In Japna, Nagi did not slack off his training. He would go downstairs every morning for physical training and ball-handling exercises. Not long after, agent Francisco Balmond came to Japan, accompanied by a French trainer, Abel Le Goff.
Le Goff was very experienced. He has served as a team trainer in Ligue 1 clubs such as Marseille and Nice, and has also coached Emmanuel-Laurent-Pettit, Youri-Djorkaeff, etc. Professional training of French stars.
Le Goff said: "Mina, I have watched your game. I am very interested in your physical condition. I will formulate a special training plan for you. I am most curious about the improvement effect in the future."
So Nagi couldn't wait to rent a well-equipped gymnasium in the provincial capital city, with various fitness equipment and a small swimming pool. According to Le Goff, swimming is also one of the important means of physical exercise.
At the same time, Le Goff also formulated a set of special fitness recipes for Nagi. He needs to strictly follow the recipes for every meal, drink, and even how much he eats. Nagi was fine, but his mother muttered: "Ah Nagi, can you eat these foods to be nutritious? Can't l cook something delicious for you?" Nagi had no choice but to explain to her that this is a job. A Player self-discipline.
While Nagi was practicing hard, the summer transfers in European football were in full swing. The most shocking news was that Portuguese superstar Luis Figo transferred from Barcelona to rival Real Madrid for 56.1 million euros. set a new transfer fee record.
Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez said that the transfer of Figo is just the beginning, "We will launch a plan to introduce a superstar in one year and build a galaxy of football."
This transfer also made the Spanish media collectively boil, especially the media in the Catalan Autonomous Region. "Mundo Deportivo" commented that it was "shameful betrayal", and "Daily Sports" believed that "this behavior is unacceptable". Many Barcelona fans took to the streets to insult and protest Figo's transfer.
Of course, as the mouthpiece of Real Madrid, "Marca" also responded immediately: "There is no problem with Figo's transfer. Barcelona chairman Nunez does not want to renew Figo's contract. They did not give enough to the superstar. respect."
"Aspen" further reported that Rivaldo, who had just been selected as the 1999 European Footballer of the Year and World Footballer of the Year, also encountered difficulties in the contract renewal negotiations with Barcelona. "Nunez and Barcelona don't know how to give Stars respect, there will not be a home for superstars."
When La Liga was making a fuss about Figo's transfer, there was also heavy news in Serie A. Hernan Crespo transferred from Parma to Lazio at a sky-high price of 54.16 million euros. This news also detonated the Italian football world. If it were not for Figo's transfer, this transfer would become the most expensive transfer of the year.
Nagi just glanced at these important transfer news, and stopped paying attention. He was more concerned about Genk's actions, which would directly affect the team's performance next season.
After Caspar Blanche went to Bundesliga Cologne, Adrian Gale also went to Braga, the main striker is only Nagi, and several players in the midfield and defense have also left one after another. As expected, Genk's lineup was almost reorganized.
However, in order to achieve next season's results, especially in the UEFA Europa League, club manager Bill Albert also went all out. He spent a lot of money on loan from Premier League Aston Villa to central defender Gareth Barry. The England teenager made his debut in 1998 and has been performing well.
Genk and Ajax are also actively negotiating. It is expected to loan Romanian defender Christian Chivu, who shined in the European Championship. The only problem is the player's own willingness. He is eager to play at a higher level, but after Albert negotiated with him personally and gave him a promise of salary and time limit, the Romanian finally agreed.
In addition, Genk has also introduced several experienced midfielders, most of whom are on loan. Many teams and players are also willing to train for a season. In the new season, Genk will focus on defense, and then use Nagi as the sharp knife. In this case, the requirements for Nagi's offensive ability will be even greater.
Rennie Delvaux switched to Francisco Balmond, and relied on his operation to sign Genk in the form of a free transfer. Although he is not very hardworking, his original strength is definitely underestimated. In Verton He didn't even get the main force, so he was completely underappreciated.
When Nagi heard the news, he was very happy for him. He immediately called and talked with Rennie for a long time. Rennie planned to put away his lazy character and work harder.
After a period of special training, Nagi obviously felt that his physical strength was better, his muscles were stronger, his explosive power seemed to have been further improved, and he was more confident about the new season.
After training, he will also spend some time with his family. After all, after the start of the season, he will not be able to see them for almost a year. During this period, he also discovered a miraculous phenomenon, that is, his younger sister's classmate Mio, who seemed to be there every time he went home, but after seeing Nagi, her cheeks were often flushed, very cute, which made Nagi feel he couldn't help teasing it, which made the little girl blush even more.
The days of reunion are always very short. In early July, Genk began to assemble for summer training. Nagi bid farewell to his family and embarked on a journey again.
