Chapter 548: 548
Dai Li wasn't aware that the Team Pyramid effect had prevented yet another coach from getting another job .
There wasn't a reputable coach on Dai Li's team . Most of them were youngsters and Dai Li's training center only became operational a few years ago . It couldn't be compared to the old school training centers that had been operational for decades .
Whether it was because of experience or ability, it was unlikely that young coaches would be that exceptional . Of course their wages were much lower; you get what you pay for . It's possible that someone could get paid more than they're worth . It's unlikely for someone who's not getting paid what they're worth to stay too long .
It was a good thing Dai Li had the Team Pyramid because it made the young coaches better . .
However, the bonus provided by the Team Pyramid just a bonus . It did not reflect the true ability of the young coaches . When they chose to job hop or were pried away by another owner, Dai Li they did not keep the bonus afforded by the Team Pyramid . They would, of course, revert back to their previous level of skill .
Over the last two years, as Dai Li's training center became more famous, people started to pay attention to Dai Li's coaches and their relatively small salary . The process of training coaches was difficult and troublesome; anyone would prefer to just pick up a finished product . As such, a good number of people from Dai Li's place had been headhunted .
However, the competitors who headhunted coaches from Dai Li's place quickly discovered that prying people from Dai Li's training center wasn't a good idea . The coaches weren't worth what they were paying them . From their ability alone, one could see that Dai Li gave them a fair salary . They only deserved so much . If one were to pay them more, that employer would be getting the short end of the stick . .
Gradually, the competitors discovered that the young coaches performed amazingly under Dai Li . Each of them seemed among the best their age . Upon leaving Dai Li's training center, however, they would revert back to being an average coach . They couldn't even be regarded as talented .
Some people began to joke that Dai Li might know some kind of Eastern witchcraft that he used to curse the coaches that left him . In truth, every professional knew that it was probably the difference in management .
It was like in basketball, where there are always "system players . " These players have all kinds of weaknesses, but, under certain tactical systems, they performed amazingly . Even if a player who was not making much money might be able to look like an all-star . Upon leaving the tactical system that suited him, he immediately reverted back to his original skill, becoming a mediocre player once again .
Coaches were similar . Most coaches had areas of expertise in which they excelled and weak areas . Therefore, there was also such a thing as a systems coach . Whether it was football or basketball, there was always a coach that was a one-trick pony . In a system, he excelled in he had great ability . Without that system, he was no good .
Dai Li's competitors assumed that the poached coaches performed terribly because they were only suited to excel in Dai Li's training system . Multiple sports industry leaders in Los Angeles came to the conclusion that Dai Li's coaches should not be headhunted, as they were all system coaches and not worth the effort . Even if the coaches at Dai Li's place actively sought to change companies, they should not offer them high salaries .
The loss of talent increased Dai Li's vigilance . It wasn't easy to groom a qualified coach these days, so Dai Li did not want to lose too many of his employees . If his coaching staff changed every few days, it would disrupt the workflow of the training centers .
To deal with this, Dai Li devised countermeasures to prevent the loss of talent . For example, he would give out dividends to employees with decent abilities; Chris Payton was one such employee . He was also generous with bonuses . After the Olympics ended, Dai Li gave everyone bonuses and promised to double the year-end bonus . That increased employee loyalty .
Apart from that, Dai Li switched to a better insurance company . He purchased better medical insurance for his employees . Healthcare was ridiculously expensive in the U . S . , so good medical insurance did not just cover the healthcare of the employee but also the spouse and offspring of the employee as well . For the employees who had families, this was one of the best benefits . A lot of people with families opted for lower-paying jobs with better medical insurance .
. . .
Dai Li arrived in Madrid, Spain .
Madrid was the capital of the country . However, it didn't look like a capital to Dai Li . The roads were narrow, the buildings were old, and the streets weren't that crowded . It felt to Dai Li like a city that hadn't woken up . The vibe of the city was slow-paced and relaxed .
The first stop for Dai Li was the Real Madrid Football Club .
The home stadium of Real Madrid was the Bernabeau . It was open for visitors . Tourists could buy tickets, visit the stadium, and also go to the Real Madrid Museum, which displayed the glories and awards of the Real Madrid football team .
Real Madrid accommodated many visitors every year . Among them were tourists, politicians, and famous people . Occasionally, when politicians or celebrities visited, the club would give them a jersey with their name printed on the back as a gift .
Dai Li sent a letter in advance, so he did not have to visit with the other tourists . Real Madrid sent a special envoy to take care of him and, at the same time, they gave Dai Li one of those special jerseys .
The U . S . National Track and Field Team was pretty famous . On top of that was how well they did at the Olympics under Dai Li's coaching . From the 27 gold medals alone, Dai Li earned the respect of Real Madrid .
Results were the most important thing in the sports training industry . Even you coached a different sport, as long as you were one of the best, you had the respect and recognition of whoever you were with .
Real Madrid sent the team's sports division manager, Henry, to receive Dai Li .
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Henry was a French man, who played football when he was younger . He used to play for Real Madrid and, at his peak, he was one of the world's best forwards . He received the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times and the Europe Golden Ball Award once . He had also been on teams that had won the European Champions League, La Liga League, and the Italian Serie A . On the national team, he had won the World Cup and European Football Championship Cup . He had won it all .
Dai Li knew who Henry was; he'd grown up watching Henry play football . When Dai Li was a student, he would see Henry on TV and all over the newspapers . Now, Henry was there to personally welcome and receive him .
