Chapter 1 The Beginning

Kirov Stadium was the third largest stadium in the Soviet Union, capable of holding 80,000 people, second only to Luzhniki Lenin Stadium in Moscow and the Republican Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, which could hold 100,000 people. It once hosted football matches during the 22nd Olympic Games in 1980.

But it was clear that this historic stadium no longer met the requirements of the Zenit team.

Since the acquisition of St. Petersburg Zenit Club by Gazprom at the end of last year, the construction of a new stadium worthy of Zenit has been put on the agenda.

The final decision was to demolish Kirov Stadium after this season and build a new stadium on the original site—the Gazprom Arena.

So for the fans of St. Petersburg Zenit, the 2006 season will be the last season that Kirov Stadium serves Zenit. After a few seasons, it will be reborn, appearing before the world in a brand new posture, with a more beautiful and magnificent image, and become Zenit's home again.

Chen Hero stood in the tunnel leading from the locker room to the stadium with his teammates, ready to take the field. Beside them were their opponents—the players from Spartak Nalchik, wearing their red away jerseys.

Zenit, playing at home, wore their white home jerseys.

This was Chen Hero's first official professional league game, and he felt his heart racing, but it wasn't nervousness, it was excitement... He couldn't stand still, listening to the various songs and noises made by the Russian fans outside, he kept shaking his body, sometimes jumping up and down, sometimes taking a few steps.

"Don't be nervous, Hero. It's no big deal, it's just a normal league game," Erik Hagen reassured Chen Hero in English.

"Thank you, Erik," Chen Hero thanked him. "But I'm not nervous, I'm excited!"

When the stadium announcer rang out, "Let's welcome the Zenit boys!"

"Blue-White-Blue! Blue-White-Blue!!"

The stands echoed with huge cheers. Blue-White-Blue is one of Zenit's nicknames.

At this time, the team captain, Radimov, shouted to his teammates, "Let's go out!"

Chen Hero's constantly moving body stopped, and he suddenly became quiet.

When Alexander Kerzhakov in front of him took a step forward, Chen Hero followed closely behind, stepping onto the path to the stadium.

This is not just the road to Kirov Stadium, this is also the road to professional football, and it is also the road for me, Chen Hero, to become a football hero! It is a glorious road!!

Dad, watch out, your son will definitely not embarrass you! I will definitely live up to the name you gave me!

When Chen Hero walked out of the tunnel, the TV broadcast gave him a close-up shot.

The commentator was stunned when he saw Chen Hero's face.

Although he had received the starting lineup an hour before the game, he hadn't noticed that there was an Asian player besides the Korean players!

Because Chen Hero's registration list said "hero_Chen", not "yingxiong_Chen".

"This is a..." The commentator hurriedly rummaged through the scattered commentary desk for information about this person, but he found nothing! His colleagues in the TV station who were responsible for collecting information had not prepared any information about this player for him! He cursed his colleague a hundred times in his heart, but now he could only find a way to save the situation. "...an Asian! What a surprise! When did Zenit get another Asian player? We know that Advocaat seems to be particularly fond of Korean players. After he coached Zenit, he brought three Korean players to the team in one go... Could this be the fourth?"

If Chen Hero could hear the commentator's question, he would definitely point at his nose and curse: "You are the Korean! Your whole family are Koreans!"

But at this time, he was busy looking up at the stadium—a stadium that could hold 80,000 people was indeed spectacular!

In fact, there are many such large stadiums in China, but Chen Hero has no chance to play in them. Youth team games are generally held in some district-level stadiums, which can accommodate a maximum of 30,000 to 40,000 people. Sometimes they have to go to university football fields to play.

The live broadcast was calling out the names of the Zenit players one by one.

It was obvious who was the most popular here.

"Andrei—" The live broadcast announcer shouted.

"—Arshavin!!!" The fans on the scene shouted loudly. After shouting, they began to shout Arshavin's nickname: "Shava! Shava! Shava!!"

Chen Hero heard Arshavin's name. He counted and found that Arshavin was the third in front of him, which meant that there were two more people before it was his turn. He began to shift his attention from the stands and pricked up his ears to prepare to hear his name.

"Lee Ho!" Following Arshavin was Lee Ho.

"Oh!" The fans' cheers were not loud.

"Alexander Kerzhakov!!"

"Ulla!!" The cheers were obviously much louder than Lee Ho's, and from this, one could see the status of a player in the fans' hearts.

