"Basic Ball Control, a player-level skill that gives you professional-level ball control."
"Basic Pressing, a player-level skill that gives you professional-level tackling."
Lu Yang pondered his latest gains. It seemed he could earn system rewards by doing all sorts of things. This system offered a great deal of freedom. It was excellent.
Looking at it another way, he'd conceded two goals and received two skills. So if he conceded even more...
Ahem. No to match-fixing. Happiness for you and me.
"I believe you now when you say you're a center-back." Maniero stood beside Lu Yang, ready to restart play.
"What, because I just showed off my superb defensive skills?" Lu Yang asked.
"Not at all." Maniero smiled slightly. "But the way you tried to stop the ball with your face just now reminded me of that iron-blooded center-back from Milan."
Three of Milan's four butchers had retired. The youngest was still playing, and he was a great center-back.
Any player would be delighted to hear Maniero compare him to that man.
Lu Yang was no exception.
But this time, he didn't receive a system reward.
"They're tired now," Maniero said, looking at Lu Yang. "You know what I mean?"
Lu Yang nodded. "And I've only just warmed up."
After the second half began, Maniero clearly started passing the ball to Lu Yang more often.
The Butcher Team blocked them time and time again, but soon realized it was a trap they couldn't avoid.
The young man had far more stamina than they did.
Lu Yang wasn't particularly fast, but he wasn't slow either. His repeated runs were taking a heavy toll on the Butcher Team's defense.
With Maniero pulling the strings, the Butcher Team had pushed relatively high up the pitch, leaving Lu Yang plenty of room to sprint.
But they couldn't afford to drop back, either. Otherwise, Maniero would have ample opportunity to make them regret it. The Star Arrow Team's first goal in the first half had come from Maniero's incisive runs and Scalpel Pass.
Hard work paid off. In the seventy-eighth minute, Lu Yang finally got a golden opportunity.
Maniero seized the moment and sent a long ball over the top, sailing it beyond the entire Butcher Team back line.
Lu Yang hadn't beaten the offside trap, but he relied on his stamina and speed to leave the Butcher Team defenders in the dust, sprinting to a spot three meters outside the penalty area.
He was about to go one-on-one!
Thud!
A sliding tackle came flying in.
First it got the ball, then it swept Lu Yang off his feet.
It was Soto!
He brought Lu Yang down with a breathtaking defensive play.
Tweet!
The referee blew his whistle and showed Soto a yellow card for the dangerous tackle from behind.
Soto didn't argue. He accepted the referee's decision and helped Lu Yang up.
In fact, when Lu Yang fell, Soto had positioned himself beneath him and caught him to protect him from injury.
Beneath his fearsome mask was a heart that beat true for football.
Everyone knew that the notorious Soto was never vicious off the pitch—a complete contrast to many players who were mild-mannered on it.
Applause broke out in the stands.
It was for Soto's sportsmanship, and for Lu Yang's tireless effort.
Thud!
Maniero took the free kick with a single strike, sending the ball over the wall and straight into the corner of the net.
The Star Arrow Team had equalized again!
Soto and Maniero had each contributed a goal and an assist!
After scoring, Maniero ran straight to Lu Yang and hugged him as they celebrated together.
The big screen showed Lu Yang, and the crowd's cheers grew even louder.
"See that? That's my buddy. We're both San Remo youth players!" Lu Yang's good friend, Moric, a big Croatian boy, was bursting with excitement.
"He's your buddy? Pretty good. His technique isn't great, but he never stopped running. He works hard!"
"Yeah, you can tell he's exhausted, but he kept going."
"He played a crucial part in that goal."
"He also got Soto booked, which will ease the defensive pressure a lot from here on."
"San Remo? Are they in Serie B or Serie C?"
"Uh...we're in Serie D right now."
"Let me check... Oh, that's unfortunate. You're in the relegation zone?"
"That's the first team. Our youth players are actually pretty good." Moric blushed.
"Like Lu Yang? Maybe San Remo really should give him a try. He's a striker, right?"
"Uh, well, um...he's our center-back." Moric blushed even harder.
He wanted the ground to swallow him up.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Maniero and Soto were talking to Lu Yang.
After all, it was only an exhibition match, not a real grudge match. Whenever they got the chance, plenty of the stars on the pitch would sling an arm around one another's shoulders and chat.
"You should've been more decisive just now and shot. In a real match, clear shooting chances are hard to come by. Lu, you play football, don't you? You looked too calm on the pitch to be an ordinary fan." After saying this, Soto glanced at Maniero.
