Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

"It's great that the training ground is always open, even though today isn't a training day."

Kovacic talked at length about his self-training today, and under his guidance, Jiang Yan met the extra training team he had mentioned.

"This is Mayoral."

With a long beard and slicked-back hair, that's the first impression Mayoral gives.

"Jiang Shen, I've heard so much about you. I hope to play alongside you in the game."

Jiang Yan smiled and shook hands with Mayoral: "Being able to train and play together with everyone is the most comfortable thing."

Kovacic patted Mayoral on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, with Jiang around, our opportunities will only increase."

Mayoral's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded vigorously: "I've already seen your previous passes and runs. As long as I can keep up with your rhythm, I'm sure I can put the ball in the goal."

Another player in the extra training squad is Martin Ødegaard, a young Norwegian who joined Castilla's youth team during the winter transfer window.

"This is Martin. Although he speaks a bit strangely, he's actually quite easy to get along with."

Odegaard stood in front of Jiang Yan, appearing somewhat shy. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out a few words.

"Call me Erdgao...Teacher Jiang Yan...I am your idol!"

"..."

"No, you're my idol!"

Looking at the young man with short blond hair in front of him, communicating in broken Spanish, reminded Jiang Yan of the days when he first arrived in Castile.

At that time, like Ødegaard, he spoke broken Spanish and trained with the other players.

"The idol thing is too much. I'm just one step ahead of you. With your potential, you'll be on the first team sooner or later."

Although they knew Jiang Yan was just being polite, they were still very pleased with what he said.

After a brief exchange, the three decided to help Jiang Yan complete his tackling training first, and in exchange, Jiang Yan would teach them some football skills.

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

The loud thud from the ball rubbing against the shoes filled the entire training field until the sun set, when the three of them collapsed in the center of the field, completely exhausted.

After a day of training, he felt he had grasped some of the tricks of the trade in terms of stealing.

A mere five steals!

It was an easy task.

"Finally finished practicing! By the way, Master, what techniques are you going to teach us?"

"What technique?"

Once the exercise intensity increased, Jiang Yan had long forgotten about what had just happened.

Just as he was about to decline, he saw the three of them sit up at the same time and bow deeply to Jiang Yan.

"Master, please accept our bow!"

Now it was Jiang Yan's turn to be dumbfounded.

"Big Fool Ke, Big Fool Ma, Big Fool Ding, what are you three up to?!"

"Kovacic said that after becoming your student, he only received a few pointers and played his best game to date."

"Idol! I want to be like you, a midfield king!"

"Master! Please accept these two as your disciples! The three of us are willing to become sworn brothers..."

Jiang Yan quickly interrupted the three of them.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop! Are you all going to be born on the same day, month, and year?"

After hearing Jiang Yan's words, the three of them were clearly at a loss, so they turned their heads and whispered:

"Brother Kowa, didn't you say that Chinese people are the most particular about this kind of thing?"

"Yeah! And what's with all this talk of 'Sleeping Dragon' and 'Young Phoenix'? What's with this idol's reaction?!"

"No, this reaction...it wasn't taught in the book!"

To better cooperate with Jiang Yan, Kovacic took advantage of his spare time to read through all four of China's classic novels.

That's how the apprenticeship and sworn brotherhood ceremony they talk about today came about.

Jiang Yan quickly helped the three of them up.

It seems that if I don't say something today, it will be difficult to get out of here.

"I'm really scared of you guys. Since you're so sincere, I'll teach you a few moves."

Although he is a skilled player.

But judging from my previous experience coaching Kovacic...

"I still have a real talent for brainwashing."

……

Seeing that Jiang Yan was willing to offer some guidance, the three brothers were extremely excited, almost shouting out loud.

Kovacic was the first to be tested and prepared to receive guidance from his "mentor".

Jiang Yan waved his hand, signaling him to move aside.

"Master... this is..."

"The camera kicking technique I taught you last time still needs improvement. Once you fully understand what I said, I will naturally teach you other things."

"What?! So Master, there was a deeper meaning to what you said about the 'camera kick'! My understanding is still too shallow!"

Seeing Kovacic's bewildered reaction, the remaining two were even more convinced that Jiang Yan was a master.

Jiang Yan paced back and forth in front of Mayoral.

One hand was constantly calculating something, while the other hand was stroking his chin.

suddenly!

As if struck by a sudden realization, he approached Mayoral and whispered in his ear, "Don't let loyalty ruin you."

"Master...this is..."

"Hey!" Jiang Yan quickly covered his mouth. "There's an old Chinese saying: 'Heavenly secrets must not be revealed.'"

Mayoral swallowed back the words he was about to say, and began to ponder the deeper meaning behind them.

