Manchester United legend

Chapter 97

On August 1996, 8, Manchester United's Premier League season opened.Manchester United's first round of the league is an away game at Selhurst Park in Wimbledon.

It was an afternoon on a summer weekend, and the sun was shining brightly on every corner of the court.

The players were ready, and fans from both sides cheered and encouraged their respective teams early on.

Ferguson has led the team to visit the Selhurst Park Stadium many times. This time he sent the familiar 442 lineup, Jodi Cruyff got the starting position, and the team captain took Cantona's armband.

Compared with the powerful Manchester United, Wimbledon is still too far away, so far that even Jost can show his power on the right. He turned into a winger and passed the ball, and then used his speed to eat the opponent raw. After a long drive of 40 yards, he made a cross.

Manchester United's offensive power made Wimbledon's defense line that only used traditional English football defensive arrangements despair and lamented. Wimbledon fell into a passive defense at the beginning of the game. After Jost's cross was cleared out of bounds, it was Manchester United who got the ball and organized the second offensive.

Cantona received a pass from Bart in the penalty area, stopped the ball in the chest and easily got rid of the defense in front of him. He ejected the ball into the dead corner and scored Manchester United and his first league goal in the new season.Manchester United lead 1:0.

In the second half, Manchester United controlled the scene even more, and the Wimbledon team could only conduct a difficult and futile defense.

Manchester United's offense was everywhere. The Red Devils players first made complex coordination in front of the opponent's penalty area, and then passed back near the center circle. When Wimbledon's defense line was completely confused and vigilant, and almost turned a blind eye to Irwin who was plugging in from the right, the Manchester United midfielder launched a sharp oblique line.

His powerful shot blasted goalkeeper Sullivan's ten fingers off, 2-0, Irvine added to the icing on the cake for Manchester United.

Manchester United led 2-0, and it can almost be said that the victory has been sealed, because the opponent's offense hardly poses any threat.

Looks like United fans will enjoy a flat and deserved victory?Soon, the game entered more than 80 minutes, and some fans had already started to exit.

At this time, Wimbledon attacked Manchester United's half with the ball, but without any clue, the Wimbledon player was snatched by Manchester United's Jost just after passing the middle circle.Manchester United turned from defense to offense, Jost passed the ball to Beckham, and the Wimbledon players began to retreat rhythmically.

Jost simply passed the ball to his teammate 8 yards away. When he passed the ball to the right, it had not crossed the center line, and there was a large open space in front of him.

No one would have imagined that such a non-threatening pass also achieved an assist!
The goal of Jost's pass is Beckham.After receiving the pass from Jost, Beckham dribbled the ball forward for about a yard or two, but the ball still hadn't reached the center line, and his teammates were starting to spread out and prepare to attack.

There were about 5 Wimbledon players who retreated in their own half, and they did not lose the defensive initiative. None of the Manchester United players entered the opponent's 35-yard area. It can be seen that this attack has not yet produced any danger.

Beckham looked up and looked ahead, and his eyes, through the distance of 50 yards, through the last gaze of the summer dusk, found the Wimbledon goalkeeper Sullivan.Then, he started an action that no one could have imagined.

He swung his right leg backwards, turned slightly sideways, squatted down slightly, his supporting foot was very close to the football, and his hands were spread out as he swung back with his body.After such a preparatory action, it is often a long pass transfer.

But then Beckham kicked the ball directly and vigorously, and the direction he chose was towards the front and high altitude.

The football flew high and fast forward—Beckham exerted tremendous and unmatched power on it, drew a trajectory for it, and marked the direction for it.

What does he want to do? !This is a common question for all fans and people on the field. "Is there still a need for big feet to clear the siege at this time?" This is the guess of a certain commentator in charge of commentary on the court.

No, Beckham is doing magic.A more accurate statement should be that he is casting magic, Beckham really intends to conjure up a goal.

God, is he going to lob? !He actually wanted to create a goal when he was more than half the distance and hadn't crossed the halfway line? !Did he really think he was a magician?

At that time, Beckham was standing near the center circle line, not yet crossing the center line, about 60 yards from the goal.

Obviously it's not a shot distance, and it's insane to even think about it, but Beckham just did it.

