Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

"Beep, beep beep!!"

finally.

Real Madrid defeated Roma 4-0.

They advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 8-1.

At the Olympic Stadium, the Red Wolves fans were utterly heartbroken.

In contrast, Real Madrid fans were celebrating joyfully.

Having defeated Roma without much effort, their next opponent will be Wolfsburg from the Bundesliga.

......

Jiang Yan, a young player from China, was undoubtedly awarded the best player of the match.

As the best player of the match, he naturally couldn't escape media interviews.

Reporters aimed their cameras and microphones at the somewhat thin-looking boy.

Reporter: "Jiang, your performance tonight was truly outstanding. You deservedly won the MVP award for this match. Salah, who was matched up against you, suffered a crushing defeat. Is there anything you'd like to say to him?"

Jiang Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The future is yours."

Click! Click! Click!

As soon as one reporter finished their interview, another reporter asked, "Jiang, will you stay at Real Madrid indefinitely? Do you think you can finish your career at Real Madrid?"

"Real Madrid is my second home, and my teammates are my family. I won't be thinking about these issues for now."

"One last question: with the current La Liga schedule, there are only two matches left before the international break. Will you represent the Chinese national team?"

"Yes, I will." Jiang Yan answered without hesitation, almost blurting it out.

This caused a complete uproar among Chinese netizens.

Is Jiang Shen going to join the national team?

[OMG! This means we'll be able to see Jiang Shen play at our home stadium!]

[I can't even imagine what it will be like when Jiang Shen returns to China!]

Stop talking, I'm going to check the national football team's next match right now!

Even if Jiang Shen (a nickname for a Chinese football player) comes back, it won't help! I've already checked. For the Chinese national football team to qualify for the World Cup qualifiers, they not only need to beat the Maldives and group winner Qatar, but also Jordan, North Korea, and Oman! This is simply an impossible task!

Even though you've said so much, I still believe in Jiang Shen.

[Trust in Jiang Shen!]

"Many Chinese football fans are looking forward to this moment. You carry the expectations of countless Chinese football fans on your shoulders. We hope to see you lead the Chinese team in the 2018 World Cup."

"Is this what Chinese football fans are hoping for...?"

There is less than a month until the international match day.

There is still plenty of time.

Although the Chinese national football team's teammates are certainly not as strong as those at Real Madrid.

There will also be differences in the coach's tactical arrangements and lineup system.

But as a Chinese person, being able to fight for one's country is definitely an honor.

Moreover, the Chinese team is not necessarily worse than other Asian teams!

It's just the World Cup, isn't it?

He went and placed the order right away!

……

After the interview, Jiang Yan calmed himself down and decided to learn about the development of football in China.

Regardless, I absolutely must attend this kind of international event.

What if it triggers some system reward?

The idea had barely taken root in my mind.

A cold, mechanical electronic voice sounded.

[Ding~ We've detected that you're about to participate in an international competition. We're issuing you a new mission—your national team debut!]

[Mission Brief: Finally, you make your national team debut! Facing a weak opponent, please play with spirit and secure victory for the Chinese team!]

[Reward: Random Player Skill Pack x1]

I go!

This system truly lives up to its word.

I had barely taken over the national team when the system's task was already assigned.

Next, we need to learn more about our opponents during the international match day.

……

After the match, the entire Real Madrid team returned to their hotel.

The original plan was to fly directly back to Madrid after the match, but a minor malfunction was discovered during the inspection.

For safety reasons, the entire Real Madrid team had to spend the night in Italy.

Taking this opportunity, Jiang Yan opened the skill pack that the system had given him after completing the steal mission.

"System, open the skill pack!"

[Skill pack unlocked...]

The next second, Jiang Yan seemed to be on a green field, and a black figure appeared in front of him.

The figure stood motionless in the middle of the field.

Without flashy dribbling or powerful long-range shots, he always manages to appear precisely on the passing lane in the blink of an eye during the transition between offense and defense.

Midfield advance intercepted, cross from the wing blocked, opponent's counter-attack thwarted!

The next second, he was already in position, making a clean tackle and a calm interception, instantly changing possession of the ball.

He is the shield of the midfield, the pillar of the defense, and the textbook example of a defensive midfielder in football.

[A midfield shield, a defensive stalwart, and a master of tackling are his defining characteristics.]

He was the cornerstone of Real Madrid and Chelsea's midfield, building a defensive wall for the team with tireless running and precise tackling. His presence allowed his teammates to push forward with confidence, making him the most reliable shield behind countless top midfielders.

……

[Congratulations on obtaining the Makelele "Midfield Barrier - Interception" skill pack!]

Your defensive skills have improved! Defense: 70→80; Defensive awareness: 75→80

[During the game, you can more easily anticipate passing routes, make precise interceptions, and improve your defensive coverage and passing ability after winning the ball.]

