Chapter 108 This is a feeling. The moment the ball goes out, you know it’s there.
"Hello Jiang, I am Crawford, a reporter from beIN SPROTS. First of all, I need to congratulate you on your Champions League debut and the winning goal. I want to ask you a question, what does it feel like to score the winning goal for the team?"

Crawford handed the microphone to Jiang Yuan's mouth. To be honest, Jiang Yuan was a little nervous. He didn't expect that he would be interviewed by reporters the first time he came on as a substitute in the Champions League.

"Well... it's always a great feeling to score a goal for the team, usually in the final moments, and I'm proud of myself."

"It's an incredible feeling, scoring my first Champions League goal at the Dragons and doing it in this game. I'm so excited now!"

Jiang Yuan nodded. The interview in the Champions League was not as good as that in the Portuguese Super League or the European Youth League. Every word he said might be recorded by the newspaper. Lopetegui emphasized this point before Jiang Yuan left the locker room.

Crawford nodded and asked again: "This is your first appearance in the Champions League. Your first appearance is in the knockout stage, and it is against Bayern. Is this a special arrangement by the head coach?"

"That's right. I performed well in the previous games. Mr. Hullen put me in the Champions League list, which shows his trust in me. I feel honored for this."

"From your performance in today's game, your goal was very exciting, but you seemed to be unable to keep up with the pace of the game. Am I telling the truth?"

Jiang Yuan nodded: "Yes, that's right. The Champions League is one of the most difficult football competitions in the world. I must admit that I find it a bit difficult in this kind of competition. But as you can see, I have my advantages. My speed can help the team, and I completed the lore."

Crawford smiled: "In this game you broke the record of the youngest scorer in the knockout stage held by Bojan. Do you have anything to say?"

"Haha, I'm honored, but you have to know that there is a certain element of luck involved. If I kick the ball again, I may not score. Fortunately, I scored the goal in the game, and I am very happy."

Crawford pushed the microphone to Jiang Yuan's mouth again: "We saw on the court that you were very surprised after the goal. Was it because you didn't expect the ball to go in?"

Jiang Yuan shook his head and replied: "No, I was so excited that my brain didn't react. I guessed that the ball would go in."

"It's a feeling, you know it's there the moment the ball goes out"

……

[You completed the mission—Champions League, Champions League! ]

[Congratulations on obtaining 5% of the Mbappe template fragment - Step inside]

[The host completes the task with a performance that exceeds his own level, achieves a wonderful long-range goal, and obtains additional rewards]

[Your maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) increased from 50ml/kg/min to 55ml/kg/min]

Note: A VO55max of is approximately equal to the average for outfield players (non-goalkeepers) in the top five leagues, but full-backs and midfielders have a slightly higher VOmax.

A higher VO2max means better endurance levels as well as better endurance recovery levels.

"What the hell?"

The first thing Jiang Yuan did when he returned to the Gaya Training Center was to run to the court. He didn't expect that in addition to the Mbappe template fragments that he was supposed to have, the system reward this time also included an increase in maximum oxygen uptake.

The system is determined to force itself to run on the field!

never mind!

Jiang Yuan shook his head and put on his training jersey again.

Let’s put aside the question of whether or not you will run to death, and first familiarize yourself with the template fragments you just got.

Jiang Yuan often watches Mbappe's games, and stepping inside is one of the Frenchman's signature moves.

The so-called step-in, as the name suggests, is definitely different from the ordinary bicycle dribble. Mbappe's action is equivalent to doing half a bicycle dribble and then cutting inside.

Basically, you step on your right foot and pretend to dribble the ball to the bottom line, but in fact you use the outside of your right foot to push the ball inside and shoot.

Half bicycle cut inside, fake fax shot!

Without giving it any more thought, Jiang Yuan put on his sneakers, took a few steps with the ball and began to adapt to the new movements.

