The 2004-2005 Ligue 1 season began at the beginning of August, with Metz's first game at home to Nantes at 4.30pm on 7 August.

Ribery, who Chu Zhongtian has been observing, although his performance in the warm-up match was not very good, and he did not show any likable traits except for his speed and love to break through, he was selected for the squad, and he was also in the starting list. The decision came as a surprise to the local media, who said that Ribery must have made a decision. Fernandes' long-lost nephew – otherwise there's no way to explain why such a mediocre former amateur was able to start his first league game as soon as he arrived at Metz. You must know that Chu Zhongtian, who is also an amateur player and is favored by the Premier League powerhouse Chelsea, has not even entered the squad here.

When Xu Xiaodi heard the news that Chu Zhongtian didn't even make the eighteen-man list, he was disappointed.

Originally, Chu Zhongtian planned to take advantage of the team's competition to practice for himself, but Fernandez asked him to watch the game on the spot, and even the tickets were ready for him.

The aim was to get him a close-up look at the French top flight.

"I like your hard work, but Chu. It's not enough to just bury your head in practice, you have to see how others play football, and learn more from them to make progress. Fernandez said to Chu Zhongtian.

A month has passed, and Chu Zhongtian can basically understand what the coach says.

He nodded, and replied in French, not yet proficient, "Okay, Coach." ”

He actually wanted to ask the manager why he came on loan and didn't even play a warm-up game for him. However, he was worried that he was not very good at French, and that he had said the wrong thing without the words he had understood, which had caused a misunderstanding.

At least the current coach Fernandes still cares about him, so he can only wait patiently.

On August 7, Chu Zhongtian walked alone from his apartment to the stade_saint-symphorien stadium, the home of Metz. By the time he felt outside, it was already packed, with French fans talking about the first game of the season against Metz in accents he didn't yet understand.

Chu Zhongtian felt very curious, it was not the first time he had seen the scene of fans entering, but there were still some differences between French fans and English fans. At the time of entry, England fans also sing songs and enthusiastically show their energy to others. But the Metz fans here are a little quieter, and they make noises when they enter, but most of the time they talk rather than sing. Maybe they're going to get into the stadium and get into the stands with a lot of enthusiasm?

The overwhelming majority of Metz fans, wearing red Metz jerseys, lined up for their tickets to enter. Those in the yellow jersey were fans of the visiting team Nantes, and it was not uncommon for both fans to look friendly before the game, chatting together and then laughing together.

Chu Zhongtian felt that French football and English football were really completely different, and different cultural backgrounds gave birth to different footballs, and he had to take some time to adapt.

Just as he was looking around like a curious baby coming to earth for the first time, he felt someone touch behind him.

At first, he thought it was a crowd of people and normal physical touch, and ignored it, but then there were several rhythmic touches in a row, and he thought that maybe it was calling him.

When he turned around, he saw two Chinese faces - don't ask him how he knew that the two yellow-skinned, black-haired, black-pupiled faces were Chinese, not Japanese, Korean, or Korean...... He just knew that the two in front of him were Chinese, maybe it was a kind of telepathy?

The two faces looked very immature, not tall, with a smile of surprise on their faces.

"It's really Big Brother Chu Zhongtian!" The taller boy shouted in Chengdu.

"You know me?" In the past month, Chu Zhongtian's ears have been full of French, French, French, and occasionally some English, and he has never heard Chinese at all, let alone Chengdu dialect, his hometown dialect.

"Which one don't you know?" The taller boy smiled, "You're so famous." We watched your game when we were still in Chengdu! ”

Seen my game?

Chu Zhongtian thought that meeting his hometown was a great joy in life, but he didn't expect him to meet fans in another country...... "That FA Cup, we watched it!" Your two goals are so beautiful! The taller boy laughed, his smile as bright as the afternoon sun, and although he was still quite young, he could already tell that he must be a handsome man in the future.

Although he was very happy to be praised, Chu Zhongtian still didn't understand who the two people in front of him were, so he asked, "I'm sorry, you are ......?"

"Oh, it's a pleasure to patronize!" The boy slapped his face, "Introduce yourself." My name is Wang Hao, from Chengdu, Sichuan, his name is Jiang Ran, and he is from Wuhan. Like me, playing in Metz Juniors! ”

Only then did Chu Zhongtian react...... I knew that the Derui Football Training Center in Chengdu sent a few players to Metz for trial, and only two people were selected by the Metz club and stayed to sign a contract, they were called Wang Hao and Jiang Ran...... On the day he signed Mace, a Chinese reporter asked him what he thought of these two people.

Later, because he was busy training and learning languages, Chu Zhongtian completely forgot that there were two of his compatriots in the club, and he really didn't expect to meet him on such an occasion.

