[{"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-3":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},2299973,4499,"Chapter 3: I Was Just Lucky","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>「wooww!!!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utrecht scored an equalizer, and the stands suddenly erupted in noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Utrecht’s second team, a perennial Eerste Divisie side, Forward Eagles constantly shuttle between the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the gap in strength, no one expected Utrecht to draw this match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「jesus!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent touched his bald head, his forehead wrinkles twisting together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The assistant coach, Karen, shrugged his shoulders: 「Well… the boss’s advice is always right.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Why didn’t he tell me he could do this?!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent spread his hands, expressing confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to his memory, Tang Ye shouldn’t have had this skill point at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent stayed silent, watching the field. Tang Ye, after delivering the assist, opened his arms to receive his teammates’ embraces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Damn, what the hell was that?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Dude, you can do this too?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wait wait, who said Tang Ye was a fraud? Step forward now! Shit, because of you I didn’t bet 1:1!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Was that outside-of-the-foot pass really that exaggerated? Are you sure Tang Ye is only 16?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Now I get why Utrecht paid 50k euros for a fraud—Tang Ye actually has talent.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tang Ye’s pass of this caliber, both the live-stream viewers and the home fans were left stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have this level, why did you sit the bench all last season?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match continued. In the remaining time, the director gave Tang Ye more camera time, but Tang Ye didn’t make any further impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Beep, beeeep!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The referee blew the final whistle. Utrecht’s second team, playing at home, defeated their strong opponents Forward Eagles, winning their second pre-season match of the season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Tang, what was that? Come on!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zaka ran over and hugged Tang Ye tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly ten minutes had passed since Tang Ye’s outside-of-the-foot pass, yet Zaka still couldn’t believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such precise, delicate passing—Zaka only needed to extend his foot slightly to create a one-on-one breakaway!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【You completed your first pre-season match after returning from retirement.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Reward obtained: Comeback Points *15】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Comeback Points?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye frowned, confused by the voice he suddenly heard, but he had no time to investigate—Coach Melent was walking toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Coach.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye said it, thinking Melent wanted to hug him, but Melent simply walked past him toward Zaka.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Well done, Isaac! Thanks to your goal!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye shrugged. Melent’s behavior upset him, but given his own bench-warming performance last season, he could understand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth was, no coach likes a player who constantly slacks off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The locker room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent stood in the center, summarizing the pre-season match and praising standout performances by Amrabat, Zaka, and several other players.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye received no praise from Melent, but after Melent finished praising all the players, he was pulled aside alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Why? What the hell was that? Tang, tell me what that was!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「What?」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye didn’t understand what Melent meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「You can do an outside-of-the-foot pass! You can deliver a pass like that—you should’ve told me! Why didn’t you tell me?」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent was furious now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he felt Tang Ye was fooling him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last season, Utrecht’s second team had no usable midfielders. If Tang Ye had shown this level of passing back then, Melent had no reason to bench him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After today’s match, unless something unexpected happens, many Utrecht fans will condemn Melent—for having such a genius on the team and never giving him a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Melent not using him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—it was fucking Tang Ye who was fooling him all along!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Sorry, sorry.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent’s outburst made Tang Ye nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, since that pass was made possible only through the system’s help, Tang Ye himself didn’t know why he could execute such a beautiful outside-of-the-foot pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Hmm...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye hesitated, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「It was a fluke.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「A fluke? Who the hell are you trying to fool?!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent stared into Tang Ye’s eyes. As a seasoned coach, he knew exactly which passes could be flukes and which couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could a pass of this caliber be a fluke?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「I’m not lying to you, believe me, sir!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye’s expression was sincere. Melent frowned: 「Are you sure?」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Of course I’m sure!」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melent said nothing. Based on his understanding of Tang Ye, if it were truly a fluke, this pass would make more sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>《Tang Ye’s Miraculous Outside-of-the-Foot Pass: Utrecht’s Second Team Draws Against Forward Eagles in Pre-Season Match》\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>《The Fallen Genius Awakens: Pre-Season Match Delivers Breakaway to Fulfill Talent》\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the locker room and returning to the dorm on the team bus, Tang Ye stared at his newly appeared panel, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye (37 years, 4 months)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ball Control: 69; Passing: 70】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Shooting: 44; Heading: 38; Set Pieces: 55】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Speed: 48; Stamina: 55; Physical Confrontation: 40】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Defense: 40; Vision: 91】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall Rating: 58\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading this panel, Tang Ye finally understood why Melent had benched him all last season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from his system-enhanced passing, Tang Ye had only three attributes above 60: 69 in ball control, 70 in passing, and 91 in vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for his vision, when Tang Ye first saw his scout report, he noticed Utrecht’s scouts highly valued his vision talent—but he himself never felt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then there was the Comeback Point—he received one from the system after winning the pre-season match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system didn’t explain the purpose of Comeback Points; it only gave Tang Ye a task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Having completed your first pre-season match after returning, you’re extremely excited, and your determination to come back has never been higher.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Score a goal in a pre-season match: Reward—Bone Density Enhancement Capsule *1】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Huh...」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dorm, Tang Ye lay on his bunk, staring at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already prepared to slack off—then suddenly got this system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, should he slack off or not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye didn’t know. He only knew he was feeling sleepy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sleepy means sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Utrecht’s second-team players gathered at the training base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like other teams, Utrecht shared one training facility for both first and second teams. On his way to the pitch, Tang Ye saw first-team players—forward Alea walked over to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Tang—is that how you’re called?」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「I saw the news—your outside-of-the-foot pass was incredible.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A first-team forward had seen news about him—Tang Ye was surprised: 「I made the news?」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「Of course. A pass like that must make headlines.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice came from behind—it was a bald man wearing a black Nike jacket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eric ten Hag—the head coach of Utrecht’s first team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1070,"2026-06-20T06:50:08.245Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3f69031eb67be3cd63f3b5af9bf6692820e31a3c40e65d59a10a955cd45cc283","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-4","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-2",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]