Jiang Yuan was seen dribbling the ball diagonally towards the goal from the left edge of the penalty area. At this time, there was a defensive player approaching in front of him. Jiang Yuan pulled the ball with his right foot and stepped on the original position of his left foot, successfully bringing the ball to the bottom line.

At this time, Jiang Yuan's right foot was a little behind the left side of the ball. He lowered his shoulder to the left and pretended to go to the bottom, but in fact he used the outside of his right foot to push the ball inward.

"duang!"

The ball hit the far post.

"Not bad, but the center of gravity is a little hard to control"

Jiang Yuan muttered to himself that this way of dribbling requires changes in rhythm. Not only the rhythm, but also the control of the body's center of gravity after dribbling is also very critical. In order to catch the opponent off guard, Jiang Yuan must adjust his body's center of gravity as soon as possible so that the shot will be accurate.

The mistake did not discourage Jiang Yuan. He picked up the ball and tried a few more times.

The success rate is much higher later on. Although it is not a blind spot, it is still very difficult for the goalkeeper to save the shot.

Just as Jiang Yuan completed his 17th shot, Lopetegui's voice came from behind him.

"Jiang, are you there?"

"Mr. Hullen, it's me"

As it was already very dark, neither of them could see each other clearly and could only judge who was in front of them based on their shadows.

Jiang Yuan turned on the flashlight and illuminated Lopetegui's head.

"Good evening, Mr. Hu Lun. Why don't you go back to rest?"

Lopetegui glanced at the flashlight in Jiang Yuan's hand and said unhappily, "I didn't go back to rest. Jiang, I should be the one asking you this question. It's already 10 o'clock."

Lopetegui pointed to the hand of his Roger Dubuis watch and then to the moon in the sky.

Jiang Yuan laughed and said, "Mr. Hu Lun, the night view of Porto is really beautiful..."

"What night scene? I mean why are you still training now? Aren't you tired enough after playing a game?"

Lopetegui was speechless for a while.

After all, there has to be a limit to extra training. If you are still on the court at 10 o'clock in the evening, not only will the cleaners of the court feel uncomfortable, even Lopetegui, the coach, can't stand it.

Hearing Lopetegui's complaints, Jiang Yuan curled his lips and said, "I only played for less than 20 minutes, I'm definitely not tired."

Not to mention how long the game lasted, the increase in Jiang Yuanxin's maximum oxygen uptake alone did not allow him to climb into bed at this time.

How to relieve worries? Only involution!
"All right!"

Lopetegui was speechless for a moment. He found that he could not find any words to refute Jiang Yuan, so he could only say: "Jiang, beautiful goal. To be honest, among the goals I have seen in my life, your goal can be ranked among the top few." "Haha, Mr. Hu Lun, thank you for your compliment, but I think I still have some shortcomings, so I need to practice more."

"Ah? What are the shortcomings you are talking about?"

"The speed of the ball, my thighs still lack explosive power, this ball can be much faster"

Jiang Yuan is a semi-perfectionist. This semi-perfect idea can be simply summarized as the spirit of craftsmanship, which emphasizes continuous improvement.

However, Jiang Yuan's pursuit of perfection became nitpicking in Lopetegui's eyes: "Jiang, do you think this ball is not perfect enough? What else do you want? This ball is not much worse than Cristiano's long shot in 08, and the angle of your ball is even more tricky."

Lopetegui has completely forgotten the original purpose of his coming here - to persuade Jiang Yuan to go back to the dormitory to sleep. The player who scored the goal and the coach have different opinions on this goal.

"Mr. Hu Lun, you are right, but I think the angle has some luck involved. I also need the support of absolute strength."

"Luck...luck?"

Lopetegui's mouth twitched.

The 35-meter tomahawk elevator hits the blind corner of the goal. Do you think this is luck?

Suddenly, Lopetegui's expression became serious. He put his hands on Jiang Yuan's shoulders and said solemnly: "Jiang, you can fool others, but there is no need to fool your own head coach, right?"

"..."

