Almighty Coach

On the football field, Halls dribbled with speed and control. With his amazing skills, he quickly moved between and past two defenders, reaching the free kick line before shooting.

“Beautiful!” Henry couldn’t help but exclaim.

His ball control is excellent, there is no extraneous movement. Upon his first touch, he was already prepared for his next action. This sort of ball control is simple and efficient.

He’s not very forceful when dribbling but he’s very direct, very lethal. That kind of dribbling makes it easy for him to get past people.

His acceleration is exceptional. After his body begins to move, he accelerates to his top speed quickly. He also has quick steps, so he can easily change and shift his direction when running, without losing control of the ball.

Although he isn’t very tall, his field of vision is great. He is able to observe the shifting of situations on the field in a timely manner so he can get where he’s needed most.

Henry completed his initial assessment of Henry in his mind. He already knew that the Argentinian boy in front of him was a football genius.

“Where did this guy come from? This is a real genius!” After seeing Halls’ performance, he could not help but admit that no young football player could be compared to Halls, even at the youth academy of Real Madrid.

Henry felt a sense of defeat. The youth academy of Real Madrid was regarded as one of the best youth academies in the world. The academy gathered all the young football talents of Europe, of the world, together. Whatever the youth academy of Real Madrid lack, it wasn’t supposed to be genius!

However, on that day, the lights that surrounded each and every one of the talents on the field were overshadowed by the performance of that Argentinian boy. The Real Madrid U14 team, one of the best in the world, had been shown up by Halls.

This kind of player must be a part of Real Madrid! We need to sign him, he will be the future of the club! Henry used to be one of the world’s greatest forward. He was a world-class superstar, and his insight was very sharp. He had already discerned the unlimited potential emanating from Halls’ body.

Henry looked at Dai Li and said, “Coach Li, this boy plays good football. He has the potential to become a football superstar.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Dai Li nodded with a smile.

“May I know which club is he playing for at the moment? Is it a club in Argentina? Or perhaps in America?” Henry asked testingly.

Henry assumed a genius player like Halles would have been spotted by a football club and recruited a long time ago. He also assumed that if Halls were in any of the youth academies in Europe, Real Madrid would have discovered him a while ago. So, Henry deduced that Halls must play for a football club on the American continent.

Henry thought that it might actually be a good thing that Halls was playing football for an American club. Real Madrid could spend some money to directly purchase his services. Although Halls was a football genius, he was still a youth player, so he wasn’t too valuable. The American clubs, whose eyes grew wide at the sight of green, wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of money. Real Madrid could potentially produce a core player in their future attacking lineup by investing in him.

Henry looked expectantly at Dai Li as he hoped for an answer However, Dai Li shook his head and said, “This boy is currently a free player. He hasn’t joined the youth academy of any football club.”

“None?” Henry looked bewildered.

Such an amazing football talent hasn’t joined a football club? Are the clubs on the American continent blind? Is it actually possible that they don’t see the genius of Halls? If he was in Europe, he couldn’t have gotten this good without being signed! As Henry’s thoughts raced, he was delighted. He felt like he had found a great deal. Since Halls did not have a club, Real Madrid saved on transfer fees.

In earnest, Henry said, “Coach Li, this kid has a lot of talent. I think he was born to play football. It would be a pity if such an amazing football player went to waste.”

“Mr. Henry, I understand what you mean. You want to invite Halls to join your Real Madrid Football Club, am I right?” Dai Li said frankly.

Henry nodded, “Yes, you get it. Our Valdebebas training ground has the world’s greatest football training system. Our logistics support is also world-class. The accommodations for our youth academy players are built based on the standards of a four-star hotel. Life here isn’t any worse than any other place in the world…”

Henry wanted to continue with his pitch, but Dai Li simply waved his hand and interrupted him. “Mr. Henry, please let me say a few words. Do forgive me for being direct. The current Halls, unfortunately, cannot be a professional player. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to reject you. It’s not any objective factors, it is his own problem.”

Henry was stunned, but his frantic mind slowed down. He realized that he was a little too enthusiastic. He must have come off as a borderline fanatic.

How has a football genius like him been overlooked by professional football clubs? He’s Argentinian. The professional football leagues of Argentina are also world-class. There is no way those Argentinian clubs missed such a genius. He has no club, so there must be something wrong, a serious issue. Could it be an injury? Or, perhaps, a mental illness? Damn, I should’ve thought of that. I got carried away.

Henry scolded himself in his mind before asking, “Coach Li, what’s wrong with Halls?”

Dai Li did not beat around the bush and answered, “Dwarfism. He has dwarfism.”

“So that’s it. I saw that he was shorter. I assumed that he was born shorter, but it was due to dwarfism,” Henry said. “However, if treated in time with regular growth hormone injections, he can still grow taller. Although he can’t become a 1.80-meter guy, he could still become a professional football player.”

“What if his Wagner’s line was already closed?” Dai Li asked with a laugh. His tone indicated he was rather relaxed.

“His Wagner’s line was closed? Then that would really be troublesome,” Henry looked at Halls, who was playing on the field. He couldn’t help but shake his head and sighed. “This kid. That is truly a real pity.”

