[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-875":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300845,4499,"Chapter 875: When the Opportunity Truly Comes, We Must Seize It","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-875",875,"\u003Cp>The pitch at the Gulf Stadium has been taken over by Chinese fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen shows Tang Ye soaring into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As captain of the Chinese national team and MVP of this match, Tang Ye was continuously tossed up by the fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The king of football brings victory; the fans lift the king high!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen watching at home, there is no doubt that what you are witnessing is a historic moment for Chinese football—not just for Chinese football, but for Asian football as well. As you can see, China is the second Asian team after South Korea in 2002 to reach the World Cup semifinals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although South Korea created history first, if we disregard time and judge solely by performance, the Chinese team’s display was significantly superior to South Korea’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To date, the Chinese team has remained undefeated in the Qatar World Cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Witness History!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Tang Ye: Declaring war on Germany! Declaring war on Spain! Declaring war on the Netherlands!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Yes, you’re right, but this is GGBond. Anyone know how to buy GGBond stock? Is it still too late to buy now…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly half an hour had passed since the match ended; Tang Ye leaned against the wall of the players’ tunnel, wiping his eyes with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang Ye?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuning walked over, noticed Tang Ye’s condition, and moved closer: “You… you didn’t cry, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, it’s nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his eyes, turned his head away, then turned back: “Damn… winning was really hard, damn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yuning placed his hand on Tang Ye’s shoulder: “You’re right. I mean, what you said at halftime was right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said we could win.” Zhang Yuning looked into Tang Ye’s eyes: “And we did win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit, hah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go back (to the locker room), hurry up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click-click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t imagine it, my teammates didn’t imagine it, and our opponents certainly didn’t imagine it either. This match was a miracle for us. I won’t say our raw strength was better than the Netherlands’, but we were indeed the ones who advanced. At least based on today’s performance, we did better than them, so we deserve to move forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said a lot during the interview.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reporters were preparing to ask another question when suddenly a Chinese song blared across the stadium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand years waiting for one chance~ waiting for one chance ah ah~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand years waiting for one chance~ I have no regrets ah ah~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s whispering in my ear~ saying they’ll love me forever~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foreign reporters were momentarily confused, but Chinese journalists and Chinese players on the field burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On screen, Tang Ye raised both hands, looking utterly innocent: “Who the hell picked this song? Can we switch it off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shhh!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over twenty thousand Chinese fans booed Tang Ye in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t switch it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand years waiting for one chance, King Tang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“King Tang, do you know how long we’ve waited? I’ve been waiting for a World Cup semifinal since the Song Dynasty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The water of West Lake, my tears~~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d rather turn into a flame with you~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaaahhh, ah~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was speechless; he shrugged and gave the fans a thumbs-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand years waiting for one chance” was a self-mocking chant by Chinese football fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a representative of the new generation of players, Tang Ye certainly did not endorse those lyrics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the song had already been played—there was nothing Tang Ye could do about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans kept singing; Tang Ye focused on the interview: “Hmm, I think the Netherlands played well in open play—you saw it yourselves. We faced immense pressure during regular time and extra time, but Demy de Zeeuw’s red card eased our burden somewhat. I believe that was a key moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the miracle I mentioned earlier, it truly was one. The World Cup only happens every four years, and so far I’ve only participated in two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s too long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye gestured: “The World Cup isn’t the Champions League—the Champions League offers a chance every year, but the World Cup offers far fewer opportunities, so…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We must prepare well. When the opportunity truly comes, we must seize it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he finished speaking than the fans behind him interrupted Tang Ye’s thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right, King Tang—that’s exactly a thousand years waiting for one chance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not gonna live a thousand years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye shrugged, facing off against the fans in the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shhh!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not living a thousand years is your own problem, King Tang—figure it out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost all Chinese players were being interviewed, whether starters or substitutes; among them, Tang Ye and Wu Lei received the most interviews—six and four respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the press room, Tang Ye finally sighed in relief—he no longer had to hear “a thousand years waiting for one chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we advanced. We performed better than every other team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye froze, turning to look at Escrivá beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Ferran, what kind of statement is that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know why you always fixate on raw strength. The Netherlands have a better football history and better past results, but that means nothing. We won today’s match—so our strength is greater than the Netherlands’.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Netherlands’ history is history—not fucking now. We are the ones who won now. We are the ones going to the semifinals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click-click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Camera shutters clicked nonstop; Tang Ye pressed his thumb against his nose, trying to subtly warn Escrivá to watch his words, and extended his foot toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before Tang Ye’s foot could touch Escrivá’s, the Spanish coach stood up abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly—we reached the semifinals. I’ve done better than Lippi. This is China’s best World Cup result in history.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“China’s previous best was the Round of 16. But now? Now it’s the semifinals. Semifinals! This is the semifinals!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“During Lippi’s tenure, Tang Ye wasn’t at his peak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A reporter countered, sounding ready to confront Escrivá head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I know. Marcello (Lippi) did well too—16th place was a good result. I’m not belittling him, but comparatively, my achievement is clearly better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Erik—that idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of Ten Hag, Escrivá’s expression visibly twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>",1035,"2026-06-20T06:50:12.695Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","54fa3cca03480b6b838146ef6f16ca2596d981cbf33cd2257049f553149487fa","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-876","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-874",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]