Qin Xiong didn't expect that his friends in the Netherlands would come to England to celebrate his birthday.
In fact, he didn't have the concept of birthdays at all, because he wasn't sure if June 19th was his birthday or not. Perhaps his actual age was already over 19 years old, but he was still growing up and had to be tested many times to determine his age.
But this day was definitely a happy one.
Louis was an Englishman who went to the Netherlands to study. Now that he was back in London, he took everyone to visit the famous sights in London. Qin Xiong held Sylvia's hand and strolled around with his friends.
When night fell, they went to a small pub that Louisel used to frequent.
The pub was very ordinary, with soothing light music playing. They sat in a small private room and ordered a table of sumptuous food. They raised their glasses to celebrate Qin Xiong's birthday. Qin Xiong drank some red wine for the second time.
Then he pulled Sylvia to the dance floor and danced close to her.
Smelling the fragrance of her hair, feeling the pleasure of being close to her delicate body, and listening to her whispering her yearning in his ear, Qin Xiong would also bite her earlobe and whisper his yearning.
When the passion was strong, the two would kiss without restraint. The feeling of being able to forget the passage of time and ignore the changes in the whole world made them extremely intoxicated.
Qin Xiong was like a hedgehog. He would use his sharp spikes to protect himself, so he would sometimes appear cold and unapproachable. However, when he opened his heart to others and removed the protection of his spikes, he would let the other party see his softest inner world and respond with unreserved enthusiasm.
Almost before Qin Xiong realized the change in time, Sylvia wrapped her arms around his neck and said softly in his ear, "You should catch the plane."
Qin Xiong closed his eyes and said like a willful child, "It's still early."
As he spoke, his arms hugged her tighter, as if he was silently refusing to part with her.
"It's really late."
"How do you know?"
"Because the phone in my pocket has been vibrating for a long time, so I set the alarm."
Qin Xiong had to open his eyes and let out a sigh of regret.
Sylvia kissed his lips again, looked up at him closely, and smiled. "Happy birthday, I look forward to seeing you next time."
Qin Xiong didn't say anything. He went to say hello to his friends and then left the pub with Sylvia and her brother.
He took a taxi to send the siblings back to the hotel before he went to catch the plane.
Qin Xiong returned to China with greater fame and influence.
He officially joined Arsenal Arsenal!
As an Ajax player and Arsenal player, Arsenal's reputation in China was much higher than Ajax's. Even if Qin Xiong had not played a minute for Arsenal, Arsenal's reputation in China was far more famous than Arsenal. Ajax.. Arsenal's fame. Arsenal '''s reputation was far surpass Arsenal. Ajax. Ajax.... but...
After returning to China to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup, Qin Xiong declined all interviews and off-field commercial activities. The cloud of suspicion that accompanied his transfer also disappeared, which allowed him to focus more on preparing for the match.
. The atmosphere in the training ground was quietly changing.
Shao Jiayi and Zhou Haibin took the initiative to participate in Qin Xiong, Liu Yi, and Zhang Pengfei's group training.
In the Grassi world, age had nothing to do with strength, so Zhou Haibin and Shao Jiayi would take the initiative to exchange their football experience with Qin Xiong and hone their skills.
Qin Xiong told his teammates what he learned from Ajax's famous teachers, such as Louis Van Gaal, van Basten, Comain, and Brinder, as well as observing his teammates in different roles in training and playing habits.
More and more teammates began to draw close to Qin Xiong. They could feel that Qin Xiong was not a two-faced man.
He was a man of his word and his attitude towards training was consistent. Zheng Zhi, Li Weifeng, Sun Xiang, Li Jinyu, Wei Xin …
Qin Xiong's influence and cohesion in the team as the captain was steadily increasing in visible changes.
Li Yi did not quit the national team and apologized to Qin Xiong in private. It was a strange phenomenon. Qin Xiong did not know what kind of pressure the other party was under, but he had to bow to him in the national team. He did not care.
Sun Jihai began to change. Perhaps he understood the fact that the biggest star in the national team, the most accomplished player among the overseas players, and the most eye-catching player was no longer him!
He could not do whatever he wanted. He could not use the high intensity of the Premier League as an excuse. He could not think of himself as outstanding because he was Manchester City's main force.
