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Chapter 193 My God!
Miguel Ribeiro stood at the entrance of the two-story villa with a backpack on his back, while his agent, Bruno Figueroa, was taking a suitcase out of the trunk of a black SUV.

“Damn it…” Ribeiro muttered, “I rented this house two weeks ago, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen it…”

“I told you not to rush, to wait until both clubs have reached an agreement before considering renting a house. Staying in a hotel for a few days is fine too,” Figueroa complained, placing his suitcase next to Ribeiro. “But you wouldn’t have it.”

Ribeiro chuckled as he took his suitcase from his agent: "It's not that we can't afford more rent, the key is to secure this spot. Besides, who knew it would take so long for the two families to reach an agreement? Didn't you tell me it would be settled soon?"

Figueroa fell silent, because he had indeed been overly optimistic at the time...

Ribeiro picked up his suitcase and went into the house, then headed straight for the second-floor terrace.

This place is a bit higher than the first floor, and the view is better.

"You know what, Bruno, the house you found is really nice. It's right at the very top of this little hill, with a great view!"

After praising the agent's eye for talent, Ribeiro looked out into the distance and could see the town center of Northumberland, the most bustling and lively area, with a commercial street lined with restaurants, shops, and supermarkets.

It's a bit of a distance from the house he's currently renting, but it's easy to get there by car.

As for where he lives now, it is a completely residential area with no commercial facilities, so it is usually very quiet.

He really liked the quiet environment. If he wanted something more lively, he could go to Newcastle city center. He chose this place because it was peaceful.

He then turned his gaze back to his neighbor's spacious backyard.

Like his former agent, he also noticed several white flashes on the green lawn.

But instead of taking out his phone to check, he asked his agent, who followed him up, "Who lives there?"

Figueroa replied, "I don't know, but I guess it might be your teammate?"

"Huh?" Ribeiro was a little surprised. "How did you know?"

"My guess."

"A guess?" Ribeiro hadn't expected such an answer...

Figueroa pointed to the white dots on his neighbor's lawn and said, "Those are footballs. Who would have so many footballs in their yard? So I guess it's a player's house, maybe one of your teammates."

Ribeiro rolled his eyes, shrugged, and said, "That's not necessarily true. Maybe it's someone's babysitter. But it doesn't matter... I don't care who lives next door."

He looked around, unable to hide his excitement, and said:

"This place is great! I hope I get a good night's sleep tonight. I'm going to train with Wang tomorrow, so I need to make sure I'm full of energy!"

※※※

"I saw an online report saying that Miguel Ribeiro, the new player who just joined the team, is a fan of yours?"

After watching the video of Ribeiro's transfer ceremony to Tyne, Tang Xingmei asked Wang Lie, who was sitting next to her.

Wang Lie nodded: "Yes. The media reports said that he had his agent contact Tyne after watching my contract renewal press conference. I asked Sam, and he said yes, it was Ribeiro's agent who took the initiative to come to him."

Tang Xingmei said, "It seems your advertisement is quite effective!"

Wang Lie said smugly, "Your husband is quite charming, isn't he?"

Tang Xingmei covered her mouth and laughed: "Luckily, your charm only works on men!"

Wang Lie shook his head: "You're wrong, it only works for you!"

Tang Xingmei raised her hand to pat his chest, but the impact hurt her own hand. She shook her hand and exclaimed in a low voice, "Why are you tensing up your muscles? I thought I was hitting a steel plate!"

"A true straight man!" Wang Lie first demonstrated a pose showcasing his chest muscles, as if he were participating in a bodybuilding competition, and then said:
"A conditioned reflex. Don't you know that forces are reciprocal?"

Tang Xingmei rolled her eyes at her husband. He really was a straight-laced man!
After the couple joked around for a while, Wang Lie remarked, "I've looked into Ribeiro, and he seems to be quite outgoing and optimistic, so integrating into the new team environment shouldn't be too difficult. That's a good thing. We don't really have that much time to let newcomers gradually integrate; this season's tasks are very heavy... He plays on the right wing, so he should be much less of a worry than Dean was back then."

