A Ball Made Him Famous, The Lumberjack Shot (Remember to Collect!)

"Basic Ball Control, player-level skill, grants you professional-grade ball control."

"Basic Tackling, player-level skill, grants you professional-grade tackling ability."

Lu Yang pondered his recent gains. It seemed that many of his actions could trigger system rewards; this was a system with an incredibly high degree of freedom, which was fantastic.

Changing his perspective, he had received two skills after conceding two goals. If he conceded even more...

Ahem, say no to match-fixing, for the happiness of us all.

"I believe you now. You really are a center-back," Maniero said, standing alongside Lu Yang as they prepared for the kickoff.

"Why? Because of the superb defensive skills I just displayed?" Lu Yang asked.

"Not at all," Maniero smiled slightly. "But the spirit you showed when you tried to block the ball with your face reminded me of that iron-blooded center-back from Milan."

Of the four butchers of Milan, three had already retired, but the youngest was still playing—a truly great center-back.

Any player would be thrilled to be compared to such a legend by Maniero.

Lu Yang was no exception.

However, Lu Yang did not receive a system reward this time.

"They are tired," Maniero said, looking at Lu Yang. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Lu Yang nodded. "And I have only just warmed up."

After the second half began, Maniero noticeably increased the number of passes directed toward Lu Yang.

Although the Butcher Team intercepted them time and again, they soon realized this was an open conspiracy.

The young man's stamina was far superior to theirs.

Though Lu Yang's speed wasn't lightning-fast, it wasn't slow either. His repeated charges left the Butcher Team's defense exhausted.

Under Maniero's control, the Butcher Team played a relatively high line, giving Lu Yang enough space to sprint.

Yet, they couldn't afford to drop back; otherwise, Maniero would have plenty of opportunities to make them regret it. The Star Arrow Team's first goal in the first half had come precisely from Maniero's pulling apart of the defense and his surgical passing.

Hard work pays off. In the 78th minute, Lu Yang finally found a golden opportunity.

Maniero seized the moment to deliver a long ball over the top, bypassing the Butcher Team's entire defensive line.

While Lu Yang didn't beat the offside trap, he relied entirely on his stamina and speed to outrun the Butcher Team's defense, charging to a position three meters outside the penalty area.

He was about to go one-on-one!

Bang!

A sliding tackle came flying in.

It touched the ball first, then swept Lu Yang off his feet.

It was Soto!

He had brought Lu Yang down, completing a heart-stopping defensive play.

Tweet!

The referee blew his whistle and showed Soto a yellow card, as the tackle from behind was considered a dangerous play.

Soto did not argue; he accepted the referee's decision and pulled Lu Yang up.

In fact, as Lu Yang fell, Soto, who was underneath him, had used protective measures to catch him, preventing Lu Yang from suffering an injury from the fall.

Beneath his fierce mask lay a heart truly sincere toward football.

It was well known that Soto, the "bad boy" of the pitch, was never fierce off the field—a stark contrast to many of the "honest" players in the game.

Clap, clap, clap!

Applause erupted from the stands.

It was for Soto's sportsmanship, and for Lu Yang's desperate, tireless running.

Bang!

Maniero struck true. The free kick went exactly where he aimed, curling over the wall and into the top corner of the net.

The Star Arrow Team had leveled the score once again!

Soto and Maniero both had a goal and an assist!

After scoring, Maniero ran straight to Lu Yang, embracing him to celebrate.

The big screen focused on Lu Yang, and the cheers from the crowd grew even more fervent.

"See that? That's my buddy! We're both youth players from San Remo!" Moric, the big boy from Croatia and Lu Yang's good friend, was exceptionally excited.

"He's your buddy? Not bad. Even if his technique isn't great, he hasn't stopped running once. He's really hardworking!"

"Yeah, you can tell he's exhausted, but he's hanging in there."

"He deserves credit for this goal."

"He also saddled Soto with a yellow card. The defensive pressure for the rest of the game will be much lighter now."

"San Remo? Is that a Serie B or Serie C team?"

"Uh... we're currently in Serie D."

"Let me see... oh, that's unfortunate, you're in the relegation zone?"

"That's the first team playing; our youth players are actually quite excellent." Moric blushed.

"Like Lu Yang? Perhaps San Remo really should give Lu Yang a try. He's a center-forward, right?"

"Uh, well, that... he's our center-back." Moric's face turned even redder.

He wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Maniero and Soto were also talking to Lu Yang.

After all, it was just a celebrity exhibition match, not a real grudge match; many stars on the field would chat with their arms around each other whenever they had the chance.

