Chapter 6

In the days following, the football world was in an uproar as news of a mysterious Chinese-English youth named Joe Wanxian being appointed as the new Chelsea manager spread, causing a seismic shock in the global football community. In countries like France, Germany, England, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, and Brazil, where football is immensely popular, Joe Wanxian's name was the hottest topic of discussion.

On June 12, the European Championship officially opened, but the news of Joe Wanxian's appointment as Chelsea's manager seemed even more shocking than Portugal's 1-2 upset loss to Greece in the opening match.

Who is he?

This was everyone's first reaction upon hearing the news!

The English media, such as The Sun, published articles like this:

"The 04-05 Premier League will no longer see the four giants competing for the title. Ferguson, Wenger, and Benitez will launch a strong challenge for the Premier League championship this season. It is foreseeable that Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool will secure the top three spots in the new season, while Chelsea will be fortunate to secure a place in the European leagues..."

Of course, the most heated and intense discussions took place in China. Major sports media outlets detailed this historically significant news for Chinese football, with front-page headlines like:

"Chinese Blood Conquers European Giants"

"The Red Dragon Soars, the Blue Lions Rise"

"Mysterious Chinese-English Man Conquers Europe!"

On various websites' international football sections, netizens' comments were even more chaotic:

"Hope for Chinese football!"

"The editor is talking nonsense, it's definitely fake news!"

"Second-floor comments are always full of **!"

"Watching the second floor, maintaining formation!"

"Although he has Chinese blood, I have no hope for this Joe Wanxian."

"Finished, my car is scrapped..."

The most heated debates were in China, but the most intense actions were in London!

Last night, Joe Wanxian's apartment was attacked by hundreds of extreme fans. Despite security, many bricks, socks, jerseys, bras, and used condoms were thrown into the complex, expressing their firm resistance to Joe Wanxian and their strong dissatisfaction with Chelsea's decision.

Joe Wanxian had anticipated all of this and was not bothered by it. Accompanied by club executives like Kenyon, he flew to Portugal.

Kenyon's task was simple: to persuade Boas to join Chelsea as an assistant coach, while Joe Wanxian went to the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon to watch a classic Euro match, France vs. England.

England's starting lineup was: Goalkeeper James; defenders Neville, Terry, Campbell, and Ashley Cole; midfielders Beckham, Gerrard, Scholes, and Lampard; forwards Rooney and Owen. They lined up in a classic 4-4-2 formation.

France's starting lineup was: Goalkeeper Coupet; defenders Gallas, Thuram, Bumson, and Sagnol; midfielders Dhorasoo, Vieira, Makelele, and Zidane; forwards Henry and Trezeguet. They also lined up in a 4-4-2 formation.

Overall, the Three Lions had a significant advantage over France in the World Cup, but in the European Championship, England had never beaten the French.

So, England's coach Eriksson stated at the pre-match press conference that the players would fight for England's honor and were determined to defeat France!

With the referee's whistle, the match began.

Joe Wanxian sat in the England fan section of the south stand, wearing sunglasses and maintaining a calm expression, unlike the other fans who were shouting and cheering wildly.

At the 20th minute, a young man wearing black sunglasses suddenly appeared on the big screen. After a brief pause, the crowd erupted into loud laughter.

"Is that the new Chelsea manager, Joe Wanxian?"

"Yes, he's actually here to watch the game!"

"Of course, he's English, so he has to come to support the team!"

Many rational fans were speaking up for Joe Wanxian, but the majority of the tens of thousands of fans were laughing and booing. Joe Wanxian remained calm, as if none of this affected him, and he focused intently on the game.

At the 38th minute, the game reached its first climax. Beckham made a long diagonal pass from the right flank, and his signature "banana kick" found Owen, who was making a high-speed run. Owen's powerful shot was blocked by Gallas, and the ball landed at the feet of Lampard, who was lurking at the edge of the penalty area.

Without hesitation, Lampard struck the ball with a powerful shot that flew into the top right corner of the goal. Despite Coupet's best efforts, he could not touch the ball. 1-0! England took the lead!

