When Luo Kai walked down the training field side by side with his friend Ricardo Barea, he was stopped by the team's head coach Jason Leslie.
After Balia's eyes wandered back and forth between Leslie and Luo Kai, he took the initiative to say goodbye.
Only Luo Kai and Jason Leslie were left on the sidelines of the training ground.
Luo Kai did not ask the head coach why he was left alone, and there was a short and slightly awkward silence between the two.
But Luo Kai doesn't care about the embarrassment.
He waited patiently with a calm expression.
Leslie didn't speak either, the two seemed to be competing for patience.
After a while, seeing that Luo Kai remained silent and showed no impatience, Leslie finally couldn't help but speak first:
"In my impression, you have always been a very professional player, and your professionalism is also a model for the team, Luo."
Facing the head coach's praise, Luo Kai's reaction was not positive.
He still stared at Leslie silently.
Leslie continued:
"So I know very well that in tomorrow's game, the person I don't have to worry about the least is you."
Hearing this, Luo Kai had a look of surprise on his face, and then squeezed out a smile and said: "Boss, please rest assured that my performance on the court will not be affected by anything. I know better than anyone else what this championship means to us.
importance."
"Of course, of course..." Leslie didn't know what else to say, so she could only repeat.
Upon seeing this, Luo Kai asked: "Is there anything else you can do, boss?"
Leslie opened his mouth, but finally shrugged and said, "No, go back to the locker room quickly, and pay attention to keeping warm."
"Okay, boss. Goodbye, boss."
After Luo Kai finished speaking, without waiting for any further response from head coach Leslie, he simply turned around and left, leaving his boss alone on the sidelines of the training field.
Leslie looked at Luo Kai's back and was speechless.
Of course he knew why Luo Kai had this attitude towards him.
After all, Luo Kai's inability to renew his contract with the club was all "thanks to him."
But he was also helpless. Who could have known that Luo Kai would perform so well in the second half of the season?
If the situation last season was followed, it would be natural for him to refrigerate Luo Kai. Not only would public opinion have nothing to say, but the players themselves would also have nothing to say.
But Leslie didn't take Luo Kai's attitude to heart.
Compared with such an important honor as the league championship, being scorned by a player is nothing.
Jason Leslie knows very well that despite being nine points behind London Bridge this season, he can still overtake his opponents and win the Premier League championship this season. This championship process is enough for him to be recorded in the history of this club.
As for the "stories" between him and Luo Kai during this process, they are not worth mentioning in the face of this epic achievement.
So as long as Luo Kai can continue his excellent performance in tomorrow's game, he doesn't mind letting the opponent contradict him face to face.
After watching Luo Kai leave, Jason Leslie turned around and left the training ground.
※※※
After Luo Kai returned to the locker room, there were not many people in the room - he and Ricardo Barria were originally the very few people who stayed after the normal training and took the initiative to practice more.
When Barea returned to the locker room, most of his teammates had left, and he was waiting for Luo Kai here.
Seeing Luo Kai come in, he asked: "Why is the boss looking for you?"
Luo Kai sneered: "He seemed very worried about me and reminded me not to think too much in tomorrow's game."
Ricardo Barria heard Luo Kai say this and showed a surprised expression: "Why would the boss think so?"
"Tomorrow's game is too crucial. He wants to be absolutely sure and nip all unstable factors in their infancy."
"But he shouldn't think that you will be the 'unstable factor'?" Although Jason Leslie has "reinvented" Barea's football path, Barea still feels that the boss
This is not appropriate.
Luo Kai's professionalism is well-known within the team. Anyone who doubts that he is unprofessional cannot doubt him.
This is definitely not because of Barea's "friend filter", it is the consensus of Tramed's entire team.
This consensus was strongly proved by Luo Kai's actual actions in the second half of last season and the first half of this season.
After being hidden away by boss Leslie for nearly a year, Luo Kai neither caused trouble in the locker room nor complained or protested in the media.
He worked diligently and diligently in training as always, and completed all the training tasks given by the coaching staff without compromise.
Even though he knew that he would not be included in the weekend's game squad, he did not show any slack in training.
His performance coupled with the treatment he received made many teammates feel that the boss's treatment of Luo Kai was really inappropriate.
So when Luo Kai regained the chance to play with his performance, his teammates held a grand celebration ceremony for him in the locker room to celebrate his return to the game.
After Jason Leslie coached Tramed, Portuguese Ricardo Barea was the biggest beneficiary, because Leslie completely helped him become the core position of the team.
