Figo II

Before training, Matello took Su Dong to the medical room for a simple physical check-up.

It was just routine, but when they measured his height, Su Dong was a bit surprised.

When he first joined the team, he was measured at 1.83 meters, but this time he had grown a bit, reaching 1.86 meters, which caught him off guard.

"You're only sixteen, right in the middle of your growth spurt. Eat more, and I'm sure you'll break 1.90 meters," the team doctor said with an encouraging smile.

A professional player's physique is crucial. Strength and muscle can be built through training, but height is something you can't change.

Even on the Iberian Peninsula, where technique is prized, physical attributes are a key selection criterion in Portuguese and Spanish youth development. Every year, many young players are cut because they don't meet the height standards.

At Sporting Portugal, there was a twenty-two-year-old player who failed the physical requirements and was kicked out by Benfica.

Su Dong was a little worried—if he kept growing, would it affect his speed and agility?

Of course, it wasn't set in stone.

First-team training was different from the youth team—more intense and more tightly packed.

Even though it was only a semi-professional team, the training still followed the standard ninety-minute format.

This mirrored a real match, the goal being to get players into the habit of staying focused for ninety minutes.

Some coaches preferred one hundred and twenty minutes, depending on the head coach's preference.

Sporting Portugal's head coach was a man in his fifties named Antonio Pereira. Word had it he had no prior professional football experience, and Sporting Portugal was the first team he'd ever coached.

There was a rumor within the team that in a couple of years, Matello would take over as head coach.

That kind of thing was pretty normal.

Su Dong was currently at the lower-middle level among semi-pro players. Keeping up with first-team training wasn't a problem—in fact, in his view, some of the substitutes on the team weren't as good as him.

But during the subsequent scrimmage drills, Su Dong's weaknesses started to show.

First was his physicality.

The lower the league level, the more intense the physical battles and the rougher the play.

Su Dong's body was naturally weaker, and at sixteen, going up against grown men, it was only natural he'd come out on the losing end.

Another issue was that he was the new guy. The other teammates had all gone through a relatively complete preseason preparation, and some had even been playing for the team for years. They had better chemistry, which made Su Dong stand out on the pitch as a bit out of sync.

These two factors meant that in his first training session, Su Dong's performance was unremarkable, and even he felt disappointed.

On the other hand, captain Matello came over to comfort him right after training.

"It's fine. Everyone starts out like this. Every newcomer needs some time to adjust to a new environment. Take it slow—we all have faith in you," the captain said, patting Su Dong on the shoulder.

Su Dong nodded silently. He understood the logic, but it still stung inside.

"The coaching staff has arranged special training for you. Starting today, you'll stay behind for an extra hour of practice, and I'll be in charge."

Su Dong was more than happy to hear that and asked with concern, "What's the content?"

"Shooting, holding up the ball with your back to goal, receiving crosses from the wing—basically everything a forward needs to work on." After saying that, Matello seemed worried Su Dong might resist, so he added, "Trust me, this training will definitely help you."

Su Dong smiled faintly. Having someone to practice with him was like helping him rack up King of Football Points—a good thing.

After a ninety-minute training session, Su Dong had earned just over five hundred King of Football Points, which was pretty unimpressive, and the efficiency was far lower than his duels with Rony.

Then, during the extra practice, each duel only gave him thirty King of Football Points—equally unremarkable.

Still, every little bit counts.

Small gains add up, and Su Dong wasn't picky.

At first, Matello worried that Su Dong, like other young players, would be lazy and resist the extra training. Even if Su Dong agreed, he feared it was just lip service. But once the practice started, he realized Su Dong was giving it his all.

Seeing that, Matello taught with even more seriousness.

Receiving a cross from the wing and shooting directly—on TV, it looked simple, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult.

Su Dong hadn't reached that level yet; he needed to control the ball before shooting.

Even so, controlling the ball was a big challenge, especially against the highly experienced captain Matello.

This was a player with no reputation in Portuguese football—even Belenenses fans had probably long forgotten this youth product who had only made nine appearances. Yet when defending Su Dong up close, he always shut him down completely.

"Your movements are too obvious, too easy to read."

"That won't work. Before you even lift your foot, the goalkeeper already knows where you're shooting."

"And right now, there's no defender. If there were a defender working with the goalkeeper, you wouldn't have any chance to shoot at all."

"Professional teams are a completely different world from youth teams. Even though we're only in the third division, the opponents are still formidable. Some players are fully capable of playing in the Portuguese League or even the Portuguese Super League."

Though he was a goalkeeper, Matello had come through a proper professional youth system, had plenty of experience, and was taking coaching courses. So he specifically guided Su Dong on shooting techniques.

