Chapter 1 He's Late

While heading to the training grounds to prepare for practice, Zhou Yi and Mark walked together. He leaned in close to Mark and whispered, "Mark, have you seen Schneider?"

"No... Oh, that's right, I haven't." Only after Zhou Yi asked did Mark realize that Schneider hadn't been present when Götze introduced them to everyone. "Isn't he with the U19s?"

"Hehe." Zhou Yi chuckled, already guessing what had happened—Schneider was late for training!

"This should be interesting," he said to Mark.

Just as Zhou Yi and Mark were finishing their warm-up with their teammates, someone hurried onto the training field.

It was Schneider, whom both he and Mark knew well.

This greatly angered the U19 head coach, Peter Hyballa.

"Schneider! Why are you late for training!" he roared at Schneider.

Zhou Yi crossed his arms, nudged Mark, and wore a look of anticipation.

Seeing the head coach angry, Schneider quickly adopted a respectful attitude and explained, "Uh, sorry, sir. I didn't mean to be late. Actually, on my way to Brackel, I encountered an old lady with an injured dog asking for help, so I took them to the vet first... I drove as fast as I could, sir. Any faster and I was afraid I wouldn't make it to training at all..."

Although Hyballa was angry, seeing Schneider's sincere attitude, he didn't investigate further. He simply warned Schneider not to let it happen again and gestured for him to catch up on the warm-up.

Unexpectedly, Schneider said, "Sir, I sprinted all the way from the parking lot. I think I'm already warmed up..."

But this time, Hyballa wasn't letting Schneider off so easily. "Go warm up!"

Schneider had no choice but to obediently warm up.

The teammates burst into laughter at Schneider being scolded.

But Zhou Yi was dumbfounded. "Seriously? Are all Germans this rigid? He let him off with such an obvious lie? Couldn't the coach tell?"

Mark retorted, "I'm German too, and I could tell. Knowing him, Schneider is definitely not the type to be compassionate. Not to dogs, and not to old ladies."

"Then the coach didn't notice?" Zhou Yi asked in surprise.

"Maybe... he has other considerations," Mark speculated.

As the two huddled together, whispering and discussing Schneider, Schneider noticed them.

He was taken aback when he saw Zhou Yi and Mark were also in the team.

Seeing that he'd been spotted, Zhou Yi waved to Schneider, saying generously, "Hi, Schneider. I told you back then, I'm your teammate."

These words instantly stirred up Schneider's unpleasant memories. In his eyes, Zhou Yi's words were nothing short of provocation!

So Schneider glared at Zhou Yi, not responding to him.

At the same time, he noticed Mark standing next to Zhou Yi and was equally surprised—how did this waste get into the U19s?

Faced with Schneider's unfriendly gaze, Mark didn't lower his head this time but met his gaze head-on.

This kind of Mark made Schneider uncomfortable, but now, in such a public setting, he couldn't do anything to Mark. He could only turn his head away, scoffing disdainfully in his heart.

Anyway, they'd be back in the U17s soon. There was no point in paying attention to them.

The U19s were different from the U17s—these were just kids who hadn't even grown all their hair yet!

Schneider couldn't figure out how Zhou Yi and Mark had made it to the U19s. Since he left the U17s, he hadn't paid any attention to that place, unlike Götze, who still greeted and reminisced with his old teammates. Schneider was arrogant, as if he were already a first-team star, looking down on his former teammates.

His thinking was simple—those people were still stuck in the U17s, which meant they were all pathetic losers with inferior skills. Why would someone like him, who was determined to become a big star, still associate with them? It would be beneath him!

So he naturally didn't know how outstanding Zhou Yi and Mark had been in the Ruhr derby that had just ended in the U17s, and he certainly didn't know how well Zhou Yi and Mark had performed in the series of warm-up matches before that.

Although the U19 and U17 locker rooms were only a two-minute walk away, and the U19 and U17 training fields were separated only by a wire fence and a slope, for Schneider, it felt as distant as Dortmund to Munich.

He didn't care how Mark and Zhou Yi had made it to the U19s, because in his eyes, the outcome would be the same. It wouldn't be long before the two of them would slink back to the U17s, which was where those losers belonged.

Let them rot there!

※※※

The U19's morning training mainly consisted of various team exercises, including warm-ups, defensive training, offensive training, passing drills, and shooting practice... all the usual training content.

It wasn't much different from the U17s, except the intensity was higher and the pace was faster.

It was clear that as the highest level in the youth team system, the U19's training was the most intense a youth player could receive.

Although the U23s online had a "U" in their name, they weren't actually a youth team but a reserve team.

German teams didn't call their reserve teams "reserve teams" like in England, or "second teams," or "B teams" like in Spain.

They were called U23s.

After reaching a certain age, some of the U19 players would be promoted to the U23s, while others who didn't meet the team's requirements would leave the team and play for other clubs. Only a very small number would be directly transferred to the first team due to their outstanding talent and performance. Even if they went to the first team, they might not immediately get to play in matches. More often than not, they would train with the first team but still play for the reserve team.

