Chapter 1 I've Been Selected for the National Olympic Training Camp?

"I've been selected for the National Olympic training camp?" Li Yongle looked at his coach, Bai Hongfei, in surprise.

"That's right! The Chinese Football Association personally sent a confirmation letter! Congratulations! Hehe!" Bai Hongfei laughed. He was genuinely happy for the young man in front of him. Being selected for a national team as a university student was unprecedented, if not the first of its kind! "You can pack your things and go to Kunming tomorrow. Also, the school will retain your student status, but my personal opinion is that once you go, don't come back, hehe!"

Li Yongle was still in a state of shock and didn't hear what his coach was saying.

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In fact, Li Yongle wasn't the only one taken aback. When the name "Li Yongle" appeared in newspapers and on television, most people didn't know anything about him. A few knew that he had represented the Chinese University Football Team in the World University Games.

That was all.

But now, a name that most people felt unfamiliar with was actually on the Chinese National Olympic team roster! Was this a joke?

After the National Olympic team barely made it through, many people believed that Qiu Suhui would make some adjustments under pressure, and Qiu Suhui did indeed make adjustments. He brought in new players. But these new players were far from the experienced professional players that everyone expected. Many enthusiastic media outlets even listed all the outstanding eligible players in China for Qiu Suhui, but Qiu Suhui surprised everyone again by choosing Li Yongle, a student at R University in Beijing, a name that most people had never heard of!

Who was Li Yongle? All the media began a new round of "excavator plans." Through the concerted efforts of the vast number of journalists, Li Yongle's background was finally thoroughly investigated and presented to the general public.

A person who was an opponent of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan for three years in high school; a person who continued to be an opponent of the two stars in college; a person who dominated the University Football League after Zhang and Yang went to the Netherlands and Italy; a person who led the team to the top four in South Korea; a person who was taciturn and strict with himself; a weirdo in the eyes of his classmates who only knew football…

It sounded not bad, but the media and fans still gave this person plenty of suspicion. Could he do it? As a college football player, could he integrate into the National Olympic team? Would he be the key figure for Qiu Suhui to change the National Olympic team? Or was he just going through the motions and would eventually return to school to continue his studies?

Even Chen Wei was worried about Qiu Suhui's decision: "Can he do it? College football and professional football are not on the same level!"

Qiu Suhui smiled and said, "Don't worry, he is a person who is absolutely underestimated."

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Li Yongle's arrival also caused quite a stir within the National Olympic team. Many people doubted that this college student could adapt to the demands of professional football. In short, Li Yongle walked into the Honghe base in Kunming with a backpack full of everyone's doubts.

When welcoming the new players, everyone didn't seem very enthusiastic. In addition to doubting his ability, there was also an important point: Wang Yu, nicknamed "丫头 (Yatou, Little Girl)," who had a good relationship with everyone in the team, had the same position as Li Yongle, both being defensive midfielders. And Li Yongle's taciturn appearance wasn't very likable. Only Liu Peng and Sima Hongxin were most enthusiastic about Li Yongle. After all, everyone was old friends, and Li Yongle only showed a smile when he saw them.

In normal training, Li Yongle didn't show anything special except for his good stamina when running laps. The reporters watching the training from the sidelines—after the defeat in Syria, Qiu Suhui, who was not good at dealing with the media, finally lifted the ban on reporters entering for interviews and filming—unanimously believed that this college student was either too nervous or simply not good enough.

But when training specific offensive tactics, Li Yongle's characteristics were finally recognized by everyone.

"The following focuses on long passes, conducted in one-third of the field. Four attackers, five defenders. When I pass the ball to Li Yongle, the training begins. Defenders can freely press forward, and attackers can also run freely, deciding your offensive routes. But there is one requirement: an attack must be completed within one minute, and must use at least one long pass. Otherwise, I will judge the attacking side as a foul. There will be special rewards waiting for the losing side after training, hehe!" Qiu Suhui stepped on the ball. "Any questions?"

