Full-level pass, please call me the speaker of the Three Lions

Chapter 447: The quarterfinals full of showmanship! The second youngest captain of Dae Young!

After three years, Manchester United reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League again, and everyone was excited.

Moreover, the team defeated the French Ligue 1 leader, who has the most firepower in the top five leagues, both at home and away, which further demonstrated the team's strength and the value of its promotion!
These two games made the world see why Ling Feng can be compared with Melo!
In two games, he scored three goals and provided three assists!

At the Ballon d'Or at the end of last year, Ling Feng, as the first of the new generation, beat out Suarez, Neymar, Bale and other long-established superstars, and won the third place in the Ballon d'Or, thus becoming the first person after Messi and Ronaldo.

At that time, in addition to English fans, many fans from other countries believed that he benefited from media hype and public relations to get this inflated ranking.

Many industry insiders and fans hold the view that Ling Feng has proven himself even in international competitions such as the Premier League, Europa League, World Cup and European Cup.

But he has never participated in the Champions League, the club's highest level competition, and has been unable to prove his strength in the club's highest level competition.

Even though he led Manchester United to a close match with Barcelona, ​​which had the MSN combination, in the group stage;
Even though he contributed an amazing performance of one goal and one assist per game in five Champions League group matches, and was the biggest contributor to Manchester United's return to the Champions League knockout stage;
Such and such doubts are still very popular on the Internet.

There was even a group of "Ling Hei"

As the first player of the new generation who may threaten Messi and Ronaldo's dominance in football, Melo's fans and supporters have different attitudes towards Ling Feng.

Even though Luo Ge and Ling Feng have the same agent, they have interacted a lot on social media.

Even though Luo Ge's fans think Ling Feng is very capable,
However, they all agreed that Ling Feng's championship honor was far from enough.

Messi's fans are even more arrogant and unanimously believe that Ling Feng is not qualified to be compared with Messi, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, and is not even worthy of carrying Messi's shoes!

Of course, after leading Manchester United to eliminate Monaco, the biggest dark horse in Ligue 1 this season, and reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League, it is not possible to completely shut up these doubters and haters.

But at least it can give them some peace of mind for a while
As Manchester United topped the league table and reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the media has begun to analyze Manchester United's performance this season to see whether it has met expectations.

The answer is yes!

Especially Manchester United legends and fans, they generously gave Mourinho overwhelming praise!
He is worthy of being one of the top head coaches in football today!

As long as you give Mourinho money, he can really get things done!

At Chelsea, if Abramovich spends money on him, he can break Manchester United and Arsenal's monopoly on the Premier League title and make Chelsea a new Premier League giant!

At Inter Milan, as long as Moratti spent money on him, he could lead Inter Milan to defeat the then-universal Barcelona and become the first triple crown team in Italian football!
In Real Madrid, as long as Florentino spends money on him, he can lead Real Madrid to win the championship 100% and end Real Madrid’s embarrassing nickname of "the 16th place in the Champions League"!

At Manchester United, he led the team to top the league table and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League in his first season!
Especially when compared with Manchester City, their city rivals who also spent more than 100 million pounds, Mourinho's achievements are even more dazzling.

As a competitor in the coaching world, Guardiola has led Manchester City to only the top four in the league this season.

Even in the Europa League, Manchester City is almost invincible and is the biggest favorite to win the championship.

But compared to Mourinho's impressive achievements, Guagua still pales in comparison.

Of course, the season isn't over yet.

It is not the right time to evaluate Mourinho and Manchester United's performance this season.

Although the club's Champions League goal has been achieved.

However, the quarterfinals is definitely not the ultimate goal of Mourinho and Manchester United players.

If the team can win the league title and reach the semi-finals or even the final of the Champions League, it will be considered a satisfying season.

This was also the first sentence Mourinho said to his disciples in the locker room after eliminating Monaco:

"Far from enough!"

"The quarterfinals are not our end!"

With the Champions League quarter-finals announced, it is time for the much-anticipated draw.

