long live football

The opening game of the 2004 Portuguese Euro Cup was the same as the two teams in the final, Portugal and Greece, and the final result was the same - Greece double-beat Portugal and won the Delaunay Cup from the Stadium of Light.

The birth of the new European champion has really made the world football lively for several days. The major media are busy summarizing the highlights and regrets in this European Cup, and by the way, praise the coach and players of the Greek team.

Greek coach Otto Rehagel was honored as "Otto the Great" by many fans when he led the newly promoted Kate Slautern to defeat Bayern and other giants and won the Bundesliga championship in 1997. He won the title of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great, and now he led the Greek team that was not favored by anyone before the game to win the European Championship, creating a new myth, the name of "Otto the Great" The number is widely spread in Europe.

However, football is always a place that likes the new and dislikes the old. Just a few days after the European Cup ended, the fans’ attention was immediately attracted by other news—the transfer of stars in major leagues, the replacement of the team’s new coach, And the gossip and lace news of the superstars.Or, for example, Ruud van Nistelrooy's wedding.

Van Nistelrooy's wedding was held in the Dutch town of Hofen, Hofen is located between Dun Bosch and Oss, Dun Bosch is where Ruud van Nistelrooy played for his first professional club, Oss is the place where he was born, and Hofen is the place where he was born. Fern is the place where Van Nistelrooy grew up with his girlfriend Leontienne.

Although the Dutch team did not perform well in the European Cup and was eliminated by Portugal in the semi-finals, Van Nistelrooy had always expressed to the media that he hoped that the wedding could be held in a low-key manner, but the number of people who came to the Netherlands from all over the world to visit Ruud van Nistelrooy's wedding There were still more than 5000 people, a small part of which may be due to the addition of heartthrob Beckham. Although he and his wife Victoria cannot be said to be the biggest guests at the wedding, they are definitely the most famous couple.

In order to ensure that the wedding was not disturbed, Van Nistelrooy also spent hundreds of thousands of pounds to hire a security company to guard the Paroche church where the ceremony was held.One advantage of this is that although all the guests were surrounded by the media, fans, and even town residents when they entered the venue, after they entered the venue, all the harassment disappeared, and the wedding ceremony was held. It is indeed very warm and full of happiness.

"Happy wedding!" After the ceremony, Van Nistelrooy and his wife chatted with the guests one by one on the lawn in dresses, and Carl handed over the wedding gift he had prepared in due course, a pair of custom-made crystal statues of the Van Nistelrooy couple, eyes and mouth Some of them are embellished with sapphire and red treasures. Coincidentally, the wedding dress worn by the Fannys on the statue is [-]-[-]% similar to the one they wore at their wedding today.

After unwrapping the gift, Leontien exclaimed excitedly: "It's so beautiful! It's very similar to me and Rude!" Fan Ni looked at the logo of the jewelry store on the crystal base, and deliberately talked to Karl with a straight face. He bumped his shoulder: "Why do you give such an expensive gift?"

Carl said with a smile: "I made a small fortune in the European Cup, so I gave it back to my friends by the way."

"Oh? How much did you earn?"

Carl smiled and waved his palm in front of Fanny's eyes.

"Next time you place a bet, you must inform your brother. I have always lost in gambling, and I have never tasted what it feels like to win." Fan Ni had a look of envy and hatred.

"I'm just lucky." Carl said modestly.

The European gaming industry is extremely developed, especially when the European Cup and the World Cup are held, almost every fan will bet on their luck.It is said that it is gambling luck, but it really depends on God's favor to win the money. The ever-changing and unpredictable football field, even the most senior fans and commentators, and even the famous coach stars in it, will be lost at the end of all games. Before, I didn't know which team could have the last laugh.

Karl didn't gamble in his previous life. He played betting during the European Cup, and he just wanted to test his eyesight. Unexpectedly, after a few games, he made money that would allow him to live comfortably for a long time.

After chatting for a while, Fanny took Carl to a buffet table: "Come on, let me introduce David to you. He has wanted to see you for a long time. David, Victoria!"

A stylishly dressed couple turned around, and probably no one in the football circle didn't know those two star faces.

"I don't think I need to introduce you to each other, but I'll introduce it formally." Ruud let go of Karl's arm and said with a smile: "David, Victoria, this is Karl, I think the only one in the team now He is the one who has never been given a cold face by the boss. Carl, this is David and Victoria, they have always said that they will find a chance to thank you."