"Yes!" Xiang Tao, who was responsible for defense, raised his hand. "Excuse me, Qiu *zhi* (coach), why must the attack be initiated by him?" Xiang Tao pointed to Li Yongle.

Qiu Suhui had expected this and smiled, "Because he is a defensive midfielder."

"But Wang Yu is also a defensive midfielder, why does he have to defend?" Xiang Tao pointed to Wang Yu, who was also on the defensive side.

"Offense and defense are interchangeable. Li Yongle will also participate in defense, and Wang Yu will also be responsible for offense. Any other questions?"

"Uh, no." Xiang Tao retreated.

"That's good, everyone to their positions, training begins!"

Xiang Tao walked towards his position while whispering to Wang Yu beside him, "Don't worry, Yatou. I will make that Li Yongle lose face!"

As soon as Li Yongle got the ball, he saw Xiang Tao, who was supposed to be a defender, rushing towards him aggressively. He quickly made a long pass to Li Jie in front, but the hurried pass was too long. Li Jie only ran two steps before giving up chasing the ball, and then shrugged helplessly.

Li Yongle, who had made a mistake, stood expressionlessly on the spot, watching everyone on the field.

Xiang Tao smiled triumphantly and shook his head at Wang Yu, the meaning was obvious: He is much worse than you, just scaring him made him lose his composure, haha!

The second time, Li Yongle cooperated with Lin Feng, and then he made another long pass to the front, this time to Zhao Pengyu. However, this time it was a little short, passing behind Zhao Pengyu and allowing Li Suisheng to easily intercept it.

After a round of training, Li Yongle's score was zero. None of his passes were accurate. And when defending, the attackers always passed high balls to him. After a few days of training, everyone knew that Li Yongle's heading was very poor. Sure enough, Li Yongle seemed a little overwhelmed by these aerial balls. Once, he even tried to stop a ball at chin height with his foot, resulting in a fall and a lot of laughter from the sidelines.

"He's so tall for nothing!" a reporter sighed.

In short, judging from the results of the first round of training, Li Yongle didn't even have the qualifications to continue staying in the National Olympic training camp. He was really too bad!

But in the second round of training, Qiu Suhui still sent up the combination of Li Yongle, Lin Feng, Zhao Pengyu, and Li Jie. Zheng Chuan patted Zhao Pengyu: "Do you know what to do?"

Zhao Pengyu smiled: "I don't need to throw the game, that kid's passing level..." He shook his head and ran onto the field.

The first pass to Li Jie was still a bit too long. There were sighs from outside the field. They were not regretting that the ball was passed too long, but using this method to put pressure on Li Yongle.

These guys! When did they become so united? Qiu Suhui even had the leisure to consider this question.

The third time, Xiang Tao still rushed up. He underestimated his opponent a bit, abandoning his position as a defender, thinking that there was no way this kid could pass to the open space! This time, Li Yongle didn't pass the ball immediately. He seemed to be waiting for Xiang Tao to pounce.

Good kid, let me, *Tao Ge* (Brother Tao), show you what's what! There isn't anyone in the team who can beat me one-on-one in China! Xiang Tao fiercely lunged towards Li Yongle's feet! But Li Yongle stretched out his long leg, pulled the ball closer to his body, and then flicked the ball to the right with his left foot, and jumped up with his right foot to avoid Xiang Tao's tackle!

"That guy Xiang Tao! Too reckless!" Li Suisheng cursed softly from behind.

After dodging Xiang Tao, Li Yongle made a long pass to the front directly before his center of gravity could recover! The football landed very accurately not far in front of Zhao Pengyu on the wing. Xiang Tao had pounced forward and had not had time to return to defense. Zhao Pengyu only needed to run one more step to stop the ball and pass it in, and the other defenders had not yet come to fill the gap.

"This ball..." Zhao Pengyu indeed stopped the ball, "...even if I wanted to throw the game, I couldn't, right?" He crossed the ball!