Henry knew what the Wagner’s line’s closure meant. He finally understood why a young football genius such as him was not signed by professional football clubs. Dwarfism paired with a closed Wagner’s line completely blocked off the boy’s path of becoming a football player. It was impossible for him to become a professional football player. He had no value for a club.

“Mr. Henry, you no longer plan to recruit him anymore, right?” Dai Li laughed and said, “In truth, he is receiving treatment through my training center. Although his Wagner’s line has closed, and the effects of the growth hormone injections are limited, he can still grow taller with systemic sports training.”

“That is indeed the case. I hope he is successful.” Henry nodded, but he was clearly disinterested.

Henry knew that the systemic sports training Dai Li talked about could indeed help a teenager going through puberty grow taller, but there was only a small chance. The current Halls looked to be only around 1.40m tall. If he were to become a qualified professional football player, he had to grow to at least 1.70m. It was a 30-centimeter difference.

A Dwarfism patient whose Wagner’s line had already closed growing 30 centimeters was practically impossible in reality. It would be some sort of dream come true if it happened.

In Henry’s eyes, the genius footballer in front of him had lost his value.

What’s the use of a football genius who could not become a professional football player?

…

In the car back to the hotel, Halls was still breathing heavily; he was still recovering from playing.

“Did you have fun?” Dai Li asked.

“Yes!” Halls nodded and said, “I’ve never had such amazing teammates, and I’ve never played against such amazing opponents. They are much better than the people I played with in Argentina! I also made a few new friends today.”

“Well, that was to be expected. That was Real Madrid after all! They have the world’s greatest youth training system. Every team of theirs is among the best in the world. On Real Madrid, there are lots of geniuses like you. They are talented and they work hard. Perhaps some the kids you played with today will become football stars in the future,” Dai Li said.

Halls nodded, his face filled with excitement. He was still savoring a goal he scored.

“Do you want to play for Real Madrid?” Dai Li asked.

“Yes, of course I want to.” Halls nodded without any hesitation. His eyes filled with expectation.

Dai Li patted Halls’ head and said, “You can stop dreaming now. You can’t go to Real Madrid just yet. When you were playing, I brought it up with them, but they turned me down. The door for joining Real Madrid has closed, so you can no longer play with them like you did today.”

Halls was disappointed. His excitement had vanished without a trace. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Is it because I am too short?” Halls asked, clearly trying not to cry.

“No,” Dai Li shook his head. “It’s because you can no longer grow taller.”

Halls lowered his head and fell silent.

Dai Li did not speak again. At that moment, it was better to let Halls reflect on his own.

…

Dai Li’s next stop was Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona.

Halls’ grandmother was Catalonian. She emigrated to Argentina when she was young so, to Halls, Catalonia felt like home.

As a giant in football on par with Real Madrid, Barcelona was comparable in all aspects, including their training facilities and the team’s youth training system.

Faced with Dai Li’s visit, Barcelona sent out the team’s biggest celebrity to personally receive him and give him a tour.

Dai Li managed to get Halls a chance to play again, and, with Halls’ talent, he convinced Barcelona F.C. that the kid was a genius.

However, when Barcelona learned that Halls had Dwarfism and that his Wagner’s line had closed, they stopped in their tracks.

The difference was that Barcelona did not reject him completely. They indicated that if Halls could grow taller in the next few years, they were willing to give Halls a chance to join their youth academy.

Although the promised seemed empty, it was better than nothing.

…

On their way back to the hotel, Halls was silent once again.

“Barcelona isn’t any worse than Real Madrid, right?” Dai Li asked with a smile.

Halls only nodded.

“Do you want to play here?” Dai Li asked.

“I know they won’t want me because I’m short. No, because I can’t grow taller,” Halls answered, filled with discontent.

Dai Li’s tone changed and asked, “You’ve been to professional football clubs before. Spanish football is different from Argentinian football, isn’t it?”

“There’s a huge difference between here and Argentina. It’s like two different worlds,” Halls said.

“Do you feel like you belong here?” Dai Li looked serious as he spoke. “You’ve made a few new friends here in Spain, right? You have to admit they are better off than you, because they are already in the youth academies of Real Madrid or Barcelona. You are still a free agent. Real Madrid or Barcelona were both unwilling to accept you.

“The kids who are already on the teams are training hard now. They don’t waste their time and strength playing street football after dinner for two or three hours. They follow strict timetables. They put all their energy and focus into their training because they want to remain there. They want to become professional players.

“I hope you understand that the people who have an advantage over you are working really hard. If you want to join them, you have to work harder than they do to close the gap. If you can’t do that, then they will always be in a different world than you.”

Dai Li pointed towards the ground under his feet and said, “This is Spain. We will leave here tomorrow. I hope that the next time you are here, you will become a professional player. Good luck, Halls!”

Halls nodded seriously. A great fighting spirit had lit up in his heart. He knew that he could no longer waste time.

Perhaps Coach Li’s strategy of bringing him to Spain will prove to be effective. Chris Payton looked at Halls’ determined expression and couldn’t help but sigh. He sure is a child born to excel at football.