Chapter 503: Peak of Asia (National Team Arc Concludes, Bonus Chapter Request)

"The match is over, the match is over!"

"The champion of the 17th AFC Asian Cup has been decided; this is the 9th champion team in the history of the Asian Cup!"

"The Chinese National Team, having reached the Asian Cup final twice in history, has finally claimed their championship trophy in their second final appearance!"

On the field, the award podium was already being assembled.

Reminded by the fans present, Tang Ye quickly located the five-dollar bill left on the pitch and then sought out its owner.

Under the gaze of the spectators, Tang Ye approached that fan, preparing to hand over the five dollars in his hand, but halfway through the gesture, he pulled his hand back.

Tang Tang Zhengxiong rushed out from the player tunnel, pulled a thick stack of US dollars and UAE dirhams from his wallet and backpack pocket, and stuffed them into Tang Ye's hand.

"Include the interest!"

Tang Tang Zhengxiong shouted.

"Haha."

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up, raised the stack of bills in his hand, and stuffed it all into the fan's hand: "Brother, is this interest enough?"

"Wow!"

The fan was a bit nervous but ultimately accepted the money: "Enough, enough!"

"You should say it's not enough!"

Tang Ye leaned his mouth close to the fan's ear and shouted loudly.

"Haha!"

【Holy crap, giving away money?】

【I want some too, I want some too!】

【How much is that, 20k USD? Awesome, my King Tang just lost half a day's wages.】

【I saw 1000-denomination dirhams...】

If GG Tang Zhengxiong gave all his cash to the fans, wouldn't GG Tang Zhengxiong have no way to get home?

The fans had this worry.

But it didn't matter; there were no mediocre members in the GG family. If it was GG Tang Zhengxiong, walking from Abu Dhabi back to Guangdong was not impossible.

"Tang Ye! Come quickly!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting was shouting at him; turning around, he realized the podium was ready.

He quickly ran over to stand with his teammates.

"We won, haha!"

"Holy crap, I completely couldn't imagine this!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning and Hao Hao Junmin were still marveling when Shi Ke started showing off: "After beating Japan, I knew we would win the championship; do you know why?"

Shi Ke put his arms around Hao Hao Junmin's and Tang Ye's necks: "I've played for the national team for so many years, but I've never felt this good playing before."

"China is awesome!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning shouted.

"Let's go, let's go! It's your turn!"

Tang Ye urged Zhang Zhang Yuning to turn around; the latter followed Wu Xi toward the podium.

Tang Ye followed behind them.

Rubbing his hands!

Hiss, I'm a bit excited!

What does an Asian Cup champion medal look like?

"Tom."

A man wearing a headscarf hung the medal around Tang Ye's neck.

"Thank you, Mr."

Tang Ye lifted the medal up.

【2019 Asian Cup Emirates】

【Champion】

Besides English, there was also Arabic.

Tang Ye couldn't read Arabic, but unsurprisingly, it should express the same thing as the English text.

He put the medal to his mouth and bit down with his hard teeth.

Hiss!

So painful, so painful!

Tang Ye realized that in fact, most medals have similar shapes and materials; the difference lies in the inscriptions on them.

Of course, the significance is also different.

Asian Cup Champion!

This is the most important championship of Tang Ye's career!

The Chinese team players stood in line in the award area, with Tang Ye standing right next to Wu Lei.

At this moment, Feng Feng Xiaoting walked over: "Tang Ye, you come! Come!"

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"You come to lift the trophy!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting's words made Tang Ye hesitate.

He stepped forward one pace, but ultimately stepped back: "You take it, Brother Ting; the captain should take it!"

Being the first person to lift the trophy is indeed very appealing, but Tang Ye knew he could not be greedy.

The first to lift the trophy should be the coach and the captain.

He wanted to hold the trophy, and of course his teammates did too!

"Hmm, alright!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting spread his hands, then walked over to the adjacent podium and took the trophy from the hands of the AFC President.

"Wowow!!!"

The players were jumping up and down on the podium.

They were already prepared to lift the cup!

"Hurry, hurry!"

Tang Ye urged.

"Coming, coming!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Players and fans counted down together, after which Feng Feng Xiaoting suddenly hoisted the trophy high.

"Roar!!!!"

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

【2019 UAE Asian Cup Champions, China National Team】

Lifting it once was naturally not enough; Feng Feng Xiaoting did it again, then passed the trophy to Tang Ye beside him.

Tang Ye did not rush; instead, he turned and found Zheng Zhi.

"Brother Zhi, come, you go first!"

Zheng Zhi did not decline, taking the trophy from Tang Ye's hands.

"Three, two, one!"

"Wow!!!"

The old captain of the national football team let out his loudest roar, and as the sound burst from his throat, tears also flowed from his eyes.