When Nagi arrived in Genk, Belgium, it was already late at night, but the club still sent a special car to wait at the airport. After receiving Nagi, they sent him to the dormitory. Balmond and Le Goff, who were traveling with Wang Feng, left separately. Le Goff would follow Wang Feng to play home and away games, and formulate training plans in real time.
Early the next morning, Nagi came to the club to report. First, he had to undergo a comprehensive physical examination. Various data including weight and body fat showed that Nagi's physical condition was very good, not at all like returning from vacation.
"It seems that you have been training continuously during the holidays, and your physical condition is very good," the team doctor said happily. This report should be passed on to the head coach and the team's top management, and they should be very relieved.
"Yes, I hired a professional trainer to guide my training." Nagi replied. The team doctor nodded. This is very common for professional athletes. He said that he would actively communicate and cooperate with Nagi's trainer to jointly manage his health. "You are just 17 years old, your body and skills We are all in a stage of rapid progress, we will customize a growth plan for you, don't worry." The team doctor smiled and patted Nagi's shoulder, and Nagi nodded vigorously.
Back in the locker room, Nagi changed into his sportswear and came to the training ground. At this time, several young players were already training. They all greeted Nagi when they saw him.
Nagi's wonderful performance last season has completely conquered them, and according to the coach's tactical arrangement, Nagi will become Genk's core player, and it is most people's choice to establish a good relationship with him in advance. As for Bobby April, who was unhappy with Nagi last season, he has been transferred back to the youth team because he cannot replace Nagi.
The team captain for the new season is still Aaron Abigail. He had a chance to transfer to the Eredivisie, but he has played for Genk for many years and already has feelings, and going to the Eredivisie may not be stable The main force, therefore, stayed.
Abigail introduced Nagi's new teammates, first of all Gareth Barry, who is a head taller than Nagi and has a strong body. His several years of Premier League career have given him outstanding confrontation ability.
When Christian Chivu was introduced, Nagi could not help but look at him a few more times. It is rumored that many teams in Serie A are very interested in him, but he did not expect Albert to be able to get him.
Nagi watched several of his games. On the defensive end, Chivu was very active in fighting, with outstanding awareness and positioning. On the offensive end, his long passes and headers were quite threatening.
After exchanging a few simple greetings, everyone dispersed for warm-up training. Nagi has a good impression of the new players. Compared with the players who left the team, their level is not inferior. It seems that the team manager is determined to achieve results.
Nagi was sitting in the locker room at the Genkrominus Arena, sorting out his sneakers for the last time. Tonight they will usher in the first round of the League One against Lokeren.
In the few warm-up games that have ended, a series of problems of Genk have also been fully exposed, such as the lack of running-in of the players, the disconnection of the midfield and the front court, etc. The time for the formation of the new lineup is still too short.
"The players of the two teams, led by the referee, are slowly entering the stadium. The fans of the home team immediately gave warm applause. Genk's performance in the second half of last season was so good that many fans placed high hopes on them. To go off on a good start."
"The fans held up the sign with Nagi's name on it, cheering for him. It's unimaginable that a 17-year-old boy has become the number one star of the League One. They wondered if he could continue the miraculous performance of last season? "
With the whistle of the referee, the game officially began.
Carl Beth quickly kicked the ball to Gareth Barry, who then passed back to the defense. Genk did not rush to attack at the beginning of the game, but waited for his opportunity in the backcourt.
Loren pressed forward as a whole, trying to take advantage of Genk's unstable foothold to launch a wave of offensive.
After several passes, Christian Chivu made a precise through pass from the backfield found Nagi in the midfield. A turn around.
Chivu and Wang Feng had a very good understanding. Seeing this, he directly lobbed the ball, crossed Lokeren's defense line, and fell behind him.
After Nagi caught up with the ball, Lockren's defenders followed him one position behind. So Nagi made a pass to the back point, followed by Barry and hit the goal directly, and the ball flew out against the crossbar.
"That shot was extremely threatening, but it's a pity that Barry didn't stop his foot and hit it high in the end. It would be better if he could stop the ball and adjust it." The shot also made Lokeren's players and coaches break out in a cold sweat.
Genk's sharp counterattack also made Lokeren's defense gradually shrink, and Nagi's defense became tighter. With the experience of last season, Nagi was firm in his mind, constantly interspersed and moved, waiting for space.
In the 29th minute, with a long pass from the backfield, Barry headed the ball to Nagi who was in the front. Facing the incoming ball, Nagi dunked with his left foot, dodging the defensive player who was pressing forward.
Nagi then dribbled the ball into the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper, and calmly volleyed from the far corner.
"goooooooooooal! Mina from Genk broke through the opponent's gate first."
"This is also Genk's first goal of the season. The 17-year-old has continued his fiery performance last season and has become the most threatening striker in the league."
