This statement is very arrogant, but it also shows his high regard for Enriquez.
Second on the list is Mancini, who transferred to Barça.
Although his performance at the European Youth Championship was somewhat lacking, Mancini’s debut at Camp Nou was deemed a success. He also performed excellently in the subsequent friendlies, scoring four goals in one-sided matches, announcing his arrival in La Liga with a grand slam and winning the Barça fans’ affection.
Pavovsky of Poland is in fifth place, Melcan of Germany is also fifth, Sevajos advances further to eighth place!
And Lu Yang, finally jumps from the previous twenty-fifth to the thirteenth spot!
Morici enters the top thirty, ranking twenty-sixth.
Canyes is in thirty-second place.
Overall, this seems relatively objective.
But some fans are still dissatisfied with Lu Yang’s ranking.
In response, the Torino Sports Paper bluntly stated: "Regarding Lu Yang, we have already raised his ranking as much as possible. If he were truly outstanding, his performance in the league would take him further, but certainly not now!"
A single European Youth Championship cannot determine everything and cannot offset the hard work and struggle of other players for a year.
This is another form of fairness, er... if not for Ah Ke and Nike later targeting HXLT in the European market!
HXLT’s new shoes hadn’t been released yet, but their previous shoes’ photos were spread by these two giants’ marketing accounts, being publicly criticized in the European sneaker market!
Honestly, those designs look like a social death scene.
"Hahaha! Is Lu Yang endorsing these shoes after all? I laughed out loud!"
"Lu is indeed too young; he permanently damaged his endorsement value for a four million euros endorsement fee!"
"These are really ugly! If he endorses these shoes, Armani might terminate his contract with Lu, right? It’s too much of a hit to his image!"
"I heard these are the best-selling shoes in China? Just this?"
"I’m a fan of Lu, but honestly, these shoes are too ugly."
"I can’t stand it! I definitely won’t buy these shoes!"
Lu Yang’s exclusive shoes faced rejection from all over Europe even before they were released!
At this point, Ah Ke’s upper management finally spoke out: "Lu Yang could have become an excellent player, but he gave up on all of this himself. Whether it’s his performance in the shoe market or his ranking in the Golden Boy Award, it fully proves this point."
Soon, Nike likewise commented: "Choices matter more than effort! I hope the current young players can take this issue seriously. Besides the signing fee, a historically reliable major brand brings you their brand value."
"We have so much to offer young players, and this is our core competitiveness."
For a while, many journalists wanted to know Lu Yang’s thoughts on this.
Will Lu Yang have any regrets?
This opportunity soon arose.
As time moved closer to the end of August, the Italian Super Cup was soon to kick off. Many European journalists flocked to the Imperial Capital, finally getting the chance to interview Lu Yang.
Reporter: "Lu Yang, what are your thoughts on the words of the spokespersons for Ah Ke and Nike?"
Lu Yang: "Which part are you referring to? The part where they claim to manipulate the Golden Boy Award?"
The reporter was bewildered.
What the... how am I supposed to respond to that?
Reporter: "If you think it is, then it is."
Lu Yang: "Alright, I personally believe that when a brand can unabashedly express that they have the power to influence certain awards arbitrarily, it’s time for us to find a new award to replace the one that has been corrupted by money."
"The Diamond Boy Award, the Platinum Boy Award, the Football Boy Award, the European Football Youth Award, these awards should emerge because some awards have already lost their function of recognizing the most outstanding players under 21."
Journalists clicked their tongues.
Lu Yang seems determined not to win the Golden Boy Award.
This is really headstrong!
Once he said this, as long as the Golden Boy Award has any integrity left, they will never give the award to Lu Yang, even if one day he truly has the chance to win it.
After all... although Lu Yang is a bit short of the mark this year, considering his age and ascent speed, he has a very good chance to compete for the Golden Boy Award in the next two years.
Moreover, he’s playing in Italy, which gives him a home advantage.
But now... Lu Yang has turned a home advantage into a disadvantage alive and well.
Truly an arrogant young man.
But one can’t deny that it’s very passionate!
No wonder his number of young fans has increased significantly, perhaps this is the reason.
People who like Lu Yang can always feel this kind of exhilaration.
Reporter: "And what about the shoes? The shoes you endorse might face a cold reception."
Lu Yang: "I really dislike when people judge me with outdated perspectives because I am improving at every moment, and any past perspective is a belittlement of me. The same situation occurs with Chinese manufacturing."
"The design of my shoes is very different from what some European media have portrayed; at least, I personally think it’s currently the best-looking pair of shoes in the world, bar none!"
"I was personally involved in the design of the shoes!"
"I can’t disclose more details for now, but I can tell everyone that on the 28th at the Italian Super Cup, I will be wearing them to usher in their and my first Italian Super Cup match."
Lu Yang announced this major news.
Reporter: "Can you tell us the name of these shoes?"