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When Lance was a child, he thought that adults were all amazing, especially the first-team players, who were very mature and omnipotent.
However, when he really turned 18 and spent every day with the first team, which included many world-renowned football stars, Lance realised the true meaning of the saying, "Men are boys until they die."
"Damn, a bunch of childish ghosts," Lance, the youngest player in Atlético Madrid's first-team starting lineup, complained.
Three days earlier, Atlético Madrid had defeated Benfica away, securing first place in their Champions League group.
Now, Atlético Madrid returned home to face Sporting Gijón in the 11th round of La Liga.
With the main lineup rotated for rest, the semi-reserve lineup faced little pressure and easily defeated their opponent 1-0.
Lance's intervention was not needed, and 3 points were easily secured.
Thus, the changing room once again became a chaotic free-for-all, its disorder comparable to a self-study classroom without a teacher after a power outage.
"Olele!! We are the champions!"
"Ah hahaha, easy!"
"Look at this move I learnt two days ago; I danced like this with a girl all night last time."
"Was the girl pretty?"
"Her figure was so hot."
"Got it, you coward didn't even get her number."
"Nonsense!"
"Sneak attack!"
"Shit!!" Saúl glared, "Oliver, you stop right there."
"Idiot, come catch me!"
As Lance shook his head helplessly, Saúl, whose pants had been suddenly pulled down by his teammate, and Óliver Torres chased and wrestled each other.
Are you elementary school students?
You are all in your twenties, can't you be more mature!
Since the 0-0 draw with Villarreal in the 6th round, Atlético Madrid has achieved an 8-game winning streak this month.
With success in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, Spanish media, just like the unscrupulous media on Fleet Street in England, have been quick to jump on the bandwagon.
Recently, they have been wildly hyping up Atlético Madrid, elevating every player to the status of a football god.
Football players already have a relatively low psychological age, and with such hype from the media and fans, it's no wonder their teammates have started to get carried away.
Fortunately, Atlético Madrid's management system, including Simeone's authority, is still in place to curb the team's disciplinary issues.
Otherwise, if it were a team with slightly weaker control, Lance couldn't imagine how their performance would collapse.
"Lance, you come too."
In the changing room, everyone was shirtless, freestyling and swaying to the music.
Griezmann was also very hyped and wanted Lance to come up and improvise a dance.
"That's right! Lance, come on up!"
"Lance! Lance! Lance!"
A group of people cheered like fans.
Although Lance has the appearance of a boy band idol, his dancing skills are completely inverse to his football prowess.
Dancing is out of the question.
Fortunately, Simeone's appearance rescued Lance.
"Lance, come here for a moment."
Simeone frowned, accustomed to the chaos in the changing room.
"Are you satisfied with just winning against Sporting Gijón? Have some ambition."
"Coach, come dance with us!"
"Oh, my God, get away, you idiot."
Simeone cursed with a smile, dismissively pushing Saúl away and pulling Lance out of the changing room.
Finally, it was quiet.
"Coach?"
Simeone got straight to the point, without any unnecessary pleasantries:
"Recently, your country's TV station plans to shoot a documentary about Atlético Madrid. The club intends to film it from your perspective, with you as the protagonist. Has your agent told you about this? The documentary crew might follow the team for most of the season, and they will also come to your home to film material. I'm not sure what you think. If you refuse to expose more privacy, I can coordinate with the club to cancel it, or you can discuss it with your agent…"
After a brief understanding, Lance was quite surprised.
The idea for the documentary actually came from CCTV Sports Channel, tianxia football production team.
The last time he joined Atlético Madrid, tianxia football specifically came to Madrid for an exclusive interview.
Zhang Bin, the deputy director of the sports news department and a bespectacled Fat, personally came and had a simple half-hour chat with Lance.
After this programme aired on television, the response was very enthusiastic.
Coupled with Lance's extremely high popularity in China and his excellent performance at Atlético Madrid recently, the football content played by Atlético Madrid and the team's overall strength seem to have a chance to compete for the Champions League title with strong teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern.
Therefore, tianxia football plans to follow and film from the beginning of the season.
If Lance can ultimately lead the team to victory, it's obvious how explosive the programme's effect will be.