Qin Xiong set an example and was recognized by most of his teammates. Under the focus of the manager and the Football Association's training, Qin Xiong was becoming more and more like a captain.
The reason why Ali Khan removed Sun Jihai from the main force to the substitute was that he thought Sun Jihai did have a bit of a big temper as a returnee. He was not satisfied with his performance in training and games. On the other hand, it was because Wei Xin, who replaced Sun Jihai, was conscientious in training and games and absolutely obedient to the manager.
Ali Khan was inclined to use Wei Xin, not Sun Jihai.
But in the preparation for the AFC Asian Cup, Sun Jihai showed a better change in attitude. The national team also became low-key and serious under the influence of Qin Xiong's strong aura. This made Ali Khan decide to give Sun Jihai another chance.
They just stepped into July.
The national team entered Sichuan and came to Chongqing.
There were two warm-up games before the AFC Asian Cup, and the opponents were not strong.
The first stop was Chongqing.
The national team's locker room storm in early June quickly dissipated.
Qin Xiong was not a person who held grudges. His rationality allowed him to distinguish between business and private matters clearly.
To put it bluntly, there was a disagreement in the locker room about business. The players did not control themselves enough to deal with this disagreement, which led to the bloodshed.
When things calmed down and things were discussed, Qin Xiong, as the captain, did not target anyone. Instead, it made the stressed teammates have an underlying mentality of being "forgiven."
In the enthusiastic cheers of the vast number of Sichuan fans, the national team continued to perform strongly in the first warm-up game against Lebanon.
Qin Xiong played better than in the last game. At the same time, he was more familiar with his teammates and could further stimulate his teammates' characteristics.
9: 0
A more shocking score than the 8: 0 victory over Malaysia was fixed after 90 minutes of the game.
The China team was more confident and calm than in the last game against Malaysia. Qin Xiong's strong ability to control the field and the role of the team as a whole was more significant.
Sun Jihai, who returned to the right back position, was also very eye-catching. He began to form a front and back partnership with Zhang Pengfei on the right side. Shao Jiayi and Sun Xiang on the left side also performed well. Hao Haidong and Li Jinyu seemed to have a second chance.
It was undeniable that Hao Haidong was probably the best striker in the China national team at this time. He was at the top level in Asia, but he was older. Li Jinyu's spirituality was also more outstanding than the other China strikers.
The only problem that troubled Ali Khan was that they were not fulcrum strikers.
They could not create more opportunities for Qin Xiong in the back row like Ajax's Ibrahimovic!
As a result, Qin Xiong was still limited. The China team had many strikers, and Ali Khan could not find a candidate who could act as a fulcrum for Qin Xiong in the front row.
He had no choice. Even the cleverest housewife could not cook a meal without rice. China was vast and abundant in resources, but the talent resources for football seemed to be very poor. It was even more strained than some small countries.
After the victory over Lebanon, the national team rested for a day in Chongqing. Qin Xiong and his teammates visited a famous hot pot restaurant there. Everyone had a lively Sichuan-style hot pot together.
Then the national team went north to Inner Mongolia and played the second warm-up game in Hohhot against the United Arab Emirates.
This game was more difficult.
Because the national team had set their sights on the AFC Asian Cup, no one wanted to have an accident in the last warm-up game. At the same time, they wanted to preserve their strength.
But the United Arab Emirates wanted to dampen the prestige of the China team. In the end, the China team won 3: 1.
After leaving Hohhot, they went straight back to Beijing. The AFC Asian Cup would start in a week.
As the host, the China team not only had the home advantage, but also had the convenience of being the host in the schedule of the games. The China team also had the convenience of being the host.
All their games were arranged to be played in Beijing to reduce the fatigue of traveling.
The AFC Asian Cup promotional video was released, and the China Football Association labeled the China team as the "Dragon Team" in a high-profile manner.
The posters of Qin Xiong as the captain wearing the China team jersey were also collected by many fans.
Ali Khan tried to adjust the tactics of the China team as much as possible in the last three games. In the end, he did not change the 4-4-2 formation. In addition to the two strikers not moving, Shao Jiayi, Qin Xiong, and Zhang Pengfei in the back row became the key players in the midfield acceleration. As for whether it was safe to use a single defensive midfielder, Ali Khan believed that the China team had the strength to line up in the Asian arena.
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