Even a talent like Götze, who was directly transferred from the U17s to the first team, could only train and not play.

So the gap between the youth team and the first team was like a chasm. Without extraordinary effort, extraordinary talent, and luck, one might remain a youth team player forever.

In the afternoon training, Zhou Yi completed some of the training tasks with the team and was then taken to the gym.

Zhou Yi was no stranger to the gym. He had trained here for two months to improve his physical fitness.

But this time, he was here to train... strength.

Waiting for him in the gym was no longer the physical fitness coach Bartlett but Florian Wangler, who specialized in strength training within the physical fitness coaching team. Just by looking at his physique, one could tell what he did, because he looked like a bodybuilder, his upper body perfectly shaped like an inverted triangle.

Compared to him, Zhou Yi looked like a tiny bean.

"Hello, Chinese boy, I'm the number one macho man in Borussia Dortmund," Wangler joked as he shook hands with Zhou Yi and introduced himself. "You can call me 'Coach,' but I'd be even happier if you called me 'Macho Man.'"

At only twenty-eight years old, he was more lively than Barteltt, who was almost forty.

"Okay, Macho Man Coach," Zhou Yi said, shaking his hand.

Hearing Zhou Yi call him that, Wangler laughed heartily. "I guarantee you'll have a great future in Dortmund!"

"Is that because I called you that, Macho Man Coach?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Not entirely." Wangler waved his hand, becoming slightly more serious. "You're a young man Jürgen values highly. I've never seen him put in this much effort for anyone. You know, Oliver (Bartlett) and I are both members of the first-team coaching staff, but now we're giving you special attention. Do you know the expectations placed upon you?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

"So are you scared now, Chinese boy?" Wangler winked playfully again. "If you want to give up now, there's still time."

"I'm alright," Zhou Yi shrugged. "If I wanted to give up, I would have given up a long time ago. I wouldn't have waited until now."

Wangler whistled. "Ambitious. I like you, Chinese boy!"

※※※

After the jokes, the formal training began.

Or rather, the prelude to the formal training began.

Wangler wasn't in a hurry to have Zhou Yi start using the equipment.

Instead, he asked Zhou Yi a question that was very familiar to him.

"How do you understand strength, Chinese boy?"

Zhou Yi suspected that Wangler and Barteltt had colluded...

This time, he didn't directly say nonsense like "Strength is strength." He thought for a moment, considering the question from a soccer perspective, and then gave his answer: "The ability to withstand physical contact, I guess, is how I understand it."

Seeing the smile on Wangler's face, Zhou Yi quickly added, "Am I wrong again?"

Wangler smiled even more brightly. "Not entirely right."

Zhou Yi wore an "I knew it" expression.

Wangler continued, "Strength does include the concept of the ability to withstand physical contact, but for soccer players, it's not just that. You came to me because you lack the ability to withstand physical contact, so I will naturally help you gain basic physical contact ability, but strength training isn't just about turning you into a muscle man. Although I don't think there's anything wrong with muscle men, you're a soccer player, and being covered in muscles isn't necessarily a good thing."

"Because that would affect flexibility and balance?" Zhou Yi asked.

Wangler snapped his fingers. "Exactly. So a player's strength and a wrestler's strength are two different concepts. The ability to withstand physical contact is only part of it. The other part refers to the strength of your muscles, and this strength isn't used to physically confront others, but to increase your other abilities, such as... speed, jumping ability, balance, and it can also protect you and prevent you from getting injured."

The last point, that strength training could prevent injuries, made Zhou Yi very curious. It was the first time he had heard such a thing.

"It can also protect me from getting injured?" he asked.

"Of course. Imagine this—when you and an opponent jump to head the ball and then fall from the air, which parts bear the impact when you land? You bend your knees, right?"

Zhou Yi nodded. Wasn't that an instinctive action?

"That's a person's subconscious protective mechanism. If your legs didn't bend and you landed stiffly, what would happen? Without cushioning, all the force would act on your bones and joints, and then your legs... would be ruined. But precisely because the knees bend, a large part of the impact is cushioned, protecting your joints and bones. If you have strong and powerful leg muscles, you can better control your knees to achieve better posture control when landing, effectively avoiding injuries."

"Of course, in soccer games, not every landing is done under your complete control. Sometimes, you have to use some unconventional and somewhat dangerous movements to land. At this time, if your hamstrings are too weak and can't better control your knees, then you'll land with stiff, straight legs, which will cause your tibia to shift forward, putting pressure on your ACL, the anterior cruciate ligament. When the knee is close to a straight position, the hamstrings are at a structural disadvantage when stabilizing the tibia's forward movement, leading to ACL injuries. Conversely, when the knee is bent, the impact won't cause the tibia to shift forward. The stronger the knee's ability to flex, the lower the probability of an ACL tear."

Zhou Yi realized that no matter what kind of person they were usually, when it came to their area of expertise, Wangler and Barteltt were actually no different... serious and responsible, and spouting professional jargon all over the place. It gave him a feeling of "I don't understand, but it sounds impressive."

