2010 6 Month 10 Day.
Arsenal Colney Training Base, U17 training ground.
"Beep--!"
Two long whistles sounded, signaling the end of the day's training.
Maher sat on the ground and stretched his muscles when he suddenly discovered that the front sole of his sneakers was showing signs of peeling off again.
"It should be eliminated."
He felt heartbroken. He had just glued it together the day before yesterday, and now it cracked again, which meant it could no longer be saved.
Looking at the brand new sneakers on the feet of players of the same age around him, Maher felt a little envious.
An unfortunate family, I wonder if this is the price he has to pay for pursuing his football dream.
His name is not actually Maher, and he is not actually in 2010.
The social animal Li Muchen who loved football in 2024 was his original identity.
Who would have thought that the angry drinking after the Chinese national football team lost 7-0 to Japan a few days ago would become his swan song in that time and space.
When I woke up again, I came here.
"Mael, how long is your trial period?"
A voice rang out beside him. It was Carl, the French defender in the team. He said in a very frustrated tone, "My loan is only for 6 months. It will expire soon."
"Same."
Maher raised his eyebrows regretfully, a little helpless, "If the contract is not renewed before July 7st, you and I will prepare to leave together."
"Oh, the competition is too fierce."
Carl looked at his peers wearing Arsenal jerseys and shook his head slightly: "If I go back, I don't know which club will want me."
go back?
Maher really wanted to say that if he went back, he would have trouble making a living and might be forced to give up football and find a job to make a living.
After all, he had no parental support.
The original owner of this body was born into an unfortunate family in southern France. His ancestors were of Chinese descent and later settled there.
Sadly, his mother died in childbirth, and his father died after falling off a bridge while driving drunk when he was two years old.
His only relative, his uncle, took over the custody and raised him normally.
But his uncle and aunt already had three children to raise, and the original owner's football expenses increased day by day. Gradually, his family no longer supported him playing football.
Fortunately, the original owner had some talent and was invited to a six-month trial with the youth team of Premier League giants Arsenal half a year ago.
It can be said that this is definitely the last chance!
If he passes, Arsenal will give him a salary sufficient to guarantee his living and continue on this path.
Otherwise, he would have to return to France and find a job to make a living.
"I'm going to practice shooting."
Maher stood up, picked up a few footballs, and walked towards the field with his boots that had come apart.
Last twenty-one days!
If he wants to stay at Arsenal, he'd better make the most of every minute.
"Bang! Bang! Bang——!"
The sounds of shots came one after another, followed by the crisp sound of the football hitting the net.
Maher was running around the field, dribbling the ball, following his body, swinging his legs to shoot violently, picking up the ball, and repeating this process over and over again.
His position is winger, and the only commendable quality he has is his good basic skills.
He is 181cm tall and weighs 70kg. He has average strength and speed. His shooting and passing skills are not excellent either. Overall, he is mediocre.
With such conditions, they are definitely not competitive in the Arsenal youth training camp which is full of talented people.
The possibility of staying here after the trial period is very slim.
No matter how much extra practice and effort I put in, it seems to be in vain.
But Maher didn't want to sit there and wait for death. He always wanted to try again and fight again.
"Mael!"
After practicing for a while, a voice came from a distance, "Come to my office."
Maher stopped sweating profusely, turned his head and saw a tall bald middle-aged man standing in the distance, waving at him. It was the head coach of the Arsenal U17 team, Hans.
Maher stopped training and walked towards the coach's office.
There was a 'clicking' sound coming from under my feet. It was the sound of the sneakers that had come apart more seriously, and they were constantly being thrown away and hitting the bottom of my feet.
Maher hesitated for a moment. He still had more than 200 euros left, enough to buy a pair of sneakers.
But if I didn't stay, I would have to ask my uncle and aunt for money for the flight back to France.
Or should we just stick it together for a few days?
Thinking about this, he pushed the door and walked into the U17 head coach's office, and saw Hans with a shiny head sitting in his office.
"What size shoes do you wear?"
Hans's eyes were almost instantly fixed on Maher's feet. "I have a few pairs that I don't use. I can lend you a pair first."
It seems that he should have observed it long ago.
"I"
Maher's heart trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to refuse, but after looking at the soles of his feet, he pursed his lips and said, "About 8.5."
"Just right."
Hans raised his eyebrows and smiled, then turned around and started searching on the shoe rack, "I noticed that your shoes have been glued together and detached several times.
"I just wanted to get you a pair of mine so you can use them first, at least to get you through the trial period.
"I only wear these shoes when I'm conducting training. I don't use them much on weekdays. They're still pretty clean. I hope you don't mind."
Maher was a little embarrassed, but also a little grateful. "Of course not."
"take it."
Hans quickly took out a bag of sneakers and said with a hearty smile, "Go to the court and try them out to see if they fit. I have other things to do."
"Thank you, boss."
Maher took the sneakers, thanked him, turned and walked towards the court. He will definitely remember this timely help.
Coming to the goal area again, he put on his sneakers and practiced shooting again.
The shoes fit my feet perfectly and I feel a special warmth when I play football in them.
Maher quickly immersed himself in shooting training, carefully feeling the feedback from each successful shot and the experience gained from each failed shot.
Slowly, he seemed to enter a mysterious state, and the only things left in the world were the goal in front of him and the football under his feet.
He forgot about tiredness and time and just practiced mechanically.
Maher is extremely eager to stay on the football field. This is the sport he loves deeply and the sport to which he is willing to devote all his time and energy.
He dreamed countless times that he woke up in a crowded stadium, standing among a group of famous stars and enjoying the cheers of the fans.
He also fantasized countless times about sliding on his knees in celebration after scoring the winning goal for the team, expressing his hearty release.
Suddenly, several lines of dark black words appeared in front of his eyes.
[Skill: Long-range Shot lv1]
[Proficiency: (34/100)]
[Effect: You gradually feel the pleasure of long-distance shooting and start practicing diligently, but your basic strength and aim are still far from being perfect. That moment you are eager to upgrade and improve.]
[Note: lv1 is the lowest, lv5 is the highest! If you raise any athletic ability or physical ability to lv5, you will have the highest level of human beings! ]
Maher suddenly stopped and stood there in a daze.
Fortunately, as a young boy surfing the Internet in his previous life, he was quite knowledgeable. He quickly asked tentatively: "System?"
No one responded, so he had to study it carefully on his own.
It seems that as long as he continues to practice his specialized skills, his proficiency will improve, and when his proficiency reaches perfection, he will definitely be upgraded?
In other words, as long as you keep working hard, you will continue to improve and your efforts will not be in vain?
"Try it."
He ran towards the goal area to pick up the ball. This time, his steps were particularly powerful and his face showed some vitality.
This is the first book written by an 18-year-old new author. I hope you will support me.
(End of this chapter)