Chapter 286 Which Path to Take

Actually, there were times when Zhou Yi didn't know which path to take either. He wasn't born knowing what road he should walk, which road suited him. If it weren't for this reality show, he might have been walking a different path, one where he might have achieved a little, but more likely nothing.

If there were no better choices, then that would be the only road he could take.

But because he participated in this reality show, because he met his teammates, because coming to Europe broadened his horizons, because he felt the charm of high-level soccer, and also because he had a small cheat in his brain, he finally recognized what road he should walk.

From this point of view, Zhou Yi was actually lucky, because many people spend their entire lives without finding the path they should truly take. Some people think they are on the right path until they die, but they are wrong.

Many people, many people lose their way in life.

※※※

"Hey, Zhou Yi, what are you thinking?" Sun Pan asked Zhou Yi, who was standing on the treadmill preparing to start his physical training.

During dinner, Zhou Yi dropped a bombshell on everyone, and many people still hadn't recovered.

They couldn't understand why Zhou Yi would refuse such a good opportunity given by heaven.

Some people were even very upset—Zhou Yi gave up the opportunity so easily, it was simply a waste of God's gifts! If it were them, they would definitely seize the opportunity no matter what!

The person who had this idea was… Liang Qiqi.

Liang Qiqi was very upset, and the way he looked at Zhou Yi, he felt that every cell in his body was pretending.

"I'm not thinking about anything, I just think that since I want to seriously take this path, I can't settle for less..."

"Damn, you call going to Arsenal 'settling for less'?!" Sun Pan was shocked.

"Sun Pan, are you really not an Arsenal fan?" Zhou Yi was also strange.

"I'm a Xiangbei fan! Don't change the subject, I'm asking you, how is it settling for less?"

"Well... I still want to go to a team that can truly value me and understand me. After all, I didn't come from a regular professional training background, and I'm different from you guys."

"You think Arsenal doesn't value you?"

"They're not even willing to give me a special genius spot!"

"Damn it, I wouldn't give it to you either!"

"We're breaking up!"

"Okay, okay." Yang Muge quickly smoothed things over, "I think it's normal for Zhou Yi not to agree, it's not a big deal. With Zhou Yi's performance, I don't believe that Arsenal is the only team that has noticed him. There will definitely be other teams coming to find him later. So if he agrees too early, what if a better team comes along?"

"A better team?" Sun Pan looked at Yang Muge, frowned, and then his eyes lit up. "Barcelona?"

"It's not impossible. Anyway, I think Zhou Yi's style of play is very suitable for Barcelona," Yang Muge said.

"That's right." Sun Pan slapped his thigh. "If it's Barcelona... rejecting Arsenal isn't a big deal!"

Then he began to imagine for Zhou Yi: "If you can really go to Barcelona... La Masia, tsk tsk! What a sight!"

Guo Nu next to him also said excitedly: "I, I, I want to too..."

Sun Pan waved his hand, as if driving away a fly: "Don't think about it, you have no chance."

"Why, why?" Guo Nu stared at Sun Pan and asked.

"First, you're a defender, and second, you're short..." Sun Pan counted his fingers, but Zhou Yi interrupted him.

"The second point isn't a reason, Sun Pan. Lao Guo's height of 1.75 meters isn't considered short in Barcelona..."

"Lao Guo, Zhou Yi is insulting your team. I'm not someone who likes to stir up trouble, but I definitely couldn't stand this..."

"Don't sow discord, I'm serious. Didn't you guys listen carefully when you visited La Masia? The technical director said that the first thing La Masia founder Ruiz did after becoming the head of Barcelona's youth training academy was to remove a sign at the club headquarters that read 'If you are here to recommend young players under 1.8 meters tall, please leave'? So there's a reason why Barcelona players are generally not tall!"

"Is there such a thing?" Sun Pan looked at Yang Muge suspiciously. Although Zhou Yi's expression was serious, he couldn't be sure whether Zhou Yi was making things up with his serious face, so he chose to ask the off-field audience Yang Muge for help.

Yang Muge nodded: "That's right, that technical director did say something like that, and also said that La Masia's youth training philosophy is 'talent is the only standard'."

"See, I didn't say anything wrong." Zhou Yi spread his hands.

Why did Zhou Yi remember this so clearly? Because when La Masia's technical director Garcia told everyone that La Masia's founder was actually not Cruyff, but Ruiz, whom he had never heard of, Zhou Yi was very surprised and curious, which is why he remembered this clearly and had a deep impression.

However, the specific relationship between La Masia and Cruyff is a long story.

