[{"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-25":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},2299995,4499,"Chapter 25: Don","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-25",25,"\u003Cp>【You have obtained Cristiano Ronaldo’s broccoli. For the next 12 hours, your training effect doubles.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【De Bruyne curved through-pass, Lv2: Similar】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Proficiency: 5\u002F50】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Utrecht’s training ground, the first-team players were engaged in their scrimmage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag had urged Tang Ye to boldly attempt long passes, and Tang Ye had indeed done so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, his De Bruyne curved pass technique was still only at Lv2 Similar, far from reaching Lv3 Simulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of 12 long-pass attempts, only four successfully reached the front line, and Aale received one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the system’s calculation, as long as the pass landed near the front line, regardless of whether the forward received it, it counted toward proficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since this was training, each successful pass granted only one point of proficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s four successful passes, boosted by the broccoli, earned him four proficiency points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lv2 progress bar surged by one-fifth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I’m getting the feel for it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye shook his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s be honest—Cristiano Ronaldo’s broccoli really works!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Dejiahe blew the whistle to stop the scrimmage, and Ten Hag walked over to systematically relay the issues he’d observed to the Utrecht players on the pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Great pass!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aale and Tang Ye slapped hands in celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four out of twelve passes found suitable positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It may seem like only a one-third success rate, but you must remember: Tang Ye was passing from the backline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was at least 30 meters, even 40 meters, away from Aale and Barazite!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aale placed his hand on Tang Ye’s shoulder: “I told you—if you’re willing to train hard, you’ll become incredibly strong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quiet down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag ordered the players to fall silent, then announced that afternoon’s training was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over already? Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone panicked, but Ten Hag never expected the one panicking was Tang Ye: “Come on, lazy pig, why the rush? Isn’t resting your favorite thing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I’m in a rush—I’ve always been the most serious trainer! I don’t like resting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow~~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Tang Ye finished speaking, a chorus of teasing erupted from the crowd; Amrabat kept winking at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~~ I’ve always been the most serious trainer, wow~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye turned his head and ignored Amrabat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That guy was his hater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His biggest hater!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he spent a full 10 comeback points to buy the broccoli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now training ended an hour early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a total rip-off!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze turned to Ten Hag, who was watching him with amused interest: “We have a Dutch Cup match tomorrow. The schedule is tight—you need rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ten Hag said, it was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dutch Cup season was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a packed schedule, coaches must reduce training volume to ensure players perform well in matches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag wanted these Utrecht players to train longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But conditions didn’t allow it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag gave a brief summary of today’s training, then ordered the players to the physio room for muscle massage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving these instructions, Ten Hag and Fan Dejiahe went upstairs to the base’s second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was where Utrecht’s coaching office was located; they needed to finalize tomorrow’s squad list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, which players to take was uncontroversial: Utrecht’s first team had only 24 players; selecting 18 for the squad was easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, due to the severe polarization among Utrecht’s players, Ten Hag quickly finalized his starting lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goalkeeper: Ruit”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defenders: Nganioni, Strieder, Timo Lechelt, Van der Maarel, Klebe”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forwards: Aale, Barazite”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goalkeeper, defenders, and forwards were all clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for midfield…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag’s pencil hovered midair; he had already written down Ramselaar and Jansen’s names.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he needed to choose between Ayoub and Amrabat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both had strengths and weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ayoub was a veteran of the Eredivisie, experienced but with poor form over the last two seasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat was the opposite: as a second-team player, this was his first season in the Eredivisie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amrabat had delivered performances good enough to impress Ten Hag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But due to lack of experience, sufficient trust had not yet formed between Ten Hag and Amrabat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it—let’s try him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag gritted his teeth and wrote Amrabat’s number on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really starting Sofyan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Dejiahe was surprised by Ten Hag’s decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever—Sofyan’s form has been good. Let’s give him a shot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag suddenly paused mid-sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the Dutch Cup, unless you win the trophy, it’s useless. Do you think we can win it this season?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Fan Dejiahe shook his head firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then there you go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag spread his hands: “Our league campaign is already brutal. I’m treating the Dutch Cup as practice—let Sofyan play. His form is truly excellent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag’s attitude made it clear: he had no intention of going far in this season’s Dutch Cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Win if you can.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if you lose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming the starting lineup, as Ten Hag prepared to discuss tomorrow’s match strategy with Fan Dejiahe, someone knocked on the office door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In walked Aale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht’s top scorer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eric, Michel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aale entered and immediately spotted Ten Hag’s notebook on the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a core player like Aale, Ten Hag didn’t hide anything—he openly laid out the starting lineup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We made a small change: Sofyan will replace Ayoub. I know you’re close to Ayoub, but I believe Sofyan is the better choice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag expected Aale to defend Ayoub.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attention remained fixed on the starting lineup—he was looking for someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t find the person he was looking for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aale looked up and asked a question Ten Hag never imagined he’d ask: “Eric, have you considered starting Tang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Sebastian—that’s impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag lightly kicked his feet; the office chair rolled backward: “He has zero experience. Have you ever seen a 16-year-old start in the Eredivisie—the top league in the Netherlands?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, he’s a lazy pig. If you and Michel don’t push him to train, he’ll just sleep in his dorm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aale said nothing. He pulled back the curtain and gestured for Ten Hag to look outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag and Fan Dejiahe exchanged glances, then walked to the window and looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye was on the pitch, wearing his training gear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simulating backline passing drills!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten Hag looked at Fan Dejiahe, pointing at Tang Ye below: “Did you point a gun at him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, how could that be!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fan Dejiahe stepped back; Aale spread his hands to Ten Hag: “No 16-year-old has ever started in the Eredivisie—that’s a fact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But have you ever seen a 16-year-old player deliver a pass like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm a striker; I know who the right midfielder is, Eric, you must believe me—I can tell!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1113,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","317992dd1fce063d75c8f232da79213198b3e44debc3e2325da1ea8c3af75ce8","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-26","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-24",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]