Football: The immortal legend on the green field

Seeing Shen Bin's nervous look, Snowna suggested: "Since this is your first time working and you were a youth player before, I suggest you choose a job as a stadium painter. Although the salary is a little lower, the work is easy and you have plenty of time to play football."

Shen Bin asked politely, "Which job I can do pays more?"

Snona replied: "Stadium security, 350 euros a week, but I don't recommend you to choose this job. Security work is to maintain the stadium security of the regional league on site. You know... your skin color problem, which may greatly increase the danger you bring."

"I need the money, and I'm not afraid of danger."

Snona frowned and thought for a while. "How about this? Stadium painters mark the stadiums. They drive a marking vehicle and work in pairs. They are responsible for eighty stadiums and earn 200 euros a week. You can work two jobs and get 400 euros a week. How about that?"

Shen Bin suddenly remembered something and asked, "Can you solve the accommodation problem?"

"It can be solved. It's just a shared apartment for two people. If you are satisfied, you can sign the employment agreement. There are not many people here now, so I will take you to see the living place."

Shen Bin followed Snowa and turned from Doyle Street into an alley. They weaved through the intricate alleys and finally came to a five-story building with three units. This building was used to accommodate single low-level community service workers.

After knocking on the door of a room on the third floor of a unit, a thin white boy opened the door. He was about the same age as Shen Bin, about sixteen or seventeen years old, half a head shorter than Shen Bin, with short hair and a face covered with freckles.

The room is about 60 square meters, with a small living room and a bedroom with two beds. The bedroom is connected to the bathroom. The room is very clean and tidy, but the strong smell of armpit odor hits you in the face. Shen Bin has gotten used to it here.

Most Europeans have body odor. Those who lead a more relaxed life will use perfume to cover up the odor from their bodies, but people like Sjanic have no choice.

According to Snoona, Sjanic was a refugee who was taken in by the European Union during the Kosovo War in 99 and assigned to the Netherlands. All his family members died in the war, and he was only 14 years old when he fled here.

Although Sijanic is one year older than Shen Bin, he looks much younger than Shen Bin.

After Snoona introduced the two to each other, she said goodbye and left.

Perhaps because Sjanic had experienced the destruction of his country and the loss of his family and had to wander all the way, he had much richer social experience than Shen Bin and a more cheerful personality. From the conversation, it can be seen that he is quite satisfied with his current life.

The two continued chatting until lunch time, when they went to the restaurant downstairs to fill their stomachs.

After returning to the room, Sjanic first went to the bedroom and took out a red jersey from the closet to change into, and then took a pair of sneakers from the tool rack on the side of the entrance.

These are Sjanic's sneakers. Although they are very worn out, they are still cleaned very well.

He hurriedly turned around and left the room, walked out the door, then turned back and asked Shen Bin who was staring blankly at all this in the room, "Can you play football? Oh! Maybe I shouldn't ask, you Chinese don't play football, you all seem to like table tennis, you are very good at it! And kung fu, ah... he imitated Bruce Lee's moves."

Shen Bin nodded.

"Why don't we go together? We work in the morning and play against other teams in the afternoon. Today our paint team will play against the sprinkler team. We, the stadium maintenance staff, have organized four teams to practice with each other. On Friday afternoon, we will form a joint team to participate in the regional league in Amsterdam. We are currently in the third level of the regional league. Now that we are second in points, we will be promoted to the second level soon."

Shen Bin knew that when he came to a new environment, he had to integrate into the group as quickly as possible, so he stood up and said, "I think I can still be a qualified audience member!"

"Haha..." Sijanic laughed and waited for Shen Bin to come outside the door, locked the door, and went to a park not far away together. The stadium was in the park. The stadium was surrounded by huge banyan trees. There were public benches under the big trees. It was an excellent place for leisure for the elderly and children nearby.

The University of Amsterdam is just across the street from this park. In the early morning and evening, many students come here to study with their books.

The sun slowly set in the west, and the shadows of the banyan trees beside the court began to lengthen. Shen Bin leaned against a banyan tree and watched the two teams running on the court.

