Chapter 1 A New Beginning

I'm starting to update again. As long as the VIP section maintains more than 60,000 words of content, the public version will continue to update three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at midnight.

Thank you for your support! *bows*

Also, a little advertisement for my own forum: p.

While waiting for updates, if you have anything to say after reading, or have fan fiction stories, you can post them on this forum. You can communicate with others and see a lot of Champion-related music and game settings.

Another question: Are there any friends at the main campus of Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu? Recently, I've been gaining weight, and my mom has ordered me to lose weight, so I want to go to Southwest Jiaotong University to exercise, play football, etc., because I live near Southwest Jiaotong University. But when I went for a walk the other day, I found that the Southwest Jiaotong University stadium doesn't seem to allow outsiders in... so I wanted to inquire whether outsiders are allowed to enter the Southwest Jiaotong University track and field, and if so, whether it is forbidden to wear studded shoes?

I hope friends from the main campus of Southwest Jiaotong University can let me know. Thank you! Thank you!

※※※

The match against the Spanish national team at the Bernabéu is only a day away. Qiu Suhui only conducted some routine tactical drills, because there simply wasn't enough time for him to do anything else. He couldn't even resolve the conflict between the new and old factions within the team before the big game.

The only thing that made him feel relieved was that the players he had high hopes for who were playing overseas seemed to be in good shape. He only hoped that the team could perform well in the match against Spain, and at least not have any conflicts during the game.

In fact, Qiu Suhui had a lot of faith in the older players in this regard. The veterans he kept on the team were definitely people he, Qiu Suhui, respected. Even if they disagreed at times, they would consider the overall situation when it came to the match. After all, having been in China's football system for so long, they had acquired some sense of "discipline." They didn't have the guts to publicly split in front of tens of thousands of live spectators and millions of television viewers.

Qiu Suhui was only worried about the people from the "trouble group," afraid that they would disregard the big picture, throw tantrums on the field, and bring their usual training dissatisfaction into the match, which would give the head coach a headache.

A knock on the door. Yang Pan pushed it open and entered. "Coach Qiu, you wanted to see me?"

Qiu Suhui nodded, then gestured for Yang Pan to sit down. "You should know why I called you here, right?"

Yang Pan: "It should be about the issues between the new and old players?"

Qiu Suhui nodded.

"Want some coffee?"

Yang Pan waved his hand. "No, I'll just have water. What do you want me to do, Coach Qiu?"

Qiu Suhui smiled with satisfaction. "You're smart, you think more than others. That's right, you've seen the current situation in the team, but I don't have time to work on this right now. Coach Hu will work with the older players, and you need to go to the younger players. I know you still have a high reputation among the younger players. Tell them not to cause any trouble during these two warm-up matches."

Yang Pan nodded. "So when does Coach Qiu plan to officially address this issue?"

"The training camp before the World Cup, I guess..."

"Okay, I understand. I'll go gather them for a meeting now." Yang Pan got up to leave, and Qiu Suhui didn't try to stop him. From the time Yang Pan entered until he got up to leave, it was less than five minutes.

Yang Pan had just exited when he saw Hu Li coming towards him. He politely greeted the coach, "Coach Hu."

"Oh, Qiu called you over again?"

Yang Pan nodded. "Then I'll go first, Coach."

"Okay, you go do your thing." After Yang Pan walked away, Hu Li pushed open Qiu Suhui's door.

"You called Yang Pan to help you handle this?" he asked Qiu Suhui, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, drinking coffee.

Qiu Suhui put down his cup and nodded. "Yes, he's a very good helper. It's much better for him to handle this kind of thing than for me to intervene forcibly."

"Is this the final solution you've found?" Hu Li asked.

"Of course not. Yang Pan is still young and can't suppress those old players. This is just a temporary measure."

"Can he do it well?"

"Yes, I believe he can. Lao Hu, can't you see? Yang Pan has the potential to be a leader," Qiu Suhui said seriously.

"Leader... potential?"

