When Alberto Masi praised Gao Zheng, not all reserve players in the locker room recognized Gao Zheng. They just couldn't show their disapproval because of their face. After all, Gao Zheng didn't mess with them, just came for a trial. Who knows if he could stay in the team in a week? There is no need to offend him.

Especially when I heard that Gao Zheng had only won the honor when he was in U16, many people didn't take Gao Zheng seriously.

These players are basically eighteen-year-old and nineteen-year-old players. Who didn’t come all the way from U15 and U16?

Who was not the best among his peers when he was a teenager?

But it is very difficult to get to the present. It does not mean that you performed well in your youth, but you should be here now. Along the way, they have seen countless peers falling behind, and some of them are even more talented than them...

So what?

Professional football is a typical pyramid structure. The top players are all at the top. Professional players in the top leagues are in the middle of the pyramid, the majority of secondary leagues, lower-level leagues, and even other second- and third-rate leagues are all at the bottom, but at least they are still on the ground and can still be seen.

As for the quasi-professional players who have signed professional contracts but cannot play in the first team game, they are just the foundation of the pyramid. I don’t know when I will see the light of day underground.

From the junior team to the youth team, countless losers who have been involved in football but have been eliminated are the sand in the vast desert around the pyramid.

It is as vast as a sea of ​​stars, and it cannot be counted.

From the football project itself, the sacrifices of these people are meaningful. It is their existence that gave birth to the behemoth of professional football. Without the support of the youth football training system at all levels in the world, without the hundreds of millions of children who like football join in this system, the world's number one sport is a joke.

But individually, every loser who falls into gravel in the desert is sad. Some of them are self-defeating, some are jealous of talent, and some have spent many years discovering that they are not the ingredients for this bowl of rice.

The youth they spent in this industry, their healthy body was wasted in vain.

Is it worth it?

If someone asks them this way, they may smile and answer: "I like football, I have no regrets."

But is this the truth?

But even if it is not the truth, even if you regret it, what can you do if you are unwilling to give up?

This is reality, reality is so cruel. The desert composed of only a few people at the top of the pyramid is the norm.

These players of the Sampdoria reserve team are used to survival of the fittest. Even if they have any compassion, they have basically been smoothed out now. Instead of sympathizing with others, it is better to think about how to stand out in this fiercely competitive world.

Gao Zheng didn't understand his teammates' thoughts and didn't care about their neither salty nor indifferent attitude.

He had just experienced a major turning point in his life, and the days since AC Milan left are still vivid in his mind.

When he was still "bringing glory to the country" in AC Milan, almost all the media and fans blew him to the sky. When he was terminated by AC Milan and was exposed to playing wild football on the amateur court, he didn't know how ugly he was to scold him on the Internet.

After experiencing such ups and downs, he understood a truth - this is the case in this world, success, success, defeat, and bandits, and if you don’t want to be scolded by thousands of people, don’t lose.

If you can get along with the locker room, you can't get along with it. If you can't get along with it, then just go elsewhere. Let's talk with your strength.

Just like when he was playing wild football in China, he asked him to take photos with the financial supporters who gave him money. He was very cooperative and pose for whatever position he wanted. But if he wanted to have a drink and eat or attend any business occasion, then forget it, he was a skilled person, not a chrysanthemum.

※※※

The morning training was very routine. Gao Zheng did not show his talent to get the U16 best player in the training, but instead exposed the shortcomings of poor physical fitness.

This also made those temporary teammates even more dissatisfied with Gao Zheng.

Only Maxi will encourage Gao Zheng: "Come on, don't worry, take your time..."

He knew that Gao Zheng had a year's blank period, so it was normal that he was not very physically adaptable.

Although he was beaten by Gao Zheng back then, he now hopes that Gao Zheng can cheer up again.

This may be due to a very delicate mind - how can a person who can scare me so weak? If I am defeated by such a person, what am I?

Gao Zheng smiled and thanked Maxi for his concern, but he was not very anxious. He knew very well what his problem was. It was useless to be anxious about physical fitness, so he could only practice slowly and accumulate slowly.

During the afternoon training, Bronney arranged a five-on-five game at the end. The team divided into four teams in groups of five players and played in a field about the size of the penalty area. The goal was replaced with a special small goal, guarded by the goalkeeper.

In order to increase the fun and competitiveness, it is stipulated that the party who lost the ball will not only be punished for push-ups, but also replaced and let other teams go up.

What young people like most is this competitive game. Everyone wants to be even the banker, and no one wants their team to be kicked out before they play. Although there is no material reward, everyone defaults to being able to stay on the court for a long time, which is a huge reward, just like a golden trophy that attracts everyone to chase.

So everyone was ready to try.

Although Gao Zheng was a temporary teammate, he was also divided into the first team, but he was not with Maxi.

For this reason, Masi also found him and gave him a vaccination in advance: "Gao, it's a pity that we are not on the first team. I know you have a gap period, and I also know that you need to impress the coach with excellent performance and let you stay. Of course, I really hope you can stay, but I won't let the game go because of this."

Gao Zheng smiled at the serious expression of this new teammate: "It's just a five-a-side game..."

"That's also a winner, a winner is a match. That's why I told you that, I hope you don't mind..."

Gao Zheng waved his hand and interrupted him: "Don't mind, I hope you will do your best to defend me when you meet me later."
Chapter completed!