Chapter 512: When the Era of Messi and Ronaldo Gradually Fades, the Animal World

Manchester United Official: The opponent for the FA Cup quarter-final has been confirmed as Wolverhampton Wanderers; the match time is March 16 at 18:55, and the venue is Molineux Stadium.

The Daily Mail—Due to advancing to the FA Cup quarter-finals, Manchester United's number of matches in March will increase from four to five.

While reading the news from The Daily Mail, the fans' hearts first tightened, then they breathed a sigh of relief.

What? Increasing from four matches to five?

For Manchester United, who regularly play eight top-tier matches in a single month, isn't five matches in a month a walk in the park?

Playing five matches in a month is a normal match density for teams in the other four major leagues.

But for the Premier League, especially the Premier League Big Six, playing five matches in a month is no different from having a holiday.

Regarding this, Manchester United legend Ferdinand gave his own views during an interview with Sky Sports.

In Ferdinand's view, the hard strength of Manchester United's starting lineup this season surpasses that of both Mancheng and Liwupu.

"I know you might think I'm blowing smoke about Manchester United, but hear me out first."

Noticing the reporter's intention to speak further, Ferdinand quickly added.

"Um... currently Manchester United ranks third in the standings, so saying Manchester United is stronger than both Mancheng and Liwupu will definitely invite many objections. But what I'm saying is indeed the truth."

Gesturing as he spoke, Ferdinand said: "If we only compare the eleven players in the starting lineup, meaning the most core players of both teams, then Manchester United is absolutely the strongest. This can be seen from previous Manchester derbies and the Double Red Match."

"However, Manchester United's current problem is the lack of depth on the bench."

Ferdinand pointed out a very critical issue.

Manchester United's bench depth is far inferior to that of Mancheng and Liwupu, so they are prone to stumbling when encountering a congested schedule.

Playing a Gao Shuiping match every three days; even the most awesome players cannot guarantee their performance!

"So I think abandoning the EFL Cup was a very good decision; we could even abandon the FA Cup."

"Yes, as long as the schedule relaxes, Manchester United will definitely surge to the top of the standings."

Ferdinand looked at the reporter: "We will win the championship; I have a very strong premonition."

Although Ferdinand often makes some nonsensical remarks.

It must be said that what this Manchester United legend said today was quite objective.

"So... Rio, do you think Manchester United will win the Premier League title this season?"

"Yes, I cannot guarantee the FA Cup or the Champions League. But if it's the Premier League title, I have great faith in Manchester United."

After finishing his talk about Manchester United challenging for the Premier League title, Ferdinand proceeded to lavish praise on Tang Ye.

Sky Sports Official posted this latter segment of video praising Tang Ye separately on YouTube, and unsurprisingly, the video went viral.

It's a very simple logic: news concerning Mei-Luo, Neymar, and Tang Ye, among others, must absolutely be posted separately, because regardless of the content, it is all a hot topic.

The Guardian—Double Red Match + ty displaying the Asian Cup champion's medal; the lowest-priced scalped ticket for the Manchester United vs. Liwupu match has reached 280 pounds, sparking dissatisfaction among Manchester United fans who hope the club will intervene to curb scalpers.

The weather in Manchester during February has basically remained in the single digits, yet even this has failed to stop fans from traveling.

Thousands of Manchester United fans gathered outside Old Trafford Stadium, hoping the club would strengthen management of the real-name system for match tickets.

There was also dissatisfaction regarding ticket price hikes.

【Real-name tickets; we should not buy tickets at a premium!】

【Children's tickets at 66 pounds? Exploiting dreams!】

The Glazers sell Manchester United and roll back to their hometown!

Banners from Manchester United fans were everywhere outside the stadium; the momentum was truly exaggerated.

Actually, Manchester United fans' dissatisfaction with the Glazer family is not a matter of just one or two days; it's just that recent good team results meant fans hadn't protested until now.

The rampant scalping during the Double Red Match finally ignited the fury of these Red Devils.

"280 pounds? Is this the cheapest ticket?"

In the Manchester United canteen, Tang Ye, scrolling through news on Check Dongqiu Di, widened his eyes.

"Probably; there are only over 70,000 seats in total, England has so many people, plus those coming from other countries."

Luke Shaw replied.

"By the way."

Tang Ye switched to Baidu, searched for the exchange rate between RMB and pounds, and then used a calculator to perform a calculation.

"That's already 2,500 yuan; it is indeed very expensive. Do you know, Xiao, that the cheapest ticket to watch a football match back where I'm from only costs..."

