Chapter 215: More Satisfying Than a Title Is Seeing Your Derby Rivals Kneel and Sing "Conquer"
"Congratulations to Arsenal for winning the 2013–2014 Champions League, congratulations to Arsenal for sweeping all the honors of the 2013–2014 season!"
"Congratulations to Xia Qi for winning the Champions League Golden Boot, congratulations to Xia Qi for winning the 2013–2014 season..."
The instant the final whistle blew, Arsène Wenger and the substitutes rushed onto the pitch and embraced Xia Qi and the others tightly.
"Well done, kid!"
"Boss, we did it!"
"Yes, we made it..."
In that moment Xia Qi vaguely saw tears at the corner of Wenger's eyes...
Defending a title in the second season is extremely difficult, especially retaining the Champions League crown is nearly impossible. Even the composed Wenger was swept by emotion, unable to hold back as he ran onto the pitch to celebrate with his players, neglecting the customary handshake with the opposing coach… Fortunately Carlo Ancelotti was not petty; he waited quietly on the touchline for a moment.
Soon Wenger collected himself and shook and hugged Ancelotti.
"Congratulations…"
"Thank you!"
"The kids were brilliant!"
"Thanks…"
It cut deep—Wenger's mouth was full of bittersweetness.
A clean sweep is certainly joyful, but after tonight, agents of players who now hold a grand slam and a title defense will be lining up outside Wenger's office waving contracts.
It's routine!
Every step of a player's growth accompanies salary increases, and Arsenal's owner was famously stingy, unwilling to change the club's wage structure for anyone, so departures were inevitable...
A title-defense season is actually also a season of farewells...
Following Ancelotti's gaze, Wenger easily picked out the person he cared about in the crowd.
That Chinese appearance was too easy to spot among many Europeans and Americans...
"Is Cristiano leaving?"
"The contract will be discussed after the World Cup."
Both men are veteran coaches and understood each other's meaning. There can be only one head of a dragon—between Cristiano Ronaldo and Xia Qi, you can only choose one.
Xia Qi and Cristiano Ronaldo weren't tactically incompatible; the conflict was at the level of spiritual leadership—what's commonly called a "dressing-room rift." After all, Xia Qi and Kaká are very different personalities! Cristiano can love Kaká—partly because Kaká is endearing in character, and partly because Kaká couldn't unseat Cristiano's role in the team. Xia Qi is different, both in personality and on-field strength...
Both masters sighed in unison when they realized only one could be chosen, then hugged again and patted each other on the back.
Every household has its trouble... Actually, preseason choices matter less than the season-long effort!
...
Real Madrid's players trudged up to receive medals, Cristiano Ronaldo expressionless the whole way. As soon as he stepped down he pulled the runner-up medal from his neck and hurried, head down, into the player tunnel.
Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos… and others shook hands with Xia Qi and congratulated him. Kroos even said to Xia Qi: "We'll fight again at the World Cup!"
Xia Qi nodded.
...
UEFA president Michel Platini presented the medals to the winners and placed the gold medal around Xia Qi's neck. As he hugged Xia Qi, he whispered in his ear:
"Messi is waiting for you."
Xia Qi looked at him seriously—he thought that rumor might indeed be true.
Xia Qi was Arsenal's captain; he stood in the middle of his team to lift the big-eared trophy. He invited the injured Kevin De Bruyne and Per Mertesacker to join him.
Mertesacker on the left, Xia Qi in the center, De Bruyne on the right—three stood at the heart of the team.
De Bruyne and Mertesacker grasped the trophy's "ears" while Xia Qi supported the base.
The three raised the trophy high; to the roar of the fans, countless confetti rained down...
Next came the moment for players, families, and fans to interact...
Xia Qi passed the big-eared cup to fans who rushed onto the field, letting them feel the honor up close. Fans flocked to take photos with the trophy and the players.
Xia Qi did his best to meet their requests, always keeping a friendly smile.
In that joyful atmosphere time seemed to freeze; players and fans shared an unforgettable moment.
Each smile and each embrace shone like a star, lighting up each other's lives.
No matter how time flows, this feeling would be etched in their hearts forever, a most precious treasure of life.
Xia Qi knew well the glory didn't belong to him alone; it belonged to every fan who had walked through storms with them.
He silently vowed that in future journeys he would keep fighting—for the fans, for the club, for that undying passion in his heart.
...
The grand slam—
three days after the triumph Arsenal held a grand victory parade.
