The First Team

During the period leading up to the New Year, the frequency of Xu and Bao's appearances noticeably increased, bringing both joy and concern to the young players. They were happy to have the opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially play in the professional league, yet worried about the infamous reputation of Xu and Bao at the base. Even the slightest mistake could lead to a barrage of criticism from the old man on the sidelines of the training field, followed by punishments like running laps.

Qi Ce also reminisced about the days of being scolded at the base. Although he had improved his skills and received fewer scoldings, there were still occasional outbursts.

During this time, Xu and Bao confirmed something about Qi Ce. While he might not be the most suitable player to lead, he possessed undeniable talent.

What was terrifying was that Qi Ce was not yet sixteen years old, yet his skills were already sufficient to play in domestic leagues. However, the level of competition he could handle was difficult to determine solely based on youth-level training and matches.

It was necessary to bring him along to make the most accurate assessment.

As New Year's Day approached, Qi Ce completed the end-of-term exams at the base. Despite forgetting most of what he had studied, his academic performance was disappointing, surprising even the liberal arts teacher.

Before New Year's Day, Qi Ce's academic performance was mediocre, but among the group of sports students, he was among the top. However, as his football skills improved, his academic performance declined relatively.

This was what they called "give and take"!

The liberal arts teacher shared this information with Wang Lianyuan and Xu Genbao, leaving them equally incredulous.

Was it just a coincidence?

None of them delved deeper into the matter. Admittedly, if they scrutinized Qi Ce's situation further, he would undoubtedly face challenges. It was inexplicable!

The New Year holiday arrived for the football base.

The year 2007, which seemed like a turning point, finally revealed its mysteries.

During the holiday, Qi Ce gained a deeper understanding of the virtual football field in his mind.

In the virtual field, Qi Ce's stamina was limited. The ten hours he spent practicing ball control were scattered, but this did not conflict with reality. In other words, with this system, Qi Ce effectively had double the training capacity.

Training in the virtual field could also improve attributes, but progress was slow. As the saying goes, "Three minutes on stage, ten years of practice off stage,(T/N: i dont even know what this means, you can ignore if you feel like)" but with this system, Qi Ce could compress ten years into five, leaving him with five more years to accomplish even more and further improve himself.

Football coins unlocked more functions. With only Qi Ce on the small football field, training alone had its limitations. Thus, Qi Ce could use football coins to "buy" training partners, whether opponents or teammates. The stronger the player, the more football coins required. Players from the Tongbao base cost several coins each, while those from amateur fields cost one coin per player. Currently, the most expensive was Bian Jun, requiring three football coins.

The "purchase" function required direct interaction with Qi Ce on the field or training ground. So far, only a few players had been unlocked, most of whom were from the Tongbao base.

Additionally, Qi Ce gained a comprehensive understanding of the mission system.

Tasks were generally divided into several types: common tasks, training tasks, random tasks, long-term tasks, and urgent tasks.

Qi Ce had completed common and training tasks, but the random tasks were more peculiar. These tasks sometimes extended beyond football, posing various challenges. For example, on the first day, Qi Ce received a task requiring him to cook...

Of course, these tasks were not mandatory, but spending football coins too quickly left Qi Ce with no funds for sparring partners or equipment, forcing him to take on these tasks to earn money.

With people came life to the virtual football field, transforming it from a silent space into a vibrant arena. Regardless of Qi Ce's training objectives, the virtual players would always cooperate with him tirelessly.

After the holiday, it was a crucial time for the young players at the football base.

Since Xu Genbao founded the Shanghai East Asia Football Club at the end of 2005, the base became the reserve team for East Asia. Last season, all players from Shanghai East Asia in the Chinese League B came from the base. In other words, as long as players performed well at the base, progressing to play professional leagues was a natural progression.

With three months left until the league began, selection at the base intensified. Based on last season's performance, Sun Kai under Coach Wang Lianyuan and two players under Coach Liu Qingquan, Wang Yunlong and Bai Jiajun, caught Xu Genbao's attention. This season, they were almost guaranteed spots in the East Asian team's main squad.

But before that, another name caught Xu Genbao's eye: Qi Ce.

To the surprise of everyone at the base except for the youths under Coach Wang Lianyuan, who had witnessed Qi Ce's prowess, one question lingered: Who is Qi Ce?

