Chapter 1 The Calm Before the Storm

Yang Pan had secured his position as the main right midfielder for Bologna, performing consistently. Kaka, on the other hand, seemed to be experiencing some ups and downs, still adjusting to his second year in Serie A. It seemed Yang Pan was indeed the most adaptable of them all. Li Yongle was also progressing steadily in Inter Milan's youth team. Xiang Tao and Wang Yu were working hard to prove themselves in Anderlecht's youth team in Belgium. After his breakout performance, An Ke received a lot of attention, but due to his team's strength, his performances weren't particularly noteworthy. Zhang Jun, during his recovery, refused all interviews he could, focusing on his training.

While the overseas legion was experiencing a period of calm, China was in the midst of a storm, with the air thick with foreboding.

The Football Association's notice to "behave during the National Day holiday" had only been issued a few days prior when the first-ever player strike in Chinese football history occurred at the Shenyang Flying Dragon team's home stadium—the Wulihe Stadium. The visiting Beijing Zhongxin team, dissatisfied with the referee's decisions, staged a team-wide strike. In the end, the referee Wang Xinwei had no choice but to blow the whistle, declaring Shenyang Flying Dragon the winner with a score of 3-0.

Ironically, Wulihe Stadium seemed destined to be associated with making history. Three years prior, it had witnessed Chinese football's first-ever entry into the World Cup. At that time, everyone thought Chinese football would have a bright future, and the situation looked promising. However, this year, three years later, it witnessed a dark and disgraceful historical record: the first player strike, and the series of effects it triggered. Who knew what it would be remembered for and mentioned in years to come?

A turning point in history?

Or a permanent stain?

The strike triggered a huge storm across the country. After being exposed by multiple media outlets, opinions on the event were divided into two distinct camps. One side firmly supported Beijing Zhongxin, believing it was time to settle old scores. The other side believed Beijing Zhongxin's actions were a publicity stunt, and that threatening to withdraw from the Chinese Super League was unacceptable. They argued that the team hadn't said anything when "bullied" in the past, so why were they making such a big fuss this time? They suspected foul play and hoped the Football Association would teach them a lesson. The arguments between the two sides were particularly intense online. Any news about the strike was followed by hundreds of pages of "comments"—which were essentially arguments.

As for the others who considered it irrelevant and remained aloof, they were a minority and didn't contribute to the development of Chinese football, so they were ignored.

The Chinese Football Association believed the strike was a grave mistake, a serious violation of organizational discipline, and a blatant challenge to the FA's authority. Backed by the State General Administration of Sport, they adopted a very tough stance in the early stages of the event, even characterizing the strike as having an "extremely negative social impact"—as if they had the authority to define an event in such a way. They declared that referee Wang Xinwei was blameless and that all faults lay with Beijing Zhongxin Football Club. They also removed Yang Wenwu, the general manager of Zhongxin Club who ordered the strike, from all positions and banned him from engaging in any football-related work for life—the FA was mistaken again, personnel dismissal was an internal affair of a club, why did it forcibly interfere in the internal affairs of others, and it did not even have the qualifications to decide whether a person could engage in a certain profession—and deducted six points from Beijing Zhongxin Football Team's Chinese Super League score for the year.

This punishment was extremely severe and unacceptable to Beijing Zhongxin. After the strike, Beijing Zhongxin also believed they would be punished, but they had a bottom line: no points could be deducted under any circumstances.

The punishment completely enraged Zhongxin Club, who considered the notification's assertion that referee Wang Xinwei was blameless and the deduction of six points absolutely unacceptable. The words "withdraw from the Chinese Super League" had been mentioned by many, but only as a slogan, a way to vent. Now, Zhongxin was going to get serious.

"If our withdrawal and sacrifice can bring a fairer and more reasonable competitive environment to Chinese football, then Zhongxin will not hesitate in the slightest." Yang Wenwu told a CCTV reporter, feeling like a martyr bravely sacrificing himself as he spoke.

