บท 130: Finally called
After the parade ended, everyone was about to part ways. Before leaving, Lu Yao's mother called Lu Yao over alone and gave her some earnest advice. Meanwhile, Lu Yao's father, Lu Xuexing, hugged Wang Feng and said, "Keep up the good work, young man. Make those people back home take notice."
Wang Feng was aware that Lu Xuexing knew about the situation regarding his non-selection for the national team. However, many domestic fans were unaware because the authorities had decided to handle it discreetly, keeping it under wraps for now. The plan was to secure good results at the World Cup first, and then everything would fall into place.
"Without you, there wouldn't have been any good results," Lu Xuexing said indignantly. "They will sooner or later pay the price for underestimating you."
After everyone left, only Wang Feng's family and Lu Yao remained. Wang Feng's sister, in high spirits, started planning, "We don't need to rush to tour Italy. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. So let's start with the Nordic countries and then move on to Eastern Europe."
"Well, let's start with the capital of Finland, Helsinki. It's a garden city, definitely beautiful. Then we'll cross the Baltic Sea to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, to see the Royal Palace and Djurgården."
"For the third stop, let's choose Oslo, Norway. The Norwegian fjords are famous natural landscapes. I'm already excited even before seeing them. Finally, it's Copenhagen, Denmark. I want to explore the origin of Andersen's fairy tales there."
"This journey will probably take more than half a month. For Eastern Europe, let's choose Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary. These countries all have many medieval castles that will surely make us feel like we're in a fairy tale world."
Wang Feng said helplessly, "You're really good at planning. This trip will probably take more than a month."
His mother worriedly said, "How much money will that cost? Ah Feng, why don't we just tour nearby?" Wang Feng reassured her, saying, "Mom, I earn enough money now to travel for a lifetime. You've come all this way; you must have fun to the fullest. So, let's go with whatever plan Xiaomei arranges."
His sister cheered, and she and Lu Yao started discussing the details of the itinerary in whispers. They planned to set off as soon as possible to have more places to visit.
As Wang Feng embarked on his journey around Europe, the 2002 FIFA World Cup kicked off in South Korea and Japan. Without Wang Feng, the Chinese team suffered early elimination, losing 0-2 to Costa Rica, 0-3 to Turkey, and 0-4 to Brazil.
Brazilian superstar Ronaldo, in an interview, expressed his confusion about why Wang Feng wasn't in the Chinese team: "You know, I played alongside Wang Feng at Inter Milan for a year. I can say for sure that my attacking abilities are not as good as his now."
"This Chinese team, yes, they're strong, but without Wang Feng's firepower, they're still lacking."
The three defeats without a single point or goal, combined with Ronaldo's remarks, ignited the anger of the fans. They questioned the authorities through various channels, asking why Wang Feng wasn't selected and what the reasoning behind it was.
Under immense public pressure, the authorities had to explain and take action. They first sacked coach Milutinović and shifted all the blame onto him, claiming that the coach didn't see the need for Wang Feng to join the team.
Even though Milutinović and his team had been talking to them every few days before the World Cup, hoping to call up Wang Feng, those discussions were now irrelevant. The Mexican coach left China with a tarnished reputation.
Additionally, the Chinese Football Association made a decision: Wang Feng would definitely be called up for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, competing for honor on home soil!
These two pieces of news instantly calmed the fans' anger. They spread the word, believing that their appeals had finally made a difference.
Wang Feng received a call from his agent Balmond at a five-star hotel in Salzburg.
"Wang, the Football Association has formally submitted the documents for your call-up. However, there are still a series of procedures to be completed. You need to become a registered player."
"And, this is a bit... I don't know how to describe it. You'll need to sign many agreements. By joining the national team, the Football Association will gain all your image rights, along with some other commercial rights."
Wang Feng said, "That's fine, you can agree directly."
Balmond explained excitedly, "You don't understand, this will cause you to lose a lot, a lot. Aren't we joining the national team to increase our commercial value?"
"No, Balmond, I'm joining the national team because I want to serve my country, not to make money. Well, let's add an additional clause to the terms: these rights will automatically expire after I turn thirty-five."
Ultimately, Balmond agreed to Wang Feng's decision, which was one of the reasons why Wang Feng had never changed agents.
In fact, several renowned European agents like Mendes and Raiola had contacted him frequently, hoping to sign this future superstar.
They indeed had unparalleled influence, but they would never agree to some of Wang Feng's decisions, like this one, because it would mean a decrease in the agent's income.
But Balmond was different. Starting out with Wang Feng, he was Wang Feng's most loyal friend and would never cause trouble over money. Wang Feng had already given him plenty.
Moreover, Balmond had a very good personality; he only lacked some connections and experience, which would gradually become richer as he continued to serve as Wang Feng's agent.
Thinking about this, Wang Feng felt that choosing Balmond back then was a very wise and important decision!
After lengthy negotiations, both parties finally reached an agreement: Wang Feng would respond to calls for crucial matches such as the AFC Asian Cup, World Cup qualifiers, and the World Cup. For smaller tournaments like the East Asian Cup, the focus would be more on nurturing domestic players.
Initially, the authorities thought that negotiations with Wang Feng would be difficult, but they didn't expect him to be quite cooperative. They wished they had initiated the call-up process earlier, even though the condition of expiring at thirty-five was quite annoying.
But on second thought, nobody knew what Wang Feng would be like at thirty-five, so they eventually agreed to include this clause in the agreement.
When Balmond informed Wang Feng of these details, he had already returned to Italy and begun his extra training journey.
The trip went smoothly; they really did visit the Nordic countries and Eastern Europe according to the plan. They went to many places, took many photos, and bought many souvenirs. They couldn't fit them all in their suitcases, so they had to send some back to Milan.
After the trip ended, Wang Feng's mother and sister returned to China, while his sister and Lu Yao stayed in Milan, waiting for school to start. With over a month left, they planned to visit some domestic attractions in Italy. Wang Feng couldn't accompany them.
He planned to intensify his training, making up for all the time he had slackened off, and greet the new season in the best condition possible!
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