As soon as Karl reached out his hand, Beckham held his palm: "If it weren't for you, I don't think I would be able to be here today, and I must regret not being able to attend my best friend's wedding. Thank you. "

The handsome face facing the heartthrob gave Carl a lot of visual impact. Fortunately, he was determined, but he immediately put on a humble smile: "The role I play is actually not very big. Sir, he...Although he is cruel at times, he is quite soft at other times."

Hearing Ferguson's name, Beckham's expression became a little depressed for a moment, but he still managed to smile and said, "David, just call me by my name."

"Then you have to call me Carl, or I will feel very uncomfortable." Carl thought for a while, then smiled: "It seems that you are three years older than me?"

"My birthday is May 75."

"Ah, sure enough, I was born in 78..."

"If you go to Madrid in the future, please be sure to come to the Bernabeu to find me." Beckham did not let go of Carl's hand until this time: "Although I am also in the groping stage for that city, it will definitely make you feel Madrid. The most beautiful side."

Carl joked: "Can you bring relatives?"

"It doesn't matter if you come to a football team!" The corners of Beckham's mouth curled up very charmingly: "Anyway, no matter how much you spend, you won't be able to eat me poorly."

Victoria has been smiling and watching her husband talking to Carl, occasionally interjecting a sentence or two, quite enlivening the atmosphere.At this moment, she doesn't feel as cold as what she saw on the entertainment section of the newspaper, but she looks very friendly.

Maybe some tabloid reports are right, Carl thought, Victoria does look like a cold outsider, but she is very kind and fun with her relatives and friends.

After talking to the Beckhams for a few words, Karl made an excuse and walked away. He wanted to find out where the Fergusons were now-at today's wedding, half of the guests did not pay full attention during the ceremony. The focus is on the newcomers, their eyes are always on Ferguson and Beckham, looking like they are waiting for a good show.

However, although Ferguson and Beckham did not say hello when they met, they did not take the initiative to conflict with each other. They avoided each other and walked away. If you want to be in the auditorium, I will stand outside. Calling people to talk at the same time made some people want to watch the fun but didn't watch it, and they were extremely disappointed.

Sure enough, at this time, the Beckhams were talking with several celebrities, and the Fergusons came to the outside of the lawn to appreciate the gardening there.

Carl walked over to greet them, and Katie hugged him warmly, but Ferguson said indifferently: "Have you heard the words of thanks?"

Carl smiled awkwardly.

Katie glared at her husband: "Why can't a friend attend a friend's wedding? What's more, David just took the initiative to greet you, and you ignored him first."

Ferguson turned a deaf ear to his wife's words, and walked inside with a straight face.

"I'll accompany him to have something to eat. He only drank a few glasses of champagne just now." Katie kissed Carl on the cheek, smiled and waved to him, then followed Ferguson and walked away.

Karl didn’t have a female companion, so he walked around the venue alone, saying hello to people he knew, and then being dragged to meet more people.

When the celebration was coming to an end and everyone was about to wish the couple a smooth honeymoon, a man suddenly came to Karl and said hello, "Mr. Karl Oston?"

Carl turned around and saw a middle-aged man wearing a three-piece suit, with black hair and brown skin, and a tall figure.

"Jorge Mendes." The visitor reported himself without waiting for Carl to speak, and handed over a business card: "A sports agent."

It turned out that he was the topic of the newspapers every day recently, no wonder he looked familiar to him.Carl greeted the other party with a smile, then took the business card, politely took out his wallet and stuffed it in: "I have heard you for a long time."

The name Jorge Mendes has been very popular in European football as soon as the transfer season comes, and it appears in the newspapers almost every day. He is called "the most powerful agent predator", and this summer's very sensational transfer In the transaction, Mourinho moved from Porto to Chelsea with a variety of generals, and it is rumored that Mendes was the one who brought it together.

There are also gossip claims that Mendes is a person who can manipulate the entire Portuguese football circle. After the coach's transfer, it was revealed that there was a shadow of Mendes in it.And Portugal is rich in stars, and Portuguese players are all over the five major leagues. With this in mind, it is not sensational to say that Mendes holds huge energy in his hands.

Mendes smiled modestly: "It's just that I know more people." After a pause, he asked, "Does Mr. Auston have an agent?"

"Agent?" Carl smiled and shook his head: "I don't need an agent."

"Mr. Orston, don't you think that the agent is just helping players and coaches transfer?"

"Transfers and commercials?" Carl shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know much about the profession of an agent."