However, the intriguing thing was that the other Chinese Super League clubs didn't react as he expected, and instead of siding with Zhongxin for their "selfless act," they split into three factions. One faction supported Zhongxin's revolution, one faction supported the FA's severe punishment of Zhongxin, and the other faction was in wait-and-see mode, planning to lean towards whichever side gained the upper hand between the FA and Zhongxin.

At this crucial moment, which was almost related to the future development of Chinese football, they were still pursuing their own agendas and seeking their own interests. Li Yan sighed, "It's just like China during the years of warlord infighting when the country was in crisis. Truly, heaven and earth will punish those who don't act for themselves!"

The media's clamor, the fans' abuse, the clubs' tangled interests, the teams' and the FA's mutual accusations, the players' confusion... everyone was anxious and panicky. It was a dark time, and everyone involved couldn't see a glimmer of hope. All they felt was fear, venting, pessimism, and despair. The dark side of human nature thrived here.

From SARS last year until now, there had been an undercurrent in Chinese football, surging beneath the surface, unknown to most people. Although there had been a historic breakthrough for the Olympic men's football team in the middle, it ultimately couldn't stop the eruption of this undercurrent. As the full-time vice chairman and head of the FA, Luo Wenqiang must have been aware of the existence and danger of this undercurrent, but he hoped to use the historic achievements of the Olympic men's football team to make up for and stop it. Unfortunately, he didn't know that the strike wasn't an accidental event caused by an accidental controversial call at an accidental time and place. Even without Beijing Zhongxin, without Shenyang Flying Dragon, without Wang Xinwei, Yang Wenwu, and the others, it would still have happened in another place, with two other teams, and with another referee.

It was the result of ten years of chaos in Chinese football, accumulating from small to large, with quantitative change finally leading to qualitative change. Even if the Olympic men's football team won a gold medal, it couldn't stop its outbreak. Did anyone think they could stop the progress of history with human power? A mantis trying to stop a chariot—laughable and pathetic!

※※※

Chen Wei had been working himself into a daze recently. Under the constant pressure from Beijing Zhongxin, the lights in the FA's office often stayed on until dawn. He and the other full-time vice chairmen were often summoned by their superiors to attend meetings and discuss countermeasures. He also noticed that Luo Wenqiang's attitude was changing with the development of the event and the pressure from public opinion.

At first, Luo Wenqiang had slammed the table at the meeting and cursed Yang Wenwu's mother, forcefully declaring that he would be severely punished without delay, and that this kind of behavior that openly challenged the FA's authority must be executed without mercy!

Then, the harsh penalty that could be called the heaviest in history was issued.

But to his surprise, Zhongxin didn't "confess and submit to the law" as before, but instead became even tougher. Their backstage boss, the chairman of the CITIC Group, had spoken out, saying that if the Chinese Football Association wanted to play, CITIC would play along to the end.

At the same time, more and more voices in the media were unfavorable to the FA, and it was also said that Dalian was secretly in close contact with Beijing. Luo Wenqiang had to loosen his grip a little and said that referee Wang Xinwei had made a misjudgment.

But this gave the reporters, who were afraid that the world would not be in chaos, an opportunity to seize on the FA's self-contradictory weakness and make a big fuss about it: if you said Wang Xinwei was right at the beginning, and Zhongxin was entirely at fault, why are you changing your tune now? What fault did Wang Xinwei have?

The FA had slapped itself in the face like this many times before, but everyone seized the opportunity again, determined to push the ever-"brain-dead" FA to the brink.

At this time, clubs from all over the country added salt to the FA's wounds. Sichuan Maocheng Club publicly stood up to the media and "revealed" that the FA was forcing them to keep false accounts in order to ensure the smooth operation of the Chinese Super League! And that the act of keeping false accounts was very, very common among clubs all over the country, and could be said to be an "open secret." They were obviously losing money, but the FA required them to all produce profitable account books!

