We made you the King of Prisoners, and now you've become the King of Football?

Chapter 87 Recruitment

The next day.

The entire Monaco team returned to France.

Stade Louis II.

Head coach's office.

Jardim sat at his desk, carefully studying the upcoming schedule.

In the 30th round of Ligue 1, they will play against Reims at home.

In the second leg of the Europa League Round of 16, they will host Borussia Dortmund.

In the 31st round of Ligue 1, they will play away against Paris Saint-Germain.

Following these matches is a ten-day international competition period.

Tuchel's Dortmund will definitely fight to the very end in the away game.

Paris Saint-Germain, playing at the Parc des Princes, is definitely the toughest opponent the team has ever faced.

Yaldin brainstormed, scratching his head.

Just then.

The office door was pushed open.

"Boss."

Teaching assistant Caldera rushed in, carrying two sheets of paper.

"What's wrong?"

Yaldin looked up.

"The club received both an email and a fax this morning," Caldera said, handing over the documents. "They were from the Chinese Football Association."

Yaldin took the document.

The first image is a printed email in English.

The second document is a fax.

The bottom right corner bears the red official seal of the Chinese Football Association.

The document above is written in standard legal document format:

According to FIFA —

【集训及比赛时间：2016年3月21日至2016年3月30日】

[Location of Report: Wuhan, China]

[Match Schedule: March 24th vs. Maldives, March 29th vs. Qatar]

This notice is also copied to the FIFA Players Status Committee and the French Football Federation.

As he read through the entire text, Yardin frowned deeply.

"Reporting on March 21st?"

"Wasn't that the day after we finished fighting in Paris?"

Caldera nodded.

"I've already asked Makelele; he just spoke with the Chinese Football Association this morning."

Just then.

The office door was pushed open again.

Monaco's technical director, Makelele, walked in.

This legendary French defensive midfielder just moved to Monaco two months ago.

As a legendary player for Paris Saint-Germain.

He knew better than anyone how important this game against his former team was.

"Leon, good news." Makelele pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Our match against Paris will be on the evening of March 20th, ending around 11 PM."

"The international match day doesn't start until midnight on the 21st."

"We could have let Jiang finish the game before leaving."

Yaldin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

But then another question was raised.

"Did the Chinese Football Association agree?"

"Most players have to go for training camp in advance."

Makelele smiled and said, "It was personally decided by Coach Gao from China."

"It's agreed that Jiang Ming can report for duty after finishing the match on the 20th."

"Unlike other Chinese players who reported for duty on the 17th."

"Jiang doesn't need to participate in the previous training camp."

"To be honest, I didn't expect them to be so understanding."

"Back when I was at Real Madrid, the French national team didn't even want me to stay until after I finished playing in the Champions League."

Upon hearing this, Yardin nodded: "It seems that the Chinese Football Association has to take Jiang's abilities seriously."

"For this reason, we can even give him the green light to participate in intensive training."

Caldera chimed in, "Perhaps it's because Chinese football has failed to qualify for the World Cup for three consecutive tournaments—"

In 2016, the Chinese national football team was standing on the edge of a precipice.

Under former coach Perrin, the team only managed 11 points in the first 6 rounds of the World Cup qualifiers.

They even drew twice with Hong Kong, ruining their excellent chances of qualifying.

Currently ranked third in the group.

They must win both of their last two matches and rely on the help of their opponents from the other seven groups to barely make it into the final twelve.

Perrin was dismissed as a result.

Gao was appointed to the post in a time of crisis.

He had only been in charge of the national team coaching position for a little over a month.

We recruited all the overseas players we could.

The purpose is to gather all available strength and give the Chinese fans an explanation.

"And then what?" Jardim continued, "We're playing Bordeaux on April 2nd."

"I also spoke with them," Makelele said. "The match against Qatar is on March 29th."

"The Football Association will arrange the fastest flight for us."

"Fly directly from Huaxia to Paris and then transfer to Nice on the same day, and you can return to Monaco the next morning."

"Jiang has two more days to recover from her fatigue."

After hearing the entire schedule, Jardim took a deep breath.

"That means he has to play Reims, Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain in 18 days."

"Then fly 10,000 kilometers to China to play two World Cup qualifiers, and then fly 10,000 kilometers back."

"It's just in time for the league match on April 2nd."

"Yes," Makelele nodded. "There's no other way."

"FIFA's regulations are there."

"But at least Jiang was able to play against Paris Saint-Germain."

"Paris' defense has been in mediocre form recently, so we're not without a chance."

