Chapter 286: The rising stars of the world cup

Chapter 286: The rising stars of the world cup

Emerging from the dense crowd of celebration, Wang Feng spotted Raúl waiting on the sidelines, and the Spaniard immediately approached him, saying, "Congratulations, you've once again created an incredible miracle."

"Strictly speaking, this should be the second time you've defeated me. I still remember a few years ago, your performance was like a god descending to earth, snatching the Champions League trophy from Real Madrid," Raúl said somewhat melancholically.

"Since then, I've believed that only in the national team could I have a chance to defeat you. I never expected that even this wish would become a pipe dream."

"Welcome to Real Madrid! You will become the best helmsman for the Galacticos," Raúl extended his arm. Any resentment and competitiveness in his heart vanished completely. This Spanish forward truly recognized Wang Feng as the core player of the Real Madrid club!

Wang Feng was momentarily stunned, then he grasped Raúl's hand and smiled, saying, "Let's together write the legend of Real Madrid."

The two exchanged jerseys and wished each other good performances in the knockout stage. This encounter should be the only one between the two teams in this tournament.

After the match, Wang Feng, performing outstandingly against Spain's strong forwards, was elected as the best player of the match. His contribution of one assist and one goal helped the team advance to the World Cup knockout stage.

After three rounds of group stage matches, Group H's Spain, with two wins and one draw, accumulated 7 points to rank first, while China, with one win and two draws, accumulated 5 points to rank second. Although Ukraine defeated Tunisia 2-0, they still ranked third with one win, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 4 points. Tunisia lost all three matches, ending up at the bottom with 0 points. Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

What's even more pleasing is that in Group G, Switzerland, with two wins and one draw, surpassed France, who had one win and two draws, to take first place. This means that China's next opponent will be the Central European small country, Switzerland.

Although Switzerland managed to take first place in the group, their overall strength is far from that of France's. Many traditional powerhouses tend to reserve their strength during the group stage, only revealing their terrifying abilities in the brutal knockout stage.

Compared to France, Alihan prefers dealing with Switzerland. Of course, their strength is also much higher than China's, making this upcoming match a tough one.

Early the next morning, the news of the Chinese team's first entry into the World Cup knockout stage quickly became the focus of attention nationwide and even worldwide, especially since all other four Asian teams were eliminated in the group stage.

The best-performing player in the Brazilian team turned out to be Ronaldo. Despite his weight gain, his offensive threat remained significant. His two goals in the last round of the group stage allowed him to tie Müller's record for the most goals scored in the World Cup finals.

With just one more goal, Ronaldo could become the top scorer in World Cup history!

The situation in Portugal was similar to that in Brazil. Although they successfully advanced to the knockout stage, the best-performing player was the veteran Figo, not the highly anticipated Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano not only failed to create opportunities but also made frequent mistakes. His only goal was a penalty given to him by Figo. This 21-year-old youngster, hailed as "Wang Feng's challenger" within Portugal, received widespread criticism.

"At the age of 21, Dong Fangzhuo can break through Spain's defense, while Cristiano Ronaldo can't even handle Angola," commented the British Daily Express. "Although Dong Fangzhuo has Wang Feng's help, C. Ronaldo also has players like Figo, Deco, Sim?o, and other strong attackers to share the pressure."

"Perhaps Manchester United coach Ferguson should seriously consider how to use Dong Fangzhuo instead of blindly relying on the Portuguese."

When Cristiano Ronaldo saw this article, he was so angry that he smashed his phone on the spot, saying that he couldn't match Wang Feng, that was one thing, but who was this Dong Fangzhuo daring to challenge him?

He was an absolute mainstay for Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. Last season, he scored 12 goals for Manchester United. What did Dong Fangzhuo have? 18 goals in the second division? The second division golden boot? He almost burst out laughing.

As an extremely proud and hardworking player, Cristiano Ronaldo secretly vowed to perform well in the upcoming matches and slap those who looked down on him in the face.

If we look at the data, Argentina's other young talent, Messi, performed better than Cristiano. The 19-year-old youngster came off the bench and contributed one assist and one goal in the matches against Serbia and Montenegro.

To achieve such a high offensive efficiency in a limited amount of time, the Argentine media couldn't help but be overjoyed. Ever since Riquelme declined, they had been looking for someone to once again hoist the national team's flag.

Watching Brazilian talents emerge one after another, from Ronaldo to Ronaldinho, Kaka, and other new generation players gradually entering their peak state, they were very envious. Now Argentina finally had hope for the future!

Barcelona was also very happy. They had just renewed Messi's contract until 2014, with a buyout clause of up to 150 million euros. This clearly rising star would continue to serve Barcelona until at least the age of 27!

In March, Messi was sidelined for the season due to a torn right quadriceps muscle, and the club was very worried about whether he had the attribute of being "fragile." Now it seems that the injury has healed, without affecting his form at all.