Shane Carter never expected things to unfold like this.
He certainly never expected to awaken a system under these exact circumstances.
While he had absolute confidence in his physical strength and tackling ability, he was actually quite realistic about his future. He genuinely did not know if he would ever make it in La Liga. Professional football was an industry that ruthlessly demanded natural talent.
Most of the time, hard work simply could not bridge the gap in pure talent.
There was a famous saying in basketball. Every player in the NBA was the Michael Jordan of their own story.
The exact same logic applied to top tier football leagues like La Liga, the Premier League, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.
Every single professional who managed to secure a foothold in La Liga had been an absolute prodigy during their youth career.
Professional football was an arena exclusively reserved for geniuses.
Shane knew he was not the kind of "genius" people usually looked for. His advantages were his endless stamina and physical dominance. His technical skills on the ball were severely lacking. His ball control was rough, and his dribbling, passing, and shooting were entirely mediocre.
He was destined to be a pure destroyer.
Shane had a crystal clear understanding of his own limitations.
His only real path into professional football was to show elite managers exactly how much ground he could cover and how much physical intimidation he could provide as a defensive midfielder.
The fact that Shane possessed such sharp self awareness at just seventeen years old already put him leagues ahead of his peers.
Suddenly, a glowing, translucent screen materialized in front of his eyes. It looked exactly like a character stat panel from an RPG.
He glanced at the surrounding players. Noticing that no one else was reacting to the floating text, he turned his attention back to the screen.
[Name: Shane Carter]
[Age: 17]
[Height: 184cm]
[Weight: 85kg]
[Position: Midfielder]
[Physical] Strength: 82. Stamina: 88. Jumping: 77. Pace: 75. Acceleration: 79. Reactions: 83.
[Passing] Short Pass: 64. Long Pass: 68. Vision: 78.
[Control] Dribbling: 61. First Touch: 64. Ball Retention: 71.
[Shooting] Accuracy: 70. Long Shots: 71. Heading: 72.
[Defending] Tackling: 77. Interceptions: 76. Anticipation: 79.
[Mental] Aggression: 95. Bravery: 90. Teamwork: 80. Leadership: 90.
[Overall Rating: Defensive Midfielder: 69. Center Back: 64. (Does not meet minimum rating standards for other positions).]
Shane shook his head slightly.
He had been a standout performer in the lower youth leagues. That was the only reason Real Madrid had scouted him in the first place.
But he had not expected his overall rating to be a mere 69.
Of course, this rating was clearly benchmarked against the elite standards of La Liga.
For a seventeen year old academy player to reach an overall of 69 meant he was already good enough to sit on the bench for a lower table La Liga squad.
Besides, the overall rating was just a summary. It did not tell the whole story.
Shane was actually quite exceptional in several key areas.
His physical attributes were a prime example. His seventeen year old frame was already robust enough to handle the physicality of senior professionals in La Liga. Once he fully matured, his strength would only continue to grow. He was destined to become a terrifying midfield enforcer.
His mental attributes were equally impressive. He had immense bravery, a fierce playstyle, high teamwork, and excellent leadership qualities.
Players with mental stats like these were incredibly consistent. They could deliver reliable performances regardless of whether the team was winning or facing a heavy deficit.
Shane certainly had the raw potential to become a top tier defensive midfielder. But whether he could actually fulfill that potential was a completely different question.
Fortunately, he now had the Football Superstar System. This would accelerate his growth exponentially.
Suppressing his excitement, Shane mentally selected the option to open the Epic Treasure Chest.
[Opening Epic Treasure Chest...]
[Congratulations! Host has obtained: SS-Rank Legend Zinedine Zidane Peak Passing Template!]
[Congratulations! Host has obtained: SS-Rank Legend Zinedine Zidane Peak Ball Control Template!]
Shane inhaled sharply.
Zidane's passing and ball control.
That was literally top tier in the history of the sport.
In the star studded era of the early 2000s, Zinedine Zidane was arguably the brightest Galáctico of them all.
[Ding! Would you like to fuse the Zidane Passing Template and Ball Control Template?]
There was absolutely no reason to hesitate.
Shane could train on his own for a hundred years and still never reach the technical mastery of peak Zidane.
"Fuse!"
[Ding! Fusing Zidane Passing Template...]
[Ding! Fusing Zidane Ball Control Template...]
Following the system prompts, Shane felt a sudden wave of warmth flood through his veins.
He envisioned two massive pillars of golden light descending from the heavens, pouring directly into his body.
It was a breathtaking spectacle that only he could witness.
Under the stimulation of this mysterious energy, Shane could physically feel his body transforming. His muscle memory was being completely rewritten.
[Ding! Zidane Passing Template successfully fused!]
[Ding! Zidane Ball Control Template successfully fused!]
[Ding! Host's Passing and Control attributes have received a massive enhancement. Please review your stats.]
[Passing] Short Pass: 64 to 97. Long Pass: 68 to 96. Vision: 78 to 95.
[Control] Dribbling: 61 to 98. First Touch: 64 to 93. Ball Retention: 71 to 92.
[Ding! Your Overall Rating has been updated. Current OVR: Box-to-Box Midfielder: 84. Attacking Midfielder: 84. Defensive Midfielder: 77. Center Back: 74.]
Every single sub-stat under Passing and Control was now above 90.
Naturally, his optimal positions had also shifted to reflect his newfound technical brilliance.