Whenever the Champions League draw is held, perhaps what attracts fans the most is no longer the so-called giant showdowns or the focus dialogues, but the various conspiracy theories that have been doubted and criticized in recent years.

For example, Arsenal either draws Bayern or Barcelona, ​​so they must have a grudge against UEFA;

For example, Real Madrid is "guaranteed" to play every year, and basically only draws teams from the Bundesliga, Eredivisie and other leagues. In each round of the knockout stage, they will draw the worst team, and never face top teams such as Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, ​​etc.

Putting aside all kinds of conspiracy theories, the match that many fans most want to watch may be Leicester City vs. Manchester United!

Barcelona VS Dortmund!

Juventus VS Real Madrid!

Bayern VS Atletico Madrid!

On the one hand, these teams have basically never met in the past history of the Champions League quarterfinals, so this confrontation is very fresh;
On the other hand, as the most popular and trafficked Red Devils No. 7 today, Ling Feng's reunion with his old club Leicester City in the Champions League reminds people of the meeting between Ronaldo and Manchester United in the Champions League.

The show effect is at its maximum!

On the night of the live draw, the world of football focused its attention on the UEFA headquarters in Switzerland.

The guest of this season's Champions League quarter-final draw is Liverpool legendary striker Ian Rush.

And the first team he drew was Atletico Madrid!

The opponent of the Colchoneros is the Bundesliga's second-placed "Yellow Bee" Dortmund.

Afterwards, the second group of matches turned out to be the "Premier League civil war" and "Eastern Derby" that the fans expected, Leicester City vs Manchester United!

After the matchups for the first two games were drawn, Bayern, Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona were left in the lottery jar.

This means that there will be two strong matchups.

In the end, Bayern drew Real Madrid, and Juventus fought to the death with Barcelona!

Atletico Madrid vs Dortmund;

Leicester City vs Manchester United;
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid;
Juventus VS Barcelona!

For Manchester United, this draw result is definitely a good one!

Compared with Real Madrid, Serie A giants Juventus, and Champions League runner-up Atletico Madrid, Dortmund and Leicester City are two relatively weak teams among the quarterfinals.

Leicester City, which ranks in the middle of the Premier League, is undoubtedly the weakest "gift package" among the top eight.

If he were to look at the result of the draw as a Manchester United player, Ling Feng would of course slide down on his knees in the living room to celebrate:
"Nice! Great signing! We're in the top four on loan!"

But from a personal perspective, Ling Feng does not want to play against his old club.

When playing against the old club, whether to let go is a question.

If he doesn't let the game go, he's afraid that he'll work too hard and destroy the confidence of his old teammates, which would make him feel a little sorry for Vardy, Mahrez and other old friends.
Let it go, this is not in line with his attitude towards football. After thinking about it, Ling Feng decided to choose the former!
It's not that he doesn't want to let the opponent win, but he knows that if he does, Vardy, Mahrez and others will feel that he looks down on them and will break up with him.

On the contrary, if he gives his all, they won't blame himself even if they beat Leicester City!
. . .

March 3th, St. George's Park Base.

Maguire, who arrived here for the first time in the national team's nanny car, seemed a little nervous.

"Thanks."

After thanking the national team driver who had come to Leicester City to pick him up, Maguire got out of the car carrying a Nike backpack and a suitcase in his hands.

At the entrance of the base, he saw the photographer holding a camera at first sight.

"This is?"

“This is a record of every new international player’s first report.”

"I see."

Under the familiar guidance of the staff, Maguire, who had just arrived, also accepted a brief interview and talked about his thoughts and feelings when he was first called up by the Three Lions.

For Maguire personally, this March is definitely the most important month in his career!

On the one hand, as the club's main central defender, he helped Leicester City reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time in its history;

On the other hand, he was also called up for the first time in the latest list of the Three Lions!
This is definitely a dream come true for Maguire, who has dreamed of playing for his country since he was a child.

Although he is not sure whether he can make his Three Lions debut on this national team match day.