Even more sensational was that the rumor that Dalian Wanda Club was in close contact with Beijing was finally brought to the table. Led by Dalian Wanda, seven Chinese Super League clubs rose up and challenged the FA, demanding that the FA make public all its accounts, including those of its Ford-Bao company; separate from the State General Administration of Sport; immediately stop the chaotic Chinese Super League until everything was resolved; and establish a Chinese Super League Committee, with the committee having the final say on all league affairs, and the committee members mainly selected by the clubs. They were just short of directly telling Luo Wenqiang to get lost.

※※※

Early that morning, the FA was holding another meeting. Chen Wei came out of the FA's small office building and crossed a narrow road to the meeting venue: the Wanfu Hotel.

Today was different from usual. He noticed a middle-aged fan in his forties standing at the entrance of the hotel. He was draped in the national flag and holding a sign, displaying it to all passersby and reporters. It read: "Football reform, listen to the fans' opinions! Reduce ticket prices! Strictly prohibit fake matches and black whistles! Crack down on gambling! Strengthen youth football training! Improve the quality and treatment of grassroots coaches!" The weather in Beijing in mid-October was already starting to get cold in the morning, but the fan was only wearing a shirt and a very thin coat. Chen Wei was touched by the fan. He had been browsing the internet to see the reactions from all sides these days, and compared to some fans who only knew how to curse online, this fan was truly worthy of his respect. He walked up to him and took off his coat to put it on him. At this moment, the reporters noticed Chen Wei's appearance and quickly pointed their cameras and video cameras at him.

"Don't take pictures, don't take pictures, what's there to take pictures of? Everyone go get breakfast, it's a bit cold today, I see you've all been waiting for a long time." Chen Wei said to the reporters, while using his hand to block the lens of a video camera.

"Is the Football Association providing food?" a reporter shouted jokingly.

"Yes, yes. I'll go in and say something later, let the hotel heat up soy milk and fried dough sticks for everyone!" Chen Wei replied loudly. Of all the vice chairmen, he was the most polite to the media.

Some reporters cheered, but most people just laughed. They didn't necessarily want the FA's soy milk and fried dough sticks, but compared to many FA officials who passed by in a hurry, Chen Wei's attitude was truly heart-warming.

After dealing with the reporters, Chen Wei finally had time to say to the fan, "Old brother, where are you from?" He thought the other person looked older than him, so he directly called him "old brother."

"Hunan, Changsha, Hunan." His voice was a little hoarse.

"What's your name?"

"Niu Jianhua." Niu Jianhua held the sign in front of Chen Wei. "I know you, you're Vice Chairman Chen Wei, who's in charge of youth football, right? I'm here to report the situation to the FA, hoping that you will listen to the public's voice when you discuss things with the clubs."

"We will, we will listen. Soon we will hold a forum with fans from all over the country to participate, hoping to hear more voices from the fans. Old brother, give me your contact information, and I'll invite you to participate then."

Niu Jianhua didn't expect the FA officials to be so approachable, and quickly told Chen Wei his cell phone number.

Chen Wei wrote it down, and then said to Niu Jianhua, "Old brother, the mornings in Beijing are cold, go back. We've already seen it."

"Cold?" Niu Jianhua replied, "Is this weather as cold as the current temperature of Chinese football? I dare not say anything else, but I represent the Hunan fans here, just to show that we will advance and retreat with Chinese football! I used to watch games in the dead of winter with my bare chest, this little bit of cold is nothing." He shook his head, still stubbornly standing at the door, holding up the sign with the fans' voices written on it, allowing reporters to take pictures and passersby to point.

Chen Wei was speechless, and could only pat the shoulder of this lovely fan. This was the foundation and backbone of Chinese football!

With such good fans, who would we be worthy of if we didn't work hard ourselves!?

He walked into the hotel, then found the person in charge of the hotel, hoping to provide the reporters and the fan outside with some hot breakfast, with the FA paying for the expenses. Before things were clear, this was all this vice chairman could do.

Entering the conference room, the people hadn't arrived yet, especially the protagonist Luo Wenqiang, who was the last to arrive.

