Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

Chapter 78 First-hand news should be shared with our own people.

Chapter 78 First-hand news should be shared with our own people.

It was already 11:30 p.m. when Zhang Kuang walked out of the hotel.

The night breeze of Lyon brushed against his face, carrying a slight chill. He stood at the hotel entrance, looked up at the night sky, and took a deep breath.

The conversation he had just had was still replaying in his mind.

Manchester United.

Ferguson.

Three years.

Win the Champions League.

Help him get the Golden Ball?

All of this happened too fast.

He originally thought he would go to Juventus, experience that nine-year dynasty, win nine Serie A titles, and then try to win the Champions League.

But Ferguson's arrival changed everything.

Sigh, never mind, never mind, I won't think about it anymore.

Jonathan: "Zhang, are you really going to Manchester United?"

Zhang Kuang: "We've already come this far, so what's the point of being coy? You guys go talk to Manchester United. My three conditions are my bottom line. Try your best to get as much as possible for me as possible."

Jonathan chuckled: "Well, Juventus is probably cursing up now. They're building a team around you and have already contacted relevant players."

Zhang Kuang spread his hands helplessly: "There's nothing I can do. If they're willing to wait, then let's wait three years. When I leave Manchester United, I'll choose Juventus first."

Jonathan chuckled, "You're so obsessed with Juventus? Is there some kind of Juventus dream?"

Zhang Kuang spat, "Bullshit, I'm only going there because I think they can win the championship. I don't have any dreams for any team. Oh, right, three years from now, Bayern—no way, Guardiola will be coaching Bayern then, I'd better go to Juventus."

Jonathan: "Not considering other teams?"

Zhang Kuang: "Well, we'll see when the time comes. Liverpool is an option, but I'd get killed if I went to Liverpool right after leaving Manchester United. Why think that far ahead? Let's talk about Manchester United first."

Jonathan: "Yeah, don't worry, leave it to me. By the way, I have an interview scheduled for you on CCTV-5 tomorrow, so don't party too hard tonight."

"Okay, I understand. Just send me the itinerary."

After getting into the car, he took out his phone and froze.

Missed calls: 23.

Unread messages: 47.

Before he could even look at it, his phone vibrated again.

Caller ID: Marina Durand.

He answered the call.

"Zhang!" Marina's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Where are you?"

"Leon."

"Did you just see Ferguson?"

Zhang Kuang was stunned for a moment.

How did you know?

"Reporters have taken photos of you and Jonathan entering a hotel!" Marina's voice rose. "The photos are already online! Everyone's speculating whether you're about to sign with Manchester United!"

Zhang Kuang remained silent for two seconds.

Are you interviewing me, or asking me a question?

"Both of them!" Marina said. "Zhang, if you want me to have an exclusive, I'll come to you right now."

Zhang Kuang thought for a moment.

Since it's already been photographed, instead of letting others speculate, let Marina go first.

"Come on, all of you," he said. "If you want important information, you have to pay a price, don't you think?"

"Ha, I'd be happy to. I just wonder if you still have the energy after playing such a high-intensity match?"

"You doubt my abilities? Well, you'd better watch out later."

"Oh no, please give me some time to write a report, okay?"

"We'll see."

The phone hangs up.

"Want me to book a hotel room for you? What kind would you like?" Jonathan asked from the driver's seat.

"Be discreet, and don't use my name."

"Don't worry, it'll be arranged right away."

Zhang Kuang leaned back in his seat, opened his phone's browser, and searched for his own name.

The search results page took a full five seconds to load—which is almost abnormal on a 4G network in France.

The first news item was from L'Equipe, with the headline: "Manchester United close to signing Ligue 1 Golden Boot after a wild post-match meeting with Ferguson."

The second article is from The Sun, with an even more exaggerated headline: "Ferguson meets with Zhang Kuang after watching his game; Chinese prodigy is about to land in the Premier League."

