I'm 1.9 meters tall and weigh 200 pounds, can I pull the hem?

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"Another free kick!"

"Liu Yang is awesome!"

"This time it's a sure thing, brothers, Vera wins and the money's in!"

The young anchor finally started playing upbeat DJ music.

- [Haha, I've made some money!]

-【We still need to rely on Brother Liu Yang!】

[That's incredible! A brace of free kicks—that's rare in history!]

- [These two shots are quite different. The first one has a high arc and moderate speed, but it manages to go around the wall and hit the goalkeeper in the opposite direction. The second one is a dipping shot, catching the goalkeeper off guard!]

- [What are you all babbling about? The so-called experts in the comments are just talking nonsense. The replay clearly shows that Liu Yang's second shot also had a curve, just not as much, and the ball speed was extremely fast!]

[Brothers, my 4-1 bet hit! Big win!]

- [There are still more than ten minutes left. What if someone scores again? You'll be in big trouble!]

……

"It's so beautiful, absolutely so beautiful!"

Wenger praised it highly in front of the live broadcast screen.

"Although both of these free kicks are curved, there are subtle differences in the way they are taken."

"I didn't expect him to use it twice in the same match!"

"We must buy Liu back, whether it's the winter or summer transfer window!"

Wenger has made up his mind.

Liu Yang's incredibly arrogant celebratory outstretched hands appeared on the screen again and again as the broadcast replayed the footage.

They also replayed the celebration scene where Liu Yang made Pulis shut up.

Although the professor's expression remained unchanged, he was secretly delighted.

"That old bastard Pris has finally been proven wrong..."

But then, he followed the camera and saw Liu Yang's socks soaked with blood.

I started to worry again.

"Liu's style is practically template-free!"

"There are very few players who play like him. I've only seen a handful of similar players over the years."

"Gullit suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery when he was twenty-seven years old."

"Kaka's career has declined significantly before he even turned thirty."

"Liu is larger and heavier than them."

"With his physique, speed, and footwork, he is very dangerous, but he also puts a lot of pressure on his knees and ankles."

"Forced advances through the middle will encounter tighter defense and more fouls than dribbling past opponents on the wings!"

"This will have a huge impact on his career!"

Boulder didn't interrupt the professor's monologue; he knew how much his boss valued talent.

Over the years, Wenger has seen and even coached too many talented individuals whose careers have declined or even ended due to injuries.

"If he returns to Arsenal, we need to help him lose some weight."

"In addition, he must be given adequate rest, rotated out of certain matches, and substituted in matches where the game is already won..."

Wenger kept some less-than-elegant thoughts to himself.

"Fuck you, you damn old bastard Pris, if you cripple Liu Yang, I'll fucking never let you get away with this..."

……

Villa Park Stadium.

Surrounded by his teammates, Liu Yang basked in the cheers of his own fans!

Immediately afterwards, the pain that had just been suppressed by adrenaline began to return.

Liu Yang looked down and noticed that a large patch of his white socks had been stained red.

He lifted his socks and saw a long gash on his calf.

"Damn West Bromwich Albion..."

Liu Yang sat down on the ground, and his teammates quickly called for the medical team to come and treat him.

Gard was very decisive.

With a three-goal lead and a one-man advantage, he immediately substituted Liu Yang.

At the same time, he was cursing inwardly.

"Damn West Bromwich Albion!"

……

Liu Yang felt he could still walk with difficulty, but when the medical team brought in a stretcher, he sat on it.

When facing an opponent like this, it's only right to stall for time and annoy them a bit.

Aston Villa fans at home applauded and cheered for their hero.

After Liu Yang left the field, their cheers seamlessly turned into a huge chorus of boos.

A gift to West Bromwich Albion as they kick off from the center circle!

Upon reaching the sidelines, Liu Yang immediately stood up from the stretcher.

His weight made the stretcher-carrying staff quite tired.

"It's alright, sir. It's just a minor injury, a little bleeding, but your ankle and knee are fine."

When the coaching staff came up to ask questions, Liu Yang quickly took the initiative to let them know that he was safe.

