Chapter 173 I pursue greatness, not excellence

Mourinho licked his lips and then remembered that the Olympics was different from other FIFA competitions. There were a total of 16 teams in the Olympics, with only 3-4 places in Europe and Asia. It was indeed not easy to qualify for the Olympics.

"Well... Jiang, you have to know that training and competing with the National Olympic Team is a waste of energy. I will never agree to it, and I will never agree to it!"

Mourinho expressed his attitude to Jiang Yuan in a serious tone. The Portuguese coach is such a person. He will not take things to heart. He will express whatever he thinks, even if what he says may hurt the players' feelings.

Jiang Yuan shook his head: "Jose, I don't need to go to training. After the U23 Asian Cup starts, I just need to rush over the day before the game. I will rush back immediately after the game."

Hearing this, Mourinho raised his eyebrows: "Wow, kid, your country's football team respects you very much. To be honest, I admire your courage. I have been a coach for many years, and I often encounter players who ask me to play in the Olympics. You know, they are so timid even to play in the Olympics, but you want to play in the Olympic qualifiers? Premier League players go to play in the Olympic qualifiers, don't you think this is absurd?"

"So I don't need to train with the team...Jose, I hope you understand my thoughts. My participation may change the situation of our national team's qualification."

Jiang Yuan raised a finger and made a "hush" gesture: "Please listen to me first. I am not bragging. This is the fact. Football is a team sport, but I believe I can do something."

Jiang Yuan's words left Mourinho speechless for a while. Although a football team has 11 starting players, one person is only one-eleventh, but when that "one" is ridiculously strong, it may change the course of the entire game.

Before Mourinho could answer, Jiang Yuan took a step forward and said, "Listen, imagine that one day you find yourself with an opportunity to lead the national team into the Olympic stage, but you turn a blind eye to it. Isn't this pure mental illness?"

"..."

Mourinho was silent for a while, then stood up from the sofa, took out a bottle of innocent grape juice from the refrigerator and poured it for Jiang Yuan. Finally, he did not forget to throw a few ice balls into the glass.

"Jiang, your speech is very touching, but as the head coach of Chelsea, it is difficult for me to agree to your request. You are an outstanding player..."

"Jose, I strive for greatness, not excellence"

Jiang Yuan suddenly interrupted Mourinho. Although it was a bit impolite to do so, what Jiang Yuan needed to do now was to let Mourinho know what he really wanted in his heart: "Sir, the five major leagues and the Champions League are all great football competitions, but they can only make me achieve excellence. Only the national team, only the national team can make me great, and I want to be great."

"Jose...please forgive my ambition"

Jiang Yuan's eyes were a little red. It was indeed not an easy task to convince Mourinho, but it was not completely impossible.

"hiss--"

Mourinho took a deep breath and motioned for Jiang Yuan to drink some ice grape juice to calm down. "Jiang, it's hard to imagine that this is what a 17-year-old player can say. I really want to scold you, but I don't know why I can't. I probably know how much you want to participate in the Olympics, but you have to know that Chelsea is not even in the top four now. In this case, do you think it is appropriate to go back and play your Olympic preliminaries?"

Mourinho's words hit the nail on the head, and Jiang Yuan's speech was very moving, but he also has to face the facts. He still needs to be responsible for Chelsea and Stamford Bridge.

In addition, Jiang Yuan also needs to be responsible for himself. Playing in the U23 Asian Cup, including the Olympics, will not help his value or salary at all!
"Jose, so I want to correct your question. The U23 Asian Cup is in January next year, but it's still September now. We are 1th now, but do you think we will still be 9th in January next year? The top three in the league and qualifying for the Champions League knockout stage, if that's the case, will you agree to let me participate in the Olympic qualifiers?"

Jiang Yuan took another step forward, and now the distance between them was no more than 30 centimeters.

After listening to Jiang Yuan's narration, Mourinho shook his head: "This is the team's result, you have to play as you should. You know, to approve you to participate in non-A-level competitions, you not only need my consent, you also need a pass from the management..."

"How about this!"

Mourinho took out his mobile phone and looked at Chelsea's upcoming schedule.