The third article is from Gazzetta dello Sport: "Juventus panics: Arrogant meeting with Ferguson, Manchester United poised to hijack the deal."

Zhang Kuang looked at these headlines and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

These reporters were much faster than he had imagined.

Half an hour later, Marina entered a hotel with Gillia Leotta, Camille Servi, and Lucy Duval.

Marina was wearing a black trench coat, her blonde hair slightly disheveled by the night wind, and her face held a look unique to journalists.

The excited expression when discovering big news.

The other three also disguised themselves slightly and then followed along with some excitement.

Once inside Zhang Kuangkai's room, Marina couldn't wait to ask questions.

"Zhang!" she rushed over. "You really saw Ferguson?"

Zhang Kuang shrugged: "Don't rush, sit down and have some water first."

The four sat down. Zhang Kuang held two of them on his lap, groping them all over. Another one was squatting there, shaking her head because her neck hurt a little.

To put it arrogantly, only one person needs to conduct the interview and record the data; the other three don't need to participate in the interview and might as well do something else.

Marina: "Zhang, you really met Ferguson? What did you talk about?"

Zhang Kuang spat out the grapes in his mouth: "If we meet, what else can we talk about but the possibility of joining Manchester United?"

Marina: "So, are you going to join Manchester United?"

Zhang Kuang: "I'm considering it, but now is not the time to talk about it. Auxerre still has the French Cup title to win, and I want to focus on winning the French Cup first before considering which club to join."

Marina: "So what do you think of Ferguson? Did he offer you any terms?"

Arrogant: "Ferguson is a great coach and a very good person. He must have offered some conditions, but I have no formal cooperation or formal contract with Manchester United. The so-called conditions are just verbal agreements and are not suitable to be mentioned."

Marina: "If you were to go to Manchester United, what do you think would be your biggest challenge?"

Zhang Kuang: "Difficulties? There aren't any major difficulties, except for teamwork. I'm not worried about scoring goals, but if we want to compete for the championship, teamwork is very important, so that's the relatively bigger difficulty."

Marina: "Was salary discussed? Do you think you'll get the same salary as Rooney?"

Zhang Kuang laughed and said, "I'm only interested in winning championships and the Golden Boot when I play football. As for salary, I don't care. As long as it's commensurate with my market value and in line with market rates, that's fine. If you offer me a price below market rates, that would be disrespectful."

Marina: "What is the market situation?"

张狂：「行简单啊，一个赛季能进10球的前锋是什幺薪水？一个赛季进20个球的是什幺薪水？30、40球的又是什幺薪水？总不能一个赛季进40个球，拿着等同于进10个球的球员的薪水吧？那就是不尊重我了。」

Marina: "I heard other teams have contacted you? Can we talk about it? Which teams are they? What conditions have they offered? What kind of team do you prefer?"

Zhang Kuang: "I've indeed been contacted by quite a few teams, but I can't disclose the conditions they offered. As for the teams I prefer..."

I think there are a few qualities I need: First, I need the ability and ambition to win championships consistently. I don't want to go to a team that can't win championships consistently. Second, I need to be rich. Teams that can win championships consistently are usually rich. Teams that don't have money might win a championship once in a while, but it won't last long.

Thirdly, it needs good management and a good team. Good management and a good team make people feel comfortable, rather than causing locker room incidents at every turn.

Marina: "Is there anything else?"

Zhang Kuang: "No, why would a player like me make so many demands? This is enough."

Marina: "There aren't many wealthy families like that, then—"

After Marina finished interviewing Zhang Kuang and writing the article, two of her sisters were already limp and exhausted, and the last one was almost unable to continue. It was Marina's turn to go on stage soon.

Marina: "Zhang, give me 5 minutes, 5 minutes."

Arrogant: "You've been writing this article for three hours, is it that hard? No way—"

Marina: "No, I have to write four different ones. The four of us can't possibly publish the same one, can we?"

Zhang Kuang: "Then let's write as we go—"