The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 244 - 65: The Wang Shuo Effect! New Skill: Inverted Foot! I’ll Outwork the Bundesliga’s Two-Footed Monsters! What a Grand Dream
The media had long reported that Wang Shuo trained exceptionally hard.
It was clear now that his ability to rise from Mainz and become a 20-million-euro player in a single season wasn’t just due to talent, but more so to his own relentless hard work.
Wang Shuo had toured the first team’s training grounds before, so he knew where the gym was.
He went inside and took a moment to familiarize himself with the surroundings, feeling a swell of emotion.
For starters, the Dortmund first team’s gym was far better than the one at Mainz.
Not only was it more comprehensively equipped, but more importantly, everything was state-of-the-art.
Some of the machines were things Wang Shuo had never even seen before; they looked brand new.
After spending more than a year in the Mainz gym, Wang Shuo had heard no shortage of complaints from Axel Busenkel.
The equipment itself wasn’t actually that expensive.
What was truly expensive was the personnel required to use it.
The specialized coaches, for instance.
Mainz simply didn’t have the budget for that.
Even with the buff from [Damage Reduction], Wang Shuo had always been very careful.
As a result, he mostly stuck to the machines he was already familiar with.
He had recently returned to his home country for a break, so his training had been on hold.
Getting back into it now, he was definitely a little rusty.
At the end of the day, football is a craft where practice makes perfect.
A day of training brings a day’s worth of progress; a day without training means ten days’ work is lost.
That saying was just as true for football.
So, Wang Shuo constantly reminded himself that he couldn’t afford to slack off in the future.
But buying workout equipment for his home wasn’t practical. The best thing to do was find a suitable gym and continue training every day.
By the time Wang Shuo stopped to rest, more than an hour had passed.
The sun had already risen outside.
"Hello, Wang. You’re here early."
Just as Wang Shuo was taking a drink of water, a middle-aged man walked in.
He had blond hair and looked very strong.
He was wearing a Dortmund training kit, and his muscle definition was very clear.
It was enough to make Wang Shuo drool with envy.
"Hello,"
Wang Shuo stood up. "Sorry, but you are...?"
"Oliver Bartlett, Dortmund’s fitness coach. I’m in charge of this gym."
"Hello, Oliver. I’m Wang Shuo." Wang Shuo quickly extended his hand.
"I know. Jurgen and Zeliko have already told me about you. They said you had a nickname at Mainz: the ’Training Maniac’." Bartlett couldn’t help but laugh as he finished.
Wang Shuo immediately thought of Busenkel.
’Without a doubt, that henpecked guy must have come up with that nickname for me.’
He was actually starting to miss the guy!
"It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Wang."
Oliver Bartlett stood in front of Wang Shuo.
"I’m British, born in London. I studied biology in Australia, enrolled at the German Cologne Sports Academy in ’91, and graduated in ’96 with a master’s in physical education. After that, I ran a gym back in Australia."
"During that period, I trained as a physical therapist in Osnabrueck, Germany. Starting in 2007, I began working for several of Germany’s national squads, including the Germany U-21 and the senior Germany National Team, which I still do."
Wang Shuo was astounded.
’Holy shit, this guy is a legend!’
It wasn’t uncommon for coaches to hold positions at both a club and a national team simultaneously.
National teams have fewer matches, and they generally can’t offer high salaries, which naturally makes it difficult to attract top talent.
Therefore, national teams often hire many top professionals on a part-time basis.
For example, they’ll negotiate with clubs to let a specialist work for the club normally, and then serve the national team during international fixtures, as the schedules don’t conflict.
Oliver Bartlett was quite satisfied with Wang Shuo’s surprised expression.
"Jurgen spoke to me about you. He hopes I can help you, and I’ve also learned a fair bit about you. For instance, your physicality has always been a weakness."
Wang Shuo nodded.
It was true.
"I want to ask you something, Wang. Tell me, what kind of player do you want to be?"
Before Wang Shuo could answer, Bartlett elaborated.
"You see, different goals require different levels of effort, as well as different areas of focus."
"So, I need to know what kind of player you want to be. That’s the only way I’ll know how to help you."
Wang Shuo gave a slight nod. Without any hesitation, he looked up and met Oliver Bartlett’s gaze directly.
"I want to be the best soccer player in the world, Oliver!"
"And I’m willing to work harder than anyone and endure any hardship to achieve it!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
This time, it was Oliver Bartlett’s turn to be surprised.
If Wang Shuo had said he wanted to be the best player in the Bundesliga, Bartlett wouldn’t have been surprised at all.
After all, Wang Shuo clearly had that kind of potential.
But Wang Shuo’s answer was that he wanted to be the best player in the world.
That meant he was putting himself in the same league as superstars like Ronaldo, Messi, and Kaka.
"That’s quite a... grand ambition!" Bartlett said, somewhat taken aback.
Wang Shuo was more ambitious than he had imagined.
But that was a good thing.
For a soccer player, especially a young one at Wang Shuo’s level, a lack of ambition was the most dangerous thing of all.
"I’ll need to do some proper research and discuss this with Professor Andreas Schrenberg."
"Professor Schrenberg?" Wang Shuo asked, surprised.
"You haven’t met him yet, have you?"
Wang Shuo shook his head.
"Jurgen invited him from Goethe University in Frankfurt. He’s an expert in sports science, specializing in sports rehabilitation and physical therapy. He also holds positions with many of the national squads and teaches at renowned institutions like Goethe University, Regensburg University, and the Berlin German University of Health and Sports."