Simply put, it was because Montal, the then president of Barcelona, was dissatisfied with the youth team's performance and invited Ruiz to be the youth team coach. That was in 1972. Two years later, Ruiz became the head of the youth training academy, and he pointed out the direction for La Masia's future development, which was to abandon the simple physical quality to measure players and to focus on talent.

After Ruiz pointed out the direction for La Masia, Tote turned it into reality. Some media commented that "without Tote, there would be no La Masia." Tote initially served as a youth training coach, and in 1979 he assisted Nuñez in creating the La Masia youth training base and served as the youth training director. During his more than 30 years of work, he discovered countless talented players for Barcelona. He was the architect of La Masia.

And Cruyff was an important figure who allowed La Masia to break away from the simple meaning of youth training and rise to the strategic significance of the entire Barcelona club. His arrival changed La Masia and also changed Barcelona. Barcelona's current glory is greatly related to the fact that he first summoned all the youth team coaches and put forward his requirements when he first came to Barcelona to take over as coach.

Cruyff's requirements were simple: all levels of teams must use the 433 formation and establish the belief of "controlling the ball, passing, and using technology to disintegrate opponents."

Without his request, then La Masia would only be La Masia, and Barcelona would be Barcelona. La Masia's greatest achievement might be the same as Real Madrid's Castilla youth training camp, which could supply blood to the entire La Liga and cultivate many qualified and even excellent professional players, but it would not be able to influence a club and even the entire world football development and pattern so deeply as a youth training camp.

So now everyone mentions La Masia, they must mention Cruyff. In addition to the fact that Cruyff is more well-known in the public's mind than Ruiz and Tote, there is also this reason.

Cruyff is a link between the past and the future, and his vision far exceeded the limitations of the development of world football and people's thinking at that time. Although he only led the Dream Team to win one Champions League title, time has proved Cruyff's wisdom little by little in the years that followed.

Therefore, until now, no one dares to say no to Cruyff as the godfather of Barcelona.

※※※

Guo Nu was very happy to hear Zhou Yi say this: "Then, then I..."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi also shook his head at him: "Lao Guo, don't think too much." He patted Guo Nu on the shoulder and said in a painful tone.

Guo Nu lowered his head in frustration.

"Warm man" Yang Muge quickly comforted him: "Actually, you don't need to care too much about this issue, Lao Guo. Just because Barcelona doesn't like you doesn't mean other clubs won't like you. I believe that with your performance in these games, you will definitely attract the attention of some scouts. Zhou Yi's matter shows that our games can attract the interest of those European scouts."

"Th, thank you, Yang Muge. I f, feel much better..."

Sun Pan became more energetic when he heard Yang Muge say this: "Then will there be me? My performance is very good!"

Before Yang Muge could speak, Zhou Yi said next to him: "Anyway, Arsenal will definitely not like a goalkeeper who concedes seven goals in forty-five minutes..."

"Zhou Yi, are you still training or not! Why are you standing still, run! If you slack off again, be careful you'll be substituted in the last game!"

※※※

After finishing the evening special training, Zhou Yi returned to his room, and He Ying was waiting for him.

Then he asked: "Why didn't you agree to go to Arsenal?"

Zhou Yi suddenly felt annoyed. In the future, would everyone greet him with the opening sentence not being "Have you eaten today?" but "Why didn't you go to Arsenal?"...

He Ying didn't wait for Zhou Yi to answer, and continued: "For you, that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, right?"

Faced with He Ying's question, Zhou Yi spread his hands: "For Zhou Yi sitting in the classroom of Class Three, Grade Three of Qingyang No. 1 High School, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to be a student anymore, I want to be a professional player, a very, very successful professional player," Zhou Yi said.

He Ying was stunned.

"I'm already seventeen years old, and next year at this time I'll be eighteen, which is already an adult. Today, a teammate said that my foundation is not solid and that I should train in the youth team for a few more years. I don't think so. Because time is running out, I hope to be able to come into contact with higher-level soccer. This is a crucial period for me to grow, and what I need is not a lot of training, but a lot of games. I have already felt this deeply after playing a few games in Europe. I want to play in the first team as soon as possible. I hope to go to a team that promises me a first team spot, even if it's not a powerhouse. I don't care about the reputation and number of fans of the team I join. It's enough if they can give me a chance to play, value me, and understand me. I don't want to waste a few years in the youth team of a powerhouse and waste my best years."

Zhou Yi finished speaking in one breath. He decided that this was the last time he would answer this question. No matter who asked in the future, he would just talk nonsense.

Arsenal's ranking is too low, they can't even get into the top three!

I'm not a brainless fan of Arsenal!

The weather in London is terrible, and the food is not good either!

London (a hundred years ago) had smog!

...

Take whichever reason you like.

Finally, he looked at the stunned He Ying and said, "This is a little ambition of mine."