As the float neared White Hart Lane, Xia Qi handed umbrellas to his teammates.
He couldn't forget the last time here when furious Tottenham fans doused them with water.
What drove Xia Qi mad was that Mario Balotelli—what a moron—had even asked whether the water from the Tottenham fans smelled funny. Was the Thames dirty? Is London's water quality worrying?
Damn it!
Would I tell you that it was urine?
This time, carrying that shadow in his mind, Xia Qi prepared a big umbrella—where there's a will, there's a way!
As the float turned into the White Hart Lane corner, the nervous Xia Qi and the others discovered crowds lining both sides of the street.
But unlike other streets,
here,
there was no applause, no cheers!
No die-hard fans willing to die for them!
It was silent...
This—
this... is White Hart Lane?
Shouldn't White Hart Lane be empty?
Those despicable Tottenham bastards—aren't they supposed to hide in the shadows and shoot cold arrows?
Could it be...?
Xia Qi and the others turned pale instantly...
Xia Qi wasn't afraid of fighting but feared getting hurt!
He hit the top of the float's cabin, urging the driver to speed up, but the float couldn't accelerate because of the police escort.
Suddenly,
someone in the crowd shouted: "Xia, lead us to win it!"
Xia Qi shivered, smiling helplessly.
He thought: Even though I'm a lucky charm, Tottenham is a trophyless body apart from the Audi Cup... That's asking too much.
Perhaps Tottenham fans had sensed Xia Qi's thought.
They corrected him: "Lead us to win the World Cup; we've waited too long..."
Xia Qi breathed out—national team? That he could do. Since 1966 England had been on a long, long World Cup journey.
It's time to change!
Xia Qi pumped his fist and shouted to the fan: "Fight with me! Let's go to the World Cup in Brazil together!"
Tottenham fans burst into cheers on both sides; almost everyone took off their jackets to reveal England shirts underneath.
Damn, if you'd revealed your English fan identity earlier I wouldn't have been so startled...
"Xia, you're amazing—you've conquered the derby rivals."
Xia Qi deadpan replied: "We have! Mario."
Mario Balotelli rolled his eyes: "Think I'm stupid? I'm a Blues fan, you're a Gunners fan and so are they. We're not on the same road..."
After a little episode,
the next day the London paper that usually supported Arsenal wrote:
"More satisfying than the title is seeing your derby rivals kneel and sing 'Conquer.'"
Tottenham fans on White Hart Lane cheered only for England, not for Arsenal,
but when they stood on either side of the parade float,
Arsenal had already won!
When they cheered for Arsenal's star,
Arsenal had already won big...
...
2014 is a World Cup year.
Because Arsenal had a Champions League final to play,
Arsenal's players joined their national team training camps a week later than their teammates.
The day after the celebrations ended, Xia Qi, Luke Shaw and Theo Walcott hurriedly packed and reported to the national team training base. Fortunately the base was in London, saving them travel time.
Outside the base office building some players and staff formed a line to welcome the three back.
They made Xia Qi, Luke Shaw and Walcott blush and feel awkward.
Xia Qi modestly said: "You're embarrassing me. One Champions League isn't worth bragging about."
Steven Gerrard gave Xia Qi a playful kick on the backside and joked: "You stole my Champions League—do you want me to line up to welcome you? Be a human being!"
"Oh, not welcoming me—someone important is here?"
Joe Hart, Xia Qi's good friend at Manchester City, grinned wickedly: "We're welcoming our leader."
Xia Qi curiously asked: "Who? Has someone fallen out of favor and been stripped of the captaincy?"
Xia Qi puffed his cheeks at Gerrard.
George, Roy Hodgson's assistant, energetically stepped forward and took Xia Qi's hand: "You promised the Tottenham fans..."
Only then did Xia Qi realize.
He tossed his bag at Joe Hart's feet: "Why so lazy—you didn't even help carry my bag. Don't you want to improve?"
"Shut up!"
Raheem Sterling ambled out of the line with a grin, picked up the bag, and Xia Qi quickly took it back.
He and Joe Hart had been friends for years; joking was fine, but letting Sterling carry his bag felt a bit like bullying.
After the small episode, Xia Qi, Luke Shaw and Walcott changed into training kits and officially joined the squad.
Roy Hodgson selected 23 players for England's 2014 World Cup squad, planning a 4-2-3-1.
Three goalkeepers:
No. 1 starter Joe Hart (Manchester City),
No. 13 Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion) and No. 22 Fraser Forster (Celtic) as backups.