"Brother Chu is good." The young man next to him, who looked quite quiet, nodded to Chu Zhongtian to say hello after Wang Hao's introduction. Unlike Wang Hao, Jiang Ran speaks Mandarin with a Hubei accent. Chu Zhongtian had always thought that Wang Hao and Jiang Ran were both from Chengdu, Sichuan, but he didn't expect Jiang Ran to be from Wuhan, Hubei.

"Ah...... I'm really sorry, I've always wanted to see you, but I don't have time to ......" Chu Zhongtian felt embarrassed about this. Everyone is Chinese and plays in the same club, but as an older brother than them, he never thought of visiting his younger brother. They are not as good as themselves, they have been exercising abroad for many years, they are the first time to go abroad, in the unfamiliar Mace, must be very homesick, must be very lonely, it stands to reason that as a person who has come over, he should take more care of them in ordinary times, but he was anxious about the language problem before, and he couldn't even take care of himself, so naturally he didn't think of his two little brothers. In fact, whether they knew each other before or not, since they were in the same club and they were both Chinese, they should take care of each other.

"We know!" Wang Hao looks much more lively than Jiang Sheng, and he likes to laugh. is not very old, but he is more mature than Jiang Sheng. "We secretly went to see you train, Brother Chu. Quite hard! ”

Chu Zhongtian smiled, he had a good impression of this Wang Hao, maybe because everyone was from Chengdu and was very cheerful and lively. In this unfamiliar environment, he has been training and learning languages, and he can't play football, Chu Zhongtian has been in a bit of a depressed mood recently, but meeting his fellow villagers Wang Hao and Jiang Ran made his mood finally improve a little.

Since he is called "Brother Chu", he has to look like a big brother: "Let's go, let's watch the ball!" ”

He reached out and grabbed the shoulders of the two teenagers and blended into the crowd.

※※※ Chu Zhongtian came to watch the game because Fernandez asked him to come and let him study in the stands, while Wang Hao and Jiang Ran came to watch the game because they had nothing to do, so they wanted to watch the game of the first team of Metz, and they were also a little curious about what the top league abroad looked like. So the two teenagers, who couldn't even speak French, went on the road together. Chu Zhongtian still admires them a little, you must know that one of them is only fourteen years old, and the other is only fifteen years old. Thinking about what he was doing when he was fourteen or fifteen years old, Chu Zhongtian felt that this was the gap.

When the three of them came to the stands, the players from both sides were warming up on the pitch, and they found their positions and stood there to watch the players warm up.

Chu Zhongtian easily found Frank from Mace. Ribery. Not because he could clearly see the scar on Ribery's face from afar, but because Ribery's kicking was so peculiar that he could tell at a glance that it was Ribery who played the ball.

To be honest, Chu Zhongtian was very envious when he saw Ribery warming up on the court - he wanted to be in it.

When I played at Wimbledon, I was always the protagonist on the field, and it has been a long time since I sat in the stands and watched other people play. I didn't expect to come to Mace, and everything had to start all over again.

Looking around again, except for Wang Hao and Jiang Ran, who had just met, their eyes were full of strangers. In England, there are Uncle John, Uncle Bent, Philip and Kenny...... Chu Zhongtian found that after those two years, he was no longer used to living a lonely life alone.

Once the game started, he put all those distractions aside and watched the game intently. Since Fernandez coach asked him to come and watch the game and study, then study hard.

The game itself was actually quite uneventful, perhaps because it was the first game since the start of the season, and it was clear that both teams were not in the game yet. Ribery "Scarface" Ribery, like he did in the warm-up, used his pace to cause a couple of problems at Nantes' back before falling into a one-man quagmire.

"Why don't you pass the ball? There was obviously a good passing opportunity just now...... "Wang Hao didn't pass the ball to Ribery just now, but directly took it out of the bottom line, and couldn't understand it." He's a midfielder, his passing is his job, and he and Franck Ribery are completely different players. Naturally, he couldn't understand that Ribery, a player with a background in wild football, wore the number 10, but played on the wing, and he kept attacking Nantes' defense with the ball on the wing. Nantes' players were a little afraid of Ribery's speed breakthrough at first, but later found that he almost didn't pass the ball, and only broke through on his own, so they were no longer afraid - the last thing professional players are afraid of is the wild player who can only dribble and not pass, strict tactical discipline and long-term development of positioning, combined with it, is enough to jam Ribery.

The game was not spectacular, with both sides playing for almost 80 minutes without scoring, so the main job of the TV commentator was to criticize Ribery and Jean. Fernandez.

