After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

Today is a day off.

In the conference room at the Kearney training facility, some players were waiting to participate in a new activity.

Ms. Mary, the club's public relations manager, was standing in front of a projection screen displaying pictures of the upcoming visit to St. Jude Children's Hospital in London, along with some important information.

"Gentlemen, these children are all different. Some may be more lively, while others may be more tired, quiet, or even afraid because of treatment," Mary said.

"So, there's no need for pressure or to try to act like a comedian. Your presence is a powerful gift in itself. The most important things during the event are sincerity, patience, and... listening."

Around the long table sat several Arsenal players who had been selected to participate in the event.

Saka seemed a little restless, his fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the table; clearly, this was his first time attending such an event.

Aubameyang sat upright with a serious expression, as if he were preparing for a crucial final.

Odegaard, Madison, and the others appeared more composed, but their eyes also revealed seriousness.

Yan Yuan sat between them, his gaze fixed intently on the instructions on the screen, occasionally nodding slightly.

He could sense the subtle tension in his teammates, especially Sakana.

It was a mixture of goodwill, helplessness, and anxiety about doing something wrong.

This reminded Yan Yuan of the first time he went to do good deeds in the community with his mother when he was a child.

At that time, Aunt Yan's small restaurant had just opened.

To increase the restaurant's visibility and improve its business, they delivered food to the homeless in the surrounding community for a week straight.

At that time, Xiao Yan was a part-time deliveryman for the restaurant. Every day after school, he would finish his homework and then help his mother deliver food.

During that week, Xiao Yan met all sorts of poor and pitiful people in the nearby community.

That experience helped him grow a lot, especially in interpersonal skills. Yan Yuan gained a lot of knowledge that he couldn't learn from books.

After the activity briefing concluded, everyone prepared to head to the hospital.

In the corridor, Saka quietly approached Yan Yuan, his voice low.

"Brother Yan... to be honest, I'm a little unsure what to do. What if... what if I say the wrong thing, or what if the children don't like me?"

Yan Yuan put his arm around Saka's shoulder and whispered something to him.

Instead of offering empty words of comfort like "Don't be nervous," he smiled and spoke in a casual tone, as if discussing tomorrow's training plan.

"Bukayo, relax. We're not going to a penalty shootout, there's no need to be so tense."

He glanced around at his other teammates, who also seemed a little flustered, and spoke in a clear but not loud voice.

"Think about it, who are we visiting? They are a group of friends who love football just like us, but can't run freely for the time being because of illness."

Let's just pretend a few new players have come to the locker room and can't play for the time being. Let's go and encourage them, and listen to their stories."

Yan Yuan thought for a moment and then added.

"By the way, guys, when we get there, don't worry about making everyone laugh."

Look into the children's eyes, listen to what they want to say, praise how cool their drawings are, or ask if their Lego tanks can defend against the monsters' attacks...

Just like when we brag to each other in the locker room, be natural. The most important thing is to make them feel like we're friends, not just superstars from the NBA looking down from a TV screen.

These words seemed to have a magical power; Saka's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and the other young men also relaxed considerably.

……

Arsenal's convoy arrived at the hospital.

Today, Yan Yuan and his team were all wearing their usual training clothes, which not only showed their status as players but also made them seem more approachable.

The head nurse greeted them with a smile, quietly explained the children's conditions, and reminded everyone to pay attention to hygiene.

The men washed their hands one by one and got ready.

After pushing open the door to the pediatric ward, the previously noisy ward fell silent for a moment, followed by a small burst of cheers mixed with surprise and weakness.

The children's eyes lit up, and warm smiles appeared on the faces of the parents and nurses.

Yan Yuan's gaze swept across the entire ward.

Instead of immediately approaching the most excited and waving child, he noticed a boy of about seven or eight years old sitting by the bed near the window.

The little boy was wearing a hat and his face was a bit pale.

He was quietly fiddling with a half-finished Star Wars X-wing Lego set, glancing timidly at them before quickly lowering his head again.

Yan Yuan whispered to Saka, "I'll go take a look over there," and then walked straight toward the boy.

He didn't stand up, but pulled over a chair from the bedside and sat down naturally.

He aligned his gaze with the boy sitting on the bed, and instead of asking for his name, he greeted him.

"Hey, hello," Yan Yuan said softly, with a smile, "You really put together that X-wing fighter really well. Is it Luke Skywalker's?"

The boy looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting that the superstar athlete from TV, who was known for his lightning speed, would be the first to come to him and that he even recognized his Lego.

He answered softly, "Um...yes."

"Cool!" Yan Yuan exclaimed sincerely.

"This part was the hardest to put together, and you put it together so neatly! Amazing!"

Yan Yuan pointed to the fighter jet's engine and said,

"When I was a kid, I used to put this together, and I always made mistakes. Sometimes I was too impatient and I even lost a lot of the parts."

The boy's lips curled up slightly at his words, and his nervousness subsided considerably.

"Thank you, Yan... I... my name is Liam."

"Hello, Liam," Yan Yuan said, using a form of address often used to encourage children in hospitals, "Could you tell me how you defeated those TIE fighters with your X-wing fighter?"

Yan Yuan was also a Star Wars fan, and as he chatted with Liam, Liam started talking non-stop.

Just as Yan Yuan and Liam were whispering about their Lego building experiences, Saka and Erdgo were also inspired and began to try interacting with other children.

Saka chatted with a little girl who liked his jersey number about cartoons, while Odegaard was drawn to a child's drawing.

However, challenges always arise unexpectedly.

