Chapter 389: Messi, Tang, and James's Pepsi Cola Advertisement, Before the World Cup

Pepsi Company: Messi, James, and Tang Ye invite you to enjoy Pepsi Cola together!

The Pepsi Cola star-studded collaborative advertisement has arrived; this is a 42-second television commercial intended for release before the World Cup kicks off.

This also marks the first collaboration between Tang Ye, Messi, and James.

The advertisement begins with Tang Ye standing alone in a banquet hall, where everyone else is dressed in magnificent formal wear, each accompanied by their own partner.

At this moment, Messi walks into the frame, holding a glass of Pepsi Cola: "Care to try some?"

Tang Ye naturally takes the cola.

Fans all know Tang Ye loves drinking cola, but in the setting of this advertisement, Tang Ye seems to be encountering cola for the first time.

He frowns and drinks it down.

"Ah!"

"Wow!"

Tang Ye nods, his eyes shining.

"Come, over here!"

Messi leads Tang Ye to the bar, where the bartender James is shaking drinks: "What would you like to drink?"

Messi and Tang Ye exchange a glance, then hold up two fingers: "Two colas."

"Coke or Pepsi?"

Messi shrugs: "Pepsi, of course."

"Haha."

Hearing that Messi and Tang Ye want Pepsi Cola, a smile appears on James's face, and he subsequently takes three bottles of Pepsi Cola out of the refrigerator.

One bottle for Messi, one for Tang Ye, and James wants one for himself as well.

"Cheers!"

Bang!

【Damn, when was this filmed?】

【My Emperor James also has status; he's actually filming an advertisement together with Tang Tang Qiuwang.】

【Was it sometime in April? I guess it was filmed in April, otherwise it would have been right after the top five European leagues ended in May.】

【Coca-Cola better hurry up and sign Cristiano Ronaldo, or they're going to be finished.】

【The problem is, Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't drink cola...】

"Hiss..."

"Huff..."

Carrying the barbell out, Tang Ye has already made his preparations.

Squat down!

Stand up again!

"Ah!"

The weight is heavy, so this time Tang Ye struggles immensely to lift it.

Duang!

Returning the barbell to the rack, Tang Ye pants continuously: "Damn, this weight must be the limit, absolutely the limit."

The physical conditioning coach shakes his head: "There should still be 10kg or even 20kg we could add, but let's not add it for now; the current level is already very good."

The national football team's physical conditioning coach is Chinese, and he simultaneously holds another identity: that of a Tang Ye fan, which is also why he always speaks to Tang Ye so politely.

"Mm, then let's stick with this weight for now."

Tang Ye nods and collapses onto the ground to rest.

"Huff, huff..."

【Physical Confrontation: 81 → 82】

"Damn!"

"Hmm, what's wrong, Tang Ye?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing."

Tang Ye waves his hand.

He remembers his Physical Confrontation attribute had just risen from 80 to 81, yet he never expected it to reach 82 so quickly.

Indeed, this talent thing is really useful!

If he still had that useless 【One in a Hundred】 talent from before, Tang Ye estimates he would have needed to train for a much longer period to raise his Physical Confrontation to 82.

Tang Ye (40 years old)

【Ball Control: 86; Passing: 90】

【Shooting: 78; Heading: 56; Set Pieces: 77】

【Speed: 75; Stamina: 74; Physical Confrontation: 82】

【Defense: 73; Vision: 97】

Overall Rating: 84

The effects brought about by the enhancement of his physical talent are still quite significant.

Besides Physical Confrontation itself, Tang Ye's Heading and Defense attribute values have also unknowingly increased by 1 point each.

Now Tang Ye finally understands the value of the Ultimate Mission reward.

When Tang Ye first obtained the 【Center of Attention】 talent, he only gained 1 point in Physical Confrontation; considering this was the reward for an Ultimate Mission, it indeed seemed a bit underwhelming.

But that extra 1 point in Physical Confrontation is merely the surface!

After his talent was enhanced, Tang Ye could gain nearly 1.5 times the return from the same training intensity!

So cool!

Is GGBond a talent monster?

No, never.

GGBond is not a talent monster.

Tang Ye reached out to touch his thigh, found no sweat, and then placed his hand on his forehead.

This time, he finally felt the presence of sweat.

It is like this: only hard work can achieve everything; this is the reason Tang Ye has reached this point.

……

BYD Company Limited: Chinese football star Tang Ye officially becomes the brand ambassador for BYD Auto.

【BYD Joins Hands with Tang Ye, Interpreting Chinese Strength with Heart】

Tang Ye endorsed the BYD brand, and after the endorsement news was announced, sales of "BYD Tang" under the BYD Group suddenly began to skyrocket.