In an interview after the game, Beckham said when talking about the goal, "I have practiced long-distance passes many times, and it is not particularly difficult to hit the goal from 50 yards away.

At that time, a voice in my heart said to me: I should give it a try. If my arc of kicking is good enough, then I can pass the defenseless Sullivan who is too forward.Why not seize such an opportunity?So I went straight to my feet.I think I'm going to score this goal! "

The next moment, the ball flew up, then gradually accelerated, drew a high and far arc, and flew forward quickly with its own mysterious mission.

At that moment, Beckham looked up at the ball, and the whole audience was watching the ball.

The ball seems to have been running for a long time. Like an elf, it rotates at different speeds in the air and keeps flying forward after friction with the air.

It seems to have a pair of wings on it, and it arcs lightly and mischievously from the second half of Manchester United. It looks aimless, as if it is going to fly somewhere between the gate and the corner flag, but it spins and flies in the direction of the gate.

At that time, the sky was still sunny, the air smelled of green grass, and the fans' singing echoed in the park.

However, everything suddenly quieted down a moment later.

At that moment, Beckham had a premonition: that goal might be scored.No, he said to himself: This ball will definitely be scored.

In the previous two seconds, Wimbledon goalkeeper Sullivan was still squinting and watching his teammates fight in the opponent's half. Although the score was already 0 to 2, he was not too responsible for the conceded goal.

In addition to these two goals, Sullivan saved many Manchester United players' shots on the field, and his performance was not bad.

But at this moment, he left the gate and pressed out near the penalty area line as usual.

Teammates are attacking, and the area of ​​close combat is in the opponent's half, and the flames of battle are still far away from him, so he might as well enjoy a moment of leisure.But soon, Jost snatched the ball, and the offensive and defensive sides switched instantly. He passed the ball to the right, and there was a large space in front of him.

Sullivan began to retreat back to the goal, and prepared to command his teammates to deploy defenses. Until this moment, it could not be said that Sullivan had made any mistakes—the ball was only half-time, and he had enough time to think about how to kill Manchester United's offensive.

It's just that things seemed to be somewhat beyond the expectations of the Scottish goalkeeper. In the dazzling sunlight, he didn't see Beckham's lob shot clearly and thought it was a long pass.

And after he got used to the sunlight, he could vaguely see a black dot flying from the sky, and it zoomed in quickly, it was a ball, it was a damn shot!

Sullivan turned around quickly, trying to get back to his goal line, but it was too late. Even if he jumped up as hard as he could, he opened his arms before turning around, hoping to be lucky enough to block the flying football.

The soccer ball drew a strange sharp arc, passed over his head, and flew towards the gate he was guarding.Just under the goal beam, the ball drew a high curved arc and fell into the net accurately!

There was a dead silence in the stadium, and then thunderous cheers erupted immediately.

The cheers came not only from Manchester United fans, but also from Wimbledon fans.This is the applause of football, this is a tribute to the great miracle.

Sullivan fished the ball out of the goal in embarrassment, obviously not waking up from the shock just now.

Finally, he could see the person who kicked the goal, it was a teenager.

Against the backdrop of Sullivan's disbelieving face, the boy opened his arms, showing a smile brighter than the sun, a proud, confident, and complacent smile.After his open hands, his teammates rushed up to hug and congratulate. Of course, what is indispensable is the astonishing unanimous and shocking cheers of the fans!

This is a moment that belongs to Beckham, and he deserves it.

Amidst the cheers and applause resounding throughout the audience, Beckham raised his head proudly, showing a complacent and somewhat shy smile, enjoying the incomparable glory.

This is his own moment, and this moment will be forever.

That shot will also become an eternal legend.That goal has also become a classic in Premier League history, a classic in football history.

Unimaginable, unbelievable, full of luck, made by miracles... miraculous goals contain all the elements.Of course, this game will also be recorded in history. What is unforgettable is not the game process or Manchester United's victory itself, but the significance and sensation of Beckham's goal.

This game was so unique that it overshadowed every other game this season.

The goal illuminated the name of a David Beckham, who became a household name overnight beyond the narrow circle of United fans.Overnight, Beckham's name, together with Manchester United, became the hottest news in the world.

