Chapter 463: It is not easy to become a world superstar
In the training base of the Young Men's Club in Bern, Switzerland, a sweaty young man with black eyes and yellow skin waved his hand repeatedly to his personal coach in front of him: "I can't go on anymore. Let me rest for a while."
With that, he slumped to the ground, causing the German coach, Mr. Mohareis, to frown deeply. "Wu, you can't sit on the ground immediately after high-intensity training. Get up and move around."
But no matter how he persuaded, Wu Lei refused to get up. Helpless, Mohareis had to resort to his trump card: "If that's the case, I'll tell Mr. Wang Feng that I can't continue to be your coach!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Lei, despite his exhaustion, quickly got up. "Please, Mr. Mohareis, please don't tell Wang ge."
Wu Lei was fearless of anything but disappointing Wang Feng's expectations. At the beginning of the season, when he arrived in Europe full of enthusiasm, he found that his proud strength was nothing. Whether it was physical fitness or technique, he was far behind the club's main players.
In a couple of league matches, Wu Lei's ratings were the lowest in the team each time. As a result, the coach gradually lost trust in him and demoted him to the second team, which left the young Chinese man feeling down for a long time.
After learning about this situation, Wang Feng didn't just offer him comforting words. Instead, he asked his personal trainer, Le Goff, to find an excellent coach for him to receive guidance and extra training, which led to Mohareis.
However, not every player is accustomed to rigorous training. Wu Lei, who had decent talent and family background, had never experienced such hardship before, and he really couldn't persevere.
Mohareis naturally understood this. Besides maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, the most important thing was the player's own willpower. After pondering for a while, he came up with a good idea.
"The Swiss Super League doesn't just have you as a Chinese player. There's a young man named Feng Miao who is about the same age as you and serves as the main substitute at Neuchatel."
Wu Lei immediately became interested. Learning that Feng Miao was a product of Genk's youth training program made him realize that Feng was part of Wang Feng's development plan, the plan that he desperately wanted to join but couldn't at the time.
Now that the first batch of more than a dozen young players had all turned 18, they had all chosen to continue their professional football careers. Except for a few, like Huang Hu, who remained at Genk, the rest went their separate ways.
Some went to the Swiss Super League, some to the Czech League, some to the Croatian League, some to the Norwegian League, etc., depending on their talents and opportunities.
"To think that he's performing so much better than me. Mr. Mohareis, I want to watch his game." Wu Lei said, "Well, there's a round of matches this weekend, and since you don't have many opportunities to play, why don't you come with me to watch it live?"
The match Wu Lei was interested in took place at noon local time. The two teams were Neuchatel and Lucerne. Although it was a small football city, Neuchatel's home stadium could accommodate 13,300 people, and the attendance rate was around 80%.
Feng Miao didn't start the game, and after nearly 60 minutes of play, the score was still 0-0. However, the game was not dull. Even at European mid-table clubs, they could still play exciting matches.
At this time, Neuchatel's head coach made a substitution in midfield, bringing on a Chinese player. In the stands, Wu Lei immediately focused on the Asian face on the field. He wanted to know where the difference between them lay.
Soon, he noticed something. Feng Miao could control the ball well and didn't shy away from physical confrontations with European players. His basic skills were also solid. Especially in the 81st minute, under defensive pressure, he made a diagonal pass to assist his team's forward in scoring the only goal of the game, helping the team secure all three points!
Wu Lei watched with excitement. This was the difference, the key! Could he be another Chinese rising star after Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo? But Mohareis, beside him, said, "Your talent is a hundred times higher than his."
Seeing Wu Lei's stunned expression, the German coach didn't hide his words: "Feng Miao's greatest achievement might only be playing as a regular for mid-table clubs in Eredivisie or Primeira Liga. His understanding of football determines his ceiling, and sometimes reality can be cruel."
"But he's better than you now. Do you know why?" Wu Lei shook his head blankly. "Come with me, I'll show you."
After the match, the two drove to Neuchatel's training base. By now, night had fallen. Mohareis had already arranged everything and, after greeting the gatekeeper, went straight to the training ground.
Under the lights, the sweaty teenager was practicing passing over and over again. There was no hint of complacency on his face after winning, only seriousness and dedication.
Hearing someone approaching, Feng Miao thought it was a club staff member. Without turning back, he loudly said, "Uncle Mohareis, as usual, I'll practice for another hour and then leave. Please."
Not hearing a response, he turned around and saw two strangers looking at him. One of them was also Asian, and at this moment, there was something indescribable flashing in his eyes.
Though somewhat surprised, Feng Miao stepped forward to greet them. Learning that the young man was a fellow countryman and also played for the Young Men's Club, he finally remembered: "You're Wu Lei. I watched your games at the beginning of the season. Why haven't you played much since then?"
Wu Lei's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and Feng Miao realized he had said something wrong and quickly apologized. Waving his hand, Wu Lei indicated it was okay, and the two soon struck up a conversation. Feng Miao even invited Wu Lei to train with him.
"Weren't you just in a match? Can you handle additional training at this time?" Wu Lei asked with concern. "No problem!" Feng Miao patted his chest. "I've been training at this intensity since early on. The team doctor checked, and there are no hidden injuries."
They talked about their performances in the match and their future plans. Feng Miao's goals weren't lofty; a weekly salary of 10,000 euros after taxes would already surpass most ordinary blue-collar workers in China.
"You don't know how poor I used to be. It was Wang ge who opened up a whole new path for me. I mustn't let him down, and I genuinely love football!"
Soon, it was time to part ways, but they agreed to meet again on their day off. After Wu Lei and Mohareis left, Feng Miao stayed behind at the training ground to continue his training. It had already been over an hour, but it seemed that he often did this in the past.
Watching his figure dripping with sweat under the lights, Wu Lei suddenly asked, "Mr. Mohareis, you actually prefer to coach Feng Miao, don't you?" The German didn't hesitate to nod. "Yes, but unfortunately, you are more valuable."
Wu Lei gritted his teeth silently. What right did he have to squander time and waste his talent?
From that moment on, Wu Lei seemed like a changed person. He no longer slacked off or made excuses, diligently completing the training tasks assigned by Mohareis with meticulous care. And his football skills were rapidly improving.
In the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, when Real Madrid played away against Zurich, two Chinese young talents also found time to watch the game live. Wang Feng let them witness what a top-tier giant was like, what world-class superstars were like.
He scored a hat-trick with headers and assisted Higuain in scoring another goal. In the final moments, Sneijder added another goal, locking the score at 5-0.
After the game, instead of meeting them personally, Wang Feng asked the stadium staff for two signed footballs with his name on them and had them delivered to the two young talents as encouragement. The two young players were instantly thrilled.
Becoming a world-class superstar was definitely not easy!
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