Combining his solid physical frame with world class passing and dribbling allowed him to reach an 84 overall as both a Box-to-Box Midfielder and an Attacking Midfielder.
That was a full 15 point jump from his previous peak rating as a pure defensive anchor.
Furthermore, that was merely his overall score.
On the actual pitch, a player's true threat depended heavily on their specific traits.
Shane now possessed elite passing and dribbling, coupled with the physical strength to hold off heavy tackles.
With this exact profile, he could easily step into any mid or lower table La Liga club and instantly become their attacking focal point.
If a mid-table team built their system around him, he could absolutely drag them into the Europa League spots. Pushing for a Champions League qualification was not even out of the question.
A faint smile crept onto Shane's lips.
It seemed every cloud truly did have a silver lining.
Beating up the royal grandson meant his days at the Real Madrid academy were permanently over. But Shane was not worried in the slightest.
Sanz had thrown the first insult. To save face, Real Madrid would likely try to minimize the scandal. They would expel Shane, but they would never dare pursue legal action for the assault. A minor locker room brawl was one thing, but if it leaked that the former president's grandson had been screaming bigoted slurs at teammates, the entire club would face a massive public relations disaster.
Leaving Real Madrid right now was actually a blessing in disguise.
With his current technical abilities, finding a new club would be a joke.
He was essentially a seventeen year old Zinedine Zidane. If he walked into Barcelona for a trial right now, Pep Guardiola would instantly lock him down as Andrés Iniesta's primary successor.
Of course, Shane had no intention of going to Barcelona just to sit on the bench.
He wanted to play in La Liga immediately. He wanted to be a starter.
His ambitions were expanding right alongside his newfound abilities.
...
Exactly as Shane predicted, Real Madrid handled the incident with quiet efficiency.
An internal notice was issued later that day. Shane Carter was expelled from the academy, while Alessandro Sanz received an internal suspension.
Shane was an outsider, and Sanz was club royalty.
The verdict was exactly what Shane had expected.
The next morning, Shane arrived at Ciudad Real Madrid to clear out his locker. He packed up his belongings, ready to leave the place he had only called home for a single week.
Stepping out through the main gates of the training complex, he felt a brief moment of uncertainty.
What was the next move?
He needed to arrange a trial, but where should he go first?
Shane rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache coming on.
Just as he reached into his pocket for his phone to look up Atlético Madrid's training facility, a heavily built, burly man approached him.
Shane quickly shoved his phone back into his bag. He gripped the straps tightly, eyeing the stranger with deep suspicion.
Madrid might be a beautiful capital city, but petty crime was common across Europe. You could never be too careful.
"Hello, Shane. My name is Germán. I am the assistant manager for Atlético Madrid under Diego Simeone. I have been waiting out here for you all morning."
Germán Burgos offered a warm, friendly smile.
He assumed that stating his official title would instantly dispel any concerns the expelled kid might have.
Instead, Shane looked him up and down with deep skepticism.
"Bro, this is Madrid, not some shady tourist trap. If you are going to run a street hustle, at least put some effort into it."
Who was this guy kidding?
If the man had claimed to be a standard Atlético scout, Shane might have believed him.
But claiming to be Simeone's direct assistant manager?
Why would the assistant manager of the Atlético first team skip morning training just to stake out the gates for a fired seventeen year old academy kid?
It was an insult to his intelligence.
Besides, Shane was a perfectly healthy, athletic teenager. He had zero intention of getting lured into an alley and waking up in a bathtub full of ice missing a kidney.
Germán stared blankly at the kid, completely stunned as Shane simply turned around and started walking away.
Wait. Why was this kid just leaving?
Germán hurriedly chased after him.
"I am serious. I really am the assistant manager for Atlético Madrid."
"Sure you are."
"Look, here is the official Atlético website. See? That photo is me."
"Wow. Nice Photoshop skills."
"Look at this. It is a picture of me and Simeone."
"Yeah, and I have a selfie with the President."
"Wait. Hey, wait! Kid, I am not a scammer. I will call Simeone right now. On video. A video call."
Germán was panting as he caught up, waving his phone frantically.
The American teenager paused and looked back at him. His expression clearly said: Go ahead then, let's see it.
Germán took a deep breath and forced a smile. "I am dialing Diego right now."
The phone rang via video chat.
Ring. Ring.
Beep.
Call ended.
A heavy, awkward silence descended upon the street.
Shane pursed his lips and held his hands up in a mocking shrug.
"Well... let me try that one more time," Germán muttered, sweating slightly.
He dialed again.
This time, the call finally connected.
The screen displayed a heavily flushed, incredibly annoyed Diego Simeone.
"Hey. Germán. Did you really have to call me right at this exact second? Damn it."
"Diego... why did you stop..." a soft, breathless woman's voice drifted through the phone's audio.
Germán rubbed his nose awkwardly and turned the screen around.
"Do you see clearly now? Is that Diego Simeone or not?"
Shane leaned in and took a closer look.
Seeing a teenager peering into the camera, the Simeone on the screen instantly panicked.
"What the hell are you looking at, kid?"
Beep.
The call abruptly disconnected again.
Shane clicked his tongue in genuine admiration. "Hey. Our manager has great stamina, doesn't he?"
Now it was Germán's turn to act tough.
"Do not get chummy with me yet, kid. We still have to see if you can even pass our trial."
"Relax, sir."
Shane casually adjusted his backpack, looking supremely confident.
"I am a genius."
Germán just grumbled under his breath. "Professional football is never short on geniuses."