After Nagi scored a goal, he quickly turned around and rushed out of the field, came to the stands, celebrated with his hands pointing at the sky, and accepted the cheers and cheers of the Genk fans. The other team members who arrived afterward also rushed forward and surrounded him.
"Before the game, there were still many media speculations that Genk let go of the strikers Caspar Blanche and Adrian Gale this summer. Mina was going to a hard controling the overall situation. Now this kind of doubt can be stopped. Only 29 minutes, Mina created two good chances to score goals and seized one of them."
After leading 1:0, Nagi was obviously not satisfied. He clearly felt that Genk still had the ability to score goals again, and Lokeren's defensive concentration also dropped a lot after breaking the deadlock.
Only 6 minutes later, Genk made a counter. After receiving a through ball from Beth on the right, Nagi shook off the defender and quickly dribbled the ball into the penalty area. Rolling to the back point, the follow-up teenager Jason Aldridge pushed the ball from close range and sent the ball into the goal of Lokeren.
After scoring the goal, Aldridge looked very excited. This was his first start on behalf of Genk, and he scored a goal. It can be said that it was a perfect start.
Genk, who was leading by two goals, kicked more and more smoothly. At the end of the first half, Barry suddenly dribbled the ball and broke through after taking the ball in midfield, attracting the attention of the defenders, and then returned the follow-up Beth near the top of the arc. , After receiving the ball, Beth quickly crossed the penalty area diagonally at forty degrees and five angles.
A figure sprang out from the defensive team. It was Nagi. After he got the ball in the penalty area, he made a slight adjustment and hit the goal directly. The ball went straight to the near corner of the goal, 3:0! Nagi scored twice!
In the end, the score was maintained until the end. On the second day after the first round of the match, major Belgian media reported on the results of the teams in the Ligue 1. Among them, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Standard Liege, and Genk naturally became the focus of attention. .
These teams lived up to the name of the strong teams, and all won. Among them, Anderlecht swept Jultwarechem 5-0, and Jan Koller scored three goals alone, showing his strength to the world Peak combat power.
Genk lost its championship team this summer. Although it has been strengthened, its strength will definitely decline. Many people predicted that its first game will be very difficult, but they did not expect to be able to beat their opponents.
"Mina continued his crazy performance from last year in this game. He scored twice to help Genk beat the opponent. He was also named the best player in the game."
"This year's competition for the Golden Boot should be fierce."
"The surprise is that Genk's defense seems to have become very stable. After the summer gambled on loan from Ajax to Christian Chivu, the defense that was criticized last season has been greatly improved."
"Genk, who is both offensive and defensive, will be a strong contender for the League Championship this season, and I also look forward to their success in the European arena."
After the first round, Genk breathed a sigh of relief, and the team gave everyone a two-day holiday. Rennie invited Nagi to go back to Verton together and have a meal with his former friends, Nagi readily accepted.
Verton manager Theron Hodum had called Nagi before, hoping to use his name for publicity. Nagi naturally agreed to this request. After all, he also came out of Vertone's youth training. How can he help? If you are not busy, you will naturally not refuse.
Hodum's mood can only be described as regret, he shouldn't have sold Nagi for cheap, who would have thought that his current value would soar like a rocket. Especially after Paris Saint-Germain offered 8 million euros, he even regretted it.
According to Rennie, since Verton established Nagi as a model, It has attracted many young players to join, and there are also some people with outstanding talents. The head coach Mette Magritte was bold. Using newcomers, from the end of last season to the beginning of this season, the team's performance was not bad. Although there is still a certain distance from the top, but after a few years of accumulation, there is a good chance.
When Nagivcame to Verton's training ground, many players from the youth training gathered around, wanting to take a group photo with this hot star in the league. Nagi smiled and fulfilled their requests one by one.
The head coach Magritte came over: "Mina, thanks to you, Verton has become more lively." After that, he looked Nagi up and down, "Your progress has been leaps and bounds, and it seems like a change in less than a year." I can't even recognize you alone."
Nagi smiled and said a few words modestly, and went to the dining place with everyone, a small local bar in Verton, where food and drinks were provided. Almost all of Verton's team members were present for this dinner, even Paul Chuck was here.
He took the initiative to walk to Nagi's side and apologized for his previous discriminatory words and deeds. Nagi accepted his apology, and the two smiled to end their grievances. Chuck sighed in his heart that he and Nagi might not have any intersections in this life, and Nagi would only go higher and higher, and the gap between him and himself would become wider and wider.
After Nagi communicated with his former teammates, he was also full of embarrassment. Once upon a time, he just wanted to be the main player in Verton and earn a little money to subsidize my family, but who would have thought that I would be able to play in the League One and get money that many people would never earn in their lifetime.
He is very thankful that he has been working hard and never slackened, and he will never slack in the future, because he knows that once something is given up, it will never be found again.
Early the next morning, the two returned to Genk, and Nagi also started his own training plan.