Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

"Although Jiang Yan has great talent as an all-around midfielder, he still needs extra defensive support to press him. If he can improve his one-on-one defending, he might become a leading figure in the next generation of midfielders!"

Back on the field.

Jiang Yan turned around, and Real Madrid switched from defense to attack.

When Jiang Yan went forward to attack, Casemiro and Toni Kroos moved behind Jiang Yan, always on guard against the opponent's counterattack.

"That Benitez guy, why didn't he say he had such a great idea sooner! I'm having the most fun playing football right now!"

Whether facing traps set by defenders or being the turning point in the offense and defense, this was a feeling he had never experienced before.

He has a feeling that he is leading this team.

Whether it's Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, or Toni Kroos and Casemiro behind them, everything is under Jiang Yan's control. Whether it's positioning, attacking, or defending, everyone must follow Jiang Yan's actions.

"I am now the center of this team!"

[God's-eye view] The operation was launched immediately, and the movement, position, and even the next move of all the players on the field appeared in Jiang Yan's mind.

Jiang Yan kicked a dipping shot, the ball flew over the defender's head and landed straight at Ronaldo's feet.

Cristiano Ronaldo would never falter when faced with a ball that comes at just the right time and with the perfect power.

Despite being double-teamed by two defenders, Ronaldo managed to hold off both players with his superior physique and unleashed a powerful shot that bounced off the crossbar and into the net.

1-1!!

"In the 85th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo received a brilliant pass from Jiang Yan, showcasing his incredible physical prowess, and scored to equalize the score! This is the King of the Bernabéu! The eternal GOAT of football!"

siu! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

After scoring, Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated wildly, with everyone embracing him in celebration of this hard-won goal.

Casemiro then came to Jiang Yan's side.

He knew very well that Jiang Yan was undoubtedly the one who scored the goal.

Although there were still some flaws in the defense, the overall performance was still excellent.

Faced with such a brilliant assist, the Bernabéu stands chanted Ronaldo's name, as if the goal was entirely due to Ronaldo's individual ability.

Listening to the fans in the stands chanting Ronaldo's name, Jiang Yan felt a unique sensation.

Casemiro seemed to sense Jiang Yan's emotions and pulled him into his arms.

"A great assist, Jiang. You might become a midfielder who surpasses Zidane in the future."

"Don't flatter me, I'm still very inexperienced!"

"Haha, I didn't expect you to be so modest."

......

Ultimately, Real Madrid managed a 1-1 draw against Villarreal away from home.

On the leaderboard,

Barcelona 33 points

Real Madrid 32 points

The gap between the two teams is getting smaller and smaller, which means that neither side can afford to make any more mistakes.

The MVP award for this match was given to Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the winning goal.

Benitez, on the other hand, stopped Jiang Yan in the players' tunnel.

"Your performance has exceeded my expectations. I'm sure you understand my good intentions now."

Jiang Yan nodded. Although he had indeed been depressed for a while because of this incident, he had long since understood Benitez's good intentions with the help of Casemiro and Modric.

"You want me to play as... an all-around midfielder?"

Bennister's expression shifted slightly; he seemed surprised that Jiang Yan had seen through his intentions so early.

"Have you figured it out?"

Jiang Yan nodded with a wry smile.

"Although I was troubled for a while, I finally figured it out."

"How's it going?" Benitez asked without hesitation. "How's it going to feel like you're playing as an all-around midfielder?"

Jiang Yan paused, then began to recall everything that had just happened on the field.

"How should I put it? It was a feeling I'd never experienced before, as if the court and my teammates were completely under my control."

Benitez smiled, then put on an extremely serious expression.

"James Rodriguez will leave in the winter transfer window; it's almost a certainty. The conflict between us is irreconcilable. He is the leader of the team's attack, and the future... belongs to him too."

After saying that, Benitez patted Jiang Yan's shoulder lightly and walked towards the locker room.

After the match, a report titled "James Rodriguez's views clash with the manager, and he may be frozen out of the transfer window" went viral.

......

The rest day after the game.

"Wow, this is huge!"

Jiang Yan arrived at a villa in the suburbs of Madrid by car.

"Jiang! You're here! Come in and have a seat!"

Casemiro walked out of the villa. After the match that day, Jiang Yan arranged to meet Casemiro at his villa in order to improve his one-on-one defensive skills.

Led by Casemiro, Jiang Yan arrived at the villa.

Several framed photos of him and his wife on the cabinet in the entryway of the villa are displayed.

Further inside is a high-ceilinged living room, with a small soccer ball figurine in the corner bearing the Real Madrid logo.

Jiang Yan sat on the sofa, looking somewhat flustered, and placed the fruit he had brought on the floor.

Casemiro took a can of Yakult from the refrigerator.

"Here, have a taste, this is my favorite."

Jiang Yan took the Yakult and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Jiang Yan's performance, Casemiro began to speak to himself.

"I was born in a favela in São Paulo, Brazil. My father ran away when I was 3 years old, and my mother raised me and my siblings alone."

"Every afternoon at five o'clock back then, people would push carts full of Yakult on the street to sell it, but I never drank it until I was 16 years old and signed my first professional contract, at which point I had the opportunity to drink as much as I wanted."

"To be honest, Yakult isn't as good as I imagined, but... after all these years, I still can't quit it."

Casemiro's eyes gradually reddened as he spoke.

Seeing this, Jiang Yan quickly changed the subject.

"Isn't Miss Anna home?"

"She went shopping," Casemiro said.

"I see. Women really are obsessed with shopping."

Casemiro nodded, seemingly empathizing.

"But you're 18 now, it's time to think about marriage. I first met Anna when I was 16, and with her, I feel more motivated to play football."

Jiang Yan quickly waved his hand.

"In China, people don't get married that early, and I'm still single. I'm the kind of person who can only focus on one thing at a time." Jiang Yan paused, "Right now, I'm completely dedicated to football. I don't want to think about these things until I achieve a certain level of success."

Casemiro smiled.

"That's true, but everyone needs a girlfriend, right? What would you choose? Reporter Qin, or Dr. Emily?"

Upon hearing Casemiro mention these two names, Jiang Yan's expression became noticeably unnatural.

Whether it was what happened with reporter Qin or Emily living next door to him, it all seemed too surreal.

"Don't talk nonsense. Reporter Qin and I are just from the same hometown! And I have absolutely no relation to Miss Emily. There's an old Chinese saying, 'When fellow countrymen meet, their eyes well up with tears!'"

"Hehe, I have my doubts."

......

"We chatted all afternoon, and besides playing games, he didn't teach me any defensive techniques at all... Casemiro, isn't he supposed to be quite talkative? Turns out his quiet demeanor was just an act..."

It wasn't until dark that Jiang Yan dragged his exhausted body back to his home in downtown Madrid.

Just as he was preparing to go home and get a good night's sleep.

"Isn't this Jiang Yan? Why are you only coming home now?"

Looking in the direction of the sound,

Emily was wearing a nightgown and holding something in her hands.

They looked like they had just left the house.