Chapter 1 A Strong Showing from the National Olympic Team, a Complete Victory Over the Obstacle!
Chapter 2 A National Youth Talent's Hat-Trick Shines Throughout the Field!
Chapter 3 He Ying's Olympic Qualifying Debut is Perfect!

Sun Pan slammed the newspaper on the table and complained to He Ying, who was sitting across from him, "Why is it only you who's getting all the limelight?!"

He Ying spread his hands. "Blame me?"

"Damn it!" Sun Pan was very annoyed. "I made four brilliant saves in the game, ensuring we didn't concede a goal, but those media reporters only know how to sing your praises!"

"Forwards always get a bit of an advantage," Yang Muge comforted him. "At least you got mentioned. Look at Lao Guo, he wasn't even mentioned by name."

Sun Pan felt much better after hearing Yang Muge's words, but Guo Nu next to him looked miserable...

This was the morning after the game. The four friends were eating breakfast in the National Olympic team's hotel restaurant while reading the newspapers provided by the hotel.

The National Olympic team's performance the night before had surprised many people.

Unexpectedly, the four players who played abroad, who had performed so-so in the warm-up matches, suddenly exploded.

Especially He Ying, whose three consecutive goals made the National Olympic team win easily.

And it wasn't just He Ying. In fact, everyone had a very good performance.

Sun Pan, as he himself said, made four key saves to keep the goal intact.

Yang Muge was originally a workhorse, but in the National Olympic team, he could also play as an offensive and defensive hub, able to defend and attack. From the actual effect of the game, his performance as a substitute was quite good. He assisted on one of He Ying's three goals.

Guo Nu's performance was a bit more ordinary, but still good.

What led to this change in the National Olympic team?

It was actually very simple. After the two warm-up matches in early June, Blazevic realized that it was difficult to force the whole team to match the four players in a short period of time, so he simply gave up the idea of making the team a whole and completely relied on the individual abilities of the four players and their tacit understanding.

Facts proved that his approach worked well.

The Chinese National Olympic team easily defeated the Oman National Olympic team at home.

Paving the way for the next round of the away game.

They could even say that half of their bodies had stepped into the group stage of the Asian qualifiers for the London Olympics.

※※※

Four days later, the National Olympic team went to the Middle East to challenge the Oman National Olympic team.

Because of the defeat in the first leg, the Oman National Olympic team would inevitably struggle hard in their home stadium, unwilling to be eliminated so easily.

So, the referees for this match were all from West Asia.

Generally speaking, in matches between East Asian teams and West Asian teams, the main referee should be from Central Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia. After Australia joined the AFC, there was an additional option of an Australian referee.

But in this match between the East Asian team Chinese National Olympic team and the West Asian team Oman National Olympic team, the AFC actually let a West Asian referee from Iran officiate the match.

This was obviously biased.

West Asians like to play this game.

But with a three-goal lead, the Chinese National Olympic team had nothing to fear.

Even though the Iranian referee disallowed one of He Ying's good goals for offside in the match, it could not save the Oman National Olympic team from their fate.

In the end, the Oman National Olympic team and the Chinese National Olympic team drew 0:0.

The Chinese National Olympic team eliminated the Oman National Olympic team with a total score of 3:0 and advanced to the group stage of the Asian qualifiers for the Olympics. They were one step closer to the London Olympics.

And the group stage of the qualifiers would not begin until September this year, which basically overlapped with the national team's World Cup campaign.

This was also why Zhou Yi was actually an Olympic-age player, but he could not represent the National Olympic team. Because he was also a player on the national team, and the national team's World Cup campaign was obviously more important than the National Olympic team's Olympic campaign, so the national team could not let him go. He himself did not have the energy to participate in two important competitions at the same time.

The Chinese team's first match in the World Cup qualifiers would be on July 23rd. It was actually a qualifying match. The Chinese team had to first defeat their opponent Laos to qualify for the top 20, and then qualify for the top 10 after the top 20, and then win the group stage in the top 10 to directly participate in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

And the two matches on July 23rd and 28th happened to be in the middle of Dortmund's pre-season training camp. In order for Zhou Yi to have a continuous and complete pre-season training camp, Gao Hongbo and Zhou Yi had already discussed it. He would not participate in these two matches against Laos, because the opponent was too weak, and there was no need to rush back to participate. Relying on the current domestic player lineup of the national team was enough to deal with Laos.

Zhou Yi did not have to worry about the national team's matches, so he stayed in Dortmund and worked hard with his team to prepare for the new season.

He would return on September 2nd for the top 20.

※※※

When July arrived, the new season was actually getting closer and closer.

The 2011-2012 season had a very special meaning for Zhou Yi's friends. After this season, the Olympics would be held in London, and two years later, the World Cup would kick off in distant Brazil.

If they wanted to get the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, then they had to play in their respective clubs, no matter what method they used.

The time left for them was actually not much.

※※※

Yang Muge, who returned to Germany from the National Olympic team, learned that his senior Hao Junmin, whom he knew at Schalke 04, would end his contract with Schalke 04 and return to China because he could not get playing opportunities at Schalke 04.

