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

(After watching Spain beat France 5-4, and then reflecting on Indonesia's 1-0 victory over China, I suddenly felt a sense of relief.)

It's not surprising that the Chinese national football team hasn't qualified for the World Cup for so many years. If they could qualify with this kind of performance, it would be an insult to the tournament.

During a break on a training day, Yan Yuan habitually took out his phone, quickly swiped his finger across the screen, and skillfully opened Instagram.

His eyes immediately fell on Salah's latest movements.

The Egyptian Pharaoh has just released a training video showing him using his left foot to unleash a signature curling shot from the right side of the penalty area. The ball arcs in a strange curve, bypassing the defender and heading straight for the far corner of the goal.

Yan Yuan's breathing quickened involuntarily, and his fingers reflexively clicked the "like" button and typed a line in the comments section:

"That arc was insane! Mr. Salah, could you share your secret to powering with your left foot?"

After posting the comment, he also retweeted the post, adding three flame emojis.

This has become part of his daily routine.

Since Salah's last-minute winner against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers, Yan Yuan has been closely following Salah's activities.

He would watch every post and every training video carefully and study them repeatedly. He was also the most active in commenting and replying.

Salah always seems so enthusiastic that he feels a little embarrassed.

His teammates would occasionally tease him, "Yan, do you have a crush on Salah?"

Yan Yuan always smiled and shook his head at this. What he wanted was not Salah's autograph or anything else, but his skills.

After the afternoon training session, Yan Yuan stayed alone in the locker room and once again opened Salah's video, slowing it down to study it frame by frame.

Salah's left-footed curling shots are works of art; seemingly effortless, yet they contain tremendous spin and precise power control.

Yan Yuan tried to break down the action in his mind.

From the position of the supporting foot, the point of contact with the ball, the range of the leg swing, to the angle of body tilt... every detail is crucial.

Just as he was engrossed in his analysis, his phone suddenly vibrated; Salah had replied.

"Weak foot is very important, Yan. As a right winger, you really need to practice your weak foot more. It can be a game-changer in crucial moments."

Right after Salah replied with that sentence, the system finally gave Yan Yuan a notification.

[The host's interaction with Salah has reached 100%, successfully copying the skill "Pharaoh's Arc", with a skill matching rate of 86%.]

Yan Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze, as if struck by lightning.

He stared intently at the line of text in the system, repeatedly confirming that he hadn't misread it.

A few seconds later, a surge of ecstasy exploded from his heart, almost making him jump off the bench.

He abruptly covered his mouth, forcefully suppressing the cheer that was about to burst out, but his lips were already uncontrollably stretched to his ears.

The skill is called: [Pharaoh's Arc]

This is Salah's signature move, an unstoppable left-footed curler from the right flank. Salah's exceptional positioning and this shot have kept him among the top scorers in the Premier League.

This skill was a godsend for Yan Yuan. As a right-footed general, his weak foot ability, while not bad, wasn't great either.

Although his mentor's tactical system gave him freedom, his lack of ability with his left foot still limited his threatening range when facing top-level defenses.

Now, with the "Pharaoh's Curve," he not only has an additional deadly weapon in the right rib area, but he can also greatly improve his weak foot attribute. Salah and Yan Yuan both kick the same spot.

He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and opened the system details.

A skill match of 86% means he can't fully replicate Salah's power yet, but it's enough for his left-foot technique to make a qualitative leap.

The system also includes detailed training suggestions: practice at least 100 left-sided curved shots every day, focusing on positioning the supporting foot and locking the ankle at the moment of contact.

Yan Yuan immediately turned off his phone, grabbed his backpack, and rushed out of the locker room.

He needs to verify this skill immediately.

In the afternoon, the training field was deserted, and the setting sun turned the grass golden.

Yan Yuan dragged a basket of footballs out of the equipment room, placed it on the right side of the penalty area, then stepped back a few paces, closed his eyes, and recalled the details of Salah's movements once again.

For his first shot, he tried to curl the ball with the inside of his left foot.

The ball flew out, but its trajectory was flat, ultimately going wide of the far post.

Yan Yuan frowned, but he was not discouraged.

He adjusted the position of his supporting foot, slightly closer to the side and rear of the ball, and tried again. This time, his point of contact was lower, and his ankle made a slight locking motion at the moment of impact.

The ball traced a distinct arc!

Although his power and precision were still far inferior to Salah's, the outline of the "Pharaoh's Curve" was already visible. Yan Yuan's heart pounded, and he immediately set up the next ball.

The third, fourth, fifth... his movements became increasingly fluid, and with each touch of the ball, he could feel his left foot gaining more and more control over it.

By his twentieth kick, he was able to consistently create an arc in the ball. Although the landing point was not yet precise enough, the spin and trajectory were becoming increasingly similar to Salah's style.

An hour later, Yan Yuan's left ankle began to ache slightly, and his training clothes were soaked with sweat.

But he showed no sign of stopping. Half of the soccer balls in the basket had disappeared, and his accuracy with his weak foot curveballs had increased from the initial 10% to nearly 40%.

What excites him most is that he can clearly feel his left foot technique evolving. It's not just shooting; even simple ball control and short passes have become much more refined in terms of touch.

As darkness fell completely, the automatic lights in the training ground came on.

Yan Yuan finally stopped, bent over, supported himself on his knees with both hands, and gasped for breath. His left sock had a small hole in it, and his ankle was slightly red, but the smile on his face was incredibly bright.

He took out his phone and sent Salah a private message: "I tried your curveball technique today, and although I'm still far from good enough, I will continue to work hard! Thank you for your inspiration."

After sending the message, he felt it wasn't sincere enough, so he added, "You are the player I respect most."

Salah has already become Yan Yuan's most respected player, and who knows when Müller will become Yan Yuan's most respected player next time.

If this trend continues, Yan Yuan will have countless football stars to respect in the future. It is estimated that the star player of every club in the top five leagues will be the one he respects the most.

Yan Yuan: My respect is wholesale.

With the "Pharaoh's Curve," opponents can no longer easily predict his offensive choices.

When the defenders expect him to cross from the byline, he can suddenly cut inside and curl a left-footed shot into the goal; when the goalkeeper blocks the near post, he can use a strange curve to bypass the defense and head straight for the far post.

More importantly, this skill will provide Nagelsmann with a new possibility for his tactics board.

Previously, although he could create threats with his speed and dribbling, his weakness in his weak foot made it difficult for him to become a true all-around attacker.

Now, he can prove to his mentor that he deserves more tactical weight.

After packing up the training equipment, Yan Yuan limped towards the locker room.

The soreness in his left foot became more and more pronounced, but he felt an unprecedented sense of peace in his heart. He felt more grounded walking these few steps today than he had ever done before.

Back in his dorm, he took out his tactical notebook and wrote "Pharaoh's Curve Training Plan" on the latest page, detailing the extra training schedule and small goals for the next month.

"Pharaoh must master the curve shot before the next Champions League group stage match."