"And if we win this game, we can widen the gap between ourselves and Lyon, and our Champions League qualification will be basically secured."

Yaldin did not speak.

He got up and walked to the window, looking at the training field outside.

Jiang Ming is currently practicing extra with Mbappe.

This 18-year-old Chinese boy has become an indispensable midfield core for Monaco.

"I'll go talk to him and see what he thinks."

Training field side.

Jiang Ming just finished taking a free kick.

The football grazed the crossbar and flew into the goal.

Mbappe patted him on the shoulder excitedly.

"New bee!"

Mbappe doesn't know what the English word "new bee" means in Chinese.

Anyway, Jiang said that as long as a goal is scored, saying this is always right.

Jiang Ming smiled and was about to speak.

Then they saw Yaldin walking over.

"Jiang, come here for a moment."

Jiang Ming followed Jardim into the players' tunnel.

"The Chinese Football Association has sent a call-up notice," Jardim said bluntly.

"The World Cup qualifiers on March 24th and 29th."

Jiang Ming paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I know, Mendes already told me yesterday."

Yaldin looked at him: "What do you think?"

"I plan to accept the national team's call-up," Jiang Ming replied immediately.

Yaldin fell silent.

He originally thought Jiang Ming would have reservations.

After all, Chinese football doesn't have a very good reputation.

If he doesn't want to go, we can help him decline.

I didn't expect him to agree so quickly.

Sure enough, most players can't refuse the national team.

"Alright, it's good for young people to have national pride," Yardin finally sighed.

"By the way, you can play in that match in Paris. It's on the night of the 20th, and you fly to China on the morning of the 21st."

At this point, Yaldin patted Jiang Ming on the shoulder again.

Take care of your health and don't push yourself too hard.

"After returning on the 30th, you don't need to participate in joint training."

"Just get some rest."

"Don't worry, boss," Jiang Ming smiled, "I'm fine."

How many games have there been?

Big B can play 60 or 70 games a season without getting tired.

With the B-Fee Iron Man module, his recovery ability is extremely strong.

Not to mention his strolls around the club—the style of a football king!

Jiang Ming raised his head.

Looking out at the distant sky.

Eighteen days.

Five tough battles.

Two flights across Eurasia.

The total flight distance exceeds 20000 kilometers.

"Am I now able to fly all over the world again?"

After two days of training.

3 month 14 day.

Ligue 1, Round 30.

Monaco will host Reims.

Reims is a well-known Ligue 1 team that specializes in avoiding relegation.

He has won the French Ligue 1 title six times.

They also reached the final in the first edition of the European Cup.

They ultimately lost 4-3 to Real Madrid.

Judging from their ancestral achievements, this team should be the hope of Ligue 1.

But now they linger around the relegation zone for years on end.

Nicknamed "The Phoenix of Ligue 1".

"Welcome viewers to tune in to Lay's Sports for this Ligue 1 Round 30 match —"

-

"What you see now is the Stade Louis II, where the home team Monaco will face the away team Reims."

"Lance's team has been acting strangely lately."

"They defeated Caen and Angers, two of the top-ranked teams, in the previous few matches."

"The fighting spirit of relegation-threatened teams is something that fans can never truly assess."

"Especially for teams that are about to be relegated if they lose again, the players are all acting like they're on performance-enhancing drugs."

The game has begun.

Lance then set up a 5-3-2 defensive formation.

Most of the players retreated to their own half.

Only one tall and one fast striker will be left in the frontcourt.

Speed ​​serves as a fulcrum and a counter-attack tactic.

As for the playing style on the field.

The movements were all bigger and bigger than the last.

"Ouch! That was too rough!"

"Just tackle Bernardo to the ground!"

"Oh! Mbappe! He's been tackled! How many times did he roll?"

"The referee pulled out a card; such a sharp move should result in a red card—"

"They only gave him a yellow card?!"

"The home-field advantage is so severe—wait, this is Monaco's home ground!"

32th minute of the first half.

Fabinho intercepts the ball in midfield.

Jiang Ming received the ball without making any further adjustments.

A low, through ball pierced through Reims' entire defense.

Lemar sped up.

He slotted a one-on-one shot into the far corner of the net.

1—0.

A sparse cheer erupted at the Stade Louis II.

After all, everyone knows that.

The real battle is yet to come.

In the time that followed, Lance launched a desperate counterattack.

But Monaco thwarted them all.

Jiang Ming didn't exert himself much in this match.

