Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

Chapter 111 My Mentor's Oath

The line of text on the phone screen was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the last flame in Jiang Yan's heart.

This coach who had shown him great promise was dismissed at the very moment he won the double championship!

The deafening cheers of the fans filled the air, cannon salutes exploded in the sky above the square, golden confetti filled the air, teammates embraced and clinked glasses, immersed in the glory of the double championship, the entire Cibeles Square was a white sea belonging to Real Madrid.

But Jiang Yan's world fell completely silent at that moment.

He suddenly looked up at the surging crowd around the square, the banners with his name on them, the fans shouting that he was the new king of Madrid, and the fervent and worshipful gazes, all of which now seemed somewhat blurry.

He recalled what he had once said to Kovacic on the bus: "The calm before the storm."

Little did I know that the words I blurted out that day would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"Master, what's wrong? You look so pale."

Kovacic finally noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Yan and reached out to tug at his sleeve.

Seeing that the other party did not react, he followed Jiang Yan's gaze to the phone in his hand, but Jiang Yan quickly turned off the screen and stuffed it back into his pocket.

Jiang Yan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he forced a smile: "It's nothing, I was probably just a little distracted because I hadn't fully recovered yesterday."

Ramos, noticing the commotion, walked over with the trophy in hand and patted Jiang Yan on the shoulder: "Jiang, you're the hero today. Don't be so tense, just enjoy your moment!"

Jiang Yan looked up at Ramos, then glanced at the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

Clearly, the vast majority of the team's players were still basking in the joy of winning the championship and were completely unaware of Benitez's dismissal.

Jiang Yan twitched the corner of his mouth and said nothing more.

This time it was Benitez, will it be my turn next?

The cheers in the square continued, and the fans were still chanting his name.

Even Jiang Yan herself didn't know how she managed to hold on until the end of the parade.

When I woke up, I felt that a part of my memory was missing.

He picked up his phone in a daze. After a whole day, everyone finally learned that Benitez had been dismissed. Several people who were close to Jiang Yan sent him messages asking what had happened.

After all, the mentor-student relationship between Benitez and Jiang Yan is almost common knowledge within Real Madrid.

But Jiang Yan didn't reply to any of them.

His eyes lit up again when he saw the message from the assistant coach.

Assistant Coach: "Mr. Benitez is in ward *** at the Girona University Hospital in Madrid; he wants to see you."

.

Upon seeing the message, Jiang Yan didn't even have time to wash his face. He quickly put on some clothes and a hat and got into a car to head to his destination.

He finally met Mr. Benitez, whom he had been longing to see, in front of the VIP ward of the University Hospital of Madrid in Keelung.

Sunlight streamed into the ward through the large glass windows. Benitez lay on the hospital bed, wearing a loose hospital gown. His face was even paler than on the night of the final, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Upon seeing Jiang Yan arrive, the assistant coach tactfully left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

Jiang Yan walked shakily to the bedside, his voice weak: "Sir, what's wrong with you—"

Upon hearing Jiang Yan's voice, Benitez's eyes refocused.

"Jiang, you're here. I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."

"Master, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly become like this?"

Benitez pointed to his head.

"I had a tumor in my brain, but thankfully it was benign. My body started to feel something was wrong around the middle of the season, but I kept putting it off until the end of the season before getting it checked. Although the tumor was removed without any problems, the time it takes to wake up could be a day, three months, or even a year."

Jiang Yan began to recall that the middle of the season was exactly when he had transmigrated here.

In his memory, Benitez had never experienced any physical problems.

"Could it be that my arrival changed the course of history, triggering a butterfly effect?"

He couldn't help but think that.

Seeing that Jiang Yan remained silent, Benitez continued, "Jiang, there are some things I haven't told you yet. In my heart, you are a stronger player than Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Modric, and others, and you are also the one among my disciples most likely to win the Ballon d'Or."

"Master, please stop talking about this—your health is the most important thing—"

Benitez shook his head, determined to finish what he was saying.

"Perhaps it is because of my existence that you have been held back—leave, leave Real Madrid."

Jiang Yan was stunned. Although he had long thought about leaving Madrid, hearing his teacher say these words was something he had never imagined.

"I hope you can enjoy pure football, but Real Madrid's football is full of impure things—Florentino will not allow an Asian to become Real Madrid's star player. For your future, I hope you can leave."

"Sir—" Jiang Yan felt his throat tighten and couldn't utter a single word.

"The visiting hours are almost over—if possible, we'd appreciate it if you could take care of your teacher's wife and the others for a while longer."

As they parted, Jiang Yan stood in front of Benitez's bed and held up three fingers.

"Master, I swear—I will win the Ballon d'Or. I will use my performance to conquer all the discrimination in this world. I hope you recover soon and continue to coach my team!"

Benitez lay on the hospital bed, managing a weak, exhausted smile.

He no longer had the strength to speak.

Jiang Yan pursed his lips tightly, trying to suppress the rising heat in his eyes.

"When you wake up, you will see me standing on the Golden Globe Award podium."

After saying that, Jiang Yan turned and left the ward.

The corridor lights were pale and long. Jiang Yan leaned against the wall and slowly squatted down, his hair under his hat covering his red eyes.

A moment later, he took out his phone and made a call.

It's time to make a decision.

"Have you finally made up your mind?"

"Yes, I'm leaving Real Madrid."

"Don't worry, leave everything about your transfer to our team. We're professionals at executing transfers, and we'll definitely help you achieve the best possible outcome!"

Jiang Yan hung up the phone. This team was a private team that Arthur had hired for Jiang Yan at a high price, specifically to handle Jiang Yan's business activities, contract signing, and transfer matters.

It is said that the team's annual salary is already astronomical.

He leaned against the hospital wall, looked out the window at the sky, and murmured to himself, "Finally, I've taken this step."

The next second, a text message arrived.

"Jiang, Florentino wants to see you, now."