"I can give you a brief overview of what a good agent can do." Mendes said confidently: "If you are worth 500 million euros, I can use some media hype and gimmicks to sell you I have contacted many well-known brands, and I can get you the best advertising contract; I will help you negotiate the annual salary, the biggest bottom line for a club, you can’t even imagine what you can get Numbers; if you are treated badly in the club, I can also help you put pressure on you to gain a foothold in the club, go further, and gain power directly; of course, for you coaches, I have another One advantage is that I have a lot of young and talented players in my hands, even contracts... This is not available to stars who are represented by their relatives."

Speaking of this, Mendes sneered: "In order to save a little commission, some stars use their relatives as agents, but most of those people know nothing about this industry, and they don't even have the slightest connection. No, they can't help players get a foothold in the team, they can't get good commercials, they can't get in touch with big clubs, and they can't even negotiate with the club for a salary increase. And the worst part of it, they suck their own brothers His blood sucks more than anyone else, and the transfers that come every two or three years only fatten his own pockets, and even a person like me can't bear to see it."

"Sounds very tempting." Carl touched his chin: "You told me this, do you want me to hire you as an agent?"

"Exactly. And don't worry, I am definitely not the kind of unscrupulous agent who only takes commissions. I will pay attention to your career development and provide any advice you need at any time."

"You'd almost convince me if it wasn't for my conviction that I really didn't need an agent."

Mendes' expression didn't seem to accept Carl's excuse: "Why don't you need an agent? Everyone needs one, unless he is unknown and has no strength."

Carl spread his hands: "But I really don't need it now, I'm even just a temporary teaching assistant."

"Mr. Alston, I can only say that I am very optimistic about you, and my eyesight has always been good. You will need me one day." Mendes smiled: "And I hope that if you want to have a If you are an agent, you can think of me first."

Carl shook hands with him, and smiled: "I will keep your business card well."

……

In 2004, the English club took the lead in the transfer market. Arsenal bought Jose Antonio Reyes from Sevilla for a club record 2560 million euros.Then Chelsea announced last season's Champions League champion. Porto coach Mourinho joined the Blues with his disciples Carvalho, Ferreira and others to become the new coach.

Although the loss of the team's main force was serious, Porto did not gain nothing. Chelsea paid 4800 million euros for their defender double stars Carvalho and Ferreira, which was more than the price paid by poaching Mourinho. .After spending tens of millions of euros, the Russian billionaire Abramovich still felt that it was not enough. He also bought Drogba from Marseille for 3600 million euros and Robben for 1800 million euros. At this point, the Blues fans concluded: Abramovich is true love for Chelsea.

La Liga giants Real Madrid used 1200 million euros to poach Michael Owen from Liverpool. The Galacticos added a new star-studded star, but they did not forget to supplement the defense while increasing their striker strength. Jonathan Wood Gate and Walter Samuel cost 4700 million euros.And Real Madrid's old rival Barcelona also bought Samuel Eto'o from Real Mallorca for 2400 million euros, preparing to build him into a new generation of core in the team.

The biggest transfers this summer are basically from the Premier League and La Liga. Compared with the Bundesliga and Serie A, the Bundesliga and Serie A seem to be a bit of a small deal. The Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich signed four players including Lucio, but it cost 2500 million euros. And AC Milan's biggest transfer deal was to poach central defender Yap Stam from Lazio for 1050 million euros.

Manchester United also broke their money in this transfer season, and they ushered in a new striker, Alan Smith, who was transferred from Leeds United, which was in deep economic crisis.But the transfer deal that made the Red Devils shine throughout the UK was not from Alan, but Manchester United bought Wayne Rooney from Everton for 2700 million pounds!

In this summer, the transfer transactions exceeding tens of millions of pounds in the Premier League emerged in endlessly. Chelsea almost spent hundreds of millions in the transfer market, and Liverpool, Arsenal and other Premier League teams also frequently bought people, but Wayne Rooney and those The difference between players is that he is a native Englishman.

The British may also be intoxicated by Henry's magnificent football skills, and hope that Drogba will have an outstanding performance in the Premier League, but because they are all non-British, they cannot make this proud nation truly have a sense of identity and support from the heart .Wayne Rooney is different. He is recognized as a future superstar. The English people have high hopes for him. Rooney came to Old Trafford. No matter what the original intention of Ferguson to buy him, he will undoubtedly win back a lot of hearts for Manchester United in the country. It also made the Everton fans who were poached feel heartbroken.