Chapter 133: First Time Wearing the National Team Captain's Armband!

Chapter 133: First Time Wearing the National Team Captain's Armband!

In the 76th minute of the match, Pogba intercepted Xavi at midfield but was evaded by Xavi's signature turn.

Just as Xavi was about to deliver a killer pass, Pogba, for some unknown reason, directly lifted his foot and stepped on Xavi's ankle.

Although Xavi immediately let go of the ball and made a gesture to protect himself, he couldn't dodge in time and was brought down by Pogba.

After falling to the ground, Xavi looked as if he was in pain, clutching his foot and rolling on the ground.

Spanish players rushed over and surrounded Pogba.

"Are you trying to kill someone?" the hot-tempered Ramos was about to throw a punch.

Although he and Xavi were arch-rivals at their clubs, they were teammates in the national team.

Seeing a teammate being bullied, Ramos stepped forward immediately.

French players hurried over to protect their teammate and separated Pogba from the Spanish players.

Both sides pushed and shoved, and tensions rose on the field.

Lin Quan saw that Xavi was seriously injured and quickly waved to the sidelines for the team doctor.

The Spanish team doctor rushed over with a medical kit, and Xavi's sock was removed, revealing a visibly swollen ankle.

"It's a soft tissue injury, no bones are broken!" the team doctor said, relieved to see that Xavi's ankle wasn't deformed.

However, a soft tissue injury was no small matter. For a player like Xavi at his age, such an injury would require at least 6-8 weeks of rest. If the recovery was slow, it could take more than two months.

Seeing this scene, the Spanish players became even angrier.

The referee's decision was decisive; he directly showed Pogba a red card and sent him off.

Pogba's stamping action just now was a very malicious foul. Not only did he receive a red card directly, but he might also face additional punishment.

Pogba's mind went blank; he didn't know what he was thinking or why he did what he did.

After seeing the referee show him the red card, he hung his head, walked to the sidelines silently, didn't greet the coach or anyone else, and went straight to the locker room.

Deschamps was furious with Pogba; he had instructed him to mark Xavi, but he hadn't instructed him to use such a malicious foul to defend against the opponent.

Now, with a big deficit and one player down, they had lost this game for sure!

And it was not just losing the game but also losing a player!

After Xavi was forced off due to injury, Spain immediately made personnel adjustments.

Martinez came on to replace the injured Xavi.

In this match, neither Casillas nor Puyol played, so the captain's armband was worn by Xavi.

Before he left the field, he didn't hand the captain's armband to Ramos but handed it to Lin Quan instead.

Lin Quan felt a bit inappropriate and was about to decline when he heard Xavi speak up:

"Lin, I can't continue playing. Wear this and win the game for me!"

Lin Quan nodded heavily, no longer hesitating, and took the captain's armband, wearing it on his left arm.

This was the first time in Lin Quan's career that he wore the captain's armband, and it was for the national team.

The reporters at the scene captured this moment with their cameras. The transfer of the armband between the old and the young, Xavi and Lin Quan, seemed to symbolize the passing of the baton in the Spanish national team.

...

On the sidelines, Del Bosque looked worriedly at Xavi on the stretcher.

Upon hearing the team doctor say that Xavi might miss two months of games, Del Bosque's expression turned grim.

Two months meant Xavi would miss all the remaining matches in Spain's World Cup qualifiers group stage.

"Damn it!" Del Bosque punched the edge of the coach's seat and cursed under his breath.

Although Xavi was getting old, he was still very important to the Spanish team.

Without his presence, Spain's midfield strength would decrease significantly.

...

After being reduced to ten men, the French team couldn't launch any threatening attacks.

Angry Spain launched a fierce attack in the final stages of the game. French players were firmly suppressed in their own half, unable to fight back.

This scene disappointed many French fans at the Stade de France, and some even started leaving early.

With the team behind and no hope of equalizing, they were worried about witnessing a disaster, so they decided not to watch it.

With Xavi and Iniesta being substituted, Lin Quan, wearing the captain's armband, played the role of the Spanish midfield commander on the field.

Lin Quan showed no signs of discomfort in this position.

He was originally a defensive midfielder and had experience in organizing attacks in the forward position.

Under Lin Quan's command, the pace of the game was firmly controlled by Spain.

