Soccer: Maxed-out ball control, the skill is too overpowered.

Let's go back a few months.

At that time, Lu Xiao was leading his team in the Champions League Round of 16, against Premier League powerhouse Arsenal.

In preparation for the upcoming 2014 Brazil World Cup, the Belgian Football Association has begun the final round of selecting its World Cup squad!

Football Association Office

Belgium's head coach Wilmots, assistant coach Jean Luke, forward coach Thierry Henry, team manager Philippe de Wilde, and football association president Kersmark...

A group of people were crammed into a small meeting room.

The room was filled with smoke, and the table was piled high with empty coffee cups.

Even in this era of complete information technology, the desk is still cluttered with many printed forms and lists.

It was covered with scribbles and drawings.

It's clear that there was a heated discussion.

"The goalkeeper has been finalized, right? I hope we can stop discussing this now."

Head coach Wilmots looked visibly exhausted.

"Don't worry, Courtois and Mignolet are undisputed. The third goalkeeper is not important; just choose between Proto and Castilles."

"Very good, we've already discussed the defensive line, so we won't discuss it here for now."

The main concern is the midfield and attack. What about Nainggolan? Should we keep him?

Roma's midfield maestro Radja Nainggolan has been performing brilliantly in Serie A.

The media and fans are calling for him to be included in the 23-man squad for the World Cup.

However, the team's assistant coach and tactical analyst disagreed.

Head coach Wilmots felt that Nainggolan was not a good fit.

He's good at everything, but he's not particularly outstanding at anything; he's a jack-of-all-trades.

The Belgian national team now needs players with distinct characteristics, such as the tall Fellaini and the defensively strong Wilmots.

The overall roster is luxurious enough that they don't need to choose a jack-of-all-trades.

Seeing that no one else could offer any suggestions, head coach Wilmots could only frown:

"Then he'll temporarily exclude him from the list."

Our focus is on clarifying the selection of forwards.

The Belgian national team primarily plays a 4-3-3 system.

Forward candidates include:

Hazard, Lukaku, Origi, Chadli, Mertens, Mirallas, Benteke, Batshuayi, and 19-year-old prodigy winger Januzaj, who plays for Manchester United.

Of course, there's also Lu Xiao, who has been performing exceptionally well in the Bundesliga recently.

However, Lu Xiao has yet to lead his team to eliminate Arsenal, eliminate Barcelona, ​​or deliver a thrilling performance against Real Madrid.

Lu Xiao's performance in February did not reach the level he would reach three months later.

He is only a 16-year-old newcomer who has trained with the national team once.

The selection of the 23-man squad for the World Cup

Lu Xiao is unlikely to be considered by the coaching staff.

"I think we should really consider keeping Lu."

As everyone fell silent, the president of the Belgian Football Association, Kersmark, who had considerable influence, spoke first.

Even in the West, interpersonal relationships and social niceties are unavoidable; Mendes had done his homework beforehand.

Therefore, Kesmark was very willing to recommend Lu Xiao.

Another point is that Lu Xiao is indeed very promising and outstanding.

So what if he's young? As long as he's effective.

This is also a point of contention for the coaching staff. He is too young, and they are worried that he will not perform well in the World Cup, which could negatively impact the club's development.

On the other hand, Lu Xiao's performance in joint training was remarkable.

The coaching staff were also reluctant to abandon him easily.

The biggest dilemma right now is with forwards Lukaku, Hazard, and Mertens, who are definitely key players.

Origi, Batshuayi, Dufour, and others were completely excluded from the list.

Ultimately, it will be necessary to choose two players to stay from among Benteke, Januzaj, and Lu Xiao.

Januzaj is a winger, so he naturally occupies one of the spots.

At the center position, most of the coaching staff prefer to keep Benteke.

"He is Villa's main striker and the team's top scorer. He has adapted well to the intensity of the Premier League, is good at running and poaching, and has excellent shooting skills."

"Although Lu is very good, his playing style is a bit soft and he lacks physical strength, which makes him vulnerable in the World Cup."

He's still young anyway, he can wait another four years. The 2018 World Cup will be Lu Xiao's prime.

Amidst the cacophony of opinions from the coaching staff, even head coach Wilmots hesitated.

After much deliberation, I finally gritted my teeth and made the decision.

"Then it's definitely Benteke!"

Following this meeting of the Belgian Football Association, the media revealed the 23-man squad for the 2014 Belgian national team.

Seeing that you don't have yourself

Lu Xiao simply gave up on the World Cup, so he devoted all his energy to club matches.

I never imagined I'd be playing in the World Cup.

……

The turning point came in May 2014.

When Bayer Leverkusen had just won the Bundesliga title,

Lu Xiao won the Bundesliga Golden Boot with an astonishing record of 42 goals, breaking Gerd Müller's record, and led his team to their first-ever title.

An accident occurred during the Belgian national team's final training session in Europe.

According to the Daily Mail, Benteke suffered a sudden injury during Aston Villa's training session on the afternoon of May 11th local time and was immediately taken to the hospital by the team doctor for examination. After a comprehensive MRI scan, Villa officially confirmed the worst news: Benteke has ruptured his left Achilles tendon and will undergo immediate surgery.

It is reported that Benteke will face at least eight months of treatment and recovery, and he will miss the 2014 World Cup and the subsequent matches in 2014.

The fastest recovery will not be possible until at least the second half of the 2015 Premier League season.

The Belgian Football Association, which just announced its 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup, is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the list.

We need a new player to replace Benteke for the Brazil tournament…

When news broke that Benteke had missed the World Cup, Lu Xiao was still considering where to go on vacation.

During your vacation, are you going to work for your family at a restaurant in Munich for free?

Or should I go back to my hometown to visit relatives?

Or perhaps he could invite the cute Chloe out on a trip?

Lu Xiao is still unsure whether Krooi is interested in him personally or just a fan, and he has yet to make a move.

After much consideration, he was about to call Chloe.

I suddenly received a call from Belgium's head coach, Wilmots.

"Lu, do you want to go to Brazil?"

……

Brazil, outside São Paulo.

Paradise Golf Lakeside Leisure Resort.

The scenery here is beautiful, the environment is quiet and undisturbed, making it the perfect place for the Belgian national team to train and prepare for the upcoming World Cup.

At the entrance of the resort, a Toyota Alphard van slowly drove in and stopped in front of the resort's main building—the Paradise Hotel.

A waiter wearing white gloves stepped forward, opened the car door, and took the suitcase out of the trunk.

Lu Xiao got out of the car wearing sunglasses, looking like a celebrity.

The three people at the door had been waiting for a long time.

One is the Belgian national team coach Wilmots.

One is the Belgian team leader, De Wilde, who is responsible for many things such as daily operations, logistics, media, and administration.

There's also an old friend I grew up with, Kevin De Bruyne.

"Welcome to Brazil, Lu!"

"Hey! Lu, ready to play in the World Cup together?"