Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

The dates for international match days are getting closer.

News about Jiang Yan spread rapidly and virally on the Chinese internet.

Jiang Shen is expected to arrive at the airport today.

Crowds everywhere! Tianhe Airport was packed with enthusiastic fans!

Can Real Madrid's star player save the Chinese national football team from its precarious state?

The number has been decided! Jiang Yan will wear the number 10 jersey, becoming the youngest core player in the history of the Chinese national football team!

Next opponent preview: Maldives, the unlucky team destined to miss the World Cup.

China's national football team coach Gao Hongbo: Jiang Yan was personally recruited by me. His ability is obvious to all. All I can do is ensure he plays comfortably. I will not show mercy to any player who tries to cause him trouble.

Maldives head coach Herbert: My players are very excited to be playing against Jiang Yan, and we are sure we will give our best performance.

People's Daily: From Huo Qubing to Wang Erxiao, and then to Yu Lai and Zhu Changlin, China has never lacked heroes. There will be times when the winds and waves will be overcome, and Jiang Yan will continue to write his legendary story on the football field!

After several reports were published, the number of comments, likes, and shares skyrocketed.

[The number is already on the 10th? Looking forward to it!]

[Jiang Shen probably wouldn't even need to use his full strength to beat the Maldives!]

[Finally, Jiang Yan has returned to China. He's a hero at Real Madrid now. I wonder if he can lead the national team out of the top 40.]

[Although this match is now open for betting, please be orderly when placing your bets. Football is a team sport. Regardless of the final result, support the Chinese national team!]

[The King of Big Ball has confirmed his participation, what's the point of being rational? Bet 15 million on Big Ball!]

[I can finally buy back the dozens of jerseys I owe Jiang Shen!]

......

Jiang Yan's first version of the national team jersey sold out almost instantly upon being put on the shelves.

The purchasing power and enthusiasm of Chinese fans are unstoppable.

Even though Jiang Yan's team's official Weibo account issued advice on rational purchasing in advance, it couldn't stop the fans' desire for "wild consumption".

The news of Jiang Yan's return to China dominated Weibo's trending topics, even causing the server to crash several times.

News or posters of Jiang Yan are plastered on televisions, computers, and in game consoles. Every corner that people can see is covered with Jiang Yan's messages or posters.

......

Tianhe Airport.

Jiang Yan had just stepped out of the arrival gate.

He was greeted by thunderous cheers.

Fans were all wearing the same national team jersey as Jiang Yan, waving national flags.

The scene instantly transformed into a sea of ​​red.

Supporters chanted his name:

"Jiang Yan!!!!!!"

"Jiang Yan!!!!!!"

"Jiang Yan!!!!!"

At this moment, looking at the scene before him, Jiang Yan felt an indescribable excitement.

This is what a star player is like.

This is the treatment national team stars receive.

Even in what Europe calls a football wasteland, such a powerful force can emerge.

Qin Wanyu, who was both an assistant and a reporter on the trip, couldn't help but exclaim after seeing the scene: "This is even more terrifying than the sea of ​​people and the sound waves at the Bernabéu. It seems they are really looking forward to you."

Jiang Yan smiled.

Putting aside his status as a star athlete, he is just an ordinary Chinese citizen, and it is only right for him to contribute to his motherland.

In order not to disappoint the fans, he slowed down and signed autographs, shook hands and took photos with the fans along the way.

He even took a group photo and uploaded it to his official Weibo account.

The unfortunate Weibo server crashed once again.

Reporters from various media outlets pressed their cameras to capture every moment.

...

Upon entering the airport, the national team's leaders, chairman, and head coach were all present to welcome their heroes.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang..."

Snapped!

The current head coach of the Chinese national football team, Gao Hongbo, was the first to shake hands with Jiang Yan.

"Jiang Yan, although we've talked on the phone before, let me introduce myself again. My name is Gao Hongbo, and I'm the current head coach of the Chinese national football team."

"Finally, we met in person," Jiang Yan replied with a smile.

Although Gao Hongbo's actions were overstepping his bounds, he wanted to tell those old men at the top a thing or two.

I personally called Jiang Yan and invited him back.

He, like me, is a hero of the national football team.

......

CCTV broadcast the entire "meet and greet" live.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

This scene is absolutely spectacular! I doubt many people will be able to surpass it in their lifetime!

[Several of the most influential figures in the national football team were present, demonstrating Jiang Yan's considerable influence!]

Is Gao Hongbo being this obsequious? It seems he might not be able to control the locker room!

[Does he even need to control the locker room? His job is to make Jiang Shen play comfortably! If Jiang Shen plays comfortably, the game will be won!]

[Wouldn't that mean the national football team's tactics would be to park the bus around Jiang Yan?]

Do you have a better option?

……

Far away in Spain, Benitez was holding up his phone, keeping track of Jiang Yan's return to China.

Although there is a time difference between Spain and China, he was really worried about his disciple.

What should I do if I am bullied in the country?