It's actually Real Madrid legend Makelele's "tackling" skill set!

This is really great stuff!

If you combine the two skill packs, 【Perfect Positioning】 and 【One-on-One Defense】, wouldn't you be invincible in one-on-one defense?

Originally, I just wanted to play as an attacking midfielder, but I never expected that I would become an all-around midfielder who can both attack and defend!

What a cruel twist of fate!

After checking the new skill pack, Jiang Yan originally planned to study the national football team.

But as soon as I turned on the computer, Benzema's words suddenly came to mind.

"Try browsing your Instagram private messages now and then; you might be pleasantly surprised..."

Jiang Yan clicked on Instagram as if by some strange impulse.

"If it's just to confirm with Benzema, it's impossible to make a date so soon..."

Private message:

"Hey! Jiang! You're a fucking genius!"

"Jiang~ Would you like to get to know me? I have some special skills I'd like to show you."

"Handsome young man, interested in showing off your Chinese dragon?"

……

Looking around, all that could be seen were vulgar and offensive remarks. Jiang Yan, a supposedly upright gentleman...

He loves looking at these filthy things the most.

"It always feels like an ancient emperor choosing a concubine."

Just as he was about to go through the messages one by one.

A profile picture caught his eye.

She was a beautiful woman with light brown blonde hair; one glance was enough to tell she had the bone structure of a beauty.

People of color have colored hair, pink skin, blue eyes, red lips, and deep facial features.

She looked like a woman who had stepped out of an oil painting.

(Reference: Onera Muti)

Jiang Yan's interest was piqued at first glance, especially when he saw the little green dot on the other person's profile picture.

I'm online right now!

After opening the dialog box, a self-introduction in Spanish is displayed.

"Hola, Jiang, my name is Omera Gina. I watched you play football today. That powerful shot was really cool. I hope to see more of yours in the future."

Unexpectedly, she even watched her own match live.

Jiang Yan quickly typed a reply:

"Hola Gina, thank you for coming to watch my match. You are the most beautiful Italian girl I have ever seen. It is my honor to be liked by you."

Less than a minute after the message was sent.

"!"

Gina sent a big exclamation mark.

"I didn't expect you to actually reply to me. This is the first time I've gone to watch a game live with my father. I used to be a complete football idiot who knew nothing about football."

"I see, so it seems I'm your first star player."

"I wonder if I'll have a chance to get your autograph. I heard Real Madrid's plane had a minor malfunction..."

Jiang Yan sent the hotel address and room number.

"Our whole team is stuck here~ It looks like the only way back to Spain is tomorrow~"

"That's such an honor!"

The two had just finished their conversation.

Bang bang bang!

A knock came at the door.

Jiang Yan looked through the peephole.

"Karim? What happened?"

"Hehe~ Of course, I'm inviting you to the part! I've arranged to meet a model on Instagram, bro, are you confident you can take on one of them and show off your Chinese dragon style?"

Jiang Yan quickly waved his hand and said that he had an appointment. Unexpectedly, Benzema immediately put on a pained expression after hearing this.

"Damn it! I can't believe you beat me to it! I really want to be the star player too!"

Upon seeing this.

"You're already the center of attention enough... Besides," Jiang Yan said, pulling a soccer ball out of the room, "I'm going on a date with it tonight, so you can go without worry."

Benzema finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Jiang Yan take out the football.

"This is the Jiang Yan I know. Real Madrid should award you a 'Gentleman's Award'! You need to relax a little every now and then!"

……

After Benzema left, Gina arrived as promised.

Jiang Yan specially prepared snacks and small drinks with alcohol content.

"Teacher Jiang Yan..."

"Miss Gina, your face..."

Gina's face turned red at a visible speed after she saw Jiang Yan.

"I'm fine... I'm fine, you're even more handsome than in your Instagram photos!"

Jiang Yan felt a little shy after being praised by the beautiful woman and could only respond with a smile.

"Oh, right, about the autograph..."

With a whoosh!

Gina then took out a beautifully crafted booklet from her bag.

"Thank you so much!"

Jiang Yan took the notebook from Gina and casually opened it to a page, just as he was about to sign it.

slap~

A ring fell out from the insert of the booklet.

It landed perfectly between the two of them.

"what!"

Gina quickly bent down and used her body to block the small ring.

Seeing Gina's clumsy movements, Jiang Yan couldn't help but smile.

"Miss Gina."

"yes!"

At this moment, she didn't dare to look up at Jiang Yan, and her face was burning red.

After all, what kind of decent person would bring something like this to meet a man?

Doesn't this prove that she has ulterior motives?

"I don't really like wearing this."