Most of the time they controlled the ball in midfield and passed it around.

Conserve every bit of energy and cherish your body.

After all, in the first half of the game, Mbappe and Bernardo Silva were tackled so hard they almost died on the field.

His small frame wouldn't allow him to lead the way on his own.

Reims' forwards were ultimately too weak, despite creating several threatening attacks throughout the match.

But they always seem to miss the opportunity.

The match has ended.

Monaco narrowly defeated Reims 1-0.

They secured three valuable points.

three days later.

3 month 17 day.

The second leg of the Europa League Round of 16.

Monaco will host Borussia Dortmund.

The current score is 2-2.

Monaco has a two-goal away goal advantage.

The Stade Louis II was packed to capacity.

More than 20,000 Monaco fans.

-

Greet your heroes with deafening cheers.

On the Dortmund side...

Tuchel did indeed make adjustments.

Shinji Kagawa, who had been outmaneuvered by Jiang Ming for the entire match, was removed from the squad.

Gundogan was brought on instead.

They abandoned the man-to-man marking tactic from the previous round.

Switch to a 4-2-3-1 zone defense.

"Tuchel has changed his formation," He Wei said.

"It seems they've learned their lesson after being outmaneuvered by Jiang Ming last time."

First half.

Dortmund launched a fierce and relentless attack.

Reus and Aubameyang took turns attacking Monaco's defense.

Gundogan's long-range shot grazed the post and went out of bounds.

Subasic played brilliantly, making numerous saves to keep the goal intact.

67th minute of the second half.

Jiang Ming finally made his move.

He evaded both Gundogan and Weigl in midfield.

I looked up and glanced at the scene before me.

A precise 40-meter long pass found its way behind Dortmund's defense.

Mbappe surged forward at high speed.

He crossed the ball into the center of the penalty area before Hummels could react.

Lemar pounced on the loose ball and slotted it into the empty net.

1-0!!

The final score is 3-2.

The Stade Louis II erupted in cheers.

"Goal!"

"Lemar!"

"Jiang Ming's long pass was beautiful!"

"That's the vision of a top midfielder!"

"Forty meters away!"

"It's been passed on as if it were measured with a ruler!"

The rest of the match time.

Dortmund pressed forward with all their might.

Even Hummels rushed into Monaco's penalty area.

But it's obvious.

Monaco, with home advantage and away goals, played very cautiously.

The last minute of stoppage time.

Aubameyang turned and fired a shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The football slammed into the Monaco fans in the stands.

The referee blew the final whistle.

Monaco defeated Borussia Dortmund 1-0 at home.

Win the game with the most economical score.

The overall score is now 3-2.

Monaco advances to the Europa League quarterfinals!

moment.

The cheers from the stands were like a landslide and a tsunami.

Tens of thousands of fans sang the team song in unison.

The wave of cheers grew louder and louder.

The Dortmund players left the field dejectedly.

Tuher walked up to Jiang Ming and extended his hand.

"You played very well in these two rounds."

Jiang Ming grasped his hand.

The two remained entangled for a long time.

Jiang Ming even had doubts.

Is Tuchel about to have a Monaco romance with him?

Finally, Tuchel let go.

Although he is proud, he also cherishes the talents of young people.

Especially this young Chinese man whose talent is almost overflowing.

"Hopefully we can meet again in the Champions League next time."

The Monaco locker room after the match turned into a sea of ​​joy.

The players sprayed each other with champagne.

Mbappe hugged Jiang Ming tightly.

"We've advanced! We've made it to the quarterfinals!"

Yaldin clapped his hands.

"Alright, guys, don't get too excited yet."

"We're going to Paris in three days."

I heard the word Paris.

The locker room fell silent instantly.

Everyone wore strange expressions.

"Boss."

Mbappe said in a low voice, "Can we really beat Paris?"

"After all, they scored nine goals against Troyes in their last match."

"Ibrahimovic is in frightening form, scoring four goals in a single game!"

A moment of silence fell over the locker room.

"Why not?"

Just then, Makelele walked in.

The former Paris Saint-Germain player wore a confident smile.

"I know them too well."

"Although they haven't won the championship yet, their mentality has already become arrogant."

"I bet everyone's thinking about going on vacation right now."

"And David Lewis's defense."

"You know what I mean."

Makelele's lips curled up and he raised an eyebrow.

He eased the players' tension with a joke.

Everyone laughed.

"I understand!"

David Lewis's unpredictable defense.

It's something that everyone in Ligue 1 knows.

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