Chapter 1 The Aftermath

The match ended as Zhao Gang had expected, with the Dragon Country team pulling back two goals in three minutes.

Only a one-goal loss away from home!

Against the Bang Country team, against the second-best team in Asia, to play like this, especially away, would certainly boost the confidence of the players and coaches, and allow the fans of Dragon Country to accept the result.

After all, they were playing the Bang Country team.

Local coach Gao Bo was under a lot of pressure. This defeat was expected, but at least it was an explanation for most people.

Facing the media, he first praised his players.

Each player was full of energy, and their mental state was also very good.

"The players' technical and tactical level has not been fully developed, and they do not fully understand each other.

I believe the next game will be even better. Our goal remains unchanged, to play well in every game and strive to qualify for the World Cup!"

"The players' fighting spirit is commendable. Everyone saw their performance. Our individual abilities are indeed a bit behind the Bang Country team, but football is a team sport. We can shorten the gap through cooperation and constant running and tackling!"

Gao Bo's words were practical and factual.

Football is a round game. If individual strength was all that mattered, why even compete?

However, these words could no longer be accepted by true fans who understood the game and had watched football for decades.

Fighting spirit? Tackling?

You're talking about Dragon Country football from twenty years ago.

Do the current players still have that spirit?

Every time, we're asked to be understanding, every time, we're asked to believe!

And what's the result?

Disappointment after disappointment.

Do true fans want to complain?

Do true fans lose faith in you after just one game?

It's your decade of mediocrity that causes heartbreak.

"Coach Gao, the vast number of fans actually have a question, and I'm not sure if you're the right person to explain it. Why wasn't Zhao Gang called up to the national team this time?

Zhao Gang's performance in the English Championship and the Europa League has been witnessed by all. Especially his performances in the Premier League games, where he has been named Man of the Match for three consecutive games. Why didn't you call up a player like that?"

All the cameras instantly focused, waiting for Gao Bo's answer.

And all the fans watching TV had their hearts in their throats.

Recently, the matter of Zhao Gang not being selected for the national team has been causing a stir.

Why wasn't such a super player included in the national team?

Football video bloggers were analyzing it, with some saying that Zhao Gang was disappointed with the national team and didn't want to get involved in the mess, and others saying that Zhao Gang had a feud with the Football Association.

There were also rumors that the coaching staff was worried that Zhao Gang's fame was too great, which would cause the locker room to lose control, and that the coach couldn't even control him, so Gao Bo didn't call him up at all.

There were all kinds of bizarre theories, but no one from the Football Association had ever responded.

Now, a reporter had finally asked about it in a public setting.

The fans widened their eyes and listened excitedly.

They wanted to know what was going on.

They also admired the reporter for asking it out in public!

Wouldn't this lead to retaliation from the authorities in the future?

After all, those who knew the inside story were tight-lipped, but now you've asked it, wouldn't that make it difficult for Gao Bo?

In reality, the fans were overthinking it.

Since it could be asked, it meant it had been agreed upon beforehand.

The reporters here were all part of the same family.

They knew exactly what to ask and what not to ask.

Gao Bo was silent for a moment, as if thinking, as if unwilling to answer, which made the audience even more nervous.

Sure enough, Gao Bo was under a lot of pressure. Now he had no choice but to speak.

"Regarding Zhao Gang, the coaching staff and the relevant leaders of the Football Association have actually had a long discussion.

We have all been paying attention since he began to show his talent in the English Championship.

We were all very excited and happy about the sudden appearance of such an excellent player.

However, as I said before, football is a whole. What I need is a team, not a star.

A football match cannot be decided by a single star. He has a strong attacking ability and great talent, but he simply cannot defend.

To be honest, he wouldn't be of much help in this team, and would instead affect the team's overall defense.

National team games are different from club games, everyone puts in their greatest effort. He may score one or two goals with his personal ability.

But what about his defense?

He would cause us to concede three or four goals. He would ruin our chemistry.

So... after careful consideration, we did not choose Zhao Gang.