Everyone who witnessed this goal was dumbfounded.Beckham's father, Ted, was on the scene at the time. He happened to be sitting in the stands behind the goal and had been paying attention to his son's performance.

At that time, Ted saw his son in the middle circle actually kicked his big foot-this doesn't need a clearance, does it?

Just when Ted was puzzled, the ball flew in the distance, spun rapidly and sank, and suddenly he couldn't see anything!

Because all the people in the front row suddenly stood up and cheered.After the game, before he recovered from his excitement, he held his son's hand tightly and said, "My son, until now I can't believe that you scored such a goal!"

Later, teammate Phil Neville told Beckham that when he saw him trying to choose a shot, Ferguson almost went crazy. The old man jumped up from his seat and shouted: "Does this guy know what he is doing?! Does he still want to stay on the field?!"

"Why did Ferguson fly into a rage?"

A few years ago, it was understandable why Ferguson was furious.In Manchester United's game, such whimsical ideas and unconstrained actions are strictly prohibited by Manchester United's coaches, and this has become a discipline on the field.

Beckham was once scolded during the reserve team training in 1991.It was Eric Harrison coaching them.

Harrison sat in the dining room on the second floor above the locker room to observe the players on the training field.Suddenly, a teenager tried to score the opponent's goal with a lob, and that teenager was naturally Beckham.

"Always pay attention to ball possession"-short pass is easier to score goals on the court. This kind of long pass is difficult to pose a threat to the opponent's goal in official games, and will immediately lose the ball, making your team lose the initiative in the game-this is the concept that coaches instill in young players, and this is Ferguson's basic requirement for adult team players.

The requirements of Ferguson and Harrison cannot be wronged. The accuracy of long passes can never be compared with short passes.

But there is no limit that you can never play long passes-this weapon is still good for quickly crossing long distances in transfers and counterattacks.

After being yelled at by Harrison that day, Beckham did not give up because of it. In his spare time when he was not noticed by the coach, he still likes to practice shooting from 50 yards + distance.

He will set various goals: empty tires, small goals, dolls, water trays... Every time he practices, he must go through the tires and hit the dolls as the standard for completing the task, and he will not stop until the goal is reached.

As a result, he was called "a person who likes long passes" by his teammates, and he accepted and liked this positioning.

In fact, Scholes was the only team-mate of his age to practice against: they would often run 50-plus yards between each other and feed the ball with long passes.

What Ferguson and Harrison are worried about is that the youth team is too obsessed with this kind of flashy project rather than practical effect, and they don't want the teenagers to use long passes to shoot instead of meticulous offensive organization.

Of course, Ferguson was shocked by Beckham's goal afterwards, "Unbelievable, amazing! There is no need to wait until the end of the season, the best goal has actually been produced in the first round!

Our Beckham is the winner of the best goal!What he scored was a goal that only Pele had such creativity back then, the best goal of the season.

I believe that Beckham's goal can be compared with Pele's goal in 1970. "

Ferguson changed his words decisively after this game. He knew how to motivate Beckham. The hair dryer should not be sprayed on a successful risk-taker.

Ferguson himself wrote in his game diary, "Our last goal against Wimbledon was scored by David Beckham from inside the half-court.

Jordi Cruyff had a similar shot a few minutes earlier, but it didn't work.

When Brian Kidd saw Beckham posing for a shot, he yelled: "It's not your turn!" Then I saw the ball go straight into the goal. I smiled and turned to Kidd and said, "Hey, it's his turn." I said excitedly, is this the best goal of the season? ! "

Beckham's lob shot made the opponent's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan a long-term background board.

However, Sullivan was convinced. He responded with applause and said, "What can you say about this? You can only say that he is so amazing! He defeated me in a fair manner? I think it was still a sneak attack!"

In fact, I don't think I was too far away from the goal. Even if I concentrated on that shot and went into the net, I might miss it.This is not a joke, this shot is too accurate! "

After a long time, Sullivan said, "In fact, all of us were full of praise for this kick afterwards, thinking it was a miracle. Even if someone else can score a similar lob, it is definitely not as accurate and perfect as this shot."

After the game, Sullivan himself acted as a prophet for a while. At that time, Sullivan was convinced that the championship should belong to Manchester United.