Li Jie fought hard with Li Suisheng for the header in the center, but in front of the goal, as long as the position was secured, the defense generally had the advantage, and Li Suisheng cleared the ball with a header.

Although this ball did not form a shot on goal, Li Yongle's long pass in a difficult situation still surprised everyone.

"Huh?" Xiang Tao was still lying on the ground, looking back at the equally surprised crowd.

"Huh?"

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Zhao Pengyu gave Li Yongle a thumbs up, saying that the pass was perfect. Of course, he wouldn't know how Li Yongle usually trained. In college, he couldn't shoot at the basketball hoop anymore, so he placed a row of footballs on the arc of the center circle, and then aimed at the goalpost at the end of the goal to kick. The crisp sound after hitting the goalpost was his best reward, sounding incredibly sweet.

"Coincidence, it must be a coincidence." Xiang Tao got up and ran back, muttering in his mouth. "After kicking so many times, even if it's a blind shot, he should have hit one by now, right?"

But the third time, Li Yongle still made a long pass to Zhao Pengyu. Zhao Pengyu grabbed the position in advance, squeezing Xiang Tao behind him, and then stopped the ball with his chest, then turned to pass it to Lin Feng. Lin Feng passed Wang Yu after receiving the ball, and then passed it into the penalty area. This time, Li Jie blocked Li Suisheng behind him. His 1.89-meter body was like a wall, and then following the momentum of the ball, he took a powerful shot, and Feng Lin couldn't save it. The football rolled into the goal along the goalpost.

"Coincidence, still a coincidence!"

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The fourth time, a long pass to Lin Feng. Lin Feng headed the ball in front of Wang Yu and passed it to Li Jie. Lin Feng, who was 1.7 meters tall, actually won the header in front of Wang Yu, who was 1.86 meters tall and good at heading. One can imagine how accurate Li Yongle's pass was.

"Coincidence, still a coincidence..." Someone was already a little lacking in confidence.

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The fifth time, it was passed to Li Jie. Li Jie, who was 1.89 meters tall, headed the ball back to Lin Feng outside the penalty area. Lin Feng took a shot without stopping the ball! Unfortunately, it was saved by Feng Lin.

"..." Someone was already speechless.

Qiu Suhui looked at the changes in everyone's expressions with satisfaction. He knew about Li Yongle's accurate long passes from the video tapes he brought back from South Korea. Look at that super long shot that went directly into the South Korean team's goal, a distance of fifty meters. The football still went into the lower edge of the crossbar like a missile. How high of a requirement is that for ball control! But in the game, Li Yongle's long passes of thirty to forty meters were still very accurate. The Chinese team advanced to the top four with a defensive counterattack strategy, and his long passes made a great contribution.

Not only his long passes, but Li Yongle's interception ability was also surprising. At the World University Games, his tackle success rate ranked first among all participating players, which was really a remarkable achievement. And his stamina and explosive power also allowed him to appear at any position when needed. The balanced left and right feet allowed him to be competent in almost all positions in midfield. Ah, and also, his curve shooting, which was very similar to Rivaldo, was also a scoring weapon!

So Qiu Suhui said that he was a person who was absolutely underestimated. Based on these characteristics, as long as the problem of cooperation with his teammates was solved, Li Yongle would be a key figure in the Chinese National Olympic team's midfield in the future.

Now, in addition to the cooperation problem, it was the cultivation of heading ability. Amateur football does not require high heading skills, but professional football is different. Heading is a basic quality of a professional player, and a defensive midfielder who does not know how to head will become a key factor restricting his development...

When the training ended, although Li Yongle's performance gradually improved, he had no choice but to admit defeat because only shooting the ball into the goal was considered a win. Therefore, the attacking side still lost to the defending side. And the "special reward" that Qiu Suhui said was running three kilometers.

Looking at Li Yongle running in front of the four people, Xiang Tao shook his head thoughtfully, then stood up and left.

Under the setting sun, the four people were still running, and Li Yongle, who was in the lead, always held his head high and straightened his back.

