Chapter 448 The new king of three lions, the end of the prince
Hodgson’s words reminded everyone.
You know, as early as two years ago, Ling Feng had already led the Young Lions to win the European Youth Championship as the captain of England U21!
Of course, the youth team is different from the adult team, and the locker room is also more complicated.
However, Ling Feng’s leadership temperament is one of the important reasons why he will become the future leader of England fans.
Facing the reporter's question, Ling Feng also replied calmly:
"It's an honor to be one of the leaders of the team. For me, this will not change my attitude on and off the court. Attitude. "
"Whether I am the captain of the team or a member of the team, I will go all out to win for the team."
And at the press conference! Finally, Ling Feng also showed his captain's armband to reporters.
Facing the baptism of the spotlight and the sound of the shutter echoing in his ears, Ling Feng kept a smile on his face, but there was a ripple in his heart.
That's it?
Am I Captain Britain? !
Even though this is one of his ultimate goals in the Three Lions;
Even if he already knew this surprising news yesterday;
But he didn't I thought that the day when I became the captain of the Three Lions Army came so quickly!
Although he has not really reached the point where he is the talker of the Three Lions.
However, serving as the captain of the Three Lions for the first time still made him feel like he was in another world.
It was as if it was just yesterday that I was called up to the Three Lions for the first time and was personally taken to visit the St. George base by Gerrard.
Today, he has transformed and became the leader of the Three Lions when Rooney was away!
Of course, this is the reward of his efforts and rewards along the way!
If it weren't for him, the results of this three-lion team in the past two major competitions would not be satisfactory;
If it weren't for him, new-generation players such as Vardy, Lingard, Maguire, etc. He will not be called up by the national team in advance;
If it weren’t for him, Kane, Rashford, Sterling and other frontcourt players would not be able to score goals so easily;
To If it weren't for him, Hodgson would have lost his handsome position long ago and replaced it with a completely useless "South Gate"!
However, as a world-class team and the most popular national team, when this news was dropped like an atomic bomb, it immediately shocked the entire British football world and even European football.
Someone is shocked! Someone is happy! Someone is confused!
However, no one in England was surprised at all by Hodgson's decision.
On the contrary, most people think that this is a very wise and powerful decision, and they raise their hands to express their approval!
Nothing but Ling Feng’s performance was impeccable!
From the time the Three Lions made their debut in a warm-up match against Peru on May 30, 2014, to the eve of the friendly match against Germany on March 23, 2017, in just over two years, Ling Feng played 42 games for the Three Lions!
He personally contributed 20 goals and 29 assists, making him the player with the most goals and assists in the same period!
He also represented England in two international competitions, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 European Cup in France, and achieved outstanding results in the top eight of the World Cup and the semi-finals of the European Cup respectively.
He has also gone from a rookie who first joined the Three Lions, to the absolute core midfielder in the post-Double Germany era, to now the strongest man in England!
Everyone knows very well that the most indispensable person for the Three Lions now is the British star who is most likely to win the Ballon d'Or again in the past ten years and interrupt Melo's monopoly. !
The number one player Lineker immediately tweeted:
"A very wise decision!"
"Ling Feng's leadership qualities are innate! This young man will lead England to the championship in the future!"
And Beckham, Ferdinand, Lampard, Gerrard and other famous England players also expressed their recognition of Ling Feng becoming the leader of England on social media or in interviews.
Although Rooney is still the nominal leader of the team.
However, everyone can see that from the performance on the field, Ling Feng is the hero who has repeatedly stepped forward at critical moments!
The real British leader!
It is worth mentioning that after learning that Ling Feng was temporarily appointed as captain by Hodgson, Rooney not only sent a congratulatory message to Ling Feng, but also posted on social media that he and Ling Feng were fighting side by side. group photo.
And the text said:
"Congratulations@Lingfeng!"
"As the best young player in England, I have no doubt that Ling will become the leader of the ball. The leader of the team moving forward! ”
"He has a big heart that never admits defeat, fearless courage, and a cool head that makes correct decisions at critical moments."
"These are all excellent qualities for a captain and leader!"< br>
As the current captain of the Three Lions, Rooney's statement disappointed many media who planned to cause trouble.
