Chapter Three: A Stunning Debut

Fine! None of that matters. What matters is: that kid who delivered that kick—has he really never received any training?

It’s like throwing trash into a bin from a distance or spinning a pen or book during class; while it may look simple, any true master needs time to practice. There is only one scenario where someone doesn't need practice!

That is, that person is a genius! A true genius!

Hector Cuper could no longer hold back. Even though he knew he was a coach now, he couldn't help but leap high, wanting to head the ball away. This was a physical instinct honed over years of professional career, much like the reflexive actions of a veteran. At this moment, Hector Cuper reflexively jumped to contest the header.

Well! Hector Cuper missed the ball, but he was even more amazed by this miss. Mo Mo's movement was elusive, but his judgment of the ball's landing point was astonishing. In fairness, under the high intensity of a match, Hector Cuper might not have misjudged it, but in that split second when Rong Guang kicked the ball, Hector Cuper clearly heard Mo Mo mutter a curse—"You little brat!" This meant Mo Mo hadn't been prepared either, yet in that short instant, he had already calculated that the ball's trajectory wasn't going to be there.

Although it was partly because Hector Cuper’s professional sharpness had faded after years of retirement, such quick and calm anticipation was already that of a top-tier player.

"You brat! What are you doing? Coach! This is Rong Guang. He might not be great at shooting, but his lob passes and diagonal passes are quite good. They say he practiced them by playing shuttlecock."

Looking at Mo Mo, who was stepping on the ball with a playful expression, Hector Cuper’s face must have been a picture of utter bewilderment. Practiced by playing shuttlecock? Are you kidding me?

Just then, Wang Qidong and Rong Guang ran onto the pitch. Ahem, one could tell they were a bit excited, as their feet were kicking up patches of turf. Of course, that was probably because the pitch was due for maintenance anyway! (Turf maintenance is quite an expense!)

Next, the two put on a performance of passing and shooting. Rong Guang could basically deliver lob passes and diagonal passes to Wang Qidong from any angle, and most of them were quite precise. However, although Wang Qidong’s heading and shooting were mediocre—he basically had no angle to speak of—his jumping ability was quite impressive. He bounded about like a deer, which made Hector Cuper’s eyes light up!

However, these things only showed that one had a talent for passing and the other had good verticality. At Inter Milan, there were many who possessed such skills. What Hector Cuper wanted to see most, they hadn't shown yet.

At this moment, Mo Mo brought over the 1.89-meter-tall Zhang Meng. Zhang Meng looked disappointed; some things are hard to see unless you experience them yourself. Hector Cuper noticed Zhang Meng, but didn't pay him much mind, perhaps just sighing internally at what a pity it was to waste such a good physique.

Just then, Mo Mo stood by the goal and shouted for Rong Guang to pass the ball over. Wang Qidong kicked the ball back, but it seemed to have been kicked too far! This made Hector Cuper shake his head, but unexpectedly, Rong Guang’s speed was remarkable. He quickly adjusted his position and volleyed the ball over!

Hector Cuper’s eyes widened! This was almost impossible for an amateur player to pull off, even for a professional! Moving at high speed, judging the landing point, and then volleying the ball! And he hit the right spot—the ball didn't deviate much. Wait? Mo Mo passed the ball toward Hector Cuper.

"Steal it! Zhang Meng!"

In that split second, Mo Mo shouted sharply, and Hector Cuper only saw a figure flash by—so fast that the ball at his feet simply vanished!

Mo Mo chuckled deviously and told Zhang Meng to keep passing the ball to Hector Cuper and then steal it. Eight out of ten times, he successfully dispossessed Hector Cuper!

Hector Cuper’s eyes widened as he looked at Mo Mo! It was too fast! Zhang Meng’s sudden acceleration and the speed of his footwork were simply too fast! Ten times, he tackled the ball ten times, though twice it wasn't precise enough to pry the ball from Hector Cuper's control.

"Shoot! Long shot! Zhang Meng!"

Mo Mo shouted again. Hector Cuper’s eyes lit up! A midfielder with a strong physique, fast footwork, and a long shot?

"Bang!" A sound rang out! The long-suffering ball was actually kicked flat by Zhang Meng’s shot! But even so, the "corpse" of the ball flew a very, very long way.

"Quick! Get another ball! Let me see Zhang Meng’s shooting technique! This is top-tier material for a striker!"

Hector Cuper was clearly excited! This was practically a perfect player! However, his subsequent performance left Hector Cuper at a loss for words.

Zhang Meng’s close-range shooting could only be described as a "disaster," but his long-range shots were like homing missiles—each one accurate, yet they lacked any arc, flying in a straight line. It was a bit like the saying, "A single piercing arrow, and ten thousand soldiers follow."

Of course, what hit Hector Cuper the hardest was that Zhang Meng’s dribbling and technical skills were abysmal. His long passing was a total mess, his short passing was decent, his ball control was terrible, but his shielding of the ball was quite good.

Well! If Zhang Meng were 1.89 meters tall, had excellent dribbling, excellent shooting, excellent tackling—excellent at everything!—then there would be nothing left for Mo Mo to do. Furthermore, Hector Cuper could guarantee that Zhang Meng would surely become the world’s number-one star in the future!

It was just a pity.

Watching Zhang Meng fire off one "homing missile" after another, one could basically say that once he reached the center circle, he was in his effective shooting range—though in reality, it was very difficult to execute. Because his "homing missiles" were straight, it was impossible to penetrate a crowd of players unless he was on a breakaway; they were more like "strategic weapons."

"Mo Mo! What was that phrase you said earlier? 'Not making a sound until...'?"

At this moment, Zhang Meng showed off his heading ability! A player with strong heading power must also have strong defensive heading skills! Hector Cuper, who was determined to build the strongest defense, couldn't help but drool. They were so raw, so raw! They needed to be nurtured! (He felt as if something strange had snuck into his thoughts.)

"Ah! That phrase, in full, is: 'Not making a sound until you make a thundering impact!'"

Hearing Mo Mo’s reply, Hector Cuper’s eyes lit up. Not making a sound until a thundering impact? These three young men were all quite good!

Watching Hector Cuper’s expression, Mo Mo smiled subtly.