Chapter 164: The Legendary Number 7

At the exact moment Mohammed turned around, without stopping the ball, Zhang Xizhe immediately passed it back to Huang Bowen, executing a simple one-two combination.

Shaking off Yousef, who had been tightly marking him, Tsubasa Ozora surged forward rapidly from the right flank. Huang Bowen glanced over, understanding instantly, and feigned a pass to the wing. True to form, the opponent took the bait, rushing in frantically to press.

Huang Bowen dragged the ball back with his sole, spun around, and before the opposing defender could figure out what was happening, the ball was already flying diagonally across the pitch!

Tsubasa seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without even looking back, the football sailed right past his left shoulder. He raised his right leg high and nudged it with the instep; as if obeying a command, the ball streaked fiercely toward the left flank!

Zhang Xizhe had been waiting on the wing for quite some time. A look of excitement filled his face as he saw the football hurtling toward him. However, the opposing wing-back, Salih, immediately closed down in an attempt to disrupt the attack!

"Whew, that was close!"

With a quick thought, Zhang Xizhe pulled the ball back with his left foot without releasing control, stepped on it, and turned. The moment he reached the byline, he suddenly delivered a cross, sending the ball soaring across the left penalty area straight toward the edge of the central penalty arc!

Swinging his left leg with wild ferocity and without letting the ball touch the ground, Tsubasa swept his right leg horizontally. With a sharp "Bang!" the ball absorbed the immense pressure, cutting through the air with a dazzling flash of white light as it rocketed toward the goal like a shell out of a cannon!

Although Syria's goalkeeper, Alma, threw himself desperately toward the top left corner of the net, the ball was simply too fast, instantly burying itself into the back of the net!

"It's in! Tsubasa Ozora! Tsubasa has equalized for the Chinese team!" Tsubasa's powerful volley drove the emotions of the home fans to absolute extremes, and the commentator for the Huaxia Television Sports Channel broadcasting the match was no exception. He rocketed out of his chair, tilted his head back, and roared at the top of his lungs with unbridled passion!

Sparks of fiery passion erupted instantly within Tsubasa as he leaped swiftly over the advertising boards while photographers continuously fired their camera shutters. One must remember that this was his very first national team goal since claiming the Champions League and La Liga Golden Boots, cementing his status as the undisputed king of Asian football!

In recent years, no Asian forward had ever reached such heights.

Following Tsubasa's goal, the attacking momentum of the Chinese team was completely unlocked.

After the sides switched ends for the second half, although China's coach, Lippi, did not make any substitutions, he adjusted his tactical setup, deploying a three-center-back formation.

In the 66th minute, the Chinese team took a corner kick. Zhang Linpeng was pulled down by an opponent inside the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty kick to China. Tsubasa stepped up and converted it effortlessly, comfortably turning the match around to give China a 2:1 lead!

In the 71th minute, Jiang Zhipeng delivered a low-trajectory cross from the left. Tsubasa glanced a header at the near post, but Gao Lin, trailing at the far post, was a fraction of a second too slow and failed to reach the ball.

Three minutes later, Jiang Zhipeng once again chipped the ball to the far post. Gao Lin headed it down, and Tsubasa unleashed a flying volley near the penalty spot to score, completing a hat-trick while extending the lead to 3:1!

Down by two goals, the Syrian team completely abandoned resistance, and Lippi began calling in his troops to run down the clock.

In the end, the Chinese team easily defeated Syria 3:1!

After eight rounds, the Chinese team held 4 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss, accumulating 15 points and maintaining their second-place position in the group.

This victory, which was a must-win, sent the domestic sphere in Huaxia into an absolute frenzy. Even the People's Daily commented after the match: "From trailing at the start to turning the score around in the second half, the national football team truly fought with everything they had, and the fans saw it all. Every struggle, every refusal to give up, is what brings about a complete metamorphosis. Chinese football, keep striving!"

Just as the Chinese players stepped off the pitch, they received fantastic news: Qatar had defeated South Korea 3:2 at home.

Following this defeat, although South Korea still held third place in the group with 11 points, the gap between them and the second-placed Chinese team had widened to 4 points.

With only the final two rounds of the 12-format Asian Qualifiers remaining, everyone in the Chinese camp could see the 2018 World Cup finals beckoning to them!

