Chapter 90 — The Whole World Is Crazy About Xia Qi
Beep!
The match ended!
Jupp Heynckes sighed in disappointment, straightened his coat and appearance, and walked over to Arsène Wenger with a smile.
"Congratulations."
There was no rancor or hostile stare, nor any grabbing of hands demanding eye contact; it was a greeting between old acquaintances.
"Thank you."
Wenger was happy. Although this wasn't the first time he'd taken a victory away from the Allianz Arena, it was the most anticipated win.
In truth, what Wenger was looking forward to wasn't the Allianz Arena itself but Arsenal's victory.
A Chinese song could sum up Wenger's mood well:
"I'm not waiting for the snow, I'm waiting for a winter with you."
Wenger didn't want just any win; he wanted wins with Xia Qi, Emiliano Martínez, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Wilshere, Mario Balotelli... This match saw Xia Qi earn a rare 9.7 rating and be named Man of the Match.
Xia Qi's hat-trick was the main source of that high score; his defending on Arjen Robben and Manuel Neuer pushed his rating beyond nine.
Tonight Xia Qi shone at both ends of the pitch, becoming the new generation's B2B striker leader. His performance made every head coach salivate — Wenger's biggest gain of the season.
Emiliano Martínez was Arsenal's second highest-rated player with a 9.0.
When second-choice keeper Vito Mannone was ruled out for the season, Wenger had once begun to plan for next year; Martínez rekindled that hope.
Jack Wilshere scored 8.7, Mario Balotelli 8.9, Kevin De Bruyne, due to limited minutes, 8.5, Theo Walcott 8.7...
Wenger watched as Xia Qi and the others hurled their shirts into the arms of the traveling Arsenal fans and felt proud. He believed that after a few more matches of chemistry, the Arsenal with the cannon crest on its chest would be back.
On the other side of the pitch,
as Heynckes entered the tunnel he couldn't help asking his assistant, "Well? What did Rummenigge say?"
"The chairman said he'll speak with the new head coach first to see whether Xia Qi is in his plans."
"No coach would reject Xia Qi. That's unnecessary..."
"But the chairman also said, if you give him a five-star recommendation he'll fly to London immediately and go directly to see Kroenke."
Heynckes' eyes brightened. "That young Rummenigge can get things done. Tell him that kid is the third pole after Messi and Ronaldo... I guarantee he'll be proud of a trip to London; all Bayern people will thank him for it…"
Bayern's strength came from their principle of "if you can't beat them, buy them": Lucio, Zé Roberto, Miroslav Klose, Michael Ballack, Manuel Neuer... now Xia Qi.
The transfer window for the season had already closed, so whether Xia Qi could come that season was another matter, but that didn't stop Heynckes from pushing for the deal.
Half an hour after Arsenal's match with Bayern finished, the first legs of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 were completed.
Valencia 1–2 Paris Saint-Germain
Celtic 0–3 Juventus
Shakhtar Donetsk 2–2 Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid 1–1 Manchester United
Bayern Munich 2–4 Arsenal
Porto 1–0 Málaga
Galatasaray 1–1 Schalke 04
AC Milan 2–0 Barcelona
The prettiest turnout of the round of 16 first legs belonged not to Arsenal but to the Rossoneri, AC Milan, who beat the favorites Barcelona 2–0 at home.
They also became the first team that season to keep a clean sheet against Barcelona.
After the match, Lionel Messi received heavy criticism from many media outlets.
Meanwhile Xia Qi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski were being chased and celebrated.
In a postmatch interview Xia Qi spoke up for Messi:
"I didn't watch the AC Milan–Barcelona match, so I don't know what happened.
"First, congratulations to Milan.
"Keeping a clean sheet against Barcelona is an incredible achievement. Also, be careful with Messi — he's great at turning things around…"
"Do you think Barcelona, two goals down with no away goal, can still advance?"
"Of course. Why not? I'm looking forward to facing Messi in the next round."
Those words didn't sit well with the local Munich press.
"Bayern have not lost in London — what makes you so sure Barcelona can still advance?"
"Because I don't want Arsenal fans to wait another year." Xia Qi paused and, in Mandarin, said, "A thousand years is too long; seize the day!"
Reporters were stunned. Even those who had studied Chinese found "A thousand years is too long; seize the day!" a tough quote to handle.