There is a big age gap between the players on both sides, including teenagers like Sjanic and middle-aged men in their forties with big bellies.

Although they had no confrontation and no tactics, everyone's footwork was still good enough for an ordinary person.

Their so-called competition seemed like a joke to people like Shen Bin who had participated in regular competitions, but both the players on the field and the sparse people watching around were enjoying it. Perhaps this was the true meaning of sports.

On the bench under the banyan tree where Shen Bin was leaning against were a middle-aged couple in their fifties. There was a wheelchair next to them. Judging from their condition, it seemed that the hostess had difficulty walking.

Even so, although the lady's brows showed signs of aging, her elegant temperament still caught Shen Bin's attention. The middle-aged uncle was leisurely paying attention to the situation on the field while holding the girl's hands tightly. The hostess looked to be in her forties, but she still leaned on the uncle's shoulder like a child, and the happy smile on her face seemed to be an endless memory and gratitude for her past life.

A middle-aged man sat on a bench with a smile on his face, watching the game on the field. The golden sunlight shone through the gaps in the shadow of the banyan tree onto his ruddy face, as if there was an endless wisdom and tranquil power.

The football was flying back and forth on the field. In less than half an hour, some of the older players began to gasp for breath.

Shen Bin seemed to hear some chattering in a local accent. He turned around and found three East Asian girls pointing at him, as if they were discussing something.

At this moment, a cry of surprise sounded behind him: "Be careful!"

Shen Bin turned his head and saw the football flying towards the lady sitting on the bench. Because the middle-aged man was sitting, he had no time to protect his beloved wife and just subconsciously pulled the lady into his arms.

Shen Bin raised his left foot, and the football that had been spinning rapidly just now stuck to Shen Bin's foot like a docile kitten.

Everyone around was silent, watching in shock what had just happened.

"Oh! My God! Your skills are so shocking..." Sjanic ran over, patted Shen Bin on the arm, then turned around, bowed to the middle-aged couple and apologized to them.

The middle-aged man smiled and waved his hand to indicate that it was okay.

At this time, several more players came over, and one of the fat guys panted and said to Shen Bin: "Maybe you can replace me. I'm a little tired today..."

Sijanic laughed and interrupted, "You can't keep up with the physical strength any day. Our paint team finally has a twelfth man. Uncle McNeil may have to be a substitute in the future."

Everyone started laughing.

Shen Bin was forced to come on the court to replace the fat guy after everyone pulled him back.

He was not prepared and hurriedly put on the spare jersey handed to him by McNeil. Shen Bin was not thin and was still very strong for his age, but it was still a bit funny to put on the baggy jersey of the fat man McNeil. He didn't have any spare sneakers, so he stepped onto the court wearing sneakers.

What Shen Bin didn't expect was that his behavior on the court was captured on camera by the three girls.

On May 5, a netizen posted a group of photos on the Tianya Forum in China. In the photos, Shen Bin was wearing an ordinary jersey and playing football on the field.

The people playing football with Shen Bin in the photo have a huge age difference.

The article below the photo made domestic fans even more frustrated. Just yesterday, on April 2024, 4, the U5 Chinese Youth Team led by Gao Haiyang was eliminated in the Asian Youth Championship group qualifiers held in Sapporo, Japan, with one win and two losses in three games and three points. Now is the time when the people across the country are most denouncing China's youth training.

Since this is the first time that Gao Haiyang has led a national team as head coach to participate in an intercontinental competition, and there are two of his former teammates in the team, Shen Bin pays special attention to this Asian Youth Championship. Since the day he received Zhu Han's letter, he has been checking the AFC official website and domestic news online from time to time.

Sure enough, on March 1st, Shen Bin saw the initial registration list of each team for the Asian Youth Championship group qualifiers on the official website of the Asian Football Confederation. In this team, Shen Bin not only saw the names of Zhu Han and Mai Yi, but also saw two familiar people, namely Hao Junmin of Yanjing Guards and Hu Zhijun of Yangcheng Sun God.