Football: Starting Out in France’s Lower Leagues

Lots of people love strikers, but the midfield is the heart of the team.

2018.

At 16, Liu Yan set off alone for Europe from the countryside of Yunmeng County, Hubei, carrying an old schoolbag and a badly worn football.

He had no professional youth training experience, no powerful backers, no connections, and didn’t even speak French.

In France, no one believed a Chinese teenager could play professional football.

He lived in the cheapest apartment and ate the cheapest food, training alone in the cold Paris rain at night. He was mocked, looked down on, and ostracized by his teammates. After one crucial match, he was even made the scapegoat for the team’s defeat, savaged by the French media, and eventually unilaterally released by his club.

Everyone thought his football dream was over.

Only Liu Yan refused to give up.

Just as he hit the lowest point of his life, a mysterious ability known as the Football Sign-in System quietly awakened.

Sign in at the training ground, sign in at matches, sign in at milestones...

Stamina, vision, passing, tactical awareness, control of the game’s tempo...

Starting in France’s lower leagues, he slowly climbed out of the ruins and grew in the most unforgiving environment in European football.

Bayern’s discipline and system.

Real Madrid’s superstars and power struggles.

Barcelona’s possession game and faith.

From an unknown kid at the bottom of the ladder to a world-class midfield maestro who controls the tempo of every match.

What Liu Yan wants to prove has never been just about himself.

He wants the world to see:

A Chinese player can stand at the pinnacle of world football, too.

This is a story about growing up, loneliness, passion, and football.

It is also the legend of a boy who rises from the mud to become the “King of Midfielders.”