World First Church started from the 02 World Cup

Chapter 50 Everton Arrives

Two days after the World Cup ended.

FIFA quickly published the latest world rankings on its official website.

Thanks to their third-place finish at the World Cup, the Chinese team's points soared by more than 200!

This also caused the Chinese team's world ranking to rise directly from 54th before the competition to 20th!

This is the highest ranking in the history of the Chinese team, and it also represents the fastest improvement in history, with a jump of 34 places in a short period of time.

Although the South Korean team also rose 20 places in the rankings, from 41st to 21st, they were still overtaken by the Chinese team and ranked second in Asia.

The Japanese team, which was eliminated by China in the round of 16, rose from 38th to 27th place, ranking third in Asia.

Of the four Asian teams that participated, only Saudi Arabia's ranking dropped.

After losing all three matches and finishing 32nd in the World Cup, their world ranking dropped from 34th to 38th.

The release of this latest World Cup ranking has once again attracted strong attention and heated discussion from domestic media and fans.

"The Chinese national football team's ranking has skyrocketed at an incredible speed, it's like they've taken off on a rocket! It's ridiculously fast!"

"20th place... I can't believe it. This is already at the level of a world-class team, right?"

"We're not quite a world-class team, but we're definitely at the level of a second-tier team."

That's true.

The so-called world-class teams are indeed all ranked in the top ten.

For example, Brazil, France, Argentina, Spain, Germany, England, Italy, Portugal... they are all in the top ten.

It can be said that the favorites to win each World Cup are basically drawn from among them.

What, you're asking about the Netherlands?

The Netherlands missed the 02 World Cup, so their ranking naturally couldn't be high.

Which teams are ranked around 20th?

Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Colombia, Paraguay, Mexico...

Those are the teams that seem unlikely to win the championship, but which all the title contenders will find trouble to face!

Now, the Chinese team has also squeezed into this category.

This is truly something I've never seen before!

Well, the Chinese team faced the champion Brazil team twice in this World Cup, and they did give them enough trouble.

Brazil's head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari also said in an interview after winning the championship:

"The match against China was the toughest game of this tournament for us."

"Although their individual abilities are not particularly outstanding, their organization is excellent, their tactics are appropriate, and they have brought out the best in team football. I want to express my respect to them."

"I admire Ye Xian's talent as the main tactical designer for the Chinese team."

"If I were the owner of a club team, I would definitely try every means to bring him to my team..."

obviously.

Everton's management also thinks so.

Their club president, Bill Kenwright, had already quickly led a group of officials to China for a meeting with Ye Xian!

……

night.

The excitement surrounding the national football team's triumphant return has not yet subsided, and the summer breeze in the capital still carries the lingering warmth of nationwide celebration.

The conference room in a high-end hotel in the city center is quiet and solemn.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city bustles with traffic, but inside, there is only the soft murmur of conversation and the gentle rustling of papers.

The two sides sat facing each other at opposite ends of the long table in the conference room.

Ken Wright was dressed in a dark suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he had a gentle yet serious smile on his face.

Sitting next to him was Everton CEO Keith Winters, who held a thick stack of documents and looked calm.

Ye Xian was dressed in a simple casual suit, accompanied by officials from the Chinese Football Association and senior executives from the Kejian Group.

They were doing their utmost to facilitate this meeting, and the content of today's negotiations was closely related to them, so they were also listening in.

After exchanging pleasantries, Kenwright spoke first: "Mr. Ye Xian, first of all, please allow me to congratulate you again on leading the Chinese team to third place in the World Cup. This is an honor for Asian football and the best proof of your personal tactical talent."

Then, he gestured for Winters to hand him a document. "You should already know our intentions through the Football Association. We are eager for you to join Goodison Park and become a core member of our coaching staff."

Ye Xian nodded slightly, a gentle smile on his face, and said in a steady tone, "Thank you for Chairman Kenwright's recognition, and thank you for Everton's sincerity. Regarding the joining matter, I do have some thoughts of my own, and I hope to have a frank discussion with the Chairman."

Kenwright smiled and nodded, gesturing for him to speak: "Please be frank. We will seriously consider any reasonable requests. We know that your tactical abilities are what we value most, and we are willing to provide you with sufficient support so that you can showcase your talents at Everton."

Winters added at the opportune moment: "Mr. Ye Xian, our initial proposed compensation package is an annual salary of no less than £50, along with a dedicated tactical team. You will be fully responsible for all matters related to training and tactical arrangements. Coach Moyes will fully cooperate with your work and will not interfere with your tactical decisions."

In the Premier League at that time, this treatment was already a great show of sincerity for a young coach who was just entering European football and did not have a European coaching certificate.

At that time, the only managers who could earn more than £200 million a year were Ferguson and Wenger, both managers from major Premier League title contenders.

Then there are those with salaries over 100 million, such as Robson, Kyle Keegan, Hoddle, Ranieri, and Houllier, who are well-known coaches of larger teams.

For a typical mid-to-lower tier team, the budget is generally around 50.

However, Ye Xian said, "Salary is not my biggest concern. A little less is not a big problem. But I hope your club can meet the following two requirements."

"Oh? Please go on." Kenwright was slightly surprised, but at the same time, he had a better impression of Ye Xian.

It's really rare to find negotiations where money isn't discussed!

This also shows that Ye Xian, this young man, really does have a different way of thinking than ordinary people.

Ye Xian then slowly spoke, stating his first core requirement:

"First of all, I hope that after joining Everton, I can continue to work part-time for the national team."

"In the future, when the national team has major competitions—such as the Asian Cup and the World Cup qualifiers—I hope to go back and assist Coach Milutinovic, without affecting my work at Everton, and continue to contribute to Chinese football."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ken Wright's smile faded slightly, and he fell into deep thought.

Winters, standing beside him, frowned and whispered a reminder: "Coach Ye Xian, the Premier League schedule is packed and demanding. If you have to leave midway to return to China to help the national team, it might affect Everton's training and match schedule..."

Ye Xian had anticipated their concerns and spoke firmly and sincerely: "I understand the tight schedule of the Premier League. I can promise that I will only return to assist Coach Milutinovic if the national team has a major match and Everton does not have a crucial game. I will never let the national team's affairs affect Everton's normal work."

At this point, Zhang Jilong, a representative from the Chinese Football Association, also said, "This is also the idea of ​​our Football Association. We hope your club will give it serious consideration."

Milutinovic's contract was actually only signed until after the 2002 World Cup.

The Football Association's initial idea was to have Ye Xian take over Milutinovic's position as the national team's head coach.

But after the communication, Ye Xian's attitude was very firm, and he still wanted to go to a high-level club to coach.

So the Football Association settled for second best, first renewing Milutinovic's contract, and then allowing Ye Xian to continue serving as the national team's assistant coach, which is similar to the current situation.

So, it all depends on Everton's perspective...

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Author's Note:

During this period, Chinese football was in a transitional phase from a "planned economy" to a "market economy." Many foreign player transactions involved the Chinese Football Association (CFA), such as the cases of Li Tie and Li Weifeng, which required the CFA's coordination.

Even in the later stages, such as when Lippi of Guangzhou Evergrande became the national team head coach, the coordination between the club and the Football Association was still involved.

However, this article does not want to involve too many people from the Chinese Football Association, so when a character needs to be mentioned, we will focus on Zhang Jilong, who is relatively uncontroversial, even though he is not actually in charge of the relevant module.

Hope to understand.