"You should have been more decisive just now and shot directly. In a real match, it's hard to get a clear-cut shooting opportunity. Lu, you do play football, right? The way you look so calm on the pitch doesn't make you look like an average fan." After saying this, Soto looked at Maniero.

Maniero nodded and said, "Indeed, he should have shot. But Lu has performed quite well already; you have to realize he plays center-back for his team."

"What? Seriously a center-back? Hahaha!" Soto laughed mercilessly. "What kind of moron would let a guy who's 1.78 meters tall, not particularly strong, and not very fast play center-back?"

"I admit I just praised your defense, but that was from the perspective of a center-forward. If a center-back's defense is like yours, that team would have their goal shredded by opponents every half-season, conceding at least thirty-five!"

"A very accurate guess; 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 defensive line, and he had all sorts of statistics at his fingertips.

"Hahaha!" Soto roared with laughter again, even doubling over.

Watching Soto's unbridled, arrogant mockery, Lu Yang and Maniero exchanged a glance. They both wanted to tell Soto: Friend, you are about to become that moron. Forty-six goals conceded in half a season—are you ready to tremble?

But they held back.

Because sometimes, only the cruelty one discovers for oneself is truly cruel.

The ninety minutes of match time quickly slipped away.

The Butcher Team began to retreat into their own half, no longer launching attacks.

One reason was that they lacked an attacking core as powerful and excellent as Maniero.

Soto couldn't handle the delicate play.

The second reason was that sweeping defense consumes a massive amount of stamina, whereas the traditional passing and possession style is relatively energy-efficient.

Soto was already old; his sweeping range had clearly shrunk in the second half, which in turn liberated Maniero, allowing him to take control of the ball and dictate the pace.

The third reason was that yellow card Soto had received.

The fourth reason was that, as an exhibition match, a two-all scoreline was perfect; no one would lose face, right? It wasn't a real life-or-death match, so why fight to the very last minute?

Soon, one minute of the three minutes of stoppage time had already passed.

At this moment, Maniero and Lu Yang, who had proactively dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball, crossed paths.

"You know, in my matchups with Soto, I was almost always the winner. Even in the years when I was locked down by him most miserably, I never lost," Maniero said. "But in the final match of my professional career, Soto beat me."

Lu Yang looked at Maniero, understanding what he meant: "You want to win it back?"

Maniero nodded and said, "If you can help me win this match, I will convince Soto to let you join the first team for official matches! Only by participating in real matches can one be called a professional player!"

Lu Yang's pupils constricted.

He was tempted.

Even without Maniero's recommendation, he was confident he could be promoted to the first team next season. After all, having been tested in a match, he had gained a certain understanding of his God's Eye View, basic backfield coordination, basic ball control, and basic tackling.

If he mastered these things, he would soon become a rock-solid, rising star center-back.

There was no reason he wouldn't make it.

Even if he was a bit short, he would surely have a place at San Remo as a full-back or a defensive midfielder.

But if he could enter the first team in the second half of the season, why shouldn't Lu Yang strive for it?

"You said it yourself!" Lu Yang winked at Maniero and then signaled for him to pass the ball over.

Maniero signaled with his eyes: Are you sure?

There's someone behind you!

Lu Yang signaled back with his eyes: Pass it with confidence.

In a flash, crack.

The Messi Moment card in Lu Yang's mind shattered.

In an instant, a surge of power flooded into Lu Yang's body, and he gained an unprecedented level of control over his physique.

Not just his body, but even the football rolling toward him felt as if it had become a part of him.

At the same time, Lu Yang knew exactly which classic moment of Messi this Moment card was.

September 24, 2018, early morning, Barcelona vs Girona!

"Have you ever heard of Messi?" Lu Yang asked.

Maniero looked at him with a face full of question marks. Who is Messi? Is there such a person in the football world?

He shook his head.

"Then you had better watch closely, because next up, it's Messi time!" After Lu Yang finished speaking, he flicked his heel.

The football passed right between the legs of Soto, who was rushing up from behind.

At the same time, Lu Yang spun around and sprinted past Soto.

A nutmeg turn!

"Fuck! This kid can actually see behind him!" Soto cursed angrily and hurriedly gave chase.

Because of his lapse in positioning, the Butcher Team's midfield was left wide open.

Lu Yang drove forward, quickly arriving at the position just outside the right side of the penalty arc.

In this position, the defenders dared not slide tackle recklessly.

"He can shoot with his left foot!"

Soto shouted a warning to his teammates from behind.

At the same time, Lu Yang's dribbling rhythm slowed down rapidly.

His dribbling wasn't great; previously, his ball control had been crude and wide, kicking the ball far ahead and chasing it down with zero technical finesse.

So, when he slowed down, it could only mean one thing.

He was going to shoot!