Following a meeting, Xu Genbao announced the new batch of reserve team members selected for East Asia's training camp: Qi Ce, Bai Jiajun, Wang Yunlong, and Sun Kai.

Players who had previously made the first team were eligible to choose jersey numbers. Newcomers had to wait their turn. Qi Ce was twenty-third in line, thus receiving the number 23 jersey.

This meant that after the New Year, Qi Ce would be training with the professional team. While his ultimate goal was Europe, he needed to take things step by step. At not yet sixteen years old, he had ample time to strive for success.

Joining the first team brought about changes, including a salary of 800 RMB per month. While Qi Ce understood that many Chinese players earned much more in the Chinese Super League, he couldn't help but feel a bit skeptical about his modest income.

The first team's training ground was adjacent to the reserve team's, making little difference in practice.

Many of these players would become household names among Chinese football fans in the future. Wu Lei, Yan Junling, Zhang Linpeng, Wang Shenchao, Jiang Zhipeng, Cai Huikang, and many others would go on to represent the national team, along with renowned Chinese Super League players like Cao Yunding, Bai Jiajun etc

"At this time, they were still a group of teenagers who had just entered the professional league. Last season, Shanghai East Asia ranked seventh in the southern division of the second division. This was the team's first time participating in a professional league, and this result was not bad, but Xu Genbao was not satisfied.

"This season, we aim to get promoted to the first division!" This was the request made by Xu Genbao at the mobilization meeting.

As a former member of the football base with Bao Bao, Qi Ce certainly knew that they succeeded in winning the China League Two championship and were promoted to the first division this season. Even if he wasn't there, the goal could still be achieved as planned.

Until just before the start of the league, Qi Ce's inclusion in the first team still surprised Xu Genbao.

In training, Qi Ce's performance wasn't particularly outstanding.

He didn't have particularly exceptional skills; his standout ability was shooting. At his age, Qi Ce's shooting was quite remarkable, but his ball-handling skills were relatively average otherwise.

What surprised Xu Genbao was Qi Ce's performance in training matches. He thought it was a fluke in the first game, but after observing him for several months, Xu Genbao realized that this was how Qi Ce played.

Speed and movement were his biggest strengths. The awareness and skills of the first team players were a level above those at the base. Qi Ce played much more smoothly, but there was still a sense of being out of sync with the team, which means that compared to the first team, Qi Ce needed to improve by a level.

Having been in Chinese football for so many years, Xu Genbao had never seen a young player who played like this at this age. He was fast, had an excellent sense of positioning, and played very cleverly, but his skills were average.

To put it simply, he had the speed of African players, the awareness of European players, and the skills of Chinese players.

If you want this kid to become a great player, the best way is to send him to Europe.

Domestic training methods, including those of Xu Genbao, emphasize tactics, pressing, passing, and overall play, rather than individual skills. Qi Ce's overall awareness was already very high, and being in the China League Two at this stage, a player like him is a luxury.

Developing individual skills is difficult, even in the Chinese Super League, as few teams have that kind of environment. So, if you really want to nurture this player, the best approach is to go to Europe.

Having been involved in youth training for so long, Xu Genbao looked beyond just players' potential and abilities. He also saw deeper aspects. There were not many potential new stars worth paying attention to in China, but among those few new stars, Xu Genbao had a general concept of their abilities.

From players' personalities and abilities to team environment, league environment, and national environment, the question was whether it was suitable for player development. Most players born and raised in China didn't have this problem. They just needed to consider their future development direction. Many could be sent out, but at this stage, staying in Chongming was better.

Until he saw Qi Ce, Xu Genbao had an idea of wanting to send him abroad as soon as possible, but he felt a sense of regret.

The regret wasn't for anything else; it was about money.

How much could developing a player like him earn?

Xu Genbao pondered this question in his mind. His original intention was naturally to develop more young players, but all this required money. The football base invested 30 million yuan, 20 million of which was borrowed from the bank, and the interest amounted to several million, none of which had been repaid yet.

This problem troubled Xu Genbao for a long time, but time waits for no one. Finally, the China League Two arrived as scheduled. During the May 1st Golden Week in 2007, the first round of the league kicked off."