"GOOOOOAL! The ball is in, Frank Lampard! The Chelsea player has scored the first goal for our great England team, a world-class shot, a perfect strike!"

The English commentator was very excited, speaking quickly and passionately. After a burst of enthusiasm, he added with a laugh, "I heard that the new Chelsea manager, Joe Wanxian, has already appointed Lampard as the team's vice-captain. It seems this guy has a good eye for talent..."

The south stand of the Estadio da Luz was a sea of joy, with English fans shouting and celebrating their victory.

Joe Wanxian remained expressionless, but his heart was racing. The scene was incredibly exhilarating! The deafening cheers and support could energize anyone!

Eriksson, a conservative coach, chose to play defensively after taking the lead, relying on Beckham's long passes and the speed of Owen and Rooney for counterattacks.

For a while, the game became unattractive, with constant turnovers and counter-attacks. The French fans grew restless, throwing trash at the English fan section, while the English fans continued to celebrate as if they had already won.

After the first half's climax, the game became more subdued. After the halftime break, Eriksson's defensive tactics made the second half even more boring, to the point where Joe Wanxian almost fell asleep.

At the 85th minute, the camera caught Joe Wanxian again, but this time it showed him leaving.

The English commentator laughed, "It seems the adorable Mr. Wanxian believes victory is already in our hands, so he has left early! Indeed, France's tactics have been completely neutralized in this match..."

After leaving the Estadio da Luz, Joe Wanxian found that about six or seven media outlets were waiting for him at the entrance.

Who was the most attention-grabbing person in the current football world? Not the famous Ronaldinho, not the Euro masters Zidane and Figo, not the brilliant newcomers Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney, but the new Chelsea manager, Joe Wanxian!

The mysterious Chinese-English youth!

The media present were mainly from three countries: France, England, and Portugal. As an Englishman, Joe Wanxian naturally smiled at the English media.

"Hello, Mr. Wanxian, I'm a reporter from The Sun. I'm glad you agreed to be interviewed." The reporter was a blonde woman with a sweet appearance.

Joe Wanxian frowned and then smiled, "The Sun? The newspaper that has criticized me to no end?"

The blonde reporter looked embarrassed and said awkwardly, "That was written by our chief editor; we junior reporters have no say in it..."

Joe Wanxian waved his hand generously, "Alright, I'll give you one question!"

The blonde reporter was delighted and quickly asked, "Mr. Wanxian, did you leave early because you believed England had the match in the bag? Can you comment on England's performance in this match?"

Joe Wanxian's face darkened, and he said with deep sorrow, "In the bag? I left because I didn't want to see England suffer a comeback defeat!"

This statement caused an uproar among the journalists surrounding him. With only five or six minutes left in the match, he was saying that France would come back to win? Was he joking?

Almost all the journalists shook their heads in disbelief, and a few even laughed mockingly. What a fool, England's ironclad defense left no chance for France. It was hard to understand how Chelsea's executives chose such a man to be the team's manager.

The blonde reporter felt she had another news opportunity and asked, "Mr. Wanxian, do you really think England will lose this match?"

Joe Wanxian ignored the mocking journalists and sighed, "Eriksson's tactics are utterly incompetent. Under his leadership, England has no chance of winning the title!"

Seeing Joe Wanxian about to leave, the journalists hurriedly followed, shouting, "Mr. Wanxian, what tactics do you think can lead England to victory?"

"An all-out attacking style of football!" Joe Wanxian waved his hand and walked away.

After Joe Wanxian left, the journalists could no longer contain their laughter, and some even laughed until tears streamed down their faces.

However, when they returned to the stadium, everyone was stunned, as if struck by lightning, standing motionless.

The scoreboard showed 2-1, France leading!

Upon further inquiry, they learned that in the injury time, France had scored two goals in three minutes, with Zidane scoring a free kick and a penalty, miraculously reversing the match and securing their first victory in the Euro.

"God, is he a prophet? How did he predict it so accurately?"

All the journalists' minds were in chaos, dazed and confused, not knowing what to think.

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