Chapter 383: The First Warm-up Match Before the World Cup: The Chinese Men's Football Team

"Faster, faster!"

"Even faster! Snatch, snatch, snatch!"

Lippi and Madaloni were shouting loudly in broken Chinese from the sidelines, while the national team players divided into several groups to pass the ball back and forth.

Receiving a pass from Feng Feng Xiaoting, Tang Ye quickly flicked the ball to Zhang Zhang Yuning.

"Here!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning clearly hadn't expected Tang Ye to pass like that, and the ball was immediately intercepted by Zheng Zhi.

"Haha!"

Tang Ye raised his hand and signaled: "My fault, my fault."

The translator's voice soon came through: "Zhang, focus! Your reaction is too slow!"

"Okay, okay!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning patted the back of his head and quickly got into the zone.

While the players trained, assistant coach Madaloni stood on the sidelines, holding a pen in his right hand and rapidly jotting something down in his notebook.

By noon, he would need to hand the data he had recorded to Lippi; this was his task.

"..."

"Beep!!!"

The training intensity wasn't high; after finishing, Tang Ye wasn't even out of breath.

However, since the weather was excellent today and the grass was so green it shimmered, Tang Ye simply sat down.

【Physical Confrontation: 81】

With his physical talent suddenly jumping two grades, Tang Ye always felt a peculiar sensation during training now.

His calves and shoulders felt itchy, as if muscles were about to sprout at any moment.

He just didn't know when the season settlement rewards for the 2017-18 season would arrive.

Tang Ye's current plan was to use all the Counterattack Points obtained from the season settlement to upgrade 【Ronaldo's Chicken Breast】, directly maxing the chicken breast out to +10.

With such exaggerated physical talent combined with decent training efficiency, Tang Ye felt he could raise his physical attributes by one grade before the World Cup began.

Please, hurry up with the season settlement!

"Tang Ye."

Wu Lei walked over and handed Tang Ye a bottle of water.

"Haha, thanks, Brother Lei."

Tang Ye took the water and gulped it down: "Damn, the weather here is actually quite comfortable."

"I feel the weather in Villarreal is even better."

"Yes, yes."

Realizing Wu Lei shared Ji De Xiang Fa, Tang Ye immediately got excited: "But compared to my time in Manchester, the weather in Shanghai is already pretty great."

"It's a good thing you didn't come to England, Brother Lei; it's either raining or overcast there, and it even rains during matches—I feel like I'm about to be diagnosed with depression."

"Tang Tang Qiuwang, you can get depressed? Haha!"

"Brother Lei, don't call me Tang Tang Qiuwang."

Tang Ye's face turned slightly red.

Tang Tang Qiuwang was just an exaggerated term used by fans; if Tang Ye were truly expected to bear the title of Ball King, to be honest, the current Tang Ye absolutely couldn't handle it.

Glancing at the SIPG players still training next door, Tang Ye exclaimed in amazement: "They're really generous, damn it; they just let us use their best training ground like this?"

"It's probably required by the Football Association; besides, aren't we playing a warm-up match against them? All the ticket revenue goes to SIPG."

"So that's how it is."

Tang Ye nodded lightly, continuing to watch the SIPG players playing a scrimmage: "When I was young, I really wanted to play in the Chinese Super League; back then, classmates around me said the CSL was the final destination for Chinese players. Do you know where I planned to play? I mean, when I was little."

"Where?"

Wu Lei looked somewhat surprised.

"I was planning to go to Evergrande, because they were very powerful back then, constantly winning the CSL championship, and they were close to home. I even told my dad I would get him a family ticket."

"What happened later? I remember you didn't play for Evergrande."

"I was originally going to join Evergrande's U13 team, transferring over from Shandong Luneng."

Tang Ye blinked: "But I never made it; I got cut."

"Pfft!"

Wu Lei spat out the water he had just drunk: "Cough, cough, you got cut? How did that happen?"

"I only played the first half; I completely collapsed in the second half, and then they didn't want me anymore."

Tang Ye touched his cheek: "What a pity, damn it; if only I could have run a bit more back then, it would have been fine. Still, staying at Shandong Luneng wasn't bad either; it's just that winter was too cold. Guangdong isn't that cold, though there are quite a few mosquitoes."

"Hey, doesn't Shanghai have a lot of mosquitoes too?"

Tang Ye suddenly said, pointing toward the distant Number Two Training Ground: "That Number 10's legs are covered in red bumps; it's hilarious, haha!"

Following the direction Tang Ye pointed.

SIPG's Number 10 was Hulk; as a former SIPG player, Wu Lei naturally knew him.

But...

