Chapter 2

On the lush green training ground, a black player in a blue vest sprinted down the wing, receiving a diagonal pass from his teammate.

The fans watching the training from the sidelines burst into applause and cheers.

"Great, Riko!"

"That speed was incredible!"

"No wonder Riko, who plays for the Brazilian Under-19 national team, is so fast!"

"Of course, speed has always been Riko's pride and joy!"

...

Rongguang stood by the edge of the training ground, witnessing this scene and hearing the fans' voices.

But he had a different opinion in his heart: Is this guy considered fast? He doesn't seem faster than my steamed bun...

Without realizing it, Rongguang had started comparing the player to his white mutt dog. In the village, he had never seen anyone else run as fast as he did, and the dog was the only one who could keep up with him.

He shifted his gaze from the training ground and heard a middle-aged white man with a large belly standing opposite him ask, "How old were you when you first started playing football?"

"Seven!" Rongguang answered confidently.

Hearing Rongguang's answer, the middle-aged man gave him a skeptical look.

"In a primary school PE class... yeah!" Seeing the man's disbelieving expression, Rongguang quickly added, fearing that others might think he was lying.

He indeed first touched a football in a PE class in the first grade of primary school. It was the only football in their mountain village school, though it was already worn out and filled with rags. Despite the holes and frayed threads, everyone loved to kick it around. When the rags flew out, they would simply stuff them back and sew the ball up again. That was his first and only time touching a football—until he kicked it over the school wall and down the cliff...

Hearing Rongguang's answer, the middle-aged man's forehead was already showing some veins, but he still asked patiently, "What position do you play?"

"Ah?" Rongguang looked confused.

"Forward? Midfield? Or defender, goalkeeper?" The middle-aged man, rubbing his temples, continued to ask listlessly.

"I don't know!" Rongguang gave a definite but bewildered answer.

Hearing Rongguang's absurd answer and seeing his absurd expression, the middle-aged man sighed, spread his hands, and turned to a brown-skinned, gray-haired, and even fatter middle-aged man beside him, saying, "I don't think it's meaningful, Mr. Godo. Your 'player' is clearly a complete novice who has never touched a football... No, even 'novice' isn't quite the right term. I can't find the right word, but I think you understand what I mean."

Godo Anderson Suarez da Silva quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Leko. I have never denied that he is a complete novice. But I don't think that's the most important thing. I brought him to São Paulo because I believe that with São Paulo's discerning eye, they will see his greater talent—his outstanding athletic ability!"

Godo tried to make his voice sound as confident as possible.

He knew very well that it was a bold move to come to a club like São Paulo to promote a 16-year-old who had never touched a football, and the success rate was very low.

But he had to appear very confident on the surface.

A good salesman, even if selling the worst product in the world, must make the customer believe that he is praising the most unique and cost-effective product in the world.

Moreover, Godo believed that the young man he had his eye on was truly a genius!

As long as he was given time and opportunity, he would surely shine.

"Speed! His speed is the fastest I've ever seen! I am a professional agent, Mr. Leko. In my career, I have seen many Brazilian players with excellent speed, but none of them can match this Chinese teenager beside me!"

"He's just fast..." Leko countered.

"Yes, just fast. But Mr. Leko, don't you think being just fast is already impressive? Technique and awareness can be improved through practice, and experience can be gained through matches. But no matter how good a coach is, they cannot turn a slow player into a fast one. Because it's a natural advantage, a true talent!"

Godo became more and more excited, his speech quickening and his voice growing louder. He was already in the role.

"But he's already 16 years old..." Leko seemed uninterested in the thin Chinese teenager.

"He's just 16 years and three months old... His learning ability is very strong. With his outstanding athletic talent as a foundation, I believe that even if he starts learning football now, he can quickly become an excellent professional player! Most importantly, his athletic talent is top-notch!" In fact, Rongguang was 16 years, four months, and ten days old, but Godo lied to make his age sound more acceptable.

Leko glanced at another middle-aged man standing beside him, who was neither thin nor fat but had a solid athlete's build. Despite being middle-aged, he was in good shape, wearing a tracksuit and sneakers, unlike Leko, who was in a suit and leather shoes.

Leko was the football director of São Paulo, spending most of his time in the office, so he could wear a suit and leather shoes.

But the man beside him was the youth training director of São Paulo, Mauro Aparecido da Silva.

Seeing Leko seeking his opinion, Mauro smiled and said, "I'm also curious about the speed Mr. Godo keeps talking about."

This meant he wanted Rongguang to run and show his speed?

Godo was very excited, clenching his fists and waving them slightly, his body trembling with excitement.

He believed that as long as the people on the field saw Rongguang's speed, as long as they were not blind or stupid, they would definitely want to sign him, at the very least to prevent him from joining a rival club!

Hearing the youth training director Mauro say this, Leko couldn't continue to insist, "Alright, alright, I hope he's as good as you say, Mr. Godo."

***

When Rongguang came out of the changing room and returned to the training ground, he was still wearing the earthy yellow shorts and red tank top he had worn when he arrived. The only difference was that he was now wearing a pair of ordinary black and white-striped football boots instead of his flip-flops.

Seeing Rongguang, Mauro walked onto the training ground and signaled the youth team to pause their training, "We're adding someone to the session." He said to the youth team coach, Waldemar de Oliveira.

At the same time, Godo was encouraging Rongguang, "Rong, do you remember our trial experiences?"

Rongguang nodded and pouted.

During the trials with other teams, many teams rejected his request to try out simply because he was Chinese, without even asking about his skills.

"Chinese? Chinese can play football?"

