<019. Frog Out of the Well (3)>
Bianca, the TSN manager, put forward the GPA Comprehensive Evaluation sheet and showed it to him. It had recorded every single thing that Ho Yung had done in the past 88 days.
First, the record of 26 goals and 6 assists in 24 matches with Ta Academy, which gave him a record of 9.33 out of 10. It was lower than Kaka, who had scored 42 goals in 28 matches 8 years ago, giving him a score of 9.81, but it was definite that this score was a high ranking.
Additionally, after measuring his lung capacity, muscle resistance value, body balance, and muscle strength, he received a high score in the medical examination, with 9.35.
It was only because his lacking Portuguese brought down his personal score that the combined GPA was 9.13, it was still a very high score for a soccer player.
And, his Portuguese skills were increasing with each day.
He could now say almost everything he wanted to say, even if it took a while.
"We're doing a youth contract now, right?"
"Yes. As I said before, the contents of the contract change depending on the GPA. If you take a look here, you will get the highest rating. And…"
"Does that mean I'm going to get the best weekly pay there is?"
"That's right. It looks like you got the beginner rank in the CELPE-Bras official exam not too long ago. Thanks to that, you just barely managed to get over 9 points. Congratulations."
"Waah! Thank you!!"
"Haha."
Bianca, whose black rimmed glasses suited her nicely, spoke calmly.
"We're going to give you suitable suggestions based on your skill level. It would've been hard since you can't speak the language very well, but we're thankful that you followed us well. Director Carlos is very happy."
"Woah…"
'Yes! Yes!'
He wanted to shout.
It was a very low income compared to an adult player, but it was important to him that he could earn this much money at age 10 by playing soccer.
Ho Yung read through the contract carefully without missing a single letter.
The buyout provisions were the maximum value that you could grant a player under 13 - $5 million.
Since the youth contract could be destroyed if you paid the buyout price, if any other team paid the price, they could take Ho Yung.
"Mmm… so I get 400 Brazilian Real since I'm getting the best pay?"
"That's right. I calculated, and that amounts to about $250."
It was much less than the $450 that Cristiano Ronaldo was receiving at 12 years old.
'If it's $250, then it's $1000 monthly… That's awesome. That's more than the money I was earning from part-time jobs at 24 years old! And there's also League Participation Allowance and Goal Bonuses.'
It was an incredible treatment compared to a 6 ranked player, who received $50 weekly.
"And as it states on the contract contents, in the occasion that you advance to a higher class, your weekly pay will keep increasing."
"Then what class am I going to enter now?"
"First off, you will start playing matches weekly in the league after you join the U13 team and have your name registered. Your pay will come in from then onwards."
"Oh!"
Sao Paulo FC U13.
It was the team that he had competed against in Korea when he was in FC Run Shoot.
And the long-awaited day, 4th of April, Friday.
It was the day that he would be attending the U13 training for the first time.
Perhaps it was because of the training that he was nervous, but Ho Yung got up early in the morning and began to warm up.
"I'm so damn nervous."
He tried to ease his tension by practising dribbling on the streets outside of his home, but there was no effect.
Why?
It was because the U13s were on a different level from an academy.
The standards were definitely higher, but the biggest difference was the fact that he was being paid to play.
Now, instead of playing for himself, he had to play with the mindset of playing for the team.
He was confident, but it was undeniably a burden.
"Let's play like I always played! A man's obstacle can't be this small!"
That's right, if he played as he had practised up until now, it would work out.
Talking to himself, he raised both arms like a madman.
"Ho Yung, the man! You can do it!"
"Ho Yung!"
"Mmm?"
As he raised his spirits, a pretty face peeked out from the second-floor window.
"Monica!"
"Maria wants me to tell you to come inside and eat!"
"Okay!"
After eating the breakfast that Choi Maria had prepared for him, he left the home with Monica's send-off.
"Do your best, Ho Yung~."
"You too!"
As a special occasion, Maria dropped him off with her car.
"You're keeping in touch with your parents, right?"
"Of course!"
"Do your parents have plans to come here anytime?"
"They probably can't because of work. I have to go to them."
Because of his packed schedule, even Ho Yung didn't have the leisure to go on a holiday.
The only time available was on October, which was when the Weekly League ended.
"When I do come back, I have to arrive with the League's victory cup!"
"Haha. I'll be cheering for you."
"Yep!"
This year, Ho Yung had 3 main goals.