Seeing Zhou Yi's increasingly confused expression, Wangler knew that it was still difficult for Zhou Yi to understand all the professional terms he had just rattled off, so he gave a simpler example.

"During warm-ups, you've done this warm-up exercise, right?" Wangler said, gesturing for Zhou Yi to come over. Then, he held Zhou Yi's arm, lifted his left leg, bent it, and suspended it in the air, keeping his upper body straight. He slowly bent his right leg, almost forming a ninety-degree angle between his thigh and calf, and then slowly straightened it again.

Then he bent and straightened it repeatedly for several sets.

Of course, Zhou Yi had done this warm-up exercise. He and Mark held each other's arms, then squatted on one leg, ten times per set. After one squat, they would switch to the other leg and continue. This warm-up was considered quite difficult, because it required a slow speed at a deep level, and it was also done on one leg. The two of them pulled on each other, sometimes struggling to maintain balance, and their bodies would sway back and forth. At this time, the assistant coach would loudly remind them to keep their upper bodies straight and maintain balance.

"This warm-up works out many muscles, including the hamstrings." Wangler pointed to the muscles on the back of his thigh. "The hamstrings, extending down from the gluteus maximus, are like twisted ropes connecting to your knee. They are the main muscles controlling the knee joint. This warm-up is an effective exercise for your hamstrings, which can help you strengthen your control over your knees. During your training, do the coaches remind you to maintain balance?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

"If you're swaying back and forth, it means you're not controlling your knees well. On one hand, you're not achieving the purpose of the exercise, and on the other hand, it could lead to knee ligament injuries."

Wangler's explanation made Zhou Yi suddenly understand.

He had originally thought that squats were just for increasing leg strength and improving jumping ability...

He didn't expect there to be so much more to it.

"So, do you understand what strength is really for now?"

"I understand. To increase the ability to withstand physical contact, and to protect yourself."

"Exactly." Wangler snapped his fingers again. "Now that we understand what 'strength' is, let's specifically analyze your situation. Your primary problem right now is a lack of ability to withstand physical contact. Physical contact is a comprehensive confrontation that involves muscles in many parts of the body. Leg muscles are important. If you can't stand firmly, you can't withstand the opponent's pressure. But leg muscles are often involved in daily training, so we won't start with leg muscles first, but with the arms."

Wangler grabbed Zhou Yi's arm and tutted. "These little arms... I'm really afraid I'll break them, Chinese boy."

Zhou Yi quickly said, "Don't worry, Macho Man Coach, I'm not calcium deficient."

"But you're protein powder deficient," Wangler said. "From now on, after every strength training session, you have to supplement with protein powder. At least that will make you look less scrawny. If I hadn't been to China and seen you like this, I'd really wonder if China hasn't solved the problem of providing enough food for everyone."

Wangler's words immediately raised the issue to the level of "China's image." Zhou Yi had to train his small frame so as not to tarnish the motherland's reputation...

"There's a saying that 'soccer is a leg sport.' But that's wrong. Soccer is a full-body sport, and upper body strength is indispensable. Why start with arm strength? Imagine yourself, during a game, do you frequently use your arms to block opponents from infringing on you?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "Yes."

"So, to enhance the ability to withstand physical contact, arm muscle strength must be trained. In addition, maintaining balance is also required when making physical contact, and the arms play a crucial role in maintaining balance. In your warm-ups, isn't there one exercise where you stand on one leg while holding a soccer ball?"

"Yes, there is," Zhou Yi said.

Each player holds a soccer ball, then stands on one leg, making sure that the knees of both legs don't bump into each other, holding for thirty seconds, then switching to the other leg and continuing.

Zhou Yi didn't really understand the meaning of this warm-up.

But it didn't matter, Wangler would explain it to him soon.

"This warm-up mainly works the hip flexors, including the psoas major, psoas minor, iliacus, and rectus femoris, the hip extensors, including the gluteus maximus and hamstrings, as well as the tensor fasciae latae, sartorius, and iliotibial band. It mainly trains balance ability, and many knee injuries occur because the reaction is not fast enough when the body loses balance. Standing on one leg can improve your balance and knee control in different movements—you see, it's still the ability to control the muscles."

"But why hold a soccer ball? Single-leg training is enough to practice balance, right..." Zhou Yi asked his question.

"That's what I'm going to talk about next. Why hold a soccer ball? Simple, because holding a soccer ball causes some distraction and a shift in balance attention. Your hands can't help you maintain balance, so the brain and spinal cord area will more subconsciously adjust balance."

This made a lot of sense. Zhou Yi did feel that standing on one leg while holding a soccer ball was more difficult than standing on one leg without holding a soccer ball.

"So, excellent soccer players have well-developed upper body strength, which you can see from the pictures of them after they take off their shirts. We'll start with upper body strength training first, and then gradually increase the training of other parts, ultimately bringing your body strength to a balanced state. But the most important first thing is..."

Wangler looked Zhou Yi up and down and then said.

"You need to gain weight."