Chapter 37

As Godo drove, he was thinking about everything that had happened in Leko's office.

"Wasn't it supposed to be eight years?" When Godo saw the contract again, he was surprised to find that it still stated a ten-year term, and he looked up to ask.

"The situation has changed, Mr. Godo," Leko said with a smile.

Godo was no fool; he knew exactly what Leko meant.

Because Rongguang had performed poorly in the last two matches, Leko believed that the club now had the upper hand and could treat him with less respect.

For a player of your caliber, it's already a great fortune to have a club willing to take you in, so don't be picky!

Sign it or don't!

Not only was the term ten years, but the salary and bonuses were also reduced compared to the previous contract.

This is taking advantage of the situation!

Godo placed the contract on the coffee table and stood up.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot accept these terms," he said to Leko.

Leko shrugged indifferently, "No problem, you can think it over."

Then he sat back in his chair, signaling that it was time for Godo to leave.

But this time, there wasn't even the courtesy of a handshake.

Clearly, Rongguang and Godo's status in Leko's eyes had significantly declined.

Godo once again felt Leko's disdain and contempt.

Damn bastard!

He cursed angrily in his heart.

"Red light, Godo!"

Rongguang's voice suddenly rang out, jolting Godo out of his thoughts. He immediately saw the red light at the intersection ahead!

Reflexively, he slammed on the brakes!

The car screeched to a halt, the front wheels crossing the line.

If they hadn't been wearing seat belts, they might have hit their heads on the windshield...

Godo was still in shock, staring blankly ahead.

"What's wrong, Godo? You seem distracted," Rongguang turned to ask.

"No, nothing... just a momentary lapse."

Although Godo didn't say the reason, Rongguang had already guessed.

It must be due to his recent performance.

"Do you believe in your judgment, Godo?" Rongguang asked.

Godo turned to look at Rongguang.

Believe in his judgment?

His track record in judging people wasn't great...

But he still had confidence in Rongguang.

As he spent more time with Rongguang, he became even more convinced that Rongguang was a genius, a true genius! This wasn't just for the sake of headlines.

He truly believed it from the bottom of his heart.

He nodded, "I believe."

Rongguang smiled, "I believe too."

Looking at Rongguang's smile, Godo suddenly felt reinvigorated.

That's right, if he believed in Rongguang, what was there to worry about?

"Godo," Rongguang called again.

"What is it?"

"The light is green," Rongguang pointed ahead.

Godo finally reacted.

The cars behind him had already started honking continuously...

Although Godo had never told Rongguang, seeing Godo's state today, even a fool could guess that it was related to his recent performance.

He needed to resolve this issue as soon as possible...

At the very least, he needed a direction, a way to solve it.

***

Morning runs were a fixed part of Rongguang's routine, regardless of the weather. He never missed them.

The team's morning training started at 10:30, and the players only needed to arrive at the training base by 10:00, which gave Rongguang enough time to go for a run in the morning.

This wasn't a special training program Rongguang had set up to improve his physical fitness.

He simply loved running. He enjoyed the feeling of running, whether barefoot or in shoes, on the mountain ridges, by the lakeside, in his impoverished hometown, or in the bustling metropolis... as long as he was running, he felt inner peace.

Running, when Rongguang was still unknown, might have been a way to prove his existence.

Today, like every other day, Rongguang ran along the lakeside, sometimes slowing down, sometimes sprinting. He constantly changed his pace, exercising both his red and white muscle fibers.

However, his mind wasn't on running. Running was an instinct and didn't require much focus. He was thinking about Godo's behavior yesterday.

Objectively speaking, his performance in the last two matches wasn't terrible, just average. It was just that his performance in the first three matches was so outstanding that it made his recent performances seem poor in comparison.

Of course, Rongguang wouldn't make excuses for himself.

By his own standards, it was indeed poor.