"On December 12, if you score 14 goals after 16 league games and 10 goals in the Champions League, I guarantee you can play for the national team!"

"But if you haven't achieved one of the above, stay here!"

Mourinho gave the final answer.

16 goals in 10 rounds, 5 goals in the Champions League group stage, this achievement has exceeded the total of Hazard and Willian last season!

Just when Mourinho thought Jiang Yuan would back down, Jiang Yuan took a small step forward with his right foot and put his hands on Mourinho's shoulders: "Jose, 10+5, it's settled then"

"thank you for understanding!"

Jiang Yuan nodded to Mourinho, then turned and left.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"Thank you! I ate it at Cobham!"

Looking at Jiang Yuan's gradually disappearing back, Mourinho muttered something.

"I seek greatness, not excellence..."

What he said was very touching, but Jiang Yuan is destined to say goodbye to the Olympics next year.

Leaving aside the Champions League, 16 goals in 10 league rounds may only be in the top five scorers in the Portuguese Super League, but in the Premier League, if you can score 16 goals after 10 rounds, you will at least get the Silver Boot!
……

The next day, there was a team training session and a 5v5 small-field confrontation. Mourinho had already been told about participating in the U23 Asian Cup. Now all Jiang Yuan needed to do was to focus on the league and the team, strive for the qualification to participate in the U23 Asian Cup while also fighting for himself.

If domestic U23 players want to play in the Asian Cup, they only need to perform well in the Chinese Super League first team. If your value exceeds 50 euros, you will 100% appear in the roster.

But Jiang Yuan is different. If he wants to participate in the U23 Asian Cup, he has to score at least 16 goals in 10 Premier League games!

"Hey! Go left!"

Terry called out and sent a wonderful through ball to Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan dribbled the ball away from Zouma and then made a violent shot which went straight through the goal defended by Courtois.

"Ha ha!"

After scoring the goal, Jiang Yuan twisted his buttocks on the spot, which made Zuma speechless: "Jiang, is it necessary? You make me look stupid..."

"You're stupid!"

Jiang Yuan rolled his eyes at Zuma and ran back to his own half.

Terry put a hand on Jiang Yuan's shoulder: "So, you seem to be in a good mood today."

Jiang Yuan took a step back and shrugged, "I'll be happy if I have a direction."

"What do you mean?"

Terry blinked. Jiang Yuan's words were a bit confusing.

"It's nothing interesting. Hey, it's about to start. Pay attention!"

Jiang Yuan shouted and targeted Costa who had just received the pass from William. The latter simply stopped the ball and prepared to take a long shot, but Jiang Yuan was quick and blocked Costa directly in front of him to prevent the Spaniard from having a chance to shoot.

Helplessly, Costa had to pass the ball to the side. William regained the ball but was immediately caught by Fabregas.

This 5v5 small-sided game is similar to corner kick tactics. One-on-one defense is definitely the simplest and most effective!
After regaining the ball, William did not pass the ball immediately, but did a bicycle kick in front of Fabregas.

"watch out!"

Jiang Yuan reacted and warned, but it was too late. William suddenly changed direction and took Fabregas away, then passed the ball to Zouma who was running behind him to receive the ball. The latter made a 45-degree cross and kicked the ball to the middle.

Falcao has been waiting there for a long time!

"Step aside!"

Terry used his height advantage to head the ball before Falcao.

The ball flew towards Costa. Jiang Yuan rushed over and jumped high, almost pressing down on Costa's neck to hit the ball out.

"Wonderful!"

Terry applauded, Jiang Yuan's header was still as powerful as ever!

Costa fell to the ground after failing in the header, with a scratch on his forearm. He didn't look in good condition.

Jiang Yuan knew that Costa’s injury had something to do with him, so he walked up and stretched out his hand: “Hey bro, grab my hand!”

Jiang Yuan wanted to pull Costa up, but the latter turned his head away and stood up by himself.

“???” Jiang Yuan had a string of question marks above his head. We’re not brothers, and I’m not going to kill you. Is it necessary to do this?
Watching Costa leave, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but walk up to him and said, "Hey, I want to know if I did something wrong. You seem to have a big opinion of me?"