What if the Chinese Football Association doesn't respect him?

What should I do if I am deliberately targeted by the media?

However, none of what I imagined happened.

The entire nation of China is welcoming this savior, who can lead China out of its predicament, with the highest honors.

"The Chinese Football Association is at least sensible."

……

China.

Jiang Yan and his group boarded the black van that had been prepared in advance.

Gao Hongbo handed a booklet to Jiang Yan.

"Jiang Shen, this is the lineup for the next match. Although it certainly won't be at your level as you were in Spain, there are still a few promising talents!"

He flipped through the booklet quickly.

"This guy named Wu Lei, although he is 24 years old, is very smart. He performs well in the central midfield position and makes very active runs. He currently plays for Shanghai Harbor."

"And Hao Junmin, although his form has declined, he played for Schalke 04 in Germany for a period of time and currently plays for Shandong Taishan. He should be able to keep up with your pace."

"We have a player like Yu Dabao in the defense, who came from Benfica's youth academy and currently plays for your hometown team, Beijing Guoan."

"Goalkeeper Wang Dalei... although he has a bit of a temper, he's definitely a true man of steel!"

"Jiang, what do you think?"

Jiang Yan quickly glanced through the roster.

"These guys are too old, but this Wu Lei... we could try him as a striker. I think our partnership would be pretty good."

Gao Hongbo looked at the documents in his hand.

"Play as a striker... then we'll do as you say!"

After learning that Jiang Yan had returned to China to participate in the World Cup qualifiers, veteran national team players contacted each other and tried their best to get into the national team.

After all, Jiang Yan is a walking traffic magnet right now. As long as you can play football next to him, you'll easily gain massive popularity and wealth!

Gao Hongbo had only been in office for a short time and wanted to use an iron fist, but unfortunately, he lacked the ability to do so. He could only give up some talented people and select some redundant ones.

He kept praying in his heart that his weakness would not cause Jiang Yan to be dissatisfied with the lineup and ultimately unwilling to play.

After receiving Jiang Yan's confirmation, he was finally relieved.

Being the head coach of the Chinese national football team is a high-risk profession!

……

At the same time, the Maldives players also arrived in China.

Head coach Herbert gave an interview.

"We will enjoy the game; the pressure is on the Chinese team."

The Chinese reporter frowned upon hearing this response. While it's normal for reporters to make strong statements during interviews, such an arrogant and rude attitude was unpleasant.

Then, another reporter spoke up: "The Maldives currently has 2 wins and 4 losses, accumulating 6 points, and is ranked second to last in the group. Behind them is Bhutan, who has not won a single game. What gave you the courage to make such a statement?"

Liang Jingru?

"Hahaha." Herbert chuckled. "During my playing and coaching career, I led the team to the World Cup twice, most recently in 10 when we had three draws in three group stage matches. What was the Chinese national team doing at that time?"

The reporters' rebuttals were stuck in their throats.

2010年，国足在世亚预20强赛中1胜3平2负积6分，垫底出局。

……

Studio.

Damn, that Herbert has a really sharp tongue!

[Haha, New Zealand and Maldives, this old man always teams up with niche teams. They'll be crying when they run into Jiang Shen's national team debut!]

The Maldives aren't a strong team overall, and with Jiang Shen (a famous Chinese coach) on the national team, a 4-0 or 6-0 victory would be a piece of cake!

I can't wait to see Jiang Shen slaughter the Maldives!

……

Upon arriving at the hotel, Jiang Yan saw Herbert's true colors through her phone.

"That arrogant old man needs to be taught a lesson."

……

a few days later.

The Wuhan Sports Center was packed to capacity.

The fans wore red home jerseys and waved national flags.

Some fans even painted the national flag on their faces.

A group of fans held up various banners, the most eye-catching of which was "China will win".

The space between the stadium and the stands was almost entirely filled with cameras and various equipment from different media outlets.

This prime spot was naturally given to Qin Wanyu's Dongqiu.com at Jiang Yan's behest.

"Welcome to the Dongqiu.com live broadcast room. I am reporter Qin Wanyu, and I will now be providing live coverage of the details of this match."

"This match is also Jiang Yan's debut for the national team. I believe that all the viewers, like me, are looking forward to his wonderful performance."

"Looking back at the previous matches, Jiang Yan has had a phenomenal season. Hopefully, he can maintain this form and lead the national team out of the top 40!"

......

Studio.

[Why does this reporter look so familiar?]

[She looks a bit like the woman who got off the plane with Jiang Yan before.]

[No wonder Dongqiu.com was able to get such a good camera position, now I know why!]

[The rosters for both teams are out, why is Wu Lei playing as a striker?]

[Also appearing are Hao Junmin and Wang Dalei, and many other familiar faces!]

Who are the players on this Maldives team? I've never heard of any of them!

[Enough talk, bro, all in on the big balls! Jiang Shen, carry me to the national team!]

Our Chinese dragon is invincible!

......