[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-108":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300078,4499,"Chapter 108: Should I Hit Back Then?","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-108",108,"\u003Cp>The next afternoon, well-rested Tang Ye began his physical tests at Villarreal’s base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No rush—first, check your current stats panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye (38 years old)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ball Control: 75; Passing: 82】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Shooting: 72; Heading: 41; Set Pieces: 72】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Speed: 65; Endurance: 69; Physical Confrontation: 70】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Defense: 65; Vision: 93】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall Rating: 77\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After traveling around Europe and eating nearly a month of 【Azar Tarta Burger】, Tang Ye’s ball control increased by 2 points due to improved touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides ball control, his shooting also rose by 1 point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Tang Ye’s deduction, burgers enhance ball control, passing, and shooting—but his passing was already over 80, making further gains difficult, so one month of burgers yielded no visible stat increase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all three template skills—【Long-Range Curl Shot】, 【Curved Through Ball】, and 【45-Degree Cross】—reached Lv.3, Tang Ye’s passing stat surged to 82.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was now his highest stat after vision!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, although his passing stat reads 82, due to his skills, he occasionally delivers passes in matches that approach 90 in quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem is…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a physical test, and no matter how good his passing is, it won’t matter here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speed 65, endurance 69, physical confrontation 70…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rubbed his nose and turned to the fitness coach, Kyle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tang Ye’s wide eyes, Kyle looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, if—if I don’t pass the physical test—can I still stay on the team?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Tom, don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyle waved his hand with a smile: “This is just an internal club test—we don’t have high standards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if I can’t even meet this standard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s words made Kyle’s expression suddenly turn serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped back and scanned Tang Ye’s body: “No, no way—believe me, you’ll pass!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worried Tang Ye’s nerves might prevent him from performing at full capacity, Kyle added: “Even if you don’t pass, it’s fine—our goal is just to check your health; basic compliance is enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye squinted, his brow furrowed, his expression unnervingly grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sight made Kyle uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For professional players, endurance is usually the hardest test—but Tang Ye is so thin; logically, his endurance shouldn’t be an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he possibly fail?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyle took Tang Ye to the gym for warm-up: first on the treadmill, then with light dumbbells to activate his muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>July in Spain was still warm; half an hour of warm-up was sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a deep breath, Tang Ye nervously walked to a mat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first test: standing vertical jump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It measures how high both feet leave the ground—the higher, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before jumping, Tang Ye gave Kyle a pleading look: “Sir…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, don’t stress, don’t stress—just jump all out. 50cm is passing—I told you, our standards are low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, let’s go!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye stood on the mat, swung his arms and rose onto his toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squatted until his thighs were nearly parallel to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Go!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He landed heavily; the digital display showed his result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>64.7cm\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, not bad!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyle recorded the result: “It’s not great for the first team, but you’re only 17—64.7cm is already impressive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>64.7cm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the display, Tang Ye barely registered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t he only jump under 60cm during his test at Utrecht?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye clenched one fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the reward from his hard training last season at Utrecht!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system’s boost was too extreme—Tang Ye still thought of his body as it was when he first moved up from Utrecht’s reserve team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the past year, Tang Ye had grown from 16 to 17—his body was no longer the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had gotten stronger!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice suddenly came; Tang Ye turned to see a man nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a clean-shaven face, watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Rodri!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye waved; yesterday afternoon, after the interview, Escrivá had taken him to the training ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was his first time meeting Rodri—today was the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I left my jacket in the gym, haha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodri came over, high-fived Tang Ye, glanced around, then spotted his jacket on the bench press.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he picked it up, Rodri noticed Tang Ye’s jump result: “64.7? Tang, you didn’t jump high enough—how are you supposed to head the ball like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye looked left and right, then replied: “Actually, I can’t head the ball well anyway.