“Chinese Genius Appears In Hamburg II!”
“Round Moon Scimitar Breaks Through The Defense! Hamburg II Wins In The 89th Minute!”
In just three days, Fan Tao's passing video had already garnered over a million views. The operations director of Longtu Sports called Wang Jianjun, instructing him to closely follow Fan Tao's matches and not miss a single one.
The Longtu Sports platform was in the process of building a football special column. The platform was already established, and it was a period when traffic was greatly needed. A European-based genius like Fan Tao could be used as a focal topic.
The number of comments below Fan Tao's video surged, with both positive and negative feedback:
“With this passing ability at 18, his future is promising!”
“He looks technically good, he could play in the Chinese Super League.”
“Don’t come back, it would ruin a good prospect.”
“He just looks too thin, he needs to gain muscle!”
“Germany emphasizes physical confrontation, won’t that small frame get knocked over?”
“It’s fine, he’s only 18, his body can be trained. Let’s pay attention first.”
Inside the dormitory.
Fan Tao had just finished his cultural class.
There was no other way; German youth training players were forced to attend classes, illiteracy was not allowed among players.
Feeling a bit tired, he was lying on his bed, studying his system.
This damn system wouldn't let him run, which was really a pain, but the rewards were genuinely useful.
After the warm-up match, Fan Tao immediately used the Player Template Card – Riquelme.
At that time, he felt no change in his body and thought the system was malfunctioning.
Through these two days of training, he finally found the abilities granted by the system.
Many of his stats began to show upward arrows.
Technical Category:
【Vision: 85 ↑ ↑ ↑】
【Short Pass Accuracy: 65 ↑ ↑ ↑; Long Pass Accuracy: 62 ↑ ↑】
【Ball Control: 58 ↑ ↑ ↑; Dribbling: 55 ↑ ↑】
【Shot Accuracy: 62 ↑ ↑; Shot Power: 51 ↑】
【Free Kick: 62 ↑ ↑; Heading: 30 ↑】
【Man Marking: 65 ↑; Tackling: 30 ↑】
Physical Category:
【Speed: 55 ↑; Explosiveness: 50 ↑】
【Strength: 40 ↑; Balance: 55 ↑】
【Stamina: 65 ↑; Stamina Recovery: 70 ↑】
Skill:
【Round Moon Scimitar: Proficiency 30%】
Rating: German Fourth Division League Starter / 3. Liga League Substitute Player.
Fan Tao summarized a pattern: the more upward arrows, the faster that ability grew.
He could feel Riquelme's advantageous attributes growing rapidly within him, as if he possessed the star's talent, while his physical and defensive attributes grew noticeably slower.
It should be known that Riquelme was a very extreme player; in terms of passing and ball control, he was a master, but in terms of defense and physical quality, he was at a neighborhood level, a typical one-sided student.
However, Fan Tao was very satisfied. To make a mark in lower-tier Leagues, one needed a standout point. Only by excelling at one thing first could one stand out, and other weaknesses could be slowly trained.
Since returning to 18, Fan Tao's training enthusiasm had clearly increased.
Head coach Schweinsteiger was even more puzzled: why did Fan Tao, who was so diligent on the training ground, start strolling during matches?
Southern Hamburg, Harburg District.
Hamburg's traditional training base.
This year, the Hamburg II players were unlucky; they could no longer train with the first team, as the first team had officially moved to the Wolfgang Training Center.
There, they had 4 full-sized natural grass training fields, 1 simulated match field, a top-tier rehabilitation center, and a tactical analysis room.
This made the Hamburg II players drool with envy, so much so that during the pre-season, the Hamburg II players were all fired up, wanting to perform well and get promoted to the first team as quickly as possible.
There was no other way; football was a pyramid game, and only by climbing up could one get better treatment.
On the training ground.
Schweinsteiger was directing tactical training. The previous training match had already revealed the team's biggest weakness – insufficient ability to break down compact defenses.
