Chapter 162: The Secrets Behind the Golden Globe and Golden Boy Awards (Part 1)
After Roma replaced most of their main players, the huge gap in strength made Venice lose all their confidence.
The only counterattack they launched was taking advantage of the fact that Karsdorp did not return to defense in time and Mancini's physical strength decreased and his turning was slower. Okereke received the pass from Harps on the left and rushed forward.
But in the end he was caught up by Chen Xiaoliang who was chasing back at full speed. Seeing that this Red Country boy had a psychological trauma, Okereke did not dare to have physical contact with him and had to go to the outside. His last shot at a small angle hit the target and ended in a hasty manner.
However, Venice's 8-2-0 formation left Roma with no better options.
After all, Chen Xiaoliang's penalty just now was largely due to luck, and no one expects this kind of thing to happen again in a short period of time.
After Mourinho went against his original intention and sent on Chen Xiaoliang, Zaniolo and others, he was still determined to let Cesco rest.
Without a fulcrum, Abraham, Pellegrini and others who were trapped in the muscle pile in the penalty area could not stand. In this case, even if Chen Xiaoliang's cross was accurate, these people's headers without the support of body balance would hardly pose a threat to the goal.
What's more, there is an experienced goalkeeper Romero standing in front of the goal.
Although his market value has dropped to only 700,000 euros, he has fought for many years and won many championships. He even participated in the 2014 World Cup final as the starting goalkeeper - that is also the eternal pain of his career.
Although he has not been given many opportunities to play since the beginning of his time at Manchester United, the Argentine's hard work has been recognized by all parties.
After coming to the newly promoted team in Serie A, he did not show off his past qualifications and continued to fight in every game with his teammates.
At this moment, he defended the team's last dignity with his repeated high catches and made time pass quickly.
In the end, Roma fired 27 shots, 12 on target, and scored 3 goals;
Venetians had 9 shots, 7 on target, and scored 3 goals.
Ball possession rate 39% vs. 61%.
The failure to attack and defend effectively caused Roma to miss 3 points again.
But it happened that the top four teams in the standings all drew in this round.
Napoli drew 1-1 with Verona at home and continued to lead with 31 points;
The Milan derby also ended in a 1-1 draw, with Inter Milan scoring both goals. Calhanoglu scored from a penalty in the first half and Dumfries scored an own goal in the second half. The first Milan derby of the season ended in such a slightly humorous plot.
AC Milan ranks 2nd with 30 points, Inter Milan ranks 4th with 25 points, tied with Roma;
Juventus defeated Fiorentina 1-0, gained valuable 3 points and returned to seventh place in the league;
Atalanta ranked fifth with 21 points, having performed well. They beat Cagliari 1-2 away this round.
In sixth place is Lazio with 18 points, who beat Salatania 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
There was nothing interesting in the post-match press conference. Mourinho did not talk about the referee, although he still believed that the penalty awarded to Venice was false.
But he has already been in the stands three times this season, and if he is punished again, it may be a more severe suspension, and he may not even be allowed to enter the stadium.
The board has "subtly" reminded him that they respect Mourinho's personality but the club does not want to create an image of a "troublemaker".
Compared to Mourinho's rare calm speech, Venice head coach Javorzic praised the players' performance. He thought it was a pity not to win, but getting 1 point against a strong team was very precious for relegation.
Romero, who performed well and made 9 saves, also joined the "bright blow" team after the game.
He attended the press conference with head coach Javorzic, saying that Chen Xiaoliang's ability would undoubtedly allow him to gain a starting position in the Argentina national team, and that apart from Messi, he had not seen any player who had the ability to change the game at the age of 17.
However, he also implicitly stated that if Chen Xiaoliang had not come on as a substitute in the second half, Venice would definitely have scored more goals and won the game.
In the minds of the vast majority of Argentines, Maradona and Messi are symbols of inviolability and are the undisputed best players in the world. Praising Messi as the best in the world is a kind of "political correctness."
The fact that Chen Xiaoliang could be compared to a young Messi was enough for reporters to write half a page of coverage in the weekend newspaper.
