Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 4: Want to take off my clothes?
July 25, 20:00 in the evening.
John Inn pub, London.
After entering the bar, Li Boluo did not see any overly luxurious decoration style. After all, the players in English League Two generally struggled to make ends meet and no one could go to high-end entertainment venues. Those who consumed here were ordinary civilians.
Li Polo quietly took out a hangover pill from his pocket, asked for a glass of water from the bar, drank it directly, and then walked towards the box reserved by the captain.
"Hey, brother!"
Barry Fuller smiled and high-fived him:
"I'm just waiting for you!"
The box was already full of other teammates, including the 102kg Akinfenwa, .
Akinfenwa directly picked up a glass of golden beer:
"Little guy, you did a great job in the last game!"
Li Polo grinned and clinked his glass with his:
"You're not bad either!"
Akinfenwa laughed so hard that his muscles were visibly shaking.
A slightly bald guy stood up with a glass of wine in his hand:
"I'm Jack Smith, the team's vice-captain, and welcome to the New Wimbledon!"
Another man who was nearly 1.9 meters tall also raised his cup:
"Third Captain, Mark Phillips, welcome, young man!"
Before Li Polo had the chance to sit down, they forced him to drink three cups of wine in a row, leaving a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.
Seeing him drinking happily, his teammates all laughed.
Captain Fuller patted him on the shoulder:
“Have you ever heard of the history of New Wimbledon?”
Li Polo nodded slightly. Since he had joined the club, he had of course looked up relevant information.
Wimbledon's history can be traced back to 1889, and it is one of the earliest teams in England, more than 120 years ago. Due to its fierce and wild style of play, Wimbledon has always been called the "Wild Gang", which is in line with the temperament of British football and is quite popular among the people.
But in 2003, due to the intervention of the capital market, the new owner moved the team to a wealthy area and changed its name to Milton Keynes Club; fans and other supporters angrily established the New Wimbledon, but due to insufficient financial resources, it could only develop from the low-level league step by step.
Fuller smiled:
"Have you ever heard of...the team's welcome ceremony?"
The others immediately burst into laughter.
Li Polo froze for a moment:
"what is that?"
Vice Captain Smith explained with a smirk:
"To put it simply, there are three steps: first, you take off all your clothes; second, everyone sprays champagne on you; third, you run around the bar naked, and if you are in the mood, you can sing our team song."
Li Polo looked at Fuller:
“This can’t be real, right?”
The captain shrugged his shoulders:
"It's a shame, but this is the tradition of the Mad Gang. Everyone has to do this when they join the team!"
Li Polo turned to Akinfenwa again:
"You too?"
Akinfenwa grinned, his teeth looking exceptionally white against his dark skin:
"Me? I didn't."
Li Polo widened his eyes:
"Why?"
He showed off his trembling muscles:
"Because... they can't take off my clothes, hahaha!"
Li Boluo felt his eyelids twitching, but he was still unwilling to compromise:
"What if...what if I refuse?"
Fuller's expression turned cold:
"you sure?"
Li Polo took a deep breath and finally nodded slowly:
"I am sure."
Fuller pointed to the door:
"You are not welcome at the New Wimbledon then!"
Li Polo glanced at him, then looked at Akinfenwa, Smith, Phillips and others, and suddenly grinned:
"goodbye!"
Then he slammed the door and walked out without looking back!
A dozen players looked at each other, and someone couldn't help but say:
" This little guy... is a little too crazy!"
Smith rubbed his sparse stubble:
"He shouldn't be like that. He's just an amateur player. How dare he lose his temper in front of us?"
Fuller raised his glass:
"Jack, tomorrow morning, you can teach him what a real professional player is!"
…
July 26, 8:45 am.
With 15 minutes left before the morning training session, the coaching team of New Wimbledon has already started their day's work.
Team doctor Stuart Douglas is reporting on the team's injury situation:
"Central defender William Nightingale has a severe thigh muscle tear and will need to rest for at least six weeks. Tom Beale and Sammy Moore are both about to become glass men..."
Head coach Neil Ardrey interrupted his report:
"Tom has decided to return to school, and Sammy will soon officially transfer, so we don't have to worry about their injuries in the new season."
Douglas nodded and crossed the names of the two players off the list.
Assistant coach Cox looked at him and asked:
"How's that new little guy?"
Douglas raised his eyelids and asked:
"Which one? At least a third of our players this summer are new."
Cox smiled and rubbed his chin:
"The Chinese guy who just signed the formal contract yesterday."
Douglas put down the folder in his hand, thought for a few seconds, and then answered him:
"Polo Lee? I still remember his physical examination report. For an East Asian player, he has a very good physique. His jumping ability and explosive power are above average. And I heard... he once defended Akinfenwa in a warm-up match?"
Cox coughed and corrected his point:
"You know, it was just a warm-up match, don't take it seriously."
Adley disagreed with his assistant's point of view:
"Didn't we sign him because of the ability he showed in the warm-up match?"
Cox shrugged.
"Okay, but he is still a complete novice to us. It will probably take a long time before he can play in an official match."
Adley did not deny it. He stood up and patted his clothes:
"Let's go to the training ground!"
…
"Hey guys, let me introduce you to our eighth new player of the season."
A few minutes later, the players gathered together, and Cox pointed at Li Polo who was standing at the back:
"You should be familiar with this little guy from Clapton, Polo Lee. He played a friendly match with us just three days ago."
He looked at Fuller who was standing in the front:
"As captain, I hope you can help him integrate into the team as quickly as possible."
Fuller immediately rolled his eyes:
"Sorry, coach, he doesn't seem to want to fit in with the traditions of Wimbledon."
Vice-captain Smith also shrugged his shoulders to show his support for Fuller:
"Yes, he refused our help."
Cox was stunned for a moment, and was about to say something else when he was interrupted by head coach Adre:
"Everyone, get moving! Basic warm-up for half an hour, then confrontation training!"
Fuller and Smith grinned and looked at Li Polo at the same time:
"You heard it too. The coach asked us to help you integrate into the team."
Li Polo raised his eyebrows fearlessly:
"Come on, two captains!"
He wanted to see what kind of intimidation these old guys could give him!
