When Alberto Massie praised Gao Zheng, not all the reserve team players in the locker room approved of Gao Zheng. They just want to save face, and they can't directly show their disapproval - after all, Gao Zheng didn't provoke them, they just came for a trial, and who knows if they can stay in the team after a week, they can't be offended.

Especially when they heard that Gao Zheng only won honors when he was in U16, many people didn't take Gao Zheng to heart.

They are basically 18 or 19 years old, who hasn't come all the way from the U15 and U16?

Who wasn't the best of their peers when they were teenagers?

But it's not easy to get to where you are now, not that you did well as you did well as a teenager and deserve to be here now. Along the way, they have seen how many of their peers have fallen behind, and some of them are even more talented than them......

So what?

Professional football is a typical pyramid structure, the top players are at the top of the tower, the professional players of the top league are in the middle of the pyramid, and the professional players of the majority of secondary leagues, lower leagues, and even other second- and third-rate leagues are all at the bottom, but they are still on the ground and can still be seen.

As for the quasi-professional players who have signed professional contracts but have not been able to play in the first team, they are just the foundation of the pyramid, and they don't know when they will see the light of day underground.

From the junior team to the youth team, countless underdogs who have been eliminated from football are the sand in the vast desert around this pyramid.

As vast as a sea of stars, I can't count them.

From the point of view of the football project itself, the sacrifice of these people is meaningful, and it is their existence that gives birth to the behemoth of professional football. Without the support of youth football training systems at all levels around the world, and without the hundreds of millions of children who love football to devote themselves to this system, the world's number one sport would be a joke.

But individually, every loser who falls into the desert and turns to sand is sad. Some of them are to blame, some are jealous, and some of them have spent years realizing that they are not the ingredients for this bowl of rice.

The youth and health they have spent in this industry have been wasted.

Is it worth it?

If someone asks them that, they probably laugh and say, "I love football, I have no regrets." ”

But is this the truth?

But even if it's not the truth, even if you regret it and are unwilling, what can you do?

This is the reality, and the reality is so cruel. There will always be only a few people at the top of the pyramid, and countless deserts of gravel are the norm.

Sampdoria's reserve players are accustomed to the survival of the fittest, and even if they have any compassion, they are now basically smoothed out, and instead of sympathizing with others, it is better to think about how to get ahead in this competitive world.

Gao Zheng didn't understand the thoughts of his teammates, and he didn't pay attention to their salty and indifferent attitude.

He has just experienced a major turning point in his life, and the days since his departure from AC Milan are still fresh in my mind.

When he was still in AC Milan and constantly "won glory for the country", both the media and the fans almost blew him to the sky. And when he was terminated by AC Milan and was exposed to playing wild football on the amateur court, he didn't know how ugly he was scolded on the Internet.

After experiencing such ups and downs, he understood a truth - this world is like this, if you become a king or lose, if you don't want to be scolded by thousands of people, then don't lose.

The locker room relationship can be handled, it can't be handled, and if it's too difficult, then go elsewhere, speak with strength.

Just like when he played wild ball in China, let him take a photo with the financiers who gave him money or something, he didn't say anything, he was very cooperative, and he wanted to pose in any pose. But if you want him to accompany him to dinner and attend any business occasion, then forget it, he is a performer, not a chrysanthemum.

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The morning training was a very regular training, and Gao Zheng did not show the talent that made him the best player in the U16 that year, but exposed the shortcomings of poor physical fitness.

This also made those temporary teammates even more dismissive of Gao Zheng.

Only Marcy will take the time to encourage Gao Zheng: "Come on, don't worry, take your time......"

He knew that Gao Zheng had a one-year blank period, so it was normal that he was not very physically adaptable.

Although he was beaten by Gao Zheng back then, he now hopes that Gao Zheng can regain his strength more than anyone else.

This may be due to a very subtle psychology - how can someone who can scare me out of my guts be so weak? If I am defeated by such a person, then what am I?

Gao Zheng smiled and thanked Marcy for his concern, but he himself was not in a hurry. He knows very well where his problem is, and it's useless to be anxious about physical fitness, so he can only practice slowly and accumulate slowly.

In the afternoon training, Bruni arranged a five-on-five match at the end, the whole team of five was divided into four teams, and played in a field about the size of the penalty area, and the goal was replaced by a special small goal, which was guarded by the goalkeeper.

In order to increase the fun and competition, it is stipulated that the team that loses the ball will not only be punished for push-ups, but also be substituted for the other teams to go up.

This kind of competitive game is what young people love the most, everyone wants to be a banker, and no one wants their team to be kicked out after not playing for long. Although there are no material rewards, everyone assumes that being able to stay on the court for a long time is a great reward, like a glittering trophy that attracts everyone to chase.

So everyone was gearing up and eager to try.

Although Gao Zheng was a temporary teammate, he was also placed on the first team, but he was not with Marcy.

For this reason, Marcy also specially found him and gave him a vaccination in advance: "Gao, it's a pity that we are not in the first team. I know you have gaps, and I know you need to impress your coach with a good performance to keep you. Personally, of course, I'd love to see you stay, but I'm not going to let it go. ”

Gao Zheng looked at the serious expression of this new teammate and smiled: "It's just a five-a-side game......"

"That's also a win or a loser, and a win or a loss is a game. That's why I say that to you, I hope you don't mind......"

Gao Zheng waved his hand to interrupt him: "Don't mind, I also hope that you will go all out to defend me when you meet me later." ”

So I can see how much I feel back...... Gao Zheng didn't say this sentence, he just smiled at Marcy, so that he didn't have to worry about anything.