Chapter 5: The Road Stretches Far Ahead

Dai Zhiwei was a product of the Genbao Football Academy, but at present, he wasn't the most renowned player to have emerged from there—the title belonged to Wu Lei. Wu Lei was known for his speed, agility, and especially his ability to cover vast areas of the pitch, with a sprint that was nothing short of explosive. These attributes meant that he frequently found himself with opportunities on the field, but just as often, he squandered them.

And what was the chief criticism always leveled at Wu Lei? One-on-one opportunities. While Wu Lei had no real deficiency in technical ability when facing the goalkeeper alone, it was his mentality that repeatedly left fans both laughing and sighing in frustration.

In comparison, Dai Zhiwei might not have been significantly superior in such situations, but as someone not yet branded the “King of Missed Sitters,” he was certainly more reliable than Wu Lei—at least when it came to converting one-on-ones.

Left?
Right?
Through the legs?

Wang Guoming tried to anticipate the next move, reading every subtle gesture as Dai Zhiwei bore down on him. When Dai Zhiwei was less than two meters away, he appeared to prod the ball with his left foot, seemingly about to roll a low shot. Reacting instinctively, Wang Guoming sprawled, trying to block the goal, only to find he hadn’t managed to touch the ball at all.

Where was the ball? That was the one burning question in Wang Guoming’s mind.

“Oh! My God! He used the ‘tail of the ox’ dribble! Dai Zhiwei actually dared to pull that off in this decisive moment! Unbelievable!” Even the seasoned commentator, Su Dong, was left speechless in the broadcast booth.

Since when did Chinese footballers possess such audacity and confidence? Dai Zhiwei could only be described as a fearless young calf, unafraid of the tiger.

He had chosen, at this potentially match-deciding moment, not to shoot immediately, but to dribble around the goalkeeper! Had he failed, who knows if he might have instantly gone from Guangzhou Evergrande’s rising star to its greatest scapegoat?

But at this moment, he succeeded.

Dai Zhiwei slipped past the fallen Wang Guoming and now faced the empty net of Shijiazhuang Yongchang.

With the lightest of right-footed pushes, the ball rolled slowly over the white goal line under the anxious, hopeful, or cursing gazes of fans from both Guangzhou and Shijiazhuang.

“Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!” Su Dong’s voice erupted in a roar from the commentary box. “Dai Zhiwei has scored! Guangzhou Evergrande takes the lead in the 93rd minute! Thank you, Dai Zhiwei, for gifting us the most magnificent goal of this round in the Chinese Super League. When he faced Wang Guoming, I thought he’d shoot immediately, but he chose the most unexpected way to win the game. Brilliant, just brilliant! An unbelievable dribble, an unbelievable goal!”

“There are no words left to praise this goal. Undoubtedly, it’s the best goal of the Super League’s opening round—perhaps even the season’s best, claimed 29 rounds in advance!”

“I believe as long as Dai Zhiwei maintains this form, he is someone to watch. Remember, he was born in 1994—he’s only 20! His future is limitless!” Su Dong could not contain his admiration.

Dai Zhiwei turned to see the ball spinning in the back of the net—he knew he had done it. This was the first goal he’d scored since his rebirth.

Before the ball had even crossed the line, Dai Zhiwei had never felt so at one with the game, never felt such unity with the ball. The grass beneath his feet seemed more fragrant than ever, and even the nerve-wracking decision to dribble past the keeper, in that state, was filled with confidence.

“I am the king!”
“I am the king of the world!”

Dai Zhiwei roared, charging toward the sideline, echoing the bold words James Cameron once shouted at the Oscars after “Titanic” swept the awards.

Substitutes from Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao burst into cheers, while the Shijiazhuang Yongchang bench wore looks of gloom—the goal had all but sealed their defeat.

Tearing off his red Guangzhou Evergrande jersey, Dai Zhiwei slid on his knees across the turf like a dive bomber soaring through the skies, arms wide open to embrace the adulation of tens of thousands of fans inside Tianhe Stadium, his sweat-slicked muscles gleaming beneath the floodlights.

Gao Lin, sprinting from outside the box, joined the slide behind him, ruffling his wet hair and laughing, “Kid, that was beautiful!”

Soon, the rest of his teammates rushed over, crowding around Dai Zhiwei in jubilation.

Even though he was given a yellow card for removing his shirt, it couldn’t dampen Dai Zhiwei’s elation.

With Dai Zhiwei’s 93rd-minute goal, the first round of the 2015 Chinese Super League between Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and Shijiazhuang Yongchang was decided. Shijiazhuang lost hope of an equalizer, and the match ended 2–1. With this opening victory, Guangzhou Evergrande had now won their first match of the season for five consecutive years: in 2011 they beat Dalian Shide, in 2012 and 2013 they bested Shanghai Shenxin, in 2014 they defeated Henan Jianye, and now in 2015, they overturned Yongchang thanks to Dai Zhiwei’s goal.

After the match, Guangzhou’s head coach, Cannavaro, declared at the press conference, “Today’s match was a tough one—our opponents compressed their defense well. Every Super League game is a challenge now. Yongchang fought bravely, which serves as a warning for us; in the remaining matches, we must give 200%.”

When a reporter asked about Dai Zhiwei, Cannavaro beamed, “Dai Zhiwei was promoted from the reserves this season. I think it’s turned out to be a pleasant surprise, hasn’t it?”

“Starting? No, I think it’s a bit soon for him to start, but if he keeps working hard, he’ll surely be fighting for a starting spot.”

On the other side, Yongchang’s head coach Yasen commented, “Last year, we won promotion with a last-second goal. Today, we lost in the last second. That’s football.”

Regarding Dai Zhiwei’s performance, Yasen was full of praise: “That young number 24 from Evergrande reminded me of Messi today.”

“Yes, I mean Barcelona’s Messi. He might still be a little behind Messi at the same age, but this is only his first professional league match, isn’t it? I have high hopes for him!”

Not only did both coaches recognize his talent, but many domestic football insiders gave Dai Zhiwei high marks.

After watching the match, renowned football journalist Ma Dexing wrote on his microblog: “Shijiazhuang Yongchang were unlucky. But for a newly promoted team, this performance is worth a 90! Evergrande’s victory was hard-fought, and defending their title this year will be even tougher. But Dai Zhiwei was a revelation—China hasn’t seen such a standout youngster in years! Looking forward to more!”

Huang Jianxiang, on his show “Legend of the Winner,” also commented, “Dai Zhiwei has outstanding attributes—he’s fast, has a great feel for the game, and in this way resembles Wu Lei, who also came from the Genbao Academy. Will Dai Zhiwei become another Wu Lei, or even surpass him? That’s worth watching.”

Of course, the Chinese Super League didn’t hold massive sway in the country, so Dai Zhiwei’s story was just a passing breeze in the football world’s news, barely causing a stir.

At most, clips of his goal circulated on a few video sites, prompting a handful of fans to exclaim in delight.

But Dai Zhiwei knew this was only the beginning—he still had a long road ahead.

Hadn’t someone called him “the next Wu Lei”?

“Even Wu Lei himself has nothing to be that proud of, alright?” Dai Zhiwei muttered, putting his phone away as he prepared to receive the match rewards.

And then—

“Well, not bad at all!”