Sports Medicine Master System
Chapter 831: Chapter 749: He Belongs to All World Cup Teams
Domenech scratched his silver hair in frustration.
When he arrived, he had already anticipated this outcome. He had even mentally prepared himself for Djibril Cisse missing the World Cup.
Still, he couldn’t help but hold on to a shred of hope.
After all, Chen Yu had performed so many miracles.
"Chen, we’re just too unlucky," Domenech said, tilting his head back with a long sigh.
Before the tournament, he had been secretly thrilled. Most of the other powerhouse teams had suffered widespread injuries. Take the unfortunate England, for example. Germany, Italy, and Spain were in the same boat. Brazil and Argentina certainly weren’t spared either.
France, on the other hand, had suffered no major injuries. He actually thought they had a real shot this year.
Yet, those other teams had sustained their injuries early and had ample time to heal. Only his team had the sheer bad luck to lose their starting striker to a severe injury right before departure. He felt entirely wronged.
Before the match, he had specifically spoken to the China Team, asking them not to play too aggressively and to avoid malicious fouls. He had also instructed his own players that the warm-up game was strictly meant to test the starting lineup’s chemistry, stressing the absolute need to avoid injuries.
Despite all his precautions, an accident still happened.
While waiting for Cisse’s examination results, the two men chatted a bit more, eventually discussing the France Team’s performance.
Domenech asked about Zinedine Zidane. He knew Zidane suffered from thalassemia and had been receiving treatment from Chen.
"He should be fine," Chen replied.
Though Chen said this, the impact of thalassemia was subtle and irreversible. It couldn’t be cured. On the surface, it seemed under control, and Zidane’s physical condition appeared fine, but after watching this warm-up match, things were hard to say.
It truly felt like Zidane had aged. Missing a penalty kick like that was simply baffling.
"By the way, that young kid named Ribery isn’t bad," Chen said, recalling a specific player.
In this match, the French midfield’s performance had been abysmal. The only bright spot was likely Franck Ribery, who had come off the bench in the second half. His speed was explosive, and he brought immense offensive impact.
Watching the game, Chen felt that France’s biggest problem was speed. Their pacing was agonizingly slow.
A slow pace wasn’t inherently bad. With a world-class midfielder like Zidane anchoring the team, it was perfectly fine to prioritize possession, dictate the tempo, and rely on short passes to penetrate the defense.
However, the current French squad simply lacked that level of chemistry and refined technique.
Unable to execute ground penetration, their overall offensive rhythm felt hopelessly constipated. Only Ribery managed to create some opportunities by using his pace to tear through the Chinese defense.
It was just like basketball. The current French squad resembled a traditional half-court offense team. They needed to play faster, much like the NBA’s Pioneer franchise.
Chen increasingly felt that this was the developmental trend across all professional sports.
Higher and faster!
With the global economy booming, the business of professional sports was thriving, bringing in massive investments. With capital came more research, and sports-related technology advanced rapidly. To put it into perspective, how many times had performance-enhancing drugs alone evolved over the past few years?
This naturally led to higher training standards and better physical conditioning for players. Along with it, team expectations skyrocketed in tandem.
In the past, if a player had excellent dribbling skills, the team wouldn’t necessarily demand superhuman physicality from them. Now, built upon that foundation, the standards were higher: players were expected to execute those dribbles at blistering speeds. Strikers, who previously only hovered in the front court, were now required to drop back, cover more ground, and actively create chances.
When training methods were less advanced, possessing a single specialized skill was enough. That was no longer the case. A player had to be comprehensive and capable of doing everything.
This trend was glaringly obvious across every professional league.
Yet, due to their aging roster, the France Team operated like a clunky old jalopy, visibly struggling to keep up with the times.
"You mean Frank?" Domenech paused for a moment. He recalled the winger’s performance in the warm-up match and nodded in agreement.