However, for the tired Chen Xiaoliang, the long-awaited international competition period has finally arrived, and he has also gained a rare period of rest and adjustment time.
After returning to the hotel and having a deep sleep that night, the team rushed back to Rome together the next day, while the players who had international competition missions flew directly to various places to meet up with their respective national teams.
In the last game, we defeated Mura 1-0 and gained 7 skill points. With the double bonus of this season's European competition rewards, we finally got 14 skill points.
Skill value 25 → 39
In this game, we drew 3-3 with Venice. We neither won nor conceded a goal. We only got a pitiful 3 training points. Combined with the sporadic training time in the past few days, the training value increased by a total of 8 points.
Training value 16 → 24
However, Chen Xiaoliang has already made a 12-day training plan, and he wants to greatly improve his training value.
But on the next day off, Mourinho sent him an intriguing text message:
"Chen, find time to meet the female reporter in Turin as soon as possible."
What? Chen Xiaoliang was confused after seeing this.
Why did the head coach suddenly say this? Did the female reporter contact him directly?
However, Mourinho, who never interfered with Chen Xiaoliang's time outside of training, said this for the first time. He must have his reasons, so Chen Xiaoliang sent a text message to Portman.
The other party quickly replied:
"It seems that I am not charming enough. I can only rely on the head coach to meet our big star alone."
It turns out that she really did look for Mourinho.
Chen Xiaoliang did not argue with her in text messages and directly made an appointment for a meeting place.
Portman insisted on a private meeting and refused the presence of her agent, while Chen Xiaoliang was very reluctant to be photographed having a private meeting with a hot female reporter, especially since Portman once used her private meeting with Mbappe to earn traffic for herself.
If he were photographed by paparazzi from other media, he would have a long-term place in the gossip pages.
Portman chose a country park, and when he saw the address, it happened to be the place where he and Helena studied for the driving test last time.
It's always important to be on guard against others. He still doesn't know why Portman wants to meet with him again and again.
In case there was an ulterior motive, the two of them met in the suburbs and she took a secret photo of them in the car.
That's totally hard to explain.
In the end, Chen Xiaoliang chose a location that made Portman very satisfied - the Godfather's estate in the suburbs of Rome.
Unexpectedly, Portman agreed immediately.
Chen Xiaoliang also wanted to understand why Portman called to inform him when he was .
In addition, anyone who wanted to enter the manor had to be strictly searched, so Portman could not bring any equipment for secret recording or filming.
Chen Xiaoliang told Helena about this. After thinking it over, he decided to play it safe first. Just in case something goes wrong, he would have a clear explanation.
Helena had seen Portman interview Chen Xiaoliang in a previous competition, and she was accompanying Erica in Germany to recover from an injury at the time.
"Chen, how old is that female reporter?"
After living with Chen Xiaoliang for more than a year, Helena, who had been to the Red Country for exchange and study and learned Chinese, had already mastered a very good level of Chinese. The two often used Chinese when they spoke together.
"Uh..." Chen Xiaoliang hesitated.
"What's wrong with you? I'm just curious, is she older or am I older?"
"Um...it seems like she's older..."
"How old?"
"It is estimated that there are about 38 Ai..."
"Ah? This female reporter is so old? I thought she was only 30 years old at most."
"Ahem..." Chen Xiaoliang was glad that he only said "Ai" and didn't have time to say the "Fu" behind it...
"Maybe I saw it wrong. You should be more accurate..."
After Helena told Chen Xiaoliang to be careful, David drove Chen Xiaoliang away.
Chen Xiaoliang had already called the number that the Godfather had left him last time. When the Godfather's confidant heard that what Chen Xiaoliang wanted to talk about was just such a small matter, he immediately agreed.
No matter where you go, in the East or the West, the rules of the underworld are the same: you have to keep your word if you want to survive in this world.
As the Godfather's subordinates, they have to do what he says.
When I arrived at the Godfather's manor, I didn't expect that the people guarding the gate at the foot of the mountain were the same people who had caused trouble for Chen Xiaoliang in Chinatown last time.