Before the match, his agent, Mendes, did mention this matter, saying they would discuss it in detail after the game.
It's probably similar to what Simeone said.
"No problem, I have no objections, as long as it doesn't affect training."
"Of course, training and matches are certainly more important. Then I'll talk to the club about it."
Simeone must also be very happy to increase exposure in China.
In this era, few people can resist the temptation of fame and fortune…
...
What surprised Lance was how quickly the CCTV programme team acted.
It seemed they had already prepared and were just waiting for the club's approval.
In just one week, before Atlético Madrid's away challenge against Real Betis, he had already met the CCTV production crew.
"Morning, Lance!"
Wang Tao, with a slicked-back hairstyle and a round face, appeared before him, bowing and trying to communicate in English.
"Nice to meet you, my name is…"
"Tao Ge, speak Mandarin, I understand it."
Lance quickly interrupted him.
"Oh my goodness! God Lance, your Chinese is so good?"
"What's so new about that, Tao Ge? Didn't I just have an exclusive interview with you guys?"
Lance chuckled, teasing him, and instantly closed the distance between them.
"Oh, right, right, I'm sorry, I forgot, look at my memory."
Wang Tao laughed at himself.
At this time, Wang Tao's reputation was still good; he worked behind the scenes as a director and voice actor for tianxia football, and also did voiceovers for "Pro Evolution Soccer."
His voice was very familiar to fans.
Who would have thought that in the future short video era, this guy would go and sell fake jerseys?
It seems that those who came out of tianxia football didn't have a good ending.
The scandalous news involving Zhang Bin and Ma Jie once caused a sensation.
Duan Xuan, a familiar face to fans, was later imprisoned along with Tiezi due to the football crackdown.
This guy in front of him is also highly controversial.
It seems only Ma Jie is doing well, climbing from CCTV5 all the way to CCTV1 and becoming a Spring Festival Gala host.
Besides the controversial news with a certain football blogger, there aren't many other negative points.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Wang Tao stepped aside, revealing a slender and beautiful young woman behind him.
Her 1.7-metre height, accentuated by high heels, made her long, straight legs very striking.
A professional yet youthful dress highlighted her pure temperament, and her soft, black hair fell naturally.
Her natural, delicate face, in her early twenties, bore a gentle smile, and her gaze was fixed on him.
Especially when compared to Wang Tao next to her, her face indeed seemed very petite.
"Let me introduce you, this is Ma Fanshu, our programme group's intern host. Some interview work for the documentary might require Xiao Ma to coordinate with you, God Lance, what do you think…"
"No problem. Hello, then, it's a pleasure to work with you."
"It's an honour to interview you, God Lance, I'm your fan, just call me Xiao Ma."
Facing Lance's outstretched hand for a handshake, Ma Fanshu, who had just joined the sports channel as an intern anchor, was overwhelmed with flattery.
It was like an intern entertainment reporter being actively noticed by Jay Chou, whom they had admired for a long time.
Who wouldn't be flustered?
"Ma Jie, you're too kind."
Ma Jie was born in '93, and Lance in '98, so calling her Xiao Ma felt a bit awkward.
He might as well call her Ma Jie, like netizens do.
"You're too kind."
Ma Fanshu became nervous again, bowing repeatedly like a couple bowing to each other.
Wang Tao kept scratching his head nearby.
It seemed letting intern host Ma Fanshu guest star as an outside reporter was the right move.
It looked like God Lance had a good impression of her, and she would likely cooperate with the documentary filming later.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lance returned to the changing room for pre-match preparations, and the CCTV documentary crew began their work.
The match against Real Betis went as expected.
Lance showcased his skills, scoring a clean brace: one shot from a breakthrough into the box from the left flank, and another world-class shot from outside the box after a corner kick.
They defeated Real Betis 2-0 away, securing 3 points and continuing to chase Barcelona.
Watching Lance's match up close for the first time, seeing his elegant posture on the pitch, and hearing the clamour and cheers from both home and away fans after Lance was substituted in the 86th minute.
The spirited Lance, like a rock star, was adored by thousands… Ma Fanshu couldn't help but be mesmerised.