Volume 1: Playing football with me will break your legs Chapter 68 Becoming a Superstar
After spending an unusual Christmas Eve, Li Polo's football career started again.
On December 26, the entire Wimbledon team arrived in Portsmouth to challenge their opponents in the 22nd round of the league.
Portsmouth is not an unknown team. They won the league championship twice in the First Division. After entering the Premier League, they have always been the backbone of the league. They successfully won the FA Cup in the 2007-08 season and won the FA Cup runner-up in the 2009-10 season. But in the same year, they were deducted 9 points due to poor asset management and debt restructuring issues and were relegated to the Championship.
This was just the beginning of their nightmare. In the 2011-12 season, they were deducted 10 points and relegated to League One due to operational problems and debt restructuring. In the 2012-13 season, they were deducted another 10 points and relegated directly to League Two...
It was not until April 2013, 15 months after entering administration, that Portsmouth finally completed the transfer tug-of-war, and a group of fans officially took over the operation of the club. Without the support of capitalists, the team could only rely on loyal fans and play football with love.
In a sense, Portsmouth and Wimbledon have many similarities, which means that the game does not have too much of a tense atmosphere. There is even a warm slogan "Football fans all over the world are one family" hung on the stadium.
But when the referee blew the opening whistle, all the warmth and friendliness were instantly forgotten by the Wimbledon players!
Young midfielder Suitland scored with a long shot in the 7th minute and Dubis extended the lead in the 15th minute. Many home fans felt the cruelty of the cold winter before they even warmed up their seats!
After all, Wimbledon has always been leading the standings, while Portsmouth is only ranked 15th. The strength gap between the two sides is there, and it is normal for the visiting team to take the initiative!
Li Polo did not miss this great opportunity to bully the weak team and score points. In the 37th minute, he took advantage of a set-piece opportunity in the frontcourt to score with a header, extending the score to 3:0.
Of course, he had many opportunities in the second half, but unfortunately none of them resulted in a goal. He only assisted Akinfenwa in the 62nd minute and scored the fourth goal of the game.
Seeing that the overall situation was decided, Adre replaced three starters, Li Polo, Akinfenwa and Smith, in advance, and also allowed substitute players such as Connolly, Kennedy and Sweeney to find their game form.
The data of one pass and one goal, zero defensive mistakes and shutting out the opponents is perfect enough for a defender, but Li Polo is a little unhappy.
Because Lisanna's father Bruce has told him that the most famous football agent in the British Isles will come to watch the game in person!
Who wouldn’t want to conquer such a football giant with a perfect performance?
What if that guy dislikes him because, with so many free kicks, why did he only seize one chance?
Fortunately, he didn't worry for too long, as he received a message from Bruce:
"Come to the box upstairs and let's discuss your contract."
Li Polo greeted Cox, wrapped himself tightly in his fluffy down jacket, and climbed the steps of the stands step by step.
In a box, he saw Bruce chatting with another old man.
The old man looked to be over 60 years old. He had almost no hair on his head, a shiny scalp, and wore a pair of narrow-framed glasses. His dark suit could not hide his belly at all...
The overall impression is indeed that of a capitalist who plays with his connections.
After seeing Li Polo coming in, the agent quickly stood up and took the initiative to extend his right hand:
"Here comes our rising star. Jonathan Barnett, nice to meet you, Polo."
Although there was a difference of more than 40 years in age between them and their social status was vastly different, his tone was as relaxed as if he was chatting with a younger generation in his family.
Li Polo relaxed a little, stretched out his hand and shook his:
"My pleasure, Mr. Barnett."
Bruce smiled and gestured to sit down:
“We started a little later than expected, but luckily we didn’t miss your goal and assist.”
Li Polo sat on the sofa, trying to make himself look less reserved:
"Today's opponent was not that strong, but the field was a bit slippery, and I missed several chances..."
He was telling the truth. The slippery grass prevented him from fully exerting his strength when he jumped, so he couldn't use his header to his full potential. But the field conditions were fair to both sides, and saying it out loud would only make him look too competitive.
But Barnett didn't seem to care:
"I have been following you for a long time. You don't need to be surprised or think that Bruce recommended you to me. In fact, my company has always had dedicated staff responsible for following up on talented players in lower-level leagues as part of future investment. For example, Dele Alli from Milton Keynes, but unfortunately, he has been taken by Rob Siegel first. But now I am convinced that you are more worthy of investment than Dele Alli."
Li Polo gradually began to believe that it was no accident that he was getting attention. In the football market, hoarding young players as early as possible is also a common tactic used by agents. The ownership of many Brazilian talented young players will even be bought out by those agents - this means that when European teams want to buy them, they can only let the agents ask for sky-high prices!
After playing for half a season, Li Polo has become more confident. He was not modest in his evaluation of Barnett:
"I promise, you won't regret it, Mr. Barnett."
Barnett smiled, and a gleam of light seemed to flash through his dark lenses:
"I like your confidence. Confidence is also an essential quality to become a superstar."
Li Polo leaned back on the sofa:
"I like my confidence, too. Hahaha."
Barnett reached out and adjusted his glasses:
"Bruce should have told you that I want to help you find a better ."
Li Polo nodded.
Barnett continued:
"In addition to England, I also have some channels in Spain, and recently, I have also been in contact with some Chinese clubs. For example, Evergrande and Suning, they once wanted Gareth to join the Chinese Super League, but unfortunately the player himself was not interested."
Li Polo couldn't help laughing.
Then he heard Barnett ask again:
"What about you? Are you willing to join a Chinese Super League team? I just need to package your achievements a little bit, or even without packaging, those teams will flock to you, right? As far as I know, the income of the main players in the Chinese Super League may be much higher than that of some relegation teams."
Li Polo did not refuse immediately. Instead, he thought about it seriously for five seconds before answering him:
"Sorry, I'm not interested in joining the Chinese Super League either."
Barnett didn't seem surprised at all, instead he showed an admiring look:
"I am even more convinced that you are worth my investment."
At this moment, they heard three whistles from outside the box:
"Drip, drip, drip~~"
He smiled and stood up:
"Okay, that's all for today. I'll bring you the official agency contract next time. Go meet up with your team!"
…
Note:
Some of Barnet's players:
Bale, Ashley Cole, Pickford, Trippier, Saul, Joe Hart, Luke Shaw, Lallana, Cheek, Chilwell.