A few minions were specially sent by the Godfather's confidants to welcome Chen Xiaoliang, which could be regarded as repaying the favor they had done before.
When they saw that it was David driving, they were even more respectful. After all, that beating was something they would never forget...
Chen Xiaoliang and David got out of the car. Several thugs politely touched their waists and pockets, and scanned them with metal detectors to confirm that there was nothing else except the cell phone. They then asked the two to get back into the car. Then they got into a 70s-style car and led the way, and soon brought Chen Xiaoliang to a grape orchard halfway up a mountain.
"Mr. Chen, your friend has arrived. We are waiting outside the orchard so as not to disturb you."
Chen Xiaoliang couldn't help but sigh in his heart as he saw the Mafia gang members who had been so arrogant and aggressive in Chinatown last time now becoming submissive and humble.
David gave Chen Xiaoliang a look, signaling him to be careful, then drove the car to the open space on the side, stood outside the car, lit a cigarette, and waited silently.
Chen Xiaoliang walked in and found a room where red wine and cigars were stored. Portman had indeed arrived and was standing in front of a wine cabinet, examining the wine inside.
"Hey! The big star is coming!"
Portman was delighted to see Chen Xiaoliang coming.
When Chen Xiaoliang saw her turn around, his nose immediately felt sore and he almost had a nosebleed...
This...is not F anymore, okay...
The two sat opposite each other, and Chen Xiaoliang pretended to look at the displays and decorations around him, trying hard not to focus his eyes on Portman.
"What does the big reporter want to see me about?" Chen Xiaoliang asked.
"So you're the type who likes to get straight to the point?"
"You asked the head coach to let me meet you. You didn't ask me to meet you just to chat with you, did you?"
"Yes, there is something wrong, but don't you have any other questions for me first?"
Seeing that things had come to this point, Chen Xiaoliang just spoke frankly.
"Last time in Chinatown, why did you know that the Blackfoot gang here was going to cause trouble for me?"
"That's it?" Portman smiled smugly.
"What is your purpose in taking the initiative to tip off? What is it?"
"Yeah." Portman nodded, "Any more questions?"
"Your original name is Maria Luisa Jacobelli, why did you use Portman's name to address me?" Chen Xiaoliang continued to ask.
"Hey, it turns out that the big star is quite interested in me. Anything else?"
"That's all."
"Okay, I'll answer you."
Portman began her introduction.
In European football, the media and clubs are inseparable.
More secretive clubs will secretly establish cooperative relationships with the media to leak information, promote, and even take sides for themselves in order to influence public opinion among local fans.
In La Liga and Serie A, it is an open secret that the clubs have their own dedicated media outlets.
Even these media themselves are operated with funds from the club.
The most famous ones are Real Madrid's "Marca" and "AS", Barcelona's "Mundo Deportivo" and "Diablo". These four newspapers are also the best-selling sports newspapers in Spain.
AC Milan's "Gazzetta dello Sport", Juventus' "Torino Sport", Roma's "Corriere dello Sport", like La Liga, these three newspapers are also the top three in sales of Italian sports newspapers.
In the Premier League, Manchester United has the Manchester Evening News, Arsenal has the London Evening News, and Liverpool has the Echo.
However, because these British media mouthpieces are not as blatantly and one-sidedly biased as their Spanish and Italian counterparts, and even try to whitewash black, they are actually less well-known.
Of course, small and medium-sized teams also have their own mouthpiece newspapers, such as Real Sociedad’s “Basque Daily”, Athletic Bilbao’s “Basque Post”, and so on.
Portman's father, Javier Jacobelli, was once the editor-in-chief of two media outlets, Turin Sports Daily and Corriere dello Sport. He is also an influential figure in Italian football.
This involves a complex concept, the connection between the media, agents, transfers and awards.
Take those top teams as an example. Every summer, or even in March and April when the league is about to come to an end, all kinds of news about a certain top team signing a certain player, or a certain player being watched by many top teams will emerge everywhere.
According to Portman, among these ten news stories, only one has a confirmed source. So how did the other nine come about?