After Hao Junmin packed all his things and sent them back to China, he specially invited Yang Muge to a meal.

This meal was a bit sad, like a farewell dinner.

"Sometimes, I'm quite envious of you and Zhou Yi," Hao Junmin said at the dinner table. "You guys caught up with a good time..."

Then he shook his head and denied his statement: "No, actually it's not a good time now, is it? What I envy is your and Zhou Yi's ability and opportunity. If I could have come abroad to play football when I was eighteen or nineteen, what would it be like..."

When Hao Junmin said this, his tone was full of longing and a little bit of loss.

He really imagined in his mind what his achievements would be if he had played football abroad when he was eighteen or nineteen.

"Actually, there are many reasons why the domestic media say I can't play at Schalke 04, such as not playing in the most suitable position, language barriers, and being too weak... I know all this. I think the most important point is that when the opportunity really appeared on me, I failed to seize it."

Hao Junmin continued.

"For example, in the match against Wolfsburg, if I hadn't given the opponent the free kick to equalize the score, would it have helped my situation in the team? For example, in the match against Hertha Berlin, if I had scored those two one-on-one chances, would it have boosted my confidence? There are many similar opportunities... If I had seized them all, what would it be like now?"

Hao Junmin was asking. Yang Muge knew that he was not actually asking himself, but talking to himself.

Sure enough, Hao Junmin quickly looked at Yang Muge and said, "Look, Muge. I know there are many reasons why I can't play at Schalke 04, but football is a sport full of many coincidences and miracles. If I could seize one or two of those accidental opportunities, maybe I would have a completely different present and future. So don't listen to those people who say you are not strong enough, you don't have enough experience, you are too young... Those are all bullshit. If the opportunity appears in front of you, don't think about anything, grab it!"

This was the last thing Hao Junmin said to Yang Muge before leaving, and it was also the last piece of advice.

Not long after sending Hao Junmin away, Yang Muge received a notice that he had been transferred to the first team to train with them for the pre-season training of the new season.

When Yang Muge received this notice, he couldn't help but think of what Hao Junmin had said to him before leaving.

If the opportunity appears in front of you, don't think about anything, grab it!

Maybe this is my first opportunity?

※※※

When Sun Pan finished his loan contract with Kickers Offenbach and returned to Chelsea Football Club, he was greeted not only by his youth team coach Adrian Viveash, but also by the club's academy manager Neil Bath and technical director Michael Emenalo.

Sun Pan had only seen such a lineup when he first signed with Chelsea's academy.

"We have been tracking and observing your entire season at Kickers Offenbach. The academy is very happy and satisfied with your performance in Germany." Technical director Emenalo said to Sun Pan with a smile. "Even first-team coach Mr. Villas-Boas has expressed interest in you."

"But unfortunately, for reasons we all know, you can't play for the first team for the time being—I must state that it's not because your strength is not enough, but for reasons we all know." Manager Neil Bath interjected.

Sun Pan nodded.

But he didn't know if it was really because of the work permit that he couldn't register for the first team, or just an excuse. He wasn't really concerned about Chelsea's first team now, he was only concerned about where he would go next season. Let him continue to stay in the youth team? Of course, he didn't want to.

After seeing the scenery outside, how could he be willing to continue to live an uneventful life in this small house?

"So after the club's discussion, the club decided to loan you to Atletico Madrid."

Sun Pan was stunned for a moment: "Where?"

He wasn't very sure.

"Atletico Madrid, the other team in Madrid. They have also seen your performance at Kickers Offenbach and were very impressed, especially your performance in the German Cup against Dortmund." Neil Bath smiled. "We want to ask for your opinion, are you willing to go to Atletico Madrid?"

"Of course, why not?" Sun Pan didn't pretend to think, nor did he hesitate, but gave his answer directly.

As long as he could play in the first team, he would go anywhere!

※※※

La Masia's youth training director Albert Capellas looked up at the young man in front of him.

"You want to be loaned out?" he asked.

The young man nodded.

Capellas knew this young man, who came from China and was the only Chinese player in La Masia's youth training camp. His name was He Ying, and he played as a forward.

He was brought in by technical director Garcia back then, but Garcia had now left La Masia.

He was one of the countless foreign children in La Masia's youth training camp, and there was nothing too outstanding about him.

In La Masia's youth training camp, there were teenage geniuses from South Korea and Japan, who were known as "Korean Messi" or "Japanese Messi", but this Chinese young man did not get a similar nickname. He was not "Chinese Messi", he was just him.

Because he couldn't see a path to move up, or the competition was too fierce, so he wanted to change to an easier path?

Capellas had seen many such young people. Because this was La Masia's tradition, not everyone could fight their way from here to the first team and become the second Xavi, the second Iniesta, the second Messi.

Many of them eventually fell on the road to becoming the second Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi.

It was normal to not be able to persist and want to find a new way out.

Capellas would not stop him, unless the coach of Barcelona B came to tell him that this young man was needed by the B team. But obviously, the coach of the B team did not mention He Ying's name.

So he nodded: "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere, as long as I can play."

"Low-level leagues are also okay?" Capellas asked.

"Okay." He Ying nodded, calmly said.