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At 24, this is a fairly sensitive age.
In the FM Football Manager, players over the age of 24 have basically found it difficult to improve their strength through training and competition. In other words, once a player reaches the age of 24, his career is basically shaped.
At the age of 24, Pele had held two World Cup titles; Maradona, at 24, was the core star of Barcelona; Ronaldo, at 24, had been hailed as the world's best player.
Even in Brazil, Rivaldo, known as a late bloomer, was already a star at Deportivo La Coruña at the age of 24 and then moved to Barcelona at a high price.
However, who can imagine that in Brazil, countless 24-year-old talented stars are sadly waiting for opportunities?
Junior Juninho is one of them.
Sitting on his balcony, watching the rising sun, his heart was not calm at all.
The 24-year-old should have been as energetic as the morning sun, but he worried whether he would be the noon sun, having climbed to the highest peak of his life, and then gradually started to go downhill.
Brazil is undoubtedly a gathering of geniuses. While Ronaldo shines, everyone selectively forgets those players who have not shown their talents.
Junior Juninho worked hard on his own questions, training, and practice. He almost never skipped a session. He was the most hard-working player at the Vasco da Gama Club. He also had good football talent, which was evident from his selection for Brazil's national youth team.
But just because no European team has found him!
Is it because my strength is too weak?
As the team's main star, Juninho has participated in most of Vasco da Gama's games. He is the main player on the field and also the most diligent player on the field. However, he has not achieved much. For example, in the 20 league games he participated in this year, he only contributed 2 goals for the team, and in the Rio Champions League, which fans value more, he failed to score.
Among Brazilian players, his skills are not outstanding, especially with the ball. This is his weakness. He does not have much advantage in speed, which makes it difficult for him to rely on skilled technique and other Brazilian players' great speed and explosive power to get rid of opponents.
Originally, the team cooperation and hard work on the field were Juninho's playing style, but it was criticized in Brazil.
Brazilian fans come to the stadium. What they like most to see is the genius flashing performance of a single person crossing the entire back line of the opponent, rather than a wall-style cooperation closer to the European team style.
Although both methods can score goals, although the former bears a much greater risk than the latter, the discerning Brazilian fans still like to watch the former because Pele, Ronaldo, and Garrincha all played this way.
This is why Rivaldo has been criticized in the country, while Denilson, who performed poorly at Betis, is regarded by Brazilians as a hope for Samba football's revival.
In this league system and tactical style that emphasizes individual play, the performance of Junior Juninho can only be regarded as satisfactory.
In March of this year, he was selected for a warm-up match between the Brazilian national team and South Korea to test the substitutes. He came on as a substitute for a few minutes, and he was inactive. It was his first time being selected for the Brazilian national team, but the Brazilian domestic media also said this may be the last time he was selected for the national team because his style is completely different from the Brazilian team.
Sure enough, he missed the Brazilian lineup for the South American Gold Cup.
Could it be that my life can only be like this?
Squinting, looking at the golden sun shining, Juninho asked himself in his heart.
When he was still living in the slums, he longed for football to bring him and his family a happy life; later he became a professional player, and he hoped that football would make him famous; now he has played in the Brazilian domestic league for many years, and was fortunate to be selected for the national team once, but he still feels depressed.
He longs for a place where he can better prove himself!
Europe?
Those European teams will always only pay attention to those talented players and big-name players, such as Ronaldinho, who is now in the country. He is really outstanding and is known as Brazil's future hope.
Junior Juninho didn't know any agents of renown. His agent was a good friend of his father. Compared with other stars who have extensive connections in Europe, his agent seemed very grassroots.
I still remember that when I was selected for the Brazilian national team, a teammate once told him to change agents and go to Europe to play. There are fewer matches to participate in each year, but they can earn more money, and they can also bring their families over.
He did find a few excellent agents who wanted to run him to Europe. Junior Juninho was also tempted, but he is still hesitant because he knows that these agents would take away most of the transfer fee, he must know that they can promise his future after coming to Europe.
"Ribero, have dinner!" His mother shouted from the kitchen.
"I know!" Junior Juninho replied.
Having become a professional player, being selected for the Brazilian national team, and receiving a salary of two thousand pounds from the Vasco da Gama Club a week, the life of the Junior Juninho family has bid farewell to the slums and moved up to the middle class, living in a decent community.
However, like most clubs in Brazil, the Vasco da Gama Club also owes players' wages for a long time.
In Levi's previous life, it was because of disputes over wages and contracts with Vasco da Gama that Junior Juninho took the club to court in January 2001, which led to him not playing for half a year, and was finally allowed to transfer to Ligue 1 after arbitration.
