r18novel Chapter 80 The Code of Traffic
Chapter 80 The Code of Traffic
The next day.
The entire Monaco team was given a day off by Jardim.
Of course, Jiang Ming is an exception.
As a rising star backed by the Chinese market.
He has other tasks to complete today.
We took a car to Nice's French Riviera airport early in the morning.
This is Monaco's only aerial gateway.
After all, the principality is too small to build its own commercial airport.
Everyone who travels long distances flies from neighboring Nice.
Louis Campos looked at Jiang Ming, who was dressed in a suit, and nodded in satisfaction.
"With that face and that suit, you could make it to Hollywood even after you retire."
"Thanks."
Jiang Ming never expected to receive such praise from this person.
As Monaco's sporting director, he is responsible for almost all matters, big and small, of the club.
He holds the authority, and even the majority of it, over player transfers.
This former top-notch director, who scouted up young talents like Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, and Fabinho one by one, has an extremely keen eye for talent.
Other top clubs across Europe wanted to poach him for important positions.
He was only willing to stay here because Monaco granted him sufficient authority.
Campos and the club complemented each other perfectly, turning Monaco into one of the most notorious "black shops" in Europe today.
"Where are we going today?" Jiang Ming asked in a low voice.
"Switzerland," Campos said calmly. "UEFA specifically invited you to participate in the draw for the Europa League Round of 16."
"They said that the viewership for this Europa League match in China has exploded, even surpassing some Champions League matches during the same period."
"We'd like to invite you to be a special guest to bring more attention to the entire event."
"Are there any players from other clubs going there?"
"No, usually players are resting at this time, you are the only special case."
"Is that so..." Jiang Ming scratched his head.
……
Switzerland.
Nyon.
UEFA headquarters.
Jiang Ming felt extremely uncomfortable.
The entire draw hall was filled with management personnel from various clubs.
Liverpool's operations director, Dortmund's sporting director, and Sevilla's CEO.
Everyone's gaze was subtly drawn to him.
After all, this 18-year-old Chinese boy is currently the hottest rising star in the European transfer market.
Ed Woodward.
This Manchester United CEO is jokingly called "San Dezi" by Chinese fans because his name contains three characters with the character "De".
She was right next to him, whispering in hushed tones, afraid of being overheard by others.
"Jiang, I watched your performance in the match, you're truly a rising star!"
"Van Gaal is also very satisfied with your abilities; he even ranked you above Paul Pogba in his transfer priorities!"
"Monaco is a small club, it certainly can't satisfy a future superstar like you."
"Why not come to Manchester United this summer, fight in the Champions League with the team, and become a new generation of Red Devils legend!"
A series of temptations were presented to Jiang Ming.
Woodward didn't believe that the 18-year-old Chinese boy in front of him would be able to control himself.
After all, it's the Manchester United platform, the Champions League stage, and the high regard of manager Louis van Gaal.
This is an irresistible temptation for any young player.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming's lips twitched slightly.
Is Van Gaal satisfied with himself?
Will he join Manchester United to compete in the Champions League next season?
Jiang Ming shook his head from the bottom of his heart.
Unfortunately, neither of these can be achieved.
Don't dream dreams that can't be realized.
Just then, Campos coughed twice, subtly steer the conversation back on track:
"Ed, the lottery ceremony is about to begin. Shouldn't we focus more on this?"
"Oh! Yes, yes, yes..."
Woodward realized that he couldn't be too blatant in poaching talent.
Then, he casually stuffed a gold business card with the Manchester United logo into Jiang Ming's arms.
After making a phone call gesture, there was no further contact.
……
The live draw began soon.
The Europa League Round of 16 draw, which wasn't usually a big deal, has attracted a huge amount of attention this time.
Not only European fans, but also a large number of Chinese fans watched the live broadcast in China, waiting to see the draw.
Domestic live stream chat comments:
"Director, something's wrong! Why is the camera cutting to Jiang Ming when the guests on stage are speaking?"
"During the tense moment of the gashapon game, if you're not watching the game, why are you taking pictures of Jiang Ming?"
"So they're just using our young Chinese player as a publicity stunt?"
Everyone found it funny; it turned out that Jiang Ming was just a celebrity mascot hired by UEFA, and the cameras never left him the entire time.
The lottery has officially begun.
As the guest of honor for this draw, former Dortmund legend Alexander Frey had incredible luck.
As soon as he made his move, he drew Liverpool and Manchester United into the same group!
The moment the names of the two teams were announced, the entire drawing room erupted in uproar!
Flashes of light filled the air, and the clicking of reporters' cameras echoed incessantly.
Woodward's face immediately darkened, and Liverpool's operations director was stunned for a long time.
This is the first time the two teams have met in European competition.
Nobody expected that they would meet in the round of 16 of the Europa League!
These two teams, judging solely from their names, should have been powerhouses that shone brightly in the Champions League.
Now, however, they are about to face a life-or-death battle in the Europa League.
This matchup alone has already generated a lot of buzz.
This raises suspicions that UEFA may have made a special arrangement.
Then, Frey continued to pull downwards.
When he read out "Monaco, against, Dortmund".
The Dortmund management team at the scene was instantly stunned.
This matchup is really interesting.
On the surface, it's a showdown between two of Europe's most notorious "black shops".
Upon closer inspection, it turns out that each team has an Asian player.
Jiang Ming from China, Shinji Kagawa from Japan!
This is actually an Asian showdown!
The live stream chat exploded instantly:
"Wow! I actually got Bumblebee!"
"It looks like Monaco vs. Dortmund, but it's actually Jiang Ming vs. Shinji Kagawa!"
"Holy crap! So Jiang Ming's first encounter with the Japanese wasn't in the national team, but in a European competition?"
"Now I can tell you definitively that UEFA doesn't need a draw at all; they've already decided on their opponents in advance!"
"First came the first-ever Manchester United-Liverpool derby in European competition, then the Asian derby between Monaco and Dortmund—who would believe this wasn't pre-arranged!"
……
Jiang Ming walked out of the lottery hall.
The reporters swarmed around like wolves smelling meat.
"Jiang! According to reports from the scene, Ed Woodward has already been in contact with you. Is that true?"
A British journalist was the first to squeeze through, and his question hit the nail on the head.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow.
"Who provided this information in such an ambiguous way? Actually, I'm not gay..."
His words made all the reporters around him laugh.
What was originally a difficult topic to answer was easily brushed aside by him with a joke.
Another Asian reporter squeezed through and excitedly asked a question.
"Kang! You defeated Tottenham, who have Son Heung-min, in the group stage, and now you're about to face Kagawa in an Asian showdown! What are your thoughts on this?"
He can answer that question properly.
"Well... I can only say that Frey's luck was just too good today!"
Jiang Ming shrugged and couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"He's managed to draw some heavyweight matchups in every group; he's really got UEFA's secret weapon for generating buzz!"