Never since 2002 had Huaxia football been this close to the World Cup.

After defeating Syria, China would not play their next match until August 31st, when they would host Uzbekistan. A victory in that match would secure their return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 2002, regardless of whether South Korea could defeat Iran.

Before that, however, Tsubasa had plenty of time to handle his transfer matters.

Yet, he was not a hesitating person, nor did he want to be pestered by reporters every day, so he quickly made his decision.

On July 3rd, English time—less than 48 hours after the opening of the Premier League summer transfer window—Manchester United's official website formally announced Tsubasa's acquisition, with both parties signing a four-year contract.

Almost simultaneously, Villarreal's official website published the same news, revealing that Tsubasa had departed the club via his 110 million euro buyout clause.

Manchester United's official website wrote: "Manchester United and Tsubasa Ozora have signed a final agreement, which will take effect starting July 4th. Tsubasa will remain at Manchester United for the next four years."

At 12:00 noon on the very same day the two clubs announced the transfer news, Tsubasa arrived in Manchester via private jet, officially beginning his career as a Manchester United player.

His itinerary on his first day at Manchester United was perfectly captured on camera!

At 1:00 PM, Tsubasa appeared at the Moraleja Hospital, where Manchester United's medical team was waiting to conduct a comprehensive physical examination. Following the checks, the head of United's medical team, Diaz, stated: "Tsubasa's physical condition is absolutely perfect; clearly, he is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new season."

After completing his medical, Tsubasa rushed to Old Trafford, where he was welcomed by over 50,000 fans.

At Old Trafford, Tsubasa was greeted by Manchester United Chief Executive Ed Woodward. Woodward led Tsubasa to his office, handed him a map of Old Trafford, and briefly introduced him to the club's facilities.

Subsequently, Tsubasa enjoyed lunch alongside Mourinho, Woodward, and other senior executives at a restaurant adjacent to Old Trafford. In addition, former manager Sir Alex Ferguson also arrived at Old Trafford, serving as the special guest for Tsubasa's unveiling today.

At 8:00 PM—one hour before his public unveiling at Old Trafford—Tsubasa officially completed his contract signing with Manchester United owner Joel Glazer in his office at the stadium, cementing his status as a Manchester United player for the next four years.

The personal presence of Joel Glazer demonstrated the incomparable importance Manchester United attached to Tsubasa.

Once the signing was finalized, Joel Glazer presented Tsubasa with a watch, a fountain pen, and a model of Old Trafford as commemorative gifts.

The ultimate climax of the day was the grand unveiling ceremony at 9:00 PM. Manchester United's restriction of 70,000 fans utterly failed to contain the supporters' love and anticipation for Tsubasa!

Accompanied by current club chairman Joel Glazer and manager Jose Mourinho, Tsubasa made his official introduction to nearly 100,000 Manchester United fans at the Theatre of Dreams.

Tsubasa's presentation attracted 97,500 Manchester United fans to Old Trafford. Countless female fans held high posters and banners bearing his image to express their adoration for the Huaxia superstar. Prior to his appearance, a scuffle even broke out among fans in one of the stands.

Displaying unique creativity, 30 Manchester United fans each had a part of a letter painted on their stomachs, spelling out a massive "DAI".

The unveiling ceremony had initially invited 65,000 fans to Old Trafford alongside 500 media reporters to welcome Tsubasa, but in reality, 97,500 fans and nearly a thousand media outlets showed up, both figures setting brand-new records for Manchester United.

The previous record was held by Cristiano Ronaldo, whose presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu attracted 65,000 fans and 400 reporters.

Ultimately, Tsubasa chose the number 7 shirt—the legendary number 7 of Manchester United!

He had once hesitated over whether to continue wearing Villarreal's number 10 jersey, but in the end, Manchester United's legendary number 7 conquered him.

In world football, Manchester United's number 7 has always been a great heritage, worn by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and others. This number is the most legendary at Old Trafford, eternally synonymous with greatness, and in the new season, Tsubasa would inherit this legendary Manchester United jersey.

Back in Huaxia, everything changed overnight. With Tsubasa's arrival, the domestic football landscape seemed to transform overnight into another home ground for the Red Devils!

The contract signed between Tsubasa and Manchester United guaranteed a base salary and image rights earnings of £14.55 million per year—excluding his image rights within the Huaxia region. He would receive a £75,000 bonus for every starting appearance and an annual signing-on fee of £1.1 million.

