I AM the Football Star

At the end of the match, a youth coach from Barcelona inquired about Zhang Linyan’s details. It wasn’t until he learned that she was a girl, and the same girl who had recently outplayed Naji, that he sighed.

What a pity, she’s a girl.

Otherwise, Barça could have fully embraced her.

Subsequently, Lu Yang and Zhang Linyan’s group returned to the homeland.

Upon landing, Tang Yuqin took over Lola’s task, escorting Lu Yang throughout the trip to Garden Primary School in Sichuan Mianyang Jiangyou.

There, they met Zhang Linyan’s enlightening coach, He Gongliang, who highly recommended that Zhang Linyan pursue a professional football career.

However, Zhang Linyan’s parents, considering their child’s future, hoped she would continue on the traditional college entrance exam education path.

After a brief exchange, Lu Yang found that He Gongliang was a very seasoned football coach, especially skilled in the development of young players.

If he mastered more tactical insights, he would become an extremely competent systemic head coach.

A systemic coach is one who builds a team from scratch, selects the right people, pieces them together, nurtures them, and then leads the team to its peak at a specific period.

This is a cost-effective way of running a team, though its success can vary greatly.

San Remo, Manchester United Class of 1992, and Barça are examples of systemic coaching.

Of course, when there are systemic coaches, there is another category of head coaches.

These head coaches are not adept or interested in developing players, but they have incredibly strong abilities to bring various superstars together, making them perform greater than the sum of their parts without the need for long-term coordination.

Though such teams require massive investment, they often achieve success quickly.

Nowadays, teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Real Madrid follow this model.

In the future, Lu Yang is bound to own a team. When the time comes, a head coach will be needed for sure.

Instead of spending a fortune hiring a head coach from outside, why not use someone from within the organization?

This way, it is easier to implement Lu Yang’s team-building concepts and tactical demands.

Therefore, after a few days of interaction, Lu Yang advised He Gongliang to engage more in learning and attempt to pass the UEFA Professional Level coaching license.

Upon hearing this, He Gongliang was thrilled, as it was exactly what he had been contemplating.

Over the years, he had been involved primarily in the foundational education and training of young players, mostly relying on the official local schools.

His biggest source of income was the position of a school physical education teacher.

In coaching these young players, he received no extra compensation—it could be considered volunteer work.

Yet, he loved his profession.

The idea of obtaining a coaching license had, of course, crossed his mind.

But it requires money!

Acquiring a domestic professional qualification already costs a lot.

Not to mention the UEFA certification.

In a football desert, these are mere dreams.

”If you’re willing to join our research base, all your learning and examination expenses will be covered by us. Additionally, as you progress through the certification, you’ll earn substantial bonuses and promising internship opportunities in the future,” Lu Yang said.

In fact, this wasn’t only support for domestic coaches but also mutually beneficial for Lu Yang in this collaboration.

He Gongliang dedicated decades to the football education of young children and adolescents in the homeland.

He possessed a wealth of frontline experience, which could not be fully encapsulated by subsequent big data analyses.

If the aim is to train domestic players and tap into more football talent, practitioners like He Gongliang are vital.

The lack of a complete youth development pathway in the homeland doesn’t matter as much.

If an enlightening coach like He Gongliang is excellent, many outstanding young players can emerge.

Once the international market is opened, major European club academies can select suitable talents from these excellent domestic young players to train in Europe.

This model, rooted in the European youth training system, is far more cost-effective, time-saving, and well-executed than developing a domestic youth training system.

After all, the truth is, if the domestic league for adults is in disarray, how can one expect to successfully manage a less profitable youth training system?

Demands to establish a comprehensive youth training system domestically are unrealistic because it cannot be integrated into the college entrance exam system, and without such integration, youth training is futile.

Additionally, there’s no motivation to earnestly develop a youth training system, and even if someone attempts, it won’t last but for a few years.

The resurrection of domestic football can only happen by nurturing talent abroad, using the success of European-based players to direct domestic capital’s true attention to football, not just betting.

The third step of Lu Yang Stadium’s three-step plan, building free sports grounds, aims to provide more children with spaces and opportunities to play football.

Increasing the number of beginner children is essential for a greater emergence of talent.

However, relying on free pitches to develop semi-professional level players is not feasible.

Upon hearing Lu Yang’s proposition, He Gongliang couldn’t have been happier; he felt his fortunes were turning.

The most important aspect was the internship opportunity Lu Yang mentioned later.

”Are you referring to Shanggang?” He Gongliang knew that Shanggang had close cooperative ties with San Remo.

Lu Yang shook his head.

He Gongliang felt a bit regretful.

After all, despite its poor global reputation, the Chinese Super League is already the top league domestically and not that easy to break into.

”It must be clubs over in Europe; Juventus, AC Milan, San Remo, and Florence should all have suitable opportunities.”

”If it comes down to it, settling for a Serie B team as an assistant coach is also an option.”

”Certainly, if you genuinely have talent, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Barça... oh no, it should be Manchester City, there are chances here too.”

He Gongliang was floored.

He felt as if he must be hallucinating.

From a county-level primary school PE teacher to a member of the coaching team of top European clubs, this...

Wait a minute, why Manchester City and not Barça?

Does Brother Lu have no connections at Barça?

Well, because of the exposure issues before the Champions League final, Barça’s relationship with San Remo seemed a bit strained.