Wu Lei shifted his position and frowned, observing carefully for a while longer, yet he simply couldn't see the mosquito bites Tang Ye was talking about.

"No, I need to get some floral water; Brother Lei, do you know who has any floral water?"

Tang Ye stood up from the grass; just then, a national team staff member walked over, signaling Tang Ye to go undergo a physical examination.

Tang Ye

Age: 19 years old

Height: 179.6cm

Weight: 69kg

……

Left eye: 1.5 (5.2)

Right eye: 1.5 (5.2)

Body fat percentage: 8.67%.

"Damn, I've grown taller!"

Seeing his physical examination report, Tang Ye broke into a happy smile.

Breaking through the 179cm barrier, he was now only one step away from 180cm!

"Is the canteen at Manchester United any good? Canteens at elite clubs should be pretty decent, right?"

Facing Zhang Zhang Yuning's question, Tang Ye thought carefully for a moment: "It's a bit old, but the taste is truly excellent, except for the macaroni—but I don't eat macaroni anyway."

With the physical tests concluded, Tang Ye's work for the day was done; all 23 squad members had gathered, and the players held a dinner together that evening.

Meanwhile, at the SIPG FC base office building, assistant coach Madaloni handed Lippi a thick folder.

The folder contained data on the four players who had reported late: Tang Ye, Wu Lei, Zhang Zhang Yuning, and Wei Wei Shihao.

"Wu has shown significant improvement, and Zhang isn't bad either."

Madaloni continued, "Your approach was correct; it was indeed right to have them report later."

Lippi scanned the data summarized by Madaloni, nodding slightly.

Compared to the World Cup qualifiers last June, both Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning showed marked improvements across various metrics, which was excellent news for the Chinese men's national team about to compete in the World Cup.

"I understand the logic, but..."

Lippi looked up at Madaloni, holding Tang Ye's physical exam report in his hand: "Vision of 1.5? Is he... is he a pilot?"

"Uh..."

Madaloni scratched his head, then shook it: "I don't know the specifics, but the data shouldn't be wrong."

"Alright."

Investigating Tang Ye's eyesight wasn't something a football coach like Lippi should be doing; he simply set the documents aside and clasped his hands together.

The expression on the national team head coach's face appeared somewhat serious.

"Player fitness and cohesion shouldn't be issues; the current problem is that apart from the CSL and Saudi Arabia, we can't arrange training matches with any other teams."

"South Korea won't play against us."

The World Cup group stage doesn't begin until June 14th, leaving only 20 days remaining.

Two friendly matches are definitely insufficient.

Before the group stage begins, the national team needs at least two more high-level friendly matches.

Lippi's words suddenly made Madaloni serious: "That's exactly it; my point is, if all else fails, we should approach the Football Association to continue arranging matches against CSL teams."

For this World Cup, the Football Association could be said to have provided tremendous support to the national team.

But...

"Clubs and the national team are still vastly different..."

Lippi sighed.

However, it seemed there were no other options left.

If this were a few years ago, Lippi could have leveraged his connections to arrange training sessions with Italian teams for the national squad.

But it had been some time since Lippi served as the head coach of the Italian national team, and his influence wasn't as effective now.

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: May 25th, 7 PM, National Team vs. SIPG FC friendly; Tang Ye is expected to make his debut at Shanghai Stadium.

National Team versus the current top team in the CSL was obviously a highly anticipated match; besides Check Dongqiu Di, related keywords could also be found on Baidu and Weibo.

Moreover, there was one crucial detail.

Tang Ye returned to the country on the 23rd, landing in Shanghai.

A simple calculation revealed that Tang Ye had a definite possibility of making an appearance!

Sohu News — Ping An Group has provided a total insurance coverage of 2.07 billion yuan for the Chinese Men's National Football Team, with the 23 players participating in the World Cup receiving varying coverage amounts based on their market value. Reportedly, Ping An Group also provided sponsorship fees of no less than 50 million yuan to the national team.

Immediately after finalizing the contract, Ping An Group held a press conference, preparing to capitalize on the World Cup hype.

"Yes, that's correct; we invited experts to analyze and provide varying insurance coverage amounts based on the market value of each athlete on the national team, ensuring that our athletes receive adequate protection while bringing glory to the nation,"

the person in charge stated thus.

"Additionally, we have learned that national team player number 10, Tang Ye, is a rather special case, so we have also formulated a dedicated insurance plan for him."

Leaning his body at a 45-degree angle, the person in charge showed the reporters the PPT behind him.

"We have provided athlete Tang Ye with an insurance policy totaling 1.64 billion RMB; this insurance covers every part of his body, and within one year, the player can file claims with our Ping An Group for any physical injury."

