The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

"Don't worry, your son is a future superstar. Joining Porto's youth academy is a piece of cake for him." Mario shared the good news with his family immediately after the successful signing.

"Remember to tell Sophia that I'll pay her back once I get my salary."

"Don't worry, I have enough money. I'll take good care of myself!"

Mario, who had demonstrated his abilities, signed a standard contract with the club that very night, with a weekly wage of 2500 euros and a release clause of 500 million euros.

Oliveira values ​​Mario, a future key player, highly, considering that some U21 players who have been promoted to the first team and are training with the team earn less than this young man he has only known for a day.

In an era before inflation, such a weekly wage was considered a genius-level treatment for an 18-year-old player who had not yet established himself in the first team or even the B team.

Therefore, Mario, who had previously experienced being a nobody at Sporting Lisbon, didn't waste any time and decisively signed his name.

With such a small penalty, given his ability and performance, I believe Porto will soon be slapping themselves in the face to invite the promising young talent to sign a new contract.

Ten years ago, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was only 18 years old, had a transfer fee of 1750 million euros. My current ability should be about the same as his.

However, this requires a platform and exposure.

My current goal is to make it into Porto's first team!

Mario didn't rest much after hanging up the phone; following the advice of his strength and conditioning coach, he continued his muscle-building efforts at the gym.

The 5 points in Strength and 6 points in Fitness are impressive, and as a superstar, how could he be a "sharp dog"?

The training plans tailored for top teams are very comprehensive and look quite professional.

The special notes on the title page further highlight the black shop's people-oriented nature.

Always do what you can: As an 18-year-old newcomer, linear progress is more important than pushing your limits, and the quality of your movements is far more important than your load limits.

Listen to your body's signals: distinguish between muscle soreness and joint pain, the latter being a signal to stop immediately.

Nutrition and Sleep: Replenish protein and carbohydrates within 30 minutes after training; ensure 8-10 hours of sleep every night, which is key to body repair and growth.

Training module:

1. Core Strength – Building a Stable Axis

Midfielders frequently turn, protect the ball, and engage in physical duels, requiring a strong core to transmit power and protect the spine. Anti-rotation training, the Palov press, and farmer's walk are recommended for strengthening this skill.

2. Lower limb strength – emphasizing stability and unilateral strength

On-field movements such as sudden stops and changes of direction often involve single-leg power. Reduce the weight of bilateral squats and increase Bulgarian split squats and single-leg Romanian deadlifts, combined with glute bridges and Nordic push-ups to prevent hamstring strains.

3. Strength and Endurance – Simulating continuous output in a match

Use multiple sets of cyclical training, with short intervals and gradually shorten the rest time between sets under a fixed weight to enhance endurance.

4. Pre-rehabilitation and flexibility – prevention of common midfield injuries

Midfielders, who run a lot, are prone to groin and knee injuries from overuse. They should strengthen their hip joints and use techniques like clamshell and fire hydrant exercises to strengthen their gluteus medius muscles.

The fourth section devotes more attention to the point that, indeed, players who can be sold are the best players.

A healthy body with no medical history can also make other clubs pay a premium, and Mario's fitness coach has perfectly inherited the club's philosophy.

Much better than that England coach who inappropriately made young defenders play pain-killing games in friendly matches!

Coincidentally, Oliveira, back home, has also grasped the essence of Porto's style, and he has already begun to tailor tactics for Mario.

"Three goals, three completely different ways."

"Long-range shots, one-on-one runs, and finally, an imaginative chip shot—his attacking talent is overflowing."

"As for the poor defense?"

"It's okay!"

"When you can solve everything with offense, a slightly weak defense is acceptable."

Soon, the tactics board began to take shape, with sticky notes stacked on Mario's jersey number plate.

Positioned as the playmaker or shadow striker in the attacking third.

The two roles are used to deal with teams of different strengths; the former focuses more on passing and playmaking, while the latter focuses more on making runs and scoring.

But there is only one goal: to create space for Mario, supply him with cannonballs, and give him unlimited firing rights and freedom to advance.

The teammates also need to be well-matched. A deep-lying striker should be able to hold onto the flanks, drop back to form a wall, and draw away the center-backs to create space for Mario to make forward runs.

The two wingers need to draw the full-backs inside, creating space for Mario to shoot from the edge of the box. At the same time, after cutting inside, they need to reduce their direct shots and instead pass back or across to allow the onrushing Mario to complete the long-range shot.

The defensive midfielder should hold his position, reduce forward runs, and provide solid protection for the team. If he manages to intercept an attack, he can directly find Mario to initiate the attack.

"Kid, you should call me uncle more than Vitor!!" Oliveira remarked, putting down his marker.

-----------------

The following day, Sofia's link message sent to the family group made Mario smile.

Lisbon missed out on Portugal's future star; they'll regret it!

I must say, it feels really good to have your family support you so unconditionally.

He's enjoying the treatment of being protected by his older sister, Luo Ge!

Mario, in a great mood, gave it a triple tap, and his exclusive "Factos" certification appeared in the comments section.

What an arrogant and conceited family!

-【I can't imagine why Cristiano would think you have potential.】

-【Have some self-awareness! They're not even playing in the U19 anymore, yet they call themselves future stars!】

[This is just something people are trying to ride the wave of popularity, so please don't comment!]

- [It's been over a month, which club are you playing for now?]

The comment section quickly became lively. Seeing his sister fighting against the barrage of trolls, Mario quickly registered a new account to join the fray.

The first thing to remember before commenting is to pay attention to your own ID, to avoid the awkward situation of the main account appearing as a third person.

Hmm, a plumber who loves to drink water~

Very good, now you can start spewing profanities!

Before he knew it, a towering building had risen from the ground. It was only after Sofia took the initiative to add him as a friend that Mario realized how much time had passed.

Social media is just a side issue; let's start the day with long-range shooting practice!

Time always flies when you're focused on something. Mario, who left the base in the evening, went to the finance department and got an advance on a week's salary.

First and foremost, she needs to repay the money; she can't let her younger sister's support go to waste.

The saying goes, "If you borrow and repay, it's easy to borrow again." Mario, with his good credit, won't be like Dai Lin, a football scumbag.

In addition, he also planned to buy some gifts to visit his uncle who had provided the trial opportunity. Although good wine needs no bush, the time cost involved was considerable.

"Uncle, thank you for your recommendation. I'm so glad I found a team so quickly."

"You did well in the trial; your coach even praised you!"

Mario's act of repaying kindness greatly increased Pereira's favorability towards him, and judging from his speech, he didn't seem like a guy with low emotional intelligence!

Ah, young people are still too straightforward.

I've seen the details of the interview that caused such a stir before. It's understandable that I wanted the team to win, but directly saying that I had no obligation to pass the ball to Ronaldo was definitely falling into the reporter's trap.

I haven't practiced enough; I'm not as experienced as I am with years of experience in press conferences.

"Once bitten, twice shy. I'll train hard from now on and try to get into the U21 team as soon as possible!"

As someone who has worked in the football industry for many years, Pereira is well aware that players who are promoted to the youth teams in a step-by-step manner have limited potential.

Truly gifted individuals often begin to make a name for themselves in the first team as early as seventeen or eighteen, or even sixteen.

For example, Rooney, who likes mature women, made his Premier League debut at the age of sixteen and broke the record with a world-class goal against Arsenal!

"Yes, I will work hard. Uncle, if you have time, you can come and watch the U19 match. The coach thinks highly of me!"

Mario nodded modestly, indicating that he had no intention of being promoted to the first team through persuasion.

He is determined to earn a spot on the first team through his performance on the field!