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, Tom, watch mine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing Tang Ye’s result, Rodri felt inspired—he tossed his jacket on the floor and prepared to jump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“72.1? No way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye rushed to the machine, neck stretched: “Sergio, are you serious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tang Ye’s reaction, Rodri burst out laughing: “That’s decent—I didn’t even go all out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning to Kyle, the fitness coach of Huang Qian also smiled: “Yes, Sergio’s result is normal—20-year-olds should jump higher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Kyle, Rodri had jumped 74cm during his own physical test when he moved up from the B-team earlier this month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Tang, it’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodri picked up his jacket and comforted Tang Ye: “I’m a defensive midfielder—I need to head the ball, so I’ve trained for it. It’s normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodri didn’t return to the training field immediately; instead, he sat down on a nearby bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Tang Ye and Ale, Rodri had only joined Huang Qian’s first team in July, so he felt a special bond with these two players from Utrecht.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’re a defensive midfielder…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye suddenly remembered something and turned to Rodri: “Aren’t you famous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Famous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodri glanced at Kyle, then at Tang Ye: “Come on—how could a 20-year-old with a market value of only 2.5 million euros be a star?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Villarreal had a strong reputation in La Liga, Rodri had only just joined the first team this month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t possibly be famous already!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye asked because Rodri’s name felt familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where had he heard it before…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Got it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Sergio Rodri Growth Template】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Price: 100,000 Reverse Points\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodri.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matched!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sergio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matched too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alright, so he almost bought the template for his current teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tom, so why did you ask this question?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodrigo looked at Tang Ye, who shook his head: “I used your card in FIFA—I think you were with Villarreal U19, right? You moved from U19 to B team, then to the first team.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kyle took Tang Ye to the next test, while Rodrigo chatted with him: “When I first played for U19, I almost couldn’t adapt—I even called my dad back then, haha! Damn, thinking about it now, I’m so embarrassed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tang, can you adapt here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t think Spain’s that different from the Netherlands, but this training base is definitely better than Utrecht’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye remembered something: “When I arrived here yesterday, an old woman made a weird gesture at me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye pulled at the corners of his eyes with both hands, making a “squinting” gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She did this gesture to me—what does it mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodrigo and Kyle exchanged a glance, then both turned to Tang Ye with serious expressions: “Tang, you’ve probably been racially discriminated against…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Is this racial discrimination?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye widened his eyes: “How is this gesture related to East Asians? Our eyes aren’t that small, are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye leaned closer to Rodrigo, studied him carefully, then looked in the gym mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, his eyes should be bigger than Rodrigo’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or at least the same size—definitely not smaller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not about resemblance—it’s just that racists always do this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rodrigo explained, and Kyle added: “Based on your description, you likely encountered racial discrimination.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye, realizing it belatedly, grew angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thing he encountered in Spain was racial discrimination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye gripped his right fist: “Should I go back and beat her up now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he thought about it, that white woman really was arrogant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s already been a day—she’s probably not there anymore?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, yeah… that’s true…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye nodded; Rodrigo’s logic made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villarreal Official: New No. 99 player Tang Y. has passed the team’s physical tests and has been added to the squad’s preseason training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villarreal’s message included a photo: Tang Ye running on a treadmill wearing a mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the final test, measuring lactate tolerance and maximum oxygen uptake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The results weren’t great, but Tang Ye barely passed the minimum standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Who the hell said Tang the Ball King couldn’t pass La Liga’s physical? Look—he passed!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【This is the club’s physical test, not the federation’s, right?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Same thing, same thing—Tang the Ball King has already arrived in La Liga; now we just wait to see what kind of coach the new guy is.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I’m saying it now: if Escrivà has half the coaching ability of Ten Hag, Villarreal will soar this season.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Real Madrid, Barcelona: ???】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Real Madrid and Barcelona? I’ve never heard of Messi or Ronaldo—there’s only one king in La Liga: Tang Ye.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You call him Ball King even though he played zero minutes? Can’t you little Tangs just chill? How much money did Tang Ye pay you?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1506,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","503f184505a117e063c55eb89568db8ff7c1c9463536c6916f6fee6655975843","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-109","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-107",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]