Rongguang remembered the condescending tone and look. What's wrong with being Chinese? Why should Chinese people bother you? Although I can't play football... I can learn!

Some people were also concerned about his age.

"Starting football at 16—ah..." A tone full of distrust.

What's wrong with being 16?

Can't you learn football at 16? Teachers say you should learn all your life! How do you know I can't learn if you don't let me try?!

"They will regret letting you go, Rong. Show them your best now. São Paulo is no less prestigious than Corinthians, Santos, or Palmeiras! In fact, their youth training program is even stronger!"

"Is that so, Godo?" Rongguang asked, not out of disbelief but genuine curiosity, as he knew little about Brazilian football.

"Of course, their most successful product in recent years is Kaka! Do you know who Kaka is, Rong?"

"I don't know, Godo." Rongguang shook his head.

"Don't worry, you'll know soon, as long as you join São Paulo... But that's not important now. What's important is..." Godo paused, then changed his tone to a more earnest one, staring at Rongguang, "Rong, I flew all the way from China to bring you here because I believe you are a genius! No matter what, never doubt yourself, because you are a genius!"

His expression was very serious, his tone sincere, and his eyes never left Rongguang's.

Then he said, "Show them your speed!"

Rongguang nodded confidently, "You'll see, Godo! Running is my specialty!"

***

After everything was prepared, Rongguang, wearing his red tank top and earthy yellow shorts from China, stepped onto the field. Apart from the football boots, he had nothing that related to football. If you ignored the professional football boots, he looked just like any ordinary child from a Chinese village.

The ordinary black Adidas boots on Rongguang's feet became the most eye-catching equipment...

Waldemar de Oliveira had already learned from Mauro why the training was paused.

But he didn't need to worry too much, as Mauro was explaining the training requirements to Rongguang.

"Your agent says you are fast, so we won't do a 100-meter sprint. It's not meaningful for football. In football, you don't get 100 meters to run. What matters more is short-distance sprints, about 30 meters. This training is perfect for you. You will stand next to the coach. When the coach kicks the ball to the player in the blue vest on the left, you start running, going around the outside of the blue vest player..."

Before he could finish, Rongguang interrupted, "I know, Coach."

Mauro was slightly surprised, "You know?"

Rongguang pointed to one of the youth team players watching, the black player Riko who had just completed the exercise.

"I saw him do it earlier."

Riko, surprised by Rongguang's sudden pointer, wondered, "What does that kid want?"

Mauro glanced at the surprised Riko, not showing much on his face but feeling quite surprised inside—could he understand the drill after just one observation?

This was a normal youth team training exercise, aimed at teaching players to make runs from deep positions to exploit space.

In a rectangular area 20 yards wide (about 18 meters) and 30 yards long (about 27 meters), there were three attackers and two defenders. The player at the starting position would control the ball, take two steps forward, and then pass it to the teammate in front of him. The teammate would then move towards the center, forcing the defender to follow.

At the same time, the third attacker, originally on the other side, would also move towards the center to support the player with the ball.

Throughout the process, the first player who initially had the ball would make a run from behind the second player, taking an outside route to exploit the space behind the defense.

The second player, who might not see the first player behind him, would pass the ball to the third player, who could see the first player's run.

The third player would then pass the ball diagonally to the open space in front of the first player, ensuring that the first player received the ball while running, not stopping to receive it.

Finally, the first player would receive the ball and complete the cross.

This was a complete exercise.

It looked simple, but for a complete novice, understanding the drill after just one observation was quite impressive...

He thought of Godo's words, "His learning ability is very strong."

Is this it?

So he stopped explaining the running requirements and said to Rongguang, "You don't need to do the final cross, just run to receive the pass. Run as fast as you can." This was a standard training exercise, not specifically designed for Rongguang, but it was perfect for testing his speed.

Rongguang confirmed with a question, "Run as fast as I can?" If that's the case, it would be easy for him!

Mauro nodded, "Yes, run as fast as you can, let's see your best speed, young man."

Rongguang smiled confidently, his eight teeth shining, "You'll see, Coach! Running is my specialty!"

***

Waldemar stood with the ball at his feet, and Rongguang beside him.

The training, or rather the test, was about to begin.

Apart from the five players and the coach involved in the training, everyone else had moved back. Mauro, Leko, and Godo stood by the side, and the other youth team players were behind Waldemar.

There were also dozens of fans who had been watching the training.

They all became witnesses to this test.

Especially the youth team players and fans, who were quite curious, wondering why the training was suddenly paused and a new face was added.

"I heard it's a trial..."

"A trial?"

"Yeah, apparently the kid has some speed advantage, so they're giving him a chance to show it... That's what I heard..."

"Riko, do you know that guy?" Lucas Sutton nudged Riko with his elbow.

"I don't know him." Riko shook his head.

"Why did he point at you?"

"How should I know?" Riko shrugged.

Meanwhile, the fans watching from the sidelines were also discussing.

"Who is that guy in the red tank top?"

"He's not on the São Paulo youth team, right?"

"Of course not, he doesn't look like a youth team player..."

"What is he doing here?"

"And why is he on the training ground? Why are the youth team players not training and all watching him?"

As the discussions continued, the test began.

A whistle blew, and Waldemar, with the whistle in his mouth, moved forward with the ball and passed it to the waiting player.

As described in the training requirements, the last player passed the ball diagonally to the open space on the wing.

Rongguang gritted his teeth and chased after the ball, extending his leg as it approached.

But he didn't touch the ball; it passed by his toes and rolled out of bounds.

He didn't get the ball.

He failed.