“Speaking of Dean…” Tang Xingmei said, “It seems his house has been rented out. A while ago, moving company trucks were coming and going, carrying things in. I wonder who rented it to…”

"Who cares who they rent to? It's none of our business."

"Who said it doesn't matter?" Tang Xingmei stared at her husband with wide eyes. "You keep banging away every morning. Be careful not to disturb the neighbors. If they complain, you'll be on the news from sports to social issues!"

Wang Lie felt that his wife was right, because Dean, who lived next door, had also been woken up by his early morning exercise before. However, because it was Dean, Wang Lie did not feel apologetic at all, and instead dragged Dean into the mess.

But if the people living next door are just ordinary folks, you can't exactly drag them down to train too...

He had never thought there was anything wrong with training in his own backyard before, but now he had to think about it carefully.

Thinking of this, he walked to the bedside in the bedroom and opened the curtains a crack—he hoped that no one lived next door, but what came into view was the brightly lit building across the street.

"Ugh! This is a bit annoying..."

Wang Lie opened the curtains and shook his head with a sigh.

Actually, he doesn't go to the backyard for ball training every day, but if there really is such a restriction, he will still be very unhappy.

Tang Xingmei comforted him, "Things might not necessarily turn out that way. What if one of your new teammates gets loaned to you?"

"Never mind, I'll think about it tomorrow!"

Wang Lie rolled back onto the bed and embraced his wife.

※※※

After finishing his workout at the gym, Wang Lie stood with his hands on his hips in front of the gym's floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out at the backyard.

After the end of last season, while he was on vacation in China, his agent, Fernando Clemente, hired a professional team to level the lawn in the backyard and lay down natural turf like that of a professional football field.

Compared to hiring a gardener to regularly mow the lawn, this kind of professional football field-level maintenance is obviously much more expensive.

But Wang Lie didn't care, because this backyard was just as important to him as the gym behind him.

He needs this backyard to be in good condition at all times, and he doesn't care how much money it costs.

Now, the backyard sports field that cost a fortune to build is unusable...

Wang Lie wasn't short of money; what he cared about was that his spending had to be useful. As long as it was useful and generated value, Wang Lie wouldn't feel it was expensive, no matter how much money he spent.

Conversely, if something costs him a lot of money but doesn't serve its intended purpose, he will feel very distressed.

This patch of grass in front of him is what's causing his heart to bleed...

He raised his wrist to look at the time on his smartwatch; it was already 8:18.

It was almost twenty minutes later than his usual training time, so his neighbor should probably already be up... right?

He made up this excuse for himself, but in the end he couldn't resist the temptation of the greenery outside the window, pushed open the gym door, and went out.

※※※

Miguel Ribeiro stared at the ceiling before him. The morning sunlight streamed in through the bedroom window, bathing the white ceiling in a golden glow.

He didn't close the window, and gusts of cool breeze stirred the window screens, letting them into the room.

The temperature is more pleasant than in Milan.

He lay on the bed, turning his head to look around, as if he hadn't slept at all.

But in reality, he not only slept, but his sleep quality was also very high.

I slept soundly without any dreams and just woke up.

Thanks to the quiet environment, he fell asleep quickly.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next morning.

He just glanced at his smartwatch; it was 7:37 AM.

He woke up naturally after sleeping for nine hours and twenty-nine minutes.

He felt no discomfort, fatigue, or drowsiness. Considering it was his first night in Newcastle, sleeping so well seemed like a good sign.

When he decided to leave Milan for Newcastle, even his parents advised him to think carefully.

Everything in Newcastle is different from Milan: the food, the weather, the language...

His Italian girlfriend reacted particularly strongly, saying that if Ribeiro insisted on going to Tyne, she would break up with him.

He understood the concerns of his parents and other relatives and friends. In fact, he was also worried that he would not be able to adapt to the new environment. However, he still decided to come to Tyne because his football idol and even his role model were there.