"Yes. He can sacrifice himself for the benefit of others, he's used to considering others, he can take the initiative to encourage his teammates when morale is low, and even if he loses a game, he's always the last one to cry. His time as a substitute in Bologna and AC Milan has smoothed out his temper, making him more patient and calm than others when things happen."

"You think so highly of him?" Hu Li was a little surprised. Were those qualities Qiu Suhui just mentioned something a twenty-four-year-old should possess?

"Very highly of him." Qiu Suhui nodded solemnly, "After this World Cup, I'll consider giving him the captain's armband for the Chinese team. Lao Hu, he's a born captain!"

Hu Li knew that Qiu Suhui was good at judging people, so he didn't say anything more about the topic. He took out a videotape and a thick stack of information from a bag and placed them on the bed.

"Here, these are the game tapes of several of Spain's key players, but there's still a difference between playing for a club and playing for the national team. What's in here doesn't represent their situation in the national team."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," Qiu Suhui waved his hand. "The key aspects are still the same."

※※※

Back in his room, Yang Pan told Zhang Jun, his roommate, and then went out to knock on doors and call people to the meeting.

When arranging the rooms, Qiu Suhui put the older players together and the newer players together. This maximized the opportunity for the new and old players to avoid conflicts. Yang Pan didn't have to worry about knocking on a door and finding older players inside.

All fourteen players were crammed into a small standard room, with barely any room to turn around. The air conditioner was on full blast, but it was still hot.

"Why do we have to squeeze into this small room to talk about things? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to sit in the coffee shop downstairs?" Xiang Tao complained, fanning himself with his clothes.

Based on the same sentiment, many people immediately echoed his sentiments.

But Yang Pan said to everyone very seriously: "That won't work. Because what we are going to talk about below is top secret, that's why I asked everyone to squeeze in here. And I hope that after hearing the following, no one will spread these words, especially to those reporters!"

"Haha! Xiaoyu, I'm talking about you. You have the best relationship with those gossip reporters!" Xiang Tao hit Zhao Pengyu on the side.

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Xiang Tao!" Yang Pan shouted, "We're talking about serious things, no joking allowed!"

Seeing that Yang Pan was angry, Xiang Tao stopped talking, and everyone else stopped laughing and waited for Yang Pan to speak.

"Everyone knows that the match between us and the Spanish national team is tomorrow night. But I think everyone is well aware of the recent situation in the team. To be honest, I'm very worried that if this situation continues, it will have a very negative impact on the game. This impact is not just about losing a game."

Xiang Tao heard that Yang Pan was talking about something so serious, and he muttered something carelessly: "It wasn't us who started it. Those old guys have always looked down on us."

"Yes, yes!" Someone spoke up, and naturally someone echoed.

Yang Pan glared at Xiang Tao: "I don't care how much you guys dislike each other in private, I only ask that in tomorrow's game against Spain, don't embarrass the whole team because of infighting!"

Seeing that Yang Pan was serious, Xiang Tao didn't say anything more.

"Now that everyone understands, I'll talk about the specific requirements. During the game, don't have any verbal or physical conflicts with the older players. You can ignore them at ordinary times, but in the game, when they are in a better position than you, you can't not pass the ball to them. In short, my requirement is that in the game against Spain, you must act like a team, a whole!"

"We're fine, but who can guarantee that the older players won't try to embarrass us?" Xiang Tao asked.

"Yes, yes!" Someone echoed again.

"Coach Qiu said that Coach Hu is responsible for working with the older players. All we have to do is mind our own business and not care what others do. Even if they insist on going against us, we can't fall for it. They're the ones who'll ruin things then, not us. When the time comes for punishment and condemnation, it will be them, and that's just right to get them kicked out of the national team!" Yang Pan spoke insidiously, but the others smiled even more insidiously.

"As expected of Boss Yang Pan, we have no problem! Hehe!"

Seeing that everyone didn't express any objections, Yang Pan waved his hand: "Meeting adjourned! It's so hot with so many people squeezed together!"

A group of people gradually dispersed, and the room cooled down.

