Chapter 6: Friendship boat

When Hu Lai walked into the locker room of the Leeds Training Base with his bag on his back, he saw Captain Lorenzo greet him: "Hi, Hu. Did you rest well last night?"
"Thank you Captain, it's okay."
"Your injury... is it okay?"
Yesterday Hu Lai finished training and went back to the locker room to take a shower. He took off his clothes and saw that there were various bruises on his chest and back.
It may not actually be serious, after all, it is all skin trauma. To be an exaggeration to say that in the world of football, a skin injury is almost equal to no injury.
But I can’t stand it and looks scary...
Hu Lai's body was just like he had just finished cupping. It looks shocking.
Although bumps and bumps during training are normal, but seeing what Hu Lai looks like as Captain Lorenzo is still a little concerned.
He also saw Hu Lai's performance in training yesterday, and he really suffered a lot from confrontation.
Hu Lai heard the captain's question, and now he was taken aback for a moment-the injury on my body? What hurts me?
He reacted shortly after—the captain was talking about the scary-looking bumps.
So he said, "Ah, that's nothing, I'm used to it."
"Get used to it?" Lorenzo was strange.
Hu Lai looked at the captain and smiled: "Captain, you don't know the story of my previous football? Actually, I haven't been in football training before I was sixteen."
"Before sixteen? How could this be?" Lorenzo widened his eyes and exclaimed.
His exclamation also caught the attention of other teammates in the locker room. Many people were staring at Hu Lai, apparently very concerned about what he was talking about.
Everyone is a professional player, except when they are very young, they will enter the echelon of various clubs for training with slightly larger changes, and then eliminate many competitors all the way, and finally appear in the Premier League as a professional player.
Many people can say that they have been trained in football since they were five or six years old. They are 1.78 years later, and it will be difficult to get ahead a little later.
People like Hu Lai who only started to practice football at the age of sixteen...In their eyes, it is simply incredible.
Pete Williams, who had been short of interest in new teammates before, couldn't help but raise his head and cast his eyes to Hu Lai when he heard this.
Didn't you start learning to play football at the age of sixteen?
He seems to be only 21 years old now, he can join a Premier League team in five years?
Williams has been called a genius by people around him, coaches, and the media since he was a child, and he really lives up to his reputation as a genius.
As a leader cultivated by the Leeds youth training, he has never missed England teams of all ages. If he stays in the team, he may become the only England adult national team in Leeds United. player of.
But even if the genius is like him, he has shown his football talent since he was a child, and began to receive formal football training in his primary school when he was six years old. And the elementary school he attends and the Leeds City Club have an echelon training agreement, which means that although he is in elementary school, the coaches who come to train are all echelon coaches from the Leeds City Club, which means that he accepts Leeds City Club. Vocational training.
From the age of six to sixteen, he experienced a full ten years of training for the youth teams at all levels, establishing a solid contact.
As a result, the Chinese player who just joined the team said that he only started training at the age of sixteen?
Pete Williams is twenty years old this year. This new teammate has completed his fourteen years of football in five years...
"It's true, Captain. It's unnecessary for me to use this to lie to you." The new teammate was still explaining, "In my country, it's not a secret. Many people know it. The media reported it all. Yes. The point is not this..."
Hu Lai waved his hand: "What I want to say is that the first time I came into contact with football training was in my high school team. At that time, the head coach of our high school team wanted him to catch up with the rest of the team as quickly as possible. The level of the players is very harsh on me. So every time I finish training, there are so many marks on my body. So I say I am used to it."
Facing Hu Lai with his hands spread out, Lorenzo suddenly said: "That's why you can make such rapid progress in five years..."
"That's not right, Lorenzo." Some of the teammates who had been interested raised their hands to question.
Hulay looked over. He remembered this person's name. When they met each other the day before yesterday, the other party reported that he was Luke Davis, a Scot who plays for the England team. He is the team's central defender.
"Five years, how can it be possible to grow so fast in just five years? There are not people in this world who start to get in touch with football very late, but it is impossible for them to spend such a short time" Luke spread his hands and asked. Many of the teammates around him nodded, feeling incredible.
