Red Rebels

838 Red Rebel Characteristics

Melo Training Center, which is the training base of the Accra Freelancers Club, known as the African Red Rebels

But today, in the locker room of this training base that should have been empty, there was a tense atmosphere everywhere. Many people even sat on the seats and did not dare to move.

The Three Lions players, wearing white and somewhat conspicuous Umbro logos, are waiting for the fateful moment. The tense atmosphere is no less tense than the students in Xiao Yu's previous life who were waiting for the announcement of college entrance examination results.

Beckham glanced at the people in front of him. These were all his compatriots and comrades-in-arms. He would never regard these people as subordinates, he never would, because in his opinion, the head coach and players should They are two different roles that cooperate and support each other and are inseparable.

But sometimes, to be the head coach of a team, you have to be ruthless and make decisions.

"If you keep making mistakes, you will suffer the consequences, David, it is better to make some decisions earlier, so that the players can prepare for the game with peace of mind." Mourinho's words still ring in my ears. The Red Rebels head coach really gave Beckham a lot of help. , this time he specifically gave up his vacation and came to Africa just to cheer up Beckham.

In addition to Mourinho, Andy Walsh, Mark David, Gardner and other friends of the Red Rebels came, as well as his wife and children, Eva Snow and Chopin, Gao Jen, plus a group of his and the Red Rebels' friends and teammates.

"This is your first time on the big stage. Don't mess up your performance, David." Xiao Yu was joking at him with a smile just now, but what he felt from his words was concern and support.

Thinking of this, Beckham calmed down and stood up.

Suddenly the hearts of the players in the locker room were lifted up. Except for the absolute main players like Terry, Curtis, Gerrard, and Lampard, more people were worried about their own health. World Cup prospects.

"First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone here," Beckham said slowly, unhurriedly, and his tone was a bit flat, "Whether you continue to travel to South Africa with the team or You have left the national team. I sincerely thank you and thank you for your contribution to the national team."

"Football is cruel. We all come from professional football backgrounds. We should be very clear that his cruelty forces us to always make choices. Although there are many choices that are forced, we have no choice."

“I’m very happy about this training camp because I saw a fighting spirit from everyone.

With a strong spirit, we came to South Africa with the belief that we will win. Although this time we don’t have the praises and arrogance of the past, we have a rare unity. "

"We are a family, whether you are on the bench or in the stands, we are all a family and we should have the same belief and we should work together and we are here in South Africa with one purpose. ,victory"

The players were visibly incited by Beckham, but were soon calmed down when Darren Lyons emerged with a folder.

Everyone can guess that the above is England's squad, but it is not 30 people, but 23 people. In other words, 7 existing people will leave this team.

Who is the one?

Many people are worried

"Joe Hart" Darren Lyons called out the first name with his voice, which was a mén general.

No one is surprised, because there are three men's generals in the 23-man World Cup roster, and this time there are only three men's generals in England's 30-man roster. It is reasonable for these three to be selected. It would be strange if someone was eliminated.

"Chris Taylor, Robert Green, Micah Richards, Curtis Davis, John Terry, Ashley Cole..." as Darren Lyons shouted , the first announced players are obviously the main players that Beckham relies on most.

As the roster was announced, the atmosphere in the locker room became even more tense, and many people felt as if their hearts were about to jump out of their chests.

"Michael Johnson, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Ismail Miller, Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young, James Milner, Michael ?Carrick, Mike Dawson, Leighton Barnes, Glen Johnson, Jermaine Defoe..."

When Darren Lyons shouted out this series of names, the entire locker room exploded. Most people looked at Ferdinand because there were only three people left, but there was no Ferdinand. name.

On the contrary, Ferdinand himself acted very calmly. In fact, he already knew last night that he would not be selected for this list because his groin and back strains had deeply affected him, so much so that he was unable to play in the warm-up match. The performance was so bad that Beckham recommended surgery.

Only the last three are left on the list, and except for Ferdinand, everyone is guessing who will be selected.

"Aaron Lennon"

When Darren Lyons called out this name, the fast winger who showed off his talent in Droisden suddenly laughed uncontrollably. This was his second World Cup trip, but the last time He is just a walk-on role, and this time is probably no exception, because on the right, Beckham's love will be Rooney on the wing.

Rodwell and Wilshere, a pair of Red Rebel teammates, are very nervous. Although everyone knows that Beckham wants to promote a younger England, in the end they are just young rookies, and they have been in the Premier League for many years. Compared with the veterans, they are at a disadvantage in terms of strength and experience.

