Medals

Being eliminated from the Copa del Rey without playing a match left many players disappointed, and Wang Feng was no exception.

He never expected that his last season's Spanish domestic cup campaign would end so inexplicably.

Ironically, while the Galacticos kept winning the league and Champions League titles, they always stumbled in the Copa del Rey.

During his ten years as a Chinese superstar, the club only won the Copa del Rey four times.

With the situation already at this point, there was no use in regretting. Soon, the Real Madrid club internally issued explanations and took measures to deal with the situation.

In order to minimize the impact of this incident on the players' morale, the senior management finally decided to award partial cup bonuses as compensation, as this was ultimately a failure of management.

As the team captain, Wang Feng also gathered all the players for a dinner to boost morale. "No matter what, the second half of the season will be relatively relaxed for us."

"This will be more conducive to realizing our value in the league and the Champions League. Forget about the problems that have occurred and focus on the future!" the Chinese superstar said.

With a dual approach, Real Madrid quickly minimized the impact of this incident.

December's schedule was very dense. After the Copa del Rey, the Galacticos faced Huesca at home in the 14th round of La Liga.

In this match, Wang Feng contributed with a goal and an assist, while Iguaín also found the net. The final score was 4:1, with the home team defeating their opponents.

Next up was the final round of the Champions League group stage, with Real Madrid hosting Malmö at the Bernabéu.

The Galacticos launched a fierce attack from the beginning, and just 19 seconds into the game, the Chinese superstar assisted Hesse to open the scoring.

Their onslaught did not stop, and by the time the final whistle blew, the scoreline read 8:0!

With 5 wins and 1 draw in the group stage, Real Madrid advanced to the Round of 16 with absolute dominance.

Next, the draw for the Champions League knockout stage was held, and they were drawn against AS Roma.

However, the momentum of the Galacticos suffered a setback as they encountered defeat at the Ceramics Stadium.

On December 13th, in the 15th round of La Liga, they lost 0:1 away to Villarreal.

Throughout the match, Iguaín created 9 scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize on any of them.

As for Wang Feng, he fell to the ground injured during a tussle with the opponent in the first half and was subsequently substituted by Ancelotti.

"Wang has a slight leg injury and is expected to miss the team's next league and Club World Cup matches," the coach said at the post-match press conference.

The Italian coach originally did not want Wang Feng and other key players to travel to Japan for the Club World Cup, but the club's senior management attached great importance to the Asian market.

Especially with Wang Feng's tremendous popularity, he had to make appearances even if he didn't play.

However, the players' energy was limited, and as Wang Feng grew older, he could no longer play as freely as he did in his youth.

Taking advantage of this injury as an excuse to skip the Club World Cup, the coaching staff and team doctors naturally took the opportunity, and it was not convenient for the management who had just made a low-level mistake to say anything.

So, it was ultimately decided that the assistant coach would lead the reserve team members to participate.

After a 3:0 victory over Hangzhou Greentown, the team lost 0:1 to South American Copa Libertadores champions River Plate in the final.

In the 16th round of La Liga at home against Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid displayed a strong attacking efficiency.

With a midfield driven by Modrić and Kroos, complemented by the frontline of Bale, Iguaín, and Hesse, they contributed to a feast for the home fans.

The scoreline read 10:2!

At that moment, the Bernabéu seemed to be back to its glory days of the previous season in the football world.

Every year before the Christmas holiday, Real Madrid holds an internal dinner event, which many celebrities attend, including the King of Spain.

However, such events usually do not invite reporters to participate. Everyone can only wait outside the hotel to take photos of the attendees.

But this year, the Galacticos broke the norm and sent invitations to more than a dozen mainstream media outlets in Spain, hoping they would come and witness the event.

At the same time, the venue for the gathering was not the usual Eurostars Hotel but the Sasueña Palace, where the Spanish royal family currently resides.

Such abnormality naturally aroused strong curiosity. No matter how good the relationship between the King of Spain and Real Madrid was, it didn't seem appropriate for them to hold a dinner at his private residence, so many media outlets sent teams to find out what was going on.

They found that the security level of the entire palace had been raised to the highest level. It was not just the two kings of Spain attending; even the Prime Minister and leaders of some friendly European countries were present, along with the ambassadors to Spain. Obviously, it was not just a simple Christmas gathering.

Something significant was about to happen!

Florentino personally opened the banquet and reviewed the glorious record of the Galacticos over the past nine years. He also looked forward to the second half of the new season, where the team would continue to strive for dominance in the league and the Champions League.

"All of this would not have been possible without the contribution of Captain Wang Feng. His efforts and achievements are evident to everyone, not only making the club proud but also making outstanding contributions to Spanish football."

"So King Felipe VI has decided to award him the Order of Charles III to commend his outstanding achievements!"

This statement astonished the attendees. It's worth noting that the Order of Charles III is the second-highest order of Spain and the highest order that can be awarded to foreigners!

The highest order is the Order of the Golden Fleece, which is only awarded to members of the Spanish royal family or major leaders, and currently, there are no more than 18 recipients.

Even guests who knew the inside story in advance were very surprised. They knew that Wang Feng would be awarded a medal, but they didn't expect it to be of such high caliber.

In fact, it's not uncommon for the Spanish royal family to award medals to outstanding foreign workers. In January of this year, they awarded the "Knight of the Order of Cultural Merit" to Professor Chen from the Foreign Language Institute, and in June, they awarded the "Wisdom of Alfonso X the Wise" medal to Professor Dong, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the promotion of the Spanish language and culture in China.

However, these medals are of much lower rank. If compared domestically, they have some connotation of being "title of miscellaneous generals," set up and used anytime.

The Order of Charles III is completely different. Its history can be traced back to 1771, and it was officially converted for civilian use in 1847.

There are five grades of this order: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander with Star, Commander, and Knight.

This time, the Chinese superstar received the highest grade of Grand Cross, which, apart from members of the royal family, has been awarded to no more than 25 Spanish citizens.

Although foreigners are not restricted, only a few dozen people have received it from civilian to now, and no one from the sports world has ever received it.

Wang Feng being able to receive such a high-level medal is not only because he helped Real Madrid compete for the dominant position in European football but also because he greatly promoted the economic development of Spain.

Nowadays, its honorary significance outweighs its practical use. However, with this medal, the Chinese superstar can at least travel freely to and from Spain without visa restrictions.

Dressed in formal attire, Wang Feng stood before everyone. Although he had seen countless grand occasions, he was a little nervous at this moment.

King Felipe VI then took the stage and personally hung the exquisitely crafted golden collar of the medal around his neck. The collar was composed of alternating motifs of lions, city walls, armor, and Roman numeral III.

The main body of the medal was a pure gold cross, with the central oval area bearing the name and portrait of the Virgin Mary.