"It's Ribery again! Another personal breakthrough! It's another conceded goal! I wonder what that former C player can do but concede a goal? ”

"I wasn't surprised by Franck Franck Ribery's poor performance in this game because I didn't expect anything from him...... What surprised me was Jean. Mr. Fernandez's employment, he replaced Gueye for Toom, but not for Ribery. I now believe that the local media is right about their relationship - Ribery and Fernandez must be related! ”

In the 87th minute, there was finally a goal on the field. The goal was scored by the Metz team, who was replaced in the 68th minute by striker Richard Brown. Solrier (richard_socrier) received another Metz midfielder in the middle, Ludovick. Oblagnac (ludovic_obraniak) passed the ball and then pushed it with ease, sending the ball into the back of the net.

It was the only goal of the game!

When the football rolled under the armpit of Nantes goalkeeper Landerlo (mickal_landreau) into the net, the stands of the Stadio de Fortion finally boiled over. Everyone rose from their seats, raised their arms and cheered.

“un_buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut！！！”

The stadium radio shouted in French, "The ball is in!" ”

Even Chu Zhongtian, Wang Hao, and Jiang Ran couldn't help jumping up and roaring together - this ball appeared at the last moment, if the Metz team can finally win, this ball is very important! Wang Chu and Jiang Ran shouted "yes", while Chu Zhongtian shouted "gooooooooal". In any case, they are all members of the Metz team now, and they share the glory and disgrace with Metz, and they are happy if Mace performs well, and if Mace's results are not good, they will not be in a good mood.

After the goal, Sorier rushed to Oblagnac, who had provided him with the assist, and the rest of the team rushed up to hug them. Only Frank. Ribery stood outside the crowd and shook his head in disappointment - because he had nothing to do with the goal.

The team's head coach, Fernandes, also walked out of the dugout with his fists clenched, waved his fists, and then applauded.

"I'm thinking that Mr. Fernandez can finally breathe a sigh of relief, maybe after this game he needs to re-evaluate Ribery's ability, and the scary-looking No. 10 of Metz should not be in the team's starting lineup for the next game......" The commentator did not forget to tease Fernandes at this time, and continued to criticize Ribery.

When Ribery was in the lower leagues, he never attracted attention, so when Coach Fernandes decided to bring in Ribery, everyone was asking "who is he", and some even thought that Fernandes was an old fool who would look at a hairy kid who played in the third division. It's even more incredible to have him wear the number 10 shirt.

Ribery's performance in this game seemed to confirm the views of those of their skeptics.

After the game, goal-scorer Solrill was surrounded by the media for interviews, while the rest of the players gathered to celebrate their first win of the new season.

Chu Zhongtian looked at Sorier, who was surrounded by reporters, and was a little envious. He had enjoyed all of this before. But it's gone...... He suddenly remembered the advice he had given to him by manager Eames when he was leaving Wimbledon.

In a professional team, you have all kinds of troubles and difficulties, you have to learn to deal with a lot of relationships, you have to learn to deal with a lot of non-football difficulties, compared to which the difficulties in football are a piece of cake.

You have to get your mindset right, and you have to start all over again.

You're nothing out of Wimbledon, boy...... He clenched his fists, then released them. He won't complain anymore about why he can't even play a warm-up game, because he is an amateur himself. He doesn't think about how long he has to practice to play, he just practices, he just learns, and one day the opportunity to compete will find him. Until then, he'll have to be ready.

He patted the shoulders of the two little brothers: "Let's go, in order to celebrate Mace's victory in the first game of the new season, I invite you to dinner!" ”

"Wow!" Wang Hao exclaimed in surprise. "If you want it, you have to get it!"

Jiang Ran also nodded vigorously: "Okay!" ”

Ribery's performance in the first race may have been "catastrophic" or overkill, but after the game, the local media in Metz and some national media outlets criticized and ridiculed Ribery's performance. They don't think Ribery deserves to wear the number 10 at all.

"How can a player who never passes the ball and only knows how to break through with the ball on the field wearing the number 10 shirt on the field? I can't understand let. Fernández's thoughts. Although he has cultivated Zidane, it does not mean that he is right in everything. In the case of Ribery, I must say: Mr. Fernández, you are wrong! ”

"I'm sure after half a season, this kid will disappear from our eyes and go back to the third division. He was supposed to belong there. ”

"I'm not saying that a player who plays wild ball can't be a star, it's just that in a player called Frank. Ribery's guys, it's certainly impossible. ”

Ribery became famous, but "infamy".

No one is optimistic about the future of Ribery as a player in Metz, or even in the professional league.

The situation that happened to Ribery after the first round of the league seemed to be a wake-up call to Chu Zhongtian - you are all from the lower leagues, and you are all amateurs. No one will ever look up to you here, even if you wear a certain 'Chelsea' hat more than Ribery.