"Okay, Mr. Hullen, you're right. Forget about that goal for now. I need to practice dribbling. You know, the pace of the Champions League is a bit too fast for me. I need to step up my training."

After that, Jiang Yuan performed a few bicycle moves in front of Lopetegui. The classic bicycle move with left and right feet was what Jiang Yuan was most proficient at, but he deliberately made it a little awkward in front of Lopetegui in order to fool his head coach.

I'm such a lousy bike rider, you're not sure if I can rest, right?
However, Lopetegui didn't buy Jiang Yuan's story at all: "With your starting speed, you can just stop and pass the ball, why are you making such a fuss?"

Jiang Yuan knew that Lopetegui was joking and spread his hands to show his innocence.

"Mr. Hulun, I want to become stronger. I remember saying that I am under a lot of pressure. I will feel very uncomfortable if I don't play football."

Jiang Yuan said slowly:

"I hope my ability can be improved quickly. I am very grateful for the opportunity you gave me to play in the Champions League, but I don't think this is my destination..."

Jiang Yuan’s words moved Lopetegui a little. The Spaniard licked his lips and said nothing.

There is a play!

Jiang Yuanjian had the opportunity to continue persuading:

"Sir, my dream since childhood was to join Porto. Now that my dream has come true, I also have a new dream, which is to make more contributions to Porto."

"Okay, I understand what you mean..."

Lopetegui nodded with a serious expression.

"so what……"

Jiang Yuan rubbed his hands, thinking that he should be able to have a good time playing football tonight. He would play until about 1 a.m. and then go back to bed. He would get up at 7: to continue practicing!

"so……"

"So you can go back to your dorm and sleep now!"

Lopetegui slapped Jiang Yuan on the butt.

"Ah, sir, why are you like this?"

Jiang Yuan took several steps back, holding his buttocks and wailing. Although Lopetegui's slap didn't hurt, Jiang Yuan still felt a little embarrassed.

"Go back to sleep, go back to sleep. I miss you so much that Porto doesn't have to play games. Just take care of the injured every day!"

Lopetegui chased for a few more steps and only stopped when he saw Jiang Yuan run out of the stadium with his own eyes.

"Hey--"

Standing alone on the first-team training ground, Lopetegui sighed.

"If only every player was as serious as you..."

On the other side, Jiang Yuan looked back and confirmed that Lopetegui had not caught up.

He then adjusted his direction and ran towards the U500 training ground 19 meters away. He hid a football in the bushes beside the U19 and B team training grounds.

As the saying goes, opportunities come to those who are prepared!
……

"I remember that he didn't return to the dormitory until around 2 or 3 in the morning that night. His jersey and shorts were all dirty. I could guess how long he had been practicing on the training ground."

"You may not believe it, a 16-year-old player joined Porto U17, and was included in the first team list by the coach in just two months, and even secured a place on the bench in the first team within three months. Jiang encountered many difficulties in the process, but that's his character, and he deserves success."

"That's pretty much it. Jiang and I have been roommates for half a year. He is the most talented and hard-working player I have ever seen. I am a relatively serious person, but I won't say one of them because he is truly unique."

In March 2024, Felix, who was loaned to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid, was being interviewed by a BBC reporter at home.

"Well... Joao, you said Jiang once advised you not to join Atletico Madrid, is that right?"

The reporter asked again.

Felix nodded: "That's right, but I don't think joining Atletico is a regret. I got a lot of challenges."

The reporter nodded: "As Jiang's roommate when he was a teenager, why do you think he refused Porto's invitation to stay?"

Felix shook his head: "Retain? It can't be said to be retaining. I was just a U17 player at the time and didn't know much about the first team. I think Jiang is an ambitious person. Sometimes his ambition makes him a little impatient when doing things. I think this may be the reason why Jiang left Porto."

"What happened next? According to the information, Jiang's transfer was completed in early June 15. Was his training life smooth during this period?"

Felix raised his head slightly, thinking, and said: "Smooth sailing? No"

……

(End of this chapter)