Is hanging.
That's because I opened it.
Hu Lai said in his heart with a smile, and did not argue with his teammates about this issue. Because the explanation is not clear, it can only be attributed to the word "genius" in the end.
But this is even less convincing...
He went straight to his cabinet and began to change clothes to prepare for a new day of training.
The other teammates dispersed when they saw it, but many people still looked at Hu Lai with inquisitive or doubtful eyes.
They only met yesterday, but now they realize that they still don't know the Chinese.
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The players who have finished their strength training are leaving the gym one after another. The morning training has ended. They have to go back to the locker room to take a shower and change clothes, then go to the restaurant to eat, and then go to sleep.
Pete Williams glanced back while leaving the gym.
In the gym, there are still people who have not left, except for a few "perverts" who are keen on strength training, it is the new teammate who has just joined the team.
In a corner of the gym, Hu Lai is carrying out the core strength training arranged for him by the coaching staff with the one-on-one help of the team's physical coach Anthony Clement.
Hu Lai, who was lying on his back on the weightlifting bed, was doing supine press. He lifted a barbell weighing 25 kilograms from a barbell stand that was about the height of his chest, pushed it until his arms straightened, and then slowly Drop it and put it back on the stand.
He has done five sets of this exercise, each pushing fifteen times.
"Straighten your arms, but don't lock your elbow joints... Inhale when the barbell is lowered, and exhale when lifting the barbell, just like blowing up the barbell... Hold steady, don’t shake your arms, slow down, Be slower...slower will protect you. Very good."
Clemente, a muscular fitness coach, emptied his hands on the grab bar, and at the same time reminded Hu Lai to pay attention to his movements.
Seeing this scene, Williams shook his head. He weighed only 20 kilograms of barbell... It was really hard for him to believe that this man could catch up with himself for 14 years in five years.
He stopped paying attention to this person and turned to walk out of the gym.
Behind him, Clement was still saying: "...in the crowded restricted area, you must occupy a territory of your own, and more importantly, push your opponent away from yourself to gain more space for activity. It's not about pulling your opponent's hand toward you. So training like bench press is especially helpful when you are tangling with your opponent in the penalty area... There is one more group, continue.
Hu Lai did not speak, only a heavy gasp.
Although the team will carry out some strength training daily, for Tony Clark, it is obvious that only relying on the strength training carried out during training can not quickly improve the core strength of Hulai.
Hu Lai's lack of resistance is not because he is light and looks thin, but mainly because of lack of core strength.
Many players are not the kind of "devil muscle man" from the outside, but their ability to confront on the court is not weak.
Take Melly, for example. He doesn't look sturdy, but he can withstand the impact of his opponents in a dribbling breakthrough. It is because his core strength is not bad.
Although he is not as good as a rock, but as long as he can withstand the most critical point of the opponent when he takes the ball, he can get rid of the opponent with his dexterous pace and speed.
In Tony Clark's view, Hu Lai is the same. He does not need to train himself as a bodybuilder, nor does he expect him to be able to put the label of "strong" on his face. But he must have the ability to withstand the impact of a Premier League defender when he takes the ball or shoots in the penalty area. He doesn't have to hold on for too long, as long as he can block it once.
In the penalty area, it is also difficult for forwards to hold the ball for a long time, and it is a long time for them to keep the ball under their feet for a second.
Tony Clark’s coaching staff has formulated various strength training plans for Hu Lai, not to train all the muscles of Hu Lai's body, but to play forwards that often require physical confrontation and use several parts. The muscle strength should be enhanced.
On the first day of training yesterday, Tony Clark also asked for his opinion. Hu Lai has no opinion on this. Anyway, the coaches in this area are professional. He can practice as the coach says.
At the same time, Tony Clark also euphemistically informed Hu Lai that he would definitely not enter the squad in the twenty-second round of the league two days later, and it is still uncertain whether he will enter the squad in the twenty-third round of the league ten days later. .
