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

Two days before the FA Cup final, the Guangzhou media was already buzzing with excitement.

The Guangzhou Daily's sports section headline reads: "A Clash of Titans! Asian Youth Golden Boy vs. Asian Youth Golden Boot."

Southern Metropolis Daily: "Can the new Chinese Super League king be crowned with two titles? Wu Shi and Wu Lei, who will reign supreme?"

Sports Weekly went even further, dedicating an entire page to comparing the two players: Wu Shi on the left, Wu Lei on the right, with a large "VS" sign in the middle and smaller print below: "The battle for the strongest domestic post-90s player."

It caused a huge uproar on Weibo.

"Wu Shi has 11 goals and 9 assists this year, while Wu Lei has 15 goals; statistically, Wu Lei wins."

"But Wu Shi plays a different position; he plays multiple attacking positions, so it's normal that he doesn't score as many goals as Wu Lei."

We'll know who's stronger tomorrow.

"I bet on Wu Shi; Wu Lei can't compare to his physical attributes."

"Wu Lei's positioning is too clever; Evergrande's defense needs to be careful."

"Anyway, we all share the surname Wu; we were one family five hundred years ago."

Inside the training base, Wu Shi scrolled through his phone, looking at these comments.

"What are you looking at?" Gao Lin came closer.

Wu Shi handed him the phone. Gao Lin glanced at it twice and clicked his tongue twice:

"Wow, a duel between two martial arts masters, that's quite a headline." He handed the phone back. "But you two do have something to talk about. You both have the surname Wu, and both your names contain the character 'Shi' (石). He's Lei, with three 'Shi's, and you're Shi, with one 'Shi's. You have two fewer 'Shi's' than him, so you're bound to lose?"

Wu Shi rolled his eyes at him: "What kind of logic is that?"

"Just kidding." Gao Lin patted him on the shoulder. "But seriously, Wu Lei has been phenomenal this season, fifteen goals, the top domestic scorer. You two are going up against each other tomorrow, give him a good beating."

Wu Shi nodded.

He instinctively wanted to call out to Yin and ask for her analysis, but he swallowed the words back.

The silver is not there.

It's been two days already.

At first, I wasn't used to it. I always felt a blank in my mind. When I was playing football, I subconsciously wanted to wait for her to report the data, but she didn't respond for a long time.

I've gradually gotten used to it over the past couple of days, but the feeling of being "alone" is still very obvious.

He touched the amulet in his pocket, a little gift from Su Qianqian.

"Alright, time for training." He stood up.

The pre-match press conference will be held at 3 PM.

The press conference room at Tianhe Stadium was packed with reporters.

Lippi attended the event with Zheng Zhi, and the old man remained calm and expressionless.

Reporters eagerly raised their hands.

"Coach Lippi, what are your thoughts on tomorrow's match against Shanghai East Asia?"

Lippi, speaking through a translator, said, "They are a very good team, and we respect every opponent."

Will the duel between Wu Shi and Wu Lei become the focus of the match?

Lippi paused for a moment: "Football is a team sport, not a game for two people."

The reporters persisted: "Are you satisfied with Wu Shi's performance this season?"

Lippi rarely showed a smile: "He's only seventeen, and he has a lot of room for improvement. I'm very satisfied."

Meanwhile, at the hotel where Shanghai East Asia was staying, they also held a press conference.

Coach Xu Genbao attended the event with Wu Lei. The old man still spoke with a strong Shanghai accent and spoke slowly.

A reporter asked Wu Lei, "What do you think of Wu Shi? We'll be facing him head-on tomorrow."

Wu Lei smiled, revealing a set of white teeth:

"I know Wu Shi very well; we played together during the AFC U-19 Championship. He's improved a lot and is now a key player for Guangzhou Evergrande. We have different strengths; he's an all-rounder, able to pass and shoot, and he's also physically strong. As for me, I just run around and take shots."

The reporter pressed further, "Do you think you can beat him?"

Wu Lei shook his head: "It's not about beating them, it's about beating Evergrande. Their overall strength is stronger than ours, so we have to fight hard."

Xu Genbao added from the sidelines: "Wu Lei is a low-key kid, but he's actually quite shrewd. You'll see when you watch the game tomorrow."

After the press conference, the internet exploded again.

Someone edited together clips from their interviews and captioned it: "One is high-profile, the other low-profile—who's the real big shot?"

Comment area:

"Was Takeshi not interviewed this time?"

"Wu Lei's answer was good; he was neither humble nor arrogant."

"Just watch the game tomorrow, there's no point in saying anything more."

Wu Shi scrolled through his phone, looking at each message one by one.

To be honest, he was a little nervous.

Because the silver is not there.

Lately, during every crucial match, Yin is always there, offering data analysis and suggestions for options. Although it can be annoying at times, the feeling of "having someone by my side" is quite reassuring.

It's gone now.

He looked up at the training field outside the window.

The setting sun turned the grass golden.

Several young team members were still practicing extra, and their shouts could be heard from afar.

My phone vibrated.

Su Qianqian: "Brother Shitou, good luck in tomorrow's match! I'll be watching the live stream!"

Wu Shi laughed and typed:

"Yes, thank you, Qianqian."

The other party replied instantly:

Are you nervous?

Wu Shi was stunned for a moment.

He thought for a moment, then typed:

"A little."

Su Qianqian sent a hug emoji:

"Don't worry, you're the best. Did you bring that amulet?"

Wu Shi patted his pocket:

"I brought it with me."

"That's good. My classmate said Wu Lei is very good, but I think you are even better."

Wu Shi laughed out loud:

Does your classmate know anything about football?

"I don't understand, but that's what they said. Anyway, I support you."

Wu Shi felt a warm feeling in his heart:

"Okay, I'll message you if we win tomorrow."

"Uh-huh!!"

It's 10 p.m. in the apartment.

Wu Shi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

He sat up, turned on his computer, and watched the Shanghai East Asia match video again.

Wu Lei's positioning, receiving the ball, and shooting.

He wanted to use the simulated opponent feature to study it, but Yin wasn't there.

He could only use the most primitive method: watching the video over and over again.

He paused the video and stared at the figure on the screen.

Tomorrow, he will have to face it alone.

He turned off the computer and lay back down on the bed.

He touched the amulet in his pocket and closed his eyes.

Wu Shi woke up promptly at six o'clock the next morning.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten; the morning in Guangzhou was very quiet.

After washing up and changing into his training clothes, he prepared to go to the training base.

Before leaving the house, he looked at himself in the mirror.

She was seventeen, with dark circles under her eyes, but her eyes shone with light.

"Silver, if you can hear me, please pray that I don't play too badly."

Of course, there was no response.

He smiled, pushed open the door, and went out.

Tianhe Stadium, 7:30 pm.

More than 50,000 people were seated, and every seat was taken.

In the players' tunnel, Wu Shi saw Wu Lei.

Wu Lei was standing at the front of the East Asia team, talking to his teammates. He saw Wu Shi and nodded.

Wu Shi nodded.

Neither of them spoke.

The referee signaled for the player to leave the field.

Takeshi took a deep breath and stepped onto the court.

The fans' shouts were deafening.

He looked up towards the VIP box.

There were club executives sitting there, and maybe some Real Madrid people too, but he couldn't see them clearly.

He lowered his head and touched the amulet.

The match is about to begin.

The referee showed the coins to the captains of both teams.

Guess the side.

Lippi and Coach Xu stood on their respective coaching benches.

The whistle blows.

Game start.