Awakening the Messi template, Florentino Pérez begs me to join Real Madrid

Chapter 45: Kid, are you made of plastic?

After Gao Lin scored, the Liaoning FC Stadium fell into an eerie silence.

Two seconds later, an even louder wave of noise came back—but this time, the boos were mixed with an undisguised despair.

2:1. Time: 81st minute.

Wu Shi sat on the bench, a towel still covering his face.

"See that?" The teaching assistant sat down next to him and handed him a bottle of electrolyte water.

"That's experience. It's not about having great skills, it's about knowing what to do and when."

Wu Shi took the water, nodded, and felt a tightness in his throat.

The situation on the field reversed instantly.

The arrogance on the Liaoning players' faces turned into anxiety. They began to press forward more frantically, but this created gaps in their formation. In the 85th minute, Muriqui had a one-on-one opportunity on the right wing, but his shot was brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper.

In the 88th minute, Liaoning FC won a free kick in the attacking third. The ball was delivered into the penalty area, and in the ensuing scramble, Feng Xiaoting used his body to block the ball out of bounds.

Corner kick.

This is Liaoning FC's last chance.

Even the goalkeeper rushed into the Evergrande penalty area. A corner kick was taken, a header at the near post, and the ball fell to the far post—where the Liaoning striker, with almost an open goal, volleyed it!

"Bang!"

The ball hit the top edge of the crossbeam and bounced high into the air.

Heng's goalkeeper jumped up and caught the ball, holding it tightly in his arms. Time: 90th minute.

The fourth official held up a sign: 4 minutes of added time.

The final four minutes became a drill of attack and defense. Liaoning FC pushed forward into the opponent's half, while Guangzhou Evergrande retreated to defend the edge of their penalty area.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Liaoning FC launched their final attack.

A long pass from midfield was lofted into the penalty area, and Zheng Zhi headed it away before the opposing striker could reach it. The ball flew to midfield, where Gao Lin received it but did not rush forward. Instead, he protected the ball and dribbled towards the corner flag.

Two Liaoning FC players swarmed the ball, but Gao Lin used his body to shield it and push it out of bounds.

Time is up.

"Beep—beep—beep—!"

Three long whistles signaled the end of the match.

2-1. Evergrande secured a hard-fought away victory.

The substitutes rushed onto the field.

Wu Shi also stood up. He looked at his teammates on the field, who were embracing and celebrating. Zheng Zhi was roaring to the sky, Feng Xiaoting was kneeling on the ground and pounding the grass, and Gao Lin was surrounded by everyone.

[System: Detected complex emotions: relief (team victory) + guilt (individual performance) + envy (Gao Lin's composure). Overall rating: Emotional management still needs improvement.]

Wu Shi smiled wryly, but still walked into the arena.

Gao Lin saw him, stepped out from the crowd, and ruffled his hair vigorously: "You won! Why the long face?"

"I..." Wu Shi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Alright," Gao Lin interrupted him, "Everyone has these moments."

When I was 19, I played my first away game and got completely outmaneuvered by the seasoned veterans. I ended up crying on the field. You're lucky."

These words made Wu Shi feel a little better.

On the way back to the locker room, the home fans' jeers had turned into sporadic expressions of dissatisfaction.

Some Liaoning football fans even gave the Evergrande players a thumbs-up—not upside down.

This is a unique characteristic of Northeastern football: they can criticize you, but if you're tough enough, they'll accept it.

In the locker room, the atmosphere finally relaxed completely.

"Awesome! Gao Lin's shot was fucking amazing!"

"Wu Shi's shot with that curve was a world-class goal!"

"A win against Liaoning FC away from home means they still have a chance to win the championship this season!"

Lippi was the last to walk in, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"Well played." The old man looked around the whole team.

"Especially their reaction under adversity. Gao Lin's goal was clever, Wu Shi's goal was crucial, and Zheng Zhi's experience saved the team."

He paused, then looked at Wu Shi: "What you learned today is more valuable than scoring three goals. Remember this feeling—being targeted, being provoked, almost losing control, but ultimately pulling through. That's growth."

Wu Shi nodded vigorously.

As he showered, hot water washed over his body. Wu Shi closed his eyes, letting the water run down his cheeks.

[Final Match Statistics:]

[Played 79 minutes, touched the ball 31 times, completed 23 passes (74.2% success rate), scored 1 goal, made 2 key passes, made 1 tackle, was fouled 7 times, and received 1 yellow card.]

Team contribution rating: 7.1/10

[The mission "Devil's Away Trial" is being re-evaluated:]

[Given the extreme away conditions and the decisive impact of key goals on the game's outcome, the system has initiated a special evaluation procedure.]

[Evaluation Factors:]

1. Away game pressure index: 98% (extremely high risk environment)

2. Opponent's targeted tactics: continuous provocation + subtle harassment

3. Key Contribution: Scored the equalizer (changed the course of the game)

4. Final Result: The team won in a comeback victory.

[Overall Assessment: Task Completion Rate Revised to 3/4 (Passing success rate not met, but the other three categories met and included excess contribution).]

[Reward Distribution: Integration Level +0.25% (currently 5.75%).]

Wu Shi opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. He had thought the mission had completely failed.

[System: Don't be too happy yet. This is a special case requiring special handling. If this happens again, it will still fail.]

You won? Are you happy? Do you feel like you're one step closer to Messi?

"Let me help you wake up. Your performance today can be summed up in one word—luck."

Wu Shi paused for a moment.

"Not convinced?" the system sneered. "Fine, let's settle this one by one."

"First, that goal. Was it beautiful? Yes. Was it useful? Yes. But do you know what the statistics say? Your success rate in shooting from that position was 18.7%. You chose the most stylish one, not the smartest one."

"Secondly, physical duels. Throughout the match, you had nine head-on confrontations with the opposing defenders. How many were successful? Twice. That's a success rate of 22.2%. Do you know what the average success rate for duels is for wingers in the Chinese Super League? 41.5%. You didn't even reach half of the passing mark."

"Third, weight." The system paused deliberately, as if to emphasize this word.

"You weigh 75 kilograms and are 184 cm tall. Do you know what that means? In the Chinese Super League, you're a lightweight; in Europe, you wouldn't even be in a weight class."

"The most ridiculous thing is..."

"You really think you're not far from Europe? Look how badly you got bullied by that 32-year-old Liaoning FC veteran today!"

"You'll fall if I push you, you'll stumble if I bump into you, and I'll be called for a foul if I pull you—with this kind of physical condition, in the Premier League, those 190cm, 90kg defenders would probably send you flying off the field if they bumped into you."

"Those old monsters in Serie A, if they elbow you, you'll break two of your ribs."

"La Liga? Oh right, La Liga is a bit gentler in terms of physicality—but that's only relatively speaking. With your small frame, they don't even need to foul you; normal physical contact is enough to make you question your existence."

"You don't actually think Messi lacks physical strength and falls over at the slightest touch like you do, do you?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Wu Shi asked.

[System: Finally, you asked a decent question.]

Based on your disgraceful performance today, a "From Plastic to Steel" transformation plan has been generated:

The holographic interface unfolded before my eyes, and the bold red title was glaringly obvious:

The Plastic Man Rebirth Project (Phase One)

Current Situation Assessment

Height: 184cm

Weight: XNUM X kg

Body fat percentage: 11.2% (acceptable, but muscle mass is severely lacking)

Core Strength Rating: C-

Stability rating: D+