Seven defenders:
Starting right-back No. 2 Glen Johnson (Liverpool),
Center-back pairing No. 5 Gary Cahill (Chelsea) and No. 6 Phil Jagielka (Everton),
Left-back No. 23 Luke Shaw (Arsenal).
Luke Shaw had been a Southampton player in the original timeline as Aaron Lennon's replacement, now Lennon was Shaw's backup.
Substitute defenders: No. 16 Phil Jones (Manchester United), No. 12 Chris Smalling (Manchester United), No. 3 Leighton Baines (Everton).
Nine midfielders:
The defensive midfield double pivot, Hodgson copied from Liverpool: No. 4 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) and No. 14 Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) continued to cooperate for the national team.
Those two positions were the least controversial in Hodgson's lineup; England needed that solidity, because Xia Qi alone would not be enough.
The three attacking midfielders: right-wing No. 15 Theo Walcott (Arsenal), central attacking mid No. 7 Xia Qi (Arsenal), left-wing No. 19 Raheem Sterling (Liverpool).
Substitutes: No. 20 Adam Lallana (Southampton), No. 21 Ross Barkley (Everton), No. 8 Frank Lampard (Chelsea), No. 17 James Milner (Manchester City).
The most controversial substitute was Frank Lampard.
"The two Ls can't coexist" has long been England's biggest problem—until Xia Qi appeared.
Xia Qi could link up the two "L"s, but that meant squeezing out Henderson.
Deploying the European Golden Boot in a deeper midfield role would be considered wasteful by an England side determined to win the Cup—unacceptable.
Under massive social and media pressure, Hodgson lacked the courage to do that.
So Lampard had to be sacrificed.
However there were those who supported Lampard; Xia Qi had played deeper in qualifiers and England performed well.
In short, Lampard dropping out of the main squad was controversial.
The two warm-up matches before the World Cup would be key to whether he could revive his case.
Theo Walcott had not been in the national squad in the original timeline; thanks to Xia Qi, he and Luke Shaw made the squad and became hot properties in Europe, naturally replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
There was considerable debate over Xia Qi's position as the starting attacking midfielder—placing the European Golden Boot far from goal certainly drew objections.
In the Champions League final Xia Qi dropped back to De Bruyne's position and his excellent performance quieted many objections and gained him more supporters.
The lone striker was No. 10 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).
Substitutes: No. 9 Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), No. 11 Danny Welbeck (Manchester United), No. 18 Rickie Lambert (Southampton).
Rooney's declining form in 2014 as the main forward was also controversial—some argued that if Xia Qi's presence were not considered, Sturridge should lead the line because his league form was better.
This England squad was mainly young, averaging about 26 years old, many with fewer than five caps—new blood in abundance.
There were five Liverpool players, four Manchester United, three Arsenal, and players from smaller clubs too; this England squad was diverse.
On their first appearance,
when Roy Hodgson asked if anyone had questions, Xia Qi raised his hand.
"Boss, can I swap shirts with Theo?"
"Why? Number seven is a starting number—don't you want to take on more responsibility?"
"No, boss."
Theo stepped in for Xia Qi: "Boss, number seven is Cristiano Ronaldo's number."
"Haha..."
Sturridge quickly raised his hand: "Boss, I'll swap with Xia Qi."
Sturridge wears number 9, another starting shirt number—also the same number Xia Qi wore at the club.
Xia Qi was of course delighted; worried Hodgson might refuse, he took off his training top right away.
Xia Qi's original national-team number was 19; number 7 had been Jack Wilshere's, but he was injured.
Hodgson thought: with a talent like Xia Qi, if there's a free number 7, why hesitate?
Of course give it to Xia Qi! Yet he still hesitated.
With a month to go until the World Cup, Hodgson hadn't submitted the final list to FIFA, and squad numbers no longer carried the same special meaning.
He quietly allowed the swap.
Seeing Xia Qi in the No. 9 shirt smiling like a blossom, Hodgson couldn't help thinking he was still a kid!
...
The World Cup draw placed England with Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D.
Hodgson arranged a friendly against Belgium as a stand-in for Italy and another against Mexico as a stand-in for Uruguay. They'd play Belgium at home, then fly to Mexico for the next friendly, and finally head from Mexico to Manaus, Brazil.
The 2014 World Cup opened on June 13; on June 15 England would face Italy at Manaus's Arena da Amazônia.
(END CHAPTER)
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