Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Obsession of the Old-timers - Part 1
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"Great work, everyone! Great work!"
As soon as training ended, I offered my greetings to the seniors first, without even a moment to catch my breath.
I also said hello to the coaches. When I saw a familiar face, I looked again and realized it was Coach Luca.
For a moment, I was so out of it that I didn't even recognize Coach Luca.
"Here, drink this first."
"Ah, thank you."
Coach Luca handed me an electrolyte drink, and only then could I finally catch my breath and gulp it down.
Wow, this is tough. This training today was harder than any match I've ever played.
Even including the match against Juventus.
And this was just training, so it wasn't like I ran for that long. The first team is definitely different. So different.
Hoo.
As I was catching my breath, Coach Luca asked.
"So, what's going on?"
"Hoo... Sir?"
What's going on?
When I tilted my head, Coach Luca spoke.
"Weren't you nervous?"
"Nervous? Of course... I was incredibly nervous."
"Then how could you show your game exactly as it is? Even I don't understand it."
Coach Luca said this with a face full of excitement.
But I just scratched my head.
Well, you see...
It was possible because I was nervous.
The other first-team seniors were taking it easy because it was a routine training for them, but I wasn't.
That's to say, I was even more nervous than in an actual match, and I approached the training as if it were even more real than a match.
So, that's how I was barely able to keep up with the pace. If I hadn't, would I have even dared to touch the ball among the first-team players?
They probably held back a bit and passed me the ball a few extra times because the young kid was trying so hard.
They probably let a few shots go that they could have easily blocked if they'd been serious.
"Amazing, it's amazing. You really are..."
Coach Luca couldn't possibly be unaware of this, but he made a big fuss anyway to save my face.
Well, I'm grateful for the thought, since it seemed like he didn't want me to get discouraged.
Hoo.
Anyway, the important thing is that I learned a lot while training with the seniors.
Even though it was just training, the first team's defense felt much more organized and harder to break through.
Each defender's physique was on another level, and their reactions were incomparable to the U17 team's.
Also, their teamwork and split-second decision-making were far superior, so as an attacker, I felt like I was being forced to make the best choice at every moment.
You know how you naturally get better at studying when you solve difficult problems?
I felt like my skills were improving in real-time as I kept getting hit with difficult problems and wondered how to solve them.
Anyway, for various reasons, I felt proud that I'd managed to keep up pretty well for a trainee.
And I gained confidence.
Not in the sense that I could take on anyone if I went back to the U17 team just because I'd played with the seniors once.
But the saying that you have to swim in the big leagues must exist for a reason.
Just as I was feeling proud and catching my breath...
"You're 16?"
A voice came from behind me, and when I turned my head, I saw a tall man looking down at me.
Ah, it's Vlahovic. Our team's first-team starting striker.
Vlahovic smiled brightly and said.
"You should've been born two years earlier. Right?"
"...Uh, yes?"
"Then we could've gone to the Champions League already."
What is he talking about now?
The Champions League?
"Anyway, it was good. Come to the first team soon. I like you."
"Ah... I'll do my best."
Vlahovic patted my shoulder, smiled, and walked away.
Then Coach Luca, who was next to me, also put his hand on my shoulder and said.
"That guy has had a hard time until now. He must have been really frustrated. From the looks of it, anyone would say he's a target striker, but actually, he's an attacker whose strengths are his movement and link-up play."
"Ah..."
"But he's probably been frustrated just waiting for crosses all the time. It's been a while since I've seen him smile so contentedly. He must have really liked you."
...Me?
Hmm. I guess that makes sense.
Today, he and I had good chemistry.
There were several situations where he scored thanks to my assists.
But that was only because his movement and goal-scoring ability were that good to begin with.
His movement inside the box, the way he slipped out in an instant, the line-breaking runs into space behind the defense.
His movement was so good that all I had to do was follow it and pass the ball.
And then he would somehow turn that into a goal.
That was all.
What I did wasn't anything special.
Well, anyway.
I'm just glad I didn't seem to leave a bad impression. I remember the fans chanting Vlahovic's name throughout the first half when no goals were scored during the Palermo match I watched last time.
He's that famous a player. A good player.
A player I wouldn't even dare to look at directly praised me, so I can't help but feel proud, even if he was just being polite.
Hoo.
I'm just glad I didn't make Coach Luca or Toni look bad.
And that I didn't get scolded by the scary Coach Vicenzo...
"...Uh."
I had let my guard down after receiving some praise, and for a moment, I swallowed hard.
Because I saw the coach walking purposefully towards me from a distance.
Coach Vicenzo, his face flushed red, was approaching me with a terrifying expression.
"..."
The coach stood before me in an instant, keeping his mouth tightly shut and looking me up and down.
Under his gaze, I instinctively snapped to attention, and then the coach started feeling my body with his hands.
Wh-what is he doing...!
"Hmm. Hmph!"
Ugh...
Rough hands roamed all over my body.
After feeling my legs, waist, and shoulders, the coach suddenly started scratching his head vigorously.
Then, he let out a sigh and nodded. He looked at me with a face of resignation and spoke.
"How much do you weigh now?"
"Huh? Ah, it was about 63kg the last time I measured, two months ago."
"Is that so? You look heavier than that. What's your height?"
"My height was 176cm."
"You measured that two months ago?"
"Yes."
"Then let's measure you again right now."