But now, he cannot know all this!
In Brazilian football, there is a saying that if a club can pay players for six months and pay on time, then this club can definitely be called a team that all Brazilian players are eager to join, and have the strength to win.
Another slogan is, never trust the Brazilian club's rhetoric, including player salary commitments, including player transfer fees, etc., because they often use this false and exaggerated language to cover their financial situation.
This is really a terrible country! Junior Juninho thought wryly.
As he walked back into the house from the balcony, the phone not far from the door suddenly rang.
"Hey, Ribeiro!" said the man on the phone.
"Good morning, Uncle Fao!" Junior Juninho said respectfully. This was his agent and a good friend of his father who worked in a sports newspaper.
"I just got a call from the Vasco da Gama Club and they told me some news. I think you might be interested, Ribeiro!"
"Well, go on!" Junior Juninho made a gesture to wait for his mother when she brought the dish.
"An English club came looking for you and they hope to bring you to play for their team."
"Really?" Junior Juninho exclaimed, his expression very pleasantly surprised, "Is it a Premier League team? What's the name? Wouldn't it be Middlesbrough?"
Fao obviously felt that Junior Juninho was full of excitement, and even knew how to joke.
"Not a Premier League team." Fao said with a hint of guilt.
"That's the English League? Oh, Uncle Fao, that's fine, I'm eager to go to Europe, really!"
"You heard me, Ribeiro, don't get too excited. Listen to me. They paid a transfer fee of 800,000 pounds. The Vasco da Gama Club agreed to it almost without thinking, but they are not a Premier League team. It's not the Championship either, but it's a team from the fifth tier in England. I can't even pronounce that league's name."
Junior Juninho's joy immediately froze, and he fell from the cloud of great joy, and that kind of gap suddenly made his head spin.
"What's the name of the team?"
"New Manchester United, a team of Manchester United fans, was founded just a year ago and last year played in the bottom tenth league in England, won the double title, and was promoted to the fifth league. I heard they are planning to do something big this year, so they came to Brazil."
"Reject them, Uncle Fao!" Junior Juninho said almost without thinking.
"However, Ribeiro, Vasco da Gama has agreed to their request."
"That's what they promised. They haven't been able to pay wages for months, so they wanted to sell me for 800,000 pounds, then shout, and sell me for three million. Even five million pounds, used to attract more players to join for the championship!" Junior Juninho growled angrily.
He felt that he had been betrayed, as if he were a commodity, and no one would be responsible for being sold to anyone.
"Calm down, Ribeiro, I heard from the club that New Manchester United offers you a weekly salary of 4,000 pounds. In addition, if the team gets promoted, your salary can be increased, and there are performance bonuses and appearance fees, etc. This is at least more than double what you earn in Brazil."
"But that is the fifth league in England. Uncle Fao, a league that can't even be named, is there a future for joining such a team?"
There was another thought that Junior Juninho did not voice, which was: I was once a Brazilian international player!
Although it was only the Brazilian third team.
"Do you want to hear the truth?" Fao asked bluntly.
"Of course!" Junior Juninho responded.
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"I think you should think about it. If you want to leave Brazil, this is an opportunity. The other party is very sincere, and the contract is good. It is said that the club owner even came to Brazil in person. You should give him a chance. If you go to England and perform well, you may attract the attention of higher-level teams. New Manchester United is located in Manchester, you know, there are several Premier League teams nearby."
Junior Juninho was speechless. Staying in Brazil, it was really difficult for him to advance. Even if he replaced his agent, there was no guarantee he could go to Europe immediately.
Levi had the ability of an unknown prophet. Junior Juninho did not. He naturally could not know that he would eventually be favored by French club Lyon and become famous there.
"Ribero, think about it and call me again!"
After speaking, Fao hung up the phone, leaving Junior Juninho standing by the phone in a daze.
He felt conflicted. On one hand, there was an opportunity to go to Europe, even if it was for a fifth-tier team. On the other hand, it felt like a step down, considering his aspirations and the level he had reached in Brazil.
Juninho knew that he had to make a decision. He looked at the table where his mother had just placed breakfast. The aroma of the food filled the room, but he had no appetite.
Was he ready to leave everything behind for an uncertain future in a distant country?
He thought about the struggles his family had faced, the sacrifices they had made for his career. This opportunity, however small, might be the break he needed. If he stayed, he might never get another chance to go to Europe.
After a long moment of contemplation, Juninho picked up the phone and dialed Fao's number.
"Uncle Fao, I've thought about it. Let's do it. Let's go to England."
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