Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 747 - 536: Luo Ming’s vote sparks domestic heated discussion, how far is Tang Long from breaking the dual dominance?

Chapter 747: Chapter 536: Luo Ming’s vote sparks domestic heated discussion, how far is Tang Long from breaking the dual dominance?

After the awards ceremony ended, the rankings of the top 30 scorers were revealed.

C Luo 745 points, Messi 256 points, Tang Long 248 points, Suarez 98 points, Agüero 51 points.

C Luo’s win was almost a foregone conclusion, and his odds of winning were also ranked first.

Even before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, major media outlets had already learned through inside information that C Luo would win this year’s Ballon d’Or.

So C Luo’s victory did not come as a surprise.

What was striking was not Messi in second place, but Tang Long!

Tang Long had 248 votes, very close to Messi’s 256, a difference of only 8 votes, a true neck-and-neck competition.

Based solely on last season’s performance, Tang Long’s personal statistics were not as dazzling as Messi’s;

However, since the Ballon d’Or looks at annual performance, and Tang Long’s goals have led the five major leagues so far this season, it garnered him quite a few votes from August to December.

Sports Weekly is the only media outlet in China with voting rights. Editor-in-chief Luo Ming ranked them as follows:

1. C Luo

2. Messi

3. Tang Long

Although Luo Ming’s votes have been controversial in recent years, the final summarized voting results were almost identical to Luo Ming’s rankings.

Often, the top three matched completely.

This indirectly confirms Luo Ming’s authority in the football field as the editor-in-chief of Sports Weekly.

On his social media, Luo Ming issued a statement regarding why he awarded his first vote to C Luo:

"In 2016, C Luo’s performance was outstanding, deserving of my top vote."

"On the national team level, C Luo led Portugal to their first European Cup victory. Against Hungary, he scored a hat-trick to help the team force a draw from a dire situation; even injured in the final, he encouraged teammates from the sidelines, serving as the spiritual backbone for the team’s victory."

"As for the club, during Real Madrid’s journey to defending the Champions League, C Luo scored key goals multiple times in the knockout stages, such as scoring twice against Rome in the first leg of the Round of 16, ultimately claiming the Champions League top scorer title with 16 goals. His influence in crucial matches, powerful scoring ability, and importance to the team make him my top choice for the 2016 Ballon d’Or."

Luo Ming commented on Messi like this:

"In 2016, Messi’s performance also made him an undisputed second choice for me."

"Barcelona remained strong in the domestic league, and Messi was indispensable as the attacking core. His stats last season were still impressive on the La Liga stage, making him the biggest contributor to Barça’s La Liga title win."

"The outstanding football skills Messi displayed throughout the year, his control over the game tempo, and his core role in the team were all very prominent. Although the Argentine national team faced defeat in the Copa America final, considering everything, I gave Messi my second vote."

For the highly anticipated third vote, Tang Long, this Sports Weekly editor-in-chief wrote heartfelt words, holding great expectations for Tang Long’s future!

"When I filled in Tang Long’s name in the third place on the ballot French Football sent me, my hand was trembling!"

"This is the first time since gaining voting rights that I’ve written a Chinese name on the ballot."

"I agonized for a long time over Messi and Tang Long, as both were the best players on their teams last season and secured a league championship, but ultimately I still placed Messi ahead of Tang Long."

"However, I believe with Tang Long’s switch from midfield to forward this season, his goal count has skyrocketed, surpassing both C Luo and Messi to become the top scorer in the five major leagues!"

"If Manchester City can win the Champions League this season and defend the league title, it’s imaginable that next year he could very well break Messi and C Luo’s monopoly!"

Although the subsequent votes were precise, the final results for the top three matched those of journalists and national team captains worldwide.

Nevertheless, the outcry in China was overwhelming!

Many people said that Luo Ming was pandering to Messi—why not fill in Tang Long for second place?