They thought they could take the opportunity to create a wave of news that "Rooney and other players are very dissatisfied with Ling Feng's decision to serve as captain", and then attract a lot of eyeballs and traffic.
Ling Feng is also grateful for Rooney's vocal support.
Whether in the national team or in the club, Rooney is like a big brother and takes great care of Ling Feng.
As a result, he immediately responded on social media:
“Thank you, my captain @Rooney! I will try my best to apply what I have learned from my seniors on the field. Use it to make greater contributions to the team!”
. . .
March 22, 2017, is destined to be an important day recorded in the history of the Three Lions and Ling Feng’s personal career.
Germany, Westfalenstadion.
The stadium stands are packed with seats.
The loud singing of the fans can even penetrate the wall and reach the locker room where the players are.
In the visiting team's locker room, Ling Feng gave his first pre-match speech as captain.
Although he is about to usher in his debut as captain of the Three Lions!
However, Ling Feng is no stranger to the feeling of being the captain of a team.
After all, he once served as captain and led England U21 to win the European Youth Championship.
In his opinion, it is the same whether he was the captain of the U21 team at that time or the captain of the adult team now.
I am still the strongest in the team!
So, when Hodgson signaled, he immediately stood up from the locker, formed a circle with his teammates, and said loudly:
"Guys, many of you have been called up to join the team for the first time. I can understand that feeling very well..."
"As an experienced person, let me give you a suggestion, then Just don’t think too much! Enjoy every minute and every second on the court!”
“Dedicate yourself to the game, perform to your level, and when the whistle blows at the end of the game, you will You know how wonderful this feeling is!”
“For victory!”
“Forward, Three Lions”
As everyone shouted in unison, morale was suddenly mobilized.
Assistant coach Livington, who witnessed the whole process, turned to Hodgson and whispered:
"This kid is born to be the captain!"
Leave In the locker room, entering the player tunnel, Ling Feng, wearing a navy blue long-sleeved away jersey, stood at the front of the team for the first time. On his left arm, he wears the armband representing the captain!
In his hand, he also held the team flag used for exchange.
When the players from both sides lined up to enter the stadium, the Westfalenstadion suddenly burst into deafening cheers.
Many fans are shouting Podolski's name.
It is worth mentioning that this game, in addition to being Ling Feng’s debut as captain of the Three Lions, was also the 130th game for the German team "Prince Polti" Podol Ski's farewell to the national team!
Therefore, before the game, the German Football Association also held a simple farewell ceremony for this "prince" who was once the most popular among fans.
And Prince Polti also accepted the loud applause of the audience!
In this game, Hodgson mainly plays a newcomer who is inspecting.
Maguire, Lingard, Ward-Prowse, Livermore and other fringe international players, as well as new young players, all got the chance to start.
Germany, on the other hand, has adopted the configuration of the main defense force and newcomers in the frontcourt.
After all, it is a friendly match, so there is no need to take it so seriously.
What's more, as Germany's talents change and veterans retire, Loew must also consider giving more opportunities to newcomers.
After the farewell ceremony before the game, the opponent Ling Feng also came to the referee team, shook hands with Germany's captain Podolski, and sent his blessings:
" Lucas, I wish you good luck."
"Thank you."
Looking at Ling Feng who became the captain of England at a young age, and then thinking that he has reached the twilight of his career. , and is about to bid farewell to the five major leagues and the national team, Podolski can't help but feel a touch of inexplicable emotion and regret in his heart.
Compared to Ling Feng, who was like the sun hanging high in the sky, he was like a setting sun.
However, veterans will not die!
It will only fade slowly
After the captains of both sides exchanged team flags, there was also a pre-match ceremony of throwing coins to choose the venue.
Finally, England won the right to kick off.
As the home ground of Dortmund, many German fans in this stadium have witnessed with their own eyes Ling Feng's score twice in the Europa League quarter-finals last season, which completely defeated Dortmund!
In this game, Ling Feng, who served as captain of England for the first time, once again became the protagonist of the game!
Although there are many new international players in the starting lineup who have just been recruited into the team, their mutual understanding is not enough.