Although he seemed carefree in the restaurant, it didn't mean he didn't care. He cared deeply and wanted to improve as soon as possible.

He was going to Europe; how could he be defeated by such a small obstacle in Brazil?

Lucas had analyzed the problem for him. Lucas believed that his technical skills were too单一, relying solely on his speed to break through. While his speed was indeed fast, football isn't a 100-meter dash. Relying solely on speed wouldn't work. Once opponents figured him out, they had many ways to counter him. Like Guarani and Botafogo, they didn't give Rongguang space to sprint, and if he showed signs of losing control, they would immediately foul him...

Rongguang felt his strength was useless.

This made him feel frustrated.

To change this situation was actually quite simple. If Rongguang's speed was one weapon in his arsenal, he needed to add more weapons.

In other words, he needed to develop other skills.

Lucas believed that if Rongguang could learn to dribble while running at high speed, it would be much easier. Currently, Rongguang couldn't control the ball with his feet. The São Paulo players had to pass the ball ahead of him, giving him space. Without space, he couldn't showcase his strengths, and opponents would easily intercept the ball.

Lucas believed that with Rongguang's speed, the problem was simple. As long as he could dribble well at high speed, very few players could take the ball from him.

He could dribble and create space, breaking through when he wanted to or passing to teammates. When an attacker had more options, defenders would hesitate, overthink, and lose their defensive advantage.

As long as he could control and dribble the ball, he could become a sharp blade to tear through the opponent's defense.

Previously, he could only make runs without the ball, which didn't directly threaten the opponent.

That required teamwork.

If he could dribble and break through, he could solve the problem on his own.

To stop him, opponents would need to allocate more players to cover him, reducing the defensive pressure on other São Paulo players.

A previously impenetrable defense would have many exploitable gaps.

So, he needed to learn to dribble, and not just dribble, but combine it with his speed.

Otherwise, if he ran without the ball like a sprinter and dribbled like a snail, what was the point? As an attacker, speed was Rongguang's sharpest weapon. No matter what new skills he learned, he couldn't lose this.

Lucas didn't have a specific method for dribbling training, just to follow the drills taught in training sessions.

Lucas wasn't a professional coach, so teaching Rongguang the basics was already a lot.

But Rongguang always felt the time was too long. Despite his optimistic appearance, he was very anxious. He was going to Europe, and if he wasted too much time here, he would lose a lot of money.

Was there a way to practice dribbling anytime, anywhere?

Rongguang looked down at his feet, imagining he was dribbling on the field. Right foot touches the ball... how much force should he use? How far would the ball roll with this force? Five meters or ten? Or even further?

Rongguang had no idea.

He still needed a real football...

He stopped, took the bag with the football from his back, opened it, and took out the ball. This was the ball he used for juggling, carried on his back while running.

He tried to dribble like the other players he had seen. He started by pushing the ball forward with the outside of his right foot.

Because he was afraid to use too much force, his speed was very slow, and the ball rolled slowly. He was afraid that if he used too much force, he would lose control of the ball, so he moved slowly.

But this felt very uncomfortable.

Rongguang slightly increased the force on his foot, and the ball rolled out quickly. He had to speed up to catch it.

After catching the ball, he was afraid to use too much force again and continued to dribble slowly.

Finally, Rongguang got annoyed.

He kicked the ball hard, sending it over ten meters away, and then sprinted after it!

Like a gust of wind, he chased the ball.

But he didn't catch it.

Because before he reached it, the ball was picked up by a pair of hands.

"Hey, my ball..." Rongguang shouted when he saw the ball being picked up.

At the same time, he saw who had taken his ball.

He looked up and saw an old man with white hair and beard standing in front of him. His white clothes and white hair and beard gently swayed in the morning breeze. The morning sun shone from behind him, casting a golden halo around his body.

For a moment, Rongguang thought he had encountered a legendary old sage, who would pull out a golden football and ask, "Young man, is this the golden ball you kicked into the lake?"