At sixteen, I received an invitation to try out for Manchester United.
I arrived in Manchester with a dream in my heart, only to find Carrington packed with prodigies and a world of undisguised contempt waiting for me.
“A Chinese player? Too weak physically. He can only make up for it with technique.”
“There are only so many spots in the academy. He’ll be gone in three months at most.”
Then came the day of the youth derby. We were two goals down at halftime.
The coach looked at me. “Lin, you’re on.”
The moment I stepped onto the pitch, my world changed.
My teammates’ runs, the opponents’ weaknesses, the ball’s trajectory... I saw it all, as if looking down on a chessboard.
A sixty-meter pass tore through Manchester City’s entire defense.
A deft through ball set up my teammate for an open-goal finish.
The whole stadium fell silent. I could hear my own heartbeat, deafeningly loud.
They say red is the faith of Manchester United.
And I will become the most feared... giant in this red empire.
(But I know that these “eyes of God,” which can see through everything, are both a blessing and a curse. They are quietly consuming my future...)