After a simple tour of the stadium, Henry brought Dai Li to the Valdebebas training ground . It was Real Madrid's training ground . All the players associated with Real Madrid, including the big shots, trained there . The difference between the training ground and Bernabeu stadium was that the training ground was not open to the public .
Under normal circumstances, no one, not even a politician or a celebrity, would be scheduled to visit Valdebebas . However, Dai Li was different, he was a coach . He was a professional, one of the best in his field . Real Madrid F . C . naturally wanted to let him see the team in its genuine state .
There is a saying that says that average men gather to have fun, while experts gather to observe the inner workings . In ancient times, during street performances, when an expert was around, he or she would be inclined to whip out a move or two to show off their skills . If a world-class club such as Real Madrid dealt with an expert just as they did normal fans, it would look like they were ridiculing themselves .
As such, Dai Li had the chance to visit Valdebebas training ground .
"Coach Li, over there is our youth training base . We are planning to open up part of it for the tourists as a next step . At the end, on the left, is our Real Madrid youth training academy . Let's start over there," Henry said, smiling .
"Whatever you say," Dai Li said . He followed Henry towards the training ground of the youth academy .
The youth academy was filled with a bunch of kids . They were divided into three levels: the U10s, the U12s, and the U14s . The older ones, if they remained at Real Madrid, reported to the youth team .
"Our U10 team is the strongest in Spain . They have won all 23 games this season! These kids scored a total of 50 goals in those 23 games, scoring an average of two goals per game . Only eight goals were scored against them the entire season .
"Our U12 won the Mediterranean Cup that just finished up in April by defeating Barcelona . . My son was the first to score in that match . Look, the third one from the left, that's him," Henry said with pride . The man who had once been the world's greatest forward talked more excitedly about his son than winning a championship .
Dai Li was stunned by the football system of Spain . The U10s and the U12s had their own professional leagues . The kids were taken so seriously that huge organizations like Real Madrid participated in their training . No wonder Spain was so good at football . In China, no one paid attention to football, much less a bunch of 10 to 12-year old kids who played football .
Beside Dai Li, Halls watched the children, who were about his age, play football . He clearly wanted to jump in and play as well .
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A few people arrived at the training ground of the U14 team .
"Looks like the U14 team has a practice game," Henry pointed towards the field .
"There is even an Asian . " Dai Li saw an Asian man run onto the field .
"His name is Tanaka . He is Japanese . He is regarded as a genius footballer in Japan . " Henry shook his head as he spoke . "Perhaps in Asia, he is a genius . In Europe, in Spain, there are teenagers all over the place as good as he is . "
As Dai Li and Henry chatted, a kid on the field cleared the ball with a powerful kick . The ball flew towards Dai Li .
Next to Dai LI, Halls saw the ball flying over . He ran forward a few steps and moved onto the sidelines of the field . After that, he stopped the ball with his chest and controlled the ball steadily . Then, with a kick, he sent the ball flying towards the front of the penalty box .
The ball was sent precisely to the feet of an attacking player .
"Hwis hwis!" The coach blew the whistle to call the play dead, stopping the practice match .
Henry looked at Halls . Henry was one of the best forward in the world . When it came to overall skill, he could be regarded as the best player in the world . So he could tell that that touch and cross from Halls was not something a normal kid could execute .
"Who's this kid?" Henry assessed Halls seriously .
This kid doesn't look Chinese . He probably isn't Coach Li's son, so who is he? As Henry thought this, he said, "Coach Li, who'd have thought you would have a young player hidden beside you!"
"Hehe, he's called Halls Frast, and he has loved football since he was a baby . One of the coaches that works under me, Coach Payton, is his guardian . Coach Payton came with me to Spain, and we couldn't leave Halls alone in the United States, so we thought we'd bring him along," Dai Li said .
"Not a lot of Americans like football," Henry said as he nodded .
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"Halls is Argentinian," Dai Li explained .
"Argentinian!" A peculiar look flashed across Henry's eyes . He then pointed towards the field, and asked Halls in Spanish, "Hey kid, do you want to go and have a try?"
Halls nodded seriously, he then turned to look at Dai Li, as if asking for Dai Li's permission .
Dai Li intentionally displayed a weak smile, "Alright, if Mr . Henry allows it, you can go . But remember, don't injure yourself . "
"Awesome!" Halls pumped his arms in the air in excitement .
Henry called over the coach on the field and uttered a few words to him . The coach brought over a red practice bib and passed it to Halls . He then said, "You've joined the red team . What position do you play?"
"Striker," Halls answered .
"Striker? You don't have any height advantage . Amongst the strikers in our lineup, the shortest is at least one head taller than you . " The coach smiled helplessly and said, "I'll give you a short run-down of our strategy today, and then you can go play . The red team is mainly playing counter-attack football…"
. . .
Payton moved to Dai Li's side and whispered into his ear, "Boss, look at the players from Real Madrid . Although they are around the same age as Halls, they are much bigger and stronger than Halls . Won't Halls lose because of this physical difference?"
"Football is very different from American football," Dai Li smiled . "Football is more like an art, the art of the foot . "
Payton looked as if he did not fully understand .
Dai Li continued, "Do you remember what I told you last time? Halls will become a king of football . Do you think that the king of a generation of footballers wouldn't know how to handle such a situation? Just wait and see, he'll surprise us!"Please download our sponsor's game to support us!