Click-clack! Click-clack!

Click-clack! Click-clack!

Baidu Hot Search No. 1: 1.64 Billion Sky-High Insurance Premium; Why Is a Football Player's Body So Precious?

【1.64 billion, damn it! Are football players this rich?】

【It has to be my Tang Tang Qiuwang.】

【I remember Cristiano Ronaldo also had very expensive insurance, but it probably wasn't as exaggerated as Tang Tang Qiuwang's.】

【I'll insure Tang Ye too; if Tang Tang Qiuwang gets injured during the World Cup, just claim 1 million directly from me!】

The matter of Ping An's 1.64 billion insurance policy sparked fierce discussion online; at this very moment, inside the offices of China Life Insurance Group.

The chairman stared at the computer screen before him, utterly baffled: "1.64 billion? Isn't football a sport where injuries happen easily? Is it really necessary to do this just to ensure Ping An's safety during the World Cup? And what is going on with this online public opinion? Everyone is saying Ping An is smart?"

The secretary bent forward and whispered, "Um, there seems to be a reason for this..."

"What reason could there possibly be?"

"That player named Tang Ye basically doesn't engage in much physical confrontation... he's rarely seen getting injured."

"..."

The chairman's mouth hung slightly open.

"They, they actually hired experts to conduct research!"

"So what have you all been doing? If they know Tang Ye avoids confrontation, didn't you know that too?"

The chairman was now furious.

This was an opportunity to show off and display the group's financial strength!

And it wouldn't require giving up too much!

They had actually missed such a perfect opportunity!

"Hurry up, do some research, and see if there are any other players like Tang Ye among the participants in this World Cup."

"Uh, President Li, there is just one problem."

The secretary whispered, "Ping An is sponsoring the Chinese national team; if we sponsor teams from other countries, the online public opinion might turn negative... the fighting spirit of football fans is a bit exaggerated."

"..."

Front-page headline of The Sun: A Chinese insurance company has provided Tom with an insurance contract worth approximately 180 million pounds to cover him for the World Cup and the 2018-19 season. This amount exceeds the insurance coverage on both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

"As the only world-class star from a major nation, Tom has enjoyed many benefits. However, I feel there is something wrong here, because judging from previous seasons, Tom's probability of getting injured is far too low," stated a reporter from The Sun.

On the afternoon of the match day!

Nearly 100,000 fans from all over the country had gathered outside the Shanghai Stadium!

Of course, the stadium did not have 100,000 seats, but even just catching a glimpse of Tang Ye, who had just returned to China, as the bus entered the venue was considered worth it.

Besides, one could also experience the atmosphere of the scene!

"Thump-thump! Thump-thump!"

On the bus, Tang Ye's heart beat faster; finally, he took off his earphones.

This was Tang Ye's first time playing in his home country this year, so he was still feeling somewhat nervous.

They were about to arrive.

Hmm... based on Tang Ye's prediction, once they reached the outside of the stadium, many fans should be shouting "Tang Tang Qiuwang"!

This was an honorific title the fans used for Tang Ye!

The bus slowed down, and Tang Ye drew back the curtains and opened the windows one by one.

As expected, the atmosphere at the scene was excellent.

But unexpectedly, the atmosphere at the scene was not the kind Tang Ye had imagined.

The open ground outside the stadium was filled with people wearing GGBond and Yan Long Piggy Xia costumes running everywhere, and several huge speakers had been placed right in the center.

Moving music blared from the speakers!

"Hula hoops are no problem, do three backflips then salute~"

"From north to south never give up, go find the chocolate that loses weight"

"Round head, round brain, original belly, inside lies the~ true meaning~~"

"GGBond! GGBond! GGBond!"

"Tang Tang Qiuwang!"

On the bus, Tang Ye pressed his hand to his forehead.

"This..."

Alright then.

Shanghai Television Station.

"This is the live broadcast of the Russia World Cup warm-up match between the Chinese Men's National Football Team and Shanghai SIPG..."

The match had already begun, and the TV commentators started introducing the starting lineups for both sides.

Shanghai SIPG (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Yan Yan Junling

Defenders: Wang Wang Shenchao, He Guan, Shi Ke, Yu Hai

Midfielders: Odil Ahmedov, Cai Cai Huikang, Oscar

Forwards: Li Li Shenglong, Hulk, Chen Binbin

On the Chinese national team side, Lippi brought out the lineup from last year's World Cup qualifiers, though Tang Ye was not in the starting eleven for now.

He sat on the substitutes' bench chairs alongside his big brother Wei Wei Shihao.

