[Translator's Note]
Hey readers! I know what you're thinking "another Chinese football novel". But hear me out.
This one is genuinely different. The story is set entirely in European football, the references are Western, and I've worked hard to make sure the reading experience feels natural for any football fan worldwide.
No awkward cultural references. No nationalist storylines. Just pure football.
Sit back and enjoy Leon's journey. I promise it's worth it.
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"What rotten luck! If our starting goalkeeper Ituniotz hadn't gotten injured, there's no way we'd be losing 0-2!"
"That kid from the East, he's a liability! The club never should have signed him!"
"A basic mistake! He fumbled a ball he could have easily saved! Absolutely pathetic!"
The Sarria Stadium, a small ground with a capacity of just 2,000 people, was packed with spectators.
Many fans were even standing and squeezing together on the terraces.
This was because the match was Leoia's second round Copa del Rey tie, with their opponents being Barcelona B from the Segunda División.
A light rain was falling from the sky.
Sarria sat on the coastal frontier where Atlantic winds first made landfall, receiving rainfall twice the national average.
For two thirds of the year, the weather here was nothing but rain.
"Tweet!"
"Tweet!"
With the referee's short then long blast of the whistle, the first half between Leoia and Barcelona B came to an end.
0-2!
The home side's players trudged toward the tunnel leading to the dressing room, two goals down.
"Boo!"
"East boy! If you can't play, get out!"
"The club should make a rule — no players from countries that have never qualified for the World Cup!"
Jeers rained down continuously from the terraces, and Leon glanced up at the home fans hurling abuse before lowering his head again and continuing toward the dressing room.
Leon Feng was the goalkeeper for Leoia in this match.
With first-choice goalkeeper Ituniotz suspended through injury for two matches, Leon had been given his chance to start as the backup goalkeeper.
But this hard-earned opportunity seemed to have been squandered by Leon.
"Leon! Don't let it get to you!"
"They're just shouting nonsense!"
Hachim Mastour, the midfielder on loan from Milan, patted Leon on the shoulder and gestured for him not to overthink it.
Although Leoia were only a club that had just been promoted from the Tercera División to the Segunda División B this season, they were a satellite club of Milan.
That was why sixteen-year-old Hachim Mastour had been sent on loan to Leoia to develop.
"Yeah."
Leon gave a small nod, still looking at the ground, and walked back into the dressing room.
The home fans on the terraces continued their relentless abuse.
Meanwhile, first-choice goalkeeper Ituniotz, sitting in the stands watching due to his injury, felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
'Thank goodness I was injured and didn't play today, otherwise it would be me getting all this abuse.'
Facing the formidable Barcelona B, a side a full division above them, conceding 0-2 at half time was the most normal outcome imaginable.
But how could the fans who had come to support their home side accept defeat?
Fans were sometimes simply unreasonable.
"Decent showing overall."
"Good on the ball with some nice movement, but holds it a bit too long."
"Leoia were completely dominated in the first half and didn't get many chances to show themselves."
Up in the stands at Sarria Stadium, a middle-aged man with slightly greying hair was scribbling notes rapidly in a notebook.
Because of the rain, the notebook quickly became soaked.
He had no choice but to shield it with his jacket.
This middle-aged man was Watson, a scout for Milan.
Watson was responsible for identifying talented young players in Spain, as well as keeping tabs on the club's players out on loan.
Hachim Mastour had previously shown impressive technical ability with Milan's youth teams, and Watson had been keeping a particularly close eye on him.
For this match, Watson had taken his place in the stands.
"Second half, we push forward!"
"Leon! No more basic mistakes!"
"Otherwise don't ever expect to play again!"
In the home dressing room, Leoia head coach Burke Abel shouted at his players, making a point of calling out Leon by name.
From a purely sporting perspective, losing to Barcelona B was the most natural result in the world.
But this was the Copa del Rey.
A golden opportunity for lower-league clubs to cash in.
If they could advance to the round of thirty-two, their opponents would be a La Liga side.
The ticket sales and broadcast revenue alone could match an entire season's earnings for a lower-league club.
So Leoia's owner had given Burke Abel a firm order: get past Barcelona B at all costs.
The big clubs did not take the Copa del Rey very seriously.
A single-leg knockout tie also left plenty of room for upsets.
In the first half, if not for Leon's basic mistake, Leoia would still have had a genuine chance.
Burke Abel finished speaking and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
The Leoia players fell into silence, and the glances they directed toward Leon in the corner were far from friendly.
Leon had always had a low profile within the squad.
Now, in his first start of the season, he had cost them dearly, and nobody could be expected to take that well.
"Leon! Forget about these people!"
Hachim Mastour walked over and sat down beside Leon.
Hachim Mastour had also found it difficult to settle since arriving here on loan.
Aside from him and Leon, every other player in the squad was Spanish.
So Hachim Mastour and Leon had naturally gravitated toward each other.
Their standing within the club, however, could not have been more different.
Hachim Mastour had come on loan from Milan.
He held an unconditional starting role written into the terms of the loan agreement itself.
"I'm fine."
Leon kept his head down and said nothing more.
He had worked as hard as anyone, but his ability seemed barely enough to cope even at the Segunda División B level.
And then, at that very moment.
"Ding! The system has detected that the host has completed a half of professional football. System activated!"
"Ding! Initial talent awarded: [One-on-One Specialist]!"
"Ding! [Technical Attribute] awarded: [One-on-One] ability rating 20 (reference maximum value: 20)!"
"Ding! [Experience Card — Free Choice] awarded x2!"
"Ding! Mission issued: Win this match!"