Overnight, the wind had changed, and the revolutionary faction had gained the upper hand. Luo Wenqiang also seemed much older, and he no longer slammed the table forcefully or shouted loudly during the meeting. This was just a detail, but it could also be seen that Luo Wenqiang was now struggling a bit. Chen Wei knew that Luo Wenqiang's days in office were numbered. In this chaotic situation, who would be willing to take over this mess? Everyone was trying to avoid it for fear of affecting their own political future once they got involved. But I, Chen Wei, was concerned about the country and its people. Based on the purpose of everything for Chinese football, sacrificing the small self to achieve the greater self, I will shoulder this mess alone!

Chen Wei was distracted many times during the meeting, because he had already begun to outline the blueprint for the development of Chinese football after he took over the top position.

But for Luo Wenqiang, although it was the golden autumn of October, and the maple leaves on Fragrant Hills were red, as warm as fire, in his heart, the winter in Beijing, the winter in his political life, and the harsh winter of Chinese football had already arrived.

Chen Wei would not agree with his view. If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

※※※

What is tragedy? Lu Xun said, "Tragedy is to destroy the most beautiful things and show them to people." But if Li Yan were to define tragedy, he would tell you that tragedy is the current state of Chinese football. The media, fans, the FA, clubs, and players all poured their hearts into performing, co-directing the major events of Chinese football this autumn. They knew it was dark, chaotic, and unfair, but they still actively participated, doing their best to push things step by step towards a darker, more chaotic, and more unfair place. From a long, long time ago, while shouting "save Chinese football," they were also unrelentingly "destroying Chinese football."

Many of them knew this was wrong, but they still continued to do the wrong thing. For their own interests, they made one mistake after another, perhaps willingly, perhaps involuntarily. Finally, it had reached a point of no return.

This was the tragedy, the real tragedy!

※※※

The chaos in the league also affected the Chinese national team, which was preparing for the match against Kuwait on October 13. The players were anxious and worried about their fate and future earnings, not to mention anything else. Even Ari Haan, the foreigner, was having a headache. "Qiu, why is Chinese football always affected by so many non-football factors?" Ari Haan asked his assistant Qiu Suhui.

Qiu Suhui didn't know how to answer the Dutch old man. Should he tell him it was because of performance-oriented football, or a group of people who wanted to appear virtuous while secretly engaging in corruption? Stop joking, Ari Haan would be scared silly. "Uh, this, this is a necessary stage in the early stage of football development, right?" He could only answer with this empty, vague phrase. But it was clear that Ari Haan was still confused. Of course he would be confused, many native Chinese people couldn't understand it, let alone a Dutchman who had come from afar?

"Alright, Ari. Let's not worry about those boring things. The match against Kuwait is crucial. As long as we win, we can qualify in advance." Qiu Suhui had to bring the topic back to work.

"Yeah, but Kuwait is playing at home, so we'll have some small difficulties." The difficulties that Ari Haan was talking about didn't come from the opponent, but from the team's players, who had almost no fighting spirit.

"Then I suggest we call up Yang Pan."

Ari Haan glanced at Qiu Suhui, then smiled: "We both thought of the same thing! I'm just worried whether Bologna will let him go."

"Don't worry, it's the international match day, and they have to let him go according to the regulations. We can now confirm that Yang Pan will be in the starting lineup. His presence will be a big problem for the Kuwaitis." Qiu Suhui took a sip of coffee and continued, "Yang Pan is in stable condition, I'm only worried about his coordination with his teammates." In his opinion, many of the current national team members were not as cute as the Olympic team members. They all had big tempers, it seemed Ari Haan was having a hard time here.

"Coordination, that is indeed a problem. But we can't demand too much. In Kuwait City, 1-0 is enough for us."

※※※

In an interview after the game, Li Yan reported the good news to Yang Pan: "Congratulations, you've been selected for the national team list! Tell me, how does it feel to be selected for the national team for the first time?"

Yang Pan just smiled, and didn't show any surprise or excitement. In his opinion, after performing so well in Serie A and the Olympics, it was only a matter of time before he was selected for the national team. Moreover, the country had been in such chaos recently, and the national team's games could not afford to be lost. Qiu Zhi was working as Ari Haan's assistant in the national team, which also increased his chances of being selected. Being selected for the national team didn't make him too excited. What he was happy about was that he had taken another step towards his dream.

