over and hugged Zhang Jun tightly before going back on the field.

Next to run over was Xiang Tao, who hugged Zhang Jun and apologized to Zhang Jun with a crying voice: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry... Zhang Jun, it's all my fault, if I could be on the field, if I could help you..."

Zhang Jun patted Xiang Tao gently, and then pushed him away too. He continued to walk forward, and this time standing in front of him was Ke Lu. The two looked at each other, and Ke Lu lowered his head, saying nothing.

Zhang Jun reached out and stroked Ke Lu's hair, like comforting a child who had accidentally broken the fish tank, and then they passed each other.

He didn't go back to the bench, but went straight into the player tunnel and went back to the locker room. From the time he scored to the time he left the field, this kind of behavior without any emotional catharsis, the calm situation that made people feel scared continued until he walked into the locker room, and a hidden camera set up there brought the audience a real Zhang Jun: he sat on a chair, lowered his head and covered his face with his hands, his shoulders shrugged slightly...

The pain in his heart was greater than anyone else. When Kaka saw this scene, he remembered what Yang Pan had said to him.

Therefore, he is also stronger than anyone else. Now he completed the second half of this sentence.

In that game, the Chinese team tied Austria 2-2, but it was irrelevant to the overall situation. They lost this World Cup, and Zhang Jun lost his last World Cup...

※※※

The wind in the early summer morning was still a bit cold, but the sanitation workers had already gotten up early and started their day's work in the morning light.

A newspaper was swept towards the garbage pile by a broom, but unexpectedly, the cold wind blew and rolled it into the sky again.

《Defending Champion Stumbles in Group Stage!》

《Zhang Jun Announces Permanent Retirement from National Team!》

《National Football Team's Poor Performance, Football Association's Mismanagement, Chen Wei Resigns!》

Under these three big black headlines, there was also an inconspicuous small headline:《Mature Kaka Achieves Dream, Terrifying Brazil Six-Star Coronation》

A hand wearing plastic gloves stretched out, grabbed the flying newspaper, glanced at the headlines on it, and then crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the garbage truck.