In the seventy-fifth minute, Frank had subbed in for Patrick Vieira. Almost immediately, he utilized his speed to bypass defenders and distribute the ball to Thierry Henry, creating a clear shooting opportunity. Wang Yun’s own goal was also a direct result of Frank controlling the ball near the baseline and crossing it into the box.
It was safe to say that Frank deserved significant credit for France’s victory.
Most importantly, Domenech had never treated Chen like an amateur. After years of navigating the trenches of the sports industry with such high-level involvement, and having recruited a massive roster of elite Trainers and sports talents to provide consulting services, even a layman would have transformed into an absolute expert.
"He’s not bad. Very fast, with well-rounded technique," Domenech agreed, already starting to wonder if he should give the young player more minutes in the upcoming World Cup matches.
As their conversation wound down, the coach suddenly asked, "Chen, who do you think will win the World Cup this year?"
"It doesn’t really matter who I favor," Chen deflected.
Domenech shook his head, pressing him for a prediction. He looked at Chen, eagerly hoping to hear him say France.
Unfortunately, he was bound to be disappointed. Chen thought for a brief moment before giving his answer.
"Brazil."
Seeing Domenech’s bewildered expression, Chen explained, "I believe in Ronnie. With him on the pitch, Brazil is guaranteed to win the championship."
At the absolute peak of his physical and technical prowess, and playing in his final World Cup dance, Ronaldo would never allow himself to fail. In the current global football landscape, Chen couldn’t think of anyone else with the singular ability to alter the outcome of a match single-handedly.
Therefore, barring any unforeseen injuries, a Brazil Team victory was assured.
Domenech smiled but didn’t argue. While Brazil boasted a dream forward quintet of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano, Kaka, and Robinho, their defense had glaring flaws. Their form in this year’s warm-up matches hadn’t been ideal either, suggesting they might be slow to find their rhythm.
However, Chen’s close friendship with Ronaldo was common knowledge in the football world. It was hardly surprising that he would back the Brazilian squad.
At that moment, Cisse emerged from his examination.
There was nothing left to say; he just had to settle down and focus on recovery. As for the World Cup, he could forget about it entirely.
While Domenech had come to terms with this reality, Cisse simply couldn’t accept it. Burying his face in his hands, he wept uncontrollably.
Watching the striker break down, Chen felt a bitter pang in his heart.
It truly was just fate.
If the man had been injured even a month earlier, Chen might have been able to figure something out. But with a mere three days left, not even a miracle worker could save him.
Cisse’s tragedy served as a stark wake-up call to all the national squads. Protecting their core players instantly became their top priority.
This also indirectly led to a rather unique situation.
During a media interview, Sven-Goran Eriksson first expressed his sympathies for the France Team. Then, his tone shifted as he unexpectedly brought up a grievance, complaining about Germany’s inadequate World Cup security measures.
He claimed that this subpar security had forced the United States Team to temporarily change their accommodations to an air force base. England’s original plan had been exactly like the Americans’—to set up their base camp in Berlin.
Eriksson had calculated it perfectly. Operating on the principle of proximity, he could simply bus his squad over to Chen after any match to have their physical conditions adjusted. It would be exactly like what those NBA teams had done back in the day.
Doing so would maximize his players’ health, mitigating the risk of injuries caused by severe fatigue while simultaneously boosting their overall form. It was a flawless two-for-one strategy.
But instead, because of Germany’s lackadaisical security, Chen had run off with the United States Team.
During the interview, he went so far as to strongly suggest that the United States surrender Chen, or that FIFA step in to mandate that Chen remain stationed in Berlin according to the original plan.
Otherwise, he demanded that the air force base be opened up to allow the England squad to move in as well.
The moment he made this statement, Marcello Lippi, Jurgen Klinsmann, and Carlos Alberto Parreira all publicly voiced their support.
They unanimously agreed: Chen Yu shouldn’t belong exclusively to the United States Team; he belonged to the entire World Cup.

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