June 2015
Lisbon, Portugal
[The Sun: Benfica U19 player Andy suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis!]
[Bild: A tragic loss! Andy's first-team medical diagnosed with ALS, may have to retire from professional football!]
[Football News: The club tested Andy's chances of receiving growth factor injections, and the results revealed the ALS gene.]
[Portuguese sports newspaper: Key player of UEFA Youth Champions League runner-up suffers betrayal! Insider reveals Benfica immediately halted contract negotiations!]
«I never thought that even after being given a second chance at life, I still wouldn't be able to get rid of this disease.»
Looking at the overwhelming news reports, Andy scratched his head.
He died young in his previous life because of ALS, so he cherished his rebirth even more and unexpectedly won the lottery again.
Andy has paid a heavy price to become a key player in the youth team of a major club.
Portugal has dozens of clubs, and its youth training programs are divided into several levels.
Taking Benfica, where he plays, as an example, the hierarchy from lowest to highest is: Football School — Development Centre — Elite Team — Youth Team/Reserve Team — Youth Team.
To reach a certain level, one basically has to go through layers of selection.
Portugal has one million young footballers, but fewer than 200 can play in the Portuguese Super League, and players in the top five European leagues are even rarer.
Even if you include other league levels, the probability of becoming a professional player is less than 1%!
Even with a professional contract, there is always the risk of being laid off.
The probability of someone like Vardy, who rose from the lower leagues to the Premier League, is even lower, at 0.00001.
What people are seeing is simply survivor bias.
Most players start from higher leagues and work their way down, but that doesn't mean they can find employment in lower leagues.
Just like how employees of large companies don't easily find suitable jobs in small companies.
Players like Andy are definitely among the best.
He started professional training at age 6 and joined the U12 team at age 10, skipping a grade.
He plays at least 50 matches a year, and now he has 500 matches under his belt.
Moreover, he was a key player in the team that helped them win the runner-up title in the UEFA Youth League!
Perhaps because he has lived two lives and recalls the hardships he has endured, Andy remains optimistic.
At least for now, I haven't had a flare-up!
Rather than wasting your talent by giving up, it's better to give it another shot.
Meanwhile, Benfica's youth academy department is having a meeting.
Manager Ruiz produced a contract, stating: «The club has prepared a special contract for Andy, taking into account the development costs involved.»
Upon hearing the word «exclusive», everyone present couldn't help but silently give the club a thumbs up.
From youth training to professional status, there is a standardised process for player contracts for each position.
«Exclusive contracts» will only ever be applied to talented players recognised by the club!
Clearly, Andy is that kind of player, and the club's decision this time was definitely very humane.
However…
When everyone saw the contract terms, they exclaimed: «Capitalists.»
[Playing time must account for more than 70% of total playing time in a season; otherwise, salary will be deducted proportionally.]
[You must not make any statements detrimental to the club on social media, nor engage in any inappropriate behaviour.]
[Players cannot transfer to specific clubs during their contract period, even if those clubs are interested in the player and willing to pay a transfer fee.]
In addition, there are some unreasonable performance requirements in the competition.
For example, outrageous clauses specifying passing accuracy and defensive interception counts.
Everyone who saw the terms turned extremely pale!
Everyone knows that no player would accept such harsh terms; this is clearly forcing the player to leave voluntarily!
In that case, the club wouldn't be branded as abandoning players; instead, it could cultivate a positive image through the contract issue.
Tom, the youth team's physical trainer, was so angry that he resigned on the spot because Andy was a player he had discovered and nurtured.
When Andy received the «contract», he sighed helplessly.
«No wonder it's a notorious European shady business; I never expected them to treat their «own people» the same way.»
As long as they can bring value, first-team players can be sold without hesitation.
If they are like this, what about me, a youth training player on a scholarship contract?
Choosing to refuse is the ultimate act of dignity.
Therefore, Benfica's official website issued an announcement on the same day:
[Following amicable negotiations, player Andy has left the team as a free agent.]
Perhaps convinced that Andy would eventually leave football, the club made an even more disgusting decision.
Andy's season bonus, which was originally owed to him, will have a portion deducted as compensation for the club's youth development program.
This means that the after-tax bonus, which could have reached 80,000 euros, is reduced to less than 10,000 euros!
Andy carried all his belongings back from the club to his rented apartment.
Unfortunately, the apartment building's elevator was under repair.
With no other option, he had to climb the stairs back to his 20th-floor apartment.
Halfway there, my legs felt heavy, and a wave of weakness washed over me.
When he reached the 20th floor, his legs were completely weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.
It took a long time to slowly move into the room.
Lying in bed, Andy silently felt his legs.
His years of experience with ALS in his previous life made him realise that the disease must have flared up.
Even with his optimistic nature, he couldn't hold back any longer!
«I thought I could give it my all while I'm young, but it seems I'm about to fall apart halfway through.»
Good heavens, everyone else gets a system or something when they're reborn, but I have nothing here?
Just then, heavenly music reached his ears.
[Host's life countdown detected; system binding successful!]
The «Football Life Saving 3000» system is dedicated to providing you with. [Your service!]
Complete tasks to accumulate points that can be redeemed for health points!
[Received Binding Reward: 100 Health Points]
[ALS — 1 health point]
Current host health balance: 10 + 99 (extra health)
Andy suddenly felt an urge to cry!
«Having wandered half my life, I only regret not having met a wise ruler. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather.»
It's not a fancy system, but it can save your life!
[Current Task: Successfully sign a club in a major European league.]
[Task Reward: Health Points Pack]
[Tip: The higher the club ranking, the richer the contents of the gift pack.]
Andy didn't have time to examine the mission closely because he was already stunned by the feedback from his thigh!
It only cost me 1 point of extra health, and it offset my ALS symptoms?
Is this the power of a system?
However, the next morning, seeing the health indicator show another 1 point lost, Andy knew that ALS was still present.
It seems that my most urgent task is to sign a club and complete my mission.
As the saying goes, after the worst comes the best!
Just then, a phone call from strength and conditioning coach Tom came like a godsend!
It turns out that after Tom left, he took Andy's video recording and went straight to Germany, where he found his old classmate in the Dortmund youth team.
After some effort, the other party agreed to let Andy try out.
«Coach, you're even more awesome than God!»
Andy immediately praised his coach, then threw three punches at the ceiling!. ...
...