Hu Lai expressed his understanding,
Seeing Hu Lai being so reasonable, Tony became a little embarrassed. He also patted Hu Lai on the shoulder to encourage him to train hard, and would not let him wait too long for the Premier League.
But Hu Lai really doesn't care whether he can play as soon as possible, although domestic fans and the media may care very much.
He knows his shortcomings and knows that some steps cannot be omitted.
For him now it is considered to be retreat practice, and it is still open retreat practice-yesterday after knowing the targeted training content arranged by the head coach for himself, he used five thousand points and redeemed them from the system mall A [Advanced Training Scroll: Strength] to increase your own strength training effects in the next forty world training sessions.
It was used on the spot.
As for the effect, because the training time is still too short, I can't feel it now.
But Hu Lai never had any doubts about the system, which was one of the important reasons why he was able to calm down.
First bury your head and practice hard. After I have achieved my magical skills, I will go out to meet the elites of the Premier League for a while. It depends on whether you are a gathering of heroes or a carrot meeting!
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Hu Lai, who had finished his special training, returned to the locker room to take a bath and change clothes and also came to the restaurant. Although he was almost the last to come, most of the players were still there.
Some of them chat while eating, so they eat slowly. Some people don't rush to go after eating and continue to stay in the restaurant.
Ms. Mia Schmidt, the club nutritionist who supervised the players’ meals in the restaurant, saw Hu Lai come in, and took out a nutritious lunch specially prepared for him: small desserts, carbohydrates, chicken, fruits and vegetables, and A bottle of drink.
"Drink this bottle of drink first, Chinese boy." Ms. Schmidt from Germany pointed to the bottle of drink on the Hulai plate. "Protein drink. You have just had a high-intensity physical strength training. Within one hour is the prime time to repair damaged muscles. Taking protein can help you better repair muscles."
After Hu Lai thanked him, he turned to find a table to sit, but was stopped by Ms. Schmidt: "Drink first, Hu."
She also winked at Hu Lai.
Hu Lai had no choice but to finish the protein drink in the bottle first. Yesterday he was still complaining to Uncle Yong that there is an unprofessional side in European football, and today he has seen the professional side of European football...
"It's great, boy." Ms. Schmidt nodded in satisfaction after seeing Hu Lai finished her drink.
Hu Lai was able to turn around and find a place to sit.
The restaurant is not too big, but it is also large enough to accommodate dozens of people in it.
The table in the core dining area is composed of three ordinary tables joined together to form a long table. There are three such long tables. From the number of chairs, each long table can hold 15 Individual dining at the same time.
In addition, there are some small tables by the window, which can accommodate four people. They are usually used by the coaches and the players rarely eat there. Unless you are an unreasonable nuisance and no one wants to eat with you, you will choose that kind of place-this is also some small team rules that Hu Lai learned about after officially following the team to start training yesterday.
And on the day he came to the team for the welcome ceremony, he ate at those separate tables...
Hu Lai came late now, the first long table was full, and there was still room at the end of the second.
He walked over with his lunch.
When he sat down, the Leeds City player sitting next to him greeted him: "Hi, Hu, your English is really good."
Hulay knew his name was Charlie Porter, the right midfielder of the team.
"Thank you." Hu Lai thanked each other.
"How did you learn? Can you teach poor Vieira?" Potter said, pointing to the black player sitting across from them. "He has been here for half a year, and he still doesn't speak fluent English. Let's go out. When he was playing, he couldn't get up to talk to the pretty girl, and he is still a happy bachelor..."
"Charlie shut up." Jose Vieira, who was eating on the other side, first gave Potter a glare, exposing huge whites, and then said to Hulet in English with a strong accent: "I'm Spanish."
This can be regarded as an explanation of why he is still not fluent in English.
Hu Lai was also surprised-when they participated in the Madrid Olympics last summer, they really rarely saw English elements on the streets of Spain. Whether it was street signs or shop signs, signs, and restaurant menus, they were all in Spanish.
"I have been to Spain, and there are indeed very few people who speak English." Facing Vieira, Hulay naturally switched to Spanish mode. "Is it because the Spanish are proud of their language?"
This stunned Vieira and Potter beside him.
