, QUanbEN, the Champions League Cup final is just an appetizer for the Champions Cup Block I, with the exception of fans on both sides of the final. But this year is slightly different than before, thanks to Hoffenheim's miraculous rise, thanks to Zenit's slaughter of Bayern, thanks to Arshavin and Li Huan's superstar performances, this season's UEFA Cup is a bit of a show-stealing taste.

In previous years, the news of the Champions League final was still a big deal on TV and in the newspapers before the League Cup final, and it would be nice for the League Cup to occupy the same page as tofu blocks. But before this year's League Cup, not only the media in China, Germany and Russia were reporting on the League Cup, but the newspapers and TV in other European countries were also full of a lot of news about the League Cup, which naturally attracted attention with headlines such as "Li Huan and Arshavin's Showdown" and "Which Dark Horse Has the Last Laugh".

Probably due to the fact that the UEFA Cup final was held at Manchester City's home stadium, Manchester City Stadium, although this year's Champions League is a Premier League civil war, England, which has always been considered the world's No. 1 in the Premier League, actually gave the UEFA Cup final a little chance to show its face, especially the media in Manchester and London. A quarter of the UEFA Cup final is often covered.

But if you see what is reported. It's easy to spot a common denominator in that the media in both places are touting their fans' support for Zenit. The media in Manchester said that Manchester United fans liked Zenit's style of play very much, and bought tickets early to support Zenit, and the media in London said that Zenit and Chelsea's owners were Russian, and Dickov and Abu were still good friends, and it was natural for Chelsea fans to support Zenit to win the championship.

Soon, the Russian side reciprocated and exposed the ulterior motives of the British media in covering the League Cup final, and the Russian media said that in return for the support of Manchester United and Chelsea, Russian fans would go to the scene to support Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League final.

Hoffenheim were not intimidated or surprised by the news that the Russian Zenit team had won the support of local fans in the UK, and the club's manager, Shendelmeize, said, "The support of the British fans for Zenit is not decisive for the game. After all, it is impossible for fans to play football, Hoffenheim is no longer one, the first brother of European competition, and they have accumulated a lot of experience in away games in the process of reaching the final of the League Cup. He believes that in any atmosphere, Hoffenheim's players will be able to play their best and win the final victory. ”

Hoffenheim is not alone in Manchester City, because of Li Huan's strong rise, Chinese fans in the UK and overseas Chinese fans of British nationality have expressed their intention to support Hoffenheim in the final.

Manchester City club's Chinese star Sun Hai also publicly expressed his support for Li Huan and Hoffenheim in the Manchester Evening News, Sun Hai told reporters that he was going to return to China a few days after the league ended, in addition to dealing with some club chores, just to go to the scene to support Li Huan. He is friends with Li Huan and Shao Jia, and it is the wish of all Chinese that Li Huan can win the European championship and become a superstar. Sun Hai also called on his fans and Chinese fans to go to the scene to support Hoffenheim Even if he doesn't have a ticket, he should come to Manchester to cheer Li Huan, Li Huan is already long lived, he has not had many opportunities to reach the European final in his career, and if he misses it, he probably won't come again.

Although Sun Hai's words are not good, they are very pertinent, even if they are some world-class superstars. They only get to the European final once or twice in a lifetime, whether it's in the UEFA Cup or the Champions Cup. Before the game, many Chinese who did not like football very much said that they would definitely go to the scene to support Li Huan and do their part for the Chinese to win the first European championship.

Because Hoffenheim had lost to Zenit in the group stage, and Zenit's style of play clearly restrained the Bundesliga team. Before the game, European bookmakers were more optimistic about Zenit winning the championship. Ladbrokes even offered Zenit the lowest odds in Europe to win the title. Very optimistic about Zenit's coronation in the League Cup. Because of the characteristics of Hoffenheim's style of play. The bookmakers are not favoured with a draw between Hoffenheim and Zenit, with the two teams almost unanimously agreeing that the two teams will decide the winner in the minute.

On the afternoon of the next year, the club and a 15,000-strong fan cheering group travelled to Manchester, England, and the next afternoon, the Hoffenheim players flew to Manchester, England, on a chartered flight provided by Lufthansa, where they will spend the night before preparing for the UEFA Cup final the following afternoon.

