Fengba Greenery

Chapter 7 Alma

Chapter 7Alma
The trial training for FC United was over, and Li Qingshan successfully became a member of the Premier League team in the Northern England Premier League.The team's chairman Andy Wells signed a part-time contract with Li Qingshan on behalf of FC United. The contract stipulates that Li Qingshan needs to participate in the team's weekend training and at least one midweek training session.The team will pay a weekly salary of £[-] a week, as well as goal bonuses, team promotion bonuses and the like.

In short, although the team is in the amateur league, the operation of FC United Manchester is quite formal.

On the way back to the rented apartment, Li Qingshan received a call from Yang Bao.As a well-known figure in the circle of Chinese students studying in Manchester, Yang Bao is also Li Qingshan's Hunan fellow. When Li Qingshan first came to England, Yang Bao took good care of his little fellow.

Since Yang Bao's former roommate graduated and returned to China, Li Qingshan shared an apartment with Yang Bao.

During the phone call, Yang Bao asked Li Qingshan to go to the Newton Heath Bar.Yang Bao works as a bartender there part-time.

.........

The Newton Heath Bar is not too far from the United Manchester training base, and Li Qingshan quickly found this not very big bar.This is a typical English pub specializing in beer and cocktails.

When Li Qingshan walked into the bar, all he saw were people in twos and threes gathered at the table and chatting quietly.Because there were not too many customers, the interior of the originally small tavern seemed spacious.

There are some retro star posters hanging on the walls of the tavern, some of which Li Qingshan recognizes, but some he doesn't recognize.He found that the ones he knew seemed to be some of the legends of Manchester United.

Li Qingshan quickly found Yang Bao at the bar. He was wiping a goblet while chatting with a blond girl sitting next to the bar.

Seeing Li Qingshan walk in, Yang Bao put down the wine glass he was wiping and waved: "Qingshan, this way."

Li Qingshan walked by the bar, but Yang Bao turned to the girl and said: "Erma, the person you are looking for is here."

Then he joked to Li Qingshan in Chinese: "I didn't expect you to be very attractive. You were approached by a girl just after you came to England. This is Alma. She asked me to find you. Let's talk first." .”

After speaking, he walked away, leaving Li Qingshan and Alma on the bar.

Li Qingshan turned around to look at the girl named Alma with some doubts.

She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans that framed her round, slender thighs.Wearing a white T-shirt on the upper body, the long golden wavy hair is tied up, revealing a forbidden face, a tall nose, and freckles on the face, making the girl in front of her look even more youthful and flying, revealing a few The very cunning eyes are looking at the tall and strong Chinese boy with a baby face in front of her with some curiosity.

"She's so beautiful"

Li Qingshan, who seldom spends time alone with girls, is at a loss and sits on the high stool next to the bar counter.

"What's your name, Chinese boy?" Alma asked, looking sideways at the burly baby-faced young man in front of her.

"Li Qingshan." Li Qingshan also turned sideways and replied.

"Do you like playing football, Lee?"

Suddenly being asked this question, Li Qingshan froze for a moment.

"Do I look like someone who likes to play football?" Almost making a fool of himself in front of the girls, Li Qingshan asked a little annoyed.

Alma smiled, and instead of answering his question, she changed the subject: "Do you know why this place is called Newton Sith?"

"I don't know." Li Qingshan answered honestly.

"Did you see that photo on the wall?" Alma pointed to a black and white photo on the wall, which seemed to be a year old.

Without waiting for Li Qingshan to answer, Alma continued: "That is a group photo of Newton Heath players from more than 100 years ago."

"More than 100 years ago!?" Li Qingshan expressed his surprise. You must know that in China, there are very few teams with a history of more than 100 years, even 50 years.

"And you must have heard of this team," Alma snapped.

Li Qingshan thought for a while and said, "I don't seem to have heard of the name of this team."

"Of course, because the team's name is now - Manchester United"

"Manchester United?! Wait, you said, the name of the bar is the name of the predecessor of Manchester United, so the customers who come to the bar should be fans of Manchester United, and you should also be the Manchester United team?" Li Qingshan suddenly realized.

"Yes and no," said Alma
But seeing Li Qingshan's puzzled look, Alma quickly solved the mystery.

"We are the new Manchester United, because the name of Manchester United has been bought by the Americans, but we are the real Manchester United. The Manchester United bought by the Americans is not the successor of Newton Heath, because its soul is no longer there. Glazer only got the shell, but we still have the soul."

"How many Manchester United are there? Uncle Maggis also said that their team is the real Manchester United," Li Qingshan muttered in his heart.

But he didn't say this, but asked: "Then what did you do?"

"We established a new Manchester United to inherit Newton Sith," Alma said a little excitedly.

