Pre-UCL Match

Kenneth returned to England on the morning of February 21. He spent the day resting, playing games, and watching Premier League matches.

In the afternoon, Kenneth watched the controversial Chelsea vs. Burnley match.

Chelsea took the lead with a Hazard assist to Ivanovic in the 14th minute. In the 45th minute, Diego Costa fell in the penalty box, but the referee deemed it not a foul. In the 70th minute, Matic received a red card. Burnley equalized in the 81st minute through a corner kick setup.

Meanwhile, Manchester City dominated Newcastle United 5-0, reducing the gap with Chelsea to just one point.

Elsewhere, Barcelona, Manchester City's next opponent, lost 0-1 to Malaga at Camp Nou, with Juanmi scoring in the 7th minute.

After the match, the Manchester U-21 group chat was buzzing with comments doubting Barcelona's greatness and expressing hope that Manchester City could win.

Reading the comments, Kenneth simply smiled. Barcelona often struggled against teams with solid defenses. Even during Guardiola's tenure, the Catalans had difficulty against Chelsea and Inter. However, Manchester City wasn't known for their defensive strength.

If there was one aspect of City's defense worth praising, it might be Joe Hart's shot-stopping ability and Vincent Kompany's solid performances—if he could avoid injuries.

The next day, Kenneth rejoined the U-21 squad. However, he trained separately to check and improve his physical condition after a short break.

Fortunately, Kenneth's condition had only slightly declined and wasn't significantly affected. By the 23rd, he was back in shape, and the coaching staff conducted a match preview session to provide insights about their next opponent, Schalke, in the UEFA Youth Cup.

The following day, Kenneth sat on the bench, watching Manchester City U-19 face Schalke.

Schalke's Leroy Sané, who would eventually join City, played as a left winger in this match.

Manchester City used a 4-3-3 formation with inverted full-backs, a tactic they had been training for days.

As expected, their attacking shape—a 3-2-2-3—allowed City to have more players to counter Schalke's counter-attacks.

Schalke, with their 4-2-4 formation, relied on direct football, using the speed of players like Sané to quickly target City's backline.

The first goal, however, came from J. Byrne after a brilliant combination play by City, capped off with a cutback pass from Thierry Ambrose to Byrne.

Both teams created numerous chances, but the score remained unchanged by halftime.

Kenneth was subbed in for Kean Bryan as a defensive midfielder.

Playing as a single pivot, Kenneth refrained from pushing too far forward, using his passing and dribbling skills to support attacks.

Kenneth's presence allowed the team to attack more aggressively without fearing counter-attacks.

While Kenneth's defensive ability might not yet be Premier League level, it was more than sufficient at the junior level. His speed also helped neutralize Schalke's counters.

Kenneth assisted Pozo in scoring with a through ball that pierced Schalke's defensive line in the 65th minute.

Shortly after, Kenneth scored City's third goal with a long-range strike that Schalke's goalkeeper, Schilder, failed to save.

Before the final whistle, Schalke scored a consolation goal through substitute Sivededov in the 90+1 minute.

Manchester City won 3-1. Byrne's consistent performance earned him the man-of-the-match title. Kenneth received an 8.7 rating and two attribute points, which he allocated to agility and pace.

As Kenneth left the field after the game, ready to relax, he noticed his teammates running toward the Etihad Stadium in excitement.

"What's going on?" Kenneth asked.

Pablo Maffeo caught his breath and replied, "The Barcelona team bus just arrived outside the Etihad."

Kenneth raised an eyebrow. "Is it really worth all this fuss?"

Maffeo gave him an incredulous look. "Of course, it's Messi we're talking about."

Kenneth, a Messi fan who often watched his old videos and played as him in the year 2422, found his enthusiasm waning after moving to this world. Perhaps it was because he realized that, in a few years, he would share the same pitch with Messi. By then, though, Messi would likely have passed his prime.

Smiling at his own thoughts, Kenneth asked, "Right, your mom's from Argentina, isn't she?"

Pablo nodded.

"If Argentina ever called you up, would you go?"

Without hesitation, Pablo replied, "Definitely. It's hard to break into Spain's national team; there's so much talent. Plus, I'd get to play alongside Messi."

"You also have Chinese heritage. If their national team wanted to naturalize you, would you accept?"

"No."

Not a chance. Even if Kenneth's career collapsed, he wouldn't consider it. The weight of expectations would be too much. In a team like China, every failure would be blamed on the star player.

Kenneth felt the day's weight pressing on him and decided to take a short break. Instead of heading home, he made his way to the academy's facilities, appreciating the quiet atmosphere.

The locker room was still, the hum of distant ventilation the only sound. He grabbed a towel from a nearby rack and headed to the showers. Warm water cascaded over him, washing away the sweat and tension from the match. For a few moments, he stood still, letting the heat soothe his muscles and clear his mind.

After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, Kenneth took a moment to breathe. The academy, usually bustling with activity, felt calm and restorative. Refreshed and refocused, he was ready to join his teammates and face the night ahead.

At 7:00 PM BST, Kenneth, Maffeo, and a few other U-21 players went out for dinner before heading to the stadium for the highly anticipated match.

Entering the stadium, Kenneth felt the atmosphere was unlike any other Premier League game.

The stands were filled with City fans in sky-blue scarves, while Barcelona fans donned their iconic red-and-blue jerseys.

The stadium lights illuminated the perfectly green pitch, and a giant screen displayed the countdown to kick-off. City fans chanted loudly, trying to intimidate the visitors with their roaring support.

For City, this was a chance to prove themselves on Europe's grand stage. For Barcelona, it was another opportunity to reaffirm their dominance.

On the pitch, players warmed up, with Messi, Neymar, and Suárez drawing the crowd's attention.

Soon after, the players returned to their dressing rooms, changed, and then emerged from the tunnel.

The match between Manchester City and Barcelona began.