Gracie: "A reminder, players should exercise restraint in that regard."

Tang Long looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little girl with a black ponytail sitting on the sidelines, hugging her knees and looking at him with a smile.

The little girl's exclamation was a cheer for Tang Long's long-range shot.

Tang Long stared at her for a long time but couldn't recognize her. Girls of this age usually didn't appear at the training ground.

Guardiola had never brought his daughter to the training ground before, and Maria, as a high school student, had never appeared in the media, so Tang Long naturally did not recognize her.

Based on her age, he simply assumed she was probably one of the staff members' children.

Tang Long nodded slightly to her, but didn't pay much attention and continued practicing shooting.

There were originally about 10 balls on the field, but after Robertson left, there was no one to retrieve the balls for Tang Long. The other coaches had also left, so Tang Long simply lined up all 10 balls in one row in the midfield.

Bang bang bang!

Bang bang bang!

The sounds, like firecrackers, exploded one after another across the training ground.

Since there was no goalkeeper, Tang Long's shots mainly emphasized power, aiming to unleash force while maintaining proper form and a stable center of gravity.

In regular matches, he usually uses 80-90% of his power when shooting, but this time on the training field, every shot was delivered with full force!

After shooting those 10 balls, Tang Long was also covered in sweat, with heat rising from the top of his forehead as if it were steaming.

Needless to say, the balls that went into the net were all like cannonballs, as were those that hit the crossbar and grazed the goalposts.

One of the shots went so far as to hit an oak tree outside the training field wall, startling the sparrows in the tree who chirped and fluttered their wings in a panicked flight.

"Cool!"

Tang Long roared and slammed his right fist into his chest with a loud thud, a sound that seemed to be the release of his inner strength.

Turning his head, Tang Long realized that the little girl on the sidelines was gone. Without thinking much about it, he simply took off his shirt.

While accompanying Robertson in his shooting, he himself had just taken ten shots, and was already drenched in sweat.

Tang Long picked up the balls one by one and arranged them neatly. This time, he didn't place them in the middle, but on the left side, wanting to try shooting from the side.

Generally speaking, shooting from the side is more difficult than shooting from the front.

Although there are fewer defenders to block when shooting from the side, the angle of the shot is also smaller, and a slight deviation can cause the ball to go wide of the goal.

However, for a professional player of Tang Long's caliber, such a long-range shot without a goalkeeper is practically equivalent to an open goal.

Bang bang bang, another ten shots, this time with a higher accuracy rate, nine of them went in.

Tang Long smiled with satisfaction; it seemed that the power of the Tiger Shot was indeed not to be underestimated.

On one hand, I was thinking about going home and intensifying my training in the AI Cloud Training Ground, but on the other hand, I felt a little regretful.

In the sixth match of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Manchester City will host Barcelona. However, by then, Manchester City will have already secured first place in the group with one round to spare, so Guardiola is unlikely to field them.

"It's a pity. I can only compete against Lionel Messi again in the knockout stage. I just don't know if I'll be able to meet him." Thinking of this, a trace of loneliness flashed in Tang Long's eyes.

Tang Long felt a little tired and decided to go to the locker room to get a drink of water, then take a shower and go home.

As he walked back shirtless, clutching his jersey, just as he reached the sideline, he saw Maria running towards him with two cans of soda.

It turns out that Maria had been watching Tang Long shoot for a while on the sidelines, and then felt a bit thirsty, so she ran back to her father Guardiola's office, where there was a freezer filled with various drinks.

Maria grabbed two cans and hurriedly ran back to the training field, wanting to continue watching Tang Long "fireworks".

She happily handed Tang Long a can of Coke, and was about to say "Here you go," when her gaze fell on Tang Long's bare upper body. His well-defined muscles gleamed healthily in the sunlight, and she froze on the spot, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Maria's gaze was drawn to Tang Long's muscular upper body as if by a magnet, and she secretly exclaimed, "My God, what handsome muscles!"

Then he looked at Tang Long's handsome Eastern face, sweat dripping down his cheeks. He was just so handsome, handsome in every way.