It didn't take long for this to happen.

The French media also paid a little attention to the Chinese player at first, after all, he is a Chinese and can make people curious. Later, after he couldn't even play the game, he stopped caring about it. The Chinese media has also begun to get excited, and there are even many voices in China who question Chu Zhongtian's decision to choose to play in Ligue 1 instead of playing in the Belgian league, believing that Chu Zhongtian chose Ligue 1 only because Ligue 1 is a top league, just to satisfy vanity. Looking at Dong Fangzhuo's performance in the Belgian league, he has already scored his first goal in Antwerp, and the situation of the two is simply different.

Chu Zhongtian didn't know what the outside world was saying about him, but he was very sympathetic to Ribery, perhaps because they had the same identity and the positions in the locker room were next to each other.

In his first training session after the game, Ribery came to train with a lack of energy, and it looked like the media comments had a big impact on him.

Chu Zhongtian suddenly stepped forward and patted Ribery on the shoulder. Then he said to him in the same French that he had asked Mademoiselle Mathilde only last night: "Come on! He also gave him a thumbs up.

Ribery was a little surprised at first, and then he laughed when he saw Chu Zhongtian smiling and giving a thumbs up. He also gave a thumbs up and said to Chu Zhongtian, "Thank you." You too. ”

For the first time, the two men had substantial contact.

Chu Zhongtian suddenly thought of the day he joined the team. Fernández said to himself when he mentioned Ribery: "I want you to be friends. ”

Maybe they can really become friends...... ※※※ Xu Xiaodi still sticks to Mace, and he despises those views in China very much. "How good would it be if Chu Zhongtian also went to Belgium in the first place? There's not a lot of competition there, and he'll be able to play very quickly. Isn't it better than being forgotten in Ligue 1? "Maybe it's because Mace is expensive?" "In fact, Chu Zhongtian's ability is limited in itself, he has performed well before because he played in the amateur league, and he played well with Chelsea because Chelsea did not value ......him at all."

Those people obviously don't know Chu Zhongtian to think so, Chu Zhongtian was an amateur player before, no matter where he goes, he has to start from scratch first, how can he reach the sky in one step?

He didn't tell Chu Zhongtian about the domestic voice, because he was afraid of affecting Chu Zhongtian's mentality.

Now Chu Zhongtian continues to train every day, but his mentality is much better. Although he still couldn't play, he made a friend like Ribery, two young people with the same experience and almost no age difference, and they were close because Chu Zhongtian took the initiative to show favor in the locker room. He and Ribery now talk together in their respective French, often catching gestures, although they often have a good time understanding the meaning of the donkey's lips and the horse's mouth. Ribery knew that Chu Zhongtian's skills were not very good, and sometimes often taught him some small skills, but Chu Zhongtian kindly reminded him that he should pay more attention to passing the ball to his teammates during the game...... In addition, he still has the time and leisure to go to the academy after training to visit Wang Hao and Jiang Ran, two young Chinese players, and then give them some advice based on his years of wandering experience and help them do things that they can't do yet.

Occasionally, he would invite them to his apartment, and he would cook for the two little brothers, cook a table of good dishes, and make tooth sacrifices to relieve their thoughts and emotions due to their unaccustomed eating habits.

At the same time, the three of them also encourage each other, no matter how many difficulties there are, they must also mix up in Metz!

Wang Hao and Jiang Ran have both played in Metz's junior team one after another, and Jiang Ran even scored a goal. He was very happy during the time when he scored, and as a commendation, Chu Zhongtian also cooked a meal for him personally, although it was Sichuan cuisine, he, a Wuhan native, also ate it with relish.

In Metz's Chinese trio, only the eldest Chu Zhongtian is now the eldest, who has not played for Metz.

But Chu Zhongtian didn't think about it, when Wang Hao and Jiang Ran talked about their game in front of him, Chu Zhongtian also listened carefully, and he didn't feel any unpleasantness. For him, he has already felt his improvement in training and that is enough, and his ball control skills are improved now compared to when he was at Wimbledon.

Now is the time for quantitative changes in accumulation, and when the equivalent changes reach a critical point, they will naturally be transformed into qualitative changes.

Perhaps those who care about Chu Zhongtian are gradually losing patience.

Chu Zhongtian, who experienced that game, was very patient. After more than ten years of pursuing football ideals, intermittently repeatedly, there have been twists and turns, and he has come over, so why can't he be patient and continue to wait?

There will always be a day when you will soar into the sky, and there will always be a day when you will reappear in everyone's field of vision. At that time, he will not be an obscure fish, but a dragon that roams the heavens and the earth.

(To be continued)