Of course, we believe that he will work hard to become a better player, and when he is ready, we will definitely call him up."

Hearing Gao Bo's explanation, many people felt it made a lot of sense.

"Yeah, Zhao Gang's defense is too poor. At Manchester City, there's Fernandinho and Gundogan, as well as the defense making up for him. These are all top-level defensive players that allow Zhao Gang to thrive.

If he came to the national team, the defense would be full of holes!"

"Hey, and the defense doesn't have the ability to pass the ball out. Zhao Gang alone definitely won't work!"

"He can't help much on his own, and his teammates would be exhausted helping him defend... We were too naive!"

"Coach Gao still has some substance..."

"Bullshit, Zhao Gang's defense is poor? Compared to Manchester City's defensive midfielders and defenders, it's indeed poor! But is it even worse than this group of pampered players in Dragon Country?? Do you have brains??"

"Zhao Gang's awareness of covering defense has always been good, right? His interceptions and tackles can't compare with professional defenders, but his covering defense has always been in place!

Have you guys even watched the game??"

"Football is a team of eleven players. Zhao Gang also often retreats to his own half to cover defense! He just takes a little longer to retreat after attacking. May I ask those of you who understand football, is Dragon Country's forward line defense better than him? You think everything others say makes sense. Do you have brains?"

"When we're constantly being pressured and can't even hold the ball in the frontcourt, of course you can only talk about defense?? Do you really think it's because Zhao Gang can't defend, or are you worried that Zhao Gang will steal all the spotlight? Don't you know yourselves?"

"If Zhao Gang is used, Zhao Gang will be scoring goals left and right. Those pampered players won't be able to defend, and all the spotlight will be on Zhao Gang. They'll all be so criticized that they won't be able to hold their heads up. They'll probably be thinking about how to fight Zhao Gang every day! No one will pass the ball to him.

Coach Gao Bo not calling up Zhao Gang is indeed a good thing for stabilizing the team."

……

Gao Bo left the press conference, went to the restroom, and sighed heavily.

Alas.

He once argued strongly for Zhao Gang to be called up to the national team. That kind of player is the dream of every coach, every knowledgeable football fan.

But he met with great resistance.

The nonsense he said today was quite against his conscience.

But what could he do?

His biggest dream was to lead the national team further.

He finally had this opportunity. If he insisted on talking about Zhao Gang, he was afraid that he would be in danger himself.

Those office personnel always considered things more than he, a football person, did. If it weren't for the overwhelming pressure from all sides, someone who didn't understand social niceties like him would never have become the national team coach.

And at this time, an explosive piece of news suddenly spread on the internet.

Zhao Gang was not selected for the national team because of internal strife!

A department leader who sent Zhao Gang and that group of players abroad for further study had failed in a power struggle and become marginalized.

And once Zhao Gang, an extremely influential player, entered the national team and performed very well, even leading the national team out of Asia, his existence was likely to allow the marginalized leader to regain power!

This was something many people were unwilling to see. Therefore, they would rather sacrifice national honor than let Zhao Gang come back to participate in the competition.

Although this news was almost suppressed as soon as it appeared, it seemed that some kind of force was resisting, and it quickly stirred up waves on the internet.

This made a group of indignant fans and netizens unable to hold back.

So that's how it is, so that's how it is!

Some people's power struggles were actually sacrificing national honor?

How could this be allowed to happen??

The internet was filled with scolding and questioning voices, and netizens were on the verge of rioting.

At the same time, a series of photos stirred up even greater waves on the internet!

The photos were dug up from Auli's social media account.

Photos of Zhao Gang and Auli.

Zhao Gang was smiling a little shyly, while Auli was very radiant, and the two were very sweet.

Eating together, running together, playing together.

It could be seen that Zhao Gang was living a very unrestrained and comfortable life.

These happy and blissful photos instantly ignited the anger of some people.

Leaving aside the Football Association's distressing affairs.

The national team was losing, and you had the mind to chase girls and go out to play?

Do you still have any sense of national honor?

Are you even a Dragon Country person??

