After the game, Chu Zhongtian was busy hugging many teammates to celebrate the hard-won draw, but he also found that no matter where he went, a camera would follow him. He is no stranger to the scene, having been filmed by a camera after the FA Cup matches against Wimbledon and Chelsea.

It's a sign that he's the best of the game.

He walked under the away stands with the rest of his team-mates and waved to the Metz fans in the stands. And the fans of Metz chanted his name: "Chu! Clear! Clear! "Thank you for his contribution to the team.

And those French TV reporters also followed Chu Zhongtian's buttocks, looking for opportunities to interview him.

Xu Xiaodi, who saw this scene in the press box, knew that there would be something good in tomorrow's newspaper.

The club kept asking him to send back the news about how the French media reported Chu Zhongtian, but the French media was always lukewarm to the Chinese player, which made the club very depressed. Well, now, in the coming period, Chu Zhongtian's name will definitely be mentioned many times by these French colleagues.

※※※After thanking the fans, Chu Zhongtian was finally blocked by reporters.

A group of French reporters asked Chu Zhongtian questions in fast-paced French.

The stadium was still noisy, Chu Zhongtian frowned and listened for a while but still didn't understand, so he had to ask the reporter to slow down...... The questions are all about "How do you feel about being voted the best of the show?" ”

"How does it feel to score a goal?"

"What are some of the feelings like playing for Metz?"

Chu Zhongtian's answer was also very official - "I'm very happy, very happy, it is precious for us to be able to get a point." Lyon are a tough opponent and being able to hold them to a draw shows that we are capable of staying in the first division. ”

'I heard you came on loan, so do you think your performance in this game will help improve your standing with Chelsea?' A French journalist asked a different question than his peers.

Chu Zhongtian was stunned for a moment.

He almost forgot that he was a Chelsea player...... It's been so long since I've been coming to Metz that I haven't seen a Chelsea scout or received a call from Chelsea FC. Forgetting that he was from Chelsea, Chelsea Football Club seems to have forgotten that they also have a player on loan at Metz.

"I don't know......" he shook his head, "it's just a game, I don't know......"

This question suddenly made his good mood disappear from the best in the game.

Chu Zhongtian, who was not in the mood to answer the reporter's questions next, was perfunctory to the questions, and when he thought of his future prospects, he seemed to be preoccupied. His performance made the media puzzle - how could it suddenly turn cloudy when they were so happy?

Until he returned to the locker room, Chu Zhongtian was not in a very good mood. At the end of the season, his loan deal with Metz came to an end and he was back at Chelsea. And where will the next stop be? At the end of the season, he will definitely not get his labor certification. Don't think about playing for Chelsea, let alone the first team, you can't even play in the reserve league. So try to get another loan out of Metz?

Ribery was bragging to his teammates about the equalizer he and Chu Zhongtian had scored with the tacit understanding they had cultivated through playing the game, and just as he was talking about the highlights, Chu Zhongtian pushed the door in. He stopped telling himself and whistled, "Who's back?" Welcome our heroes! Woo-woo-"

"Hero! Clear! The teammates excitedly raised their hands in worship. This is a way for them to joke, and it does not mean that they really worship Chu Zhongtian.

But everyone's enthusiasm still touched Chu Zhongtian a little.

A smile reappeared on his face.

He decided not to think about Chelsea's side for the time being, anyway, if he did well in Metz, Chelsea would naturally be concerned about him. If Chelsea really don't like themselves, then they will try to let Metz buy him out and move to Metz, with coach Fernandes and Frank, playing in Metz is also a good option. So in short, doing your own thing is the most important thing.

"To celebrate the points, let's have a Pro Evolution Soccer tournament in the evening!" Ribery's proposal was met with an enthusiastic response.

※※※ That night, most of the players in Metz gathered in the rooms of Ribery and Chu Zhongtian to play a game of Pro Evolution Soccer. The winners cheered, and the losers sighed, which was very lively.

Their noisy voices can be heard in the coaches' rooms.

Fernandes just laughed it off and didn't ask the players to keep their voices down. Drawing with the mighty Lyon away and getting a point, it can definitely be regarded as an upset. Because it's also time to let the players have fun and relax after the game.

The TV was showing the afternoon match between Lyon and Metz, and it wasn't a replay of the TV station, but a replay of the game footage by Tadio and Coach Fernandez to see if there was anything that wasn't recorded.

After the training the day after tomorrow, Coach Tadio will give Chu Zhongtian a tactical lesson alone, and he will be able to use this tape when the time comes. As the coach in charge of Chu Zhongtian, Tadio does this after every game.

