[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills":3,"chapter-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-73":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},483759,734,"Chapter 73 - 40: Flexing Muscles, Fighting for a Starting Spot! Wang Shuo: Coach, I’m Desperate to Score","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-73",73,"\u003Cp>Mainz also signed 29-year-old Hungarian left-back Zsolte Lővér from fellow newly-promoted side Hoffenheim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The player was Hoffenheim’s starting left-back in the 2nd Bundesliga last season and performed well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, Rangnick preferred Austrian international Ibertsberger, who had joined in January 2008.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With only one year left on his contract and unable to agree on an extension due to a lack of playing time, Lővér was sold by Hoffenheim to Mainz for 200,000 euros.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Van der Heyden, Lővér, and Demetraz, Mainz now had three solid left-backs for the new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, they had barely spent any money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Up front, after the departures of Borja, Jovanovic, and others, Mainz spent 750,000 euros to sign 25-year-old Burkina Faso center-forward Aristide Bancé from Ukrainian club Donetsk Metallurgy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an African center-forward, Bancé possessed an incredibly impressive physique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at 1.92 meters and weighing 90 kilograms, he had solid technical skill, but his key strengths were his physicality and aerial dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The player made a name for himself at Lokeren in Belgium, scoring 15 goals in a single season, which caught the eye of Ukraine’s Donetsk Metallurgy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he never quite performed to standard in Ukraine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In January, Donetsk Metallurgy loaned him out to Offenbach in the 2nd Bundesliga, where he tallied 4 goals and 1 assist in 10 matches, but also picked up 2 yellow cards and 1 red card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said that the reason Offenbach was relegated from the 2nd Bundesliga was because Bancé got into a major altercation with an opposing player during a match against Borussia Mönchengladbach and was sent off with a red card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was subsequently handed an additional five-match suspension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, even though Mainz had now signed him, he would be unable to play in the first two matches of the season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After signing Bancé, Mainz’s forward line now consisted of Wang Shuo, Bancé, Balik, and the Montenegrin striker Bobagavats, who was brought in on a free transfer from Paderborn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bobagavats was only 1.69 meters tall, but he was very fast with excellent technical skills, capable of playing as a striker or on the right wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, 26-year-old German player Florian Helle, signed from Oer, was a versatile utility man. He could play right winger, right midfielder, and right-back, and could even fill in at left-back or in central midfield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This player had a solid season in the 2nd Bundesliga last year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Offenbach’s relegation, Mainz also signed their 21-year-old center-back, Nico Bungert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a center-back who had played for Germany’s various national youth teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last season, Klopp had gone to great lengths to promote young players from the youth academy, but ultimately only four of them remained with the first team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo was a given, of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others were Schürrle, Kirschhoff, and Roman Neustadter, the son of reserve team coach Peter Neustadter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roman Neustadter was a center-back who had also been performing quite well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking over all of Mainz’s summer transfers, Wang Shuo had only one assessment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Smart and frugal!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Christian Heidel really knew what he was doing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting big results on a small budget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all the hustle and bustle of the summer transfer window, Mainz’s roster was looking surprisingly solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goalkeepers: Witeklo, Ischdonat, Dimo Wahe;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defenders: (Right) Hogland, Demetraz; (Left) Marco Rose, Lővér, Van der Heyden; (Center) Subotic, Nico Bungert, Nowitzki, Roman Neustadter, Bo Svensson;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midfielders: Hainauer, Kalhan, Pekovic, Gunkel, Kirschhoff, Damir Francic, Mario Franjić;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forwards: Foyelner, Elgin Soto, Helle, Amri, Schürrle, Balik, Bobagavats, Bancé, and Wang Shuo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the day the team’s training camp officially began, the training ground north of Bruch Road Stadium was once again bustling with its usual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the team’s return to the Bundesliga, the level of attention from the media and fans was naturally on another level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, as the players began to arrive, a large crowd of media and fans had already gathered outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a hero of the team’s promotion and a key prospect Mainz was now heavily cultivating, Wang Shuo’s appearance drew a wave of enthusiastic cheers from the fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were quite a few female fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Schürrle and Subotic, who were walking alongside him, quite envious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Boys will be boys, after all... heh heh...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Wang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Marcus.