"Huh...!"
The coach grabbed my wrist without any warning.
And I was dragged off somewhere.
***
"177.3cm."
"And your weight?"
"66.5kg."
"See. I told you, he doesn't look like 63kg."
Ji-an stood at attention on the measuring machine.
And Coach Vicenzo, standing in front of him, nodded.
177cm and 66kg.
While this is on the thinner side, it's not so skinny as to be a problem.
He has almost no body fat, so it's purely muscle weight. There are plenty of players who can play in the first team with specs like this. It's not a problem at all.
Earlier, Coach Toni had insisted over the phone that he couldn't be sent to the first team because he only weighed 60kg, but as expected, that was a lie.
The little punk. You have to know when to lie.
How could 66kg be 60kg?
Try ordering 6kg of meat at a butcher shop. You'd get a whole package. A whole package.
"He said he was 176cm and 63kg two months ago."
"Ah, yes."
Well, anyway.
Coach Vicenzo nodded at Ji-an's answer. If he'd grown over 1cm and gained 3kg in two months, it was a fact that he was still in his growth phase.
Players in the midst of a growth spurt need to be carefully protected.
While this is true for all players, they must absolutely avoid getting injured.
Playing too much time might not be good either. The human body grows when it rests.
They can play matches later, but physical growth stops for good once it stops.
"Hmm."
Coach Vicenzo was not someone who was unaware of this, so he hadn't just been stubborn for no reason.
He would have liked to immediately promote him to the first team and have him play 60 or 70 minutes every week.
But Coach Toni had thrown a fit just at the suggestion of sending him to the first team, and Coach Vicenzo also thought it was too much.
So, in the end, they had to find a middle ground.
Of course, it wasn't easy.
Just how obsessive Coach Toni is, ugh.
He went on about how the kid might fly away if you blew on him, or how he was as fragile as glass that could shatter at a tap.
It's not like he was Ji-an's mother or anything.
As they talked on the phone, Coach Vicenzo even started to wonder if Coach Toni was trying to do something nefarious.
Wait, he was the one who recommended him in the first place?
Well, anyway.
It wasn't a bad idea to let him gain first-team experience without overdoing it.
After repeated compromises, the two coaches did find a middle ground.
Of course, there were still some details to iron out, but the general terms were as follows:
First, his appearance in first-team matches would be limited to once a month.
Second, he would otherwise play in U17 league matches.
Third, his playing time would be adjusted to around 50 minutes.
Fourth, he would not be made to contest headers.
Fifth, absolutely no pressure regarding performance would be placed on him.
These were reasonable terms.
Well, to be honest, I would have liked to aim for two first-team appearances a month.
But Coach Toni said that was a no-go, so I had no choice but to compromise.
Geez.
This is like a transfer negotiation.
I never would have dreamed that I'd be arguing with a youth team coach over an issue like this.
Well, anyway.
"...Hehe."
Coach Vicenzo, looking at Ji-an, smiled. Where did this treasure suddenly pop out from? Putting all other issues aside, just looking at his skill, he was a talent that could immediately make it in the first team.
And that talent could even solve the team's biggest problem right now.
'He's just too cute.'
As Coach Vicenzo looked at him with a deep smile, Ji-an averted his gaze for no reason.
He looked like nothing more than a young youth player, but how could he show such sensible plays on the field?
Coach Vicenzo, with a smile on his face, spoke.
"You'll need to work out a bit harder."
"Huh? Ah, yes."
"Not the training with the ball. I mean physical training. Are you doing any?"
"Th-the coach and I are doing it together."
"Good. Eat well, too. How many meals do you eat a day?"
"Three... meals?"
"Three. Three is good, but make sure to have snacks in between as well. Something good for your body. At your age, just doing that will make you grow in no time."
Ji-an nodded at Coach Vicenzo's words. However, the kid had a look on his face that said he didn't know what he was even doing here from the start.
Ah, now that I think of it, I never told him.
Coach Vicenzo said.
"From now on, you'll be going back and forth between the first team and the U17 team. If you do well, you might even get to play in a match, so take good care of your body."
"...Huh?"
"Well, you don't need to feel pressured. Just think of it as gaining experience in advance, and take it easy. The coach and the older guys will take good care of you. They all look scary except for me, but they're not scary guys, so think of it as no big deal."
"...Ah, yes."
Coach Vicenzo put his arm around Ji-an, who had a surprised look on his face.
"I'll drive you home. Let's go."
"Ah... Yes..."
As they walked out of the training room, a vibration came from Coach Vicenzo's pocket.
He took out his phone and saw a text from Coach Toni.
"..."
As soon as he checked the message, Coach Vicenzo frowned and put his phone back in his pocket.
He'd sent a long message with more注意事项. I'll have to read it later.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Why is he being so clingy? A youth team coach.
He should know when to let go coolly.
Because from now on, this kid's coach will be Toni, not him.
"What do you think? Is the first-team training ground much better than the youth team's?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
"What about me as a coach? Am I less scary than Toni?"
"Hmm... Yes..."
"Haha! That guy has a terrible expression. He looks way too fussy."
Coach Vicenzo, bursting into laughter with a sense of inexplicable victory, headed to the parking lot with Ji-an.
This kid was going to be Fiorentina's future, a ray of light for fans tired of boring soccer.
He planned to personally drive him home comfortably.