It was the club or the agent who contacted the media to deliberately spread the news.
The purpose is also obvious, which is to increase the player's exposure and get the attention of other media and scouts by contacting the giants. Once the publicity is successful, it is very likely to attract tentative inquiries or even direct transfer offers.
If it fails, the player's fame and transfer rumors will also have a positive impact on the player's contract renewal and salary increase in the current club.
This is why those newspapers that know they are criticized by the outside world as "toilet newspapers" continue to release random news.
There is nothing shameful in making money.
But this approach can also have disadvantages.
In Portman's view, Cesco is a counterexample.
Not long after Red Bull Salzburg bought him, they began to release news in the media, labeling him as the "second Haaland".
The Red Bull system, which is good at discovering young players and achieving premium value-added through youth training and competitions, has its own football clubs and scout networks in Germany, Austria, the United States, Brazil and Ghana - every continent except Asia.
They originally wanted to transfer Cesco to Bundesliga RB Leipzig after the end of this season. After 2-3 seasons of training, they would tear off the label of "the second Haaland" from Cesco and make him truly "the first Cesco". However, they did not expect that his premature fame would attract the uninvited guest Riise... They paid the penalty and poached him halfway.
However, these are only for general players. For high-level players, especially the core players of giants, another important matter is involved - awards.
Behind every wealthy family, there is a huge lobbying group.
The media and team legends appear on the stage, and they will frequently speak out for the players supported by the club during the award season.
The most typical example is when Ronaldo and Messi competed for the Golden Ball Award in those years.
In fact, behind this is an all-round competition between the two top clubs.
Behind the scenes are club officials, players’ agents and their country’s football associations.
When there are obvious differences in players' performances, such as the years when Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles, it will not play a very obvious role. After all, an award like the Ballon d'Or, which has a long history and influence and credibility in world football, still has to be based on players' performance as the most important basis.
When the players' performances are very close and no one outside can predict who will win the championship in the end, that's when these lobbying groups play a huge role.
Portman naturally mentioned the competition for the 2021 Golden Globe Awards.
Lewandowski has performed exceptionally well for the club, Jorginho captained the Italian team to win the European Cup, and also won the Champions League with Chelsea.
And ahead of them, the one leading the odds is still the eternal favorite - Messi.
Chen Xiaoliang asked Portman who she thought would be the final winner. After all, Chen Xiaoliang, who had traveled back in time, already knew the answer.
However, Portman told Chen Xiaoliang with a unique confidence that Messi would definitely be the winner.
The reason is very simple. The Golden Globe Award is decided by voting by 170 journalists from all continents. Each journalist selects 5 people. The first place gets 6 points, the second place gets 4 points, followed by 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point.
Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport also have journalists eligible to judge the awards.
From the mutual understanding in the journalist circle, they have long known that in Europe and Africa, which is very closely related to European football, most reporters will choose Lewandowski as the first player, followed by Jorginho. After all, in the eyes of most Europeans, the European Cup and the Champions League are far more important competitions than the America's Cup.
In addition, Messi had a very bad start in Paris, with very dismal statistics, which also strengthened the position .
This is of course inseparable from the efforts of the Italian Football Association, the Polish Football Association, Bayern Munich and Chelsea's public relations teams.
But it cannot be denied that even if a European reporter puts these two in the first two, he will not refuse to register Messi in the third or fourth place.
However, in South America and North America, except for Brazil, Argentina's arch-rival, journalists and football associations in other countries will support Messi to win the award.
The level of nakedness in their selection is far greater than that of the relatively objective and neutral European journalists. While putting Messi in the first place, in order to ensure that Messi wins the award, Lewandowski will not even appear on the ballot.
In Portuguese-speaking countries led by Brazil and Portugal, their award judging press conferences put Neymar and Ronaldo first.
Although the tickets for these places will not go to Messi, they will not be given to Lewandowski either.
At this point, Portman finally revealed her real purpose. She wanted to meet Chen Xiaoliang again and again, and it was for the European Golden Boy Award under Turin Sports Daily!
