Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

"However, there is still hope."

Upon hearing Benitez's words, Jiang Yan, whose head had been slumped, raised it again, and his eyes gradually brightened.

"I'll do anything as long as there's even a sliver of possibility! I believe I'm capable of that position! Master Bei..."

As soon as he uttered the word "master," Benitez's lips began to curl into an uncontrollable smile.

Seeing this, he quickly interlaced his fingers and raised his arms in front of him to cover the lower half of his face.

"Ahem... The Champions League schedule for this season has been announced, and our first opponent is 'Giallorossi' Roma."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan finally understood Benitez's intention.

"The higher-ups mean that La Liga doesn't mean much, but if we can have a decisive performance in the Champions League knockout stages, then we'll be ready for the summer transfer window..."

"I will deliver a decisive performance." Jiang Yan's words were uttered without the slightest hesitation. "I will use my strength to shatter prejudice."

Seeing that Jiang Yan was not affected, Benitez finally felt relieved.

If his precious apprentice loses confidence because of this, then it would be a loss that outweighs the gain.

But it also proves Jiang Yan's character.

"Alright, that's enough about the serious stuff. It's Christmas Eve, so stay and try your teacher's wife's cooking."

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate..."

Snapped! !

Benitez slammed his hand on the table.

"You're my apprentice. I told you to stay, so you stay. Why are you making so many questions about whether it's appropriate or not?"

Benitez was extremely domineering and gave Jiang Yan no chance to refuse.

"Or are you going to spend Christmas Eve with your reporter girlfriend or Miss Emily?"

Jiang Yan quickly waved his hand.

"Master, please stop teasing me..."

"Then stay."

Since he had said so, Jiang Yan couldn't refuse, as this was his first time spending Christmas Eve in Spain.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, thank you Master and Mistress!"

A rich aroma soon filled the kitchen, a blend of spices and roasted meat—a typical Spanish home-style flavor.

The master's wife smiled and brought out plates of food, warmly greeting Jiang Yan and calling him "child" repeatedly, which completely relaxed his tense mind.

It was my first time spending Christmas Eve, and it felt pretty good.

……

The next day.

Qin Wanyu: Arthur has already agreed. He's quite excited because he heard it's for you.

Jiang Yan: That's good. I hope they don't empty my savings, otherwise I won't be able to go to Sanya and will have to go to Equatorial Guinea instead.

Qin Wanyu: Hehe, don't underestimate this kid. At 20 years old, he's already a graduate student majoring in finance and will graduate next year. Then he can build his own team.

Jiang Yan: You've thought long-term.

Qin Wanyu: Who told you to be the kind of person whose brain can't hold anything else but football?

Jiang Yan: Hehe.

Qin Wanyu: (Rolls her eyes)

……

After Christmas, Real Madrid players returned to intensive training.

Although everyone has been training at home, it is still necessary to resume training and tactical drills for matches.

However, although James Rodriguez and Jiang Yan rarely interacted, the two never really got along.

During the training match, Benitez also tacitly avoided pairing James Rodriguez and Jiang Yan together.

Clearly, James Rodriguez also received some news and gradually put away his aloofness, returning to his usual behavior when interacting with Real Madrid players, except for Jiang Yan.

But if I had to say...

His current situation with Jiang Yan is similar to usual; they barely acknowledge each other.

Jiang Yan wisely ignored him.

Due to pressure from higher-ups, Jiang Yan was not included in the squad for Real Madrid's home game against Real Sociedad on December 30.

Jiang Yan was quite happy to have some free time, treating the trip as a 10-day mini-vacation.

However, since it was a match at Real Madrid's home stadium, Jiang Yan naturally had to attend.

Time flew by and the day of the competition arrived.

In the 17th round of La Liga, Real Madrid will host Real Sociedad.

Real Sociedad was founded on September 7, 1909, in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain. In 1910, it was granted a royal title by Alfonso XIII. It is a founding member of La Liga and is nicknamed the Blue and Whites.

They also use "Royal" as a title.

Therefore, Real Sociedad is considered a junior team compared to Real Madrid, so the match between the two teams is naturally not very tense.

After receiving the signing fee, Jiang Yan purchased a VIP box at the Real Madrid stadium for the annual meeting, which would not cause a commotion like before.

"As expected of annual meeting members, they even have a private VIP channel. There's definitely a reason why they're so expensive."

When he entered Real Madrid's VIP box, he saw an unexpected figure.

What are you doing here?

"I was just about to ask that, Dr. Emily, what's wrong...?"

Emily pointed to her seat and said with a smile:

"This place was bought by my father. Don't let my appearance fool you, my father still owns his own business."

"We always seem to bump into each other."

Emily lowered her head shyly and casually tucked her beautiful blonde hair behind her ear.

And so, the two of them began to chat in the VIP room as if no one else was around.

In a corner unseen by the two, a pair of eyes were watching them intently.

……

The players from both sides enter the field.

Because Jiang Yan was not selected for the match roster, the number of Chinese fans watching the game decreased somewhat, but most of them came for Cristiano Ronaldo.

After all, in the hearts of fans, Cristiano Ronaldo is the king of the Bernabéu.

Jiang Yan's influence is far less than that of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid's starting lineup remains the familiar 4-3-3.

The attacking line remains the BBC trio, the midfield duo of the veterans and James Rodriguez partnered together, and Nacho replaced Ramos in defense.

Real Sociedad fielded a classic 4-2-3-1 defensive formation.

……

Inside the VIP box.

"Royal Society has set its sights very low right from the start, it seems they have no desires or ambitions," Emily said.

Jiang Yan turned his head to look at her, his expression full of surprise. "I didn't expect Emily to know so much about football."

"Don't let my being a physical therapist fool you; I'm a seasoned football fan, after all!"

"Alright, alright." Jiang Yan nodded with a smile. "After all, the two clubs have a good relationship, so naturally protecting the players and conserving their energy is the priority."

"What you said makes sense."

"However, this is the first time I've watched a game from this angle. It feels like watching a video."

Upon hearing Jiang Yan say this, Emily seemed to suddenly realize something.

"This angle might give you a different feeling, and it might even improve your football skills."

……

The match officially began, and the players from both sides shook hands.

Real Madrid kicked off first.

Benzema passed the ball to Kroos, who calmly passed it back, followed by a series of passes within the defensive third.

For the first 15 minutes, both sides played very peacefully, with few attacks that could directly threaten the goal.

The change occurred 3 minutes later.