Maria attended a high school in Manchester where the boys were either skinny as sticks or effeminate; none of them displayed a physique brimming with masculinity like Tang Long.

Sixteen-year-old Maria experienced a wonderful feeling for the first time in her life—a mix of excitement and curiosity that made her heart flutter like a deer.

Her face flushed red, her gaze darted away, and she lowered her head. The hand that was holding the cola and reaching out to Tang Long slowly fell down, her fingers curling slightly with nervousness.

Tang Long frowned, wondering where this little girl had come from again. He quickly put his shirt back on.

Only then did he get a closer look at Maria and discover that the girl was quite young. Her light pink knitted cardigan made her skin appear as white as snow, so delicate it was almost translucent. Her long, glossy black hair was tied up in a neat ponytail and hung down her back, swaying gently as she lowered her head.

Looking again at those brown eyes, Tang Long felt they resembled someone, but he couldn't quite place them. He just wondered, "They don't look like native England; they look a bit like South America?"

Seeing that Tang Long had finished dressing, Maria giggled and handed him the Tang Long, saying sweetly, "Please have a Coke." She smiled, revealing a row of beautiful white teeth.

"So you brought me a drink," Tang Long smiled, waved his hand, and said, "Thank you, but I can't drink sugary carbonated drinks like this. You can drink it yourself."

Maria blinked twice, opened the Coke with a "click," took a sip herself, and then handed him another bottle of orange juice, saying, "Can I drink this now?"

This isn't really drinkable, because sugar has been added to the orange juice.

Seeing the girl's good intentions, Tang Long didn't refuse anymore, took the bottle, unscrewed it, and took a sip.

"Hello, young lady, what's your name? What would you like?" Tang Long asked her while drinking.

He thought Maria would ask him for an autograph or a photo, but Maria didn't answer directly. Instead, she pointed to the few scattered soccer balls on the field and asked him, "How come your shot was so loud, like a firecracker? Can you teach me?"

Maria never watches football, and naturally doesn't play it. She just thinks that Tang Long's shots look very powerful, and the thuds are very exciting.

Her only understanding of football came from the fact that some boys in her class would play football during physical education class at school, but their shots were weak and powerless, far inferior to the black-haired Asia in front of her.

Maria's comment that Tang Long's shot was like setting off firecrackers truly reflected her feelings.

However, when she later suggested that Tang Long teach her, that was just making conversation for the sake of it. Maria had absolutely no interest in football and didn't even know what offside meant.

"Maybe next time, I need to go to the physiotherapy room again, sorry little sister!"

Tang Long suddenly remembered that he had arranged to have physiotherapy with Gracie after his regular training session yesterday. It was already so late, and Gracie was probably getting impatient. He quickly quickened his pace and rushed out of the training field.

When Maria saw Tang Long suddenly run away, she quickly called out "Hey!" but Tang Long's speed didn't decrease; instead, he ran faster and faster, just like when she saw the strange uncle on the road earlier. She immediately panicked and ran after him.

Gracie sat alone in his treatment room, arms crossed, already impatient.

She saw the Manchester City players walking out of the window one by one, and knew that regular training had ended, but she had an appointment with Tang Long, so she sat in the physiotherapy room waiting for him and did not leave.

However, Tang Long did not appear for a long time, but they could faintly hear loud banging sounds coming from the training ground.

Gracie knew without a doubt that Tang Long was doing extra training.

They waited and waited, but almost an hour passed and Tang Long still didn't show up.

If it were any other player, Gracie would have just packed her bag and left without waiting any longer. But she couldn't do anything about Tang Long, though she was filled with resentment because she had a medical conference to attend that afternoon, and if Tang Long didn't come soon, she was afraid she would be late.

"Sorry, I forgot the time during extra practice, I'm late. Let's begin."

Tang Long pushed the door open and came in.

Looking at Tang Long, who was covered in sweat and looked exhausted, Gracie's criticism of him for being late vanished, replaced by a feeling of pity for him.

"You're covered in sweat, how can I give you a physical therapy? Go take a shower." Gracie pointed to the cubicle in the treatment room and then took a new towel from the cabinet.