Although he still plays as a left winger on the court, he enjoys priority and unrestricted firing rights.
So he is actually a center who likes to play on the wing.
It stands to reason that Ricardo Barria's position should be biased towards Leslie.
But now he is complaining for his friend, which shows how good Luo Kai's image is in the eyes of his teammates.
Faced with his friend's "righteous speech", Luo Kai smiled and shook his head slightly: "It doesn't matter, Ricardo. The important thing is tomorrow's game. We must not let the league championship slip away this time."
Baria smiled bitterly after hearing this.
Luo Kai asked: "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered..." Balia shook his head and said, "Luo, do you still remember the 'short-term goal' we agreed on together?"
Luo Kai was stunned for a moment, then frowned and started thinking. He didn't think for too long before his eyes regained clarity:
"The 'double' of league title and Champions League title..."
When Baria saw Luo Kai remembering it, he nodded: "Yes, that's it. But it's so ironic. This was the 'short-term goal' we set at the beginning, but it turned out that it's been four years since then, and we still haven't been able to achieve the 'double goal'."
Crown's goal..."
Luo Kai also recalled the situation when they made the oath, which was indeed a bit ironic.
Four years ago in the 2029-2030 season, Tramed was competing with Manchester United for the league title in the league and was also expected to reach the finals in the Champions League.
So two high-spirited young people made great ambitions together. One wanted to become Mr. Ballon d'Or, and the other wanted to lead his national team to win the World Cup.
Then they felt that this vision was too ambitious and needed a short-term goal, so they decided to win the league and Champions League double this season.
As a result, Tramed was eliminated by Catalonia in the Champions League semi-finals that season. Although he won the league championship, he missed the "double".
A short-term goal was postponed to a medium- and long-term goal, and even today, four years later, none of it has been achieved.
Reality gave two arrogant young people a slap in the face.
※※※
Luo Kai was half sitting on the bed in the hotel room, having a video call with his wife Lilith.
His wife on the other end of the phone was encouraging him: "Come on, dear. I should have been by your side at this critical moment. I'm really sorry..."
Luo Kai smiled and comforted her: "You don't have to be sorry, Lilith."
The day after tomorrow, the Battleship Port women's football team where my wife is playing also has an important match, so she has to stay in the hotel with the whole team and cannot come to Manchester to cheer for her husband and his former club.
"I will go to London Bridge tomorrow to cheer you on! I will pray that Leeds City can beat London Bridge!"
Luo Kai's grin widened: "Don't expect Leeds City, who have no desires and desires, they can't try their best in the game."
"Aren't you a teammate of the national team, Zhou He? I think he might be willing to help you?" Lilith still had beautiful illusions.
"He and I are teammates on the national team, but not friends." Luo Kai did not count on Zhou Zijing. He still preferred to believe in himself, "No matter what the result is tomorrow, I will try my best in the game, Lilith."
The promise he made in front of head coach Leslie was not to fool the boss, but was sincere.
This is his last home game in Tramed, and he doesn't want to leave any regrets for himself.
After ending the video call with his wife, Luo Kai tried to lie down and sleep directly, so he turned off the lights.
But a few minutes later, in the darkness, he suddenly sat up from the bed, got out of bed, walked to the window, and opened the curtains.
Manchester outside the window has not yet completely fallen asleep, because this time is not too late for most ordinary people, and their nightlife may have just begun.
It's just that for a self-disciplined professional player, ensuring adequate rest time is already a habit.
Luo Kai's eyes gradually lifted from the busy street and looked into the distance.
Finally it landed on the red ceiling illuminated by lights.
That's the roof of the red-roofed stadium where Tramede plays home.
The name of this stadium is simple, direct and appropriate.
After officially returning to Tramed in the summer of 2027, Luo Kai never left the team again.
He has played in this stadium for seven seasons, and tomorrow is the moment when he bids farewell to this stadium.
When this season ends and his contract with Tramed expires, he will leave here as a free agent.
But he hasn't told anyone except his wife and agent.
Tramed's fans are still hoping that he can reach an agreement with the club after the end of the season. The club has also given him a new contract, waiting for him to sign it after the league ends.
Even to his good friends Ricardo Barria and Luo Kai, he did not tell the truth.
It's all about the league title.
At this juncture, he didn't want anything to go wrong because of whether or not he renewed his contract.
Luo Kai just stared at the red-domed stadium silently in the darkness.
After about a few minutes, he returned to the bed and pulled up the quilt.
This time he didn't get up again, and the room returned to darkness and silence.