The next day,
The Times: "Ice-cream Prince Hat-trick for Champions League Golden Boot — Gunners Down Bavaria, Championship Hopes Stir"
Munich Morning Post: "Arsenal Lead by Two in First Leg — Bayern Undervalued, Dreaming Early of Facing Barcelona"
Catalan Sports Daily: "Britain's Rising Star All-rounder: Three Goals and an Assist, Downs Bayern; Looking Forward to Messi in Round Two"
Xia Qi's B2B attribute made him every major club coach's prime target.
For a while, demand surged!
Training sessions, match footage, and especially training videos of Xia Qi changed hands for triple-digit sums.
While "supply couldn't meet demand" might be a bit exaggerated, buyers were definitely pleading with sellers.
One staff member at the London Colney training ground secretly treated himself to a new phone with the proceeds.
...
The next afternoon the Arsenal squad flew back to London. Many Arsenal fans showed up to meet the team at the airport because of Xia Qi's line: "I don't want Arsenal fans to wait another year."
Fans greeting the team at arrivals is normal.
But a reception on this scale — tens of thousands — usually only happens after winning a title.
At the airport exit many fans held up placards with players' names; the most numerous were for Xia Qi. Many held signs reading the Mandarin: "A thousand years is too long; seize the day."
Xia Qi paused by a blonde girl at one point and asked, "Do you know what this means?"
"Of course. This year we're winning both the Champions League and the Premier League."
"Who translated that for you?"
"My Chinese teacher."
"Heh! Your Chinese teacher is talented."
Wenger was in high spirits on the way out, signing autographs and taking photos for fans.
At that moment the club owner phoned. Wenger assumed he, like the fans, had come to greet the team's triumphant return.
Instead... the normally urbane Wenger couldn't help swearing in public: "No! Xia Qi is not for sale! Not even for ten Thomas Müllers would I swap him."
The noisy arrivals hall fell silent in an instant.
A fan shouted, "Don't sell Xia Qi!"
Suddenly everyone echoed the call:
"Don't sell Xia Qi!"
"Don't sell Xia Qi!"
Some fans even began to cry.
Reporters snapped photos and rushed toward Wenger.
Facing the press and teary-eyed supporters, Wenger suppressed his temper:
"I'll say this once: Xia Qi and every one of these kids," Wenger gestured toward Emiliano Martínez, Kevin De Bruyne, Theo Walcott...
"They are not for sale. This year we won't only fight for the title, we'll build a dynasty — like dream two, dream three — so each of them is not for sale."
Cheering erupted through the arrivals hall.
Wenger is a reserved coach who rarely mouths off. This declaration was a first in his life, and fans believed his sincerity.
But a journalist pressed on: "What if Mr. Kroenke insists on selling?"
"Then I'll leave with these kids."
Wenger turned to Pat Rice and said, "Pat, take the youngsters back."
"Laura, take me to the Kroenke estate."
Wenger left.
A worried fan asked Xia Qi, "Xia, you won't leave, right?"
Xia Qi, thinking he was being funny, replied, "I'm not the captain yet!"
The Arsenal fans were awkward, unsure whether to cheer or boo. The hall fell quiet for a few seconds.
Fortunately, Xia Qi is socially anxious on the pitch but socially bold off it. He pumped his fist and shouted, "Our Arsenal is invincible! On the pitch and off it!"
That line ignited the crowd; everyone pumped fists and chanted with Xia Qi.
...
Wenger raced to the Kroenke estate, composing many phrases on the way.
But none of them were needed with Kroenke.
To club owners: a third-rate owner runs at a loss; a second-rate owner breaks even; a first-rate owner makes profits; a top-tier owner enhances asset value.
Here the asset meant intangible value.
Arsenal with the Champions League and Arsenal without it are two different levels of club. That's the main reason Arsenal's market valuation lagged behind Liverpool and Manchester United.
So when Wenger said they had a real shot at the Champions League, Rummenigge's offer lost some appeal.
After getting Kroenke's assurance, a exhausted Wenger returned to London Colney.
After splashing cold water on his face, Wenger studied the Bayern match footage frame by frame in the projection room.
Despite the chest-thumping in front of the owner, the reality was...
Bayern were a dangerous opponent who shouldn't be underestimated.
In analyzing the game Wenger was most surprised by Xia Qi.
He found Xia Qi's dual acceleration had improved and his body had become far stronger.
What surprised Wenger even more was that Xia Qi's in-match decision-making ("football IQ") matched the AI simulations by 98.99%.