"Score a goal, assist a goal." As he sorted out the footage, Tadio said to Fernandez, who was sitting next to him, "He's getting better and better." ”

"I can't say that yet, we have to see if we can have a consistent performance. His performance in January was not very consistent. Fernandez wasn't as happy as Tadio, he stared at the game on the screen and said. I never doubted his talent, but he didn't show his talent consistently. I don't want a fountain that erupts every now and then, I want a waterfall that can continue to gush downward. ”

So what is the reason for his ups and downs? I don't think it's a psychological problem, and nothing affects his mood......" Tadio said.

'He's mentally good, he's got a clear mind, he knows what he needs and he knows what to do. In the first half of the season I deliberately played in the reserve team and deliberately didn't give him the chance to play in the first team, but I was very happy with his performance, he wasn't impatient and didn't slack off in training, he was patient and tried to provide himself while waiting for his chance. So I'm not surprised that he's doing the way he did today. Francisco, do you know that the success of a player is the result of his own and external factors, and in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with the factors themselves, the question is whether we can create a better external environment for him to grow gradually. The reason why he can't play consistently is that he has played too few games and he needs to keep learning and growing in the game. In fact, it is too late for a player to grow up at the age of twenty-one, but Chu is very special, he has a strong learning ability......"

Fernandez said so much about Chu Zhongtian's advantages and disadvantages in one breath, and he really analyzed Chu Zhongtian thoroughly.

Tadio suddenly laughed: "Leka is really unlucky......"

Fernandez shrugged: "The world of football is all about who is good and who is good. ”

Tadio nodded: "I know, but Chu himself has seized this opportunity, I think until the end of the season, we don't have to worry about the midfield configuration." As long as these people don't get hurt, we still have no problem with relegation. It's just after this season......"

Fernandes said: "I am thinking of suggesting to the club that I buy the ownership of Chu Zhongtian. This season has been a season for him to adapt and next season I want him to be the heart of the midfield. ”

Tadio was silent, just thinking that he could be so favored by Mr. Fernandez, how lucky are you...... No, or conversely, it is precisely because of such a talent that he can be favored by Mr. Fernandez, right?

※※※ When Xu Xiaodi left Lyon the next day, he went to pay attention to the local newsstand, and sure enough, he saw many photos of Chu Zhongtian in the French media. Seeing this scene, he was even a little excited-more than half a season, and this was the first time that Chu Zhongtian's photos appeared so intensively in the French media! The last time a photo of Chu Zhongtian was published in the French media was because Chu Zhongtian signed with Metz Football Club, and there were only a few local media in Metz.

It's different now. With a goal and an assist against Lyon yesterday afternoon, he was in the media all over France.

France Football, Le Corpus, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Evening de France, Libération, ...... and other media have introduced this game and introduced Chu Zhongtian.

Xu Xiaodi bought all these newspapers and periodicals, read them slowly on the way back to Metz by train, and then used a pen to outline the key parts, and when he arrived in Metz, he sorted out and translated the comments and reports of these newspapers about Chu Zhongtian, and then sent them back to China.

Most of the French media were appreciative of Chu Zhongtian's performance last night, but they also expressed the opinion that a good performance in a game does not mean anything, because a game is a good performance, but there are many players who are quickly unknown, especially in a league like Ligue 1, where there are many newcomers, there is often a newcomer who performs well in the game, but it would be too false if every such player media concluded that he has a bright future.

“…… The Chinese youngster finally scored his first goal since joining Metz, and according to our investigation, it was also the first goal scored by a Chinese player in Ligue 1. He had also had a Chinese player before him with a brief spell for Nancy, but he didn't score...... However, Chu's performance has not been consistent before, and he has performed well and has basically disappeared, so the match against Lyon does not mean that he has a promising future, and we think it is too early to evaluate Chu's future......"

Xu Xiaodi is much more optimistic than the French media. Chu Zhongtian's goal in this game was very timely, and he had already locked the next starting spot for him in advance. Even after Leka's comeback, as long as Chu Zhongtian is not injured, the main position is almost impossible to snatch. The main Chu Zhongtian has always maintained such a state, even if he doesn't score, as long as he can have assists, then he boldly predicts that until the end of the season, Chu Zhongtian will be the starter of Metz.

Sure enough, it's more effective to score goals...... Five assists are not as good as a goal, and Chu Zhongtian was not without outstanding performances in the previous game against Paris Saint-Germain, he once planned a goal, and also directly assisted another goal to help Ribery score twice. As a result, it was Ribery who scored the goal who became popular after the game, and Chu Zhongtian, who silently supported him behind his back, has not been treated by the French. It wasn't until yesterday that he scored the equaliser against Lyon that the Frenchman was interested.

※※※ Chu Zhongtian, who returned to Metz, bought a copy of all the newspapers and magazines he could buy that reported his goal, and carefully put it away after reading it, leaving a souvenir for his first goal in Ligue 1.

After that, he went back to his usual training routine.

His life changed and he would be surrounded by fans outside the training pitch asking for autographs, and they would shout praises for his goals and assists, rather than asking for autographs because he just "never turned people down".

