Chapter 001: Qin Xiong
As if a gust of wind had swept by, the young man crossed the flower bed, arrived in front of the building, then slowed his pace, and jogged back slowly to pick up his shoulder bag before heading towards the apartment building
In the first half of 2003, the same U18 Chinese team traveled to Tokyo, Japan, once again arranged by a private enterprise that contacted the Japan Football Association to finalize a friendly match for the U18 team. In that match, the U18 Chinese team achieved a resounding victory over the U18 Japanese team with a score of 4:0
Urban greening is of paramount importance, and environmental protection is also a top priority. Therefore, the scenery here is picturesque, combined with a mild climate, Jiangcheng has become a renowned retirement city in all of China, rather than a place where young people are eager to pursue a remarkable entrepreneurial future. The pace of life here is truly slow, leaving young people feeling disinterested.
Bang
It is important to note that the unfamiliar young man is positioned diagonally to the goal, which compresses and reduces the angle relative to the goal, and the distance is still nearly 100 meters
A teenager who reacted immediately shouted, "Hey, are you Qin Xiong?"
Banana ball
The inner side of the young man's right foot struck the soccer ball, generating force from the instep. As the ball soared into the air, it began to spin violently, suddenly revealing an arc that seemed to cut through the sky
In these two matches, the player serving as the captain of the U18 China team is the 17-year-old Qin Xiong
It is hard to say whether it is too standard or too smooth and natural, but the soccer posture displayed by this stranger is particularly pleasing to the eye
The soccer ball kicked by the unfamiliar young man traced a large arc across the sky before plummeting rapidly and flying straight into the goal on the left side of the field
A young man sits on a slope, engaged in a simple sketch. The lower part of the drawing outlines a nearby sports field, where two teams are playing soccer. In the mid to far distance, there are rolling, majestic green mountains. The upper part of the drawing appears relatively normal, with the sunset's glow casting a soft light that is refreshing to the spirit. If the drawing were to end here, it would indeed be considered a fine piece of art.
The young man, having left the riverbank and embankment, walked towards the northern part of the city. Half an hour later, at the end of the road beneath his feet, was the destination of his return: the Youth Football Home of Jiangcheng.
The young man gradually walked away on the sidewalk without looking back, without responding
Jiangcheng is a small city, known for the river that supplies resources to the entire province. The city's development plans are strictly limited, and the local populace is well aware that even though the province subsidizes Jiangcheng every year, industrialization is not permitted. Excessive commercialization is also strictly prohibited.
A young man dressed in sportswear walked down the slope, gently pressing the soccer ball with his right foot. He glanced at the goal on the left side of the field, which was approximately 100 meters away from him. The young man lightly kicked the soccer ball forward with his right foot, then stepped forward with his left leg, using his left foot to support his body while extending his right leg backward, resembling a full moon drawing a bow. A striking scene unfolded before the eyes of the distant youth.
When the football soars through the sky, it occasionally presents a beautiful and unpredictable scene
The youth on the field opened their eyes wide, collectively looking up at the sky, capturing the trajectory of the spinning football coming their way
At that moment, Freddy was standing on the third-floor balcony reading a book. Upon seeing a young man jogging along the road beside the restaurant in the distance, he immediately put down his book and positioned a camera supported by a tripod next to him, aiming the lens at the relatively open road below. He pressed the record button and shouted down to the young man, "Qin, run, run, run! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
The young man gripped the pen with increasing speed, the pencil tip continuously deepening the dark hues on the body of the azure dragon - the black color of the book's illustration. His gaze was filled with obsession, as if he had completely succumbed to a trance.
The young man looked up and saw a dirty soccer ball at the bottom of the slope. In the distance, the players on the field were all looking at him, waving their hands, hoping that he could help by kicking the ball to them, so they wouldn't have to run out to retrieve it and waste their energy
As the sun sets in the west, on the other side of the river, a young man is kneeling on the sloping green grass of the riverbank. His sketchbook rests on his thigh, and with his right hand, he swiftly outlines the sunset scene before him with a pencil.
The young man running is incredibly fast, his gaze resolute, resembling a cheetah racing across the grasslands
They are waiting, anticipating Qin Xiong's next move: will he soar domestically or choose to play abroad? Currently, he is the crown prince; when he matures, will he become the emperor of Chinese football?
Freddy put away his notebook and walked out of the house, just in time to see a young man with a shoulder bag opening his front door. Freddy smiled and greeted him, saying: "Hi, Qin Xiong, where did you go to have fun today? Did you have any romantic encounters?"
In 2002, during the Korea-Japan World Cup, the Chinese team returned home in disgrace after a crushing defeat, while the host nation, South Korea, made a historic entry into the semifinals, and Japan also reached the Round of 16. The performance of the Asian teams was commendable. Despite the significant controversies surrounding South Korea's achievements, the Chinese team, in comparison, found it impossible to hold its head high in the face of Korea and Japan.
It must be him! It must be him! Apart from him, no one in Jiangcheng can do such cool things with football!
