Chương 217: Media Praise and the Championship Declaration!
On December 3rd, after defeating Swansea 3-0 at home in the 13th round of the league, Lin requested a day off to attend the Golden Boy Award ceremony at the headquarters of "Tuttosport" in Turin. Pellegrini did not object; instead, he generously granted Lin an extra day off to ensure he wouldn't be in a rush.
Lin gladly accepted this arrangement.
Turin is located in northern Italy, approximately 1,400 kilometers from Manchester. It is Italy's third-largest city, rich in history with many classical buildings preserved within the city. Like Milan, Turin is also a football sanctuary in Italy, home to two top Serie A teams—Juventus and Torino.
Lin arrived just in time to watch a Serie A match between Juventus and Udinese that afternoon. Since the award ceremony was scheduled for the next morning, Lin decided to buy a ticket and experience the atmosphere of a Serie A match in person.
Juventus' home stadium isn't very large but is relatively new. The Juventus Stadium, with a total capacity of 41,000, is the only privately-owned football stadium in Serie A, built and owned by Juventus. It was put into use just a couple of years ago, so all the facilities look new, providing a very pleasant viewing experience. The only downside might be its smaller size compared to the home stadiums of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
However, a smaller stadium has its advantages; it brings the spectators closer to the field, enhancing the viewing experience.
A few years ago, Juventus had a tough time due to the "Calciopoli" scandal. However, with the appointment of their legendary captain Conte as coach, Juventus gradually regained their form. In the 2011-2012 season, they won their first Serie A title after returning to the league. In the 2012-2013 season, they successfully defended their title, achieving an unbeaten streak of 49 matches across seasons. This is currently the third-longest unbeaten streak in football, behind AC Milan's 58 matches from 1990 to 1992 and Arsenal's 49 matches from 2002 to 2004. Juventus ranks third because of the later timing of their streak.
Given such a record, Juventus fans were confident their team could go further in the Champions League. Since the 1995-1996 season, Juventus had not won the Champions League for 18 years, and everyone at the club was eager for the title. However, their performance in the Champions League group stage was disappointing. Being beaten and held to a draw by the powerful Real Madrid was somewhat acceptable, but being held to draws by weaker teams like Copenhagen and Galatasaray was unacceptable to Juventus fans.
Currently, Juventus is still struggling to qualify with 6 points. They only need a draw in their next match to advance, but given their current state, even Juventus fans are unsure if they can hold on for a draw at Galatasaray's daunting home ground.
This mentality seemed to affect their league performance as well. In this round, facing the 12th-ranked Udinese at home, Juventus struggled. In the first ninety minutes, neither team scored, and despite Juventus' 26 shots, only 5 were on target, with none finding the net. Just as the match seemed to be heading for a draw, Lin's national team teammate from Spain, Fernando Llorente, scored the winning goal in the 91st minute, helping Juventus secure the three points just before the final whistle.
Watching the jubilant Juventus players celebrating on the field, Lin shook his head. Although he hadn't watched Galatasaray's matches, his intuition told him that with Juventus' current form, they were likely to lose in their away game.
A team that could achieve a 49-match unbeaten streak shouldn't be performing like this. Juventus' problem wasn't their strength but rather their mentality and morale, which were hard to fix in the short term.
Since Lin didn't hide his whereabouts or wear sunglasses or a conspicuous black trench coat, the camera quickly captured him in the stands. After the match, the Italian media used exaggerated headlines to report this news: "The New European Golden Boy Appears at Juventus' Home, Lin Might Join Juventus!"
To prove they weren't sensationalizing, they even published photos of Lin watching the match live. This made some Juventus fans, unaware of the truth, believe it:
"Is it true? Lin is coming to Juventus?"
"If that's true, Juventus would take off immediately!"
"Compared to Pogba, Lin is a full-fledged superstar. If he joins Juventus, our combat power would soar!"
"Crying, please come to Juventus, Lin. We would finally have a superstar on par with Messi and Ronaldo!"
However, more fans were skeptical of the report:
"Lin is doing great at Manchester City; there's no reason for him to leave, right?"
"Exactly, with Juventus' finances, how could they afford Lin? Even if they could buy him, they couldn't pay his salary."
"Alright, alright, stop guessing. Let me tell you the truth: Lin is in Turin to receive the Golden Boy Award. Going to Juventus' stadium to watch the game was probably just to kill time. There's no deeper meaning."
This was a simple fact, so aside from a few tabloid newspapers fond of sensationalizing news, mainstream newspapers didn't join the hype. They likely realized this possibility right away.
Sure enough, at 9:30 the next morning, Lin arrived at the headquarters of "Tuttosport" to receive his trophy. Many journalists from major European media outlets were already present. This surprised the organizers at "Tuttosport," who had awarded many players before but rarely encountered such high attention for a winner.
Seeing the number of media representatives and their influence in the news industry, one might think it was the Ballon d'Or being awarded! They wouldn't naively believe that the Golden Boy Award's influence had increased; the only reason for this situation was obviously the young man receiving the award.
No wonder he was hailed as the best player below Messi and Ronaldo. His influence was something even many top stars didn't possess.