In the final stages of the match, Spain's offense surged.

In the 85th minute, Spain's passing penetrated the French defense, and the ball came to Alonso.

After adjusting his angle, Alonso chose to shoot from distance, but unfortunately, the ball flew over the crossbar.

Two minutes later, there was a defensive lapse in the French team, and Villa ran into space.

Lin Quan sent a tricky curved pass, bypassing the defenders, and the ball rolled to Villa.

But the French goalkeeper Lloris came out in time and resolved the danger.

Lin Quan was truly impressed; his teammates' shooting skills were extraordinary.

If the ground didn't work, why not try aerial balls? Ramos had been in good form recently; maybe he could head one in?

During injury time, Spain won a corner kick.

Lin Quan lofted the ball into the penalty area, and Ramos vigorously headed it, but it lacked power, and Lloris easily caught it.

After missing this opportunity, Spain failed to further extend their lead.

At the end of the ninety minutes, with goals from Lin Quan and Iniesta, Spain won 3-0 against France.

Upon hearing the referee blow the final whistle, the French players visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally over; they could hardly go on playing.

The Spanish onslaught was terrifying; if they could choose, they never wanted to face this Spanish team again.

"Lin, can we swap jerseys?" Benzema, who had an average performance in this match, came over to Lin Quan and earnestly asked for a jersey exchange.

Seeing Benzema act so quickly, Ribery, who had already taken off his jersey and was walking over to Lin Quan, felt a bit embarrassed.

Damn it, I should have acted faster.

"Sure!" Upon hearing Lin Quan's answer, Benzema smiled, looking quite naive.

Lin Quan suddenly understood why Benzema was always the scapegoat at Real Madrid. He looked harmless and easy to bully, naturally becoming the designated scapegoat.

Except for Benzema, few French players showed interest in exchanging jerseys with the Spanish players.

The rest of them left the field quickly when the game ended and returned to their locker room.

Among the French fans who stayed at the Stade de France, many of them were attacking and cursing the players.

They didn't want to stay in this cursed place any longer!

Back in the locker room, the players ignored Pogba, who had made a big mistake, and silently went to their lockers to get towels and clothes ready for showering.

With a bang, the door to the locker room was pushed open forcefully.

The head coach of the French team, Deschamps, walked in with a face full of anger.

His eyes scanned the locker room and found Pogba huddled in a corner, far away from his teammates, avoiding any interaction with them. It seemed his teammates also didn't want to deal with him.

Deschamps was initially full of anger, but seeing Pogba looking so helpless in the corner, he softened.

"Paul, come with me to the press conference!"

Pogba looked up in surprise at his coach.

Other players also stopped their movements, turning their heads to look at Deschamps.

Is the coach okay? Taking a player who was maliciously fouled and sent off the field to attend the post-match press conference? Seeing Pogba's lack of action, Deschamps became angry:

"Do you plan to be a coward for the rest of your life?"

"Come, accompany me to the press conference, publicly apologize to the opponent for your actions. Making mistakes is not scary, but lacking the courage to admit and face them is!"

He had anticipated how the French media would criticize Pogba, tearing him apart with their criticisms, worse than dog excrement.

If he did nothing, Pogba could very well be ruined by this match.

If he didn't want Pogba to carry a lifetime of psychological shadow, he had to stand up and protect him now.

But it also required Pogba's cooperation.

If he couldn't get his act together, there was nothing Deschamps could do to help him!

Pogba's emotional intelligence wasn't low; he understood that the coach was protecting him.

So he nodded heavily, following Deschamps to attend the post-match press conference.

On the Spanish side, attending the press conference with Del Bosque was Lin Quan.

"I'm sorry, I acted irrationally on the field, and I apologize for the harm my actions caused to the opponent. I hope Xavi senior can recover soon!"

After Pogba spoke, he bowed apologetically towards the cameras, his attitude extremely sincere.

The reporters at the scene picked up their cameras and recorded this scene.

A Spanish journalist spoke up indignantly:

"Pogba, do you think your poor performance and irrational behavior on the field caused the team to lose this game?"

This question squarely placed the blame for France's loss on Pogba.

Pogba was responsible, but not to this extent.

The Spanish journalists were not accepting Pogba's apology, deliberately challenging him with such a question.

