Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

Good evening, Mr. Benitez.

"Jiang, is your cold getting better?"

On the other end of the phone, Benitez's voice was full of concern.

"He's feeling better, but the team doctor hasn't given him clearance to play yet, so he probably won't be able to play in the next league match."

"I know that. I'm calling today to tell you that I've created a muscle-building plan for you."

"A muscle-building plan?"

"If you want a starting position, having a good free kick isn't enough. I'll explain the details to you tomorrow."

After saying that, Benitez sent Jiang Yan an address.

......

noon the next day.

Following the address given by Benitez, Jiang Yan arrived at Madrid's commercial district.

Entering a detached apartment building, Benitez was already waiting inside.

Upon seeing Jiang Yan enter, Benitez hurriedly invited him to tour the apartment building.

This is a standalone apartment building, which, in addition to living space, also has a gym, cinema, and game room.

"Such a nice house, and in Madrid's business district no less, it must be expensive, right?" Jiang Yan asked cautiously. "It seems the head coach's salary is indeed quite high."

Benitez smiled and looked up at him.

"If you like it, you can live in this house for now."

Jiang Yan paused, somewhat incredulous, and quickly waved his hand with a smile, saying:

"Stop joking with me, Mr. Benitez."

Benitez simply shook his head, seemingly not joking.

Just then, the front door of the house made a 'click-clack' sound.

The door lock clicked.

Immediately afterwards, two burly Black men entered the room.

Upon seeing the two black men wearing sunglasses suddenly appear, Jiang Yan's heart tightened, and he instinctively protected his back, looking at Benitez with a wary expression.

"Sir, what are you doing? I'm not that kind of person!"

Jiang Yan's behavior left Benitez both amused and exasperated, so he raised his hand and patted Jiang Yan on the head.

"What are you thinking about? Do you remember what I told you on the phone?"

Jiang Yan's mind flashed through the call log between the two of them yesterday, and then he looked at Benitez with a sudden realization.

"Looks like you remember now. These two are the fitness coaches I specially hired for you. From now on, they will be in charge of your training and diet. I was thinking that it's not convenient for you to live in the first team dormitory all the time, so I'll lend you this empty house. You young people should like this kind of location."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan was even more dumbfounded. Benitez's favoritism towards him was beyond the realm of a coach and player.

His heart warmed, and he blurted out:

"Yan Jing was speechless. Coach, please allow me to address you as my godfather!"

Benitez felt a little embarrassed upon hearing Jiang Yan's address and quickly waved his hand.

"This can be considered an investment by me and the club in young players."

After giving a brief explanation, Benitez left with two black men.

Before leaving, Benitez gave Jiang Yan two tickets to Real Madrid's next away game against Eibar.

After moving his belongings from the dormitory to the apartment, Jiang Yan lay exhausted on the bed.

"Benetes... he's a surprisingly good guy."

......

The next day.

Real Madrid travels to Eibar to play away.

Jiang Yan appeared outside the Ipurua Municipal Stadium, fully armed.

Although he is not as prominent as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, he is now considered a well-known figure in Spain.

If it's too ostentatious, it will likely cause riots.

"That Benitez guy, at least give me a VIP ticket. What if this causes a commotion?"

Just as he was thinking this, a commotion came from the ticket gate, and Jiang Yan walked over out of curiosity.

There, a somewhat thin blond boy was seen frantically rummaging through his pockets, his face flushed, muttering something under his breath.

"I definitely brought it...it's right here!"

The staff members on the side kept urging them on.

"Sir, please don't delay other fans from entering the stadium."

"I definitely brought my ticket... There's a thief! A thief stole my ticket!"

The boy was a little excited and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Pickpockets are quite common in Europe, so others didn't react much to what he said; they just thought the boy was a bit of a nuisance.

"If you don't take good care of your tickets, who can you blame if they get stolen..."

"Yeah, if you can't find it, move aside and don't block our way in."

"Exactly, if you don't like it, then don't stop us from watching the game."

"Get out of the way!"

"Get out of the way!"

The boy's face turned pale, then red, and then even more pale; he was almost in tears.

I searched through all my pockets, but I still couldn't find the ticket.

The money for that ticket was painstakingly saved from his meager living expenses, just to support a Real Madrid match.

Even after saving for a long time, they could only afford a ticket to one away game.

Only he knows the bitterness he endured.

But now, the tickets are lost.

The boy was on the verge of a breakdown.

At that moment, a strange man dressed in black, wearing a hat and a mask, appeared beside him.

The strange man stared at him for a long time before uttering a sentence.

"Your ticket... is lost?"

A deep voice sounded, and the blond boy turned his head. When he saw this strange man, he forced back his tears.

"Maybe I'm just unlucky," the boy said with a forced smile.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Arthur, and I'm from England."

Jiang Yan didn't ask any more questions and took out two tickets from his pocket.

"What a coincidence, someone gave me two tickets, so I'll give you one."

Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Take...take me with you?"

Jiang Yan handed the ticket to Arthur, whose fingers trembled slightly upon receiving it, as if he still couldn't quite believe it.

"Really...really? For free?" Arthur clutched the ticket, his fingertips turning white, his palms damp with sweat, and his eyes bloodshot.

"We can't let it go to waste," Jiang Yan said with a smile.

At this point, some discordant voices emerged.

"Is he the one who stole your ticket, and now he's feeling guilty?"

"Heh, free tickets? Is there really such a good deal?"

"Quickly check if this is your lost ticket! Don't get sold out and then feel smug about it!"

Hearing what these people said, Jiang Yan frowned.

I originally wanted to keep a low profile.

But the current situation doesn't allow it!

Jiang Yan took off his hat and mask and saw that familiar Eastern face.

How could these fans not recognize him?

"You... Jiang Yan! You're the new Beckham!"

"Really?! The new Beckham? Isn't he a Real Madrid player? What's he doing here?"

"Jiang Yan seems to have caught a cold, which is why he's not on the roster!"

"I never expected to see a superstar like him here!"

"The new Beckham!"

"Give me your autograph!"

As expected, this caused quite a commotion outside the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.

"Let's go! Leave this place to them!"

Seeing that things were going badly, Jiang Yan quickly led Arthur to get their tickets checked and escape into the stadium, while the security guards stopped the group of crazy fans.