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Chapter 183 Daring to Be Extraordinary
When Liu Jinxuan saw right-back Fang Tao receive the ball on the wing, he immediately ran from the side of the penalty area to the edge of the penalty area to support his teammate who had come on as a substitute.

Fang Tao also noticed Liu Jinxuan's movements; he was waiting for Liu Jinxuan to come up and help him.

So he immediately passed the ball to the latter, then accelerated and made a diagonal run from the wing towards the byline, while shouting to Liu Jinxuan, "Pass!"

Even if he hadn't said that, Liu Jinxuan would have known what to do.

Faced with Fang Tao's pass, he didn't even stop the ball, but directly used the inside of his right foot to push the ball diagonally towards Fang Tao's sprinting forward.

It's like a golf putter.

After completing the pass, Liu Jinxuan turned and ran back into the penalty area.

Han Soo-jun, the North Korean defensive midfielder who was originally following him, was now completely attracted by Fang Tao's diagonal run to the byline and paid no attention to Liu Jin-xuan's movements.

Not only Han Jun-su didn't focus on Ryu Jin-heon, but the other North Korean players in the penalty area did the same.

Compared to established players like Tan Xingchang and Wang Lie, the 19-year-old making his national team debut is practically an unknown player. Anyone with half a brain knows who to prioritize defending in this situation.

Fang Tao finally caught up with the ball near the byline. The North Korean left-back was pressing him from behind, and Han Xiujun was also closing in, leaving him with very little room to maneuver. So Fang Tao didn't hesitate and immediately slid down and swept the ball back in a triangular pass.

The target was center forward Tan Xingchang, who was carrying the center back up to receive him.

Tan Xingchang was also carrying North Korea's center-back Jong Kwang-dae behind him.

Even if they receive the ball, it's difficult to create a shooting opportunity.

Upon seeing this, Liu Jinxuan shouted, "Brother Tan!"

He reminded Tan Xingchang to be mindful of his position, as he was diagonally opposite Tan Xingchang.

Tan Xingchang turned his head to observe before receiving the ball and indeed saw Liu Jinxuan.

So he passed the ball from Fang Tao directly to Liu Jinxuan!

As Tan Xingchang was being defended, North Korean center-back Jong Kwang-dae decisively bypassed the center forward and rushed towards Liu Jinxuan.

Liu Jinxuan swung his left foot, seemingly about to shoot directly at the goal.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Guangda immediately made a gesture of blocking the gun hole with a shovel.

As it turned out, Liu Jinxuan's move was just a feint. He landed his left foot but didn't shoot. Instead, he used the outside of his foot to gently flick the ball towards the center while quickly following up.

"Liu Jinxuan! Beautiful!!"

Liu Jinxuan, who caught up with the ball near the penalty spot, once again swung his left foot as if to shoot, trying to shake off the second North Korean defender. However, this time the effect was not as good as before. The opponent simply blocked the shot with his hands behind his back and his body, without losing his balance.

He could only flick the ball with the outside of his left foot again.

But space in the penalty area is extremely valuable, so how could he be allowed to continue like this indefinitely?
So when he saw Liu Jinxuan clear the ball for the second time, North Korean captain Li Chengming decisively abandoned Wang Lie who was defending him and rushed towards the ball.

The experienced man had already guessed from Liu Jinxuan's two attempts to swing his left foot but not shoot that the kid probably wouldn't use his left foot to shoot!

He dashed to the ball in one stride.

At the same time, Liu Jinxuan noticed that Li Chengming seemed flustered. He tried to use his left foot to flick the ball back to the right, but he didn't control it well, and his toe poked the ball against Li Chengming's leg, causing it to bounce away...

Seeing that he had lost control of the football, Liu Jinxuan shouted in regret and frustration.

※※※

"Holy shit!!"

Even now, whenever Liu Jinxuan thinks about the opportunity he missed in the competition, he can't help but swear.

Even though the match had long ended, he had already flown back to China with the team from North Korea.

Two days have passed since the match... but he still thinks about that ball from time to time.

Actually, he wasn't thinking that much during the game. After missing that ball, he quickly got back into the game and didn't have time to regret it.

After the match ended, he had more time to review his first senior national team match and read the comments online, which made him even more heartbroken.

He missed his first international goal of his career!
Both players use their left feet, but Wang scored a world-class goal with his left foot while his own left foot couldn't even manage a shot...

