Chapter 911: United Development Group and Japan Elite Football Academy

3:2 Comeback! 90,000 Spectators Witness the Chinese National Team Win the Cup at the Bird’s Nest

Chinese National Team Wins Asian Cup Back-to-Back; Tang Ye Earns MVP Again

Undisputed Strongest in Asia? Over the Past Five Years, the Chinese Team Has Achieved the Best Results Among Asian Teams in All A-Level Tournaments

The news of the Chinese team’s victory quickly dominated trending topics across all platforms, with Douyin being the most lively.

One feature of the Douyin app is its exceptional ability to track current events; once a sensational incident occurs, it immediately draws countless shares and user-generated content.

In short, there are simply too many “cloud fans.”

Although they normally never watch matches or follow news about the national team, after seeing the Chinese team win the Asian Cup, they absolutely must chime in—things like “I knew it all along, the team would bounce back from rock bottom” or “Expected, China’s team is awesome.” Some even post a WeChat Moments update with a photo of Tang Ye holding the championship trophy facing the stands, captioned: “My GOAT.”

These cloud fans may not understand football, but they’ve done a lot of “free promotion” for the Chinese team—considered a contribution of sorts.

Chinese team!

Awesome!

Chinese team!

Awesome!

[CCTV5]

Coach He, how do you feel right now?

Huang Jianxiang looked at He Wei beside him, who appeared moved.

“...We’ve imagined this scenario countless times—dreaming that Chinese football could achieve what’s called a ‘rock-bottom rebound,’ but we only faced setbacks and mockery, which led to far fewer fans and supporters during periods of poor performance.”

“Of course, I know there remains a large group of fans who have always stood behind the Chinese national team, offering spiritual support to the men’s team they love. They are among the few who have witnessed firsthand the entire journey of Chinese football—from decline to rise.”

“Huh...”

He Wei took a deep breath: “So what I want to say is, it’s never because there’s hope that you choose to persevere. It’s because only by persevering can you see hope. Here, I thank the loyal Chinese team fans watching at home—because of your companionship, the Chinese men’s team has reached today, and we’ve been able to witness players like Tang Ye emerge.”

“At the same time, I believe what you’re seeing now is merely one stage in Chinese football’s uphill journey—not the final destination. We may no longer be at the foot of the mountain, perhaps even far from it, but we haven’t reached the summit yet. We’re on the path halfway up, and you, the viewers here, will become witnesses to this legendary journey.”

“China Media Group! Thank you for watching. Our program ends here today.”

The Sun front-page headline—Back-to-Back Asian Cup Titles! TY Singlehandedly Reshapes Asian Cup Dynamics—Can Chinese Football’s Advancement Be Stopped?

“TY’s performance across two Asian Cups has been flawless. According to our experts’ analysis, combining his role in Manchester United’s six-trophy season with China’s Asian Cup title, TY’s market value could surpass 380 million euros, meaning he has a high probability of breaking his own record again.”

“Additionally, China’s current FIFA world ranking is 26th; after winning the Asian Cup, this ranking will rise, and China may become the only Asian men’s national team to enter the top 20 in FIFA rankings.”

The Sun is starting to play Monday-morning quarterback again; publishing praise for the Chinese team now won’t generate much traffic, since global media are already covering the story.

Conversely, if you now ask fans questions like “When will China surpass European teams?”, the comment section will explode.

【Spanish fans are already trembling. We thought it was an upset, but turns out we just couldn’t beat them... Let’s hope we don’t draw China in the next World Cup—underdogs are truly hard to play against】

【China isn’t really a dark horse anymore. TY has one World Cup third place and two Asian Cup titles—those honors are enough to compete for a World Cup crown. But China’s overall squad doesn’t seem especially strong; I only learned now that many of their players are still worth less than one million euros】

【Tom’s technical strength lies in controlling the entire game—even teammates worth fifty thousand euros play like they’re worth ten million. I’m a Man United fan, but I back China. In the next World Cup, I’ll support both England and China】

【Escribá is really smart—if it were me, I’d have stayed at Dortmund. But this guy went to China to restart his coaching career... Turns out, kowtowing to China is the answer】

【Kowtowing isn’t the point, and you people trying to smear Ferran are truly annoying. Ferran went to China because of Tom—he knew he could synergize with Tom to produce results, and then he actually did】

Escribá switched back and forth between Twitter and Instagram, repeatedly scrolling through fans’ comments, each one making him more excited, utterly delighted.

It’s said that for Escribá, the Asian Cup title’s value ranks second only to the UEFA Champions League, but that’s not true.

In terms of difficulty, winning the Asian Cup is actually harder than winning the Champions League, because the Chinese team’s overall roster is extremely unbalanced, making it far from easy to design suitable tactics.

The sense of accomplishment is even more profound—for Escribá himself, the Asian Cup title is unquestionably the most meaningful trophy of his entire coaching career, as it shattered nearly all prior skepticism.

“Will you renew your contract with China?”

Ma Di noticed the content on Escribá’s phone.

“Why not?”

Escribá looked at Ma Di, who laughed: “We probably won’t win another title like this again? Or do you think we can?”

“You should know about Tom and the FA’s situation. The next few years of Chinese football will be extremely complicated. If you stay, you’ll need to prepare.”

“Prepare? No preparation needed.”

Escribá shrugged casually: “We’ve never relied on preparation—not for the World Cup, not for the Asian Cup. You said it yourself: handling sudden challenges is exactly what we’re good at. Always has been.”

“I don’t care about Tom and the FA’s affairs. I’m certain I’ll keep winning here.”

Escribá’s eyes gleamed: “More titles.”

Coaching the Chinese team is indeed risky, because Chinese football is still in its early reform phase—you have no idea what the future holds.

And since Chen Xuyuan’s downfall, no suitable successor has been appointed; the Chinese FA is currently the only national football association in the world without an official president. The current top leader of the Chinese FA is still former national team head coach Gao Hongbo, who is merely acting in the role.

“Alright, I agree with your view.”

Ma Di leaned back on the sofa, studying the “Asian Cup Best Coach” trophy on the table, and suddenly thought of an interesting question: “You want to stay because you believe Tom will succeed?”

Escribá opened his mouth: “Of course I hope he succeeds. But you’ve seen it too... If I have to be honest, I think it’s impossible.”