Altogether, Tsubasa's weekly wage amounted to approximately £301,000, placing his salary firmly in the top three across the entire Premier League.

Starting next season, if Tsubasa wins the Premier League Golden Boot, he will receive a £1.5 million bonus; winning the Champions League Golden Boot carries the same £1.5 million reward.

If Manchester United wins the Champions League, Tsubasa will pocket a £1 million bonus; if they capture the Premier League title, he will receive £500,000.

This was more than four times the total of just over four million euros Tsubasa earned at Villarreal during the previous season!

To avoid repeating past mistakes with Villarreal, Manchester United set a €1 billion buyout clause for Tsubasa—not merely to show off, but out of genuine necessity.

Through various channels, Woodward learned that certain Arab consortia were plotting to poach Tsubasa from Old Trafford within a year or two. While they might not fork over the insane €1 billion fee, bids of two or three hundred million were entirely within the realm of possibility.

Inside the Manchester United club, Tsubasa's release clause was jokingly dubbed the "Anti-Sheikh Clause."

Having maintained absolute silence toward the media throughout the transfer saga, Tsubasa finally opened up following his grand unveiling at Old Trafford.

"After reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season, I began considering a move to Manchester United. Regardless of everything, Villarreal is a club I was proud to play for, but I have already achieved everything I possibly could there, so I felt it was time to embrace a new challenge."

There was no excessive profession of love for his new club in Tsubasa's words, which somewhat caught the Spanish journalists by surprise.

"Of course I didn't join Manchester United just for the money, because Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City could have offered me more. Manchester United is the team I supported since childhood, and Mourinho is a manager I deeply admire. Right now, all I want is to happily enjoy my football here, and if I can win more matches and more trophies, that would be even better!"

In truth, Ed Woodward was no fan of Jorge Mendes, but regarding Tsubasa's transfer, he raised both hands in absolute approval.

Although Manchester United's other two striking targets—Everton's Romelu Lukaku and Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata—would have undoubtedly cost significantly lower transfer fees than Tsubasa, they simply operated on an entirely different tier as players.

It remained to be seen whether Manchester United's performances would soar to new heights next season thanks to Tsubasa's arrival, but when it came to "making money," Old Trafford—having just shelled out €110 million in cash—was already guaranteed to line its pockets!

Whether fans should rejoice over Tsubasa joining Manchester United is up for debate, but the advertisers in Manchester were undoubtedly ecstatic.

In the eyes of many economists, this transfer had very little to do with football; it resembled a corporate M&A scheme much more.

Setting aside long-term commercial gains, just on the very second day following Tsubasa's arrival, Manchester United reaped a massive sponsorship windfall from Huaxia—

Huawei signed a two-year global club partnership agreement with Manchester United. Under this deal, Huawei and Manchester United would engage in a series of collaborations over the next two seasons regarding club communications and promotional activities. The Huawei logo would appear on Manchester United's official match kits and players' training gear, and the company would also place light-box advertisements at Old Trafford, install display screens in various areas of the stadium, and integrate its brand elements across multiple platforms.

Manchester United's current front-of-shirt sponsor was the American automotive company Chevrolet, but according to The Times, Manchester United would not renew its contract with Chevrolet, choosing instead to pivot toward higher-bidding Huaxia enterprises such as Wanda or Hisense as new sponsors.

And that was not even counting the sponsorships currently under negotiation—brands like PepsiCo, Twitter, Calvin Klein, and Audi were already seated at the negotiating table at Old Trafford!

This explained why, after Woodward splashed €110 million to buy Tsubasa, not a single person accused him of reckless spending: based purely on the name "Tsubasa," Manchester United was destined never to take a financial loss on this transfer deal!

With Tsubasa officially on board, having already expended €110 million, Manchester United no longer had the financial muscle to acquire other top-tier stars. Romelu Lukaku, whom Jose Mourinho had originally insisted on signing in "history," continued his career at Everton, while Alvaro Morata instantly became a hot potato at Real Madrid, with only Chelsea and Juventus retaining any interest in purchasing him, though their bids dropped by more than half.

Yet, no one would underestimate Manchester United's summer transfer window, because the arrival of a single Tsubasa was easily worth the acquisition of an entire army.