As for the girlfriend who posed the soul-searching question to him, "Which is more important to you, the king or me?", she is now his "ex-girlfriend".

Seven years ago, the 2029-2030 Champions League final was held in Lisbon, Portugal, Ribeiro's hometown.

At the time, he was seventeen years old and served as a caddie, witnessing Wang Lie's incredible performance from the sidelines.

Before that match, almost the entire world favored the defending champions, Atlético Barcelona.

The La Liga giants have won the Champions League for three consecutive seasons, becoming only the second team in the 39-year history of the Champions League to achieve a three-peat – the first being their arch-rivals FC Madrid.

Atletico Barcelona's star player, Ronaldo, is in top form, having won the Ballon d'Or for three consecutive years and already being hailed by many as a "near-King of Football." If he can win just one World Cup title, that "near-King" title will be removed, and he will become a true King of Football.

Ribeiro also favors Atlético Barcelona to win the championship. In his mind when he was young, Brazilian prodigy Ronald Nascimento was an omnipotent god who could do things on the field that he dared not even think of. He could always make the audience in the stands go crazy. He played beautifully and won so many championships. He was simply terrifyingly strong!
After learning that he would be a ball boy for the Champions League final, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep all night.

He could finally admire Ronaldo's magical skills up close!
But he witnessed another "miracle".

Ronier Nascimento, who was expected to be crowned champion in the final, was completely torn apart by Wang Lie. He was ineffective in the 90 minutes of the game, with no goals or assists. He lost his magic and couldn't even dribble past opponents.

Wang Lie demonstrated his all-around strength from the very first minute of the match.

He became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Champions League final since the format change, along with an assist. Helping... no, not helping, but leading Sofia United to a 4-2 thrashing of the defending champions.

Ronier was completely overwhelmed in that game, lost his temper midway through, committed a rough foul and received a red card, leaving the field voluntarily.

Ribeiro vividly remembers the deafening boos that filled the Lisbon Stadium, all coming from fans dissatisfied with Ronaldo's self-destructive performance.

Later, the media released footage of the locker room: after being sent off, Ronaldo went straight back to the locker room, smashed his locker, threw away his shoes and jersey, and finally collapsed on the floor, crying bitterly.

Those cameras were originally intended for Atlético de Barcelona to film a documentary about their historic four consecutive Champions League titles, but they unexpectedly captured the near-king's breakdown in the process.

This scene later became a dark chapter in Rooney's history and was widely circulated.

Wang Lie, on the other hand, completed the most magnificent revenge, defeating his former club that had kicked him out in the final, and even inflicting unbearable pain on the management of Atlético Barcelona by destroying their rival, Ronaldo.

Finally, amidst the resounding strains of "We Are the Champions," amidst the flying red confetti and ribbons, and in the restless heart of young Miguel Ribeiro, a great "god" was born.

Even during the latter half of last year, when Wang Lie was at the lowest point of his career, Ribeiro did not change his beliefs.

As for Wang Lie's astonishing performance after he went to Taien, it further solidified Wang Lie's divine status in his heart.

That shallow and foolish woman actually asked me who was more important to me, her or Wang…

I admit that the time I spent with her was indeed wonderful. Her firm breasts, flat stomach, full and elastic buttocks, and skillful tongue... But if I had to compare her to my God, all of these combined wouldn't be worth a single hair of God's head!
Actually, Ribeiro didn't want to be so heartless. He was trying to find a way to both play alongside God and take care of his girlfriend's feelings.

But his girlfriend used their relationship to threaten him...

Then go fuck yourself!
A few days ago, that woman sent him a video while crying, seemingly trying to win him back, but it reminded him that he hadn't blocked his ex-girlfriend yet...

After blocking his ex-girlfriend, he felt refreshed and had no "withdrawal symptoms" whatsoever from the recent breakup.