"God, do you speak Spanish?" Vieira did not answer Hulay's question, but exclaimed in Spanish.
His voice attracted the attention of others in the restaurant.
Everyone looked at them one after another, seeing that it was the Chinese who had just joined the team, and then realized that since joining the team, this Chinese seems to easily become the focus of everyone's attention...
Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Hu Lai said in German: "What's the matter? I can speak German."
It's a showdown, don't pretend, I am a real genius!
Ms. Mia Schmidt, a full-time nutritionist from Germany in the restaurant, raised her eyebrows when she heard this sound. It was indeed authentic German, and she didn't even have any accents from other countries.
Captain Lorenzo Esposito should be regarded as the person who has the most contact with Hu Lai in the whole team. He didn't even know that Hu Lai could speak so many languages. He thought that Hu Lai's English was good enough. He can also come in Spanish and German.
So he said to Hu Lai in Italian: "If I speak to you in Italian, can you understand it, Hu?"
Hu Lai answered him in fluent Italian: "No problem at all, Captain."
His performance aroused great interest among his teammates. Dutch goalkeeper Michael van der Wein asked in his native language: "Hu, do you know the difference between Dutch and English and German?"
Hu Lai shook his head and said in English: "I don't know the difference, but I know what they have in common."
"What is it?"
"That's what I can say." Hulai said in Dutch.
Van der Wen put his head in his hands, his eyes widened like a light bulb.
No one is eating in the restaurant anymore, and there are many people holding their heads like Van Deven, everyone is exclaiming, as if they have seen a ghost.
"OH! MY! GOD!!!"
"Mamma Mia!"
"My mother once told me that Chinese people study very well. I didn't believe it before, but now I believe it..."
Pete Williams looked surprised at the man who had made him care about him now.
Even the unfriendly Farek Quinn opened his mouth into an "O" shape.
Compared with Hu Lai's ability in football, I am afraid that they are still a Chinese but proficient in all their languages.
Hu Lai never expected that he and his new teammates would become one in this way. He had thought that after he showed his ability on the football field, he would naturally conquer the new teammates.
As a result, he first conquered them with his lips...
He seemed to have integrated into this group all at once and gained the friendship of his teammates.
Charlie Potter slapped the table and shouted, "Hu! We want to hear you speak Chinese!"
His proposal quickly received everyone's response.
Because Hu Lai speaks English well, he always speaks English when he comes to the team to communicate with his teammates, so that as a Chinese, he hasn't even spoken his native language in front of his teammates. So the players in Leeds have never heard of what Chinese is like.
Joe Taylor further proposed: "No! Don't say it, you have to sing it! Hu, let us sing a Chinese song!"
The teammates burst out: "Yes! Sing! Sing!"
Everyone patted the table rhythmically, and the restaurant was very lively.
Hu Lai was also very happy that someone took the initiative to ask him to sing. This is really hard to find. I didn't expect that someone in distant Europe would know how to appreciate his singing...
So he raised his arm: "No problem! I'll sing a Chinese pop song for everyone!"
The dining room was quiet and everyone looked at him expectantly.
In a quiet atmosphere, Hu Lai cleared his throat first, then raised his head and started singing:
"Change your life and make yourself happy; give up persistence, and the weather will become good; every time you pass, it is a harvest. What are you waiting for to make the right choice..." (Note 1)
Listening to him, I don't know if it is singing or reading~EbookFREE.me~ The smile is gradually disappearing from the faces of Leeds City players.
But Hu Lai, with his eyes closed, was obviously already deeply intoxicated by his own singing, and he had no idea how others would react to it.
When the refrain came, Hu Lai also increased his output, and started howling:
"...I'm the same boy from before! Nothing has changed! Time is just a test! The faith that is in my heart has not diminished at all!"
The boat of friendship turned over when it was overturned...
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Note 1, the song is Meng Ran’s "Youth", this song is already rotten, but I still think the chorus part is quite suitable for Hu Lai, ha!
The young man in front of him is still the same face, no matter how hard and dangerous he is in front of him;
Say,
Nevernevergiveup!
Likeafire!