Knowing when to use what kind of shooting technique for a given pass was also a skill.

Especially on the pitch, where the window of opportunity was fleeting—there was no time for a forward to think; it had to be pure instinct.

Beyond that, as a goalkeeper, Matello also shared some of the psychology and habits of keepers, as well as the traits of forwards he had faced in the past.

All of this was incredibly fresh and eye-opening for Su Dong, who was just starting out and barely getting his first taste of senior-team football.

In the heart of Lisbon, there was a famous seafood restaurant with a name known worldwide: Romario.

But don't get it wrong—it had nothing to do with the Brazilian superstar Romario.

The restaurant was renowned far and wide, drawing not only locals from Lisbon but also tourists who came specifically because of its reputation.

Su Dong chose this place to treat Rony and Jose Semedo to a meal.

The Bread Crab and Tiger Prawn were the restaurant's signature dishes, one serving per person, along with a few specialty snacks—all seasonal seafood, freshly caught that day, exceptionally fresh and delicious.

Of course, the price was no joke either.

The three of them ate their fill, and the bill came to 71 Euros.

"If you weren't treating, I'd never be willing to come to a place like this to eat," Jose Semedo said, clicking his tongue in disbelief.

He came from a humble background too. His whole family was counting on him to become a professional player, ideally in the Portuguese Super League, so he could help lift them out of poverty.

Su Dong, on the other hand, didn't dwell too much on the money. It wasn't that he was careless with spending, but he valued his friendship with Rony and Semedo far more. After all, his top priority right now was improving his own strength.

These two were his cheat codes for racking up King of Football Points.

"Since you treated me to a meal, I should give you something in return," Rony said with a grin, pulling three tickets out of his pocket and waving them in front of Su Dong. "I barely managed to get these—tickets for the Portuguese Super League season opener this weekend. You in?"

"Of course I'm in," Su Dong said without a second thought.

This was the Portuguese Super League opener—a marquee match between Sporting Lisbon at home against Porto.

During the afternoon training session, Su Dong's teammates at Sporting Portugal had been complaining about how hard it was to get tickets and how scalpers were jacking up the prices.

Jose Semedo naturally wanted to go too. It was such a rare opportunity.

"I heard Quaresma's been doing well with the first team, and Mbo Mpenza's about to be sent off. Do you think he'll play?" Semedo asked.

At the mention of Quaresma's name, Rony's expression soured noticeably. He curled his lip and said, "Who knows?"

Semedo grinned at Su Dong and explained, "He and Quaresma are rivals. Along with a guy named Edgar Marcelino, they all claim to be the best player in Sporting Lisbon's youth squad."

Su Dong had read about Quaresma in the papers. The media described him as Portugal's most outstanding talent under twenty, and many called him Figo II.

He hadn't expected Rony to be competing with Quaresma—that was seriously impressive.

"Let me tell you, he's only two years older than me. Once I'm a bit older, I'll definitely knock him down a peg," Rony said, clearly unwilling to back down.

He was obviously bitter that Quaresma had made it to the first team before him.

Jose Semedo chuckled and reminded him, "Actually, he's only a year, three months, and a few days older than you."

"Get lost!" Rony lunged to hit him.

Semedo wasn't about to just take it, though. He bolted away like lightning, shouting back at them that he had a date with a pretty girl at Parque das Nações and had to go first.

Watching Semedo disappear into the distance, Rony shook his head with a smile and said to Su Dong, "He's actually a really good friend, and he's talented too. But he's just too lazy."

Su Dong didn't know Semedo well, but from the few times they'd met, he could see the laziness.

"His talent is actually top-notch. We joined Sporting Lisbon at the same time and were teammates. But not long after, he got cut for poor training performance. He came back over a year later, but he's still the same."

Rony let out a snort. "He's probably meeting up with Hugo Pina. That kid's from Belém in Lisbon. He set Sporting Lisbon's transfer record for players under sixteen—three hundred thousand Euros. He used to be the brightest star in our squad, but now..."

He didn't need to finish. Not only had Quaresma and Marcelino made it to the first team, but even Rony had left him far behind.

"In all my years at Sporting Lisbon, I've learned one thing: the best talent doesn't always become the best player. Football is fair—if you work hard and give it everything, it will reward you."

Rony suddenly dropped this big piece of wisdom on him, and Su Dong was caught off guard, feeling a bit strange.

But soon, the familiar Rony was back.

"That's why I'm so sure I'll beat Quaresma."

In that moment, the Madeira Island boy's gaze was unshakably determined.

During the new book period, I humbly beg for tips, collections, and recommendation votes! Thank you!