Many teams in lower-tier Leagues would adopt a 4-4-2 defensive counter-attack tactic. In such situations, 0-0 would be the norm, and whoever could score first would gain the initiative in the match.
“Amari, what are you doing? After getting the ball in midfield, move quickly and occupy the half-space. Are you standing on the wing doing nothing?”
“And Lise, get the ball and quickly find a teammate. Do you have glue on your feet?”
“Lazy bums, run!”
“Kinsombi, position! Position! Don’t blindly tackle! That move will get you a card!”
“Betz, focus, where are you passing?”
Loud scolding continued incessantly. This was also Schweinsteiger's coaching characteristic; on the training ground, he would not hesitate to scold any player who made a mistake until they got it right.
“Alright, Lise, you drop back. Fan, you move up to attacking midfielder.”
The attack resumed, with the defensive players standing by.
Fan Tao received the ball in midfield, passed it diagonally to Joshua, who was making a run down the right wing, and then quickly ran forward himself.
Joshua advanced with the ball. He was extremely fast and liked to cut inside.
Left-back Karakasan quickly stuck to him, giving Joshua no space to cut inside and shoot. (On a football field, the right winger corresponds to the left-back's position, and vice versa.)
Helplessly, Joshua had no choice but to pass the ball to Fan Tao, who was making a run through the center.
A diagonal pass without stopping the ball!
The ball rolled to striker Bollas, who was making a run into the left half-space. He shot powerfully, but it was perfectly saved by goalkeeper Mateisha.
Mateisha even provocatively glanced at Bollas, making him stomp his feet in anger.
This 20-year-old young goalkeeper was very likely to secure the starting spot this season. He had quick reactions, a tall frame, and long arms, truly a star of tomorrow.
“Good, not bad.”
Schweinsteiger briefly praised him. He already had the starting lineup for the next match in mind, but he was still a bit worried about Fan Tao, so he walked over and gave him a private instruction.
“Fan, I’ll let you start the next warm-up match. This is your chance. If you stroll on the field again, you’ll be on the bench from now on, understand?” Schweinsteiger stared at Fan Tao with a hint of harshness. His meaning was clear: don’t mess this up, or you’ll regret it!
“Yes, Coach.”
Fan Tao broke out in a cold sweat. Starting, and not being allowed to stroll, wouldn't that be the end of the world?
This training session ended with a sense of tension, though without actual conflict.
Bollas immediately ran to Fan Tao: “Fan, beautiful pass. I wasted the chance.”
Fan Tao put his arm around his shoulder to comfort him: “It’s okay, Witek’s form is also average today, it’s not certain who will start yet.”
“What about you? Did the coach say anything to you privately?”
Fan Tao gave a wry smile: “I’m starting next game, but if I mess it up, I’ll be on the bench from now on.”
“That strict!” Bollas hung his head, “When you say that, I don’t even dare to start.”
“It’s fine!” Fan Tao patted his chest, “Don’t worry, you have me. As long as I look at you, just run.”
“Oh, I still don’t know if I’ll be able to play next game.”
“I bet you’ll start next game.” Years of professional experience allowed Fan Tao to make this judgment.
Bollas’s eyes lit up: “Really?”
Fan Tao said confidently: “Witek started the last warm-up match, and he struggled to find opportunities in the front. The head coach should test your ability in the next warm-up match before deciding on the starting lineup for the official game.”
“What you said makes so much sense.” Bollas scratched his head shyly, “Your brain is really good.”
“It’s fine, you have speed, you don’t need a brain.”
“……” For a moment, Bollas couldn't tell if Fan Tao was complimenting him or insulting him.
Left winger Amari watched the two, who had a good relationship, wondering if he should also proactively say hello. It seemed these two were very likely to be starting teammates in the future.
After careful consideration, he shook his head. He would wait until they had solidified their starting spots.