Chapter 86: Investing In The Future Part 1
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The next afternoon, Tang En and Kerslake met the short, portly man and his son, Gareth Bale, at the Forest Team youth training ground.
"I was worried that you wouldn't come." Tang En was delighted to see the father and son pair.
"Why wouldn't we come? Of course, we're here. I have confidence in my son's ability. He is talented!" The man shook hands with Twain and Kerslake.
"Yes. But we still have to do a little test." Kerslake wanted to conduct this in an official manner. Before they met the pair, Twain had told him about the matter. He was worried that Twain was being impulsive again and had picked up another bull-headed kid from the streets who could not play football.
The father was a little upset by Kerslake's chilly attitude. "Why? Are you doubting my son's abilities?"
Tang En promptly tried to smooth things over. "Ah, Coach Kerslake is earnest and responsible. You will be most assured with your son training under his care. All right, let's go."
The test was very common. One had to complete some technical movements based on the coach's requirements, and then undergo a simple physical check-up. And if everything checked out, the contract would be signed on the spot.
The test took about half an hour, and Tang En tried to keep his face expressionless or to maintain a faint smile. To be honest, he was a little disappointed when he saw Bale's performance. Kerslake did not say anything. Perhaps he did not have too much hope to begin with.
Bale was completely different from Tang En's impression of him.
Unlike the regular FM gamers, although he did indeed begin to learn about this Welsh lad from the game, he had specifically searched well-known foreign video sites for the boy's match videos to directly observe and gain a more intuitive sense of his style of play. What had impressed Tang En most was Bale's precise left-foot free kicks.
His ability to kick from tricky angles, powerful and strong kicks, fast speed, ability to strike from a distance—these were the distinguishing characteristics of Bale's free kicks. The first goals he scored at Southampton and on Wales National Team were direct free kicks.
During the test, Tang En specifically asked Bale to shoot a free kick. His response was a little confusing. He did not at all look eager to show off his unique skill. When Tang En saw this, he thought it was strange. Tang En was even more baffled after his performance of the test—that left back, who was adept in free kicks in his memory, looked as if he had never shot a free kick.
If it were not for this kid's outstanding left foot technique, Tang En might have thought he found the wrong person. On the other hand, to find two people with the same first and same last name, from the same city, born on the day, and that had the same face… was impossible.
Fifteen minutes later, the physical examination report was sent to Twain. With the current and previous test reports in hand, Tang En asked the Bale father and son to wait outside for a moment, and then walked into the office with Kerslake and the team doctor, Fleming.
Leaving the door ajar, the three men gathered to discuss the results.
Kerslake asked Twain, "Tony, what do you think?"
Tang En shook his head. "I want to hear your opinion first."
"I think we can sign this boy. But I'm still uncertain as to whether he can become a remarkable player," Kerslake voiced his inner worry. "This boy's ability is quite average in all aspects. His physical fitness is not too bad, and he can just about reach the requirements of a player."
Beside him, Fleming nodded in agreement with Kerslake's view. "He's neither good nor bad."
"That means the decision lies with me." Tang En went to the door and peeked through the crack to observe the situation outside.
It was indeed Gareth Bale. He was the right person in terms of looks, age, place of birth, habitual use of his foot… But why was the circumstance so different? Was it because his arrival had really caused a ripple effect to occur in this world and slightly shift everything that he had known from its original position?
The man seemed to be comforting Bale, who looked despondent. The child was sensitive. Perhaps he already knew his test performance was not good. In response, his carefree father was spiritedly patting his son on the head and encouraging him. Tang En could not hear what he said, but he could imagine what it was. My son most certainly is a talented player! Trust your dad! When did your old man ever lie to you?
Ah, another father and son...
Looking at them, Tang En somehow thought of another father and son pair. Michael would now be starting a new life with his wife in the United States. They would probably never have a chance to meet again.
Tang En turned back and said to Kerslake and Fleming, "Let's sign him. I believe we will not be disappointed."
Kerslake nodded. "Okay. I'll go get the apprentice contract."
Tang En opened the door, and the three men came out of the office. The short man looked up at Twain. "What were you discussing inside? Do you need a round table conference to sign my son? I'm telling you, my son is a genius! If you don't want him, you'll regret it sooner or later!"