However, being called up to the team is an achievement that countless English players envy!
To this end, he even posted an official photo of himself being selected for the national team on his social media account for the first time.

And the text says:
“Dreams come true!”

After a brief interview at the entrance of the base, Maguire also took a photo with the Three Lions logo on the wall.

However, just as he finished taking the photo, a familiar voice suddenly came from his side:

"Hey, big guy!"

Turning around, I saw Ling Feng, wearing the national team training jacket, standing there with his hands in his pockets, smiling.

On his left and right sides are his two bodyguards, "Second Brother" Vardy and "Lin Emperor" Jesse Lingard!

Since they were club teammates for a short time in the 2014-15 season, the four who once fought side by side in the Foxes have finally been together again in the Three Lions!

Seeing Ling Feng and the other two, Maguire was stunned at first, then he immediately showed a slightly honest smile and raised his hand to greet the three people:
"Hey guys"

"Congratulations on making the big list! Harry, you deserve it."

"Thank you."

"You should thank Ling. He said this is your first time at St. George's Park, so he specially asked us to come together to welcome you!"

Maguire felt warm inside when he heard Lingard's words.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Ling Feng was also full of gratitude:

"Thank you, Ling."

"Don't be polite. It's not a big deal. It's mainly because this is your first time here and this place is so big. I'm worried you might get lost."

After making a joke, Ling Feng patted Maguire on the shoulder and smiled as charmingly as always:
"Come on, we'll take you to meet the others!"

Ling Feng, the core of the team, personally introduced him to other national team teammates and took him around the St. George's Park base.

For Maguire, his first day at the Three Lions will definitely be an unforgettable day in his life!
For the Three Lions, this international match day is a good opportunity to test new players.

Because several main players such as Rooney, Kane, Henderson and others are absent due to injuries.

Therefore, Hodgson also called up new players such as Maguire (Leicester City), Antonio (West Ham United), Livermore (West Bromwich Albion) and Ward-Prowse.

The opponents in the two friendly matches are Germany and Lithuania.

However, the current England captain Rooney was not selected for the latest squad because he suffered muscle discomfort after the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

In the event that Rooney is unable to play, Cahill, as the vice-captain, will generally become the captain of the two friendly matches.

However, Hodgson made a bold decision that was unimaginable at his age:
At the press conference on the eve of the friendly match with the German team, Hodgson brought the team's core player Ling Feng with him for the first time, and announced publicly that Ling Feng would be the captain of the game!

This explosive decision immediately made all the reporters' eyes light up.

For a moment, reporters were typing away on their keyboards, immediately starting to write a new press release.

You know, Ling Feng only turned 22 years old on June 8th this year.

If he wears the captain's armband in the friendly match against Germany, Ling Feng will be 21 years and 298 days old, surpassing Michael Owen, who served as captain at the age of 22 years and four months, and become the second youngest captain in the history of the Three Lions after the legendary captain Bobby Moore!

Giving the captain's armband to the 21-year-old Ling Feng shows how much Hodgson values ​​him.

Of course, Hodgson's love for Ling Feng is well known.

Almost everyone in England knows that as long as Hodgson is still at the helm of the Three Lions, Ling Feng will be No. 1 on his lineup list!

This is not surprising.

You know, if Ling Feng hadn't used his goals and assists to bring the Three Lions to a level that didn't belong to them, Hodgson might have been sacked long ago.
Of course, some reporters were also deliberately stirring up trouble, asking whether this decision was too hasty.

After all, there are several players in the Three Lions lineup who are more experienced than Ling Feng.

For example, Cahill, Smalling, Hart, Walker and others.

Why not let these players with more experience and more appearances for the Three Lions serve as captain on the field?
Faced with this question, Hodgson also answered very calmly:

"Although he is not that old or experienced, this is a young England team. The coaching staff unanimously believes that Ling has innate leadership and is well-liked by his teammates."

"Most importantly, he has enough quality to lead the team to victory!"

"When Wayne is not on the court, I believe he can take on the responsibility of team leader!"

"Besides, this isn't the first time he's been captain."

(End of this chapter)