Chapter 61: How Would You Know Unless You Tried? (Please Add It to Your Collection)

"GoooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaL!!!!"

Sitting on the bench, Yang Fan watched He Chaoyue's goal on the pitch and naturally took on the role of a commentator.

"A goal in the 89th minute, veteran He has killed the game!"

"A classic He Chaoyue-style cutting inside and curling shot! Let us congratulate the Green Grass Little Lions on defeating the group's seeded team, the Torino U15 youth academy, 3:0!"

"Of course, we must not forget Yang Fan, who scored the opening goal for the Green Grass Little Lions. As a full-back, sprinting 80 meters to help the team open the scoring makes him the man of the match as well!"

Surrounding teammates looked with disdain at the eccentric Yang Fan howling away.

Man of the match?

With two goals to his name, He Chaoyue, or Wei Lai, the midfield tackling machine—these two were the ones who deserved to fight for the man of the match!

What on earth were you thinking!

The Green Grass Little Lions achieved a victorious start, sweeping aside a strong opponent 3:0. Not only did they secure the victory in this match, but they also pulled off a major upset in this international invitational tournament.

On the pitch, the players from both sides shook hands, bowed to the spectators, and then returned to their own half.

Compared to the ecstatic Green Grass Little Lions, Torino U15's morale was noticeably depressed.

At the beginning, they had indeed looked down on the Green Grass Little Lions, assuming they could easily defeat the opponent.

However, the development of the match did not go according to their plans at all; one could even say they had been blown away in this game.

As a seeded team, it was truly difficult for them to accept this result.

But winners are kings and losers are villains; that is how the football pitch works.

A win is a win!

A loss is a loss!

What's more, even if they wanted to find an excuse, they couldn't come up with a suitable one, as they had indeed played less brilliantly than their opponents.

"Everyone has worked hard today. We've secured a winning start, but we cannot slack off. After all, the cup tournament has just begun, and the upcoming matches will have more tough battles that require us to stay sharp..."

Tong Xianfeng spoke, warning the young players not to become arrogant or impetuous.

Although defeating Torino U15 was something to be happy about, within the entire scale of the cup tournament, there were other even stronger teams, and all of these required them to maintain absolute focus.

After the first day of matches concluded, they immediately boarded the bus back to the hotel.

The moment they arrived at the hotel, Wei Lai saw the Mediterranean scout George standing at the entrance.

"Shall we talk?"

Wei Lai turned his head to look at Tong Xianfeng, who nodded and said, "Let's talk right here in the hotel restaurant!"

Wei Lai, Liang Xu, and George walked toward the restaurant together.

As the representative of Willy Football School, Liang Xu naturally had to participate in this communication between the scout and Wei Lai.

"My name is George Clooney, a freelance scout from England. My primary resources are concentrated in England's various leagues, including Scotland and Ireland, and I also have certain resource channels in France and Germany!"

George took the initiative to introduce himself.

However, both Wei Lai and Liang Xu merely nodded.

A freelance scout, the key word was "freelance."

Unattached!

Without any affiliated club!

As for his resources, he could say whatever he pleased.

Noticing Liang Xu's indifferent expression, George smiled and took out a stack of documents, saying, "This is my recommendation list for this year. I successfully recommended seven players for trials, six of whom are dispersed among England's various youth academies, and the last one..."

George directly flipped through an English news report on his phone and handed it over.

Liang Xu took the phone, glanced at it, and exclaimed in surprise just from a single look: "Frederic West?"

The English news report read: "French Talent Frederic West Joins Premier League Club 'Tyne United'."

Tyne United was a mid-table Premier League club located in Newcastle, England. To play in the Premier League at just 19 years old was already a remarkable achievement.

Moreover, the article indeed detailed the story of "George," acting as a freelance scout, discovering and recommending Frederic West.

Seeing the look of surprise on Liang Xu's face, George smiled and nodded, then returned to the main topic.

"I am interested in gathering some information about Wei, including match videos, various statistics, and a conversation."

With that, he looked at Wei Lai and asked, "How is your English?"

Wei Lai replied with a typical Chinese accent, "Not very well, but barely enough for communication."

George smiled and said, "Communication is very important. You can work on improving your English proficiency. Even if it's not the Premier League, it can be an asset in other leagues."

Wei Lai nodded, then revealed a troubled expression and said, "Could you... speak a little slower? I need time to process."

George nodded. "No problem. Next, I'll start asking questions, and you just answer."

Wei Lai indicated he understood.

"First question: what do you think the function of a midfielder is?"

Wei Lai answered without hesitation, "Connecting! Making the game flow more smoothly. But depending on different situations, corresponding measures must also be taken, and all of this is linked to tactics. So it's hard to explain in just a sentence or two. Do you want me to explain in detail?"

George showed a surprised expression and nodded, saying, "If you don't mind, I'd love to hear more."

Wei Lai nodded and began to pour out his own understanding, along with undigested insights from Casemiro, Kante, and the hairdryer-wielding coach, all in one breath.

Time ticked away. Wei Lai spoke, and George recorded.

The more he recorded, however, the more alarmed George became.

Wei Lai's understanding of the game was profound, encompassing descriptions of specific tactical setups, choices in different scenarios, and various other aspects.

He could even give examples of the choices he would make in different contexts...

Although Wei Lai's oral delivery was somewhat scattered and lacking in strict logical clarity, this precisely matched the reality of a young player who had not yet experienced the baptism of professional football.

Even so, Wei Lai's understanding of the game and tactics had already surpassed the realm and dimension accessible to a young player.

"Are these all your own understandings?" George asked, filling two full pages of notes and shaking his somewhat sore wrist.

Wei Lai tilted his head, thought for a moment, and nodded. "You could say that. Although I can't do it very well yet, I'm also striving to become better."

"What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are respective?" George continued to ask.

He wanted to test whether Wei Lai had a clear self-awareness.

"I have many flaws. My basic skills are not solid enough, and there are many deficiencies in my versatility—for instance, long passes, shooting, and set-pieces all need polishing. Furthermore, my ability to adapt to the tempo is not particularly good. If the tempo gets any faster, I might not be able to keep up. In a fast-paced game, when those people suddenly rush in front of me, I can't react in time. This requires me to not only have good ball control but also sufficient observation and the confidence to adapt to a fast tempo. Therefore, I am polishing my basic skills to make myself more proficient and at ease when handling the ball!"

"Secondly....."

"Furthermore....."

Listening to Wei Lai speak fluently and endlessly, George raised a hand to stop him.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Wei Lai looked up with a puzzled expression.

George grinned and asked, "May I ask, what is your benchmark anchor?"

Wei Lai didn't even think about it before directly replying, "Professional, of course!"

George rubbed his brow and said, "You're only 15! Isn't that a bit too early?"

Wei Lai blinked. "Not early at all. Isn't there someone in Spain playing in the top five leagues at 17? Besides, in football history, there are also talented players who can play in professional leagues at 16..."

George grinned. "Do you think you can play in a professional league at 16?"

Wei Lai smiled and said, "How will I know if I don't try!"