At Manchester Airport, the third largest airport in the United Kingdom, Hoffenheim was warmly welcomed by thousands of fans and hundreds of journalists, including not only German fans who arrived yesterday, but also a large number of Chinese fans, as well as some British Hoffenheim fans.

In the cheers of the fans, the first to walk out of the station was Eduardo, followed by Demba Ba and Obasi, who came back from injury, and when Li Huan walked out, the audience was already boiling, and the sound of shouting "Li Huan" in various languages filled the entire airport, Li Huan was also courteous to the British airport personnel, and several security guards surrounded him.

Hoffenheim and his party walked out of the international to the exit. The fans and media who had been waiting for a long time immediately took the chase to the top. The excited Chinese fans frantically flocked to Li Huan, and there were more than ten security personnel around Li Huan at this time. From the exit to the bus outside the airport, the fanatical fans tried to take turns to launch a close-range "impact" on Li Huan, which also made the scene almost cause a riot for a while.

There were so many unexpected fans that Li Huan gave up his plan to sign autographs for the fans, and he didn't want to cause too much trouble to the British organizers, but Li Huan still expressed his gratitude to the Chinese fans at the scene through the reporter's microphone, and at the same time talked about his simple feelings about the game in Manchester.

"I'm very happy and grateful to have so many people coming to meet me, and I think it will give me extra motivation because I'm not alone here. I'll try to bring them the Beltoni Cup. Manchester is a big city, hehe, much bigger than Hoffenheim. It's definitely a different game here. When asked by a reporter from the Manchester Evening News if Li Huan had contacted Sun Hai, Li Huan said: "Sun Hai told me that he would cheer me on the spot, he is a member of the Manchester City club, I hope this will bring me some luck." ”

It took Hoffenheim half an hour to leave the airport, and then they boarded a bus from the UEFA organising committee to rush to the meridian hotel where they were staying, which was far from the city center in order to avoid outside interference.

There are still many fans at the door of the hotel who have gotten the news in advance and are waiting here, which is less Li Huan and Edward crying for this well-known player to answer Shogol! Nick also gave a brief live interview to reporters. Rangnick told reporters in high spirits, "The final started from the moment we stepped out of the plane, and we were ready to win the championship. Zenit is a great team and they have been very good this season. But we're not bad either, the champions belong to the more confident and brave teams. ”

"This game is not a duel between Li Huan and Arshavin, our team does not have superstars such as Xiao Luo, Luo, Kaka, and Messi. We are a team that relies on the whole and Li Huan can score so many goals because he has teammates behind him who support him.

After a two-hour rest at the hotel. Rangnick led the players to the city stadium for a practice of adapting to the venue, because the miracle created by Hoffenheim has spread all over the world, many British fans want to know what is special about this 3,000-man country team, the stadium poured into tens of thousands of fans, but Hoffenheim this practice time is very short, only an hour, and it is mainly a warm-up. This was a bit of a disappointment for the fans who came to watch.

After the practice, Rangnick went to the pre-match press conference, and the assistant coach took the players back to the Meridian Hotel.

Li Huan was about to go back to his room. A hotel security guard pulled him with a smile,

"Mr. Li, Mr. Sun Hai is looking for you outside the hotel, can you see you?"

"Of course."

Li Huan walked out of the hotel happily and saw Sun Hai's silver-gray Mercedes-Benz two-door sports car. It is said that Sun Jihai bought him for 40,000 pounds.

One in the UK and one in Germany. Li Huan has never joined the Chinese national team, and Li Huan and Sun Hai don't see each other much, but playing overseas at the same time naturally gives him a sense of intimacy. Sun Hai has been abroad for a long time, and there are many extroverts and cheerful people abroad, "Congratulations, you are finally here He said as he stepped forward and hugged Li Huan. Li Huan smiled slightly and said, "Brother Hai, that time you said that you would come to the scene to watch me play in the final, and I would climb to Manchester even if I climbed." ”

Sun Hai smiled slightly, "Does your coach allow you to go out?" Let's find a place to sit together. ”

Rangnick is a new generation of coaches who is in constant contact with Jurgen Klinsmann and Loew, and he believes that the days of letting players only know their hotels, stadiums and airports are over, and he does not quarantine the players and allows them to go out and feel the atmosphere of the fans. Feel for the reaction of the opposing fans, but only if you don't leave the hotel too late or drink too much.

