Free Web NovelChapter 519: Chapter 104: Wang Shuo Strikes It Rich! The Golden Ball Award List! Dortmund’s Limit! A Worldie for the Puskás Award
For example, many South American players are like this, especially those from Brazil.
To some extent, Messi falls into this category as well.
"From the looks of it, your physical conditioning has produced some good results. At the very least, you have no problem handling the Bundesliga. But it’s not exactly an advantage yet, so you need to keep working on it."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Going back to what we were discussing, considering you average 12 kilometers of running per match... your playing time, total distance covered, speed, and other running metrics aren’t that different from last season."
"The increased energy expenditure now is likely due to physical challenges. Should I suggest to the coaching staff that you get more rest?"
"That’s not necessary, but thank you."
Wang Shuo shook his head. "I can still manage, I just feel like it’s taking a bigger toll on me than before, so I wanted to ask."
Wang Shuo was very particular about his physical condition.
This was his livelihood, after all.
Even with the aid of his Special Skill, [Damage Reduction], he was still very worried about injuries.
After listening to Bartlett and Professor Schrenberg’s analysis, Wang Shuo had a better understanding of the situation. ’It’s not a big deal. This is normal.’
But he had a feeling that the increased energy drain might be related to his [Domain Skill: Controller].
Domain Skills were indeed very powerful.
Moreover, after experimenting with it in games over this period, Wang Shuo had discovered something very interesting.
’Isn’t the range of this Domain Skill a five-meter radius around the player?’
’Seems pretty big, right?’
But as a striker, and Dortmund’s sole striker at that, he was always tightly marked by the opposition.
For most of any given match, there were almost always two or more defenders surrounding Wang Shuo.
In other words, even though [Domain Skill: Controller] had its limitations, it was active for most of the match.
If he were a winger or a defender, the skill would probably be far less effective.
’And if it were a goalkeeper...’
’Forget I said anything.’
From the very beginning, Wang Shuo had realized that as useful as the Domain Skill was, it also consumed a great deal of energy.
’That’s easy enough to understand. It’s just the laws of physics.’
If not for his Intercontinental Level [Breathing], his naturally high stamina, and his commitment to long-term training, he’d be having a much harder time now.
"I need to keep working on my physical training. Could I trouble you to draw up the next phase of my plan?" Wang Shuo said.
Professor Schrenberg was mainly responsible for theoretical research, while Oliver Bartlett was a truly experienced fitness coach with very advanced concepts.
At the very least, it was rare to see a coach in a German Football Scene gym analyzing data with a player on a laptop. It was all very modern.
Wang Shuo had discussed this with Ronaldo before. He, too, was now strengthening his core, focusing on his waist and abdomen.
"Don’t you worry. After receiving such an expensive gift from you, we’ll definitely give it our all!" Oliver Bartlett said with a smile.
Professor Schrenberg thought of that Rolex.
’With my university salary, how could I ever afford one?’
"That’s right! I’m even saving a university admission spot for you. Just come to me whenever you’re ready."
Wang Shuo immediately laughed.
’Who knew giving gifts came with extra perks?’
...
Dortmund defeated Offenbach 2-0 in an away game.
Who scored the goals?
No one could have possibly guessed.
Gundogan!
The midfielder, who had transferred from Nuremberg, had actually scored a brace in the match.
Who would have believed it?
Sometimes, football is just that magical and unpredictable.
While the team was competing in the DFB-Pokal and Wang Shuo was preparing for the Bundesliga, FIFA officially announced the nomination list for the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball Award.
In previous years, France Football Magazine would first announce a 30-man shortlist, then reduce it by 10 each month.
But this year, they directly released a 23-man shortlist.
Spain, having made history at the World Cup over the summer, were the biggest favorites.
They had a total of 7 players shortlisted.
From Barça were Harvey, Iniesta, Puyol, and Villa; from Real Madrid were Harvey Alonso and Casillas; and from Arsenal was Fabregas.
And of course, Ronaldo and Messi were on the list.
Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands had two players on the list: Sneider and Robben.
Germany, meanwhile, had five players shortlisted: Thomas Müller, Klose, Lahm, Mesut, and Schweinsteiger.
After Spain, Germany was the team with the most nominees.
This was a testament to Germany’s excellent performance at the World Cup.
But everyone knew that this group of German players was unlikely to rank very high.
Whether at the World Cup or with Bayern’s runner-up finish in the Champions League, the German players lacked a truly convincing superstar figure.
This was also why, in the past few years, the German media had always been calling for Wang Shuo to take up German citizenship.
When Kicker Magazine interviewed Lővér after the World Cup, he had said, "If you’d given me a Wang Shuo, we would have won the championship in South Africa this year!"
But Wang Shuo never budged on this matter.
The list also included players like Côte d’Ivoire’s Chelsea player Drogba, Ghanaian player Asamoah Gyan, and Uruguayan striker Diego Fran, among others.
But the biggest controversy came from the Inter Milan players.
Sneider, Eto’o, Maicon, and even goalkeeper Cesar made the 23-man list.
As a result, Diego Milito, who had won the European Best Player award at the end of August, surprisingly failed to make the 23-man shortlist.
This was a whole new level of absurd.
