Chapter 367: Step towards an idol
At the training base in Belgium's Genk, as soon as anyone enters the main administrative building, they can see a huge photo of Wang Feng on the wall, reminding everyone that this hot commodity in the world of football today emerged from this club.
Today, while the first team is still on vacation, the atmosphere on the training ground remains lively. The Genk youth team training and activities in the youth academy are in full swing.
There are many Asian faces with yellow skin and black eyes on the field, occupying about one-third of the total number of participants in the training camp. These children are all impoverished students from China who have been sponsored by Wang Feng to come to Belgium to study and train for several years.
Under the guidance of the coaches, these young players go through a series of training activities together, such as warm-ups, shuttle runs, and dribbling. They then freely form groups to practice passing and receiving.
Most of the Chinese children still prefer to team up with their compatriots, but there are also a few who have made friends, like the first batch of arrivals in Belgium, including Huang Hu.
"Kevin, are you about to join the first team soon?" he asked the blond and blue-eyed guy across from him, kicking the ball to him. "Not so fast, maybe next year there will be a chance."
"That's great," Huang Hu said enviously. Even though he has been trying hard to catch up with his counterpart, De Bruyne quickly established himself as a key player in the youth team, while he is still just a substitute, with no prospects of joining the first team anytime soon.
"I still have a long way to go compared to Wang. He became an absolute starter at 16, while I, at the same age as him now, am still struggling for a spot in the first team."
Belgians have always regarded Wang Feng as an idol and role model, so they constantly strive to follow in his footsteps. However, De Bruyne despairingly discovers that he doesn't seem to possess the qualities of an excellent striker—strong aerial ability and finishing skills.
Instead, he excels in midfield command and passing talent. Therefore, the Genk coaching staff strongly recommends him to play in midfield rather than as a forward, which disappoints him.
Thinking about this, De Bruyne passes the ball back to Huang Hu, and the ball draws a perfect arc on the field, landing accurately at his feet. "Your passing is really beautiful. Every time I see it, I'm amazed."
De Bruyne shakes his head with a tinge of loneliness. "I envy your powerful physical attributes and explosiveness. Maybe you'll become an excellent striker."
Under a regimen of healthy diet and systematic training, Huang Hu has grown to a height of 175 cm at the age of 15, with a strong physique. He can hold his own against European players of the same age.
What's even more remarkable is that unlike De Bruyne, he possesses all the qualities a forward needs, but his skills still need constant refinement.
"In fact, you're fully capable of carving out a place in the youth team," De Bruyne continues. "You just need to be more confident and seize the opportunities. How about this, in the next game, as long as you play, I'll help you out." The two have formed a close friendship through years of communication and mutual assistance.
Huang Hu nods vigorously. He doesn't want to disappoint Wang Feng's expectations of them, and among this group of children, he has the best development. The others either sit on the bench or haven't even played in a formal match yet.
After training, everyone returns to the locker room together, takes a quick shower, and then rests in the dormitory. At this time, another Chinese player, Zhang Xiaorui, approaches Huang Hu and asks, "Brother Huang, have you received an invitation to the provincial sports meet? Officials from my hometown hope I can go back to represent them in the competition."
Huang Hu furrows his brow. In fact, many of the children in their group have received invitations, but they are not sure how they, relatively unknown across the ocean, have entered the mainstream view. However, due to their generally indifferent attitude towards domestic football, most of them have declined the invitations.
"I don't plan to go back now. Do you want to go?" Huang Hu says, and Zhang Xiaorui hesitantly nods. Although they are financially secure now, he still wants to become famous and make money as soon as possible, and returning to play football in China is undoubtedly a good choice.
Although he can't make it into the Genk youth team like De Bruyne, he is quite confident in his own abilities. He would definitely have an advantage over the young players in China.
"Will Sister Rui agree?" Wong Rui is their team leader and manager. "I asked her, and she said she wouldn't interfere with our choices, but she hopes we'll pay attention to safety."
"If you've made up your mind, that's fine."
On October 7th, in the seventh round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Valladolid at home. Due to the midweek Champions League match, head coach Schuster rotated some of the key players.
As a dark horse who finished eighth last season, the visitors have had a very tough time this season. Not only did their meritorious head coach leave for Santander Athletic, but key players have also been lost in large numbers. Either they returned to their original clubs after their loans expired or they were poached, resulting in the complete disruption of their tactical framework. Until now, they have yet to win a game and are among the top candidates for relegation.
After the game started, unsurprisingly, the Galacticos had absolute dominance. Soldado contributed a goal in the first half, helping the home team take the lead, and early in the second half, Higuaín widened the lead.
Until the end of the game, Wang Feng didn't get a chance to play, but the Galacticos cleanly defeated their opponents 2-0, extending their winning streak to five matches.
After this round of matches, international football welcomed two weeks of national team match days, and the Chinese team also convened. They will play a friendly match against the Swiss national team, and the Asian zone qualifiers for the South Africa World Cup will officially begin early next year.
However, Wang Feng is not included in this call-up. According to the agreement, he will only respond to some particularly important matches, but Dong Fangzhuo does not have this "privilege" and has to return to China from Germany.
Since he took Wang Feng's advice to communicate with head coach Sheffield, the German has been very willing to give him some trial opportunities. Therefore, his playing time has increased, and both he and Kl?tzchen have been observed in the lineup arrangements.
But to be honest, the effect is not good. Dong Fangzhuo's skills still need further honing, and he currently seems out of sync with the team's attacking system, and the cooperation among teammates is not very smooth.
Fortunately, Bayern Munich has been playing smoothly in recent matches, winning four consecutive games and firmly holding the top spot in the Bundesliga. Therefore, Sheffield's attitude is particularly tolerant, and he even consoles the Chinese youngster, asking him not to put too much pressure on himself and promising to allocate enough time and tactics to serve him.
For a player, this is the best opportunity. If based on Bayern's performance last year, the head coach would have definitely kept Dong Fangzhuo on the bench early on and would not have given him a chance to try.
Wang Feng also affirms his performance. "You definitely have the ability and skills to execute the new style of play. What you lack is adaptability and experience. While the growth environment is still relatively relaxed, you must work hard to seize the opportunity!"
On the other end of the phone, Dong Fangzhuo nods vigorously. "Don't worry, Wang Ge, I will definitely persist until I succeed in the end!"
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