In that situation, he could have tried to score with his left foot, although it would most likely have gone wide... but there was always a chance of scoring.

Why didn't I do that?

Because he genuinely lacks confidence in his left-footed shooting, he always tries to switch to his right foot to shoot. Sometimes this isn't even intentional, but rather a subconscious action.

He's clearly a right-footed player, but he plays on the left, just so he can cut inside and shoot with his right foot, right?
This season, he has played ten games for the club and scored nine goals. One of those nine goals was a header, and the other eight were all scored with his right foot.

Specifically, regarding the methods of his goals, four of them involved him cutting inside from the left wing, dribbling laterally to create space and angle for a shot before firing it into the net. Local media and fans in Chongshan even refer to the area from the left side of the penalty area to the left flank and then to the penalty arc as the "Liu's Corridor"...

He himself unknowingly developed a "path dependency".

Fortunately, when I came on in this match, the Chinese team was already leading by three goals and had a firm grip on the situation.

If it were like the first half, and he had such an opportunity but failed to capitalize on it, he would likely be heavily criticized and trend on social media after the game. Even worse, the national team might temporarily shut him out.

Thanks to China's resounding 4-0 victory over North Korea, few people criticized his missed opportunities after the match. People only expressed regret for him, not considering it a major problem.

The focus of media and fans' discussions is on the Chinese team's new tactics and formation.

But Liu Jinxuan did not feel relieved because of this.

On the contrary, ever since the end of the competition, he has found himself frowning involuntarily when alone, feeling a sense of urgent unease and anxiety.

He knew beforehand that his left foot was much weaker than his right foot, and he had consciously trained his left foot.

But he felt that he only needed to practice until he could deliver reliable crosses.

This season, he did indeed complete an assist goal with a cross using his left foot. At the time, he was quite happy and satisfied with the results of his training with his left foot, feeling that if things continued like this, his left foot would definitely get better and better.

When he first met Wang, Wang told him to improve his left-foot shooting ability.

Actually, he listened to Captain Wang's advice at the time, but he didn't fully take it to heart.

He understood that he should indeed practice his left-footed shooting ability, but it wasn't urgent. He was only nineteen years old, and he had plenty of time to practice, especially after returning to the club.

But who would have thought that in his first match for the senior national team, he would have had a chance to score with a shot using his left foot with a very high probability?

He has only one feeling right now: he wants to fly back to the Chongshan Qianfan Club's training ground immediately and start practicing left-footed shooting!

He didn't want to waste a single second. Every second he wasted made him feel a deep sense of guilt and urgency. He felt as if he would miss out on the national team and the "great cause" that Captain Wang had described because he had missed a few days of training with his left foot.

As a fan of Captain Wang, Liu Jinxuan knows Captain Wang's growth history very well.

Team leader Wang also went through an awkward period where he couldn't shoot with his left foot:
Wang's first participation in an international competition was at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile, where he was a key player for the U-17 national youth team.

At the time, he was also a right-footed player who could play on the left, and he was good at cutting inside and shooting with his right foot to score.

However, Wang was worse back then than he is now, because he couldn't even cross with his left foot. When he was needed to cross from the left flank, he had to switch back to his right foot.

But at the time, no one thought there was anything wrong with it, no one criticized him for having a bad left foot, and no one suggested that he practice shooting with his left foot.

After all, Wang had an exceptionally strong scoring ability among his peers back then, and the coach wouldn't restrict a scorer to the wing just so he could cross the ball and assist his teammates...

But when Wang joined the national youth team, he was already able to score with his left foot, although he was still not as skilled with his right foot and his scoring rate was very low.

Then... when Wang transferred from French Ligue 1 club Bonn to Spanish La Liga giants Atlético Barcelona, ​​Spanish media described Wang's technical characteristics as "he has no weak foot and is versatile with both feet."

The Spanish media weren't exaggerating; whether for the Born club or the national team, Wang has already scored a significant number of goals with his left foot.

Many new fans who started following Wang from that time didn't even know that Wang was a right-footed player...

However, Wang was not satisfied with being "all-around" with both feet. While playing for Barcelona, ​​he also developed the ability to score with headers.

Before transferring to Sofia United, he was working hard to improve his free-kick skills.

