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

Chapter 24 "Peers"

"Too slow, Jiang!"

Mbappe sprinted over on the grass, glancing at Jiang Ming as he ran.

That look was just like Usain Bolt on the track, his classic "looking back at the moon" pose.

He could mock his opponents while still getting things done with ease.

As soon as he finished speaking, he stretched out his foot and easily shoved the ball away from Jiang Ming's feet.

"Tackling it? A piece of cake!" Mbappe dribbled the ball, beaming with pride. "Do you think I could switch positions and play as a full-back?"

Jiang Ming plopped down on the grass, looked down at the system panel, and stared at the progress bar:

[Mission Objective: Accumulate 6 dribbles out of 1000 opponents]

In just half an hour, they tested each other nearly thirty times, and he successfully beat Mbappe six times.

"So this quest is really that hard to complete?" Jiang Ming thought to himself.

He originally thought it was just a matter of accumulating 1000 dribbles past someone.

You can easily max out the skill level with a little practice, but the system has very high requirements; you have to completely clear the character before it counts.

In the context of the football field, after getting past the opponent, you must leave space for a pass or a shot to complete a valid dribble; otherwise, it doesn't count as progress.

Jiang Ming is currently neither able to break through nor moving quickly.

That's why he was defended so badly by Mbappe; that kid is just too fast.

Jiang Ming couldn't help but think that if Mbappe were to play as a full-back and develop his defensive skills, he would definitely be one of the world's top full-backs.

Unfortunately, this guy just doesn't like playing defense.

"Is there any way to finish this task quickly?" Jiang Ming pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

If you want to improve your progress, you definitely need to find a suitable opponent.

Mbappe?

First pass!

With his speed and my current abilities, trying to completely clean him up according to the system's requirements is simply a pipe dream.

Then there's Fabinho...

That guy originally played as a full-back, so he's always been good at chasing back and making tackles.

Recently, Jardim changed his position to defensive midfield, and his experience and ability in tackling have improved significantly, so there's no need to even think about it anymore.

Fabinho, OUT!

After thinking it over and over, Jiang Ming's gaze slowly shifted to Ricardo Carvalho on the other side of the field.

Carvalho was practicing short passing with Cardera when he suddenly shivered.

He inexplicably felt a chill down his spine, as if some malicious gaze was staring at him. He couldn't help but glance back, but seeing nothing unusual, he turned back.

Jiang Ming secretly clasped his hands together as he watched Carvalho's retreating figure, silently saying, "I'm sorry, Ricardo..."

This guy, born in 1978, is 37 years old this year. He's definitely a veteran player in the football world. He has a lot of experience, but his body can't keep up anymore.

Isn't this exactly the kind of opponent he's been looking for?

Come to think of it, given his current physical condition as a prisoner named Luo, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the two are the same age.

Jiang Ming nodded to himself. If that's the case, then he wasn't bullying the old man!

After thinking it over, he immediately got up, ran to Jardine, and told him that he wanted to have a one-on-one match with Carvalho.

"Are you serious?" Yardin looked at him suspiciously. "You couldn't even get past Killian just now, and you want to mess with Ricardo now?"

Jiang Ming's lips twitched, but he still forced a smile: "What's the point of going through Killian..."

"Heh." Mbappe rolled his eyes on the spot.

"Ricardo is a veteran with a lot of experience. You can learn more by training with him," Jiang Ming said earnestly, trying to convince people.

Yaldin pondered for two seconds and felt that what Jiang Ming said made a lot of sense.

The veterans mentor the newcomers; the veterans' experience can help the young players make up for their shortcomings on the field. Isn't that perfect?

So he nodded and shouted to Carvalho, who was not far away, "Ricardo! You don't need to spar with Carl for now. I've found you a sparring partner over here."

Carvalho wiped the sweat from his brow and strolled over slowly, muttering, "What's going on? Who wants to spar with me this time?"

"It can't be Killian again, can it? I'm not doing that. That kid is as fast as Henry. My old body can't keep up with these young people anymore."

Yaldin shook his head and pointed to Jiang Ming beside him: "It's this kid. He said he wants to learn a few moves from you and get some advice."

"Oh?" Carvalho glanced at Jiang Ming with a hint of surprise.

He's played two games with this kid before, one was a training match within the team, and the other was the game against Anderlecht.

This kid's performance was quite impressive, but he's not the kind of speedster like Mbappe who can't be stopped once he gets going.

He's more of a playmaker who controls the ball and passes it around; training with him isn't tiring.

After thinking for a moment, Carvalho nodded: "Alright, then I'll share some of my experience with you."

"Don't underestimate me. Back in the day, Terry and I dominated the Premier League's attacking lines!"

"Okay!" Jiang Ming nodded quickly.

He thought to himself: What a coincidence, "he" used to dominate all the defenders in La Liga.

We're even, aren't we? No difference at all.

"Kid, how do you want to train?" Carvalho asked.

As a veteran player on the team, he naturally enjoys mentoring the younger players; this is probably the inherent sense of responsibility that comes with being a veteran.

"If I can completely get past you in a regular 1v1 situation, I'll consider myself the winner, how about that?" Jiang Ming said.

"Okay," Carvalho readily agreed.

As soon as training began, Carvalho immediately lowered his center of gravity and fixed his gaze on Jiang Ming's feet.

As a 37-year-old veteran, he knew perfectly well what the 17-year-old boy was thinking: this kid was probably trying to use his youthful body to break through the limitations of his old bones.

However, young players have a common problem: their footwork is too obvious.

His every step and every beat is written all over his face in the eyes of veterans; as long as you watch his lower body, you can predict his movements in advance.

"bring it on!"

Jiang Ming moved forward slowly, occasionally tapping the ball with his foot, appearing leisurely.

When he got close to Carvalho, he suddenly poked the ball forward and then tried to charge forward.

As if he had anticipated this, Carvalho immediately sidestepped and blocked his position.

When Jiang Ming crashed into it, it was like hitting a wall; he couldn't move an inch, and Carvalho poked the ball away.

In their first encounter, Carvalho emerged victorious.

"Kid, your physique isn't your advantage right now. Don't try to rely on your strength to charge. Use your footwork to get past people more." Carvalho said carefully as he kicked the ball back.

Jiang Ming nodded, understanding the situation.

He had just wanted to test whether he could out-stretch this old man physically, but the result was obvious: his current physical condition was actually inferior to that of 37-year-old Carvalho.

He'll have to show some real skill and use Ronaldinho's footwork to deal with this veteran.

From this moment on, Carvalho is the challenger!