Maniero nodded. "He should've shot. But Lu did very well. Remember, he plays center-back for his team."
"What? He really is a center-back? Hahaha!" Soto burst out laughing without mercy. "What kind of idiot would put a guy who's only five foot ten, not particularly strong, and not especially fast at center-back?"
"I admit I just praised your defending, but I was judging you as a striker. If a center-back defended like you do, his team would have its goal battered to pieces by halfway through the season. They'd have conceded at least thirty-five goals!"
"Pretty close. Our team conceded forty-six goals in the first half of the season." As a center-back, Lu Yang paid close attention to the first team's defense and knew all the stats by heart.
"Hahaha!" Soto roared with laughter again, doubling over.
As Soto laughed wildly at him, Lu Yang and Maniero exchanged a glance. They both wanted to tell him, "My friend, you're about to be that idiot. Forty-six goals conceded in half a season. Are you ready to tremble?"
But they held back.
Sometimes, the harshest truths were the ones you discovered for yourself.
The ninety minutes passed in a flash.
The Butcher Team began to retreat into their own half and stopped attacking.
First, they lacked a powerful, talented attacking playmaker like Maniero.
Soto couldn't do delicate work.
Second, pressing and sweeping up on defense took a lot of stamina, while traditional possession play was relatively economical.
Soto was getting old. His defensive coverage had clearly shrunk in the second half, freeing Maniero to take control of the ball and dictate the game.
Third, there was Soto's yellow card.
And fourth, it was an exhibition match. A two-all draw was a perfect result; neither side had to lose face. It wasn't a real do-or-die game, so why fight to the very last minute?
Soon, one minute had passed in the three minutes of added time.
Just then, Maniero crossed paths with Lu Yang, who had dropped back to the midfield to offer support.
"You know, I've almost always beaten Soto when we've faced each other. Even during the years when he marked me most brutally, I never lost to him." Maniero continued, "But in the final match of my career, Soto beat me."
Lu Yang looked at Maniero and understood what he meant. "You want to win that one back?"
Maniero nodded. "If you help me win this match, I'll convince Soto to get you into the first team for official games! You can't call yourself a professional until you've played in a real match!"
Lu Yang's pupils contracted.
He was tempted.
Even without Maniero's recommendation, he was confident he could make the first team next season. After testing himself in this match, he had a much better understanding of his God's Eye View, Basic Back-Line Coordination, Basic Ball Control, Basic Pressing, and the rest.
Once he mastered those things, he'd soon become a rock-solid young center-back.
There was no reason he couldn't make it.
Even if he was a little short, he could still find a place at San Remo as a fullback or defensive midfielder.
But if he could join the first team in the second half of the season, why shouldn't he try?
"You said it!" Lu Yang winked at Maniero, then signaled for him to pass the ball.
Maniero gave him a questioning look. You sure?
There's someone behind you!
Lu Yang replied with a look of his own. Don't worry. Pass it.
In the blink of an eye, there was a crack.
The Messi Moment Card in Lu Yang's mind shattered.
In an instant, a surge of power flooded his body. He felt more in control of himself than ever before.
Not just his body—even the ball rolling toward him felt like a part of him.
At the same time, Lu Yang realized which of Messi's iconic moments his Moment Card had captured.
September 24, 2018, Barcelona versus Girona!
"Have you heard of Messi?" Lu Yang asked.
Maniero gave him a baffled look. Messi? Was there someone like that in football?
He shook his head.
"Then keep your eyes open, because Messi's about to put on a show!" Lu Yang said, then flicked the ball with his heel.
The ball went through the legs of Soto, who was rushing up from behind.
At the same time, Lu Yang spun around and ran past Soto.
A turn and nutmeg!
"Fuck! The kid really can see what's behind him!" Soto cursed and hurried after him.
His being caught out of position left the Butcher Team's midfield completely exposed.
Lu Yang surged forward and soon reached a spot just to the right of the top of the penalty arc.
From there, the defenders didn't dare recklessly slide in.
"He can shoot with his left!"
Soto warned his teammates from behind.
At the same time, Lu Yang quickly slowed his dribble.
His dribbling was poor. Until now, he'd always knocked the ball a long way ahead and chased after it, with no technique to speak of.
So when he slowed down, it could only mean one thing.
He was going to shoot!
Soto was starting to regret his earlier advice. Why had he told Lu Yang to shoot decisively?
