Chapter 146: Facing Croatia

Wang Li and his companions were very satisfied with the trip to Sintra. Even the well-informed Beckham and Owen were fascinated by the grand Portuguese palace. The undulating buildings among the mountains gave people a feeling of entering a paradise. Sintra is indeed a famous tourist destination in Europe and is very attractive.

The restaurant's specialty seafood tasted great, making the grown men eat with great relish. Speaking of eating, we have to mention the interesting story between Owen and Wang Li. When Owen heard that Wang Li was a big eater, he insisted on having a competition with him. Under the sympathetic eyes of Beckham, Rooney and Bridges, the result was obvious. Owen was easily defeated by Wang Li.

Of course, if Qin Lingling hadn’t messed things up, this trip would have been perfect…

That night, Wang Li returned to the team with a smile. The next opponent they would face was Croatia, which had just returned to its peak. Beckham, Owen and others certainly had no feelings about the next game, because they were not included in the game roster at all, and the result of this game was irrelevant, because the England team had already firmly taken the top spot in Group B.

But for Wang Li, this is a game that is worth taking seriously, because this time he got the chance to start, which is a rare opportunity for a newcomer to the England team. He can only perform well to gain Eriksson's greater trust, which will be more conducive to his fame and lay a good start on his road to stardom.

The next morning during routine training, Eriksson finally announced the list of the main players for the game. As Wang Li expected, he and Rooney would be the two strikers in the frontcourt of the England team, which also met the expectations of the media and fans for the England double star combination. Players who rarely played, such as Bridge, Dyer, Butt, Jamie Carragher, etc., also got opportunities, and even the team's second goalkeeper Paul Robinson was included in the main lineup.

But relatively speaking, among these players, goalkeeper Paul Robinson must be the most conflicted, because just last year, he was still the main goalkeeper of the England team, but now, if he wants to get a chance to play, he can only do so in such unimportant games.

In fact, for the entire team, except for new players like Wang Li, most of the players didn't care much about this game, because the result of this game was not important at all. Moreover, after beating the French team and the Swiss team, the team was full of confidence. They believed that facing a "fish bag" team like Croatia, they would easily win even if they sent out a substitute lineup. You know, even the central defender Bridge, who never got a chance to play, was worth more than 8 million euros. This shows that the luxurious lineup of the England team is definitely not comparable to that of some small teams.

Eriksson took in the players' expressions and comments. Now the team's morale is high and the locker room is harmonious. This is exactly what the Swedes want to see. In football, results are everything. As long as good results are achieved, everyone will be satisfied. This is also an affirmation of the Swede's coaching ability.

"The next game is the last one in the group stage. Just like what the media said, the result is really irrelevant, but I still hope the team can win." After all the players stopped discussing with each other and turned to look over here, Eriksson continued with satisfaction: "Croatia's strength is by no means as bad as imagined. Although it is not well-known and does not have any so-called big-name stars, in fact, in the latest FIFA statistics, Croatia ranks eleventh, and England is only seventh. I believe you all understand what this means."

"Besides, the Croatian team is coming on strong this year, and they even tied with the French team in the last game. This strength should not be underestimated. If I find anyone not taking the game seriously on the field, you won't be able to play in future games!" Eriksen finally gave a serious reminder.

…………

"Alan, do you want to go to the bar together?" After the training, Wang Li just came out of the bathroom, and Bridget asked expectantly.

Every city has some red-light district bars, where there are all kinds of beauties. Some of them are professional prostitutes, but more of them are sexy girls looking for excitement. A playboy like Bridget is a frequent visitor to such places. After so many days in Portugal, it seems that he can't help it anymore.

Looking at Bridget's mysterious smile, Wang Li immediately shook his head firmly. He already understood what Bridget meant.

Although Wang Li, a virgin for three lifetimes, wanted to get rid of this trouble very much, both out of psychological and physical needs, he was still very conservative. Moreover, now that he had such a good appearance, he did not want to give his first time in such a place, which would be too disadvantageous.

After changing his clothes, Wang Li thought of Bridget's behavior and felt a little emotional. However, he did not go to the red light district, but picked up his phone and called Rita. In his opinion, dating Rita was definitely a better choice than going to that kind of place. Of course, if there were some follow-up developments, it would be even better.

"Hey, Rita, what are you doing?" Wang Li's voice was calm, but his heart was not calm. This was the first time he took the initiative to invite Rita.

"I just finished negotiating a contract and came out of the cafe and was about to go back to the hotel."

"Are you free to have dinner with me later? Well...it's a reward for your work." Wang Li seemed to be afraid that Rita might misunderstand him, so he added a sentence after he finished speaking.

"Hehe..." Faced with Wang Li's words, Rita laughed directly, "I'm very busy today, and I have to discuss something in the afternoon. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

Wang Li was a little disappointed by Rita's refusal. He didn't understand what the girl was thinking. "But, I still have a game tomorrow night."

"After the game then."

"But that will be at least 9 o'clock in the evening."

"I don't care, so why should you, a grown man, care?" Rita asked back with a smile on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, okay, it's settled then. See you in front of the Stadium of Light tomorrow night."

Just as Rita was about to speak, there was a 'beep, beep, beep...' sound from the other end of the phone. She said to herself with some amusement: "Really, the first date is chosen in front of the stadium. He is such an ignorant guy!" However, she turned around and thought that it was Wang Li who took the initiative to ask her out this time, and her heart was filled with sweetness. After more than half a year of contact, Rita knew Wang Li very well. This man did well in other aspects, but he was always stupid when it came to feelings.

"I really don't know what the little princess likes about him, ah!" Thinking of this, Rita's mood became depressed again. Although Victoria often advised her in this regard these days and asked her to take the initiative to pursue happiness, whenever she thought of the gap in age and background between herself and Wang Li, she always felt that she was not worthy of him.

At this time, the phone rang again. She picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. So she immediately shook her head, put aside these annoying things, and continued to work.

…………

Wang Li had lunch alone, and then spent the whole afternoon watching the football match on TV. Lying on the bed, he stared at the TV without focus, thinking about Rita and Angela. It was not until the evening that he got bored, so he picked up his phone and called Angela again.

"Annie, have you had dinner yet? What are you doing?"

"Oh, Alan, I'm reading a book." Angela heard Wang Li's voice, put down the book in her hand and answered happily.

"Reading a book?"

"A few days ago, my father wanted me to help him manage his business in the United States, so I have been reading some business books recently. No matter what, I also want to do this well." Angela said seriously.

"Manage business?" Wang Li frowned and asked in confirmation. He really didn't expect Angela to manage any business, but think about it, the royal family has so many industries, and they have to rely on these children to manage them. The royal family nowadays doesn't have many preferential treatments, and they still have to make money by their own abilities. "Okay, okay, when will you come to Portugal?"

"The day after tomorrow. I've asked Uncle Cole to book a plane ticket for me. It should be OK this time. Including you, there are only three people who know that I'm going to Portugal."

"Come quickly..., I miss you so much."

"Hehe, stop teasing me, don't be thinking about other women."

"Impossible? I don't even know anyone." Wang Li was shocked and quickly retorted.

"Hehe, okay, I'm just talking casually. I won't talk to you anymore. I have to continue reading."

"Okay, bye."

"Well, be good, hehe." Angela said jokingly and hung up the phone.

After the call, Wang Li started to watch the game out of boredom, slowly wasting time. It was not until after dinner that he began to meditate and rest, slowly immersing himself in a state of emptiness. ;