"I think... Yang Pan, it's very difficult to make Xiang Tao behave himself," Zhang Jun said to Yang Pan.

"This... I'm very clear about that too, but this is what Coach Qiu asked for. If someone provokes him, he will definitely act up, but as long as we're not too extreme with him, there won't be any problems in the game. But the trouble during normal training will be big... sigh!" Yang Pan lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling and sighing. He wasn't a coach, and he wouldn't feel annoyed at all if he didn't think about many things. But Coach Qiu was a coach, and coaches had to think about things and be annoyed.

"It's ironic that Spain, as a traditional powerhouse, will send out their main players when they play against us. Instead of worrying about how to meet the enemy, we're here worrying about our internal affairs," he muttered.

※※※

The white Santiago Bernabéu Stadium stands in the center of Madrid, becoming a silent legend just like its name. It is one of Madrid's landmarks, and it is the home of the glorious Real Madrid.

The lights on the roof of the Bernabéu make the entire stadium look like a pearl in the night in Madrid. The neon lights, street lights, and car lights around it are just to set it off.

"Beautiful like a pearl, shining in the night!" Qiu Suhui recited like a poet.

"It's nothing more than a wet pearl," Hu Li looked at the Bernabéu Stadium in the rain outside the car window. The lights made the stadium look sometimes near and sometimes far in the night rain. He frowned, "You still have the leisure to express your feelings. The weather is bad, and it will be even harder for us to play against Spain."

"Haha, Lao Hu. You're wrong about that. Spain mainly relies on delicate footwork and ground penetration. The rain has a much bigger impact on them than on us. Actually, I hope the rain gets heavier, so that we can turn the turf of the Bernabéu into a vegetable garden in the first half, and then win by chance."

"Xiao Qiu, are you joking?"

"Hehe!" Qiu Suhui smiled and didn't answer.

※※※

Because of the rain, the Bernabéu, which can accommodate 95,000 people, was less than half full. Compared to any Real Madrid home game, the attendance rate can be described as "dismal."

But for the Chinese players who play in small clubs, even if it only had 50,000 people, it was still considerable.

"Tsk tsk! This is much bigger than the Vanden Stock Stadium!" Xiang Tao looked around the stands of the Bernabéu. The stadium was bigger than he imagined.

Wang Yu wiped the rain off his face: "You're talking nonsense! What kind of team is Real Madrid? What kind of team is Anderlecht?"

Yang Pan kicked the ball onto Xiang Tao's back, and then it bounced off and hit Wang Yu next to him. "What are you two standing there for? Aren't you coming over to warm up!"

In fact, in many ways, Yang Pan looked more like a captain than central defender Zheng Jun. Of course, this was just the feeling of the newer players.

Zhang Jun threw the football on the ground, and the ball rolled five meters before stopping. He turned to Yang Pan and said, "Do you think this field is playable?"

Yang Pan spat out some rainwater: "We have to believe in the Bernabéu's drainage system, and we have to believe in Coach Qiu's tactical arrangements. He wants us to turn the field into a vegetable garden and then win by chance."

Zhang Jun looked at Yang Pan in surprise: "Are you joking, or is Coach Qiu joking?"

Yang Pan smiled: "Coach Qiu said it to me in a joking tone, and I'm saying it to you in a joking tone. Before a big game, it's just to ease the atmosphere. Aren't you nervous? Our opponent is the sixth-ranked Spanish national team."

Zhang Jun kicked a puddle of water: "Seeing this terrible field, I'm not nervous anymore."

"There are even Chinese fans!" An Ke discovered that there was a formation of about two hundred people in the stands behind him. They were wearing red clothes, waving small national flags in their hands, and two people were holding up a five-star red flag together, waving it non-stop towards the field.

"That's normal, they're all Chinese students in Madrid," Zhang Jun lightly kicked the ball. The football flew towards the far corner of the goal. Although An Ke tried his best to save it, he only touched the football with his fingertips and couldn't change the ball's trajectory. The ball hit the inside of the post and bounced into the goal.