He is currently the player with the most headers, the most free kicks, and the most total goals in active football.

He gradually transformed himself into an all-around scoring machine.

Team Leader Wang said that everyone should strive to become stronger in the coming year.

It's not easy to achieve this, because many people don't think they need to become stronger, nor do they know in what areas they should become stronger.

Liu Jinxuan felt that by joining the national team, he had at least found a direction to become stronger and had an urgent motivation to become stronger.

Let's set a small goal first: to improve my left-footed shooting ability within this year, and score more goals with my left foot! ※※※

At Terminal 2 of Beijing Capital International Airport, Su Ju, Chi Zhen, and Yue Hang, three close friends who have been together from the national youth team to the national team, waited for their flight together.

The three of them were taking different flights to different cities, and their boarding gates were all different, so they chose a lounge that was relatively centrally located.

The national team matches have ended, and the club reporting date is around July 5th. As professional players playing in Europe, they can enjoy a holiday of more than a week before they have to devote themselves to the preparation for the new season and start a long season.

This season is different from previous ones. This time, every member of the Chinese team has a clear goal: to put in more effort than usual in the new season.

Of course, they can choose not to do that, but it's uncertain whether they'll still make the national team in the end...

The fact that Coach He persisted in practicing new tactics even in matches crucial to qualifying demonstrates how much he values ​​the goal of winning the World Cup. Furthermore, everyone witnessed his decisive refusal to remove Wang Lie from the core position; it's unlikely any player would dare gamble that they are indispensable to the national team.

So if you don't want to be so tired, that's fine too. Just don't expect to wear the national team jersey again during He Zhenyong's tenure as coach of the national team.

This is definitely not a good thing for those who are afraid of hardship and fatigue and have no desire for their professional careers. They should now consider how to gracefully retire from the national team.

For those with ambition, the coming year will be a bittersweet one.

"Wow, the internet is full of praise for Wang. His goal has impressed so many netizens..." Su Ju exclaimed, holding his phone.

Yue Hang said, "Not to mention netizens, even I am convinced after seeing this."

"It's players like us who should feel even more convinced," Chi Zhen said.

Chi Zhen is right. Ordinary fans might just think Wang Lie's goal was beautiful, a world-class goal. Some might even think Wang Lie just scored by luck, while others might think it's just a goal and that the hype is too much.

But only those who actually play football know just how outstanding Wang Lie's performance is.

That was a game-changing goal, the opening goal.

Being able to step up when the team is in trouble and score a goal to open up the scoring is something not just any player can do. Not to mention that Wang Lie often puts on such a show.

Su Ju chuckled: "I've never been unconvinced. I've always thought Captain Wang is incredibly awesome. What do you say? Why don't you just admit defeat? In the same adversity, Captain Wang can score a stunning long-range shot, while you have to wait for him to break the deadlock before you can score. The difference is huge! You're still trying to compete with him for the core role? What do you have to offer?"

"As Captain Wang said, in the current new tactics of the Chinese team, there is actually no core player in a strict sense..."

Su Ju interrupted Chi Zhen: "I know you've told me about this, but you don't really think that just because there's no strict distinction between core players in tactics, the team doesn't actually have a core player, right? Even if everyone is a core player, there are still big core players and small core players. Wang is the big core player, and you're the small core player. Let's not talk about the distant future; it's meaningless. By then, Wang will have retired, and as long as you maintain this level of performance, you'll definitely still be the core player for the national team. Let's just talk about the next year. Unless Wang gets old and his performance drops drastically, how can you compete? Based on his performance at Tyne, I feel that you can only surpass him by leading the Scots team to the Champions League title."

Despite Su Ju's constant attempts to dampen his enthusiasm, Chi Zhen remained unperturbed, calmly stating, "If winning the Champions League is all that matters, then my goal at the club is to win the Champions League."

Su Ju feigned surprise and teased, "No way, Zhen, are you serious?"

Chi Zhen countered, "Old Su, do you think it's harder for me to win the Champions League with Scotsman, or for Wang to win the Ballon d'Or?"

Su Ju wasn't buying it: "Don't try to change the subject!"

Yue Hang chimed in, "It's definitely harder for Wang to win the Ballon d'Or. Before him, no player in all of Asia had ever won it... no, it should be said that no one in the entire world of football, except for players from South America and Europe, had ever won it."

