We made you the King of Prisoners, and now you've become the King of Football?

Chapter 10 Seizing the Opportunity

2015年，华夏时间11月27日凌晨1:00。

The match schedules in European football have never been particularly favorable to Chinese fans.

Some leagues occasionally schedule early evening matches, which happens to coincide with the evening viewing time in China.

But European competitions are completely different.

The schedules finalized by UEFA are mostly scheduled after midnight China time.

Starting the game at 2:45 or 3:00 AM is already a common occurrence for fans.

The corresponding European local time is only the prime viewing time of 18 pm and 20 pm.

Tonight there's a Europa League match that's generating a lot of buzz.

Monaco will host Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht at home.

It was just past 6 p.m. local time in France.

"Jiang, are you nervous?"

Mbappé was tidying up his boots and protective gear in his locker when he suddenly turned around, his voice brimming with excitement, "I'm burning up, my heart is pounding so hard I can't control it!"

Jiang Ming gently packed his belongings, looked up and replied, "Me too. Sitting here listening to the fans' shouts is so much more exciting than watching the game on TV."

"Do you think either of us will get a chance to play in this match?" Mbappe unconsciously clenched his fists. "Playing in European competition for our professional debut? That's so cool!"

"It's highly unlikely." Jiang Ming pondered for a moment. "The team must get points in this game to secure qualification. If the score is close, the coach definitely won't dare to substitute us two newcomers."

"Unless we can crush our opponents early on and take a 4-0 or 5-0 lead, then we won't have much of a chance to play."

"Huh? I even told my family that I might get to play in this match, and I told them to wait in front of the TV with cameras!" Mbappe sighed with a sullen face.

"It seems that young players are inevitably impatient when they first join the first team," Fabinho said, turning his head to speak as he wiped his shoes.

"In my early years at Real Madrid's reserve team, I spent a whole year on the bench and barely made it into the first team's roster."

"Later, I finally got a few minutes of playing time and seized the only opportunity to provide an assist for Di Maria."

"During those days when I couldn't see a future, my biggest fear was that I wouldn't be able to make it in football and would eventually be forced to return to the Brazilian favela."

"I didn't feel completely at ease until I heard people calling my name from the stands. I finally felt like I had established myself in European competitions."

Fabinho's smile faded, and his tone became calm: "So don't underestimate any opportunity to play. Seize it once, and you can rewrite your own path."

Jiang Ming listened silently, lost in thought.

Before he had the system, he was plagued by injuries and had a bleak future. He thought about giving up football completely, hoping that he could use his memories from his previous life to shine in other fields.

And now, the system has arrived.

He shone in the U19 team thanks to Ronaldinho's peak skills, competed against first-team players in training matches, and was selected for the team's Europa League squad.

All of this was also a key opportunity for him to rewrite his life.

Just then.

Hey guys!

Yaldin pushed open the door and entered the dressing room.

The players' noisy chatter in the locker room suddenly disappeared.

His gaze swept over everyone, and he said in a deep voice:

"The other side is just a bunch of brutes from Belgium; all they do is charge around recklessly. Now it's time to go on the field and show them some real skill!"

As soon as Jardim finished speaking, a shout erupted from the players in the locker room.

Come on!

Let's go!

……

Local time in France, 19:00 PM.

The Stade Louis II was brightly lit.

In the fifth round of the Europa League group stage, Monaco will host Anderlecht.

The UEFA Europa League opening ceremony filled the entire stadium, with a low prelude that slowly built up to a musical climax.

The players from both sides lined up in neat rows, each holding a ball boy's hand, and slowly stepped into the green field from the player tunnel amidst cheers and flashing lights.

"Welcome everyone, tune in to Lay's Sports to watch this Europa League Round 5 group stage match. I'm your commentator, Sun Chen."

"This match directly impacts the knockout stage qualification situation for both teams; the winner will completely seize the initiative in qualifying!"

In the Lay's Sports studio, official commentator Sun Chen spoke at a steady pace, methodically summarizing the pre-match information for the audience.

"The two sides met in the first leg in mid-September. Monaco played away and relied on a header from their big center forward Lachina Traoré in the 85th minute to stubbornly hold Anderlecht to a 1-1 draw."

"Now that Monaco has returned to the Stade Louis II, let's see if they can secure a victory, or if Anderlecht will pull off an upset and surprise us."

The broadcast cameras panned across the players from both sides, and the starting lineups for the match were simultaneously displayed on the screen.

Monaco (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Subasic

Defenders: Fabinho, Raggi, Carvalho, Coentrao

Midfielders: Pasalic, Toulalan, Moutinho

Forwards: Bernardo Silva, Lachinar Traore, El Shaarawy

Anderlecht (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Proto

Defenders: Nsakalla, Deschacot, Mboggi, Gille

Defensive midfielders: Dendoncker, Defort

Attacking midfielder: Tielemans

Forwards: Praet, Okaka, Nahar

"In this match, Monaco coach Jardim clearly prioritized stability, no longer using Fabinho as a makeshift defensive midfielder, but instead placing him back in his most familiar right-back position to solidify the defense."

"In addition, with key left winger Lemar out injured, Jardim has arranged for El Shaarawy to play on the left wing, moving Bernardo Silva forward to the right wing to improve the efficiency of attacking link-up play in the frontcourt."

"Looking at Anderlecht, 18-year-old star Tielemans started as an attacking midfielder. This young midfielder has already secured a starting position in the team this season."

"He started and played the full 90 minutes in all 15 appearances in the Belgian First Division, contributing 2 goals and 1 assist."

"His average passing accuracy exceeds 90%, making him the undisputed core of the team's midfield organization," Sun Chen explained in detail.

"Speaking of rising stars, Monaco's young talents should not be underestimated either, with the team's average age in the midfield and forward positions being only 25 years old."

"Pasalic at 20, Bernardo Silva at 21, and El Shaarawy at 23—this group of young players are already well-known and incredibly competitive on the field."

"The team's bench also has 17-year-old Kylian Mbappé, who is known as the 'new Henry'."

"He scored two goals in three matches at the European Under-21 Championship, breaking several Monaco club records, and has unlimited potential."

At this point, Sun Chen's tone suddenly rose, tinged with excitement:

"But some viewers may not know that a Chinese player appeared in Monaco's squad for this match!"

"Jiang Ming, only 17 years old, is currently sitting on the team's bench, playing in the Europa League as a Chinese player!"

"Jiang Ming delivered a stunning performance in the last round of the U19 competition, catching the eye of many fans. We also look forward to him getting a chance to play and showcase the talent of Chinese players on the European stage!"