Chapter 18: Bundesliga Opening Match!

First team base.

Lewokusen head coach Schmidt saw Li Kang.

After looking him up and down.

He smiled: "You're even more handsome than in the newspapers, no wonder... Come on, let's go to the training field."

The two didn't talk much the whole way.

Just as they were about to reach the training field.

Schmidt only then remembered that Li Kang had aphasia.

He tried to speak in as gentle a tone as possible:

"Li, you won't be my first-choice starter, but I'm not Wolfsburg's black gold either."

"I hope to see your growth."

Li Kang nodded.

He didn't take those words to heart.

On the training field.

Lewokusen's players were doing warm-up training.

The first team's training session starts an hour later than the youth team's.

Bei Lala Bi came up to Ji Silin.

"That Dragon Descendant kid actually snatched Hakan's number 10 jersey."

"But he crushed the youth teams of Menxing and Bairen!"

"I watched the match highlights... Hmm, with the club promoting him like this, it's hard not to see the highlights. That kid, aside from a long-range shot, is terrible in other aspects... I can definitely defend against him!"

"I actually think his game sense is high... Shh! The boss is coming!"

Ji Silin made a shushing gesture.

"Beep!"

The assistant coach blew the whistle for assembly.

Lewokusen's players stopped training.

They looked toward Schmidt and Li Kang walking toward them.

"Welcome, welcome our new member!"

Clap... clap... clap...

Sparse applause.

Most of the players' expressions were cold.

After glancing at Li Kang a few times, they turned their gaze away.

Lewokusen Club is Dragon Kingdom's lackey.

They are not.

Schmidt sighed, not saying much more.

Even among the powerhouses of the five major leagues, this situation is not uncommon.

"The situation of 'commercial mascots' is pretty much the same."

"For example, the Premier League's..."

"But after all, the Dragon Descendant kid isn't a starting main member, so there's no need to worry about whether he'll fit into the team."

Li Kang's expression remained calm, unaffected.

These players standing before him, he couldn't recognize each of their names.

"Li, welcome!"

Sun Xingmin was the first to step forward, smiling as he pinched Li Kang's shoulder: "Wow! You're strong!"

Li Kang didn't react right away; he didn't expect this guy to be so enthusiastic toward him.

Wasn't it said in the news that Sun Xingmin is shy?

Ji Silin also stepped forward, tapping his own forehead: "I've watched your match footage; I remember you hitting the ball at my head in positional play!"

Ke Lamo scratched his head: "Do you play Pokémon?"

Even though the three tried hard to liven things up, they couldn't get the teammates' enthusiasm going.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Schmidt and the assistant coach exchanged a few words, then turned and left; he still had a meeting to attend.

The assistant coach picked up the tactical board and began reading out the list for the scrimmage.

After finishing reading the names of Team A and Team B.

He tossed Li Kang a vest, saying:

"Li, you go ahead and train on your own!"

Li Kang nodded.

He put on the vest and started warming up along the track.

Bei Lala Bi scoffed: "Why are you being so enthusiastic about a mascot?"

Sun Xingmin didn't respond.

Ji Silin spread his hands.

Ke Lamo was about to retort.

Captain Bendeer shouted: "Don't waste time, hurry up and start training!"

Qia Erhan Aolu looked at Li Kang's back, feeling a surge of resistance:

Lewokusen actually stripped its own number 10 jersey for a commercial reason...

Li Kang ran along the sidelines.

His gaze occasionally drifted to the scrimmage on the field.

In God's perspective.

Automatically constructing a bird's-eye view.

Lewokusen's stylistic traits are very clear: high pressing in the midfield and forward lines, and the defense tightly contracts.

Kramer and Belldell are the team's defensive linchpins.

Calhanoglu is the attacking core.

The two fullbacks constantly surge forward.

This seemingly simple tactic.

After Schmidt's detailed tweaks.

Last season, it gave even the powerhouse giants a bitter taste.

In the Champions League round of 16, it left Simeone's Atlético Madrid dazed.

In the Prince's Cup friendly, it once forced Guardiola's full-strength Bayern into a defensive counterattack.

Training camp ended.

Son Heung-min walked over to Li Kang and said with a smile:

"I'll take you to the first team's cafeteria!"

"Don't take it to heart; when I first joined Hamburg's first team, my teammates were also rather cold... you know the reason."

"In my first season at Hamburg, I didn't get much playing time either."

"Come on!"

Li Kang doesn't like Koreans.

Especially the sportsmanship of Koreans.

He can't understand why Son Heung-min is so enthusiastic.

Li Kang's upcoming days.

Peaceful and dull.

Because he wasn't in Schmidt's tactical lineup.

So he had no chance to play in the scrimmage.

Even the first team's tactical meetings.

Schmidt didn't need him to participate either.

Li Kang felt like he had returned to that period at La Masia's youth academy.

He trained alone every day.

He underwent physical testing every Monday.

Each week he set aside two days to listen to Professor Bertolli's lectures.

Wo Le Er frequently checked on his physical condition, having the photographer take pictures of his juggling.

Havertz would take him out to hang around on his days off.

Son Heung-min occasionally imparted some match experience, techniques for shaking off defenders and changing direction.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye.

And then the Bundesliga opener arrived.

BayArena.

The stadium was packed.

When the players from both sides walked out of the tunnel.

Lewokusen fans erupted with a roar like a collapsing mountain and tsunami!

"CTV5! CTV5! Now broadcasting live is the first round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Lewokusen home versus Hoffenheim!"

"Last season's Bundesliga fourth place versus eighth place!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"I am He Wei!"

"We see that Lewokusen's bench now has an additional Asian face this season!"

"A young Dragon Descendant from La Masia's youth academy! Li Kang!"

"We hope he gets a chance to play in this match!"

Dragon Kingdom CTV5 broadcast room.

Comments flew across the screen.

-【Why are Duan Xuan and He Wei commentating on the Bundesliga?】

-【Because La Liga hasn't started yet, the Premier League lacks broadcast rights, and the matches of Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke 04, and Mönchengladbach are tomorrow!】

-【Who is Li Mingdeng? Is that the water dispenser Dragon Descendant? Lewokusen is still better than that Wolfsburg guy at least—he actually brought someone to the scene, hahaha!】

-【Brother Li is awesome! You just watch!】

-【Whether he makes the roster or not, Lewokusen will be hard to beat!】

-【Awesome? You're just old Germans hired as shills! Laughable, but the groundwork was done well!】