That's right, fatso. Southampton will regret it in a few years... if they still remember that their youth team once had such a talent.
"Mr. Bale, before that, I would like to tell you and your son a story. Are you interested in hearing it?"
The father and son looked at Twain with puzzlement. They did not know why he wanted to do this. Was it not just a yes or no? Why did he need to tell a story? Why the suspense?
The father shook his head in disagreement, but his son nodded his head.
"Ah! As you wish, son." The man immediately changed his mind.
Tang En looked at this funny pair and laughed. The man glared at him. "What are you laughing about? Don't you have a story to tell?"
"Well, it's like this… Shaun Wright-Phillips, have you heard this name before?"
Both nodded, and Bale's father added, "The short guy from Manchester City."
"That's right. He's doing well at Manchester City. But did you know he was actually groomed by our Forest team?"
Both Bales shook their heads.
"Despite the fact that his family home was in London, he commuted back and forth to Nottingham to receive his training every week. But Paul Hart, then the Youth Academy Director, told him one day, because he took into consideration that his commute from home to his training was so far, it was not conducive to his growth. So, he hoped he would change to a different club... do you know what that means?"
Bale's father nodded. "Simply put, the short guy was gotten rid of."
"Yes. Manager Hart thought that Shaun Wright-Phillips was too physically unfit and that that made him unsuitable for professional football. So, he found such an excuse to get rid of him. Unexpectedly, this kid later went to Manchester, which was farther from London than Nottingham. So far, he has played for Manchester City for one and a half seasons in the Premier League, a season in League One, and 85 games. Hart once said to me..." As a matter of fact, Tang En did not know if Hart had ever said anything to him before, but it did not hinder him from weaving that into the story. "…even though he brought out a star like Jenas, it's his biggest regret to have let Shaun Wright-Phillips go. I have said a lot of things… actually what I really want to tell you is that the mistake that Manager Hart made will not be repeated by me."
From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Kerslake had returned with the contract, so he reached out and patted Gareth Bale on his shoulder. "Do your best here, kid. You will succeed."
Bale nodded hard. Even if he was a person of few words, perhaps all he needed to say was said by his father who liked to chatter endlessly.
After signing the contract in Twain's office, Tang En reached out and shook hands with Bale. "Very well. You belong to me now. Say goodbye to your father." Then he waved to Bale's father and spoke in a childish tone, "Bye, Daddy! I'm not going to miss you!"
Everyone in the room laughed, and Bale, who had had a long face the whole time due to nervousness, finally smiled. Tang En, who was quick with his eyes and hands, took out his cell phone and captured the moment. He then handed it over to Bale before everyone figured out what he was doing, to show him the smile on his face. "What do you think?"
Bale did not speak. His father came over and drew down the corners of his mouth. "It's too blurry and shaky."
"But you can see he's smiling, can't you?" Tang En asked. Kerslake and Fleming suddenly realized that they had not seen the child smile since they had met the father and son.
"Gareth, would you like to hear some advice from me?"
Bale nodded.
"First of all, I would like you to change to playing the position of a left back from today onward. As for the reasons, I will explain them to you in detail in the future." After the test, Tang En found out that Gareth did not play as a left back, but as a left midfielder. But in Tang En's view, letting the child play as a left midfielder was equivalent to wasting half of the left corridor on the left side of the field. He hoped to train Bale to become a player like Roberto Carlos of Real Madrid—when at his peak, the entire left side of the field was his.
Bale hesitated but still nodded in acceptance.
"Secondly, I want to practice your free kicks. I think you have a natural gift for that."
Kerslake looked at Twain when he made that remark. When this kid was doing the free-kick test before, he had been right next to him, but he had not seen any natural gift. He did not understand why Twain was persistent in getting Bale do free kicks.
Bale agreed to this as well.
"Lastly." Tang En used his hands to push up the corners of his mouth to form an arc rising on both ends. "I hope you will be more like this, smiling and confident."
As for this, Bale did not immediately nod his assent. He looked down at his toes and whispered, "They always laugh at me and say I look like a monkey..."