At Lu Yang's level, he'd lose the ball if he took a couple more touches.
The Butcher Team's left-back made a snap decision and dropped to the ground, ready to block the shot.
That was the professionalism of an excellent defender. Even long retired, when facing an opponent's shot, his first instinct was always to put his body in front of the barrel.
Pe...
The expected thud never came.
Because...Lu Yang hadn't shot!
He was only dribbling laterally, looking for a chance to shoot.
He'd slowed down to change his rhythm, switching from big, sweeping touches to close control, taking a touch with every step.
He could touch the ball with every step, but he didn't necessarily do so.
That strange dribbling rhythm made the defenders' hearts tighten.
Was this guy a skilled player after all?
Near the top of the arc.
Lu Yang suddenly dipped his shoulder and lengthened his stride a little.
That was another telltale sign of a shot.
Top center-backs could even tell whether you were really going to shoot by watching your arms, shoulders, and the way you lifted and swung your leg.
In the Butcher Team's left center-back's eyes, Lu Yang was definitely going to shoot.
He dropped to the ground at once, ready to block the shot.
But soon, the same thing happened again.
Lu Yang still didn't shoot. He faked a shot and kept dribbling, carrying the ball sideways from the right side of the arc, across its center, and toward the left.
At that moment, only one center-back remained between Lu Yang and the goal.
He raised his leg.
Once again, the defender immediately dropped to the ground to block the shot.
Everyone felt a pang of regret.
He'd fooled two defenders in a row, but unfortunately...you could do it once, then twice, but not three or four times.
This shot would surely be blocked.
Only Maniero's eyes blazed.
He still remembered Lu Yang looking like an obedient student when he'd been teaching him.
But the boy hadn't abandoned his own style just because Maniero was a legend of the game. He had his own ideas, and that mattered.
At the same time, the dribbling talent he showed now was something every attacker dreamed of...an absolute feel for the ball.
"Can someone really play like this? Messi, perhaps? He looks pretty amazing!" Maniero murmured. "It's time."
As soon as Maniero finished speaking, Lu Yang faked a shot again and dribbled past the edge of the defender's reach. Now, he was on the left side of the penalty arc, facing the goalkeeper with no one left to stop him.
Lu Yang raised his leg and struck the ball at tremendous speed.
The Butcher Team's right-back came running in from the outside to get back on defense.
Soto launched into a sliding tackle from behind Lu Yang.
The goalkeeper dove toward the near post because Lu Yang was far more likely to shoot there, and the angle at the near post was wide open.
As for the far post, honestly, it wasn't that the goalkeeper looked down on Lu Yang's shooting ability. Even plenty of strikers from major Serie A teams might not have been able to score from that angle.
Most importantly... the rookie was looking at the near post.
Thump!
The football, held back three times, finally flew away.
Then Soto collided with Lu Yang, throwing him off balance in midair.
But the ball had already flown past, just five centimeters beyond the tip of Soto's boot. Under the goalkeeper's startled, terrified gaze, it flew straight toward the far post, struck the inside of the post, and rolled into the net, kicking up a white spray.
"Lu Yang, GOAL!"
"Goal, goal, goal! Who could believe it? Lu Yang has scored the winner! He's beaten the Butcher Team! He's beaten Soto!"
"Is he really just a lucky spectator? Why do I feel like Maniero is the luckiest man in the world today? He's redeemed football, defeating the man who handed him one last loss in his retirement match—Soto."
"My God! He flicked the ball through Soto's legs with his heel, then turned and got past him. How did he dare do that? That was Soto!"
"It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. This young man had set this trap for Soto long ago."
"He changed pace as he dribbled, sending the Butcher Team's left back tumbling. Then a shot-or-dribble feint sent the left center-back sprawling, followed by a fake shot that dropped the right center-back. Finally, before Soto could rush back and slide-tackle him, he deceived the goalkeeper with his eyes and slotted the ball into the far corner!"
"That was absolutely professional-level play! No, no—even at the professional level, that goal would have left the whole stadium stunned!"
"In my twenty years as a football commentator, I've never seen dribbling and shooting like that. He was like an emotionless logging machine, cutting down every opposing player in his path."
"Was he chopping down trees or shooting the ball? This is the perfect answer to Soto's earlier tackle! You took me down, and I brought down your entire back line!"
"This isn't football. This is practically a crime!"
"Let's all shout his name together, Yang..."
The entire stadium roared as ten thousand voices cried, "Lu!"