Want to repeat the last World Cup, Walcott was selected into the England national team and quickly grew up to occupy the main position of the national team. They themselves have no such idea. After all, it is more like a fantasy.

"Perhaps, we can look forward to the next World Cup." Rodwell and Wilshere looked at each other and saw the comfort in each other's eyes.

But things in the world are like this sometimes. When many people thought that they were not selected, and when some people thought that they should take the remaining two spots for granted, Darren Lyons made the decision. Judgment Book, and all of this happened in an instant.

"Jack Rodwell and Jack Wilshere"

When Darren Lyons called out the last two names, the two Red Rebel young players looked at Darren Lyons in disbelief. The man who coached them in the youth team is now an England national. The team's chief assistant coach nodded towards them with a smile to show his approval.

When the big list comes out, some people will be selected and others will be eliminated. Some people are happy and some are sad. This is inevitable.

But Beckham did not intend to let this emotion evolve, so after the list was announced, he immediately asked the players to prepare immediately and set off for South Africa. They will go directly to the first game against the American city of Rustenburg.

The first game was even hailed by Beckham as the first in the small group final, and England was bound to win.

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The atmosphere in the locker room was tense and tense, but outside the locker room and on the training ground, the atmosphere seemed very relaxed.

Eva Snow accompanied her two sons and lived in the hotel with Victoria and others, while Xiao Yu was with Walsh, Mark David, Mourinho and others in Accra Freelancers Club Chairman Mei Accompanied by Luo, he visited the Melo Training Center.

When the training center was named, Xiao Yu personally decided to call it Melo. He said that this was to commemorate Melo's contribution to the Accra Freelancers Club and to reward Melo's contribution to the Red Rebels.

"We have first-class stadiums and training facilities that are comparable to those of mid- and upper-tier teams in top leagues even in Europe. However, our youth training system is far inferior to many teams in top European leagues. In addition, the quality and professionalism of our coaches are beyond their reach.”

"On the land of Africa, there is a group of football talents with great potential. This is a football treasure house with an endless supply. And I position the Accra Freelancers Club as a diamond processing factory. We bring these undeveloped talents in Africa to the world. The ore is processed into dazzling diamonds, and then sent to Europe to be made into gold and silver jewelry, which is priceless.”

Melo looked very proud when introducing what he had done in Africa over the years.

Regarding the Accra Freelancers Club, Xiao Yu gave Melo the greatest power, and Melo lived up to Xiao Yu's high expectations. In a few years, he not only realized the self-financing of the Freelancers Club, but also became a member of the Red Rebel Youth League. They are a very important part of the training system. In addition, they have also sent many outstanding top stars to Europe.

In addition to cultivating African youth football, the freelance youth training system also cooperates with the Red Rebel Charity Foundation and professional teams across Africa to open football schools. In addition to cultivating players' football skills, it also teaches They have knowledge and let them study, and these schools are basically charitable in nature.

Today's Freelancers are already Africa's leading top clubs. Although in Europe, they may only be able to survive in leagues such as France, the Netherlands, and Portugal, but in Africa, they can dominate.

Although the freelance football school is famous for football, it helps countless African teenagers realize their dream of studying every year. Some of them may not have the talent for football, but as long as they are willing to study, the school's scholarships can support them to continue in the future. Study, even go to college.

This is why major United Nations charities praise the Red Rebels so much

"The Freelancers Club is a very successful precedent, and this model is worthy of admiration. We intend to continue to strengthen this model. Currently, the team is planning to acquire a top team in Brazil and Argentina and make them our satellite clubs. , to promote the freelance model in South America, you must help make suggestions when the time comes," said Walsh with a smile.

This was the first major thing he did after becoming the chairman of the Red Rebels. The acquisition targets included Sao Paulo in Brazil and Hechuáng in Argentina. The former had cooperated with the Red Rebels for many years and had already invested in the club as early as Xiao Yu's period. The team is ready, and now acquisitions are a matter of course. There are just some business methods that need to be manipulated to avoid violations.

As for He Chuáng, although this team is Argentina's top club, it has become increasingly difficult to operate. The current debt has reached 25 million euros, which is simply fatal for an Argentine team that is not well-off.

But what's even more fatal is that there are not many popular stars in the first team of this team. They have sold all they can over the years, and the rest are some rising stars or some returning veterans. This makes He Chuáng's competitiveness is very bad, and selling it is not impossible.

"He Chuáng? Sao Paulo?" Melo couldn't help but be surprised after hearing this. These two teams are well-known South American giants in the world. "Are you planning to do what Abramovich and the others failed to do back then?"

Xiao Yu and others were stunned for a moment, but then they burst out laughing.