Tang Ye stood right beside Zheng Zhi, reaching out to wipe away the tears streaming down Zheng Zhi's face.

But he forgot there was mud on his own hands, directly smearing the mud onto Zheng Zhi's face.

"..."

A bit awkward.

However, the players were all in a state of extreme excitement, so no one paid attention to the mud on Zheng Zhi's face.

Zheng Zhi then passed the trophy back to Tang Ye!

Gripping the handles with both hands.

Just like shaking a bottle of real fruit juice, Tang Ye shook the trophy in his hands.

Then he suddenly lifted it high!

"Wow!!!"

Golden confetti from the trophy fell onto Tang Ye's head.

"Haha!"

"Awesome!"

【Stand up with all your might, stand at attention, dress right, front face, and then... kneel!】

【66666】

【We really won the championship, damn】

【Grandpa, I saw what you didn't get to see】

【Kings of Asia!】

The Chinese team claimed the crown at the Asian Cup final.

Do you think this is a miracle that happened decades later?

No, actually it is not.

This year is 2019, one month away from GG Bond turning twenty.

The Asian Cup championship for the Chinese team!

"Come!"

The trophy made the rounds in the hands of the national football players, finally returning to Tang Ye's hands.

Tang Ye had forgotten his promise to a Chinese fan, but fortunately someone on site reminded him.

Clutching the trophy, Tang Ye walked over and searched for that pair of brothers in the SS-VIP stands.

Wow, found them!

Brothers, I'm coming, brothers!

Tang Ye ran over quickly with the trophy.

"Come!"

Stepping over the advertising boards, Tang Ye prepared to hand the trophy to the fans.

But the team staff gave a reminder, signaling Tang Ye to bring the fans down onto the pitch.

The fans were currently somewhat agitated; if the trophy were suddenly handed up, who knew what might happen.

Security moved to stop it, the staff led the security away, and Tang Ye brought the fan with whom he had an agreement onto the field.

"Tang, Tang Ye..."

With the great GGBond right beside them, the fans naturally couldn't speak normally.

Tang Ye led the fan all the way to the podium, letting this brother experience the feeling of holding a trophy on the awards stage.

"Forgive me for this unrestrained love of freedom~"

"I'm also afraid that one day I'll fall, oh oh~~"

"Betraying ideals, anyone can! Do!"

"Even if one day you and I..."

Handing the championship trophy in his hands to Zhang Zhang Yuning, Tang Ye returned to the smaller podium at the back.

Here, he was to receive the individual awards for this edition of the Asian Cup.

First up was the Best Goalkeeper of this Asian Cup, Saad Al-Sheeb from the runner-up team, Qatar!

Clap clap clap clap!

Although Qatar ultimately lost the match, and there was bias in the referee's whistling, one could not deny that they were indeed one of the strongest teams in this Asian Cup.

"The Best Goalkeeper of this Asian Cup has been awarded to Saad Al-Sheeb of the Qatar team; in the seven matches he played, he conceded only two goals—the first came during the group stage, and the second was that world-class strike by Tang Ye in the final,"

the commentator slowly explained.

Speaking of which, Qatar's luck was not good either; they conceded only two goals in the entire Asian Cup, yet that second conceded goal directly caused them to miss out on the championship trophy by a hair's breadth.

So frustrating!

"Next is the Top Scorer of this Asian Cup, also known as the Golden Boot award, belonging to Tang Ye, the midfielder from the Chinese National Team!"

"Wow!!"

Cheers erupted as Tang Ye slowly walked onto the podium.

"Tang Ye scored a total of fourteen goals in the seven matches of this Asian Cup, making him the undisputed Top Scorer of the Asian Cup. It is worth mentioning that his number of assists was also the highest in this edition of the tournament."

After entering the knockout stage, Tang Ye hadn't recorded many assists, but even so, he remained the top assister.

"Is there a trophy for the most assists?"

Tang Ye asked the award presenter in English.

"I'm sorry, there isn't."

"Alright then."

Sighing, a smile then appeared on his face; Tang Ye raised the Golden Boot high with both hands, waiting until the fans had shouted their fill before stepping down.

"Next is the Best Player of this Asian Cup, Tang Ye from the Chinese team, elected with all twenty-seven votes!"

Handing the Golden Boot to Tang Tang Zhengxiong, Tang Ye returned to the podium.

"Most Valuable Player."

The AFC President spoke to Tang Ye, who then received his Asian Cup MVP trophy.

This thing was a bit small, but it was shining brightly!

At the bottom of the CCTV screen, Tang Ye's statistics from the seven matches were displayed.

Besides the fourteen goals, the statistic of one hundred and nineteen chances created fiercely impacted the fans' minds.

A master is truly a master; while others boast double-digit stats, he casually delivers a triple-digit number.

While Tang Ye was receiving the MVP trophy, the podium where he stood also became the interview zone for reporters.