"I used to feel very proud, but it turns out he's this kind of person! Unfollowed!"

"He's never cared about us, okay? We still treat him like a treasure, hoping he can get into the national team!"

"Look at how happy he is. It's right that this kind of person didn't get into the national team. If he did, he would destroy the locker room atmosphere! Selfish and self-serving!"

"The country needs you, the people need you, all the club players are going back to play for the national team! You're running off to chase women! Are you even human??"

"And he's smiling so happily! What a piece of trash!"

……

"Are you people out of your minds? Didn't the national team call him up, okay? Can't he live a normal life?"

"The national team didn't call him up? Doesn't he know the reason? Doesn't he know to practice his defense properly??"

"The national team doesn't call him up, doesn't he know to call them and explain the situation? Can't he take the initiative to join and be a substitute??"

"I swear, do I feel like these guys aren't just out of their minds, but they've been paid??"

"They must have been paid by the Football Association, right?"/

"What's even more terrifying is that they might have been paid by outsiders... People can't be this stupid, posting these strange comments. It's too scary."

"It's definitely an organized group! Everyone be careful to distinguish them, we can't let these people succeed!"

"A bunch of trash, I think some people in the Football Association want to shift the attention, that's why so many strange comments are appearing."

"Alas, Zhao Gang has had eight lifetimes of bad luck. He can't fight for the country, and he's being scolded like this. I still remember him saying in an interview that he was a Dragon Country football player, hoping that one day he could appear on the world stage for Dragon Country. What's going on?"

"He's said it more than once! You can find the video online!"

"Who wouldn't say nice things? He's deceiving you fools! He's doing it to earn your money, you stubborn people!"

"Get lost, you moron..."

"Absolutely brain-dead..."

……

Far away in England, Zhao Gang received a link from Dong Lu, a friend from the Manchester United youth training camp a year ago.

His parents would never send him these online scoldings and controversies.

They could only be sent by others.

Looking at the unwarranted curses of those people, looking at the words that should have been kind, each one stabbing him in the heart.

Zhao Gang felt a little sad.

Facing the words of some extreme fans in England, Zhao Gang was basically unmoved.

But these people were attacking him with the language he was most familiar with, which really made it difficult for him to let go.

Just as Zhao Gang was being attacked by these people, Perrin found him.

Southgate, the head coach of England who had just been promoted, hoped to have a chat with him.

Southgate was previously an acting coach, and had just been officially promoted to head coach of the England national team at the end of August.

He officially took charge of the Three Lions.

"He wants to know if it's possible for you to join the English nationality and become a member of the England national football team. Knowing you as I do, I'm afraid you won't join England, but I still have to tell you." Perrin had investigated the feud between Zhao Gang and GD. GD and Zhao Gang had never had any contact. The only possibility was that some discriminatory actions by the GD boss had made Zhao Gang very disgusted with GD.

Considering that Zhao Gang had given up the cooperation with Adidas Nike and chose Ta An Sports, Perrin believed that it would be difficult for Zhao Gang to renounce his nationality and become an Englishman.

His national sentiment was indeed too strong. It was just very strange that he had not entered the Dragon Country national team.

"Southgate has just taken office, and he doesn't have enough conditions to bargain with you about this kind of thing. The reason why he has the confidence to persuade you must be because he has received strong support from the English Football Association and the Football Association. The conditions must be terribly generous. Do you want to find out?"

Zhao Gang thought about the scolding, which made his heart tremble even when he just glanced at it.

Did he really want to play football for these people? All his efforts and hard work could be misunderstood and blamed.

But in England, all the fans would sing loudly for him, and even if he lost, he would be warmly welcomed by these fans. They wouldn't go crazy cursing the national team because of a temporary defeat.

He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, "Please tell Southgate, thank you for his appreciation, I haven't considered it yet."

Zhao Gang hung up the phone and looked at the extreme comment on the tablet.

"Get lost, you moron, brain-dead... Get lost!!" It was the most direct response to those comments that scolded Zhao Gang.