"no"

Costa shook off Jiang Yuan's arm, causing Jiang Yuan to stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to say for a long time.

Seeing this, Mourinho and Brown looked at each other, and the latter whispered: "There is a problem between them, and it has been more than one day, but I don't know why. Jiang's position does not conflict with Diego"

Mourinho frowned: "It's like this for Asian players playing in Europe. Do you know the new player of Hotspurs? He is also from Asia, but he is not from the same country as Jiang. Pochettino told me that the Asian player was treated unfairly in their team."

Brown pursed his lips and said, "You are talking about Sun, right? I know him. His net worth is 1600 million euros, not much different from Jiang!"

Mourinho pouted: "It's a far cry. The Asian guy from Tottenham is 23 years old, and Jiang is only a few years old. The talents of these two are not on the same level. Pochettino is a fool, his vision is much worse than mine!"

As he spoke, Mourinho raised his head unconsciously.

If he were to rank the signings he made during his coaching career, buying Jiang Yuan for 1300 million euros would definitely be the first, followed by buying Drogba for 3850 million euros!

"Too……"

Brown nodded: "What are you going to do? It's not good to go on like this. The two of them will become unstable factors in the locker room."

Brown and Mourinho have always been concerned about the problems in the locker room. The conditions in the locker room can directly affect the team's performance in the game.

However, Mourinho's attitude towards this is very clear: "What to do? What can I do? You know, the Asian guy in Tottenham is in a worse situation than Jiang, but Pochettino did nothing. He really can't do anything."

"Lyon, like I said, respect is earned by yourself!"

……

Shanghai, China.

Li Yi, then head coach of China Fortune Land Development, paid a visit to Chen Shuyuan, who was chairman of Xgang Group, the largest sponsor of the Xgang team.

Of course, this visit was secret. In the hot September day, Li Yi wrapped his face tightly for fear of being recognized by passing fans.

The door of Chen Shuyuan's office was locked, but Li Yi knocked on the door and entered smoothly: "Mr. Chen"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Shuyuan put one hand on Li Yi's arm and motioned Li Yi to sit on the sofa: "Xiao Li, sit down!"

Li Yi didn't bother to be polite with Chen Shuyuan. He found a comfortable spot on the sofa and sat down. Then he skillfully pulled open the sofa cushions beside him. Underneath were stacks of Red Bull, exuding a strange aroma. "Mr. Chen, are you still leaving it here? Aren't you taking it home?"

Chen Shuyuan asked Li Tie to put the sofa cushion back to its original position: "I've been a little busy recently..."

Then, Chen Shuyuan took out a soft Zhonghua cigarette, and Li Yi quickly took out a lighter from his pocket and lit it for Chen Shuyuan. It is worth mentioning that Li Yi does not smoke, but he always has a Zippo lighter in his pocket.

"Mr. Chen, you still like Soft Zhonghua so much!"

Chen Shuyuan blew a breath and said, "It's over now, why are you still looking for me? The media didn't see it, did they?"

"Haha, that's impossible. If you see it, just say you're treating me to a meal."

Li Yi's face was full of smiles, and he almost seized every opportunity to flatter Chen Shuyuan, but Chen Shuyuan seemed a little impatient: "You still have to avoid suspicion as much as possible. If you have something to say, just say it quickly."

"Hey, Mr. Chen, for this season's promotion to the Super League... I may need some steps."

Li Yi rubbed his hands. Hebei China Fortune is in the promotion zone of the China League One this season. If Hebei China Fortune is still in the top two of the league at the end of the season, the team will be promoted to the Super League next season.

But unfortunately, although Hebei China Fortune is now in second place in the China League One, the gap with the following teams is getting smaller and smaller, especially Dalian and BJ. These two teams are like they took drugs, with their points rising rapidly, which scared Li Yi a lot.

"call--"

Chen Shuyuan blew out a puff of smoke, then scattered the ashes on the ground casually, and said lightly: "Just do business."