After being selected for the national team, all that was left was to "secure a starting position in the national team," "help the national team enter the World Cup," and "finally lift the World Cup." It was just like playing an upgrade game, the further you went, the harder it became, the stronger the opponents were, and each level required several times more effort than the previous one, as well as good luck. The road ahead was long and arduous, but Yang Pan always saw this challenge as a kind of fun. He was immersed in it and enjoyed it.

But Yang Pan didn't want to disappoint his friend too much, so he smiled and said, "I'm very happy. I've dreamed of serving the country and playing in the national team's jersey since I was a child. Now my dream has finally come true, and I'm very excited." But Li Yan could guarantee that his expression had nothing to do with what he said. Out of understanding for Yang Pan, Li Yan didn't press any further. It seemed he had to work a little harder to write this news. Some reporters were very surprised by Yang Pan's calmness. "Aren't you worried about how to coordinate when you go back? The team is full of your older brothers!"

Yang Pan said, "Don't worry, I believe I will coordinate well with my older brothers."

Yang Pan said this because he had already planned it out in his heart. As a junior, he shouldn't be too flamboyant, otherwise he would be ostracized. So he would keep a low profile, even though he was the most successful person on the team, he would still be willing to sacrifice. When the time came, he would focus on assisting and passing, creating scoring opportunities for those "older brothers." As for whether the "older brothers" could seize them, he wouldn't care. When the situation was critical, the coach would naturally come out to make arrangements, and he didn't need to worry about those things.

※※※

After finishing the away game against Palermo, Yang Pan flew directly to Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, where he met up with the national team, which had arrived a day earlier. Wang Hui, who had returned from Manchester City in England, and Shao Jiayi, who had returned from Munich in Germany, also arrived. Shao Jiayi would still play as the main attacking midfielder because of his outstanding performance in the Asian Cup, but Wang Hui wasn't so lucky. For some reason, he had never gained Ari Haan's trust, and even if he came all the way from England, he could only be a substitute.

This game was particularly important against the background of the domestic chaos. Whether it was from the perspective of the results themselves or the external impact, they couldn't afford to lose. And Ari Haan's strategy was to not allow defeat, a draw was the bottom line, and winning was the best.

But whether it was because of this pressure or worry about their personal wealth and future, the Chinese team's "older brothers" seemed a little weak-legged. After the team had been playing for twenty minutes, almost only Shao Jiayi and Yang Pan were performing normally.

"The weather wouldn't be so hot that we'd be out of energy as soon as we came up, right?" Ari Haan looked up at the night sky. The game was specifically scheduled for the evening because the temperature was too high during the day, to make the temperature more suitable for the game.

Qiu Suhui shook his head: "It's not that bad yet. It's their own psychological problems..." The common problem of Chinese players, they were all big shots when playing in the domestic league, but when they were pulled out to play in international games, especially important games, they were all grandsons.

"Qiu, actually, I've been coaching the Chinese team for so long, and I've come into contact with a lot of Chinese players, but I still don't understand many things. For example, this... I clearly tell them to attack, but why do they turn into defenders as soon as they get on the field?" Ari Haan pointed to the field and said to Qiu Suhui beside him.

"This is because they always want to win and are afraid of losing, so they appear to be afraid of everything on the field." When it came to psychological adjustment, Qiu Suhui admired Milu. This old rogue, who seemed like a con man, managed to turn a bunch of big shots into men in the 2001 Top Ten Tournament. But the current Ari Haan was much worse.

Yang Pan performed very maturely on the field. There was no sense of nervousness from him, neither in defense nor in assists. Although his breakthrough on the right was heavily guarded by the other side, he was still very active. Unfortunately, his efforts didn't bring a goal to the team in the first thirty minutes.

On the contrary, in the thirty-first minute, Kuwait seized on a marking error in the Chinese team's defense and took the lead with a goal, leading the Chinese team 1-0!