When they arrived in Odegaard, Jiang Yan didn't act as mysteriously as he did with Mayoral; instead, he pointed to Odegaard's long blond hair.

"Even during a match, don't forget to fix your hair. You have the potential to become a hair-flipping midfielder."

After fooling the three of them, Jiang Yan turned around and left the training ground with a flourish.

Only three bewildered figures remained, still struggling to comprehend his "true teachings".

Only after Jiang Yan had walked away did Mayoral look at Kovacic with a puzzled expression. Just as he was about to speak, a startled voice rang in his ears:

"I get it! The hair-flipping mid-court pose! So that's what it means! I finally understand!"

Odegaard, as if discovering a new continent, excitedly hugged Kovacic: "Our master is truly extraordinary!"

"Right? I said that a long time ago!"

……

Jiang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief after they had completely gone far away.

"I just gave them a quick, casual reply. I hope they won't complain when they find out."

Jiang Yan, who had already left the training ground, naturally wouldn't see that there were two figures inside the training ground who were overjoyed because they had received his "guidance".

"We must not mislead young people again next time."

……

Time flies by.

There is one day left until the second leg of the Champions League match.

Real Madrid travels to Roma for an away game.

Although Roma thrashed Real Madrid 4-1 at home in their last match, if Roma can come back and beat Real Madrid 3-0 at home, they can advance on away goal difference.

Benitez will never allow such a thing to happen.

Therefore, the lineup for this match...

Attack, attack, and more attack!

If 4:1 isn't enough, let's go for 8:2!

"This is the starting lineup for this match!"

……

The closer the competition gets, the more attention related to the news coverage becomes.

Rome and Real Madrid: The Galacticos of a New Era vs. the Fishing Lights of an Old Age!

"Jiang Yan starts the game, should we bet on the over or the under? Experts: Bet on both."

"Excessive Indulgence? Have you watched Jiang Yan's recent matches? Has his offensive talent been completely drained?"

The least suspenseful Champions League match? Roma holds an away goal advantage; can they capitalize?

[What kind of so-called expert is this? Buying them all? Is this an idea even human beings could come up with?]

But believe it or not, buying all of them guarantees a 100% hit rate!

Excessive indulgence? He's still just an 18-year-old lad, full of youthful vigor!

What position will Jiang Yan play this time? Attacking midfielder? Defensive midfielder?

Regarding his excessive indulgence in sex, the coach could bench him at any time if he gets angry! He's still too young!

Real Madrid is guaranteed to win; betting on them is like picking up free money!

……

On the bus to Rome.

But Jiang Yan stared blankly at the scenery outside the window.

"One for Wanyu, one for Emily, one for Isabella, one for Miss Lina..."

"Since I've come all this way to Italy, of course I have to bring some local products back with me. Italian coffee is pretty good."

"What if an Italian supermodel falls hopelessly in love with me... that would be quite a problem."

……

"Hey! Jiang! What are you thinking about?" Benzema suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Jiang Yan didn't look up and said calmly, "Of course I'm thinking about tomorrow's competition."

Benzema gave a sly smile and then held his phone up to Jiang Yan.

"Hehehe, I have plans tonight~"

On Benzema's phone were chat logs between him and an Italian female celebrity.

"Wow, you're way too fast!"

"Oh well, football is work, but life is what matters~ Occasionally, check out my Instagram feed, you might find something surprising~"

"Old bastard, you've finally handed over the 'Burning Technique'." Jiang Yan cursed inwardly, but on the surface he still pretended to be nonchalant.

Seeing that Jiang Yan ignored him, Benzema went off to chat with the female celebrity on his own.

……

at the same time.

The atmosphere in Rome's tactical room was extremely tense.

Roma coach Spalletti is explaining the tactics to his players for the match.

On the big screen, the game footage was paused from time to time.

"Modric will definitely press from this position. If he passes to his teammate who has been lurking on the other side, it will create an attacking opportunity."

On the tactics board, all of Real Madrid's midfielders were labeled.

Spalletti placed photos of Modric, Kroos, and Casemiro together.

"If the opposing team fields this midfield combination, it would be the worst-case scenario for us, but..."

Spalletti removed Casemiro's photo and replaced it with Jiang Yan's.

"If it's this combination, then Lady Luck will be on our side."

In the tactics room, a young player who had just been promoted from the youth training camp asked with some doubt:

"I've watched the video of player number 18's match; he's very strong. Why do I say that Lady Luck will only be on our side if he plays?"

Spalletti smiled.

His gaze slowly drifted to the corner of the tactics room.

"Because there is a lion in our ranks, waiting to prey on him."

In a corner of the tactics room, Salah stared at Jiang Yan's photo on the tactics board, veins bulging on his forehead.