First, win the U13 Weekly League.
Second, advance to the U15s team.
And third, get all the skills of the Brazilian future stars!
Getting new skills was a must, and he also had to develop his current skills.
He checked his stats, immersed in thought.
[Ho Yung Wu]
Skills Possessed
Soccer Prodigy (B+)
Heavy Mid Shoot (C+)
Strong muscles of a healthy man (C)
Impressive curving free kick (C+)
Chaminator's kick and run (U)
Legs faster than a Lamborghini ()
Lightning fast ball cutting (B+)
A delicate sense of ball touch (C+)
Rhythmical flexibility (C)
Quite showy footwork (C+)
He had realised something in the past two months.
There were no adults that possessed skills such as soccer prodigy.
And from that, it looked like skills about natural dispositions or talents determined the rate of growth, up to when you are an adult. It was like how even if people learn the same thing, each person has their own depth and speed.
An ordinary mind beats a fool and a prodigy beats an ordinary mind; prodigies were just more likely to develop into excellent soccer players.
'Hmm. If that's the case, then soccer prodigy is the skill that would be the most urgent.'
There were many Soccer Prodigy(B), but finding a Soccer Prodigy(B+) was like finding a needle in a haystack.
'Still, there are probably quite a few kids in U13 that have skill.'
He didn't want to complicate things this early.
These were things that would naturally follow if he didn't rush, and he tried his best when the time came. After arriving at the destination, Ho Yung bid Maria farewell and stepped inside.
It was the stadium that was blocked by high walls, Barra Funda Sao Paulo FC personal training grounds. This was the moment when Ho Yung's formal career began.
"Wow. It's bigger than I thought."
The scale of the Barra Funda training grounds was incredible, as expected of Brazil's greatest soccer training facility.
As he followed Emily, Sao Paulo FC's advisor, around the internal facilities, Ho Yung found himself exclaiming again and again.
There was an indoor study centre that was used for theory education, and a mini Futsal pitch that you could play minigames on.
There was even an indoor soccer pitch in case of bad weather, and a fitness gym that hosted physical training exercises.
He couldn't imagine how much better the prestigious European clubs were if Brazil was this good.
"Woah…!"
The nervousness was changing into excitement.
His determination soared.
"Haha. It's nice to see you so cheerful. If anything happens, call me at any time."
"Thank you!"
She was the club's full-time secretary in her early 40's, and helped players with the smallest of personal problems, and was a reliable staff who provided support without fail.
She was a mother figure, so the players called her Mama.
Ho Yung headed to the U13s training grounds after receiving Emily's contact info.
After opening a door that held a sign labelled 'Authorized Personnel Only' and walking down a long passageway, a large grass pitch was laid out before his eyes.
And.
"Woah."
The teammates that he would be with from now on were warming up.
Despite the fact that it was still 30 minutes prior to the beginning of training, the warming-up block was full of the heat of the young.
There were of course Brazilians, boys from foreign countries that had joined the team after travelling to study overseas, and there was even a Korean among them. In order to leave a deep impression in the training, they were warming their bodies up. It was because it showed diligence and sincerity, and they could show their best side in training if they warmed up quickly.
With all that, it wasn't a desolate atmosphere.
It was rather the opposite.
"Woah really? You got a GPA of 9.1?"
"Yep. I got a 9.33 in the record evaluation."
"Woah!!"
There was nothing better than soccer to raise intimacy.
As Ho Yung introduced himself and his career, many kids welcomed him.
He also saw kids that he had competed against in his Run Shoot days, along with kids that had feelings of wariness.
The kids that had the same position as Ho Yung.
It was second nature to worry if your food would get stolen by the frog that came out of the well.
They were still young, but since these were kids that kicked a ball while risking their lives, a blood-soaked competition was inevitable here too.
This was the warzone of the young.
And.
Before long, two young boys entered the pitch in a condescending fashion.
From their overly leisurely walking, it looked like they were the veterans of the U13s.
But, as they noticed Ho Yung, they frowned as if they could not believe that he was here.
"Why are you here…?"
Casemiro and Douglas, who had both been thwarted by Ho Yung that day, spoke in unison.
Ho Yung shook their hands in a happy manner.
'Why do you think, you bastard.'
His sparkling eyes were speaking.
[Satisfactory ball stopping (C) ]
[Soccer prodigy (B+)]
'I'm here to take the skills I couldn't take before! Give it all to me!'