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Li Yongle's joining had already shown people the reason, and Hu Li in Zhongyuan, Henan, was finally persuaded by Qiu Suhui to go to the Honghe base. He would serve as the assistant coach of the National Olympic team, managing the daily training of the National Olympic team. Because the two had a very tacit cooperation in the Zhongyuan Youth Team, the training quality of the National Olympic team would be improved with his arrival.

Those who should come have come. In Qiu Suhui's heart, what remained was the training period from October to March next year, shaping this team that would shoulder the hopes of the entire nation in the future. Not only the Athens Olympic Games, but they would also continue to fight in the German World Cup and the 2010 World Cup wearing the national team jersey.

About the same age as Zhang Jun and Yang Pan, Qiu Suhui wanted to build this group of players into a "Golden Generation" of Chinese football. A "Golden Generation" that could bring honor and hope to Chinese football.

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Dalian.

"Xiao Wu, come here for a moment." The youth team coach couldn't hide the excitement in his heart.

"It's like this, England's Manchester United club and our Dalian Wanda club have always had a good cooperative relationship. This time, they have proposed to us that they hope you can go to Manchester United for a two-week trial." The coach's voice was trembling a little when he said this.

"Ask me to go to Manchester United for a trial?" Wu Shangshan was a little surprised, but not ecstatic. At that moment, he showed composure and calmness that was inconsistent with his age.

"Yes, and the other party took the initiative to send a fax!" The coach felt strange. How could a child still be so calm when he heard this?

A person's name suddenly appeared in Wu Shangshan's mind. It must be him! "You have to persevere!" Those words spurred him to train hard every day like a motto, but it was still very hard to persevere. The temptations of the mundane world were far beyond what could be imagined in the Shaolin Temple. Coach Qiu, did you also know that I was working very hard to persevere? So you helped me recommend it, right?

The coach, who usually seemed to be laughing and joking, was still paying attention to himself under tremendous pressure and criticism, planning for his future...

"Don't cry, don't cry!" The coach saw tears gushing out of Wu Shangshan's eyes without warning. After all, he was a child, and he was so happy that he cried when he heard the news, hehe! "The visa can be processed in a week. You have to work hard when you get there! Cherish this hard-won opportunity and try to stay there!" The coach touched Wu Shangshan's head.

Wu Shangshan wiped his tears and nodded vigorously. But he was not nodding to the coach.

He must stay there and must not let Coach Qiu's good intentions down!

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"Huh?" Kaka looked at Rivaldo in front of him with some surprise. After arriving in Italy, Rivaldo, as a fellow Brazilian, gave him a great deal of help and care. He was completely different from the cold Rivaldo he saw when Kaka first entered the national team. He was able to gain a foothold in Serie A and AC Milan so quickly because of the help of Rivaldo, his big brother.

But the big brother in front of him said that he was leaving Milan and leaving Kaka.

"Senior, are you joking? Where can you go now that you have terminated your contract with Milan?"

Rivaldo smiled bitterly. He didn't know where he could go either. In short, he couldn't continue to stay at AC Milan. When Kaka first came to Milan, he didn't understand anything. He was only taking care of him out of compatriotism and because he was his senior. But he didn't expect to push himself to such a point.

Kaka was an attacking midfielder, and so was he. Kaka could play as a forward, and so could he. Kaka was very young, but he was already old.

As a player who had just won the World Cup, the absolute main force of the Brazilian national team, he couldn't even play in AC Milan. It was incredible to say, but it really happened to him. No matter what point of view, he could not tolerate this continuing. He asked the coach Ancelotti, and the coach told him to be patient. But when Kaka came off the field, the coach replaced him with the Portuguese Rui Costa. The winner of the World Cup, the second scorer, was actually the third substitute for the attacking midfielder. Who could tolerate this?

Leaving was the only way. Leaving Camp Nou did not make Rivaldo regret it, but perhaps choosing San Siro in the first place was a beautiful misunderstanding... A beautiful misunderstanding in appearance.

