For three whole days, Su Bai lived like a robot—training, eating, training, sleeping. His life was utterly monotonous.
Even when Ben Kersey invited him out for a drink, Su Bai politely refused.
Right now, all he could think about was raising his Ball Control as quickly as possible.
Beyond that, his Attacking Vision, Pace, and other stats all desperately needed improving.
Simply put—nothing else mattered to Su Bai except training.
Friday morning
Su Bai got up at five and trained as usual.
But once Ben Kersey accidentally found out from the assistant coach just how hard Su Bai had been working, he started joining Su Bai for the early-morning sessions.
What puzzled Ben was that Su Bai spent all that time drilling the most basic skills, even juggling. It was stuff Ben had learned as a kid.
Though they were roommates, Ben's family lived in Gelsenkirchen, so he barely stayed in the dorm. The two weren't really close.
Ben had started waking up much earlier because of Su Bai, but they barely spoke on the pitch—they just trained separately.
8:30 AM
Su Bai and his teammates stood quietly on the training ground, waiting for Daniel.
Today was a huge day for the season.
Their first 3. Liga match of the campaign was tomorrow, Saturday.
In today's intra-squad scrimmage, the manager would confirm his starting eleven and matchday squad.
On the dot, Daniel and Wycliffe walked onto the pitch.
The players were right—Wycliffe held a black notebook that would decide tomorrow's 18-man squad.
Schalke 04 U18 had a full roster of 32 players.
Making this list meant securing a place in the season's rotation.
If you didn't make it—tough luck. The club didn't need you, and you could look for a new team.
Especially for the lads on youth trainee contracts.
Everyone stared hungrily at the notebook in Wycliffe's hand. Some were even shaking.
None of them wanted to leave in disgrace.
"Our first league game is tomorrow afternoon!"
"Last season, we finished fourth in the 3. Liga!"
"A solid result, but our starting striker and attacking midfielder have moved on—they're playing in the 2. Bundesliga now."
"If you perform well, even if there's no space for you here at Schalke, we'll find you a move to a club that suits you."
"And if you're not on the list—don't be discouraged."
"Keep working hard, and your future will still be bright!"
Daniel's speech sounded grand, but none of the players bought it.
This was professional football.
Hard work didn't guarantee a bright future—that was just fool's talk.
Without talent, you'd get kicked out no matter how much you trained.
After his rousing talk, Daniel stepped to the sideline.
As manager, he wasn't going to read out every name himself.
Once he left, Wycliffe opened his notebook and stepped forward.
A staff member stood beside him with a cart full of yellow training bibs.
Wycliffe scanned the group and began reading:
"Bobby Edgar!"
A 1.9-meter giant stepped forward expressionlessly and took a bib.
As last season's starting goalkeeper, Bobby had never worried about losing his place.
"Esther Scott!" — starting center-back
"Webster Jeffery!" — starting center-back
"Morton Jim!" — starting left-back
"Sidney Park!" — starting right-back
"Lloyd Angelo!" — starting defensive midfielder
"Hardy Hunt!" — left midfielder
"Wheeler Angelo!" — right midfielder
"Ben Kersey!" — attacking midfielder
"Halim O'Shea!" — attacking midfielder
"Whit Benedict!" — striker
The eleven starting names were called.
Those picked moved to the opposite side.
From 32 players, only 21 remained.
Now came the cruel part.
Only seven of these 21 would make the matchday squad. The rest could stay or leave.
If someone in the 18 got injured or out of form, they might get a chance.
But they'd have to wait.
Wycliffe adjusted his glasses and looked at the remaining players.
He'd seen this scene countless times. No point feeling sorry for anyone.
"Smedley Lev!"
Smedley clenched his fist tight. His flushed face showed how thrilled he was.
As a goalkeeper, making the squad meant he'd still get to play for Schalke this season.
Another goalkeeper, Hancock, hung his head in disappointment.
At 20 years old, he'd worked hard, but his 1.85-meter frame put him at a disadvantage.
For goalkeepers, even the second choice rarely played—let alone the third.
...
One by one, names were called.
Joy for some, heartbreak for others.
After the sixth name, the last 15 players waited anxiously for the final spot.
Wycliffe paused, dragging it out.
He looked deliberately toward Su Bai at the back of the group.
He wondered if the Chinese kid was nervous out of his mind.
But to his disappointment, Su Bai looked completely unfazed. Wycliffe shook his head.
Talented guys really were this confident, huh?
"Su Bai!"
No more hesitation—Wycliffe read his name loud and clear.
A murmur ran through the group.
Su Bai had talent, sure—but he'd been at the club less than five days. They were putting a rookie of five days straight into the matchday squad?
Was he actually going to play?
The players who'd missed out began muttering, but it made no difference.
Once the list was done, Daniel stepped back in.
"This is our squad for the first match. Anyone who wants to leave can sort their paperwork right now—the 3. Liga registration window is still open."
"You might still find a chance at a smaller club."
"If you've sorted a move, the club will let you go in line with your contract."
This was the final ultimatum.
Leave now, and you could still catch on at a weaker 3. Liga side.
Stay, and you'd spend the entire season on the bench if that's how it went.
The remaining players exchanged glances.
In the end, two stepped forward.
Daniel said nothing, just shook their hands with a smile and let them go.
Su Bai watched his former teammates pack up and walk away. He couldn't help but sigh.
Professional football was this cruel.