"but……"

Chen Shuyuan suddenly changed the subject: "We are still friends after all, please tell me what you think first."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

Li Yi stood up and said, "I don't want to do much. I just hope you can use your circle of friends and give a little money to give Dalian and BJ players some famous paintings or red envelopes... We are only one step away from the Chinese Super League, and nothing can happen at this time!"

Chen Shuyuan took a deep breath of cigarette and then slowly exhaled: "Promotion? Is it really that important?"

"Of course, I'm the head coach of the team. I'm happy when the team is doing well!"

After saying that, Li Yi leaned his head closer again: "Mr. Chen, I am not far from coaching the national team. If I can lead the team to promotion, coaching the national team is basically a foregone conclusion!"

After hearing Li Yi's whisper, Chen Shuyuan's eyes lit up.

The national team, there are so many things to do!
"By the way, do you have a chance to coach the football event in next year's Olympics?"

Li Yi made an "8" gesture with his hand: "Mr. Chen, if we are successfully promoted to the Super League this season and our country qualifies for the Rio Olympics, then I have a 60% chance of becoming the head coach of the National Olympic Team!"

"By then...by then, Mr. Chen, you will have friends in the national team!"

Chen Shuyuan nodded: "But the problem is that the national team should not have much room for maneuver. I heard that Jiang Yuan, who has been very popular recently, has been contacted by the Olympic Committee. If he joins the National Olympic Team, would you dare to touch him?"

Yes! The question raised by Chen Shuyuan is very realistic. Jiang Yuan's status in the domestic football circle is higher than that of a giant panda. If Jiang Yuan is really offended, let alone the fans, the Olympic Committee will kill Li Yi first.

"No no no!"

Li Yi saw that Chen Shuyuan misunderstood his meaning, and waved his hands repeatedly: "Top players like Jiang Yuan must not be touched. Such players are not only influential, but also of great benefit to the team. We must protect them well! I will focus on those young players. You know, I only need to convince 1 or 2 players to affect the trend of the entire game!"

As he spoke, Li Yi became excited: "The Olympics, the Asian Cup, and even the World Cup, just think about how many Red Bulls there are here, all of them are Red Bull!"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Shuyuan smiled: "For no other reason, I am happy to see my friend succeed! Okay, Xiao Li, since you have received help from me, your friend, how are you going to help me as a friend? I don't want a blank check, I need something now."

Chen Shuyuan finished a soft Zhonghua cigarette in two or three gulps, and then took out another one from his pocket. Li Yi immediately flashed over and lit the cigarette for Chen Shuyuan: "Mr. Chen, China Fortune has an equipment project involving training equipment for the first team and the youth training team, that is, footballs, turf, and fitness equipment..."

"What does this have to do with me? I'm just a jerk who plays with containers. You think too highly of me."

Li Yi extended his hand to signal Chen Shuyuan not to worry: "Mr. Chen, please listen to me first. I remember that your Shanghai SIPG team also needs a batch of new equipment. I don't have much ability, but I can also use some tricks. If you buy from the purchaser of Huaxing Happiness, I will give you a discount."

"Haha, how much money can these equipment cost? If you want to do this, you might as well think about how to join the national team!"

Chen Shuyuan felt disdain for what Li Yi said. He originally thought that he should help Li Yi, but now it seems unnecessary.

By buying training equipment from Li Yi, even with subsidies, Chen Shuyuan could only make a net profit of 7 or 8 at most. There was no need to take the risk.

"Mr. Chen, you can just use the money from the group's finance department to buy it... A training ball costs about 300 yuan on the market now. Guess how much I'll sell it to you for?"

"Um...200?"

Chen Shuyuan frowned. The training balls of the Chinese Super League are not cheap to begin with. No matter how much they are sold for, the price will not be less than 150 yuan. In addition, China Fortune Land Development also needs to make money, so 200 yuan is already the lowest price.

Unexpectedly, Li Yi said something shocking: "Mr. Chen, the price for acquaintances is 3000 each!"

"hiss--"

Chen Shuyuan suddenly realized what was going on and gave Li Yi a thumbs up.

……

(End of this chapter)