The fans seemed to have misunderstood.

The "Tang" in BYD Tang refers to the Tang Dynasty, not the "Tang" in Tang Ye!

However, the group felt there was no need to explain this misunderstanding.

Only five days had passed since June began, yet the sales volume of "BYD Tang" within China was already nearly double that of May.

BYD had never expected from start to finish that they would make a huge profit simply because of Tang Ye's surname.

Now, the sales department was feeling somewhat hesitant.

Should they release a "BYD Ye"?

This was a question very much worth considering!

The Sun, Front Page Headline: Having successively signed with Mengniu, Ping An of China, KFC China, PepsiCo, Wanda Group, SF Express, and BYD Group, is Tom poised to become the biggest winner of this World Cup?

"Tom has made money; reporters at The Sun are not envious, but the problem now is that he has made just a bit too much."

……

L'Équipe: Rashford renews his contract with Manchester United until 2024, with his post-tax weekly salary rising to £240,000.

Dongqiu Di Match Preview: June 7th, 12:30 AM, Friendly Match, Chinese National Team vs. France at Old Trafford, Tang Ye vs. Pogba.

China vs. France; this is a contest between the 21st most valuable team and the 1st most valuable team of this World Cup.

For today's match, the Chinese National Team released the starting lineup 70 minutes early; Tang Ye and Wu Lei, as core players, remain in the starting eleven, of course.

But the fans noticed a key detail.

Lippi used Zhang Zhang Yuning to replace Gao Lin!

Tang Ye shared a big hug with Mbappé, then turned to find Dembélé: "Ousmane!"

Dembélé looked somewhat dazed, but this could not hide his identity as a super attacker for France!

"Are you playing on the left or the right today?"

Tang Ye asked.

"I'll play on the left; give the right side to Kylian."

Dembélé pointed at Mbappé.

Logically, Mbappé should be on the left and Dembélé on the right, but for this match, the French head coach seemed to want to try something new.

"Go, Tom!"

"Go, go!"

Rubbing his hands together, Tang Ye walked out of the stadium alongside his teammates.

Zhang Zhang Yuning kept shaking his head, so Tang Ye walked over: "Brother Ning, what's wrong?"

"Hiss, I'm a bit nervous."

"Haha."

Tang Ye patted Zhang Zhang Yuning on the back: "Brother Ning, you remind me of when I first came to Manchester United, though back then it was an official match, not a friendly, and the stands were full."

"Were you very nervous back then?"

"I wasn't nervous, because I knew my teammates were there; we wouldn't lose."

Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning fist-bumped.

Opportunities to play matches alongside national team teammates are few; both Tang Ye and Zhang Zhang Yuning need to seize this one well!

France (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Lloris

Defenders: Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas Hernández

Midfielders: Tolisso, Kanté, Pogba

Forwards: Mbappé, Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé

Head Coach: Deschamps

France played in a 4-3-3 formation, while China brought out a 4-3-1-2.

Different from the 4-2-3-1 they had always played before, today Lippi chose to try a double-striker tactic.

Ten Hag had also tried this tactic with Manchester United; the core point was to advance Tang Ye's position even further forward.

The forward line consisted of Wu Lei and Zhang Zhang Yuning, two players from the top five European leagues.

"Hiss, brothers, I feel Lippi's tactic is a bit extreme; all three upfront are from the top five leagues, and there's nothing left behind."

"Does Lippi want to use offense to replace defense..."

"The video quality isn't good? Don't be picky, brother; this quality is already the limit; otherwise, you guys can use a ladder to watch on the Manchester United official website, and I guarantee you'll freeze up immediately."

Slap!

Tang Ye played a direct through ball to Zhang Zhang Yuning in the front field, and Zhang Zhang Yuning decisively pushed forward alongside Wu Lei.

A cross pass looking for Wu Lei!

"I'm here, I'm here!"

Tang Ye ran past Wu Lei's left side to reach the byline, while the latter slowed down to seek an opportunity.

Kante is coming over!

Just before Kante could press, Wu Lei successfully played a direct through ball to Tang Ye.

Running forward bit by bit, Tang Ye searched for Zhang Zhang Yuning's position.

Slap!

A cross looking for Zhang Zhang Yuning at the far post!

Jump up!

Zhang Zhang Yuning contested the header with Umtiti, but ultimately failed.

"Huff."

Exhaling a breath, the Chinese national team began preparing for the corner kick.

Tang Ye lifted his head and glanced at the sky.

It was raining in Manchester today.

Moreover, based on Tang Ye's experience, this rain was estimated to get heavier and heavier.

However, regardless of the situation, the core task remained to handle the attacking rhythm properly; this was the top priority for the Chinese national team's friendly match!