Now he can train and play football with his idol every day, which is a hundred times happier than being with that woman!
After excitedly punching and shaking his legs in bed, Ribeiro did a somersault, flipping himself out of bed, stretching comfortably, and then heading to the bathroom to officially begin his wonderful day.

After he finished showering and changing his clothes, he didn't rush downstairs to make breakfast. Instead, he opened the door and went to the outdoor terrace.

He first looked around and saw that the scenery was no different from what he had seen yesterday. The only difference was that it was evening yesterday and it was morning now, so the light was different, but the trees, the distant mountains and the buildings were all the same.

Such scenery can hardly be described as beautiful.

It is at least far inferior to the scenery of the Italian Alps in northern Italy.

But in Ribeiro's eyes, the scenery of this ordinary town was more moving than the Alps.

Because Wang Lie, his idol, his god, is here!

Ribeiro turned his gaze away and looked at his neighbor's backyard.

Several soccer balls were still scattered on the lawn.

It seems to be no different from yesterday.

There were no children playing around.

Regardless of who lives next door, it seems they haven't gotten up yet.

Ribeiro glanced at his watch; it was 8:18 a.m.

He felt that regardless of whether the person living next door was his teammate, it certainly couldn't be Wang Lie—after his manager told him yesterday that it might be his teammate, he said he didn't care, but he had actually fantasized about it:

Maybe it's Wang Lie?

But look at the quiet backyard now. Knowing his idol as he does, if it really were where the king lived, how could he not be practicing extra in the early morning?
He shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly at the fact that he still had such delusions.

But just as he was about to leave, he saw someone walk out of the house across the street and into the backyard.

The man first walked to a soccer ball, nudged it twice with his foot, and then bounced the ball up.

There were no fancy moves, just juggling the ball.

But Ribeiro watched very intently.

Because he found that the person looked increasingly familiar.

Actually, at such a distance, he couldn't see the other person's face clearly with the naked eye, but the other person's juggling movements and body shape were very familiar to him.

Although he had never played football with Wang Lie, as a true die-hard fan and brainless fan of Wang Lie, he had watched countless matches of Wang Lie and watched countless videos of Wang Lie playing football.

So even though he was dozens of meters away and couldn't see the person's face clearly, he still felt that the person juggling the ball in the distance must be Wang Lie!

When the thought popped into his head, Ribeiro did nothing but close his eyes and slowly inhale through his nose. After about four seconds, he held his breath and mentally counted once per second.

After counting to seven, which is seven seconds of holding his breath, he slowly exhaled, continuing to count in his mind as he exhaled.

It took him eight seconds to exhale completely. After exhaling, he held his breath for four seconds.

This completes one breathing cycle.

He then began a new cycle, again closing his eyes and inhaling for four seconds, holding his breath for seven seconds, exhaling for eight seconds, and holding his breath for four seconds...

After repeating this several times, he could clearly feel his heart rate drop rapidly, from a violent beating to a steady one, and he calmed down as a result.

This is a breathing technique that can lower your heart rate and quickly calm you down when you are excited.

He first learned about Wang Lie's method of enhancing his aerobic capacity and stabilizing his heart rate from an interview video of Wang Lie.

Then he looked for corresponding training methods, and after practicing them consistently, they were indeed effective!

Therefore, even at the age of twenty-four, he is already a very consistent penalty taker.

At this moment, there is no penalty for him to take, but he still needs to quickly calm himself down!

After feeling himself calm down, Ribeiro reopened his eyes and looked at the neighboring yard.

That familiar figure was still juggling the ball.

As he bounced around, he suddenly swung his right leg back and then slapped it at the soccer ball that had been bounced into the air!
Bang!
With a muffled thud, the football was kicked towards a small goal placed against the wall and went into the net with pinpoint accuracy!
Ribeiro, who had finally managed to calm down, suddenly broke down, and his heart started pounding wildly again!
Oh my god!
Truly a king!
He is the king!

king!
My God!

Wang is my neighbor?!
I'm living next door to the King?!
(End of this chapter)