Speaking in RMB would surely be incomprehensible to his teammates, so Tang Ye needed to calculate it in reverse: "Only about 6 pounds, and that's for a first-division league."

"That is indeed very cheap."

Rodri nodded slightly, pointing at the Check Dongqiu Di interface on Tang Ye's phone: "I've had a question for a long time; why do you look at events happening in England on a Chinese app? Isn't there a delay?"

"Hey Rod, reading Chinese is definitely more comfortable for me than reading English."

"Oh, haha!"

Rodri shook his head: "Mainly because Chinese is too difficult; I still can't say more than a few sentences even now."

"That's because you don't study seriously, Rod."

Tang Ye scolded his little brother.

Not studying seriously, yet expecting to master a new language in a short period?

That's impossible, okay!

Not everyone possesses abilities like the good student Tom!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: February 24, 22:00, Double Red Match; Manchester United aims to defeat Liwupu. Rashford faces Alexander-Arnold again.

Manchester United Embedded Reporter: Youth academy youngster Mason Greenwood scored two goals in a Manchester United internal training match and successfully completed a one-on-one breakthrough against Tom.

"According to the scout report, this player possesses excellent talent and potential; if we wait two to three years, Manchester United might acquire a powerful right winger. Regrettably, current Manchester United does not have that much patience, because the Double Red Match is about to begin."

Actually, Greenwood is quite pitiable; under normal circumstances, a talent like him should frequently get chances to play for the first team.

But this season Manchester United's situation is awkward, and any non-starter player basically can only sit on the bench.

The rise of the genius winger still needs time.

But that former genius midfielder has long since taken shape.

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: Transfer Market new season/phase updates player values for the Premier League, Ligue 1, and Primeira Liga; Tang Ye and Mbappé reach the top. (76,231 comments)

【Witnessing history, come take a group photo, brothers】

【Ggbond is number one for the second time, right? How much was it last time?】

【Neymar is still 180 million euros!】

【To be honest, is Neymar really worth 180 million? Isn't he on a different level from Tang Ye?】

【Forward values are still high; with Tang Tang Qiuwang's stats, to be honest, I feel anything under 250 million would be conservative.】

Check Dongqiu Di reposted the official cover updated by Transfermarkt, showing Tang Ye facing the camera and holding the Asian Cup champion trophy high.

By selecting the keyword "Manchester United," fans quickly saw the changes in Manchester United players' market values.

De Gea: 50 million euros → 45 million euros.

Rodri: 60 million euros → 75 million euros.

Rashford: 80 million euros → 90 million euros.

Lin Lin Jiade: 25 million euros → 35 million euros.

De Jong: 30 million euros → 50 million euros.

Because of their good league performance, the overall market value level of Manchester United players is surging fiercely.

Among them, Rashford and Rodri are only 10 million euros and 25 million euros away respectively from breaking the 100 million mark.

Then, on a global scale...

Attached: Global Football Player Value Rankings (2019.2.21)

1. Tang Ye (Manchester United/China), 200 million euros.

1. Mbappé (Paris/France), 200 million euros.

3. Neymar (Paris/Brazil), 180 million euros.

4. Messi (Barça/Argentina), 160 million euros.

5. Griezmann (Atlético/France), 150 million euros.

5. Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium), 150 million euros.

Actually, one feels that in February Tang Ye probably wouldn't have been able to surge to 200 million euros; it would have been around 180 million or 190 million.

However, the Asian Cup champion title gave him a push, successfully allowing him, in the identity of a midfielder, to become the most expensive player in today's football world.

Of course, due to the existence of inflation, Tang Ye and Mbappé, these two good brothers, are simultaneously the most expensive players in the history of modern football.

"Marca"—Ronaldo and Messi's values both adjusted downward; is the era of "Mei-Luo" coming to an end?

Every time values are adjusted, someone always keeps an eye on Messi's and Ronaldo's values, and then the fans on both sides begin their battle.

This time, besides the battle, another matter caught the fans' attention.

The values of both Messi and Ronaldo have dropped out of the top three.

34-year-old Ronaldo, 31-year-old Messi.

Is their era about to end?

Regarding this matter, there is a picture on Twitter that was photoshopped very well.

Ronaldo and Messi leave the stage one after the other, while on the other side, a little red pig slowly walks out leading a purple turtle.

Piggy and Turtley's target is the center of the stage, that place where the spotlight shines brightest.

The era of "Mei-Luo" is about to end.

The Animal World is about to arrive!

Time quickly arrived at the day of the Double Red Derby match.