Li Huan said: "There is no problem, you can go out completely." But don't drink alcohol

Sun Hai laughed and said, "I won't let you drink." You're still saddled with the responsibility of winning the European championship for all the Chinese, and if something goes wrong with you when you're drunk, I'm not going to be a sinner

Li Huan returned to the hotel and said hello to assistant coach Mar Xing, and then got into Sun Hai's sports car and went to Manchester.

The Chinese restaurant "Tian Wai Tian", located in the heart of Manchester, has a very Chinese name and is decorated with the nostalgia and extravagance of old Shanghai in the twenties and thirties. At the entrance of the restaurant, there are two lions, traditional Chinese mascots, and next to the lions are several replicas of terracotta warriors and horses of the same size.

, is a good friend of Sun Hai, and there is a place on the upper floor of this restaurant that specializes in drinking Chinese tea

When Sun Hai took Li Huan to get off in front of the restaurant. The bald boss had already received a call from Sun Hai and was waiting at the door.

"This is Li Huan, I invited you. Dinner is free. Sun Hai smiled and joked with his friend, and said to Li Huan: "This is my friend Yang Yun, a Hong Kong immigrant, bald, who has lived in the UK for many years, and is a celebrity in the Chinese circle in Manchester." ”

"Of course, of course, Mr. Li Huan is a distinguished guest who can't be invited." The bald boss stretched out his hand while looking at Li Huan. "Welcome. Mr. Li Huan, I am your fan. ”

Li Huan smiled slightly, stretched out his hand and shook Yang Yun. said: "You're polite, I'm disturbing."

Yang Yun put the two people in the restaurant, and Sun Hai said: "Li Huan, don't look at this restaurant, our Manchester City and Manchester United players all come here to eat." Keane, Rooney, Scholes are all regulars here. ”

Yang Yun said a little proudly: "Sir Alex Ferguson also frequents here, but as soon as he comes, other Manchester United players dare not come." ”

Li Huan was stunned, he didn't expect this small restaurant to be so famous in the local area, he smiled: "I don't know if I can meet Sir Alex Ferguson today." ”

Yang Yun said: "It's hard to say. ”

It's not time for dinner yet, there are not many people in the restaurant, both Chinese and British, seeing the boss and Sun Hai accompanying a Chinese person in, the people in the restaurant still focus their eyes on them, and some people are still whispering.

"This person is so familiar."

"I think I've seen it somewhere

"Sun Hai and Boss Yang are accompanied, and they are probably not ordinary people."

The people in the restaurant haven't recognized Li Huanlai yet. Let the three of them be a little more pure.

When he walked past the bar, Yang Yun took a huge white porcelain plate and said to Li Huan, "Sign it." ”

Li Huan looked at it, it turned out that this was not a vessel for food, and on the plate, there were many players' signatures. Dong Fanghao, Sun Hai's name is also impressively listed.

Sun Hai smiled: "He also has two such porcelains. It has the signatures of all the players of Manchester United and Manchester City. Boss Yang plans to leave the names of the stars who come here to eat

Li Huan smiled, picked up the signature pen and signed on the porcelain plate, and a Chinese fan passing by couldn't help but exclaim when he saw Li Huan's signature. "Li Huan!"

"Li Huan! It's actually Li Huan! ”

Suddenly, the Chinese in the restaurant stood up. Then someone came over to say hello to Li Huan, and then the remaining five or six Chinese people came over to greet Li Huan and ask for autographs. After a while, even British fans recognized Li Huan, and some people came over to ask for autographs. Li Huan signed autographs for the fans with a relaxed expression. The star is full of style.

Sun Hai and Yang Yun were both pushed aside by the fans, and Sun Hai smiled bitterly and said to Yang Yun: "The treatment is different." ”

Yang Yun said with a smile: "With my 30 years of experience in watching football, he will definitely become a world-class superstar like Kaka and Luo." ”

Sun Hai sighed: "It is really unusual for China to produce such a player. ”，！

Faster updates are here:.