“I’m not trying to change the subject, Lao Su,” Chi Zhen said, looking at Su Ju.

"When Wang first played his professional match in Bowen, very few people in the entire European football world took him seriously. Playing in Europe meant facing players we all know and who have been established for a long time…the best players in world football. He had to compete against such opponents in matches, and at his club, he had to compete with players who had grown up in advanced football systems. Off the field, he also had to endure all sorts of racial discrimination. We all play in Europe, but the environment we faced when we first arrived was on a completely different level from the problems Wang faced back then, don't you agree?"

Yue Hang and Su Ju both nodded; Chi Zhen's words made perfect sense.

When they went to Europe to study, the overall environment was quite welcoming to them. When European media introduced them, they would generally mention that they and Wang Lie came from the same country.

Local fans would frequently mention "China Wang" when they first met them.

When they perform well, they immediately gain the favor of the public and fans.

So the problems they faced when they first went abroad to play were simply the same ones any Chinese player would face when going to a foreign country: various adaptations on and off the field.

But Wang faced all sorts of hostility back in Europe.

It's that kind of malice where you're walking alone on a European street and someone walks by, gives you the middle finger, and yells, "Go back to your own country, you Chinaman!"

On the highly competitive sports field, the hostility is even more intense.

During the game, Wang was constantly being hit by opposing fans with bananas, fake braids, monkey noises, and squinting eyes—it was like a daily occurrence for him.

Therefore, Wang not only has to fight against his opponents, but also against their fans.

Faced with all kinds of hostility and malice, he retaliated in kind.

Why do so many people still dislike Captain Wang even now?
Besides being fans of the opposing team, it was also because of the lingering influence of that time.

Faced with various forms of hostility, Captain Wang's intense and vengeful approach inevitably damages his public image.

After all, when everyone sees news reports of Wang's aggressive behavior towards opposing players and fans, even those who initially supported him can't help but wonder:
Why is it always you trending for trivial things like this? Racism is bad, but why are you always the one being racially discriminated against? Is it possible that they're only discriminating against you, not your race? Shouldn't you reflect on your own behavior? After all, when someone is targeted by the whole world, the most likely explanation is that that person has a problem, not that the whole world has a problem…

It's fair to say that for many years before winning the Ballon d'Or, Wong's public image in Europe was far from good. Especially towards the end of his time at Sporting FC, due to his competition with Ronaldo and transfer rumors, many media outlets systematically criticized Wong.

At that time, many rumors and jokes about Captain Wang emerged.

For example, the "Rumor Kings" team made exorbitant demands to Sofia, asking for a huge signing bonus; their agent team used the promise of a transfer to Sofia to blackmail Atlético Barcelona's management, demanding a new contract with an annual salary of 20 million euros; the "Rumor Kings" team has been ostracized by everyone in the Atlético Barcelona locker room, and is like a stray dog ​​that is unwanted wherever it goes...

Some people even used a video of Wang speaking Mandarin as "that" to spread rumors, criticizing Wang for using the racially discriminatory term "nige" to refer to Ronaldo... That's fucking outrageous.

"Back then, didn't many people in China also think that Wang was inferior to those European and American players? Of course, some people were just looking down on others, but some people didn't mean any harm; they were just used to looking down on others and didn't realize it. When Wang was making a fuss about transferring to Sofia United, some domestic media advised him not to be impulsive, saying that it would be good to play as a rotation player at a top club like Atlético Barcelona. Many fans agreed, thinking that Wang was overly ambitious, fooled by those around him, and didn't know his own worth. He really thought he was a star and didn't have any self-awareness..."

Chi Zhen was talking about events from ten years ago. Back then, these three people were only fifteen or sixteen years old, but they were already among the best players of their age in their respective regions.

As fellow football players, regardless of their position, they all regard Wang Lie as their idol and role model.

Therefore, many things from those years are still fresh in their memories and deeply impressed them, even though they were young.

"But what does this have to do with what we were just talking about?" Su Ju asked.

“Of course it’s related,” Chi Zhen said. “You see, back then, neither people in China nor those in Europe had high hopes for Wang, nor did they think he should compete for it. But that’s how Wang was. He defied so much prejudice and discrimination, fought his way up from Penglai East Road to Nantianmen, and won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. If Wang had just thought more about how strong the opponents were and whether he should admit defeat, we probably wouldn’t have the Wang we know today.”

