The next day, at the Maleo training base, Li Ang secretly asked his assistant, Scott Trey, "Did Venita come to the base today?"
Scott Trey said casually, "Miss Arango seems to have asked for leave. She won't come today."
"Asked for leave?" Li Ang was relieved at first, but then he was inexplicably worried. He asked, "Did she say why?"
Scott Trey shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
A few minutes later, Li Ang smoked a cigarette and rubbed his hair with a headache. In the end, he called Venita. The phone rang until the busy tone rang, but no one answered.
Then, he received a message from Venita.
"What's up?"
"I heard that you asked for leave?"
"Hmm."
"What's wrong?"
"My mouth is too hot."
Uh. Li Ang's face twitched. He grimaced and didn't reply. No more messages came from the other side of the phone.
Li Ang looked up at the green grass and blue sky outside the window. The scenery was beautiful. He then washed his face, put those annoying thoughts aside, and forced himself to focus on his work. He remembered that Venita said that their relationship was still the same. They were a little quiet … I hope so. He muttered to himself uncertainly.
Venita was a good girl. Li Ang didn't know what happened to her yesterday. Li Ang couldn't be unmoved by Venita. Because of this, he didn't want to hurt Venita. He didn't want anyone to get hurt.
A good girl shouldn't get hurt.
*****
It was the last day of training before the game. Li Ang needed to announce the list of players for the game.
The day's training was over, and everyone could relax. Ribéry was joking with his teammates. The Frenchman was a jokester who liked to joke and joke. He had a good relationship with everyone. The other Frenchman, little Benzema, was a little absent-minded, looking at the sidelines from time to time.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Ribéry hugged Benzema. "Are you thinking about your little girlfriend?"
Benzema immediately argued, "No, I'm not."
Then, everyone burst into laughter.
Even though Benzema was only 16 years old, he already had a girlfriend. It was a 14-year-old French girl. However, Benzema came to Spain to play football, so he and his little girlfriend were now 'living separately'. Ribéry had always joked that Xiaoxin's girlfriend had already found a new lover when he returned to France.
Li Ang, who was whispering to his two assistants on the sidelines, glanced over and saw the distracted Benzema. He smiled. Ever since the Frenchman had joined the team, he had not gotten a chance to play. He had not even made it into the 18-man squad list. Right now, Benzema must be very anxious.
During today's training, the team's substitute forward, David Lago, had suffered a minor injury. This seemed to give Benzema the hope of entering the main roster for the match, so the little guy was a little absent-minded.
Li Ang had already understood from the team doctor, Mr. Rotalo, that David Lago's problem was not serious. He could enter the main roster for tomorrow's match against RCD Espanyol. Of course, this depended on the decision of the manager, Li Ang. If Li Ang allowed Lago to rest and recuperate, then it was not a bad idea. It all depended on the manager's decision.
*****
Finally, it was time to reveal everything. Benzema saw the manager walking over.
"Announce the main roster for tomorrow's match." Li Ang waved the paper in his hand, and the training ground quieted down.
"Goalkeepers Valencia, Roberto. Defenders Grosso, Hierro, Pepe, Dorado, Isma, Ivanovic. Midfielders Carlos, Mata, Albertini, Ribéry, Modric, Marcos. Vanguard … "At this point, Li Ang looked up at the crowd.
"Milito." The first name to be read was the name of the Argentinian striker, Diego Milito.
The Argentinian smiled. He was now firmly in the team's main position. Milito was now very grateful and happy that Manager Li Ang had taken a fancy to him and came to Sporting de Gijón to play football. This stage was much wider than the one he cared about in Serie B.
"Di Natale!"
Di Natale also smiled. He was also very satisfied with his current days at Sporting de Gijón. He was now gradually adapting to the team's tactics, and even felt a little bit like a fish in water. In addition, the most important thing was that the manager, Li Ang, thought highly of him.
Diego Milito and Di Natale were now Sporting de Gijón's fixed forward combination.
"Maikol Pihra!"
Maikol Pihra nodded. As one of the oldest players in the team, he was the main contributor to the team's promotion last season. Although it was now unlikely for him to play a full game due to his physical condition, his heading ability was enough for him to be a qualified substitute.
Seventeen of the eighteen players had been read out, so the last one should be the other substitute striker.
*****
Benzema only felt his heart beat faster, and even his breathing was a little rushed.
Li Ang took the list and looked at everyone as he said the last name, "Benzema."
A whistle came from the team. It was Ribéry. As he whistled, Ribéry put his arms around Benzema's neck and rubbed the little guy's hair hard.
The other teammates also came over to congratulate Benzema.
As for David Lago, his expression was more calm. Obviously, he had also known in advance that the manager had let him rest for this round.
When Benzema heard his name, he was stunned. His eyes widened as he looked at his teammates who were congratulating him. He had always wanted to be in the main list and play in the game. However, when the moment really came, the 16-year-old Benzema could not believe it.
In the end, he understood that he was in the main list. The little guy was happy and slightly proud. He even pretended to be reserved and frowned at Ribéry. "Franck, you messed up my hair."
Everyone laughed. The little guy was like a primary school student who was praised and deliberately acted cool and pretended not to care. They only found it amusing.
*****
The next day, the El Molinon Stadium. The stadium was full. The team's 8-0 away game against Real Zaragoza had greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of the fans. The stadium was full as expected.
"According to the main list of both teams that we have just received, we found that the 16-year-old young player Sporting de Gijón, Karim Mustapha Benzema, who was brought in from the French Ligue 1 team this summer, has appeared in this list." In the commentator's box, the commentator Dagestino noticed a very important change in Sporting de Gijón's 18-man roster.
"A 16-year-old kid … He has no record of playing for Sporting de Gijón before. I admit that Manager Li Ang has always had a good eye for people. However, to be honest, I'm not optimistic about the prospects of this 16-year-old French kid in Gijón. Mata and Carlos are our domestic players and know Spanish football very well. However, it's a pity that a young French kid like Benzema has come to play overseas. I'm not optimistic about Benzema's future career in Gijón," another commentator, González, said.
Dagestino also nodded. "Milito and Dinatale, the combination of the Argentine and the Italian, have performed well. However, Manager Li Ang should have brought in an experienced player for the bench in the transfer market. In the end, he brought in this 16-year-old French kid. This is an extremely risky move. I think that Manager Li Ang can consider filling in some positions during the winter. After all, they have to fight on multiple fronts. "
This sentence was actually very tactful. What Dagestino meant was that Li Ang should not put his hopes on a 16-year-old young player. He needed to strengthen the depth of the bench in the forward line and bring in a reliable substitute player.
When the two commentators gave their unfavorable comments about Benzema, who had entered the main roster, Benzema was sitting in the home team's locker room. He was a little restless.
He was nervous.
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