Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

On August 24, the highly anticipated Beijing Olympics successfully concluded at the Bird's Nest.

At this Olympic Games, the Chinese delegation won a total of 53 gold medals, surpassing the United States and taking the top spot on the gold medal table.

This is also the Olympic Games in which China has won the most gold medals in Olympic history.

With the end of the Olympics, the Olympic fever that lasted for half a month has begun to gradually cool down.

After the Olympics, the national Olympic team announced its disbandment, and Lin Feng finally had some private time.

Because he had to travel with the team to Hong Kong and Macau for a goodwill visit, Lin Feng was unable to return to the club to report for duty until September.

Lin Feng originally planned to fly back to Madrid immediately after the Olympics to prepare for the opening game of the new season.

But there was nothing they could do; the General Administration of Sport had specifically requested his participation, and it was said that hundreds of thousands of fans in the Special Administrative Region were eagerly awaiting his arrival, hoping that Lin Feng could attend this visit.

Lin Feng's influence at this time had transcended the traditional sports field and even extended to the political arena.

Whether he goes or not reflects the importance the Sports Federation attaches to this trip to Hong Kong.

After all, the gold medal won by the men's football team can be said to be the most valuable gold medal won by the Chinese delegation at this Olympic Games.

Even Liu Xiang's record-breaking gold medal can't compare, because the men's football team achieved a historic breakthrough, while Liu Xiang himself had already won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles four years ago.

Moreover, football is the world's number one sport, and its influence worldwide far surpasses that of any minor branch of track and field.

When things escalate to this level, it's no longer up to the athletes to decide.

This is a good opportunity to take a good rest during the four or five days in between. After all, the Olympic Games schedule is very tight, the competitions are very demanding, and the constant travel between different venues also consumes a lot of energy.

If you go straight back to your club after the Olympics, then you're really being treated like a beast of burden.

Thinking of this, Lin Feng silently felt sorry for Messi for a second.

This guy reportedly had a major falling out with Barcelona and their new coach Pep Guardiola in order to participate in the Olympics, and the dispute even went all the way to FIFA.

If it weren't for the FIFA president's strong support for Messi, Barcelona might not have allowed him to participate in the Olympics.

But since Barcelona made concessions, Messi also had to respond.

Sure enough, after the Olympics, Messi didn't even return to Argentina. He took a direct flight from Beijing International Airport to Barcelona and rushed back to his club to report for duty.

Messi is genuinely worried about his position at Barcelona, ​​after all, Barcelona can even get rid of Ronaldinho, let alone him?
Moreover, the team has just changed coaches, and he missed Barcelona's pre-match training due to participating in the Olympics. If he doesn't hurry up and integrate into the team, it will be questionable whether he can adapt to Guardiola's tactics in the new season.

Compared to Messi, Lin Feng's situation is slightly better.

President Calderon also complained that he had spent too much time with the national team, which would affect the club's interests.

However, because Lin Feng had just led Real Madrid to win both the league and the Champions League titles, fulfilling Real Madrid's dream of ten titles, he held a very high position in the hearts of the club's management and Real Madrid fans.

Moreover, the two sides are currently in a honeymoon period and have a high degree of mutual goodwill. Calderon does not want to put too much pressure on him, after all, this is the Olympics held on Chinese soil, and not allowing Lin Feng to participate would inevitably offend him completely.

Therefore, Real Madrid's attitude towards letting him return to his home country to participate in the Olympics has always been very straightforward, with no opposition except for Mourinho's somewhat dissenting opinions.

Furthermore, from a mental perspective, Real Madrid, as the defending champions, are undoubtedly more relaxed than Barcelona, ​​their pursuer.

Therefore, the club is more lenient with the players. Of course, if Lin Feng fails to return to the club for a long time and the team's performance in the league is not good, then their attitude will be different.

……

The date of his trip to Hong Kong was August 29th, and before that, Lin Feng had a few days of his own private time.

