As Zhang Xu was about to enter his simulated training after preparing for sleep, he suddenly remembered that he already met the criteria for another upgrade.
"Upgrade!"
"Alright! Upgrading now!"
Accompanied by beautiful music, another golden light emerged from Zhang Xu's body, soaring into the sky. "Congratulations, host! The upgrade is complete. Your current level is 2. You've automatically gained 5 attribute points!"
"Now, please allocate the attribute points, host!"
"I'll continue to invest in Teamwork!" Zhang Xu decided to further enhance his cooperation with teammates. He allocated all 5 attribute points to Teamwork, bringing it to 21!
Zhang Xu suddenly felt a clearer understanding of tactical aspects.
...
With the passage of time, Zhang Xu, under the guidance of Philip and the Super Midfield Training System, dedicated himself to rigorous training, accumulating experience points, and increasing his attributes. Although the increments seemed small each day, after a few days, he was astonished by the overall progress.
Today was August 16th, and the official start of League B was scheduled for tomorrow. In just under a month of training, Zhang Xu's player level had skyrocketed to an astonishing level 6! His individual attributes had also transformed significantly:
__________________________________
[Name: Zhang Xu]
Level: 6
Experience Points: 554/700 (Available attribute points: 0)
Weight: 68.5KG
Current Ability/Potential Ability: 31/42 (Minimum 30 for professional players, maximum 99)
Current Physical Fatigue/Condition: 16/78 (Maximum 99)
__________________________________
[Technical Attributes (Individual attributes max out at 99)]:
Crossing: 22
Dribbling: 16
Shooting: 18
Heading: 31
Long Shots: 14
Marking: 25
Passing: 15
Tackling: 32
Ball Control: 24
Technique: 26
Free Kicks: 17
Corners: 15
Set Pieces: 18
Throw-ins: 11
__________________________________
[Mental Attributes]:
Aggressiveness: 44
Anticipation: 26 (+1)
Bravery: 75
Composure: 66
Concentration: 52
Vision: 11 (+1)
Decisiveness: 33
Determination: 77
Imagination: 9
Influence: 67
Off the Ball Movement: 21
Positioning: 28
Teamwork: 33
Work Rate: 89
__________________________________
[Physical Attributes]:
Acceleration: 78
Agility: 43 (+1)
Balance: 40
Jumping: 74
Stamina: 83
Speed: 89
Endurance: 85
Strength: 83
__________________________________
In his key attributes related to being a defensive midfielder, such as tackling, marking, anticipation, positional awareness, and teamwork, Zhang Xu had either exceeded or approached the minimum standards for professional players in the Belgian League B (30 points). His current ability score had crossed the 30-point threshold, reaching 31!
In other words, Zhang Xu's abilities were now suitable for competing in the Belgian League B. Whether in practice games or tactical drills against first-team players, he had transformed from an amateur player whom anyone could easily bypass into a reliable defensive midfielder.
Despite some areas that still needed improvement, such as passing and dribbling, Zhang Xu's defensive abilities were now more than adequate.
In just one month, Zhang Xu had become a key figure in the U21 team's defense.
Although there were still some shortcomings, all the progress he had made in such a short time was nothing short of a miracle, visible to everyone.
Philip, in particular, was proud of Zhang Xu's achievements. He had provided Zhang Xu with an opportunity and had consistently supported him. Seeing Zhang Xu's remarkable progress gave Philip a sense of accomplishment.
In recent days, Philip had invited the first-team coach, Martin Mazu, to visit the U21 team regularly. They organized practice matches to showcase Zhang Xu's remarkable development.
"Mazu, I believe that Zhang's abilities are now sufficient to join the first team. Would you consider giving him a chance?" Philip proudly observed Zhang Xu's performance during training and suggested to Coach Mazu.
Coach Mazu had witnessed Zhang Xu's incredible improvement over the past few days, and he was genuinely impressed. However, the team's lineup was already established, and the league was about to start. He was concerned that introducing Zhang Xu too quickly might disrupt the team's balance.
"Philip, I don't deny Zhang's progress, and I acknowledge that he now has the ability to join the first team. But you know the situation with the team. Can we hold off for a bit?" Coach Mazu pondered for a moment before expressing his viewpoint.