Gard's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

A superficial injury may cause temporary setbacks, but not for long, and it rarely leaves any lasting effects.

"That's good, that's good..."

Relieved, Gard patted Liu Yang on the shoulder before remembering to praise his disciple's performance.

"Liu, those two free kicks were absolutely beautiful..."

……

West Bromwich Albion, fighting with only ten men, was already demoralized.

With a commanding lead and having substituted two key attacking players, Villa began to relax.

The two teams played the last ten minutes of the game as if it were just a formality.

The score remained at 4-1.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

Anthony Taylor blew the final whistle.

The game, which nearly spiraled out of control, put him under immense pressure, and his bald forehead was covered in sweat.

He could already imagine the barrage of criticism he would face after the match.

In the live broadcast room in China, the young anchor leaned back in his chair with a flourish and started playing upbeat DJ music again.

"OK, the match is over. Those of you who bet on Villa to win, come out and collect your winnings!"

"What did I tell you? With Brother Liu Yang around, we're guaranteed to make money!"

- [Thanks, brother Liu Yang!]

Haha, I won with odds of 4-1, several hundred points to win! Going to choose a car tomorrow!

-【Wow, the guy who bet on the draw actually bet on 4-1? Doesn't that mean he got a higher score?】

"Damn, seeing others win big is more painful than losing yourself?"

- [Hey? Brother Pingju is giving out red envelopes in the betting group!]

[This is a really big giveaway, everyone hurry and grab it!]

The atmosphere in the live stream chat instantly shifted.

The screen was filled with "Thank you, bro" and "Brother Tieju is so generous".

……

In the locker room, Liu Yang's wound had been bandaged.

"It's alright, the wound isn't very deep, no stitches needed, it should be healed in about a week."

"If you need stitches, you'll need to rest for at least three or four weeks."

Only after listening to the team doctor's instructions did Liu Yang finally feel relieved.

Grealish's examination took much longer; he had to have X-rays taken of his ankles and knees.

The atmosphere in the locker room was quite lively.

Villa's players can't even remember the last time they achieved such a resounding victory!

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively.

The next match is on December 29th.

"So... our training for the next two days is canceled!"

Garde waved his hand generously, and the Villa players in the locker room jumped up and down in cheers!

"There's no locker room conflict. Of course everyone's in a bad mood after losing a lot of games. But if we win a few games in a row, these guys will be just as happy as the kids."

Gard, surrounded by people in the middle, thought to himself with a sense of smug satisfaction.

……

December 12th, Christmas Eve.

With no training sessions, the Villa players each had their own plans.

Most people stayed home with their families.

A small number of people also decided to go out and have some fun on their own.

Liu Yang and Gnabry went back to London.

They arrived at the apartment they used to share.

"Oh dear, you two rascals, you didn't even tell me you were coming to visit. Luckily, I bought some top-quality steaks beforehand..."

Mrs. Stubbs, the landlady with gray hair, scolded them playfully while cheerfully making tea for the two of them.

She was the director of the orphanage where Liu Yang studied as a child, and she always took good care of him.

Later, Liu Yang moved into Arsenal's youth academy, and Mrs. Stubbs retired from the orphanage and returned to the countryside. The old and the young still kept in touch.

When Liu Yang was 17, Mrs. Stubbs' husband passed away. Having no children, she felt very lonely in the countryside, so she sold the estate and bought a small two-story apartment in London.

Liu Yang and his roommate Gnabry decided to rent her apartment so they could keep this lonely old lady company.

After years of living and working together, the old man had come to regard the two boys as his own family.

"Ser, I heard you're going back to Arsenal soon?"

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Stubbs, it should be next month."

A smile appeared on the old man's face.

"It's good that you're coming back. If you can't find a place to stay, just come back and I'll halve your rent."

"Little Yang, I wish you could stay in London too. Even if you don't live here, I'd be happy to drop by..."

The three of them spent a warm and happy Christmas Eve together, just like real grandparents and grandchildren.

……

A secluded villa in Scotland.

After retiring from Manchester United two years ago, Sir Alex Ferguson was finally able to enjoy the Christmas holidays with his family and friends instead of staying at the Carrington training ground in front of the tactics board or working overtime in the command area at Old Trafford.