According to reliable reports, in 2005, both Abramovich and MSI were interested in making acquisitions in South America. MSI was the first to look at Hechuáng, but Aguilar, the chairman of Hechuáng at the time, was the authority of the team. He ruled Hechuang for many years, and Hechuang's income at that time was very good. From 1996 to 2005, he made a total of more than 200 million in player transfers, and his net profit reached the level of the first-class training center and youth training system.

After MSI failed to acquire He Chuáng and instead bought Corinthian, Abramovich followed. He did not want to continue the Bortu and Eindhoven-style cooperation. He wanted an overall acquisition with more control. For this reason, he personally went to Buenos Aires for negotiations, but was rejected by He Chuáng for the same reason.

Today's Hechuáng can be said to be different from what it used to be. Especially in the past two seasons, it has been hovering in the middle or even the middle and lower reaches of the league. It may collapse at any time, but the most fatal thing is that this club has not been saved. , stars available for sale.

"Currently our Ministry of Commerce is closely negotiating with the two clubs, but everything is still confidential. Even if the acquisition is completed, we will definitely take some measures to avoid FIFA's investigation and some violations, but we I hope we can continue to use the freelance model.”

Implementing the freelance model, while expanding the youth training system, is also carrying out the charity work that the team has always insisted on. This is the purpose of the Red Rebels acquiring these two teams.

But all this has nothing to do with Xiao Yu.

"Perhaps, you should wait until I leave before talking about this," Xiao Yu said in an awkward tone.

Both Walsh and David glared at the boss behind the scenes fiercely, while Mello couldn't help laughing, but he also admired Xiao Yu's spirit of being able to take things up and put them down.

To be honest, today's Red Rebels play an important role in world football. The title of Chairman of the Red Rebels is equivalent to a certain dazzling halo, not only in the football circle, but also in fields outside football. If Xiao Yu continues to hold the position, he will definitely He could get great benefits, but he resolutely gave it up.

"What are your plans for the future?" Mello asked with concern.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "When I have time, I will take my wife and son around the world, and I will also help my motherland revitalize football, and do as many good deeds as possible. I really believe that good deeds will be rewarded. Evil will be punished, it’s true.”

"I believe," Mero said with great sincerity, "you will definitely be rewarded with good things."

Everyone laughed, especially Mello's serious expression, which had a more comedic effect.

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Arriving in South Africa almost on the same day as England, Xiao Yu and his wife received Mandela's invitation and went to Johannesburg. They were first invited to meet Mandela. What made Xiao Yu happy was that history had changed, and Mandela Rana's lovely little nephew was not involved in a car accident and everything is business as usual. Mandela will also attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup in South Africa.

As Xiao Yu who has insisted on engaging in charity work in Africa over the years, Mandela obviously admired him very much. He and Xiao Yu talked for a long time, but they didn't have many common topics, but they still participated in that grand event together. Opening Ceremony.

The opening match is between South Africa and Mexico. The former is weaker but plays at home, while Mexico still has its old problems. Although the offense is good, the defensive problems are not small.

The two sides tied at 0 in the first half: the score was equalized in the 79th minute. The scene was ordinary and lackluster. If it hadn't been for the opening ceremony and Mandela's invitation, Xiao Yu would definitely not have watched it.

After the game, Xiao Yu and his wife had a meal with Mandela and then stayed in Johannesburg.

The two games on the first day of the World Cup in South Africa were very ordinary. South Africa drew with Mexico 1:1, and Uruguay drew with France 0:0, both of which had a somewhat conservative tone.

However, some reporters still found some gimmicks in this conservatism, that is, these teams attach great importance to occupying the game space, and many of their defensive tactics are based on the Red Rebels' set.

"Opening up space and squeezing space are undoubtedly more difficult and demanding. So when these teams couldn't learn the entire football system of the Red Rebels, they learned the easy half."

"Whether it's South Africa's draw with Mexico or Uruguay's draw with France, it can be seen that the defensive systems of the four teams are very particular about occupying space, interception and pressure in the midfield and frontcourt, and these teams' The defensive organization has the characteristics of the Red Rebels."

After two depressing draws on the first day, two heavyweight matches finally came on the second day.

The first game to kick off is Argentina versus Nigeria in Johannesburg, followed by England versus the United States in Rustenburg, a hundred miles away from Johannesburg.

"Both of their teams claim to be the national team version of our Red Rebels. I must support them, right?"

When Eva Snow asked Xiao Yu why he supported Argentina, Xiao Yu gave a righteous answer.

The games between these two teams are also regarded as two key games that will set off the offensive football style of the Red Rebels.