"I'll take it, I'll take it!"

Actively running toward Kante, Tang Ye prepared to intercept.

Kante passed the ball to Pogba!

Slap!

With one long pass, Pogba sent the ball directly to the right-wing byline.

Mbappe started moving at the same time!

Controlling the ball, he continued down the byline!

Mbappe's speed was very fast, which meant Wang Wang Shenchao was now under immense pressure.

Watch the byline!

Using his speed, Mbappe directly blew past Wang Wang Shenchao, then began cutting inside.

A cross pass looking for Griezmann in the penalty area.

Bang!

Griezmann made a run to meet the ball inside the penalty area.

"Goal!"

"Damn, France scored so quickly."

The match hadn't even reached the 10-minute mark, yet France had already breached the Chinese team's goal!

"Mark tightly inside the penalty area!"

Zeng Cheng shouted at Feng Feng Xiaoting: "React faster; if you stick to him, he won't be able to score!"

France's attack was quite exaggerated, causing immense pressure for the Chinese national team's defensive players right now.

Off the field, Lippi was thinking rapidly.

The reason Ten Hag played a 4-3-1-2 formation was because Manchester United possessed sufficiently excellent defensive midfielders; Rodri and Herrera were very solid.

However, the Chinese national team did not have defensive midfielders capable of effectively restricting the French forwards.

So, should they continue playing the 4-3-1-2?

When Lippi found the translator Wen Wen Qianshi, he had Wen Wen Qianshi shout his words out in Chinese: "Full-backs push up, push up, it's fine!"

The match reached the 20-minute mark!

France's possession rate was infinitely close to 80%, and this was even while they were holding back.

Looking only at the possession rate without considering the on-field situation, fans could probably sense the pressure the Chinese national team players were currently under.

Zhang Zhang Linpeng played a diagonal pass that directly found Tang Ye, who had moved toward the center.

Facing Pogba's pressing, Tang Ye remained very calm; he first controlled the ball, then actively sought coordination with Wu Lei.

After several friendly matches of honing their skills, the coordination between Tang Ye and Wu Lei had reached a new height.

"Tang Tang Qiuwang! He directly shook off Pogba!"

"He's dribbling toward the center!"

"Okay, this is the arc at the top of the box that Tang Tang Qiuwang likes the most!"

"Pass to Zhang Zhang Yuning!"

The Chinese national team's attacking line pushed forward, while France quickly began retreating.

Zhang Zhang Yuning moved forward a certain distance, then suddenly stopped.

Tang Ye ran past him!

Receiving the direct through ball pushed over by Zhang Zhang Yuning!

Bang!

A long-range shot blasted out directly.

"Oh!"

But Lloris pushed it away!

"Hiss..."

Chewing his gum, Tang Ye took a deep breath.

He felt he had been a bit too impulsive.

His long-range shot wasn't fast enough; he should have dribbled forward a few more steps!

Quickly adjusting their state, the Chinese team immediately found their next attacking opportunity.

This attack came from Zhang Zhang Linpeng's proactive forward run to support.

Zhang Zhang Linpeng created an attacking chance on the right flank for the team by making an overlapping run!

"You go central, you go central!"

Sending Zheng Zhi to the middle, Tang Ye and Wu Lei both moved to support Zhang Zhang Linpeng.

This was the key to the match; Tang Ye needed to seek more combinations with Wu Lei!

Near the baseline, Zhang Zhang Linpeng encountered Hernandez!

Pass the ball back to Tang Ye!

The moment Tang Ye received the ball, Wu Lei cut directly inside into the penalty area.

OK!

Making a hand gesture, just as Hernandez moved to mark Wu Lei tightly, Tang Ye suddenly passed the ball to Zhang Zhang Linpeng at the baseline.

A great chance!

Slap!

Zhang Zhang Linpeng crossed horizontally into the center!

It's up to Zhang Zhang Yuning now!

Inside the penalty area, Zhang Zhang Yuning flicked the ball to Zhang Zhang Xizhe, who was making a run up the left side.

Shoot!

Zhang Zhang Xizhe's shot was blocked by Varane's body.

It's not over yet!

Wang Wang Shenchao!

Bang!

Another shot, but Wang Wang Shenchao's volley went wide of the post.

"Damn, we were just a tiny bit off, brothers!"

"So close to scoring!"

Extremely, extremely regrettable; the national team failed to capitalize on this attacking opportunity.

However, Wang Chao and the fans in the live stream remained relatively optimistic.

No matter what, at least the national team has been getting stronger in every match; that's undeniable!

"Awesome, awesome!"

Tang Ye gave Wang Wang Shenchao a thumbs-up.

Regardless of whether it went in or not, taking the shot was a good thing!