"I'm sorry, I have let down the trust of the coach and teammates, as well as the expectations of the fans."

Pogba's attitude remained sincere: "In the future, I will work twice as hard to meet the high expectations of the fans!"

A French journalist asked Deschamps:

"Coach Deschamps, will you continue to use young, impulsive players like Pogba in the future?"

Obviously, French journalists were not very optimistic about Pogba's future with the national team.

Pogba's performance in today's match was too terrible, making it difficult for them to trust him anymore.

"Of course, the team always needs fresh blood. I will continue to observe young players who have performed well in major leagues. If they meet my requirements, I will give them the opportunity to play for the national team!"

Deschamps was now determined to rejuvenate the French team, no longer relying on the old guard.

If the French team wants to achieve results in next year's World Cup, or in the European Cup three years later, they must start rebuilding now!

And the midfield of the team will be the focus of his rebuilding efforts.

Not just Pogba, but also Griezmann, who has performed well in La Liga this season, is also a player he is closely watching.

French journalists were not convinced by Deschamps' answer:

"Aren't you worried that young players will perform as poorly as Pogba on the field? You should know that we have almost lost hope of directly qualifying for the World Cup now!"

After losing to Spain twice in a row, they had basically lost hope of competing for first place in the group.

Now, the French team could only hope to secure second place in the group, qualify for the playoffs as the second-placed team, and try to advance to the World Cup through the playoffs.

"Ahem, when dealing with young players, we need to be more patient. They need a process of growth, and we can't expect them to perform brilliantly as soon as they step onto the field!"

There was a burst of booing from the audience, and Spanish journalists spoke up without giving face:

"Why then is Lin Quan, who is only seventeen years old, integrating so well into the Spanish team and performing exceptionally well in every game?"

The implication of this statement was a suggestion that the French were inferior to the Spanish; otherwise, why were our young players so strong while yours were dragging behind?

"Ahem, talents like Lin Quan cannot be compared to ordinary players."

Deschamps' statement caused a stir among the reporters: What's going on? The coach of the French team is actually praising Spanish players?

Did he get the script wrong?

Shouldn't these words be said by the Spanish coach? Del Bosque looked cautious: Could this kid have set his eyes on our gem?

So he also began to sing praises, praising Lin Quan to the skies.

Spanish journalists gave them both a round of applause, very flattering.

With a big win for the team and their newcomers winning against the newcomers of the French team, they felt quite proud in front of their French counterparts, looking down on them as if from a high perch.

The French journalists were very angry, but also very helpless.

Even their own coach had betrayed them, what else could they say?

If they had to blame someone, it could only be that they didn't have players who could match Lin Quan!

...

Deschamps' guess was not wrong. After the match, Pogba's poor performance became the target of criticism from French fans.

Although Pogba apologized immediately, Spanish fans were still dissatisfied with him, joining the army of criticizing him.

In fact, not only Pogba was criticized, even Deschamps himself was criticized.

Fans accused him of not discerning people well and misusing players.

In such an important crucial match, he insisted on using young players, not only achieving no results, but also causing the team to lose so badly.

The French media were very pessimistic, feeling that their team had already opened up a huge gap with top-tier teams like Spain.

The French team was no longer a top-tier team in Europe!

In contrast to the generally pessimistic French media, the Spanish media and fans were much more optimistic.

After this match, Spain's lead in the group was very large.

They were 6 points ahead of the second-placed team. In the next three matches, as long as they won two casually, they could lock in first place in the group and qualify for the World Cup finals.

Just when Spain was celebrating nationwide, full of confidence in the future.

Lin Quan was somewhat worried.

Spain's lineup was showing obvious signs of aging.

Players like Puyol and Xavi were getting older.

After this World Cup, they would retire one after another.

There was quite a gap between Spain's young generation and these world-class players.

On the contrary, under Deschamps' bold policy of promoting young talents, the French team would sooner or later complete their rejuvenation.

In the near future, Spain would have another formidable opponent on the international stage.

...

After the match against the French team ended, Lin Quan did not return to Spain with his teammates.

Instead, he took a plane back to Germany directly from Paris.

Just as he landed, he received a call from his agent, Pérez.

"Someone wants me to endorse something?"

"Yes, and it's a hefty contract!"

On the other end of the phone, Pérez gave an affirmative answer!

(End of this chapter)