"If it's because of me, I... I'm very uneasy. But I really don't want you to go. You are Kaka's teacher, big brother, friend... Milan must have a place for you!"

Milan must have a place for you.

Galliani had said this to him back then, and Ancelotti had also said it at the end of last season. What was the result? He wasn't even on the roster for the European Champions Cup final. Forget it, his heart was cold. Milan was not suitable for Rivaldo, and Milan did not need Rivaldo.

"Silly." Rivaldo, who had been silent, finally spoke, "How could it be related to you? You are doing well, you have become the main player with your own strength, you don't need to feel uneasy for anyone. This is my personal decision, Milan is not suitable for me, it's that simple." Rivaldo shrugged.

"But, senior's words haven't been announced yet, right? So please reconsider! The time we spent together was wonderful..."

Rivaldo smiled. Milan should be the Serie A team with the most Brazilians. Indeed, off the field, several Brazilians often gathered together. Brazilians loved excitement by nature, no matter where they went. He could also sit on the bench and take a high salary, but that was not Rivaldo's character. He came to Milan to play football, not to hold barbecue dinners. What was the point of staying here if he couldn't play football?

"Okay, I'll consider it again," he said with his mouth.

Kaka finally smiled, as if relieved.

Looking at Kaka's smiling face, Rivaldo felt really bad in his heart. Kaka was excellent, a "phenomenon." Not only at AC Milan, but even in the Brazilian national team, he could feel the threat brought by this twenty-one-year-old kid. He would grow old, and Kaka would one day wear the glorious Brazilian national team number 10 jersey.

If I had known this earlier...

Rivaldo smiled.

If I had known this earlier, would he still be the first to extend his hand when Kaka first entered Milanello?

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The next day, *La Gazzetta dello Sport* published a piece of news: Brazilian Rivaldo announced that he had terminated the remaining contract with AC Milan, and manager Galliani was doing his best to persuade Rivaldo to withdraw his decision.

"In Milan, no one can challenge the authority of the club, even if he is a world champion!" The person's words two weeks ago still echoed in Rivaldo's mind. He was really doing his best to persuade!

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"Yilan," her father called out to his daughter, who was cleaning the restaurant.

"What's the matter?" Yilan didn't stop what she was doing.

"You've been coming here very often this month, and you rarely go shopping with your friends. You're not planning to become a waitress after graduation, are you?" Her father lit a cigarette for himself.

"How is that possible!" Yilan scolded, "I just want to spend more time with Dad. And I can't bear to see Dad working so hard! My daughter has grown..."

"Spare me. I still have the money to hire another waiter." Her father squinted at his daughter, and Yilan obediently stuck out her tongue. Her father came out from behind the bar, "I'm going upstairs to rest for a while, just call the waiter if there's anything."

"Got it, Dad!"

Her father looked at Yilan, then turned and walked up the stairs. "Maidenly sentiments are always poetry..."

Yilan watched her father's figure gradually disappear at the end of the stairs, and then looked at the tabletop that she had wiped clean and bright. She sat down next to the bar and picked up today's newspaper.

"Bologna Hasn't Won in Four Rounds!"

"Yang Pan Will Prove Himself in the Reserve Team."

Very eye-catching headlines.

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An ordinary reserve team match attracted a large number of Chinese reporters, more than twenty of whom seemed to be the protagonists here.

Just because Yang Pan was here. Today was his first start for Bologna, so naturally many Chinese reporters came to pay attention.

But it was just the reserve team.

"The reserve team is nothing, as long as I can play. Mazzoni is doing it to train me, it's not as complicated as the outside world thinks." Yang Pan thought of what he said to Zhang Jun on the phone yesterday.

A very perfect excuse, even Yang Pan himself could not think of a reason to doubt it. But in fact, Yang Pan took the initiative to go to the reserve team. He worked very hard in training, but still could not impress the old coach. Nervo was in good shape, and the three defeats and one draw in four league rounds had little to do with him. Since training could not impress the coach, then there was only the match route. Yang Pan applied to go to the reserve team to have a fixed match every week, so that he could maintain his condition and prove himself to the coach.