"Alright!" Philip shrugged helplessly. "I respect your decision. However, I hope you can bring this kid into the first team as soon as possible. Our U21 team can hardly contain him any longer. Keep in mind that training him daily is more painful for me than it is for him! Haha!"
"Haha…" Coach Mazu laughed along with Philip's humor.
Seeing the two influential figures in the team laughing together, the players couldn't help but wonder. They never expected that Zhang Xu, who had just become their teammate, was on the verge of joining the first team.
After the special training that day, Philip handed three match tickets to Zhang Xu.
"Zhang, these are tickets for tomorrow afternoon's game – our White Star's home game against Brussels. You and Mr. and Mrs. James can go watch it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"
"Thank you, Mr. Philip!" Zhang Xu accepted the tickets with gratitude. Since arriving in Europe, he had been busy with learning and trials, and he hadn't had the opportunity to watch a real European match. This was a dream come true.
After training, when Zhang Xu mentioned the match tickets to Mr. and Mrs. James, they were thrilled.
"Zhang, we really have to thank Mr. Philip. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll pick you up from the training ground parking lot. You'll be amazed by the enthusiasm of our White Star fans!" Mr. James said excitedly.
....
The next afternoon, at 2 PM, Mr. and Mrs. James arrived at the parking lot near the training ground as promised.
When Zhang Xu got into the car, he was taken aback. The backseat was piled high with various fan scarves, trumpets, team flags, and more. Even Mr. and Mrs. James had painted their faces with the red and white colors of the White Star team.
Seeing Zhang Xu's surprised expression, Mr. James beamed with pride and said, "Zhang, these are essential gear for White Star fans. And I didn't even bring everything. By the way, Zhang, do you want your face painted like ours?"
"Well, sure!" Zhang Xu thought for a moment and found it quite interesting, so he agreed.
The match started at 3 PM, and the venue was the old Stade stadium. It was a small stadium with a capacity of around 3,000 people and approximately 2,500 seats.
When Zhang Xu and Mr. and Mrs. James arrived at their seats around 2:30 PM, almost all the seats were already taken, and no one was sitting down. Everyone was standing, waving scarves or flags, and singing the White Star team's chants loudly.
Despite the small crowd, the coordinated chanting, the insane cheers, the blaring trumpets, and the intense atmosphere turned the entire stadium into a boiling cauldron of passion.
When the home team White Star's players began to enter the field one by one, the commentator announced each player's name, and all the White Star fans loudly chanted along. The overwhelming enthusiasm gave Zhang Xu goosebumps.
Even though he hadn't played in the match, and he was still just a member of the U21 team, experiencing such fanatical support made him realize the extreme dedication people had for their teams.
Zhang Xu was no exception to this passionate spirit.
At this moment, he truly understood the profound meaning behind Mr. Philip's actions.
The match began, and as it progressed, the exciting attacks, successful defenses, and brilliant goals triggered waves of excitement throughout the stadium. The fans were in a frenzy after every goal.
The final score of the match was 2-2. Despite not winning, the fans continued to cheer for their team. Everyone knew that Brussels was a seasoned team that had been relegated unexpectedly. Although their strength had declined, they were still much stronger than White Star, the newly promoted team. Taking the lead twice and eventually drawing the match was already a decent result.
So, when the game ended, fans stood up, giving the team a round of applause and praise.
"Hey, James, who's this young lad with you? I've never seen him before," a middle-aged man asked as they were leaving the stadium.
"Haha, you mean Zhang?" James said with pride. "Zhang is from China. Currently, he's a key midfielder for our U21 team. I believe he'll be on this field soon!"
"China? Zhang?" Hearing James' words, the people around them became curious and gathered around, talking enthusiastically.
"A Chinese player?"
"I saw him on the official team website! He's an excellent young lad!"
"Haha, young man, work hard. We look forward to seeing you at the Stade stadium!"
The middle-aged man patted Zhang Xu on the shoulder. "Your name is Zhang, right? Well, you've just gained another fan. Hope you'll surprise me?"
"I definitely will, and it won't be long!" Zhang Xu replied confidently.
"Haha, great! I like confident youngsters!" After hearing Zhang Xu's resolute words, the middle-aged man and the surrounding fans burst into laughter and gave him a thumbs-up.
Zhang Xu looked at the old Stade stadium and made a silent promise to himself: "Just wait. I'll be playing here soon enough!"