"Luo Ming, oh Luo Ming, we acknowledge C Luo deserves first place without question, but when both have won the league championship, why give the second vote to Messi instead of Tang Long?"

"How does Messi compare to Tang Long? You should know that this season, Tang Long was the one who personally eliminated Messi, sending Barça to play the UEFA Europa League!"

"Other countries’ journalists rank their own players first; yet you, Chief Editor Luo, directly place Tang Long third!"

"I don’t care about all these analyses; if I were the chief editor of Sports Weekly, Tang Long would definitely be first!"

"Truthfully, Tang Long could have gotten second, but unfortunately, Agüero split a lot of votes."

However, Tang Long paid no attention to these disputes, only laughing them off.

He even went on domestic social media and liked Luo Ming’s statement.

Seeing Tang Long’s like, many fans also praised his generosity in not dwelling on the matter with Luo Ming.

However, Tang Long did share a consensus with Luo Ming: wanting to break Messi and C Luo’s years-long monopoly on the Ballon d’Or. Winning the Champions League next year, or even leading Manchester City to a treble, is crucial.

At the same time, he must maintain his hot scoring momentum to win the European Golden Boot.

...

Back to the match.

After finishing the 15th round Premier League derby against Manchester United with a 5-1 victory, Manchester City headed to an away game to challenge Hull City.

Hull City’s crest depicts a tiger, hence it’s also called "Tiger City."

However, lately, this "tiger" has become a sick cat, losing repeatedly to mid-and lower-tier teams like Watford and Stoke City, and has sunk deep into the relegation zone, leaving survival as their only hope this season.

So, facing Manchester City at home, their coach’s strategy was clear—since they can’t win, they would just give up!

Since Hull City’s next game is an away match against Fulham, their most important relegation competitor, they made significant rotations in the lineup, with over half of the main players sitting on the bench for this home game against Manchester City.

This was a Tian Ji’s Horse Racing strategy, choosing to focus efforts on winnable matches rather than an unwinnable one.

Manchester City played with ease, and Tang Long didn’t even need to use his new skill, the Fierce Tiger Spreads Wings, combining the Fierce Tiger Shot with Winged Shooting, to perform brilliantly with two goals and an assist, helping the team to a 3-0 win over Hull City away.

The first goal was typical of Guardiola’s ground pass strategy taught at Manchester City, using the tiki-taka tactic, ultimately having Diego suddenly change the rhythm, slightly flicking with the outside of his foot near the penalty area, and the ball went bottom!

Robertson, in excellent form recently, following Chiwo’s instructions, learned from Kolarov’s habit of crossing without stopping the ball, and sent a cross before Hull City’s defenders could react. Tang Long dashed in, stepped into the area, and shot just before the goalkeeper could rush forward, hitting through his legs!

Then Tang Long reciprocated.

A standard ground strike in a counterattack, Robertson, rushing fastest, was even quicker than Agüero!

You could see his face getting distorted from sprinting, finally catching up to Tang Long’s pass and scoring with a one-on-one chance!

Though the goalkeeper managed a touch, the velocity was high enough to ensure the ball still hit the near post.

Sterling, on the bench, looked bewildered: "How come Robertson’s one-on-one feels even better than mine?"

In the final moments, Agüero faked a shot, real feint inside the penalty area, and got tripped, earning a penalty for Manchester City.

This season, Manchester City reached a consensus within the team.

Regardless of whether it’s a penalty or a free kick, they are all assigned to Tang Long to take, maximizing his goal tally to help him win the European Golden Boot.

Since arriving in the five major leagues, although Tang Long hasn’t taken many penalties, he hasn’t missed any.

This time, he deceived the goalkeeper with his eyes and calmly slotted it into the lower right corner.

After the match, looking at the players in the locker room joking and smiling, coach Guardiola tapped the tactics board.

"This match was just a warm-up; the next match against Liverpool is when you really need to step it up!"