"Lin, congratulations! You deserve this trophy!" The editor-in-chief warmly shook Lin's hand, whispering something in his ear.
"Thank you, Mr. Pierre!" Lin replied with a polite smile. After shaking hands, he turned to pose for photos with the attending journalists. This photo of him winning the award would soon be on the front pages of major media outlets.
The Golden Boy Award typically didn't attract such significant attention, especially when it was so close to the Ballon d'Or award ceremony. Naturally, people paid more attention to the more prestigious Ballon d'Or. However, this year's Ballon d'Or was postponed for some reason, making Lin, the Golden Boy winner, the focus of attention and discussion in the football world for the next few days.
After receiving the award, Lin delivered his acceptance speech and answered questions from the journalists present.
"This year has been a lucky one for me. Winning such a prestigious award is a recognition of my hard work over the past year. I want to thank the media outlets for their support and love. Thank you for voting for me. I will prove with my actions that you made the right choice!"
The journalists laughed. In previous years, the competition might have been tough, with the top players being quite close in ability, making it difficult to choose a winner without controversy. But this year, Lin's overwhelming lead made all other contenders mere footnotes. Even the runner-up, Pogba, lagged significantly behind Lin in terms of honors and personal skills. In such a case, voting became straightforward—just vote for Lin! There was no controversy in doing so.
"Lin, what are your expectations for this year's league results?" The first question came from a journalist from "The Guardian" in the UK. Though not an official mouthpiece for Manchester City or Manchester United, "The Guardian" was generally friendly towards Manchester's teams.
"With Manchester City's current league performance, if I said our goal wasn't the championship, you'd probably call me a hypocrite."
The journalists didn't directly admit it, but their expressions indicated they agreed.
"Although the season isn't halfway over, our goal this year is clear—to win the championship! We aim to fight for the club's second league title, thanking our fans for their support and love with a championship trophy!"
If Lin had made this declaration at the start of the season, the journalists would have labeled him arrogant. But now, a glance at the Premier League standings would make anyone admit that Manchester City had a high chance of winning this year. An unbeaten home record, only one away draw against Chelsea, and 12 wins in 13 league matches—the best start in Premier League history. With such results, who else would win if not Manchester City? Unless they experienced a severe collapse in the second half, they were undoubtedly the top contenders for the Premier League title this season.
"What are Manchester City's specific goals for this year's Champions League?" A journalist from "Bild" asked, given Manchester City's upcoming away game against Bayern. The German media paid close attention to this surprising opponent. Judging by the current results, all four German teams could advance as group runners-up. This meant that if Manchester City advanced as group winners, they might draw a German team.
"In the Champions League, we are newcomers. We need to learn from the big clubs and accumulate more match experience, so we'll strive to play well in each match and go as far as we can." Lin's answer pleased the "Bild" journalist. He didn't state Manchester City's specific goals but expressed their proactive attitude, satisfying their fans and avoiding potential backlash if they failed to meet stated goals.
This guy is still as smooth as he was in the Bundesliga.
"Lin, it's well-known that you graduated from La Masia Academy. Do you see yourself returning to Barcelona and wearing the red and blue jersey in the future?" The question
came from a journalist from "Mundo Deportivo," Barcelona's mouthpiece. Barcelona fans had mixed feelings about Lin. On one hand, they were proud that such a talented player emerged from La Masia. On the other hand, they saw his departure from Camp Nou as a betrayal, considering him a traitor bought by money, especially after his transfer to Manchester City. However, with the continuous scandals of Rosell being exposed, some fans began to change their opinion of Lin. This question from "Mundo Deportivo" was a test from Barcelona's management to gauge Lin's feelings about returning to Barcelona.
Lin paused before answering, "Barcelona is a great team, and La Masia has produced countless stars. I'm honored to have received professional football training there and to have started my career. I wish Barcelona the best and hope they achieve more success in the league and Champions League. As for myself, I'm happy at Manchester City and have no plans to leave for now."
Lin's answer subtly declined the invitation, which slightly disappointed the "Mundo Deportivo" journalist. Sigh, times have changed! Back then, Fabregas willingly took a pay cut and even paid part of the transfer fee out of his own pocket to return to Camp Nou. But Lin's generation of La Masia players seemed less interested in donning Barcelona's red and blue jersey. After Lin's statement, other teams' journalists refrained from pushing the issue. Lin's words didn't completely rule out a move, just that he had no immediate plans to leave Manchester City. With only five years on his contract, he would still be in his prime by the time it ended. By then, he might have won all there was to win at Manchester City and might lose interest in staying. Other teams could still have a chance, perhaps even buying out his contract after three years, although it would cost them dearly given his high salary.
...
While Lin was receiving his Golden Boy Award in Turin, the same day, a group of unexpected visitors entered the president's office at Barcelona's club. After showing their credentials and a search warrant, they conducted a thorough investigation of all documents and computer files in Rosell's office. This caused unease within the club, with many realizing something significant might be happening. Former president Laporta had been sent to jail by Rosell, and now it seemed Rosell might follow in his footsteps. A week later, the Catalonia court issued a summons for Rosell, suspecting him of embezzling at least 40 million euros. This news shocked the football world, drawing all eyes to Catalonia and the La Liga giants, Barcelona.
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