Tang Long said somewhat awkwardly, "That's not a good idea, I didn't bring any clothes. How about I go to the changing room, wash up, and then come back?"

Gracie rolled her eyes at him. "I'm a doctor. What part of you haven't I seen? Hurry up, I have things to do this afternoon. I'll just rinse here." Then she raised her pale wrist, glanced at her watch, and looked very impatient.

Tang Long had no choice but to go into the cubicle.

He turned on the shower, and the warm water washed away his sweat and fatigue.

Just as he closed his eyes to enjoy the flowing water, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

It turned out that Maria had followed Tang Long to the physiotherapy room, Gracie was startled by the little girl who had suddenly barged in.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Gracie asked, frowning.

Maria, panting, saw Gracie's unfriendly expression and felt a little scared, but she still mustered up her courage and said, "I'm looking for that older brother; he promised to teach me how to play soccer."

"That big brother," Gracie smiled slightly at the little girl's innocent face, "There are more than twenty big brothers in this training field who can teach you how to play football."

"It's that black-haired guy, the one who runs incredibly fast, even faster than my dog," Maria said earnestly.

Gracie was both amused and exasperated, knowing he was referring to Tang Long.

"He's taking a shower. You should leave. This isn't a place for you."

Maria refused to leave. "I'll wait for him here. I have something to say to him."

At this moment, Tang Long overheard the conversation outside from inside the cubicle and inwardly groaned.

Tang Long had long been an idol player in Britain. In his daily life, he was most afraid of being pestered by these young girls. He preferred the kind of older sister like Diletta, who was not clingy and came and went quietly, leaving no trace.

So he lingered in the cubicle, taking a very long time to shower. Maria waited for almost half an hour, then, feeling bored, she left.

"You're spending Christmas inside? Come out now, I've chased everyone away," Gracie called out.

Tang Long breathed a sigh of relief, and then quickly cooperated with Gracie to begin the physical therapy.

Tang Long and Gracie chatted about what happened on the court earlier. Gracie joked, "You're so charming that even young girls are chasing after you."

Tang Long walked out wearing basketball shorts and with his upper body bare, then lay down on the physiotherapy chair as Gracie instructed.

As soon as Gracie lay down, she sensed something was wrong.

"Don't move, let me feel it." She gestured for Tang Long to turn over.

So Tang Long rolled over on the massage chair, face up.

Gracie's soft, delicate hand moved up Tang Long's thigh and then suddenly slipped inside his pants.

Tang Long's body stiffened abruptly, and he held his breath.

By this time, everyone had left the training base, and it was quiet and deserted outside the window. The little girl had long since disappeared, and all that could be heard were a few sparrows chirping in the oak tree outside the window.

The door to the physiotherapy room was also tightly closed, with only the occasional sound of water dripping from the sprinkler in the cubicle, making the silence even more pronounced.

His gaze fell on Gracie's slightly open collar.

Beneath the collar of the white coat, one could vaguely see delicate undergarments with gold lace trim.

Although he had just taken a shower, Tang Long felt even hotter. His gaze shifted upwards, and he saw Gracie, whose sapphire blue eyes were staring straight at him.

"Should I just take care of her now?" Tang Long wondered.

Suddenly, Tang Long felt a heavy press on the inside of his groin, and he cried out, "Ah!" Gracie's hand was swiftly pulled out from under his shorts.

"You must have injured your groin. You won't be able to play in the next league match. I'll write a report to Guardiola right away." Gracie sighed, then walked to his desk, the nib of his pen scratching against the paper.

Groin injury?

After Gracie's reminder, Tang Long slightly lifted his leg and felt a slight pain there.

"Gracie, how did I get injured? This is so unexpected! Did I strain my groin when I shot too hard? That shouldn't be the case; I warmed up thoroughly during regular training," Tang Long asked, puzzled.

Gracie smoothed her hair, smiled slightly, and continued writing without turning her head, but the image of the long-legged, beautiful female reporter kept appearing in her mind.

"You have to ask yourself that question. Just a reminder, players need to exercise restraint in that area."