"Hiss... it's a bit cold, I need to put on a jacket."

Tang Ye put on his jacket, then leaned back against the chair behind him: "Brother Hao, this yellow hair of yours is quite handsome, damn."

"The hair, huh? Haha."

Wei Wei Shihao touched his hair: "I just dyed it last month, but I feel the dye job wasn't very successful."

Wei Wei Shihao's yellow hair was prepared for this World Cup, but based on his own inference, he probably wouldn't get many chances to play.

The two overseas-based players, Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning, had completely locked down the starting forward positions!

Tang Ye blinked his eyes and shifted his attention back to the pitch.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Oscar makes a through-pass assist, Li Li Shenglong rushes to score, SIPG leads the national team 1:0.

On the field, Zeng Cheng spread his hands toward Feng Feng Xiaoting: "It would've been fine if you'd come back sooner. Phew!"

【The national team is still far behind the Chinese Super League champions.】

【Is Shanghai Port this fierce even without Wu Lei?】

【Shanghai Port's core is Oscar, okay? Damn, Oscar is truly top-tier.】

The scene was extremely lively, and fans watching the broadcast were discussing it on Check Dongqiu Di.

Shanghai Port had foreign players like Oscar and Hulk, with Oscar being a key midfielder for the former Premier League giant Chelsea.

The gap between the two squads seemed a bit too large!

The main reason the national team played a friendly against Shanghai Port was to experience World Cup intensity in advance.

If they couldn't even handle Shanghai Port, then it was simply impossible for the national team to advance from the group stage.

"Faster, faster!"

Lippi shouted in broken Chinese: "Pick up the tempo, the tempo! Tempo! Tempo!"

Lippi was very anxious, while assistant coach Madaloni kept shaking his head on the substitutes' bench.

Indeed, training and actual match situations were still very different.

The national team performed well in internal training, but they still struggled greatly when facing strong opponents.

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Oscar's long-range shot was saved by Zeng Cheng; in the 27th minute, Shanghai Port earned a corner kick. The director's camera cut to Tang Ye on the substitutes' bench; Tang Ye had not yet started warming up.

Seeing the camera turn toward him, Tang Ye blinked.

One couldn't read much from his expression.

The only thing that could be seen was that Tang Ye seemed a bit unable to sit still.

The 34th minute!

"Hulk's header!"

"What a pity, that ball was just a little off!"

"But we can see that Tang Ye on the substitutes' bench is already preparing to warm up!"

Taking off his jacket, Tang Ye rubbed his hands together and slowly walked onto the plastic running track.

"Wow!!!"

"Wow!!!!!"

"Tang Ye! Tang Ye!"

Over 60,000 fans at the scene shouted in unison.

Tang Ye was in high spirits; he raised his right hand toward the stands and then began his warm-up routine.

For some reason, Shanghai Port was much weaker than Tang Ye had imagined.

Did they seem to be deliberately controlling the match tempo to avoid scoring too many goals against the national team?

"China!"

"Go!"

"China!"

"Go!"

There were quite a few Shanghai Port fans in the stands, yet not a single person at the scene was cheering for Shanghai Port.

Probably only the national team could unite these fans of Chinese Super League clubs.

Slap!

Ahmedov delivered a precise 45-degree cross that found Hulk perfectly.

Hulk passed back to Oscar!

Oscar!

Boom!

A long-range shot roared out; Oscar once again breached the national team's goal defended by Zeng Cheng.

2:0!

Shanghai Port led by two goals!

"Beep beep beep!!!"

The fans at the scene appeared somewhat dejected, with even a few wearing Shanghai Port jerseys loudly signaling for Shanghai Port to stop scoring.

The Chinese Super League champions were still too difficult for the national team to handle!

Running over to Lippi after his warm-up, Tang Ye asked quietly in English: "Mr. Marcello?"

"Come on in the second half."

"OK."

Taking advantage of the past ten-plus minutes, Tang Ye had already memorized all the characteristics of the Shanghai Port players.

Shanghai Port relied entirely on Oscar and Ahmedov to control the midfield, which was why they had been pressing the national team the whole time.

If one looked only at offense, the attacking line formed by Wu Lei and Gao Lin was not necessarily worse than Shanghai Port's.

"Beep beep!!!"

The first-half score was fixed at 2:0, and players from both sides began returning to the locker rooms one after another.

"Brother Lei!"

Tang Ye high-fived the starting players coming off the field, while Wu Lei kept shaking his head: "Damn, it felt so awful to play. Once they attacked, we simply couldn't defend against them."

"It's fine, it's fine, Brother Lei. Let's go in the second half."

(End of this chapter)