But where is this supposed to be kicked to
On the field, the distracted teenagers gathered together, engaging in lively discussions with great enthusiasm
However, above the layers of rosy clouds, the young man is depicting a scene that does not exist before his eyes: a fierce-looking azure dragon
Neither of these two teams, the Ball and Picture Book team, can be afforded by Jiangcheng
His Chinese is truly fluent
The Azure Dragon gazes down upon the world, fierce as a demon, seemingly symbolizing misfortune and disaster, watching over humanity with a predatory glare
The young man began to jog towards his destination. As he ran through the gate, he exchanged a brief smile with the elderly gatekeeper, who responded with a kind smile, watching the young man depart. In his heart, he sighed: Youth is truly wonderful
The green space below the slope is a shared football field, where two teams are currently engaged in a friendly match. Judging by the attire of the competing sides, they are the renowned "Manchester United" and "Real Madrid," one in red and the other in white, clearly representing two dominant colors in European football.
The young man who jogged over casually took off his shoulder bag and threw it on the ground, then his running speed suddenly increased. If an outsider had been paying attention, they would have noticed that the point where he began to accelerate was precisely at the edge of the small flower bed in front of the building, and the road leading down to the apartment building was exactly 30 meters long
It is evident that local teenagers are enamored with two world-class football clubs, choosing to don the jerseys of the Red Devils and the Galácticos
When he confirmed that the young man had increased his sprinting speed slightly compared to before, yes, it was only an improvement of 0.09 seconds, but he still displayed obvious delight
This is the industry of the Tang family group, which has a history of nearly 20 years. Initially, the outside world only regarded it as an orphanage. Ten years ago, it was officially listed as a youth football training base. The area is not large, resembling a slightly larger middle school, and includes dormitories, a dining hall, a gym, a medical room, and four football fields, among other facilities. Though small, it is fully equipped.
What truly determines success or failure at a critical moment is not merely speed; rather, explosive power and acceleration are the key factors
Freddy on the balcony walked over with a smile to watch the recorded footage, repeatedly confirming the speed achieved by the young man in the 30-meter sprint and the library.
The young man ran towards the dormitory, his residence differing from that of other youths. Here, over 90% of the young people live in communal dormitory buildings, while he resides in an independent apartment
On a bookshelf filled with notebooks, it may be difficult for the average person to imagine that this represents over ten years of work by Freddy, with each notebook containing records or analyses related to the growth of that young man and football-related data
Certainly, the Red Devils of England and the Galácticos of Spain could not possibly come to this small city of Jiangcheng, especially two months ago when the top star of Manchester United, and indeed the most attention-grabbing superstar on this planet, Beckham, had a falling out with his mentor Ferguson over the flying boot incident, ultimately transferring to the star-studded Real Madrid, marking the official launch of the Spanish white giant Real Madrid's Galácticos
When they, after recovering from their shock, went to search for the young man's figure, they found him strolling away along the roadside above the slope, with a shoulder bag slung over his back and his hands in his pockets
That angle surprised them
The young man, coming to his senses, put away his sketchbook and pencil, casually placing them into his crossbody bag. He stood up, at which point the teenagers playing soccer in the distance finally noticed this stranger who had been sitting on the slope for quite some time. With his tall and slender figure, he evoked envy in many men from afar
Bro, help me out
In his apartment building, residing opposite him is a foreigner named Kyle Freddy, a refined and gentlemanly British man who has just turned 40 years old. He has known this young man for eleven years and has acted as his guardian for the same duration.
Apart from this goalkeeper, everyone else was utterly astonished
A shout pulled him back to reality
Especially the youth who are passionate about football, while admiring Qin Xiong, are also eagerly anticipating the day when he ascends to the throne!
It is often heard that the speed of football players is described in terms of their 100-meter sprint times, but this is a one-sided perspective, as the crucial sprints on the football field are generally between 20 to 30 meters
Although the prominence and influence of these two matches are not high, they have garnered the attention of many concerned individuals, especially those in Jiangcheng who love football. It is known that these are friendly matches organized by the Tang Group. Most of the players representing China come from the Youth Football Home in Jiangcheng, and Qin Xiong, a local from Jiangcheng, has been hailed by the fans as the "Prince of Chinese Football" after serving as captain and playing a leading role in two inspiring victories.
My goodness! He was just sitting there the whole time, just sitting there! I really should take a picture with him, the prince of Chinese football!
Look at the figure, it might really be him
The goalkeeper standing in front of the goal was caught off guard. At first, he had a premonition that the ball was coming his way, but the curvature of the soccer ball was too great, and the acceleration after its descent took him by surprise. The angle at which the ball entered the goal was not particularly tricky; it was just two body lengths away from him. However, he was affected by his own panic, nearly stumbling and falling to the ground.
However, Qin Xiong appeared to be in a bad mood; he did not respond and directly entered his room after opening the door
At the end of 2002, a U18 match between China and South Korea was held in Busan. This friendly match was organized by a private Chinese enterprise in coordination with the Korea Football Association. In this match, the U18 Chinese team defeated the U18 South Korean team with a score of 3 to 1
Freddy walked back into the room, took out a notebook from the bookshelf in his study, turned to the latest page, and recorded the date along with the precise time for the 30-meter sprint of the young man
Freddy reluctantly followed inside, sighing inwardly: Not happy at all