"I don't think anyone can beat Manchester United in the title race. Even though some players in their squad are not at their best, I don't see any problems in their way to the trophy.

Because they have a new force like Beckham and such lucky super goals, so I think they are the natural champions. "

Johansen, who just joined in the summer, sat on the bench and witnessed this miracle. He highly praised the young teammate's skill, "David is a rising star.

He reminds me a lot of Cantona when he was young - he even has the same high collar!This is the most beautiful goal I have ever seen.

David is really, really talented...in a game like this you enjoy winning, but you need new excitement.Goals like that are the biggest thrill.

You will find your teammates so confident, so outstanding, and it will keep you improving.Of course, Beckham is without a doubt one of the best young players I've ever seen and I'm proud to play with him. "

Even Beckham was a bit overwhelmed by this incredible claim to fame.The best goal of the season in the first game of the new season has already heralded the official start of the star journey of this handsome young man of Manchester United-the new star has already shown the brilliance of a superstar as soon as he appears.Beckham later said of the goal: "I didn't know it had such an impact.

"What kind of a player is he who scored such an unbelievable goal?"

Beckham, who never expected to become famous so early, is actually a bit introverted and low-key.

Of course, he also loves to be beautiful. When he first came to Manchester, he was teased by Gary Neville as a "greasy-faced" guy.

The young Beckham was a hardworking player. His initial football career was even touted by the media as saying that it "had a strong Puritan color: dedication and asceticism..." The dedicated Beckham is indeed like this. The main reason is that he loves football. In addition to football in life, he regards playing football as his vocation.

He worked so hard that almost all Manchester United players loved and affirmed him.Chance to play?The main chance?

Beckham said, "I train hard all the time. After I have put in enough effort, the rest is up to God." Of course, God is willing to bless this handsome English teenager who is single-mindedly dreaming of becoming a football star.

"Why did Beckham's drop have such a big impact?"

There is no doubt that it was a fantastic shot: the distance, the line, the arc, the angle of entry, the goalkeeper trying to save... everything was perfect.

From the perspective of the picture, this lob shot is also more beautiful and impactful than those goals that directly lob the empty goal.

In addition, there has been no similar goal for a long time before this goal. This goal satisfies people's imagination of impossible things to a certain extent.

Of course, the hype ability of British newspapers is quite amazing, and at that time the entire football world also needed a high-quality idol, a new superstar.Therefore, Beckham became famous with one goal!

On the second day, people saw Beckham on the street and said the same thing, and everyone looked beaming.Many reporters came to interview Beckham, and many sponsors came to find Beckham. At that time, Beckham didn't quite understand.He's already become famous.

But everyone now knows that was just the beginning: the attention, the media coverage, the accolades that have happened to Beckham since then.That afternoon in south London, Beckham's shot changed everything about him forever. "

Yes, the wheel of fate is turning wonderfully.The action on Fleet Street is the fastest.

Soon, a god-making movement started at the speed of light.

Everything about the blond boy was unearthed, and photos of the blond boy filled the pages of newspapers and television.

Everyone's topic is talking about that amazing boy.The blond boy's age, height, blood type, hobbies, growth experience, first game, first start, first goal...everything has become a rich source of material for reporters.

After this game, interview applications on Fleet Street have filled the office of the Manchester United club press officer.

Ferguson issued a strict order not to allow reporters to interview Beckham during team training.But this simply cannot resist those all-pervasive reporters.

Amid all the hustle and bustle, Beckham himself is still working hard.

At that time, he was still a young boy. At that time, he had just come into contact with Victoria. He was a sunny boy who loved football and was full of dreams.

He felt that this goal was more of an accidental success.Of course, objectively speaking, such a goal does have a lot of luck, but at that moment, luck happened to Beckham, a young man who has worked hard for his dream for more than 20 years. Who can say that this is not a kind of arrangement from heaven?
At that time, Ferguson himself didn't know what a powerful figure he and his Manchester United had created for English football.

It can even be said that the entire English football world has not realized what a powerful high-quality idol Ferguson and his Manchester United have contributed to football.

Beckham's magical touch shocked the whole of England.The angel's wings began to wave, and a high-quality football idol appeared in Ferguson's team, a pure-blooded red devil genius, and a football superstar who swept all fields.

(End of this chapter)