The thing that people had been worried about before the game became a reality amidst the huge cheers at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Kuwait City, the Chinese team was in trouble!

"This goal was a mistake by the young defender Sun Jixiang on the left, and then his chase... oh, the chase was really too slow. From the beginning of the game, the Chinese team's left-wing defense has been under a lot of pressure. Sun Jixiang is still young after all." Liu Hongmin, who was commentating on the game, said regretfully, his tone revealing immense disappointment. Was it Chinese football's tradition to have what they feared come true?

Yang Pan watched the other side's goal on the other side, and he was thinking that if Xiang Tao had defended the ball, although he would have rushed to tackle it like Sun Jixiang at first, he believed Xiang Tao could have kept it. Why? Because Xiang Tao's tackle would definitely not be aimed at the ball, he would definitely tackle the other player and the ball out of the baseline. Even if it was a foul, he would block the other side's breakthrough. This was Xiang Tao's style, although sometimes it was rash, it was very effective, at least better than being easily shaken by the other side and then crossing the ball to score a goal.

Unfortunately, if Xiang Tao joined the team, he would be ostracized the next day because of his personality, and even if he played, no one would support him at all.

Yang Pan sighed softly, this Chinese national team was far worse than he had imagined.

During the half-time break, Ari Haan harshly criticized the whole team, believing that the players were not focusing on the game at all. Qiu Suhui served as his translator, but he knew that translating Haan's original words would be useless to these big shots. So he took the liberty of adding some embellishments and said: "What are you worried about here? The domestic situation? I'm telling you, if you don't play well in this game, the country will be even more chaotic, and your future is in this game! Don't think about too many boring things, and deal with Kuwait wholeheartedly! Attack, don't defend! Defense is useless! Win them, and then we'll go to the quarterfinals!"

Qiu Suhui had to admit that this trick worked for the Olympic team, but that didn't mean it would work for the national team. The players just raised their heads slightly when they heard it, without much emotional fluctuation. Qiu Suhui felt like he was a clown in front of these numb big shots. He admired Milu more and more, how did he manage to train these people into that look?

If he wanted to win against Kuwait, he had to think of another way. Qiu Suhui turned to Ari Haan and said, "I think Yang had too few active shots in the first half, what do you think?" He was an assistant coach, and couldn't order the head coach to do things, so he had to remind Ari Haan in a more euphemistic way.

Ari Haan also nodded: "Yes, he crossed the ball too much, but our striker can't shoot the ball in, that's useless. I think we'll let him shoot more in the second half."

"Okay." Qiu Suhui's goal was achieved, and he turned to Yang Pan and said, "Yang Pan, you have to shoot more in the second half. Ari Haan thinks you cross the ball too much, and you need to increase the number of shots when necessary."

Yang Pan certainly knew that he had too few shots in the first half, but he was waiting for Qiu Suhui's words, so that he could legitimately take the initiative to attack, instead of working in the back for those "older brothers."

In the second half, Yang Pan was indeed much more active in long-range shots. One of his long-range shots hit a Kuwaiti player and bounced off the post, giving all the Kuwaitis a cold sweat.

After Yang Pan's heavy artillery showed its power, the people defending him had to constantly guess whether he was going to cut inside to shoot or pass the ball to the bottom when facing him. Yang Pan also seized this opportunity to combine direct shots and passes, making it impossible for the other party to guess his intentions.

Finally, in the twenty-fourth minute of the second half, in a feigned shot in the middle, he passed the ball to the right, and then Yang Pu, the right back who had inserted himself, crossed the ball, and Hao Junmin, the veteran No. 9 who followed up in the middle, headed the ball in, tying the score.

The Chinese team, which had tied the score, was in a favorable position, and they became more and more courageous as they played. And Kuwait was in chaos and made frequent mistakes. Playing at home was a blessing and sometimes a disaster, especially when the situation was not conducive to the home team.