"Damn! An Ke, you can't even stop such a weak shot! Why don't you just give up the starting position to Sima!" Zhao Pengyu joked with An Ke. An Ke was a very, very outgoing person, and many of his peers on the team had become familiar with him, so neither side would feel bad about making jokes like this.

"Bullshit!" An Ke retorted, "The ball shot out in the rain is heavier than usual. If this ball was in normal weather, I would have made a beautiful save! Zhang Jun, you're a forward, prove it!"

Zhang Jun ignored An Ke's plea for help and shrugged at Yang Pan beside him: "See, I'm in good shape today, so why would I be nervous?"

The people next to him laughed, while An Ke was so angry that he couldn't say a word.

Kru was juggling the ball on the side, looking over here. In his opinion, this national team was very strange. Some people would become enemies, while others had a good relationship like old friends. In short, they didn't seem like teammates.

This was a really interesting group. He still couldn't understand Xiang Tao's Sichuan dialect, couldn't understand Sima Hongxin's silence, couldn't understand many people's habits... but he felt safe and comfortable staying here and being with these people.

Wang Yu discovered something special about Kru. He exclaimed: "Oh my god! Can you still focus on other things while juggling the ball?"

When he shouted this, everyone's eyes turned to Kru, and even several old players who had been pretending to be disdainful secretly glanced over here.

Kru quickly stepped on the ball, shook his head, and said in very slow Chinese: "I can only do this for the most common ones."

"Then what's uncommon?" Wang Yu asked curiously, "Give us a performance!"

"Yes! Yes! Perform for us, anyway, assistant coach Hu isn't here right now," many people shouted.

Kru looked at this group of people, their faces full of expectations. He stepped on the grass with his feet to make sure there was no water and the soil was firm. Then he began to perform.

His left foot was originally stepping on the football. He used force to press his left foot down, and the football was squeezed and bounced up. Then he stretched out his right foot to juggle the jumping football upwards. When the football fell, it stopped steadily on his foot and didn't fall.

So far, this set of actions was very ordinary, and many people on the team could do it. So everyone was still waiting, waiting for the appearance of Kru's "uncommon juggling."

Next, Kru's right ankle flicked gently, and the football was bounced up again. Then he lifted his right foot and quickly swiped it over the football that was still in the air! Just as his right foot swiped over the football, his left foot also jumped up and swiped over the football!

At this time, the football was falling, Kru's right foot had landed, and his left foot had wrapped around to the bottom of the football after swiping it, and his toes gently picked up the falling football again. At the same time, his right foot jumped up again, straddling over the football from the front. The whole person and the football were in the air at that moment! The body also turned with this movement.

The football was still in the air, his left foot had landed, and his body had turned to face the football squarely. At the same time, his right foot juggled the just-falling football again, and his left foot quickly crossed over, wrapping around to the bottom of the football, and then gently juggling the ball, switching to his right foot, and then switching to his left foot again.

This time, his left foot lifted the football a little higher. He raised his right leg high, wrapped it around to the top of the ball, and then closed his thigh and calf together, clamping the football right in the middle!

Then he supported himself with his left foot, leaned forward, and wiggled his right leg with the football clamped between, like a fish wagging its tail.

After wiggling only twice, he loosened his right leg, and the football fell out. Then he swung his left foot back, using his heel to knock the falling football towards Zhang Jun not far away.

By the time Zhang Jun directly stopped the ball, the others had only had time to cheer. Kru was startled. He hadn't noticed that he was already surrounded by more and more teammates.

Someone took the lead in applauding, so more and more people applauded Kru and gave him a thumbs up.

"What are you doing? Huh? Not warming up properly, what are you doing gathering here?" Hu Li's reprimand came from behind the crowd. He had just gone to instruct the staff to go back to the locker room to get dry towels, and saw a group of kids gathered together, not knowing what they were doing. The Spanish team was seriously preparing under the leadership of their assistant coach, without the slightest bit of slackness because their opponent was China, ranked 54th in the world.