"What a coincidence" Li Qingshan probably understood a little bit.

The loyalty of England fans to the team is well known all over the world. Many teams in England were established spontaneously at first, and gradually developed and grew by relying on the community.Therefore, it is not uncommon for three generations of grandparents to be fans of a team.

"Is this a kind of betrayal to some extent?" Li Qingshan didn't understand England's football tradition.

"It's considered betrayal. Because of the extreme love, I chose to betray." Alma said calmly.

"But we have created a new club model. This is a team that truly belongs to the fans. The affairs of the team are decided by the votes of more than 4 members of the team, which ensures that the fans become the real owners of the team. Not to be exploited and exploited like the Glazers."

"Do you hate Manchester United now?"

"No, I don't like Liverpool more than them," Alma joked.

"Did you know that all the funds for the establishment of the team were raised by fans. Before we decided to split up, more than 4000 fans raised more than 1 pounds. This is all our team started. It took more than a year to complete the triple jump. Now we have more than [-] members, and we have recently collected funds for the construction of the new stadium. Sooner or later we will return to the top league.”

Alma's longing face
"Do you like playing football, Li?" Unexpectedly, Alma asked again.This time, without waiting for Li Qingshan to say anything, she continued: "Yesterday, I watched your match."

Li Qingshan realized which game she was talking about—the Manchester International Student Competition, where the Chinese student team played against the British student team.In the first half of that game, the British scored three goals in a row, and Li Qingshan scored three headers in the second half.

"You played well"

"It's okay, it's okay." Li Qingshan scratched his head and thought of the embarrassing scene of himself falling from the sky.For Li Qingshan, this game did not leave much impact on him. Although it was his first contact with football in more than three years, after all, the level of a group of college students is not high. As a player who has at least received football training since childhood , to bully a group of college students is not something worth writing about.

"Your header advantage is too great. If your teammates are more capable, you may win the game." Alma shrugged and said.

"I didn't expect you to know a lot about football." Li Qingshan said in surprise.

In his 19 years of life, he has almost never met a girl who likes and understands football.Some girls like football, just like they like movie stars. In their context, the words "C Ronaldo is so handsome" and "Xiaobei, I want to give birth to you" and the like appear most frequently.It would be an exaggeration to say that all the female fans are Beckham fans if they are gathered together in a line, but if every other one of them is a Beckham fan, there must be someone who slipped through the net.Li Qingshan didn't mean to look down on star fans, it's just that they usually don't have a common language when talking about football with female star fans.

"Are you a bit of a male chauvinist?" Alma asked.

Generally speaking, male chauvinism is male chauvinism, a concept that men are superior to women, and its scope and meaning are very broad.

"No," Li Qingshan hastily denied.It's like admitting to being racist in front of black people and asking the fuck to go to a pork restaurant, which is basically rip off.There is no need for him to show his cards in front of a girl he has known for less than half an hour.Even though he had something of that in mind.

Alma looked at Li Qingshan, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.She didn't delve too deeply into the subject.

After a while, Alma said: "Well, whether you are or not, it's nice to meet classmates here."

"We are classmates?" Li Qingshan was a little surprised.

"Otherwise how would I know Yang?" Alma laughed. "But it won't be until September. I'm from the Law School of the University of Manchester"

After speaking, he re-introduced himself: "My name is Alma Saul, just call me Alma. Nice to meet you, Li"

Li Qingshan stretched out his hands and held them together, he felt that they were a pair of very warm and soft hands.

He raised his head and looked at Alma in front of him, this new classmate who was also a lovely girl.

when he was about to say something.Alma said to him for the third time: "Do you like playing football, Lee"

Hearing this question once, Li Qingshan was a little dazed, and even forgot to let go of the hand of the lovely lady in front of him.

He recalled that his training career in the football school was really not much fun at all. He trained very regularly every day. The football school cooperated with a nearby middle school to run the school. He got up at five in the morning and ran 5000 meters around the playground first. , After that, I have cultural classes in the morning and football training classes in the afternoon, except on weekends, never stop.

For the young Li Qingshan, the football training class for him is the daily boring physical training and header training.He has forgotten why he fell in love with football in the first place.

He thought of the feeling of scoring those few goals in FC United's trial training. This may be the charm of football. When he headed the football into the goal, his blood seemed to be burning at that moment. The pleasure is so strong, like a drug, it is unstoppable.

Some things are always hard to find the reason.

So Li Qingshan let go of the girl's hand and said: "I like scoring goals"

Alma smiled: "Then would you like to play in our team?"

"Your team?"

"Yes, FC Manchester United (Football Club United of Manchester)" Alma said seriously
"I thought, I'm already a player on this team"

Seeing Alma's surprised expression, Li Qingshan grinned.

(End of this chapter)