Emily, a little girl who had lost all her hair due to chemotherapy and was feeling down, suddenly pouted and asked a question when Aubameyang tried to play table football with her.

"Brother Yan, getting a shot when you're sick hurts so much! Does it hurt this much when you get injured playing soccer? Aren't you guys afraid of pain?"

This question caused the atmosphere to momentarily freeze.

Aubameyang was momentarily at a loss for words.

Yan Yuan came over upon hearing the sound and squatted down beside Emily's bed as well.

He didn't answer immediately, but thought for a moment before looking her in the eyes very honestly and speaking.

"To be honest, Emily, I'm also very afraid of pain. Every time I get tackled by an opponent on the field and fall to the ground, sometimes the pain makes my vision go black and I want to cry. I feel like I'll never be able to stand up again."

Emily's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe that her idol could also be afraid of pain.

"However," Yan Yuan's tone became firm.

"I know the team doctor and physiotherapist are helping me so that I can get back on the field as soon as possible, just like the doctors and nurses are helping you now."

The pain is so that we can run, shoot, and do all the things we love to do with more strength in the future.

Look, you bravely face injections and treatments every day. You're much braver and stronger than me. You're the real champion!

Yan Yuan didn't lecture or give perfunctory answers; instead, he shared his own vulnerability and transformed the child's pain into an admirable courage.

Emily listened, her eyes reddening slightly, but no longer with resentment, but with a feeling of being understood.

She whispered, "Then I want to be like you in the future, and get up after the pain is over."

On the other side, Mark, a very introverted little boy who always kept his head covered by a blanket, showed no reaction to any interaction.

Odegaard and Madison stood somewhat helplessly by the bed.

Yan Yuan walked over without trying to pull the blanket up.

He stood quietly for a moment, then took out a small soccer ball with the Arsenal crest and number 7 printed on it, along with a trading card of his own, from the gift bag he had brought.

Place it gently and silently next to the boy's pillow.

After doing all this, he bent down and whispered in a voice only the boy under the covers could hear.

"Mark, this is Yan. Here's a little soccer ball and a card for you. If you don't feel like talking, that's okay, they're here to keep you company. If you want to talk about soccer or something else, I'm right over there, always available."

Yan Yuan did not insist on interaction, but left a gift and a silent, respectful invitation.

There seemed to be extremely subtle wriggling coming from inside the blanket.

Mark secretly saw the gift Yan Yuan had left under the covers.

……

Next, we went to the activity room where the children, who were in slightly better condition, were gathered, and the atmosphere became even more lively.

Laughter filled the foosball table, the drawing table, and the video game area.

Yan Yuan and Saka were dragged by the children to have a table football "duel".

Yan Yuan's players "repeatedly made mistakes," either kicking the ball out of bounds or "accidentally" scoring into their own net.

"My God, Matthew, your shot was so tricky, I couldn't stop it at all!" Yan Yuan exclaimed dramatically, clutching his head at Matthew, a little boy in a wheelchair with surprisingly agile hands.

"I bet you've trained. You're way better than Saka. Hey, Saka, come avenge me!"

Matthew was beaming with joy, his face glowing with the red light of victory.

Saka, understanding the situation perfectly, joined in the fray, deliberately making comical defensive moves that made the children burst into laughter.

At the end of the event, Yan Yuan and his teammates did not prepare "trophies" for the children, but instead suggested that the children present them with "special awards".

The children discussed it excitedly, and finally…

A little girl announced,

"Brother Yan has won the 'Best Listener Award'! Because he always listens attentively to what we have to say!"

"Saka wins the 'Sweetest Smile Award'!"

"Uncle Aubameyang wins the 'Coolest Hairstyle Award'!"

When Yan Yuan received the card with the award written crookedly in crayon, his expression was extremely solemn, as if he were receiving a Premier League championship medal.

He bowed deeply.

"Thank you, judges! This is the best award I've ever received!"

The moment of parting has finally arrived.

The children were reluctant to leave.

Yan Yuan did not say the same old "get well soon" to the children.

He crouched down and spoke to the children who were surrounding him.

"Guys, we look forward to hearing more of your fun stories and seeing even more amazing LEGO creations and artwork when we come back next time. Let's keep up the good work, okay?"

"Great!" the children exclaimed in unison, their eyes shining.

As Yan Yuan approached the ward door, he turned back again.

He waved to Liam, who was still building Lego, and also secretly greeted Mark, who was covered by a blanket, in the direction of his bed.

Although the child was still covered by the blanket, Yan Yuan knew that he must have seen everything.

On the return bus, the atmosphere wasn't as quiet as it had been on the way there, but it wasn't excitedly noisy either.

A deep and warm feeling flowed through the carriage.

Saka looked out the window and suddenly said.

"That little girl named Emily... she's actually much braver than me."

Odegaard nodded: "And Liam, the focused look in his eyes when he's building Lego... it's like he's creating some masterpiece."

Aubameyang remarked, "Sometimes, we think we're giving, but we actually receive more in return."

Yan Yuan listened to his teammates' sharing and joined in the chat.

"Just as you said, those children, in that kind of environment, still tried to smile, tried to put together a model, and tried to draw a picture."

This kind of enthusiasm and resilience for life is truly rare.

He closed his eyes, as if he could still see the children's bright, sparkling eyes.

This special "match" had no fierce competition, and no thunderous cheers.

But this may be Yan Yuan's most important and most beautiful hat-trick of the season.

He fostered trust with sincerity, courage with empathy, and a brilliant breakthrough of hope with respect.

This victory, regardless of points, touched people's hearts.