Looking at this group of kids again, sigh! Xiao Qiu was right, they were a group of "troublemakers" that gave people headaches.

Rebuked by the assistant coach, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts, honestly and methodically conducting their pre-match warm-up.

After passing the ball to Kru, Zhang Jun took the time to ask: "This field has the biggest impact on you, right?"

"As long as I don't use too much street football technique, it doesn't have a special impact on me," Kru shook his head.

"You don't seem to be starting in this game, is that okay?" Zhang Jun was afraid that Qiu Suhui's arrangement would give Kru any ideas.

Kru smiled: "What are you worried about, Zhang Jun? Instead of having this free time, you should think about how you're going to score on the goal defended by Iker Casillas." He pointed to the other half of the field in front of him.

Zhang Jun shrugged: "We'll know that when the game comes, what's the use of me thinking about it now?"

A roar sounded, and the roof above the Bernabéu slowly extended, covering most of the stands of the stadium, so that many fans didn't have to sit in the rain to watch the game.

An Ke looked up at the sky. The rain hit his face, and it felt much lighter than at the beginning. "It would be great if this was the Arena AufSchalke." He sighed.

The Arena AufSchalke is the home stadium of the Bundesliga powerhouse Schalke 04, and it is said to have cost as much as 400 million euros. It and the newly built Allianz Arena in Munich are the most modern stadiums in the world. It was the first stadium to use a three-dimensional pillar-style large screen similar to those in NBA stadiums. The behemoth, weighing 32 tons, hung 35 meters above the stadium and had four LCD screens, each with an area of approximately 35 square meters.

All of the turf on the field weighs 11,000 tons, but it can complete the task of laying or removing it in five hours, because there are movable tracks underneath. In addition to the turf that can be removed, even the south stand of the stadium can be removed as a whole. The Arena AufSchalke once set an amazing record: after an intense rugby game, the south stand was quickly converted into a stage, the turf was completely removed, and the stadium became the venue for a concert. After the concert, the stands were restored, the turf was completely re-laid, and then a Bundesliga match was held, and all of this was done within 36 hours.

In addition, its 560-ton roof can be fully opened or closed in 30 minutes, closing the football field and allowing the game to be unaffected by the weather. This is also the reason why An Ke sighed.

"Dream on! You should give this suggestion to Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez, instead of muttering here. Let's go, go back to the locker room to change clothes, the warm-up is over." Yang Pan patted An Ke, and many people were already running towards the tunnel.

"This isn't a warm-up, it's clearly a shower..." An Ke muttered, and also ran towards the tunnel in big steps. He had to go back quickly to change into a dry jersey, he'd be soaked later.

※※※

Qiu Suhui stood in front of the tactical board, waiting for the players to dry their hair. When the last person took the towel off their head, he cleared his throat: "Everyone has personally experienced the weather outside, and the field is terrible, right?"

No one else answered, but Xiang Tao popped up and said: "Yes!" Then there was a burst of laughter. Qiu Suhui also laughed, this Xiang Tao was still the same as when he was in the national Olympic team.

After everyone finished laughing, Qiu Suhui continued: "I know this weather and field make many people feel uncomfortable, and think that the opponent's strength is already strong, and with such terrible weather, the game will be even harder. But I want to say that Spain is probably more uncomfortable than us. They are a team that excels in technique and ground penetration, and the field has a bigger impact on them than us. Now I'll announce the starting lineup first: Goalkeeper number 1 An Ke. Central defenders number 12 Li Suisheng, number 4 Zheng Jun. Left back number 13 Xiang Tao, right back number 17 Wang Hui. Defensive midfielders number 8 Li Yi, number 10 Li Yongle. Left midfielder number 6 Shao Jiaying, right midfielder number 7 Yang Pan. Starting forwards number 11 Zhang Jun and number 18 Li Jie."

This starting lineup had actually been announced long ago, and now that Qiu Suhui was reading it out again, some people no longer had the excitement they had at the beginning.