However, with Ling Feng on the court, the Three Lions will always have a backbone.
All teammates, once they are faced with the situation of not knowing how to handle the ball, or being pressed or pressed by the opponent, they only need to bear in mind one basic tactical requirement, which is:
Give the ball to Ling Feng!
As long as the ball is at the feet of Three Lions No. 7, there are infinite possibilities and huge threats!
As for the German tanks, Loew chose to put on a 352 formation that is very rare in today's football.
However, the Germans are not so adaptable to this new formation.
Ever since, what makes German fans very depressed is that England, playing away from home, actually suppressed them!
Moreover, at the 23rd minute of the first half, Ling Feng sent a through ball that was accurate to a millimeter, helping Vardy open the scoring.
In the second half, the German team used supernova Sane's side blast to create a threat in front of the goal. Podolski scored and equalized the score.
Just when the German team was about to gain momentum, Ling Feng stepped forward again!
In the 78th minute, the newly appointed captain of the Three Lions received a cross from club teammate Lingard and blasted a shot from the front of the penalty area, once again leading the score.
In the end, under the gaze of tens of thousands of German fans at the Westfalenstadion, Ling Feng, who served as captain for the first time, completed the pass and shot, leading the Three Lions to defeat the German team again after a year. At the same time, it also disrupted Prince Bolti's farewell battle.
However, after the game, Ling Feng also took the initiative to apologize to Podolski and exchange jerseys with him.
In the post-match interview, Podolski generously praised his opponent Ling Feng:
“I am very happy to complete the game in my last national team game. Goal."
"Ling Feng? He said he was sorry that he couldn't let me bid farewell to the national team with a victory. I told him that it didn't matter, this was a game that would definitely be memorable to me. ."
"In my opinion, this young man is very outstanding and very humble! In my opinion, I believe he will definitely become a great player like Melo!"
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After the game, Ling Feng also received high recognition from German coach Loew.
“What impressed me most about Ling is his superb golf intelligence. I think his imagination on the court is absolutely incredible.”
As his performance on the court gets better and better. Coming to burst, Ling Feng has become more and more amazing, and Ling Feng has been praised by many people in the industry and opponent players.
In addition to the famous players from England and Manchester United who boast all kinds of tricks every day, superstars from other countries also gave him very high praise.
Even football king Maradona claimed in an interview that Ling Feng was outstanding and the best English player he had ever seen after watching his game.
To measure whether a player is strong or not, it is not about bragging about himself every day and saying that he is a goat all day long.
But look at what his opponents say about him!
When all the players who have played against him think he is very strong, then that is true strength!
. . .
After the friendly match with Germany, the Three Lions also returned to London on a special plane and ushered in the fifth round of the World Cup European Qualifiers at Wembley Stadium.
As a seeded team, England was placed in Group F of the European preliminaries.
The opponents in the same group include five teams: Slovakia, Malta, Slovenia, Scotland, and Lithuania.
In the previous four games, England sang all the way and achieved four consecutive victories, defeating all four other teams in the same group except Lithuania!
Four consecutive wins, worthy of being the king of the qualifiers!
Although other opponents in this group basically have no ability to threaten England.
Moreover, this game is still at their home court, facing a European fish belly like Lithuania.
However, in order to prevent the players from becoming complacent, Hodgson still played most of the main players.
Ling Feng still serves as the team captain.
Considering that Rooney will return from injury on the next international match day, he will also have to hand over his captain's armband.
In this game, Ling Feng showed no mercy at all, scoring his first hat-trick on behalf of the Three Lions in just halftime!
After raising the number of goals scored by his national team to 24 goals, he successfully surpassed the former England legend Woodward, who scored 23 goals, and climbed to the ninth place in the Three Lions' historical scorer list.
He is also the player with the most goals after Rooney among active players!
With 24 goals in 44 games, Ling Feng’s scoring efficiency for the national team is also very good.
It is worth mentioning that he ranks second in the Three Lions' historical assists list with 30 assists, second only to his idol Beckham.
The efficiency of assists is even more amazing!
This is exactly what Ling Feng planned for himself:
Goals and assists, I want them all!
(End of this chapter)