After Lin Beiyao saw this scene, he congratulated Chu Zhongtian for finally getting what he wanted and getting so many real supporters in Mace.

In addition to these supporters, many media outlets have come to interview him. The Chinese media don't mention it, they have been there for a month. It's just that he heard Xu Xiaodi say that even CCTV has to send a film crew to Metz to film his training, games and life, which is a good opportunity to make a name for himself in China. Xu Xiaodi told him that if CCTV Sports Channel really contacted him, he must not refuse.

Chu Zhongtian felt that Xu Xiaodi's reminder was a bit inexplicable - why should I refuse? Isn't that a good thing? And also to put my parents at ease by seeing my life in Metz through their show. Because video chatting can only look at one face, they can't see what their life is like and what their training is like.

In addition to the Chinese media, the attention of the French media is the most noticeable change. In the past, he trained here and the French media largely ignored him, and even the local media in Metz paid more attention to Ribery and only occasionally cared about him. It's a different story now, and on the day he returns to training, he faces even more media than Ribery. So much so that head coach Fernandes had to take him to the press conference after training to meet the demands of the news media.

This was his first post-training press conference. Fernandez had never let him participate in such an event out of protection for him.

At the press conference, the French media asked a lot of questions related to Chu Zhongtian, such as the club and his loan contract, why he didn't play much in the first half of the season, and whether he really played in the amateur league in England before...... Chu Zhongtian was not very accustomed to the enthusiasm of these reporters at first, but then slowly improved.

After the press conference, Fernandes patted him on the shoulder and smiled: "You can get used to it on the football pitch, but you have to get used to it as soon as possible. You'll have many more opportunities to face reporters like this in the future, Chu. Don't think that only the media in England are developed, and we in France are not bad either! ”

In the end, he also joked with Chu Zhongtian: "When you go to bed at night, remember to close the curtains." ”

Chu Zhongtian didn't have to worry that the media would climb a tree four or five meters high to secretly photograph him, but his life did change a little because of this attention. For example, now when he runs from his residence to the Holy Mountain Fulian training base for training, or when he runs back from the training base, he will attract some people's attention along the way. He even met a fully athletic fan who accompanied him from under his residence to the training base. Of course, the two of them did not run side by side, but one after the other, Chu Zhongtian was in front, and that person fell far behind. After arriving at the training base, he accelerated to catch up, panting and looking for Chu Zhongtian to ask for an autograph.

And the tenants who shared the same apartment with him also knew that they had a football star living here, and they would greet Chu Zhongtian very warmly when they met him, and the enthusiasm of the French made Chu Zhongtian sometimes have to spend a lot of time chatting with these neighbors in the corridors and corridors.

There was also an old French man who lived downstairs from him, and after Chu Zhongtian scored the Lyon goal, he gave him a bottle of champagne, and then said to him: "I know that in English football, you will get a bottle of champagne when you are the best player of the game, I'm sorry we don't have such a tradition here, but I'll make it up to you, the young man did a great job!" Keep up the good work! I promise you that as soon as you get the best of the match in future competitions, I will give you a bottle of champagne. ”

The sixty-five-year-old man's name was Le Goff (le_goff) and he was a big Metz fan. However, his physical condition was not good, he had heart disease, and he was forbidden by doctors and nurses to go to the scene to watch the game, so he could only watch the game on the TV at home, and he had to be accompanied by his family to watch it, for fear that he would get excited and fall ill.

Legov's daughter said to Chu Zhongtian helplessly: "I'm really conflicted now, of course I hope you behave well, but I don't want my father to be too excited." You know, after you scored in the last minute against Lyon, my dad was excited and I was scared to death......"

"I'm fine! I said I'm fine! My body is as good as it was when I was younger. Don't listen to the doctors and nurses, how can they take money out of your wallet if they don't exaggerate my condition? The stubborn old man glared at his daughter.

The daughter standing behind him made an apologetic expression to Chu Zhongtian.

Chu Zhongtian could only smile awkwardly, and then thanked the old man for his kindness, and at the same time asked him to pay more attention to his body.

Chu Zhongtian, who returned to his home, found that there were still words on the ribbon tied around the neck of the champagne bottle, and he put it under the light to look at it, only to find that it was the time and number of games written with an oil-based pen:

February 5, 2005, 25th round of the league, against Lyon, best of the match.

Chu Zhongtian laughed, he was really a serious old man.

He placed the champagne in a glass case and placed it next to two other bottles of champagne, the first of which he had received in last year's FA Cup third round against Wimbledon, and the second bottle of which was a memento of the FA Cup fourth round against Chelsea.

He specially brought them back to China from England and from China to France. If he has new places to go in the future, he will take them with him.

This is the road to glory that chronicles his football career.

A few years later, when he decided to retire, I wonder how many similar things would be in this cabinet?

(To be continued)