Just one minute before the end of the game, the score was still tied. The Kuwaiti FA officials present were already preparing to take US dollars to work on the Malaysian FA. At this moment, Yang Pan forcibly broke through from the wing to the middle, forcing the Kuwaiti players to bring him down, and the referee awarded the Chinese team a free kick 23 meters from the right side of the penalty area. Shao Jiayi, who had the best free kicks in the team, took the kick. Everyone thought he was going to pass the ball, but they didn't expect the football to draw an arc, bypass the Kuwaiti wall, bypass the goalkeeper's hand, and fly directly into the goal near the near post!

The football went into the net! The Chinese team took the lead at the last moment! With six points ahead of Kuwait in the penultimate round, they were definitely qualified to enter the Asian Top Eight Tournament starting in May next year!

At the same time, the Chinese team also helped the Kuwaiti FA save a lot of "collusion" expenses.

And these two goals were more or less related to Yang Pan. He received unanimous praise in his first game for the national team, and people called him "mature for his age," saying that his excellent physical qualities and personal skills, coupled with his stable psychological state, were enough to make him the mainstay of the national team in the future. After Li Ling grew old, the Chinese team had been lacking an excellent right midfielder, and now they had finally found a suitable candidate.

While people were cheering for Yang Pan, in Volendam, the forgotten Zhang Jun's efforts finally paid off.

After a series of training sessions, observations and physical examinations, the team doctor told Adrianse great news: Zhang Jun's body was 100% recovered, thanks to Sai Yang and Feng Qing, he could return to the field at any time.

This was probably the best news Adrianse had heard in the past seven months, so that the team doctor's hoarse voice became the only beautiful and wonderful heavenly sound in the world when he heard it.

But happy was happy, he hadn't been overwhelmed by excitement. He knew that what the team doctor was talking about was only the physical recovery, and Zhang Jun, who had been away from the game for seven months, now needed psychological preparation.

In order to let Zhang Jun find his feeling as soon as possible, he arranged a completely closed warm-up match. Completely closed meant that no reporters or fans were allowed to enter the stadium to watch the game, and the gates were tightly locked. Reporters and fans could only hear the shouts and applause coming from inside through the iron gates. If possible, Adrianse actually wanted to isolate even the sound. He was so cautious entirely out of protection for Zhang Jun. After reaching a consensus with Zhang Jun, Adrianse didn't want Zhang Jun to be disturbed in any way before officially stepping onto the league.

Zhang Jun played the full ninety minutes of the game under the supervision of Feng Qing. He didn't make an assist or score a goal, and five shots were passable. The other side didn't press him hard, and often just watched Zhang Jun take the ball without pressing forward. But it was obvious that Zhang Jun was a little unfamiliar with the rhythm of the game. Returning to the game wasn't as simple as he had imagined, as long as he went on the field and played, it would be considered a successful return. In fact, he was a little afraid to make moves during the game, especially his injured left ankle. He was always careful not to make physical contact with people, didn't dare to exert force, and didn't dare to sprint. Most of the time, he just stood in front, looking helplessly at others running with his hands on his hips.

"How do you feel?" Feng Qing asked Zhang Jun on the way home. Zhang Jun shook his head frequently while driving his new car: "Very bad! I don't know what's wrong, I don't dare to touch the ball, I don't dare to exert force, I don't dare to confront people... what's the use of my hard training if this continues?"

"Didn't you perform well in normal training?"

"Yes, but once I'm in the game, I... I don't dare to make any moves..." Zhang Jun said in pain.

Feng Qing knew that this was a psychological problem. Zhang Jun was injured in the game, so now that he was back in the game, he would have an inexplicable fear, which led him to dare not do anything. This couldn't continue, but Feng Qing was just an expert who could restore the body, not a psychologist who could restore the mind.

If Zhang Jun wanted to successfully return to the field, he had to pass this hurdle. But who should he look for to solve the psychological problem?

Feng Qing suddenly thought of someone, and he said to Zhang Jun: "I think this is a psychological problem, you might as well go to him and try, maybe he will have a way to help you. You should go to him tomorrow!"

Hu Die Lan