Sure enough, he started today's match.

After the match started, Yang Pan was quite active in the right winger position. His several breakthroughs excited the die-hard fans who came to watch the match.

The opponent's fullback has already faced Yang Pan for the fifth time today. Yang Pan had the advantage in the first four times, but what about this time?

Yang Pan slowly dribbled the ball, and suddenly made a gesture to break through to the bottom line—his body leaned forward suddenly!

The fullback was indeed fooled and turned around to run back in advance, but Yang Pan sneered, flicked the ball to the inside with his right foot, and then accelerated towards the arc in front of the penalty area while dribbling the ball!

The fullback was shocked and turned around to catch up after a large circle, but it was too late. His teammate wanted to intercept him from the front, but did not expect Yang Pan to kick the ball from about twenty-five meters away... and shoot!

A signature powerful long shot, the football flew into the near upper corner along the goalpost!

The ball went in!

Yang Pan waved his fist excitedly. He knew it as soon as the ball left his foot, and it was true. His teammates surrounded him to celebrate Yang Pan's goal, and also to celebrate Bologna's lead.

This was Yang Pan's first goal for Bologna!

But it was just the reserve team...

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The surrounding grass and trees were still green, but the National Day holiday had passed. Logically speaking, shouldn't it be considered autumn? Why was it still so lush and green?

A yellow fallen leaf fell down and landed at Sophie's feet. Sophie raised her head. Among the green cypress bushes, there was a large locust tree. Its huge and lush canopy provided good shade for people resting under the tree. But now the leaves were all yellow. In the green bushes, its golden crown was as eye-catching as a torch.

So autumn had already arrived.

Sophie looked at this autumn-announcing tree and thought of her conversation with Teacher Zhou at the Center for Modern Art just now.

"You're planning to quit the painting group?" Teacher Zhou was very surprised.

Sophie nodded.

"Why? Are there any difficulties?"

"No, no." Sophie quickly waved her hand. She smiled, "In fact, I've decided to become a photographer."

"Photographer? Then painting... it's a pity, you have a lot of talent." Teacher Zhou sighed.

"Hehe, I'm very grateful for your cultivation, Teacher. But I only chose painting out of interest. I didn't know what I wanted to do in the future. But it's different now, I know very well what I want to do after graduation. The professional courses I'm taking this semester also include photography, I think this is an opportunity. It's different to see the world through a lens than with the eyes, right? Hehe!" Sophie made a gesture of framing a shot with her hands. Through this "lens" she saw something very complicated in Teacher Zhou's eyes, it was the reluctance to lose a good student, right?

Sophie put down her hands and continued, "I won't drop painting, after all, there are many similarities between painting and photography. And painting is also one of my hobbies. Thank you very much, Teacher Zhou, you led me into the door of art, thank you very much!" Sophie bowed deeply to Teacher Zhou.

"Don't, don't." Teacher Zhou waved his hand, "Painting and photography are both forms of artistic expression. You have artistic talent, as long as you're still engaged in art. Work hard! Whether it's painting or photography, you can succeed! Strive to have a personal photography exhibition for you at the art center when you graduate!"

...

Sophie bent down to pick up the leaf, then put her hands behind her back, playing with the leaf that had accumulated a year of sunshine, and gradually walked away.

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"Zhang Jun! Let us pray, Zhang Jun, for the eternity of Volendam! oLA～oh～yeah～Blessvolendam, myLord! oLA～oh～yeahprAyforvolendam, myLord! oLA～oh～myLord, forever!"

Zhang Jun stood at the corner flag, pulled out the corner flag, and held it high in his hand, straight to the sky. Like a triumphant knight, proudly holding his spear and accepting the cheers of the people.

The scoreboard read 3:1, with the home team Volendam leading.

And the time of the three goals were all followed by the same name: Zhang Jun.

In the third round of the Dutch Cup, Zhang Jun scored a hat-trick.