"So you're using Captain Wang as a reference... But let me be honest, Zhen. Your talent is far inferior to Captain Wang's. Putting everything else aside, Captain Wang's physique of being able to avoid serious injuries after the age of twenty is already incredible..."

Su Ju's words were so blunt that Yue Hang couldn't help but glance at him, afraid that Chi Zhen would be unhappy if he heard them.

But Chi Zhen smiled slightly: "I forgot where I saw a quote: 'The important thing is not to become extraordinary, but to dare to be extraordinary.' Captain Wang is that extraordinary person, and of course I am not. But for me, the important thing about challenging Captain Wang is not whether I can beat him in the end, but that I dare to challenge him. Didn't I tell you before? When Coach Cai and Coach He persuaded me to replace Wang Lie and become the new core of the national team, I was so scared that I couldn't sleep all night. The pressure was so great that I almost turned around and ran away when I saw Captain Wang in the restaurant the next day!"

Hearing this, Yue Hang nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, if I hadn't stopped you, you might have really run away. You even lied to me and said you were going to the toilet..."

Chi Zhen spread his hands: "So you see, now I dare to compete with Captain Wang. Even when Coach He and the others have decided to let Captain Wang play the core role again, I still dare to compete. Captain Wang hopes that each of us will work hard to become stronger in this year, and I think this is my way to become stronger - compete with him. Regardless of whether I can win in the end, I will definitely be stronger than I am now."

※※※

"Weren't you a bit too much just now, Su Ju?"

After Chi Zhen dragged his suitcase and went to board the plane first, Yue Hang asked Su Ju.

"It's not like this is the first time you've known he's going to compete with Captain Wang, so why are you only thinking of pouring cold water on him now and advising him to calm down?"

Su Ju snorted: "I'm going too far? You didn't see how those trolls online are cursing Ah Zhen. They're cursing him even more! They're saying the most nasty things imaginable..."

"You know the insults are harsh, yet you still go looking for trouble?"

"It's not like I actively sought it out; the big data push just presented it to me... I can't just completely disconnect from the internet, can I? I really don't think Azhen needs to be so headstrong. What's the point of him insisting on competing with an opponent he can't beat? Do you think Azhen can't see all the people online criticizing him? I feel that ever since Coach Cai and Coach He pushed him into a core position on the national team, Azhen's smiles have become fewer and fewer, and he always looks preoccupied. He's nothing like before."

Yue Hang shook his head: "How old were we before, and how old are we now? We used to be rookies in the national team, but now we're all middle-aged. Before, when the national team lost, the fans and media wouldn't blame us. If the sky fell, Captain Wang and Captain Chu would hold it up. But now?"

Su Ju sighed, "That's true... When I first saw Liu Jinxuan's cautious demeanor in A Zhen's room, I couldn't help but think of how I was when I first joined the team..."

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Captain Wang has achieved his current status by bearing pressure and expectations all these years. I know you're worried that Ah Zhen is under too much pressure, but Captain Wang will retire sooner or later. If he wants to be the leader of this team, he has to be like Captain Wang and bear the pressure... regardless of whether he should bear that pressure or not. Ah Zhen didn't realize this before, but now that he's aware of it, I think... it's actually quite good."

Su Ju fell silent and said nothing more.

Yue Hang was silent for a while before saying, "Actually, I had seen Ah Zhen's words, 'Dare to be extraordinary,' online before."

"Huh?" Su Ju looked at him in surprise.

"He was an online novelist who wrote football novels, but I forgot his name..."

Yue Hang shook his head and continued:

"He wrote an article praising Wang for having an 'extraordinary heart,' but this 'extraordinary heart' wasn't the simple competitiveness or championship mentality people often understand it to be. It was Wang's spirit of daring to surpass himself no matter what. It wasn't about winning the result, but about daring to make sacrifices that ordinary people wouldn't make, and challenging opponents that ordinary people wouldn't dare to challenge. So Wang's heart wasn't 'extraordinary' because he won many victories, scored many goals, or won the Ballon d'Or; it was because Wang dared to be extraordinary, he had a heart that allowed him to be extraordinary. Finally, that person summarized it in a very Chinese way: To put it bluntly, it's actually just…"

"Although there are thousands of people, I will go."

(End of this chapter)