The goalkeeper’s three most important attributes—Saves, Positioning, and One-on-One—were all only around 45, which was a very low figure, probably lower than many amateur players.
Furthermore, he had gained three skills.
Especially regarding the prediction of the opponent’s shots and high balls, he needed to have the execution ability himself.
Otherwise, even if he judged the trajectory correctly, if his own ability was insufficient, he would waste the opportunity in vain.
Therefore, he also needed to raise his Reaction, Jumping, and Explosiveness to a certain level.
After thinking it through, Theo first raised Saves, Positioning, and One-on-One to the passing mark of 60, consuming a total of 46 points.
Then, he raised the supporting attributes—Reaction, Jumping, High Balls, and Prediction—to 55, consuming 24 points.
Theo calculated that, including the 12 points previously spent on height and wingspan, that made a total of 82 points.
Now, only 18 points were left.
Theo added them to Ball Handling, Balance, and Composure.
This was also to prevent fumbling the ball and avoid accidents.
After adding the points, the final attribute panel was as follows: Name: Theo Age: 18 Height: 190cm Wingspan: 198cm Weight: 80kg Position: Goalkeeper (Locked) Team: Charlton Athletic (EFL League One) Attribute Points: 0 Overall Rating: 53 (EFL League One Reserve Team) — Physical (54) — Strength: 53 | Speed: 50 | Reaction: 55 (7) Explosiveness: 48 | Jumping: 55 (5) | Stamina: 59 — Goalkeeper Ability (51) — Saves: 60 (16) | Positioning: 60 (15) | One-on-One: 60 (15) Rushing Out: 48 | High Balls: 55 (4) | Goal Line: 50 Ball Handling: 55 (8) | Goal Kicks: 45 | Throwing: 48 Penalty Saves: 47 | Free Kick Saves: 46 — Associated Abilities (54) — Balance: 55 (7) | Prediction: 55 (8) | Composure: 52 (3) — Other Attributes (Not included in rating) — Technique: 48 | Passing: 50 | Vision: 50 Tackling: 43 | Shooting: 42 | Dribbling: 45 Leadership: 46 | Luck: 72 — Exclusive Skills — Three-Point Domain (Level 1): When taking a free kick outside the penalty area, can plan the football’s flight path.
Times per match: 1 Rebound Instinct (Level 2): Predicts the landing spot of high balls like free kicks, corners, and crosses 1 second in advance.
Times per match: 2 Block Moment (Level 3): Predicts the opponent’s shooting trajectory 1.5 seconds in advance.
Times per match: 3 Theo saw that the goalkeeper’s total rating had reached 53, reaching the level of an EFL League One Reserve Team goalkeeper.
He finally felt relieved.
The U18 test, after all, didn’t have as high requirements as the Reserve Team and U21.
For the assessment the day after tomorrow, he was very confident he could stay.
Having solved the biggest immediate trouble, a strong sense of hunger suddenly hit him.
He quickly took out his extra-large sandwich, devoured it in a few bites, and gulped down a large glass of water, finally feeling better.
Taking the opportunity while showering, he carefully observed this strange body of his.
His height, physique, and everything else were quite perfect, coupled with an Oriental face mixed with a bit of Western roguish handsomeness.
He looked stunning.
It was just strange to Theo that, logically, there should have been some female fans, but none ever appeared in his memories.
Theo lay on the bed thinking about the situation in the football world at this time.
2010—Jose Mourinho was about to lead Inter Milan to win the treble.
Spain, historically known as underperformers in major tournaments, played like true champions to win the 2008 European Cup, and they were set to rise again in the South Africa World Cup in June.
Lyon’s dominance in Ligue 1 had faded, and PSG had not yet risen.
The “Southern Giants” of the Bundesliga weren’t as domineering as they would be in their future eleven-consecutive-title run, and other teams could still challenge for the title.
The Premier League was currently a rotation of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea fighting for the throne.
Other strong teams in La Liga had declined, mocked as the “La Liga Duo,” with only Real Madrid and Barcelona playing a two-man show there.
In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid, preparing to save the “Round of 16” team.
After Messi replaced Ronaldinho, he also led Barcelona to win the Champions League last year.
Theo shook his head; this was getting a bit too far off track.
What the hell did this have to do with him?
He was still just a mediocre goalkeeper, and his biggest task now was to pass the assessment the day after tomorrow and stay.
At the very least, he would have a free place to live, giving him a period to adapt, and as he thought about it, he fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Theo, woken up by a full bladder, got up early.
After coming out of the bathroom, having relieved himself, the morning wood finally subsided—having too good a physique wasn’t always a good thing.
After washing up, he went to the nearby community convenience store to buy some milk, bread, ham, biscuits, and the like to keep in stock.
This cost him another 16 pounds.
Theo calculated his remaining balance: £2,480—it was getting less and less.
“Where can I earn some money?
Sports betting or stocks?” It seemed he would have to go to the club to solve his meals for now.
He was still on a youth training contract and had no other income.
The little money he had was definitely not enough to spend.
At 8:50 AM, Theo jogged to the Charlton Athletic FC youth training camp.
He planned to eat breakfast there.
The youth training camp provided three meals a day for youth players on training days.
Breakfast was usually oatmeal, whole wheat toast, fried eggs, and baked beans.
Drinks were usually freshly squeezed juice, milk, or water.
After getting up early, he had exercised in a small park nearby, which counted as familiarizing himself with his body’s condition.
By now, he was quite hungry, so Theo took some of everything, piling his tray high.
Ignoring the surprised looks of other players, he picked up his fork and spoon and started devouring it.
The schedule for the youth team was usually study courses in the morning and various training sessions in the afternoon.
This might be the last course Theo would attend.
He had already received his BTEC Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science; coming today was just a formality.
Tomorrow his temporary training contract would expire.
If the club could offer him a professional contract, he would have a chance to go to the Reserve Team or the First Team.
After lunch, the afternoon training session hadn’t started yet.
Theo began warm-up training by himself; only after warming up would he be less prone to injury.
He did a few sets of high knees first, then agility ladder training.
Next were push-ups and sit-ups.
The original owner, after seeing no hope, had become lazy, but now that he had arrived, he would make his movements as standard and powerful as possible.
It was no longer the same as before.
Just then, a voice came from behind.
“Theo!
So early!
Didn’t you take a break at noon?” Theo looked back.
It was another U18 Assistant Coach, Steve Avery.
He was about fifty years old, with a burly figure and a kind smile on his face.
He used to be a professional player, playing as a center-back.
After retiring, he had been a coach in the Charlton Athletic youth academy.
The basic training for the Charlton Athletic U18 was mostly arranged by him.
After all, U18 Head Coach Damian Matthew sometimes took the Reserve Team for training and matches.
“Yes, Coach!
I’m just warming up a bit before training!” Theo greeted him quickly.
“Good!
Young people should have drive!” Assistant Coach Steve Avery patted Theo on the shoulder.
“Why do I feel like you’ve grown a bit taller today!” Theo was startled and was about to say that he might have had a second growth spurt recently.
Assistant Coach Steve Avery seemed to just say it casually: “The Reserve Team is coming over this afternoon, and there’s an internal training match.
Prepare well.” Theo was a bit puzzled.
“But I’m just a substitute!” “Connor Gough has a cold and asked for leave, and Darren Randolph and Willie Garet from the Reserve Team have both returned to the First Team for concentrated training, so we’re just short of a goalkeeper,” Assistant Coach Steve Avery said, looking deeply at Theo.
“This is your last chance.” Theo felt a tightness in his heart and secretly clenched his fists.
“Thank you, Coach!
I will prepare well!” A great opportunity!