The match time is afternoon in Manchester; by noon, the area near the stadium was already quite lively.

"Mr. 200 Million Euros, please sit."

Rodri stood in the aisle, making a "please" gesture, as if Tang Ye were his honored guest.

"Oh, Rod, don't mess with me."

After putting down his bag, Tang Ye came to his seat, feeling somewhat helpless toward Rodri.

These past few days, his little brother Rod had already joked about him more than once!

"We're about to play Liwupu, Rod; we need to be serious right now."

Tang Ye settled into his seat, first glanced out the window, then turned his head to look at Rodri: "For the Double Red Derby, Rod, we must straighten our posture and get ready."

"Oh, come on!"

Rodri also sat down: "The latter half of that sentence shouldn't have come from your mouth."

"Right, I think so too."

That was Mata's voice from behind.

"Alright then, Rod, tell me, how should I say it?"

Tang Ye waved his hand.

Rodri was thinking.

"Hmm..."

"Rod, don't we beat Liwupu easily? We can prepare in advance to become second in the Premier League."

"Yes, yes, yes! Exactly like that, exactly like that!"

Mata pointed at Rodri, expressing approval of the latter's incredibly realistic imitation: "If it were Tom, he would indeed say it that way. Not..."

"We must stay serious~~"

Lin Lin Jiade raised both hands like a duck while shaking his head back and forth.

"Hey!"

Tang Ye placed his hand on his head.

Rodri's imitation gave him the feeling that his trump card had been completely seen through, which was truly unbearable.

Fortunately, the people who saw through Grandmaster GG were all his best teammates.

Otherwise, Grandmaster GG's powerful secrets might be leaked!

Ho ho!

The bus had already started moving, but the Manchester United players' chatting had not yet ended.

"Speaking of which, we really should be a bit more serious; I remember that last time we played against Liwupu, no one on the bus spoke a word."

Ashley Young suddenly said: "I also remember that back then, Tom was wearing headphones listening to music and didn't hear Marcus speaking."

"Hmm, your memory is really good, Young."

Tang Ye clicked his tongue.

He had forgotten about such things long ago.

"No, no, no, it's not that my memory is good, it's that your memory is too bad, Tom."

Ashley Young smiled: "Do you remember what we ate for breakfast?"

"..."

It was a very simple question, and Tang Ye thought he could answer it.

But his assumption was wrong; he only knew that he had drunk half a bottle of cola in the morning, which Ale had handed to him.

"You see, I told you."

Ashley Young spread his hands.

"It's all the same, it's all the same."

Tang Ye interrupted Ashley Young, who was about to say something: "Those aren't important things; we need to remember important things, such as... hmm, how our opponent today plays football."

As he spoke, images already formed in Tang Ye's mind.

Robertson, Fan Daike, Matip, and Alexander-Arnold—this was Liwupu's defensive line combination.

With these four players standing on the pitch simultaneously, what kinds of actions would they each make?

As he thought, Tang Ye gradually forgot what he had just been discussing with his teammates.

His attention shifted to the window outside, where two birds were flying one after another at a high altitude.

"United!"

"United!"

Outside the stadium, the Manchester United fans who had just welcomed the team went wild.

Several lone Liwupu fans were caught and quickly found themselves surrounded by the home team's supporters.

"Is it Liwupu? You are about to lose your second-place position!"

Ever since Tang Ye returned to the team, Manchester United fans had become increasingly arrogant.

Fortunately, armed police were protecting the sidelines, so the away team's fans were not afraid to retort: "When third place speaks to second place, you should show some respect."

"Do you think that after today you will be in second place? No! Impossible! Salah will pierce right through your goal!"

The Liwupu fans raised their middle fingers at their opponents, looking utterly full of mockery.

"Fuck you!"

"20! 20 times!"

The Manchester United fans held up two fingers with their left hands and clenched their right fists: "We have 20 Premier League titles; how many do you have? Come on, tell me, how many do you have?"

"Those 20 are in the past, you idiot!"

Soon, physical conflicts erupted between both sides, with the Manchester United and Liwupu fans at the very front pushing and shoving each other.

"No fighting, no fighting!"

Special police rushed over to pull the two sides apart.

Security for the Red Devils derby had always been at the highest level; today, being a crucial match for the league standings, the Manchester police had even borrowed quite a few special police officers from neighboring cities.

With so many police officers ensuring safety, it was basically impossible for the fans at the scene to start a fight.

"Idiot! Alexander-Arnold is a highway! Just wait to get dribbled past by Rashford!"

"Fuck you, Manchester United!"

(End of Chapter)