Chapter 44: Genius treatment
After Wang Feng scored, Carl Bess ran over and hugged him to celebrate, saying, "Well done! I didn't expect you to shake off all the defenders."
Wang Feng shrugged with a wry smile. He didn't do it on purpose; there wasn't even any physical contact. He just wanted to shake off the defense.
"You're on fire today. We've taken the lead right from the start, and it's going to be even better from here on."
After the kickoff, Wang Feng remained active in the forefront of the attack, repeatedly threatening Muskelon's goal. The substitute defender who replaced Kiel Dolty was much inferior in ability to Dolty, not only in physical confrontation but also in awareness, making it difficult to compete with Wang Feng.
In the 33rd minute, Genk launched another swift counterattack from the backcourt.
Christian Civu accurately passed the ball to Wang Feng on the right, who controlled it expertly with his foot, relying on his training experience, precise senses, and control ability, making the ball stick to his foot.
Facing two defenders rushing towards him, Wang Feng calmly pushed forward, using consecutive feints to find a gap in the defense, dribbled the ball out, and successfully made it to the byline.
Then Wang Feng easily crossed the ball, like a guided missile, to Jason Aldridge in the penalty area. With just a poke of his toe, the ball entered Muskelon's goal.
2-0, Genk scored another goal!
After scoring, Aldridge ran excitedly to Wang Feng, hugged him tightly, and said, "I'm so happy to play football with you. I didn't expect scoring to be so easy."
Other teammates followed suit, gathering around. Genk looked extremely united at this moment.
Seeing Wang Feng assist in scoring the second goal, Ward Oll shook his head in frustration. He knew that Muskelon's chances of escaping defeat were slim.
Kiel Dolty's early injury and exit from the game were unexpected. Moreover, Wang Feng's physical confrontation was not bad, and his technical skills were so strong. How to limit him would be a headache for all Belgian Pro League teams.
Genk's head coach Aimee Antonis sighed with relief. Last round's insistence on rotation resulted in a loss, and he was under a lot of pressure. Genk couldn't afford another defeat.
Wang Feng's goal and assist almost secured the victory, easing a lot of his pressure. Wang Feng's progress was getting faster and faster; he was undoubtedly a genius.
But the football world is never short of geniuses. Every year, many outstanding young players emerge, but many of them, after gaining fame, indulge in external praise and give up hard training, ultimately fading into obscurity. For now, Wang Feng didn't seem to be that kind of person; his diligence was impressive.
Antonis believed that as long as Wang Feng didn't experience major injuries, he would have a chance to reach the pinnacle of football. He said to assistant coach Quik Martin beside him, "Last time Wang Feng was injured, although we conducted a detailed examination of his body and found no problems, we can't be careless."
"We need to monitor Wang Feng's body in real-time. He often trains extra, right? We should conduct routine checks every day and perform comprehensive examinations regularly."
Antonis hoped to develop Wang Feng into a superstar, which was something every coach dreamed of and would be a lifetime glory.
Later, neither side scored again. In the 60th minute, head coach Aimee Antonis made a substitution, replacing forward Wang Feng with center-back Cali Prohaska. Amidst the cheers of the home fans, Wang Feng left the field.
In the end, Genk won at home against Muskelon, securing three valuable points.
After the match, Muskelon's head coach Ward Oll expressed helplessness in an interview with reporters. He said that their failure to contain Wang Feng was the main reason for the team's defeat. "If even Anderlecht couldn't do it, it's even harder for us."
He added, "Unfortunately, our starting left-back, Kiel Dolty, was injured at the beginning of the match. He sprained his ankle and is expected to miss the next two weeks of matches, which is a further blow to Muskelon."
Regarding some reporters' suggestions that Wang Feng caused Dolty's injury by shaking him off, he explained, "I don't think that's the decisive factor. You know, Kiel is an experienced veteran who has played full matches several times this season. I think it's more due to fatigue."
The next morning, Wang Feng arrived at the training ground as usual, only to find head coach Quik Martin waiting for him. "Wang Feng, we knew you'd come today. Mr. Antonis has something to tell you, and Mr. Albert is here too."
Wang Feng was puzzled but followed him to the manager's office. Besides the two of them, there was also the team doctor, and his personal coach Abel Le Goff. Wang Feng asked, "What's up? Why did you call me here?"
Antonis said, "Wang Feng, I've seen your medical report. Your physical condition is very good, without any hidden dangers. But you often train extra, which, for your age, still carries some risks."
Wang Feng nodded and said, "I know, so I've always followed the training plan made by Mr. Le Goff, and I'll stop if there's any discomfort in my body."
The team doctor then said, "Mr. Le Goff's plan is reasonable, but we can't wait until your body can't bear it or feels discomfort before reacting. By then, hidden injuries may have already occurred."
"So we plan to arrange a routine check and post-training massage relaxation session every day and conduct a comprehensive examination every two weeks. We mustn't be careless."
"But my physical condition is very good. Isn't this check too frequent?" Wang Feng said. He could fully grasp his own physical condition, so he didn't quite understand everyone's concern.
Team manager Albert then said, "Wang Feng, this is the club's decision. You have to understand that you're just seventeen years old, not yet an adult, and your body is in a developmental stage, so it's very fragile. A small injury could affect your entire career."
"We want to be responsible for you, not just to use you to achieve good results. After discussing it, we also decided to give up competing for the Belgian Cup this season and focus on competing for the league title and Europa League results."
"So for the Belgian Cup matches, we will fully rotate the squad, and you are, of course, in the rotation list and will not appear on the squad list. We hope you understand."
"Do you know Ronaldo?" Antonis asked. Wang Feng nodded; as the youngest Ballon d'Or winner, of course, he knew. "After joining Inter Milan in 1997, he suffered frequent injuries, which were partly due to the rough style of Serie A and partly due to early injuries."
"His experiences at PSV and Barcelona brought him glory but also left him with hidden injuries due to overuse, significantly shortening his peak career. If you want to become a superstar like him, you must take this lesson seriously."
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