Chapter Sixty-Four: The Glory of Avarice

It took you all quite a while to come up with names for me, so I had to borrow some that I thought were decent. I have to say, Mino’s arrangements were quite good.

He planned to train Rong Guang as a winger to assist or as a shadow striker for follow-up shots—in short, using Rong Guang’s speed to draw fire and break through defenses. Meanwhile, Zhang Meng was to be developed into a versatile midfielder who could both attack and defend—a defensive anchor with a wide coverage, capable of long-range shots and aerial duels in the penalty area.

As for goalkeeper Su Xixi, that was a surprise—the kid’s reaction speed was remarkably quick. When he met Mino, he swiftly and decisively caught the phone Mino had dropped. Most importantly, the former played football casually in the countryside, while the others played amateur football on their school teams—all promising talents!

The only issue was that their families seemed disinclined to support their football ambitions. Under such circumstances, I felt quite uneasy, wondering if I, just a 17-year-old myself, could really have much influence over them.

In reality... well, no, I didn’t have that much influence.

When I arrived, a local track coach also came along, trying to recruit Rong Guang for the athletics team. Yet, I managed to win Rong Guang over with only three sentences—not grandiose words, just practical truths.

“I’m worth 300 million yuan.”

“My annual salary is 800,000 yuan.”

“I’ll take you abroad to make big money.”

Honestly, I wanted to take the kid away right then and there—life in the countryside, well, the main problem was how dilapidated his home was.

I had no choice but to reluctantly leave him forty or fifty thousand yuan to build a new house. Before the new house was finished, Rong Guang insisted he wouldn’t leave home!

That damn kid! Well, maybe he thought I was the real jerk. When he pointed at me, claiming he’d surpass me and whatnot, I handed him a hundred-yuan note, turning him into a wind-chasing (money-chasing) youth.

It stuck with him, but that was fine. Rong Guang showed me his incredible speed and his relentless, desperate efforts.

To be honest, I was somewhat disappointed in Rong Guang. Such speed alone is no longer the ultimate key in future matches. Although he was still young and I shouldn’t judge him by my standards, perhaps my high expectations made the disappointment all the greater.

However, Mino showed me something more: Rong Guang’s accuracy was astonishing—he could basically kick exactly where he pointed. Most importantly, his vision was extraordinary, like a precise sniper.

Alright, I admit it.

Actually, Rong Guang mainly thought I was a jerk because, even though I was only a year older, I acted like a grown-up.

(Rong Guang wouldn’t admit it, but I think he was mostly jealous of how much money I had.)

After settling Rong Guang’s case, Mino and I rushed to our next target, Zhang Meng.

When I really saw Zhang Meng, I was stunned.

At 1.89 meters tall with bulging muscles, he was like a human tank.

And such a monster was studying finance, with a likely future as a bank clerk.

(Imagine how safe that bank must be.)

When 22-year-old Zhang Meng saw me, he suddenly lunged forward and hugged me! For a moment, I thought I might have suffered multiple fractures all over.

Thankfully, it was just an illusion.

But when Zhang Meng showed his football skills, I was utterly amazed.

The ball seemed like a cannonball. Was this a person or a player? Was his technique too rough?

More importantly, this guy was a king of the air!

Inside the penalty area, his shots often flew wildly. He couldn’t control his own power!

Looking at Mino, I felt despair. Such a talent should be in rugby or perhaps boxing or MMA.

Why waste it on football?

But then Mino showed me the meaning of “when God closes a door, He opens a window.”

Though his shots inside the penalty box were erratic, Zhang Meng’s long-range shots from thirty to forty yards were missile-precise.

With a “whoosh,” the speed, angle, and drop were perfect, just like my sniper’s precision.

Zhang Meng’s positioning was exceptional; his stamina impressive; his long-range shooting slick; his physique strong. His running speed wasn’t fast, but he had explosive power.

His tackling was unlike what I expected from him.

Alright, is it because he kicks the ball every day, practicing long-range shots?

“Brat! Of course I won’t let you feel nervous—he’s the defensive midfielder I chose, remember?”

Okay, I did forget! The names “Beast Drogba” and “Tony” echoed in my mind, and for a moment, I thought about quitting football altogether.

Unexpectedly, when I stated my purpose, Zhang Meng nearly burst into tears.

A “late bloomer” like him still had a chance to play abroad? He loved football passionately, and his father was a fan too.

Perhaps because Rong Guang and Zhang Meng were so easy to recruit, the difficulty level suddenly skyrocketed when it came to Su Xixi.

First, Su Xixi’s father, Su Yisheng (nicknamed for drinking a liter of water at once), pointed at me and said, “You’re too young to get things done.”

Then he questioned the future of Chinese football.

Though Su Xixi played for the school team, his passion for football seemed more like a game to him.

Under these circumstances, it was pure fantasy for me to think I could take Su Xixi away.

At that moment, news came that Gao Lin and Zhang Chengdong had been found, but there was a problem.

Gao Lin was already a member of Shanghai Shenhua Football Club. Taking him away would mean dealing with club affairs—and I hadn’t even inked a deal with my next club yet!

As for Zhang Chengdong? He had reportedly gone to study at the AC Milan Football School in Italy.

(Zhang Chengdong graduated from the AC Milan Football School.)

By then, I had made up my mind: the goalkeeper matter would have to be left to fate. But the winger issue still needed solving.

I couldn’t rely only on Rong Guang, right? Flying solo on one flank?

At that moment, Mino told me about a new name: Wang Qidong.

He was a newly discovered young man with exceptional speed, apparently a provincial track athlete but also fond of football.

Currently, he was sparring with an athlete named Liu Xiang.

Wang Qidong? Sounds promising! Just don’t know what kind of person he is.

Ronaldinho had his Brazilian crew, including Eto’o and Thiago Silva.

Cristiano Ronaldo had his Portuguese ally Pepe.

So why not let me build my own Chinese crew?

Playing for the same club and representing the same national team—wouldn’t that be wonderful?