Lloris went to the ball boy to get the ball, while Mbappé, at some point, had slipped behind Tang Ye and pinched his waist.

"Haha!"

Once spotted by Tang Ye, Mbappé immediately slipped away.

"Hey, Kylian!"

That damned Ninja Turtle!

Mainly because the Ninja Turtle could fly around in the sky thanks to his mutated abilities; otherwise, GGBond would definitely have gone over to arrest him!

"Hey!"

Pogba and Tang Ye high-fived.

France's attack was about to begin!

Once again using Kanté as the driving point, the French defensive midfielder dribbled the ball all the way past the center circle.

Tang Ye really wanted to go up and intercept, but fearing that failing to stop Kanté would lead to a series of unfavorable consequences, he ultimately chose to retreat with his teammates.

Kanté played a through pass to Tolisso!

Tolisso then executed a continuous one-two combination with Mbappé.

Possession returned to Kanté's feet!

Passing out to Dembélé, who was making a forward run!

Dembélé quickly adjusted just outside the penalty area, then chose to curl a shot toward the far corner.

The angle was extremely tricky; Zeng Cheng had absolutely no chance!

The score became 2:0; France led by two goals!

Actually, France didn't employ any overly complex tactics, but their players combined well, and each player possessed a certain degree of creativity.

Their overall attack was very fluid and the pace very fast; this was the direct reason why China had been under constant pressure.

The gap in team strength is reflected precisely in the tempo!

2:0; of course, this was not the end, as France's attack had only just begun.

On the flank, Pogba delivered a soul-stirring outside-of-the-foot pass that accurately found Griezmann inside the penalty area.

Control the ball!

Adjust inside the box!

Griezmann was quickly pressed by Feng Feng Xiaoting, but he didn't rush to shoot; instead, he passed the ball back to Dembélé, who was arriving from behind.

Dembélé curls it toward the far corner again!

Duang!

The ball smashes against the post and rebounds out.

It lands right outside the penalty area!

Wang Wang Shenchao and Mbappé fight for possession!

Mbappé gently pokes the ball with his toe, then leaps up, securing possession while shaking off Wang Wang Shenchao.

Followed immediately by a horizontal pass!

To Dembélé!

Pa!

Goal!

Dembélé scores his second; the first-half score is now 3:0!

France's advantage has grown even larger!

"China!"

Bang bang!

"China!"

Bang bang!

The Manchester United fans in the stands are cheering for the Chinese national team.

Both are red teams; while Manchester United and Liwupu share a deep-seated hatred, their relationship with the Chinese national team is quite excellent.

The identical color, the familiar Tom—China holds a unique appeal for Manchester United fans.

"Come on, come on!"

Having long anticipated being pressed hard by the opponent, Tang Ye's mindset remains quite good right now.

The problem, however, is that Tang Ye's mindset does not equal the mindsets of the other national football team players.

Because they are frequently scolded by netizens, the national football team players carry pressure inherently.

With the first half not even finished and already down 0:3, Zhang Zhang Linpeng and the others can already imagine the miserable fate of being hung out to dry on Tieba and Weibo!

As the first half approaches the 40-minute mark, Tang Ye, through his ball control in the central channel, finds quite a few opportunities.

Seeking combinations with teammates!

After a few passes, the sensitive Tang Ye quickly senses something is amiss.

At the start of the match, the teammates were playing quite boldly; this was the result of training from the friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Brazil.

But after falling behind 0:3, the teammates' state seems to have developed a slight problem.

If Tang Ye were forced to find a single word to describe this state, it would be...

Timid?

【De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 697/5000

Passed to Zhang Zhang Yuning!

Zhang Zhang Yuning controls the ball, then comes to an abrupt halt on the spot.

"Run!"

Tang Ye is completely bewildered, shouting loudly.

Zhang Zhang Yuning hurriedly passes the ball to Wu Lei, but the pass is somewhat lackluster; coupled with Wu Lei's current nervousness, Zhang Zhang Yuning's pass goes directly out of bounds.

"Hiss..."

Tang Ye clasps his head with both hands: "It's fine, it's fine, just let them score; we'll play our own attack."

Zhang Zhang Yuning raises his hand to apologize to Tang Ye, the national team striker's expression somewhat awkward.

Dongqiu Di halftime report: Friendly match, national football team temporarily trailing France 0:3; Dembélé scores twice.

【Give Tang Tang Qiuwang more ball possession】

【Feels like they played okay at the start, but then started playing poorly; is it stamina issues?】

【Unlikely, it's only 45 minutes】

【I feel the 4-3-1-2 formation is too unreliable; better switch to 4-2-3-1. Lippi, stop experimenting; we just want a draw, playing steadily is enough】

(End of chapter)