socalfunplaces Chapter 11 First Release
Chapter 11 First Release
……
night.
Li Jing lay on the bed with his hands behind his head.
My mind keeps uncontrollably filled with everything that happened this afternoon.
However, Li Jing forcefully suppressed it.
Finally, she fell asleep.
……
Early the next morning.
"Bang!"
Raiola slammed open the door to Li Jing's apartment.
Without even taking off his coat, he slammed a tablet computer heavily onto the living room sofa.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Raiola was panting heavily, his oversized suit jacket bulging, and his face was ashen.
"What exactly did I emphasize to you yesterday? Did you even listen?"
The tablet screen was lit up, displaying the online front page of the newspaper AS.
The bold black headline took up half the page: "[Atletico Madrid's new signing suffers a horrific accident on his first day of training: malicious foul causes teammate to tear ligament, ruling him out for the second half of the season!]"
Below was a blurry picture of Pizzi lying on the grass, groaning in pain.
Raiola was furious: "Now your image is even worse, even Atletico Madrid fans are very resentful towards you!"
Some tabloids even described Li Jing as an executioner and barbarian from Asia.
Li Jing had just finished showering and was drying her hair with a towel in her hand.
He glanced down at the screen.
He was also somewhat surprised, as he had originally planned to speak to Raiola on his own initiative today.
According to his line of thinking, even if such a thing happened...
They shouldn't have made it to the media either; at least, given the public opinion climate, Atletico Madrid wouldn't want this matter to escalate like this.
He doesn't have the habit of watching the morning news, so he didn't see it at all.
"Are you crazy?!"
Raiola suddenly grabbed her already sparse hair.
"This is your first day! What did I just tell you this morning? Keep a low profile! Don't cause trouble!"
You sent the team's key defensive midfielder to the ambulance this afternoon? Now everyone outside is cursing you! Messi's extreme fans have started a petition online demanding Atletico Madrid release you!
"Now even Atlético Madrid fans aren't protecting you anymore; they're calling you a savage monkey!"
"Damn it."
"And which son of a bitch leaked this information?!"
……
At the same time.
A studio apartment in downtown Madrid.
Yang Fengying sneezed, followed by a massive tremor in her chest.
Yang Fengying sat cross-legged on the carpet, looking at the article titled "Exclusive Scoop: Atlético Madrid Locker Room Storm, the Whole Story of the Recording Scandal and the Training Ground Injury Incident."
She looked at the constantly popping transfer notifications and soaring clicks in the background, and started humming a song with a pout.
Regardless of the truth, working in Atlético Madrid's media department gives me a significant advantage.
As long as the ingredients are plentiful enough, enjoying both sides is incredibly satisfying.
This is the charm of monetizing information asymmetry!
……
The scene cuts back to Li Jing's apartment.
Li Jing draped a towel over the back of the chair, pulled out the chair, and sat down.
"There's nothing I can do about it."
Raiola froze, the profanity stuck in his throat.
Li Jing poured himself a glass of water and pointed to his left ankle:
"He lifted both feet off the ground, brandishing his cleats, and went straight for my supporting leg."
I didn't hide; I'm the one lying in the hospital now, out for the rest of the season.
If it were you, would you dodge?
I dodged it, then stomped on it back – that was my instinctive counterattack.
Mino, as mentioned in the article, is simply not of interest to the public.
Raiola's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty after hearing this.
Having been in the football world for so many years, he knows all too well the unspoken rules of the locker room.
I never expected the first day to be this intense.
Raiola flipped through the article and, sure enough, the small print contained those details.
If that's the case, it's definitely not Li Jing's problem.
"What did Simone say?"
Raiola asked the most crucial question.
"He didn't call a foul."
Li Jing took a sip of water.
He said that a fool who couldn't even protect himself deserved to be carried out.
Raiola let out a long breath and slumped his massive body into the sofa.
As long as the head coach has no objections, no matter how fiercely the media criticizes, it's just barking like a dog.
Even negative publicity is still publicity; as a top agent, Raiola understands the power of online traffic all too well.
As long as he can play on the field, this wave of attention will eventually be converted into commercial value.
……
The next morning.
Atlético Madrid training ground.
Just as Li Jing finished changing into his training clothes and walked to the sidelines, a red and white training vest was thrown at him.
He reached out and caught it.
Main player vest.
Yesterday, the yellow vest symbolized substitute players, but today it has become the red and white checkered training vest exclusively for Atlético Madrid's starters.
Didn't I destroy that guy yesterday?
This is?
Simone stood three steps away, hands in his pockets.
"Kid, you've sent my key defensive midfielder to the hospital."
Simone stared at him with a brutal, oppressive smile that also carried a hint of wicked humor.
"Now the team is short one of the dirty workers. Since you were the one who ruined him, you'll fill that position."
The Argentine players who were warming up nearby all stopped moving.
Li Jing frowned slightly, then smiled again.
I thought I must have caused some trouble yesterday.
He has to wait for the next opportunity, maybe as a substitute in the next game, and slowly earn the right to start.
But unexpectedly, Simone...
Isn't this just putting yourself in a difficult position?
Not only within the team, but Li Jing also dared not imagine what public opinion would be like if the fans found out.
But that bastard Simeone is really to my liking!
but.
He is a striker, or more specifically, an attacking midfielder.
Should we move him to defensive midfield now?
On the football field, the roles of attacking midfielder and defensive midfielder differ by only one word, but their responsibilities are worlds apart.
Defensive midfielders require excellent defensive positioning, interception range, and passing ability.
"I've never played as a defensive midfielder," Li Jing said honestly.
"Then go learn it!"
Simeone pointed to the field,
"In my team, wherever you are on this field, you're to go for the ball like a mad dog! Put on your vest and get on the field!"
Li Jing didn't waste any more words and put on the red and white vest.
The whistle blew.
Training immediately transitioned into high-intensity full-court drills.
That's Simeone's coaching style; he never wastes time on off-the-ball laps or complicated passing drills.
Using matches as training, the most realistic and intense competition is used to push the players' physical strength and tactical execution to their limits.
The substitutes gained possession and began passing the ball around in midfield.
The training content was the same as yesterday; the main team did not attack the goal.
However, this time, he switched to the main team.
……