[Match has ended]
[Calculating your rating...]
[Rating: 7.8]
[You scored a valuable goal and displayed solid performance on the field]
[Congratulations! You've earned 2 attribute points]
Kenneth opens his attribute page.
Kenneth Lee
Age: 16
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 60 kg
Attributes
- Technical Ability
- Passing (Average of Sub-Attributes): 77
- Short Pass: 85
- Long Pass: 76
- Crossing: 71
- Through Ball: 76
- Finishing (Average of Sub-Attributes): 71
- Accuracy: 68
- Power: 76
- Technique: 70
- Set Piece (Average of Sub-Attributes): 69
- Free Kick: 72
- Corner Kick: 69
- Penalty: 68
- First Touch: 78
- Dribbling: 77
- Ball Control: 83
- Heading: 59
- Tackling: 46
- Mental
- Aggression: 62
- Anticipation: 74
- Bravery: 60
- Composure: 78
- Concentration: 73
- Decision: 81
- Determination: 81
- Flair: 70
- Leadership: 55
- Off the Ball: 70
- Positioning: 46
- Teamwork: 81
- Vision: 67
- Physical Ability
- Acceleration: 79
- Agility: 75
- Balance: 73
- Jumping Reach: 63
- Natural Fitness: 70
- Pace: 70
- Stamina: 71
- Strength: 51
---
Overall Rating: 69
Left Foot: Fairly Strong
Right Foot: Very Strong
He then added two attribute points to natural fitness and balance. Make the balance reached 74 poin and natural fitness reached 71 poin.
"Haah, finally done," Kenneth sighed as he closed the attribute page. He then went to the locker room, took his belongings from his locker, and changed his clothes. Once he finished, he opened his iPhone and found a message from his uncle, Steven Zhang.
[I have finished negotiating the contract with Txiki. You can come over to sign it.]
Kenneth quickly replied.
[Alright, I'll be there soon.]
Kenneth greeted the other City players and then headed out. Shortly after, he arrived at the City Football Academy complex near the Etihad.
A few moments later, Kenneth reached the administration building and looked for Txiki Begiristain's office. He knocked on the door a few times.
"Come in."
Kenneth opened the door and greeted Txiki Begiristain.
"Good evening, Sir."
"Good evening, come and have a seat here." Txiki pointed to the chair next to Steven Zhang with a friendly smile.
Kenneth sat down beside Steven Zhang.
Txiki pulled out a few sheets of paper and placed them in front of Kenneth.
"Here's the contract that just came out of the printer. Feel free to read through it if you like."
"Thank you."
Kenneth began reading the contract handed to him by Txiki.
The contract duration was five years. His salary would be 5,500 pounds per week after tax, with a 10% raise each year. Finally, there was a release clause. Kenneth had a release clause of 45 million pounds that could only be activated by a club outside of England.
He then turned to another page with additional clauses. Some of these included a payment of 10,000 pounds each time Kenneth played for Manchester City's senior team. He would also earn bonuses for goals and assists.
There were various individual award clauses as well; for instance, if Kenneth won the Golden Boy award, he would receive 100,000 pounds from Manchester City. Steven Zhang had included many such clauses in the contract.
In essence, the more Kenneth achieved, the more he would earn. After reading everything, Kenneth signed the contract. Once done, he took a deep breath and set down his pen.
Txiki extended his right hand for a handshake.
Kenneth accepted it, and they shook hands warmly.
"I have high expectations for you. Keep working hard and training diligently. We'll support you wholeheartedly."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm very happy with this club. I hope I can remain part of City for a long time."
Steven Zhang then shook hands with Txiki, exchanged a few words, and led Kenneth out of Txiki's office.
As they walked down the hallway, Steven turned to Kenneth.
"Congratulations, Lee, this is your first professional contract. Keep performing at your best. I'm sure this won't be the last time we discuss contract renewals."
Kenneth shrugged. "I hope so."
