Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

December 18, Madrid City Hall, Spain.

The annual FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony was held in grand style.

This time, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is on the list, has learned his lesson.

He brought his elderly mother from Madeira so he would no longer have to walk alone through the dark alleys.

What's exciting is that Cristiano Ronaldo's ranking this time is even above England's golden boy, Michael Owen.

In recent years, the FIFA World Player of the Year award has not been as professional as the Ballon d'Or, or rather, they place more emphasis on fame, so there is a delay in catching up with the player's peak performance.

Thierry Henry is ranked eleventh in this year's FIFA World Player of the Year rankings.

The fact that Arsenal didn't make the top ten is something many Arsenal fans are unhappy about.

However, considering France's elimination in the group stage of this year's World Cup... well, right?

Tenth place goes to David Beckham.

Ninth place goes to Ballack, whose runner-up finish in the World Cup greatly boosted his ranking.

The impact of World Cup performance on player rankings remains unparalleled.

The eighth place is Raul.

Rivaldo is in seventh place.

The sixth place is Roberto Carlos.

Fifth place goes to Zidane.

Fourth place is... Deng Kai!

Before the Ballon d'Or, Duncan's fans certainly had objections to this ranking.

But now, they've all become more indifferent.

Take it, you guys hurry up and take it while you can.

In a few years, it will all belong to Kai!

Moreover, the focus of everyone's attention is not on Deng Kai's ranking, but on who Deng Kai was accompanied by this time.

The answer is... Hathaway!

The rivalry between Keira and Hathaway was quite intense.

The Sun is awesome!

With the help of Deng Kai and the recent hype from the German media, Matthäus successfully broke into the top three.

He even surpassed Kahn to rank second!

Ronaldo has once again topped the FIFA World Player of the Year award, following his Ballon d'Or win.

This is also Ronaldo's third time winning the award.

That year, Ronaldo's fame reached its peak!

He beat out Deng Kai and Matthäus in the two major awards.

But sometimes, losing is winning.

Matthäus suffers a heartbreaking defeat to Ronaldo in the final year of his career! His World Cup runner-up finish was both his triumph and his downfall – a truly lamentable situation!

Lothar Matthäus's career was left unfulfilled after missing out on the FIFA World Player of the Year award!

Baggio in 1994, Matthäus in 2002! Regret made them classics! The Brazilians were too cruel, lacking in empathy!

Lothar Matthäus, the German football legend, needs no accolades to prove himself! His greatness is already predetermined!

"Time will tell! Lothar Matthäus may be late, but he arrived in time to share the crown of the second generation of football king with Juan Martinez!"

Let regrets crown him! Perfection within imperfection—Lothar Matthäus, the King of Football!

Real Madrid won Ronaldo the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards! But they also ruined two legendary chapters in world football!

"Dunkay wins the Ballon d'Or! Matthäus wins the FIFA World Player of the Year! This is how this year should have been spent!"

Ronaldo winning two awards is undeniable! But if it were Duncan or Matthäus, fans, players, and history would all be more convinced!

"Laughter Brings Strength! Ballon d'Or runner-up Deng Kai gives FIFA World Player of the Year runner-up Matthäus a heartwarming hug!"

Some fans have analyzed that if the team that won the Champions League treble with Duncan and Matthäus had been another European powerhouse instead of Sporting Lisbon, they might have actually been able to surpass Ronaldo this year.

The platform is indeed extremely important.

With the conclusion of the FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony.

Last year's summary has come to an end.

The new year is about to begin.

And the curtain rises with Hathaway.

The Sun: "It doesn't matter if she accepts the award or not, Anne is here to reward Kay! According to a shop assistant, Hathaway dragged Kay around a lingerie store for three hours, changing into over a hundred glamorous outfits to please him! In the end, she bought eighteen!"

"Perhaps the meaning is that on Deng Kai's eighteenth birthday, Hathaway will dress him in these eighteen sets of lingerie to enjoy the pleasures of adulthood?"

Blasted!

The media outlets frantically reposted The Sun's news.

Who cares whether it wins an award or not?

My Kai is the real winner in life, okay?

His award treatment was comparable to that of the second-generation polo king.

In terms of relationships, everything went smoothly, making others envious.

Beautiful!

……

December 20th, EFL Cup quarter-finals.

Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 at home.

Crystal Palace also rotated their squad, fielding half of their substitutes, which seemed to indicate that they were deliberately giving up.

But from that day on, Manchester City faced a grueling schedule.

Or rather, the entire Premier League has entered its most terrifying Christmas schedule phase.

Most European leagues have a winter break.

But the Premier League not only doesn't take a winter break, it actually plays even more enthusiastically.

This is the result of commercial development taken to its extreme.

However, the cost is an increase in injuries for Premier League teams in the second half of the season.

Most teams have gone from playing one game a week to playing two or even three games a week.

December 23rd, the 19th round of the English Premier League.

Manchester City lost 2-3 to Tottenham Hotspur at home.

On December 26th, in the 20th round of the Premier League, Manchester City defeated Aston Villa 3-1 at home.

On December 28th, in the 21st round of the Premier League, Manchester City lost 0-1 to Fulham away from home.

On January 1, 2003, on New Year's Day, Manchester City sent New Year's greetings to Chinese fans.

They also played in the 22nd round of the Premier League, drawing 2-2 away to Everton.

After the match, Maxi commented on the team's recent performance: "Our performance was normal. That's the Premier League; it's always so intense."

"It was within our plan to get a point in this game."

"It's good news that we were able to draw with Everton despite rotating our squad."

"We will focus more on the FA Cup match against Tottenham in three days."

The reporter was clearly not surprised: "You mean the FA Cup third round match? You'll go all out?"

Maxi nodded: "Of course! The FA Cup is also one of our goals this season. We don't aim to win it, but we at least want to reach the semi-finals!"

"We need to be familiar with all aspects of English football; this will help us challenge for various trophies after the rebuild is complete!"

"We're not just focused on this one year; we're not in a rush. But we hope that over the next three to five years, the team can remain highly competitive for various championships!"

Manchester City has demonstrated its ambitious goals.

This has affected Tottenham's personnel arrangements for the FA Cup match to some extent.

January 4th, FA Cup third round.

Manchester City will host Tottenham Hotspur.

In this match, Manchester City fielded their full starting lineup and displayed their best form yet, a level they hadn't shown in the league.

Tottenham fielded their youth academy team plus substitutes, traditionally focusing on developing new talent.

Most Premier League teams arrange their teams this way: they only field their first-team squad when they reach the FA Cup quarterfinals or even the semifinals.

If everyone does what Manchester City does, the league is bound to collapse in the final stages.

Manchester City ultimately defeated Tottenham 4-0!

They avenged their league defeat to Tottenham and advanced to the EFL Cup semi-finals!

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.