Fans also had extremely high expectations for the World Cup. If these two individuals were absent from the World Cup, the viewing appeal of the Men's Basketball World Cup would instantly decrease by half!
"Let's see if there's still a possibility for the current score to widen further!"
"Arsenal is crushing Leicester City 4-0. The team has substituted Cao Baiming and Messi with two young players. Today marks their first appearance in the Premier League for Arsenal!"
"These two young players even have some backstory. They joined Arsenal together and apparently knew each other as classmates in high school."
As the commentators were discussing, before long, another threatening pass was made in the frontcourt.
Even though Cao Baiming and Messi had been substituted off, the team's offensive momentum maintained its inertia, showing no signs of stopping.
The two young players, just entering the field, executed a passing combination, but their final shot was blocked.
Cao Baiming and Messi sat side-by-side on the bench, watching the game and discussing something.
As the match reached the 75th minute, Arsenal finally extended their lead once again.
The scorer of this goal happened to be the young player who had just come on. He had taken Messi's position, but his playing style was more inclined towards the frontcourt.
The assist for the goal came from Vinícius Júnior on the left wing, whose exceptional dribbling skills remained a constant asset for the team.
In the final minutes of added time, Maddison and Mendy combined in midfield before delivering a through ball. The unexpected pass penetrated Arsenal's entire defense line.
With Cao Baiming absent from the defensive midfield position, Vardy and Perez both managed to break through. Ultimately, Perez received the ball and unleashed a volley towards the goal, salvaging some pride!
"5-1!!"
"The goal was fluid and beautiful!"
"Leicester City was not shut out in the end, which is better!"
With only two minutes left, no further surprises occurred, and the final score was fixed at 5-1.
The fans by the sidelines erupted in cheers once again, thanking the players from both teams for the thrilling performance!
Back in the locker room, Cao Baiming began to ponder.
There were at least a few senior players in the team who had signature celebration moves. Perhaps he could ask for their advice.
After conversing with Henry, Messi, and others, he learned that their celebration moves weren't pre-planned. They were spontaneous ideas on the field that gradually evolved into habits.
After much deliberation, Cao Baiming finally gave up.
No matter how he thought about it, the move felt a bit cheesy and embarrassing.
It was more practical to just run passionately on the field!
In reality, the fans weren't too concerned about the specific move. What truly mattered were the commercial media, who needed to maximize the players' commercial value and would then consider having players devise their own signature moves.
...
Unknowingly, the Premier League had already reached the 10th round.
Arsenal held a firm grip on first place in the league standings, with Manchester City closely following.
Surprisingly, Manchester United and Newcastle United managed to secure spots in the top 5, their current form far exceeding fans' expectations.
Although Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in the previous season couldn't be described as satisfactory, and public opinion was gradually shifting away from him, the "Messi vs. Ronaldo" debate had not truly ended. They remained the representatives of the strongest players of this era.
Players like Cao Baiming, Haaland, and Mbappé were merely rising stars of a new generation, not yet having definitively claimed their positions.
What would truly determine the contenders was the Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the end of the year, which would undoubtedly trigger an intense storm of competition.
Whoever won the Ballon d'Or would be recognized as the true king of the new era!
After the match against Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé's ranking plummeted to eighth place. Conversely, Cao Baiming's position rose to first and second, alongside Messi.
The last defender who was a strong contender for the Ballon d'Or was Van Dijk, but he couldn't seize the opportunity, and Messi ultimately secured the trophy.
If Cao Baiming could successfully win this year's Ballon d'Or, he would truly vindicate the role of a defender!
Days passed, and the World Cup drew nearer, with players becoming increasingly excited. After all, the World Cup was the most important and prestigious football event in their hearts.
The World Cup's significance was evident in its quadrennial occurrence.
Furthermore, for any player, the childhood dream of joining a team was to represent their country, a feat that could only be achieved in the World Cup.
Arsenal Football Club, however, was currently facing a significant dilemma.
Cao Baiming, Messi, and Henry had individually approached the club to request early departures to rejoin their national teams for World Cup training.
However, their departure would come before the Champions League group stage even concluded, and they could potentially miss several league matches.
The most troublesome aspect was that these players had thoroughly justifiable reasons, making it impossible for the club to refuse.
Cao Baiming was perhaps the most compelling case. The national team he represented, Tang Guo, had not advanced past the group stage in the World Cup for many years. This time, they had successfully qualified for the knockout rounds and genuinely possessed the potential to win the tournament.
Given such a rare and golden opportunity, it would be unreasonable to deny them the chance to return for early training!
But Messi's situation was equally difficult to manage. Rumor had it that this might be Messi's last World Cup appearance. His status as a football legend was already cemented by various statistics, but he was still missing a World Cup trophy.
If he were to let this final opportunity slip away, Messi would likely regret it for the rest of his life!
Henry, having successfully been called up, also needed to join the national team. His interaction with the national team was infrequent, and he hadn't trained with his national teammates for a long time, necessitating an early return.
This situation created a deadlock. They couldn't refuse any of the three, but what about the league?
The teams in the Premier League were no pushovers either.
...