Four days until the opening ceremony of the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Li Kang, with no training duties, arrived in Moscow accompanied by staff.

The Russian capital in June was cool and pleasant.

The little assistant scrolled through her phone, repeating the list of handicrafts she needed to buy.

"I've got it written down, Russian nesting dolls, carp lanterns, Matryoshka dolls."

Of course, the main purpose wasn't to buy souvenirs.

Rather, Li Kang and Messi had jointly become the advertising stars for "Mengniu" Dairy's 2018 World Cup campaign.

Since 1930, a dairy brand had appeared in the list of World Cup sponsors for the first time.

Shooting base.

Messi simply waved a greeting.

He hesitated, just touching his ear shyly.

Where was the demeanor of a superstar?

"Li, your injury..."

Li Kang shook his head, indicating it wasn't serious.

"Barça is different from before."

Indeed, it was different. Valverde, the most admired disciple of Cruyff, had created the best defensive and most balanced Barça in twenty years.

Messi had also truly transitioned from a right-wing attacking core player to a deep-lying midfielder.

His position was moved back, sitting in the midfield axis and doing the work of "Xavi + Iniesta" alone. Although tiring, his ability to organize and connect, passing accuracy, game reading, vision, and imagination had made leaps and bounds.

Barça fans were unhappy, and they launched bombardments, believing that Valverde would waste Messi.

Clap clap clap!

The bearded director clapped his hands loudly, interrupting Messi's "village, partners, and bonds."

"Everyone's here! Let's get to work!"

The shooting content was simple.

Messi lay on his back on the grass.

A voice-over would be added later: "I am Lionel Messi, I..."

And Li Kang, with a cast on his leg, only tried a few volleys.

Mengniu Dairy's 2018 World Cup promotional theme was "Born to be Strong."

Messi, from dwarfism to a football giant, and the Gunners' core player playing with bandages in the Champions League final, were perfect for this theme.

At parting.

The bearded director took out Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atletico Madrid jerseys from his bag, and diligently handed over a signature pen.

Li Kang smiled and shook his head.

The little assistant looked disgusted: "Sign it after the transfer is complete. There are no numbers on these jerseys! Didn't you say you were an Arsenal fan last time?"

The bearded director said seriously: "Whichever club Li goes to, I am a fan of that club."

Li Kang and Messi didn't have much time to catch up. They might meet again in the Champions League next season.

He and his little assistant rushed to the 2018 World Cup Organizing Committee office.

The person in charge, Aleksey Sorokin, warmly welcomed them.

He quickly poured two cups of tea.

People in Moscow like to drink tea. According to statistics up to 2017, Russia's tea consumption ranked fifth in the world.

After a few words of greeting, this guy suspiciously closed the Venetian blinds.

"We were a little hesitant when we saw Ms. Skaya's proposal, even though the endorsement fee was covered by her."

"It was Mr. Wenger's suggestion that led us to finally decide: to make you the 2018 World Cup Ambassador!"

"Mr. Wenger's suggestion?"

The little assistant looked dumbfounded.

Sorokin smiled and nodded: "Soon, Mr. Wenger will take over as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development."

FIFA?

The little assistant excitedly poked Li Kang with her elbow.

Bayer's legal team + FIFA, this backing was too strong in defensive depth.

Without too many redundant procedures.

The two sides quickly signed the contract for the 2018 World Cup Ambassador.

As for the work content, the organizing committee hoped to arrange it after Li Kang's injury recovered.

June 17th.

The banks of the Neva River were brightly lit.

The Saint Petersburg Stadium was like a big ship, quietly lying on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.

Thousands of fans from all over the world gathered here.

The opening match of the 2017 Confederations Cup officially kicked off.

The Russian President, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Pele, and others were present.

After a series of speeches.

A beautiful opening performance began on the green field.

The mascot, Zabivaka, jumped out.

On the Spanish bench, Diego Costa poked Li Kang with his elbow.

"Look, that's Robbie Leiva!"

"A beautiful and generous Russian supermodel!"

"I heard she's 34 years old this year and a mother of four!"

"Li, don't you like this kind of energetic older sister?"

The short and enthusiastic opening ceremony made Li Kang unconsciously applaud along with the audience.

He couldn't hear what his companions were saying.

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers!"

"We are now broadcasting the opening match of the 2017 Confederations Cup for you!"

"Group A, first round: Russia vs. Spain!"

"A contest between the host and the European Cup champion!"

"This Confederations Cup can be seen as a preview of the 2018 World Cup. vAr replay technology will be used in an international competition for the first time!"

"Now let me introduce the starting lineups of both sides."

"Russia's formation is 3-4-3!"

"Goalkeeper: Akinfeev."

"Defenders: Zhirkov, Vasin, Kudryashov."

"Midfielders: Samedov, Glushakov, Erokhin, Zhirkov."

"Forwards: Poloz, Smolov, Golovin."

"On the other side, Spain's formation is 4-3-3!"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea."

"Defenders: Carvajal, Pique, Ramos, Alba."

"Midfielders: Saul, Fabregas, Koke."

"Forwards: Nolito, Morata, Pedro."

Live broadcast room.

Barrage flying.

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[Robbie Leiva has a really good figure. I like her healthy complexion.]

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[Can these two lineups even be compared? The host isn't enough for the European Cup champion to fill their teeth!]

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[Don't underestimate CSKA Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg, these two Russian Premier League powerhouses! Almost all the players in the Russian starting lineup come from these two clubs.]

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[The strength and tacit understanding of the Champions League Round of 16 is enough to give Spain a run for their money.]

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[The biggest problem with the national team is that the overall teamwork is not as good as the club.]

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[Watch the game carefully. It's a Confederations Cup group stage match, not a life-or-death battle. No one is going all in, right?]

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[Li Ming Deng and Diego Costa didn't play?]

After the game started.

Russia's performance stunned all the audience.

The host did not shrink back and park the bus in the opening game!

They played with momentum at home and launched a fierce attack against the Matador Legion.

"Beautiful!"

"Saul steals the ball in the frontcourt and hands it over to Fabregas to handle!"

"Perfect chip pass!"

"Morata rushes up!"

"Goal!"

"Spain breaks the deadlock!"

"Huh?"

"Goal disallowed!"

"Morata allows vAr video replay technology to make its debut on the international stage!"

"Offside!"

"Hmm, was it his hair that was offside?"

"Goal cancelled!"

Morata spread his hands towards the linesman.

The linesman smiled and shook his head, indicating that it had nothing to do with him.

Sorry, I got home too late.

(End of this chapter)