Earth.
Mid-January 2019.
In Birmingham, England, inside the Aston Villa youth training ground stadium, a cold wind blew.
The match between Aston Villa U17 and Swansea U17 had reached the 70th minute of the second half.
Playing at home, Aston Villa U17 was three goals down.
Youth coach Charles was in a state of anxiety.
If they lost this match, Aston Villa U17 would experience an unprecedented eight-game losing streak.
And his position as Head Coach would naturally be precarious, not far from being sacked.
No matter what.
This match must be won!
So, Charles turned to look at the bench, preparing to make a substitution.
Before the second half began, Charles had already sent both forwards onto the field, but the effect was mediocre.
Aston Villa U17's biggest problem was actually in the midfield.
Because Swansea U17's midfield was incredibly aggressive, Aston Villa U17's midfield simply couldn't deliver passes to the forwards in time.
This left Aston Villa U17's forwards with no real game experience.
Most of the time they were just walking around in the opponent's backfield…
For Aston Villa U17 to win, they had to change the midfield!
Charles looked towards the bench, and the only available player left was the black-haired, yellow-skinned teenager sitting in the corner of the bench.
This player's name was Xia Yuan.
Since arriving at the Aston Villa youth training camp, he had always been a substitute's substitute.
In this season's U17 League, Xia Yuan had only made 2 substitute appearances, scoring no goals.
Most of the time, Xia Yuan served as a water boy.
But now, apart from Xia Yuan, all the other players on the bench were defensive players.
Charles could only try a desperate measure!
"Xia!"
"Wake up! Don't sleep!!"
"It's your turn to play!"
Charles patted Xia Yuan's head, and the young man slowly opened his eyes.
His face was filled with excitement, and at the same time, his eyes showed a hint of determination.
Just five minutes ago, Xia Yuan had just learned his true identity.
He was not from this world.
But a transmigrator.
Ten minutes ago, Xia Yuan was still watching the China vs. Qatar match in his bedroom. As the 10-minute injury time ended, the Chinese men's national football team lost 0-1 to host Qatar.
Basically, they were out of the knockout stage!
Two draws and one loss in three group stage matches! No goals scored!
This set the worst record for China in the Asia Cup!
This made Xia Yuan extremely angry, and in a fit of rage, he threw a bench directly at the TV.
Instantly.
With a flash of white light, he successfully transmigrated from mid-January 2024 to mid-January 2019!
A span of five whole years!
His current name was still Xia Yuan.
But he had become a Norwegian-Chinese.
In this life, his parents were laid off from their factory and chose to go into business in the 1980s. Their business grew larger and larger, even opening a trading company in Norway. Later, due to the economic crisis and other reasons, the company went bankrupt…
His parents used their remaining savings to open a Chinese restaurant in Norway, barely making a living.
To ease his parents' burden, the young Xia Yuan came to Birmingham alone for football training.
In his previous life, Xia Yuan was also a professional football player, having played for a super strong team in the Chinese Super League, the Taishan Team, in his youth.
However, due to not understanding the "rules," he was eventually shelved by Head Coach Hao Wei and, after wasting his prime years on the bench, could only retire hastily.
Now!
Xia Yuan had a chance to realize his dream again.
His legs were already itching for action!
Xia Yuan wanted to reclaim everything he had lost!
Although he had some football foundation, it had been five or six years since his retirement, and the intensity of the England U17 League was faster than domestic youth competitions.
With his current level, whether he could contribute to the team… everything was unknown!
But since heaven gave him a second chance to start over, Xia Yuan still chose to bite the bullet and step onto the field.
Xia Yuan, wearing jersey number 33, entered the game!
Just as Xia Yuan's right foot touched the field, a mechanical voice sounded in his ear.
It's the system!!
"Ding! Detecting successful transmigration of host! God-tier Midfielder System successfully activated!"
"God-tier Midfielder is loading 30%"
"50%"
"100%"
"God-tier Midfielder loaded successfully! Opening host attribute panel!"
Host: Xia Yuan
Age: 17 years old
Height: 183cm (growing)
Weight: 75kg
Position: Midfielder
[Physical Attributes]
Speed: 72
Strength: 66
Jumping: 71
Health: 70
Stamina: 79
[Technical Attributes]
Long Pass: 69
Short Pass: 69
Through Ball: 68
Curve: 67
Box Shot: 68
Long Shot: 69
Set Piece: 69
Heading: 69
Penalty: 68
Ball Control: 67
Vision: 62
Dribbling: 67
Interception: 65
Tackling: 74
Sliding Tackle: 65
Defense: 67
Rating: 69
Level: C-level!
Star Skill Card: None
[Level Description: C-level 60-75, Five Major Leagues Substitute level; B-level 76-85, Five Major Leagues Starter level; A-level 86-95, Five Major Leagues Star level; S-level 96-100, Ballon d'Or winner level!]
"It's finally here! The system!"
Xia Yuan quickly glanced at his attributes, and his face couldn't help but show surprise.
"So strong!!"
"This strength is completely enough to be selected for the Chinese men's national football team!"
Xia Yuan understood football!
Although the overall rating was only C-level, when compared longitudinally to the level of the national team, it was almost already a standout!
Completely eligible for the national team!
Just as Xia Yuan was excited, the system's voice came again in his ear.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for activating the system, rewarding a Newbie Gift Pack !"
"Do you want to open the Newbie Gift Pack!"
"Open!!"
Xia Yuan didn't expect that there would be a reward!
At this moment, several cards suddenly popped up in front of Xia Yuan, and the system prompted Xia Yuan to draw.
Xia Yuan randomly drew a card from the middle.
Suddenly, this card emitted a golden light, and the words "Peak Card" appeared before his eyes!
Then, immediately following, the Italy flag appeared!
After the flag disappeared, a player wearing the Italy national team jersey appeared in front of Xia Yuan.
It was Pirlo!!
In his previous life, Xia Yuan often played Pro Evolution Soccer games, so he was no stranger to opening cards.
This series of operations was just like opening card packs in a football game!
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing a Peak Card, obtaining the Italy superstar Pirlo's peak long passing attribute!"
"Long Pass attribute 69->99!"
When Xia Yuan's long pass attribute reached 99, his overall rating also increased from 69 to 72!
Xia Yuan naturally knew Pirlo very well; this player was one of the strongest midfielders in Italy football history!
He helped Italy win the World Cup in 2006!
His long passes were like cruise missiles, going exactly where he aimed!
Just then, Xia Yuan suddenly heard his teammates calling his name.
When Xia Yuan came to his senses, he found that the football had already been passed to his feet!
"Perfect! Let's try out Pirlo's long passing ability!"