"There are four things you need to pay attention to in this game. First, everyone knows that Spain is a team with very distinctive wing attacks, so I ask the two fullbacks and wingers to pay attention to defending their two wingers. Joaquin and Vicente are not only fast, but also technically excellent, so you have to be on high alert."

"Second, the spiritual leader of this Spanish team is still their captain Raúl, but the tactical core is defensive midfielder number 8 Xavi. Li Yongle and Li Yi, you must use pressing defense to limit his play and prevent him from calmly orchestrating in midfield. Third, the biggest weakness of this Spanish team is in defense, and their biggest problem in defense is their lack of aerial ability. That's why I let Li Jie start, I want you to make more use of the advantage of aerial balls, seize the opportunity of set pieces, and use headers to bomb Spain!" Qiu Suhui punched the tactical board behind him, and the poor board was shaking non-stop.

"The last point, don't concede a goal in the first thirty minutes!"

"Coach Qiu, why can't we concede a goal in the first thirty minutes?" It was Xiang Tao again, asking a question that was very idiotic in other people's eyes: It's normal not to concede a goal, do you expect to concede a goal in the first thirty minutes?

"Why? Because that would make me lose face!" Qiu Suhui obviously didn't answer the question directly. "If there's nothing else, go out and line up. Substitutes go to the bench first. Kru, stay behind for a moment."

After everyone left, Qiu Suhui pulled Kru to the side and said to him in English: "The higher-ups, that is, the Football Association and the Chinese General Administration of Sport, have issued a statement, believing that as a Chinese person, you're playing on the field with blond hair, which is inconsistent with the image of Chinese players. They want you to dye it back to black. I want to hear your opinion."

Kru was a little surprised: "It's my business what color I dye my hair, it has nothing to do with my nationality, right? Why should they make me dye it black?"

Qiu Suhui nodded: "You're right, I also think they have absolutely no right to make you do that. But you still have to dye your hair."

"Why?" Kru shouted. At first, he thought Qiu Suhui was supporting him, judging from Qiu Suhui's tone. "This is a violation of my human rights!"

Hearing Kru say this, Qiu Suhui quickly lowered his voice and waved his hand, saying: "Don't bring up 'human rights'! The reason is actually very simple, China is different from Britain, China has its own national conditions. If you want to play football in peace, play football for your mother, then it's best to dye your hair. Actually, you don't have to dye your hair black, as long as you like, you can dye it dark red or brown, I think it looks pretty good too."

Kru looked at Qiu Suhui for a long time, and then decided to admit defeat: "Okay, I'll dye it. This is the first time I've heard of such a strange thing, that you can't serve the country if you don't have black hair..."

Qiu Suhui smiled bitterly and said: "Boy, in Chinese football, you'll find that these kinds of strange things are actually very common..."

※※※

Zhang Jun stood at the back of the line according to his habit. Beside him was Spanish defender number 6 Iván Helguera. Zhang Jun really wanted to chat with Helguera while waiting to enter the field, and tell him about his brother Luis's situation in Fiorentina. But he couldn't speak Spanish, and he didn't know if Helguera could understand his English, so he had to give up after opening his mouth.

Raúl stood at the front of the line as captain. Zhang Jun could only see a small part of his back. When he was still in school, he watched Raúl score that beautiful goal in the Toyota Cup, dribbling past two players. He never thought that one day he would have the opportunity to compete with him on the same field.

Professional football is really wonderful, allowing him to realize dreams that he never dared to imagine before. For example, right now, Zhang Jun was thinking about how he should ask Raúl to exchange jerseys after the game.

Just like he told Yang Pan, Zhang Jun wasn't nervous, but he was very excited. Let's have a big battle with Spain in the white, dreamlike Bernabéu!

Sophie, watch me play football!

※※※

"Dear viewers, it is now 2:30 AM Beijing time on March 28th! We are broadcasting an international friendly match for you. The two sides are the Spanish national team and the Chinese national team! Now the players from both sides are entering the field!!"

※※※

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