Soto now somewhat regretted his previous advice to Lu Yang, wondering why he had told him to shoot decisively.

Given Lu Yang's level, if he had taken two more touches, he would have surely lost the ball.

The Butcher Team's left-back made a split-second decision, throwing himself to the ground to block the shot.

This was the professional instinct of an excellent defender; even though he had long since retired, when faced with an opponent's shot, his first choice was always to use his body to plug the barrel.

The "bang" everyone expected did not occur.

Because... Lu Yang didn't shoot!

He was merely dribbling horizontally, searching for an opening.

His deceleration was just a change in his dribbling rhythm, shifting from wide and loose to tight, close-control dribbling, touching the ball with every step.

He could touch the ball with every step, yet he didn't necessarily have to.

This strange dribbling rhythm made the defensive players' hearts tighten.

Could it be that he was a master?

Approaching the top of the arc.

Lu Yang suddenly dropped his shoulder, his stride lengthening slightly.

This was another tell-tale sign of an impending shot.

Top-tier center-backs could judge whether you were truly going to shoot based on your arms, shoulders, and the swing of your legs.

And in the eyes of the Butcher Team's left center-back, Lu Yang was definitely going to shoot.

He also instantly threw himself to the ground, preparing to block the shot.

But soon, the same situation occurred again.

Lu Yang still chose not to shoot; he feinted a shot and continued to dribble horizontally, moving from the right side of the penalty arc across the center, heading toward the left.

At this moment, only the last center-back remained in front of Lu Yang.

He raised his foot.

The opponent once again instantly threw himself to the ground to block.

Everyone felt quite regretful.

He had fooled two defensive players in a row, but unfortunately... there is a limit to how many times a trick can work.

This shot would surely be blocked.

Only in the eyes of Maniero did a brilliant light shine.

He still remembered the way Lu Yang looked like an obedient student when he was teaching him.

Yet, this kid hadn't abandoned his own style just because he was a football legend; he had his own ideas, and that was very important.

At the same time, the dribbling talent he displayed at this moment was something every attacker dreamed of... absolute ball sense.

"Can someone really play football like this? Messi? It seems he's quite strong!" Maniero muttered to himself, "It's time."

Just as Maniero finished speaking, Lu Yang once again feinted a shot and surged past the reach of the prone defender. At this moment, he was on the left side of the penalty arc, facing the goalkeeper directly, with no one else around to stop him.

Lu Yang raised his leg and struck the ball with lightning speed.

The Butcher Team's right-back rushed over from the outside to recover.

Soto launched himself into a flying slide tackle from behind Lu Yang.

The goalkeeper lunged toward the near post, as the probability of Lu Yang shooting there was overwhelming, and the angle was wide open.

As for the far post, honestly, it wasn't that the goalkeeper looked down on Lu Yang's shooting technique, but rather that even if many strikers from top Serie A clubs were to shoot from that angle, they wouldn't necessarily score.

Most importantly... the rookie's eyes were fixed on the near post.

BANG!

The ball, suppressed for three attempts, finally flew out.

Moments later, Lu Yang was struck by Soto and lost his balance in mid-air.

But the ball had already zipped past five centimeters from the tip of Soto's boot, and under the goalkeeper's gaze of shock and terror, it struck the inside of the far post and rolled into the net, kicking up a spray of white mesh.

"Lu Yang, GOAL!"

"Goal, goal, goal! Who could believe it! Lu Yang has actually snatched a last-minute victory! He has defeated the Butcher Team! He has defeated Soto!"

"Is this really just a lucky spectator? Why do I feel like Maniero is the luckiest man in the world today? He has achieved footballing redemption, defeating Soto, who handed him his final defeat in his retirement match."

"My god! A back-heel nutmeg, a turn to bypass Soto—how did he dare to do that? That's Soto!"

"It's as if he had eyes in the back of his head; this was a trap the young man had prepared for Soto all along."

"Dribbling with shifting rhythms, he sent the Butcher Team's left-back sprawling. A move that looked like a shot but was a dribble, then he shook off the left-center-back, followed by a feint that floored the right-center-back, and finally, just before Soto could slide in to defend, he used his eyes to deceive the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the far corner!"

"This is absolutely professional-level performance! No, no, even on the professional stage, this is a goal that would stun the world!"

"This is a display of dribbling and shooting I have never seen in my twenty years of commentary. He is like a heartless lumberjack; wherever he passes, opposing players are chopped down one after another."

"Is he chopping down trees or playing football? This is the best response to Soto's earlier tackle! You tackled me, so I chopped down your entire defensive line!"

"This isn't playing football at all; this is practically a crime!"

"Let us all shout his name together, Yang..."

The entire stadium, ten thousand people, roared: "Lu!"