"Oh, by the way, your mom has work tonight, so I'll be the one driving you home," said Steven.
A few days later, Manchester City U19 was set to face Roma U19 in the final match of the UEFA Youth League group stage. The game would once again be held at the Fulvio Bernardi Training Center.
Manchester City U19 lined up in a 4-4-2 formation this time. Angus Gunn was the trusted goalkeeper, with A. Smith-Brown at left-back, Pablo Maffeo at right-back, and T. Adarabioyo and K. Bryan as the center-back duo. In midfield were Bersant Celina, Kenneth, George Evans, and Brandon Barker, while Iheanacho and Thierry Ambrose led the attack.
The match began with Manchester City taking the kickoff.
City started confidently, with all the young players riding a wave of victories that boosted their morale against Roma.
Two minutes into the game, Kenneth gave Roma's goalkeeper, Ionut Pop, an early test with a shot from outside the box. Pop leaped and tipped the ball over the crossbar.
A few minutes later, Brandon Barker broke into the penalty area with a dribble, then passed to Iheanacho, who struck the ball toward goal, but it went straight into Pop's arms.
In the 10th minute, Adarabioyo dispossessed Roma's striker.
"Evans!"
George Evans ran to retrieve the ball and then passed it to Pablo Maffeo.
Maffeo received the ball and focused on dribbling down the right flank.
"Kenneth! Here."
Maffeo passed the ball to Kenneth and sprinted past Roma's full-back. Kenneth received the ball with one touch and performed a backheel.
Maffeo saw the ball coming his way as he'd anticipated. He struck it from the right side, sending it across the penalty area. Thierry Ambrose charged in and tapped the ball into Roma U19's net.
Thierry went over to Maffeo, high-fived him, and then high-fived Kenneth.
Manchester City took a 1-0 lead over the home team.
Roma made every effort to hold their ground, but City's attacks were fluid, especially on the right side, where Kenneth and Pablo Maffeo worked seamlessly together.
About 15 minutes after the first goal, Roma finally got a chance. However, their shot was blocked by Angus Gunn, resulting in a corner kick.
Kean Bryan won the aerial duel, heading the ball forward. Kenneth sprinted toward the ball and quickly played it into space in front of Iheanacho. Iheanacho raced past Roma's defender and lobbed the ball as the goalkeeper came off his line.
City led 2-0. They continued to dominate, creating chance after chance. The third goal finally came around the 40th minute.
Kenneth stood calmly in front of the ball. City had earned a free kick from an ideal distance, and now he was ready to take it.
After hearing the whistle, Kenneth stepped toward the ball and struck it. The ball soared to the top right, passing over the Roma players before curving down to the bottom left. It shook Roma's net for the third time.
Manchester City U19 led 3-0 at halftime. In the second half, Vieira subbed Kenneth out, but City continued their scoring spree.
Bersant Celina scored in the 71st minute. Byrne added the fifth goal five minutes later, followed by Ambrose in the 82nd minute, and finally Brandon Barker in the 90+3 minute.
Final score: Roma U19 0-8 Manchester City U19.
From this match, Kenneth earned an 8.5 rating and collected two attribute points. He allocated them to natural fitness and balance.
[Natural Fitness 71 => 72]
[Balance 74 => 75]
Kenneth couldn't hold back a smile. His stamina and natural fitness had reached their physical limits, and now he could focus on enhancing other attributes that would make him truly stand out.
Kenneth's first goal was to raise his dribbling skills to stand out among EPL players. He now planned to increase his dribbling, acceleration, agility, and balance, aiming to break through 85 points.
Kenneth then boarded the team bus and headed to the hotel with the rest of the U19 team. That evening, the Manchester City vs. Roma match was set to take place. Manchester City needed a win to progress from the group stage.
Fortunately, Pellegrini didn't disappoint Manchester City's fans this time. Nasri scored the first goal in the 60th minute, and Zabaleta secured the victory with a goal in the 86th minute. City won the intense match.