The summer in Watford was exceptionally cold.
At least it was for Ashley Young, the bald black teenager.
Just like He Tianqi, the clown who became a massive hit because of the World Cup, he couldn’t get an official contract from his parent team.
His football dream was on the verge of shattering.
“Hey, Ashley!”
Someone stopped Ashley Young outside the training ground.
He turned around and saw an Asian man about his own age.
Wait, this face looked a bit familiar!
“It’s you?” Ashley Young recognized his “template”.
He Tianqi felt happy about this, which meant he could save a lot of breath: “Yes, it’s me.
Assistant coach of Palermo.”
“I want to invite you to play football in Italy, for your football dream.”
“You will get plenty of opportunities in Palermo.
Left midfielder, left winger, forward—whichever position suits you, you can play that position.”
“In short, the team will nurture you as a cornerstone!”
“Because we see the shadow of a world-class superstar in you.
What you need is just someone who trusts you, is willing to give you opportunities, and can help you unearth your potential.”
Bombarded by these sugar-coated words, Ashley Young was dumbfounded.
Seventeen years!
He never dreamed he could receive such high praise!
His performance in the Watford youth academy had been mediocre; how did He Tianqi discover this uncut jade?
Ashley Young: “You’ve watched my matches?”
He Tianqi: “I have!”
Ashley Young: “Which one?”
He Tianqi: “Many of them.”
Ashley Young: “What left the deepest impression on you about me?”
He Tianqi: “Diligence!”
Ashley Young nodded in satisfaction.
Exactly!
This was definitely someone who had watched him play!
Working hard and running tirelessly was his only magic weapon for barely surviving in the Watford U18s.
Ashley Young: “You’ve moved me!
Then when can I head to Palermo?”
He Tianqi: “Anytime!
But the club is currently in a transitional period, so there probably won’t be any welcoming ceremony.
Also, regarding the salary, we definitely won’t shortchange you, but we are a Serie C team after all, so it won’t be too high either.”
Ashley Young was a bit worried: “Serie C?”
He Tianqi: “Yes, Serie C.
But trust me, this is absolutely the most worthwhile move you can make.
We have a Serie B foundation, and we’ve set up a three-year plan for top-flight promotion.”
“When the time comes, you’ll transform and become an esteemed Serie A player!”
“Roberto Baggio, Totti, Del Piero, Nedved, Batistuta, Crespo, Trezeguet—these people will be your opponents!”
Ashley Young was so pumped up by these words that he wished he could immediately go home and pack his bags.
About half an hour after he and He Tianqi left.
Dave Hockaday, the coach of the Watford U18 squad, arrived at the entrance of the training ground.
He was preparing to give Ashley Young, the little guy on his team, a surprise.
If this diligent little guy knew he had gotten a contract from the team, who knows how…
huh?
Not here?
Hockaday frowned.
Leaving the training ground so early—so Ashley Young’s previous diligence was all fake?
The moment he lost hope, he just gave up and stopped trying?
Is a player who gives up so easily in adversity really worth a contract from Watford?
Hockaday held a skeptical attitude towards this.
Ultimately, he left the training ground in disappointment.
A week later, Palermo low-key announced the signing of a young player from England.
The fans didn’t care about this at all, but the birds of Palermo seemed to have heard a calling and began settling in large numbers around Palermo’s training ground.
(Ashley Young: ???)
…
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.
He Tianqi arrived at the training base of the local giants, Dinamo Zagreb, looking travel-worn.
A staff member from their player department was responsible for receiving him.
He had just flown over from Belgrade, having signed the Serbian Iron Tower “Nemanja Vidic” for the team!
Vidic had just become a starter at Red Star Belgrade, but he was deeply valued by the head coach and had even served as the on-field captain.
He originally wouldn’t have left.
But He Tianqi first generously threw out two million euros, directly handling Red Star Belgrade’s upper management.
Then he moved Vidic with reasons like, “Italy is a holy land for defensive players,” “Any defensive player who has played in Italy is more likely to be favored by top clubs,” “I know teams from Russia have contacted you, but that’s far from the center of Europe and won’t get attention from giants,” and “You have a better platform to choose from, you should seize the opportunity.”
Vidic didn’t dare hope for Serie A, but he believed it wouldn’t be a problem for Palermo to promote back to Serie B within two or three years.
By then, he believed that with his performance, teams from the top five leagues would come fishing for him.
“Hey!
Who told you to pass the ball like that?
Shepherd boy!”
On the training pitch, a thin and small player was being reprimanded by other players.
The staff member from Dinamo Zagreb instantly turned red, thinking, “Oh no.”
Because this reprimanded flop was exactly the person this Italian sucker wanted.
Must not let the cat out of the bag.
“Hey!
Give the ball to Luka, let him get a feel for it!” The staff member frantically winked at the players on the pitch.
The players understood tacitly and began to continuously pass the ball to the shepherd boy.
The shepherd boy played in the midfield, but whenever he handled the football, he was always rash and impulsive.
His distribution was very casual, completely destroying the team’s rhythm.
“Luka!
Steady yourself, play properly, understand?” The staff member gritted his teeth in anger.
But the shepherd boy, seemingly timid, was actually stubborn.
When you scolded him, he would nod continuously, but the moment he turned around, he would continue with his own style of play.
It went in one ear and out the other.
Watching from the sidelines, He Tianqi also kept shaking his head.
This style of play had even more flair than the future Ballon d’Or midfielder in his memory!
Damn it!
So the Ballon d’Or midfielder was actually just a downgraded version of the shepherd boy after his talent was compromised?
Then what level was a fully-equipped shepherd boy exactly?
However, He Tianqi’s expression was misunderstood by the staff member as him not taking a fancy to the shepherd boy.
After the two left, the Dinamo Zagreb youth training base returned to its normal training rhythm.
Everyone stopped using the shepherd boy as the midfield core, and the shepherd boy immediately vanished on the pitch, contributing nothing.
Regarding this, the shepherd boy sighed silently.
He also wanted to become a steady midfield brain, but he couldn’t do it.
His eyes saw too many…
opportunities.
This made him feel that it would be a crime not to seize those fleeting chances.
But in the eyes of others, he was just making random passes, and random passing was a crime!
He heard the other party was an assistant coach from Italy.
How great would it be if he could play in Italy?
As the region with the most developed football level in the world, perhaps his playing style could be accepted by them.
What a pity!
It really was a pity!
(END CHAPTER)