Center Forward

Perhaps Long Bisheng was destined for a difficult life.

He was born bearing his father's hopes. His father, a man obsessed with football, named him "Bisheng," meaning "must win." But under his father's anxious gaze, China's team lost a match they were certain to win and once again missed out on the World Cup.

At five, he was put through tryouts, but the coach decided he wasn't suited to football.

Even a world-class manager had little faith in his future.

Yet this boy, who had grown up surrounded by doubt and mistrust, made his dream come true through hard work and perseverance, one step at a time.

Even the humblest person can have a dream and fight for it. As long as you don't give up, no one can defeat you. If you put in the hard work, you can reap success too, and you can become a swan. Even if you live in a sewer, you can still lift your head and gaze at the stars.

P.S. This book shares the setting of my previous novel, Reborn in 1994: The Football World. To all my fellow fans whose hearts have been broken by Chinese football, please don't take it out on this book. Thank you.