This year, at his invitation, the Fletcher family also came to spend Christmas Eve.

Sir Alex Ferguson led Manchester United for over two decades and worked with countless superstars, but his volatile temper was almost as famous as the many great achievements he made in his football career.

From Giggs and Beckham to Van Nistelrooy and Scholes, and then to Rooney and Van Persie, no big star has escaped the baptism of Sir Alex Ferguson's "hairdryer," and even the beloved Cristiano Ronaldo was no exception.

But according to Ashley Young, the only player on the team who never got a "hairdryer" was Fletcher.

This midfielder, also from Scotland, has always been Ferguson's darling, and was even mistaken for his own son.

After dinner, Sir Alex Ferguson, holding a wine glass, leaned back comfortably on the sofa.

"The red wine tastes really good tonight, doesn't it, Darren?"

Fletcher nodded in agreement as his twin sons, Jack and Tyler, were chasing and playing in the living room.

"How adorable," the old sir said, turning his head to look at him with eyes full of affection. Since retiring, his temper had become much calmer.

"Back when you were fifteen, you were almost poached by Newcastle. It was one phone call from me that kept you here. I never imagined time would fly by so fast, even your son is all grown up now..."

The master and apprentice began to reminisce about the past, and gradually became engrossed in their conversation.

"By the way, Darren, there's a promising young player emerging in the Premier League recently. Didn't you play against him a few days ago?"

Fletcher shook his head helplessly.

"To be frank, sir, our midfield had absolutely no answer for him. He scored two free kicks and had an assist."

"That assist, I'm not exaggerating when I say, he smashed through our defense like a bulldozer."

Sir Alex Ferguson took another sip of red wine.

"Sounds like Rooney. I still remember that chubby Everton kid, we couldn't stop him..."

"No, no, no, sir, he's bigger than Wayne. I think he's almost two meters tall, but like Wayne, he's very stocky, not skinny."

"And unlike Wayne, he doesn't play a very direct style. He has pretty good footwork, he can control the ball and pass it."

The old lord sat up slightly, a hint of interest in his eyes.

"Sir, it's no exaggeration to say that he reminds me of Kaká in 07. You should remember that we played against Milan..."

"Yes, of course I remember. We couldn't do anything about him."

Sir Alex Ferguson certainly wouldn't forget that handsome Brazilian attacking midfielder, who scored three brilliant goals in the two legs of the Champions League semi-finals, keeping him out of the final.

"That kid, he's at Aston Villa, right? I remember he was at Arsenal before?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's strange. Knowing Wenger's character, he should be keeping a talent like this in the team like a treasure..."

"By the way, sir, we have another match against Aston Villa next week, which will be held at Old Trafford."

The old man took out his reading glasses from his pocket and turned on his phone.

"Villa's next game... well, the 29th against Norwich, I might watch it live."

"I might look at his information in the next couple of days, and on January 2nd, I will personally go to Old Trafford to watch the game."

"If this kid is really that good, maybe we can pick him up during the winter transfer window."

Ferguson's eye for young players was unparalleled.

The most classic example is that after a friendly match against Sporting Lisbon, they signed the opponent's 18-year-old Portuguese winger for the fifth-highest transfer fee in the club's history at the time and focused on developing him.

As we all know, Cristiano Ronaldo became a household name in the football world.

……

Liu Yang was, of course, completely unaware of Ferguson's interest.

After returning to training on December 26, he also did light training alone with the help of a physiotherapist.

Grealish, who was kicked around like a football by West Bromwich Albion players three days ago and had to undergo a series of medical examinations, has surprisingly joined the team's internal scrimmages and seamlessly integrated into the game.

"Liu, guess what? The X-ray showed no structural damage to my ankle and knee, just some bruises. I rested for a couple of days and I'm fine!"

Liu Yang was dumbfounded. There were several moments on the field when he felt that Grealish's leg had been broken by West Brom players.

But now he's acting like nothing happened!

He could only silently give a thumbs up.

This is genuine cowhide.

No wonder he was later known as "Shieldblade"!

……