Cao Baming believed that Zidane's situation was already extreme, but Kaka had returned to his national team even earlier.
Had everyone become so competitive? For the sake of the World Cup, it seemed that everything else had suddenly become insignificant!
League and Champions League were no longer important; the successful summoning of legendary players was solely for fighting for one's country! 138Reading.com
When Cao Baming learned of these news, he was not particularly surprised.
However, he did not want to be out-competed by these players. The strength of both Zidane's French team and Kaka's Samba team needed no further explanation.
In previous World Cups, they had always been strong contenders for the championship. If Tang Country wanted to go further in this rare World Cup, they would inevitably encounter such strong teams.
The opportunities to play against them were already scarce, so much so that the last time was traceable back to the early 2000s. Coupled with the fact that their team's strength might already be insufficient, if their training also lagged behind, how could they possibly win?
He could no longer care about anything else; the plan had changed temporarily.
After finishing the group stage of the Champions League, he would return to training without hesitation. What if the club disagreed? Would they be able to kick him out?
The contract had already been signed, and did they truly have the guts to do so?
At this moment, the office door opened, and Cao Baming walked in unceremoniously.
He stated his intentions in a few simple words.
"I want to return to the national team for training ahead of schedule. The date has been set, right after we qualify from the Champions League group stage."
He didn't even close the door, as he was not afraid of others overhearing.
However, while he was unafraid, the other high-ranking officials of the club were extremely anxious. They quickly sent a young man to close the door tightly before beginning to ponder.
Cao Baming's tone indicated he was resolute, which truly startled these executives.
"Can it be a little later, perhaps after the fifteenth round of the league?"
"No, that would be too late!"
Cao Baming said decisively.
After his requests were repeatedly rejected by Cao Baming, a senior figure from the back stood up.
"Enough said. We can agree to this timeframe, but any earlier is absolutely unacceptable."
Following this, the coaching staff was also summoned. Such matters naturally required consideration for the upcoming strategic arrangements.
If Cao Baming's words were to be followed, he would be leaving in no more than two weeks.
They had truly not expected Cao Baming to leave earlier than Henry and Messi!
It was only at this moment that the Arsenal management suddenly realized that their power was limited, and a small entity like a football club could no longer restrain these major figures.
And their team actually had three of them, making it impossible to refuse. They had reaped many benefits, and now it was time to bear the consequences!
The entire afternoon passed by.
The negotiations were very smooth, and soon the other members of the team learned of the news. Henry was greatly shocked!
He had only privately considered this idea two days ago and had informed the management in advance, planning to return to the team two weeks early. Yet, this guy had actually signed the contract!
Messi felt the same way, as if he had been slapped in the face, with no way to express his grievances.
If I had known, I would have been bolder and set the date earlier!
They thought to themselves...
At this very moment, the entire football world had entered a state of restless anticipation.
Fans and casual observers worldwide were awaiting the opening of the World Cup. With the World Cup, happiness would finally return!
It was no exaggeration to say that the excitement of this World Cup was unprecedented; it was not even enough to describe it!
For this World Cup, major stars were all joining the "summoning" trend!
Zidane, Henry, Kaka – the three known individuals were all true football kings of their eras, chosen ones, and the youth of countless people!
But what was even more terrifying was that there might be other stars secretly summoning legends, without any public announcement or joining any club, their sole focus being this World Cup!
While this theory was widely circulated among fans, there was ultimately no evidence to support it. After all, besides the summaries and deductions posted by fans on forums, not even a single picture could be produced.
Furthermore, no one had ever personally admitted to it.
However, it made sense to think that if the goal was truly to fight for one's country, then concealing the truth might be the best choice for anyone.
Perhaps on the day the tournament officially began, when the starting lineups of the major powerhouses were publicly announced, the appearance of names that should not have been on the list would undoubtedly be a moment of celebration and shock for fans worldwide.
In this regard, Tang Country found itself the lone and pitiable child surrounded by danger.
After all, other countries could summon past stars, but Tang Country had none to showcase. This was the reason why, despite Cao Baming's presence, Tang Country was still ranked second to last among the qualifying teams in pre-tournament predictions.
The outside world's lack of optimism, however, only made Cao Baming more excited.
A glance at the betting odds would reveal that these people would surely suffer huge losses later, and they would be the ones regretting it.
They would cry from night until dawn, their tears filling the entire room.
During this period, all fans were eagerly awaiting the moment the secrets would be revealed. Who among these mysterious figures would become the one that truly made the world tremble?
The earth-shattering moment was destined to arrive.
In the hearts of many fans, they already had their chosen candidates.
Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Beckham, Shevchenko, Van Persie, Xavi, Dzeko...
In addition to these, they also hoped that Zidane would rewrite his past glory on the World Cup stage, completely overshadowing the less-than-perfect ending of the previous tournament, and that they would get a second chance!
They wished to see Kaka's familiar Samba dance on the field, and Henry to recreate the brilliant last-minute goals of ten years ago!
These could only be seen on such an occasion!!
Otherwise, they could only see them in dreams, or even with a rich and bold imagination.
Discussions about the World Cup were becoming more fervent, but for clubs, the most important focus was still on the current matches. The players returning to their home countries was not their concern; for clubs, it was all useless or even detrimental.