So, during this time, he and Liu Yifei traveled to many places together.

The two climbed the Badaling Great Wall, rode horses on the Horqin Grassland, and went to Changbai Mountain to prepare for skiing.

Unfortunately, the two arrived too early; the snow on Changbai Mountain had already melted, and new snow wouldn't fall until October.

So the two had to change their plans and went to Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain, while also trying out the local delicacies of the ethnic minorities in Yanbian.

"Look, they're all wearing traditional ethnic clothing. Why don't you try it on too?"

While dining at a farmhouse restaurant at the foot of the mountain, Lin Feng pointed to the ethnic costume worn by the hostess and said to Liu Yifei.

"Should I wear their clothes?"

"No, no, I mean you should wear the traditional clothing of our Han people, which is Hanfu!"

Because of the Olympics, a Hanfu craze swept across China in 08, with many netizens even suggesting that athletes wear Hanfu when entering the stadium.

Although it was not ultimately adopted, it had a significant impact, allowing the popularity of Hanfu to spread.

Liu Yifei's promotional photos, which earned her the nickname "Fairy Sister," are mostly from period dramas.

Judging from her appearances in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", she is very suitable for Hanfu, a type of ancient costume.

"No, Hanfu is too troublesome to wear, and if I wear Hanfu, I'll be recognized in no time!"

The image of Liu Yifei as a fairy sister is still too deeply rooted in people's hearts. If you don't look closely, you might not recognize her when she is wearing modern clothes, but she is very recognizable when she is wearing ancient costumes.

"You can wear it when no one's around, or you can wear it at home just for me to see!"

Lin Feng's words made Liu Yifei think of something, and her face quickly flushed red. She snorted softly and turned her head away, not wanting to talk to him anymore.

Although she outwardly appeared very resistant, after returning to Beijing, Liu Yifei secretly had a set of Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) custom-made, and wore it only for Lin Feng to see at home.

Watching the ethereal beauty dancing gracefully in Hanfu, Lin Feng couldn't help but think of a Han Dynasty folk song:
In the North, there is a beautiful woman, peerless and independent; one glance could topple a city, a second glance could topple a nation…

Looking at the stunning beauty before him, Lin Feng suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the poem.

On August 29, the gold medal delegation, composed of athletes who won gold medals at this Olympic Games, arrived in Hong Kong and was warmly welcomed by the Hong Kong SAR government and people from all walks of life at Hong Kong International Airport.

Not only were senior officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region there to greet them, but also tens of thousands of enthusiastic Hong Kong citizens.

Star athletes such as Liu Xiang and Lin Feng are the main targets of pursuit for the general public in Hong Kong.

As soon as Lin Feng landed, he was greeted with enthusiastic cheers from the fans in the stadium. Many people frantically waved his large posters and shouted his name, trying to get his attention.

Lin Feng didn't pretend to be aloof; he smiled and waved to the fans.

Seeing how popular Lin Feng is, Liu Xiang was envious:

"That's not fair! We're all gold medal athletes, so why are you more popular than everyone else!"

Lin Feng shrugged: "Maybe it's because I'm handsome!"

Liu Xiang rolled his eyes in exasperation. He was so angry, he really wanted to punch this guy!
But looking at the different attitudes of the fans who came to pick him up, he couldn't help but start to wonder: Could this guy really be right? Are they all just fans who admire his looks?
Otherwise, why are there fewer fans than him to welcome me?

Uh, does saying that mean I'm admitting I'm not as handsome as him?

Surely it can't be that I'm not as good as him?

A single-minded approach has backfired, resulting in a double bind...

"Welcome, welcome! On behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government and the 700 million citizens of Hong Kong, I welcome you!"

After delivering his welcoming remarks, he shook hands with each of the athlete representatives and chatted warmly with them.

When it was Lin Feng's turn, he smiled and said:

"No need for introductions, we met last year, and I was very impressed with your performance!"