Most players' top consistencies don't exceed 70%; Kevin De Bruyne's was about 69.7%.
Xia Qi's performance was almost robotic!
"Could Xia Qi be an android replica?"
Wenger didn't realize how close he was to the truth.
He dunked his face in cold water to banish all nonsense, then compiled a montage of Xia Qi's actions.
He watched the montage again from start to finish and a burning light flared in his eyes...
Far away in Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Pep Guardiola,
in Madrid, Zinedine Zidane,
in Dortmund, Jürgen Klopp...
Their gazes at the screen were equally fiery, and the young player on that replayed goal was Xia Qi.
Pep Guardiola: "Has Arsenal agreed?"
Rummenigge: "He said they'd call tonight, but it's nine o'clock and nothing yet..."
Rummenigge made a frustrated gesture.
Guardiola nodded in understanding — if Wenger had agreed, that would have been a shock.
But some people still kept pushing.
The next day,
Chelsea, under owner Roman Abramovich's instruction, sent a bid fax.
No. 9 Xia Qi, £30 million!
A very sincere offer.
Wenger crumpled the fax and threw it in the bin.
Late that afternoon Chelsea raised their offer to £50 million, and their attractive general manager even phoned Wenger.
The gist of the call was:
"I know Xia Qi is your treasure — not for sale.
"But our owner Roman has given me a direct order: buy Xia Qi at any price.
"We are brother clubs. I sold you the next world's midfield — Kevin De Bruyne — now sell me the next world's striker — Xia Qi.
"You will gain my personal and the club's friendship.
"Our friendship will last forever."
Wenger was furious but listened politely and refused.
However, the matter didn't end there.
In London there was nothing The Sun didn't know.
The tabloid leaked Chelsea's offer.
The Sun is a paper without scruples and often misleads the public to grab eyeballs.
They made people think the two clubs were negotiating Xia Qi's transfer.
Once this leaked, clubs — preferring to believe it might be true — flooded Arsenal with offers.
Real Madrid, £45 million
Bayern Munich, £60 million
Manchester United, £50 million
Borussia Dortmund, £30 million (a bargain?)
Most laughable was Xia Qi's former club — Manchester City — offering £50 million. They sold Xia Qi for £5 million originally; not even a full season later, that's a tenfold return. One couldn't help but admire City's cash power.
A crowd of Arsenal supporters gathered outside the gates of London Colney.
They held up a divided photo: the top half showed Roberto Mancini with a lipstick-drawn "X" across his face; the bottom half showed Arsène Wenger with a lipstick "?" mark.
They chanted: "You're not Mancini!"
Wenger went out to calm the baseless transfer rumors and explain.
Although he repeatedly promised not to sell Xia Qi or other players and not to dismantle the current squad, his assurances had limited trust.
Arsenal had a long history of selling their captains; fans were understandably skeptical. They began to gather at the Kroenke estate.
Seeing the dense crowds outside the manor, even the police were nervous.
Stan Kroenke, flanked by police and bodyguards, spoke with fan representatives.
"I promise you I will not sell Xia Qi."
Having received Wenger's commitment to push for the title, Kroenke genuinely had no intention of selling Xia Qi, at least not in the short term.
His promise sounded firm, but the fans rolled their eyes.
The trust issue persisted: Arsenal had a reputation for selling key players.
Fan representative Jack said, "We know the club took on debt to build the Emirates and spent heavily on transfers this year. The club's finances are tight, but this year is our best chance in eight years..."
"So we'll make a concession: allow you to raise ticket prices by 10%, but bring them back down after we win the title."
Tickets could be raised and then lowered? Jack knew that was unlikely, but it gave them a reason to compromise.
For an owner, ticketing is small change — commercial value is the big money.
Kroenke smiled, "No need! Even without a price rise, I promise not to sell Xia Qi."
They rolled their eyes again.
"Mr. Kroenke, at most 15% increase — no more. Some of us don't mind prices, but for many it's a burden; 15% is the absolute limit."
Kroenke understood: if he didn't agree today, they wouldn't disperse.
He "reluctantly" consented.
When the news went out, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the waiting crowd.
Kroenke thought: I've been in business all my life — this is the first time someone's begged me to raise prices. Football really is easy money.
Following the tribal instinct,
he called in his American brothers and planned to work with the FA to oust that troublesome man...
Thus began an ugly, disgusting drama of bad money driving out good...
(END CHAPTER)
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