Even Sun Taiyang was trying his best, let alone others!
Da Luo, Xiao Luo, Shevchenko, Carlos, Cech…
With only four months left until the World Cup, which players cared about the most, anything could happen!
After a tour, Cao Baming also successfully spent some money, but thanks to Wu Xue's sudden eighty million fans, the money came back!
In August, senior officials from Tang Country sent another message.
With less than two weeks left until the friendly match originally scheduled for August 10th, Cao Baming had already embarked on his journey back home.
Although the match was still some time away, because he hadn't participated in national team training for a long time, and coupled with Cao Baming's significant improvement, he was now a solid starter for Tang Country.
The high-ranking officials who had previously looked down on him had already been thoroughly purged. Now, an entirely new tactical system centered around Cao Baming was about to be formed!
Many people still attributed Tang Country's qualification for this World Cup finals to luck, but in the upcoming matches, relying solely on luck would not be so easy.
The major powerhouses in this World Cup were all coming with a determination to win!
Several football powerhouses like the Netherlands, England, France, Brazil, and Argentina, among others, had all reached their peak condition.
Especially Brazil and France!
The former boasted superstars like Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, and Casemiro, along with Kaká in his prime. However, what was most admirable about the entire team was not the individual skill of the players, but the unity and chemistry of the whole squad!
Having bulldozed their way through the qualifiers with an undefeated streak, they were already being hailed by the outside world as the biggest favorites to win this World Cup!
However, later, with Henry and Zidane successfully summoning their prime states, their strong return completely turned the tide!
Now, in France, Mbappé could comfortably play on the left wing, while Henry took charge of the center, complemented by Zidane's playmaking and long-range shots. This was truly a top-tier team. If this French team wasn't considered complete, then nothing was!
Besides these two teams, which were the most talked about by the public, there were other strong contenders with relatively high pre-match odds, such as Argentina and the Netherlands, and even England…
Messi had publicly spoken about the World Cup before, stating that this might be his last World Cup!
He was already old and no longer suited to continue playing. Although his individual performance on the field was still a phenomenal presence that outshone other players, who knew what would happen in a few years.
However, these were words spoken before the arrival of the temples. At that time, he didn't have such a choice.
For Messi, regardless of whether he chose to continue playing, he would give his all in this tournament.
With seven Ballon d'Or awards, countless Golden Boot awards, league and Champions League titles, and numerous other accolades, he was now only missing the World Cup trophy. No one could truly understand how desperately he craved it!
It could be said that if he succeeded in winning it, his achievements would be the highest in history, even surpassing Pelé and his idol, Maradona!
In the future, when looking back at legendary players, Messi would be considered the greatest. It would not be easy for new players in the future to surpass him.
Now, his dream seemed not so far away. Argentina had also been on an undefeated streak, in excellent form, and was highly anticipated by the outside world!
…
Everyone's attention was focused on these strong teams, yet Tang Country's odds remained consistently lower than Ukraine, who were ranked second to last.
Tang Country's team, unlike many strong nations, did not have superstars to summon to help them compete.
Although they had miraculously reached the finals, how could people outside pay attention to Tang Country? In everyone's perception, Tang Country was just a weak team that would offer easy points.
This was also the reason for their second-to-last ranking.
They had qualified before, but their results were somewhat embarrassing, having been thoroughly beaten and sent home after reaching the finals.
Everyone knew Cao Baming's strength, but could one person lead an entire team? Impossible!
Cao Baming naturally would not tolerate this. Doubts were acceptable, but daring to bet on Tang Country being last meant they deserved to lose their money!
He could easily defeat some teams with his guaranteed goals, at least one per match, let alone now that Tang Country was different from before.
While on his way back to the national team, Cao Baming browsed through the various comments online, feeling a sense of indignation.
He had already made up his mind to make these critics, who were stuck in their rigid stereotypes, regret their words!
This time, Cao Baming returned by private jet, and the reception he received was no less than Messi's arrival at Arsenal. More than a dozen officials lined up to shake Cao Baming's hand, and a dedicated car took him directly to the club stadium.
On the professional stadium, the other players were ready, and they were all eager to see Cao Baming.
Although they had seen him before during previous events, they had no chance to play, as the probability was too low. But today, they would soon have the opportunity to interact closely with a star player from England.
Although it wasn't the first time he had seen him, Cao Baming seemed to be glowing now.
Arriving near the stadium, the escort vehicle stopped. Following a group of officials to a room next to the lounge, the head coach personally gave a speech.
Soon, the other players also entered, and everyone got acquainted.
Cao Baming also noticed that compared to the last time he saw them, there seemed to be a fresh wave of new blood.
The familiar captain, Sea Cucumber, was no longer there. Where had he gone?
"This year, we must seize this opportunity. At least our goal is to reach the quarterfinals! This would break past records. Even if we can't make history, we must surpass our past selves!"
…
Cao Baming's expression showed a hint of defiance, but no one noticed.
"We've already reached the finals, why set the goal so low? Just the quarterfinals is too conservative!"
Cao Baming actually blurted out his inner thoughts in public, stunning everyone present.
The head coach also paused for a moment before saying, "Then what do you think the goal should be?"
"Of course, it's to win the championship!!" a young and arrogant voice interjected.
Cao Baming looked in that direction and saw the arrogant young man who had once passed the ball into his own goal with a Marseille turn!
As expected of you! Cao Baming thought to himself.
However, he shook his head and continued.
"No, I don't think the goal should be set too low."