Facing a crowd of reporters was the national team head coach, Marcello Lippi, while Tang Ye squatted at the side waiting.

"Just as I said before, prior to the start of the Asian Cup, we did not expect to win the championship, because I admit that our overall strength was weaker compared to other teams."

"But our players proved me wrong through their actual performances in the matches."

Lippi held the microphone.

From the moment the referee blew the final whistle until now, the smile on the Italian's face had never disappeared.

"In my opinion, the match against Japan was absolutely crucial; in that game, we executed everything perfectly, whether it was tactics or the players' condition. We delivered an excellent performance in that match, and it also made us stronger."

"Lippi is awesome!"

"Lippi!"

"Lippi!"

Lippi raised his right hand to greet the fans in the stands.

"Then, after defeating Japan and learning that the opponent in the final would be Qatar, what did you think the team's probability of winning was at that time?"

Lippi took a deep breath.

"Objectively speaking, it was forty percent. We had reached our best form, and at the same time, we were confident in dealing with Qatar's tactics, so I believe a forty percent win rate was appropriate."

"But..."

Lippi shifted his tone: "The look in our players' eyes made me feel something different; it was a very familiar sensation. Hmm... my subconscious told me that we were one hundred percent going to be champions."

Haha!

Squatting on the grass, Tang Ye suddenly stood up.

Earlier, Mr. Marcello had said they couldn't beat Qatar, so they had to be careful.

It turned out this guy had already been certain behind the scenes that the team would achieve victory!

"A 'familiar sensation,' could you elaborate on what exactly that is?"

"Oh, of course."

Lippi shrugged: "The 2006 Italian National Team; I saw the same thing in Tom's eyes that I saw in the eyes of the Italian players that year."

"Wow!!!"

The 2006 Italian National Team, what was that?

That was the champion of the 2006 World Cup!

The scene was noisy, and Lippi had not yet finished his account.

"I don't know exactly how to describe it; anyway, it gave me a familiar feeling. Hmm, the feeling of winning a championship."

"Can you evaluate the performance of the players in this Asian Cup squad?"

"Ten points. Everyone gets ten points, no exceptions. We walked this path together, and everyone is equally worthy of praise."

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!!!!

Clap clap clap!!!!

Nearly an hour had passed since the referee blew the final whistle, yet the Chinese team players and most of the fans in the stands had not yet left.

Tang Ye sat with his hands propped on the grass behind him.

To his left was the Asian Cup Golden Boot; to his right, the Asian Cup Most Valuable Player award.

Between the two trophies was...

King of Asia!

"Deng deng deng deng deng deng, deng deng deng."

"Deng deng deng, deng!"

"~~~~~"

Check Dongqiu Di Pinned Post: China defeats Qatar 1:0 to claim the team's first-ever Asian Cup title; Tang Ye seals the victory with a world-class long-range strike. (192,832 comments)

【Witnessing history, group photo!】

【Witnessing history!!】

【Damn, China is awesome!】

Although the Spring Festival had not officially arrived, the streets were already a sea of red.

Just as Xinhua News Agency stated, "The men's national team's Asian Cup title has awakened the patriotism hidden deep in the hearts of the Chinese people; this is precisely the role sports ought to play in the 21st century."

People's Daily Front Page: First Asian Cup title in team history; the national football team opens a Xin Pian Zhang.

"In the two crucial knockout matches, the national football team was clearly at a disadvantage, but the players displayed fighting spirit and bloodline, ultimately creating a miracle."

"This is the first time in the history of the Chinese team that they have won the Asian Cup title, and the significance behind this is invaluable. Even more precious than the championship trophy itself is the fighting will embodied by the players; if this will can be passed down to the young players, only then can this Asian Cup truly become a giant leap for the national football team."

CCTV1: Beijing time...

As expected, thanks to this championship trophy, the Chinese team once again made it onto CCTV Channel 1, with the television screen replaying the team's brilliant moments from the match.

Let's check the other channels.

CCTV3 Variety: Chinese National Men's Football Team...

"......"

No need to check CCTV5 and CCTV5+; skip ahead to the following channels.

As expected, some channels were replaying the final, others the semi-final, while CCTV13 【News】 was broadcasting footage of the Chinese team lifting the cup.

The great GGBond-led Chinese team has completely monopolized the television stations!

Then what about the ones after that...

But it should end here, since CCTV14 is the children's channel.

Let's see what's on the children's channel.

On the television screen, a little red pig was spinning a hula hoop, with a super-large football field beside it.

This, this.

This is...

!!!

"Oh, GGBond, a hero in fairy tales..."

A familiar voice rang out, and lost memories rushed into his mind.

Deng deng deng!

A childish voice sounded.

【GG Bond: Little Football Hero】

【Episode 1: My Dad is a Landlord】

Fans: 6

(End of Chapter)