"Li, you were amazing!"
"Li, what a beautiful play!"
"Li, well done!"
"Li, thank you!"
The moment the match ended, Li Mingyu was surrounded by his teammates and the coaching staff. People kept reaching out to ruffle his hair and pat his shoulders, and someone even took the opportunity to feel his butt...
The swagger Li Mingyu had shown on the pitch was gone. He looked as helpless as a young woman surrounded by perverts.
Li Mingyu fought his way free and bolted toward the locker room like a rabbit that had been shot.
He didn't even notice the beautiful reporter waiting along the way to interview him.
"Oh, our little hero just ran right past our lovely Miranda at the same speed he showed on the pitch!" the commentator joked, laughing in the studio.
The beautiful reporter Miranda from Mundo Deportivo had prepared a whole list of questions for the young man who had turned the tide of the match.
But Li Mingyu seemed oblivious to her beauty, leaving Miranda awkwardly poised to speak.
"Haha, it looks like our little hero must be shy!"
Miranda was a little annoyed, but she still managed a professional smile for the cameras.
Li Mingyu hurried into the locker room and went to his locker, ready to pull out his tracksuit and put it on.
"Li!"
A voice suddenly rang out in the locker room.
Li Mingyu jumped in fright and quickly turned around.
Messi was sitting in the corner of the locker room, watching him with a thoughtful gaze.
Li Mingyu quickly turned to face him, looking at Messi with adoration. "Mr. Messi, hello!"
Looking at Li Mingyu, who seemed a little flustered, Messi's eyes softened. He smiled and said, "Li, you were incredible today. You really surprised me. Thank you for saving the team!"
Hearing Messi praise him, Li Mingyu was so excited he could barely speak.
As a die-hard Barca fan, Li Mingyu had practically grown up watching Messi play.
In 2004, seventeen-year-old Messi made his league debut for Barca against Espanyol.
That year, Li Mingyu had just turned two.
In 2007, when twenty-year-old Messi faced Getafe in the Copa del Rey semifinals, he recreated Maradona's famous goal, dribbling past five players.
That year, Li Mingyu was five. He had witnessed Messi's tribute to the legendary player in person, together with his father.
From that day on, little Li Mingyu had only one idol: Messi.
It had always been Li Mingyu's dream to become a player like Messi.
From Barca's youth team to its reserve team, Li Mingyu had always performed well and become an indispensable member of the squad.
This time, with so many injuries among Barca's forwards, head coach Koeman had promoted Li Mingyu from the reserves at the last minute.
The first time he'd seen Messi up close, Li Mingyu's heart had nearly leaped out of his mouth.
But Messi had merely given him a polite nod, and even that had made Li Mingyu incredibly happy.
Now that Messi had praised him, Li Mingyu felt as though he were dreaming.
"Mr. Messi, you're Barca's greatest player. It's an honor to play alongside you!"
Messi smiled at Li Mingyu's words. "We're teammates now, so you don't have to be so formal. Just call me Leo from now on!"
Li Mingyu nodded, understanding that Messi was welcoming him into the fold.
Messi got dressed, walked over to Li Mingyu, and patted him on the shoulder. "Keep working hard."
With that, Messi left the locker room to attend the post-match press conference.
Although Li Mingyu was the star of the day, Koeman wasn't going to take him to the press conference.
He wanted to protect the young player. If reporters led him into saying something he shouldn't, it could cause a lot of trouble.
Li Mingyu also hurried out of the locker room before the others returned.
Back in his dorm, he could no longer contain his excitement.
[Stadium Check-in System: Whenever the host plays at a stadium, he can check in.] [Checking in grants the talents and skills of a legendary player associated with that stadium.] [The host can check in at only one stadium per day! The same stadium can be checked in at repeatedly!] [The host can bind one stadium. Whenever he plays there, he will always be in peak condition and his resistance to injury will always be at its maximum.]
Li Mingyu's eyes widened. This was incredible! As long as he kept playing matches with the team, he could gain the talents of legendary players.
Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zidane...
If he could acquire all of their talents, wouldn't he become invincible?
And if he bound a stadium, he could always stay in peak condition and never get injured. That was incredible!
[Successfully bound "Camp Nou"!]
# 19-Year-Old Chinese-Born Prodigy Shines at Camp Nou #
# Hat Trick in Eight Minutes Saves the Day #
The next day, the news swept across Europe.
La Liga might no longer enjoy the popularity it had when it dominated the Top Five Leagues, but FC Barcelona, with Messi on the team, remained a media darling.
Besides, a rising superstar was a story the football world would always chase.
And our rising superstar was currently at Camp Nou's training ground, getting ready for the day's training.
Li Mingyu was staying in the players' dormitory at the training ground, and every day, he was the first to arrive.
He started with a few sets of shuttle runs, testing out his explosive speed. It was exhilarating.
Li Mingyu had always been known for his speed on the youth and reserve teams, and he was also excellent at taking his chances in front of goal. That was why the head coach had promoted him to the first team.
So even though Li Mingyu's performance on the pitch the day before had been astounding, the team thought it was just an unusually good showing.
One by one, Barca's players arrived at the training ground.
A few of them looked noticeably sluggish, probably because they'd had quite a bit to drink the night before.
Koeman had arrived early too. When he saw Li Mingyu diligently putting in extra work on the pitch, a pleased smile appeared on his face.
It was rare to see a young player work so hard.
But when his gaze fell on the sluggish players, his expression darkened.
Training began.
Training for any professional sport was tedious: the same movements and commands repeated again and again, like training animals, until players developed conditioned reflexes and muscle memory.
The one-hour training session ended, and the players began a scrimmage.
Messi had been sent off in the previous match and couldn't play in the next one, so today Li Mingyu was given the yellow bib worn by the starters.
Li Mingyu was thrilled. It looked like he'd get the chance to start in the next match.
A whistle sounded, and the intra-squad match began.
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