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having enjoyed a vacation of over a month, Foyelner seemed to be in high spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wang, you got a tan,\" Kalhan said with a laugh as he walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And stronger, too,\" Wang Shuo replied with a smile, hugging Kalhan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard the three of you have been doing special training for the past month. You’re putting a lot of pressure on us old-timers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Training for over a month? Seriously?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did I not hear about this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You went on vacation with your girlfriend the second the break started. Of course you didn’t know!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, I heard about it too. Those three kids really went all out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like they’re aiming to snatch starting spots this season.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were certain advantages to playing for a smaller club.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For one, while there was competition for starting positions among the players, it wasn’t overly intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was especially true for a team like Mainz, which had a good mix of veterans and young talent, making for a pretty positive locker room atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the newcomers were clearly having some trouble integrating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The core of the current starting lineup was the same group that had battled through the 2nd Bundesliga last season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo had already proven himself and earned their respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all the other new signings, with the possible exception of Hainauer, still needed to prove their worth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing that Wang Shuo had spent over a month in special training, the expressions of Bancé and Bobagavats—both of whom were determined to compete for a starting spot—visibly hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Wang Shuo had been training hard, they had been on vacation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bancé took another careful look at Wang Shuo. Not yet 18, he had a tan, but he still didn’t have much muscle and didn’t look particularly strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This put the African player’s mind at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While changing, he even made a point of taking off his shirt and pants and making a trip to the restroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be said, the guy was absolutely ripped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo was practically drooling with envy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I had muscles like that, forget the Bundesliga, I could steamroll the Champions League!\" Wang Shuo exclaimed to Subotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subotic roared with laughter. \"That’s a unique advantage for African players. No use getting jealous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s showing off those muscles on purpose. Did you see the looks on Balik’s and Bobagavats’ faces?\" Schürrle snickered, gesturing with his chin and giving Wang Shuo a knowing look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just like the old saying: when the top dogs fight, it’s the ones below who get crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo was the rising star Mainz was carefully nurturing, while Bancé was the powerhouse forward they had just signed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Balik had been a starter last season mainly because the team lacked other options.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was no longer a guarantee for the new season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Klopp had even mentioned to Wang Shuo that he hadn’t ruled out the possibility of playing him on the wing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was never a bad thing for a young player to be versatile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Wang Shuo moved to the wing and left the physical battles to Bancé, he could focus solely on his runs and attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that line of thinking felt a bit like taking the easy way out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuo disdained such a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in a head-to-head competition, he was confident he could outperform Bancé.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Wang Shuo had his own little plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This season’s Bundesliga was set to begin on August 16, but the DFB-Pokal started on August 8.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainz’s first-round DFB-Pokal match was an away game against fourth-tier side Baebesburg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As mentioned earlier, Germany had reformed its league structure from the third tier down that summer. Baebesburg, originally a third-tier team, had been moved to the fourth tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the team was by no means weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first two league matches of the season, Bancé was suspended due to the carry-over punishment for his red card last season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Wang Shuo wanted to do now was seize this window of opportunity to firmly establish his advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wouldn’t be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first league match was away against VfL Wolfsburg, and the second was at home against Frankfurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolfsburg had finished 5th last season and had spent over thirty million euros in net investment over the summer, signing stars like Italian center-backs Barzagli and Zacardo, and midfielder Misimovic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainz’s spending didn’t even amount to a rounding error for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankfurt had finished 9th last season and had also invested heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither of these teams was a pushover; both would be tough nuts to crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wang Shuo also wanted to use this opportunity to truly test the results of his special training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was also the perfect chance to see exactly where his own abilities stood!\u003C\u002Fp>",1505,"2026-05-30T11:12:32.550Z","2026-06-01T04:31:05.348Z",1,"novelbin.me","bb5e2a9d39f6a2ab90da5756632a78da50bc973911cf21d5141c19b994a7b5a5","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-74","the-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-chapter-72",400,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-god-of-football-starts-with-passive-skills-cover.jpg"]