It's coming, it's coming, it's coming... Chen Hero looked forward to it in his heart, waiting for this historic moment! Let the cheers of the crowd roar—

"hero_Chen!" Even the voice of the broadcast was obviously much quieter.

"..."

A moment of silence...

No, it wouldn't be fair to Chen Hero to say that. A small cheer rang out from the stands when the name was only halfway through, but it quickly disappeared—this cheer was actually inertia. When the fans quickly realized that the name was very unfamiliar, they were all stunned.

Who is this "hero_Chen"?

Everyone looked at each other in dismay.

Before they could react, the live broadcast announced the name of the next person: "Erik Hagen!!"

"Oooooh!!" This time, the cheers returned. This contrast was as if the audience had collectively stalled when Chen Hero's name was mentioned... By the time they recovered, it was someone else's turn to play.

Chen Hero stood in the team with a depressed look on his face. He didn't expect that his historic appearance would be this result—tens of thousands of people in the stands didn't even know him!

Yesenin, who was sitting in the stands behind the Zenit coaching bench, laughed. This was something he had expected, but he had never told Chen Hero about it.

A nobody who had just been promoted from the youth team, and hadn't even stayed in the youth team for long, how could he have left a deep impression on people? Isn't it normal for no one to know your name, Hero?

Although Chen Hero had two very outstanding performances in the youth team, for the vast majority of fans, he was still a very tender newcomer, a real nobody. Because Popovich protected him very well, even his name was unknown to everyone. So what if he scored a few goals in the youth team?

For the real professional football world, you are a complete rookie, Hero.

Chen Hero clenched his fists—he was unwilling to let it end like this. He would have no other expressions, just clenching his fists tightly. The greater the strength, the tighter the clenching, and the whiter the knuckles, the more unwilling he was.

Damn it!

Chen Hero realized that his previous fantasies were meaningless. He was a real nobody! Not only in St. Petersburg Zenit, but in the entire Russian Premier League, in the entire world of professional football, he was an insignificant nobody!

What cheers of the crowd? What welcoming crowds? What passionate introductions from commentators? What beauties taking the initiative to flirt... All of them were his own wishful thinking!

But, you wait... this world wait for me, I will let all of you know my name! I will let the whole world know my name! Even if you are tired of it, you will still hear and see my name!

I am Chen Hero, the Chen Hero who wants to be a football hero!

In the TV broadcast room, Vasily Shirgaevski, the commentator who was broadcasting to the TV screen, turned off the microphone and shouted to his colleagues outside the broadcast room through his headset: "Give me that Hero's information! I don't even know who he is!"

"Vasily, there is no more information. Our information is all provided by the Zenit Club, only his name, height and weight, date of birth, position, and number... We can't get more information about this person from other sources!" The director explained to Shirgaevski through the headset.

"Then at least you should tell me what country he is from, right? Korean?"

"Huh, didn't I give it to you?"

"I swear you didn't!"

"Uh, let me find it... Got it! He is... uh, Chinese?!" The director was also surprised.

Shirgaevski was also stunned: "Chinese player? When did Zenit introduce a Chinese player?"

The director standing outside the soundproof window couldn't care so much. He gestured to Shirgaevski to turn on the microphone: "Work, work, Vasily! The game is about to start."

Even if Vasily Shirgaevski had more doubts at this time, he could only suppress them and continue his commentary work.

"We have already seen that the two captains have exchanged team flags, and they have also chosen sides... St. Petersburg Zenit kicks off, and the game is about to begin. We have also noticed... Advocaat has used a very unfamiliar young player in this game. After Tyek's injury, this young man, born on May 25, 1988, will play in this game and serve as the starting forward... He is... uh, 1.92 meters tall! According to the information we have before the game, he is 1.92 meters tall and weighs 93 kilograms. He is a behemoth... More importantly, friends, when you see his Asian features, you will definitely think that this must be the fourth Korean player brought by the Dutchman, right? Wrong! You are all wrong! He is Chinese!"

Shirgaevski didn't even know what he was talking about. Anyway, he introduced the only information he had about this kid, and then he planned to just call this player's name "Hero" in the next game, and would not introduce any more about his other situations.

"Okay, the referee has blown the whistle, and the game has begun!"

In the center of the field, Chen Hero stepped on the ball. He heard the whistle and knew that the game had begun.

So he gently nudged the ball to his forward partner Kerzhakov. Kerzhakov turned around and passed the ball back, and then ran forward himself.

The game has begun!