Last year, on the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the Chinese national football team came to Hong Kong to participate in the Return Cup and played a friendly match against Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The match attracted a large number of Hong Kong fans to watch, and the final score of the two teams caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong.

"Thank you for your recognition. It's a pity we couldn't defeat our opponent last time."

"Hehe, being able to hold the mighty Bayern to a draw is already quite an achievement. Looking across the entire Asia, how many teams can do that? You shouldn't be too hard on yourself!"

……

The arrival of the Chinese Olympic gold medal delegation unsurprisingly became the focus of attention across all sectors of Hong Kong society.

Major newspapers were vying to report on the delegation's visit to Hong Kong, and the five open exhibition matches in gymnastics, diving, badminton, football, and table tennis were particularly popular with Hong Kong citizens.

On the 30th, the Chinese Olympic team played a friendly match against the Hong Kong SAR team at Hong Kong Stadium.

As expected, the Chinese Olympic team, fresh off winning a gold medal at the Olympics, defeated their opponents 3-0.

This is based on the fact that the national Olympic team played with less intensity in the second half. If they had played with the same intensity as in the Olympic final, fans suspect that the score might have exceeded double digits.

The fans enjoyed the match, and the players on the field also had a great time.

Although the Hong Kong team lost, the loss wasn't too severe, and they managed to save face.

Moreover, you can meet your idol on the field, get up close and personal with them, and take photos with them, ask for autographs, or even exchange jerseys after the game. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that may only happen once in a lifetime!
For the national Olympic team, because the opponents were relatively weak, they had a sense of satisfaction from crushing the weak. The pent-up frustration from being dominated by their opponents in the Olympic finals was completely released after this match.

As a result, the atmosphere between the two teams after the game was very good. The players shook hands and hugged each other, and some players even exchanged jerseys.

The most people are eyeing Lin Feng because almost the entire Hong Kong team are his fans.

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, several players rushed to his side at top speed, asking to exchange jerseys with him.

Lin Feng was only wearing a jersey, but there were five or six Hong Kong players around him staring expectantly.

He could only apologize and then exchange jerseys with the player who had first made the request.

If these guys had shown the same attitude during the game, the Chinese team wouldn't have won so easily.

After the friendly match, the venue practically turned into a fan meeting for Lin Feng.

Many fans, holding jerseys and pens, squeezed their way to the sidelines, hoping to get Lin Feng's autograph.

Lin Feng was in a good mood. He went to the sidelines, took the jersey and autograph book they handed him, and signed his name on them with flowing strokes.

He completely underestimated the fans' enthusiasm. Fans poured in from all directions, and his hand cramped up from signing autographs. He couldn't finish signing them all!

Similar to Lin Feng's situation, Liu Xiang was in another venue.

After performing the 110-meter hurdles for the people of Hong Kong, he was surrounded by fans from all directions who rushed to take photos with him and ask for autographs.

His feat of breaking the world record again at the Olympics made him a source of pride for all people of Asian descent.

Let alone Hong Kong, even if he went abroad to neighboring Japan, the Japanese fans who came to pick him up would probably surround him at the airport and make him unable to move!

The Japanese admire strength above all else, and they have a deep respect for top athletes like Liu Xiang, who broke the world record twice and won the Olympic gold medal twice.

As for the South Koreans next door, they're probably already fabricating Liu Xiang's ancestral home!
Besides the two super popular athletes, Lin Feng and Liu Xiang, the diving team has also received a lot of attention in this Olympic delegation.

Of course, this is for another reason!
……

Just as Lin Feng was visiting Hong Kong with the Olympic delegation, Real Madrid, missing key players, suffered a defeat in their opening match of the new season – losing 1-2 to La Lucona!
Almost immediately after the match ended, both head coach Mourinho and Real Madrid president Calderon called Lin Feng:
The team is in danger, return immediately!

Helpless, Lin Feng concluded his visit to Macau on September 2nd and did not linger in China, instead taking a direct flight back to Europe. (End of Chapter)