Chapter 2119 - 2119: 2119

The Wale Republic encourages overseas players with Valle heritage to return to Wanan City for league play and incorporates the outstanding players into the national team's development system at various levels.

However, FIFA's naturalization law includes a five-year residency requirement, but this doesn't pose a significant challenge for the Wale Republic.

Given the short history of the Wale Republic and its membership in FIFA, failing to meet the regulations for various national teams would be problematic. In special circumstances, special measures were taken, and FIFA held a vote among all members. As long as more than half agreed, the Wale Republic could enjoy direct bloodline naturalization within a year, allowing players to recognize their roots and play football.

Non-bloodline naturalization still requires residing in the Wale Country for five years, with over 183 days per year being sufficient.

Bloodline naturalization only requires a quarter Valle heritage!

Understandably, given Wale Republic's influence internationally, getting more than half approval is not a problem at all.

Despite opposition votes from some rival countries like Great East Pot, it was to no avail.

Once the resolution passed, the Valle National Football Association sprang into action.

This football association operates completely under a market-oriented model, without the leadership of the People's Party, and with remarkable efficiency.

Following the old government model, the Valle National Football Association staff were recruited globally, allowing any elite in football management and operations to qualify for final selection and employment.

The team of global elites is exceptionally competent, estimating that within three months, they could set up the entire male and female football teams structured around naturalization and supplemented by local players.

In any case, there are still plenty of football talents worldwide with Valle heritage. Once the naturalization recruitment announcement was made, over a thousand people applied from various age groups!

After all, the global population has a tendency to move frequently. In times of turmoil or Warlord rule, some insightful people or those forced by circumstances left these parts, settling abroad, spreading their bloodline's seeds, branching out widely.

A quarter bloodline counts for naturalization, which means that those who left Wale over the past century and their descendants still have the opportunity. Of course, they must play football, and play it very well.

Within this wave of naturalization, one 19-year-old young football player stands out prominently.

His name is Zhang Xiaorui!

This kid's grandfather, named Zhang Kang, was originally a fisherman from the countryside of Wanan City.

Forty years ago, Zhang Kang went fishing and encountered a marine accident, leaving him as the sole survivor.

Zhang Kang was stranded on a deserted island, later rescued when a cargo ship from Great East Pot passed by.

Zhang Kang, being strong and resilient, found work on the cargo ship, becoming a crew member.

Later, he married the captain's daughter and successfully settled down, becoming a Great East Pot citizen.

Unfortunately, prosperity did not last long, alas...

The captain faced corruption charges within the state-owned unit, receiving a death sentence reprieved to life imprisonment, eventually dying of illness in prison.

The family's fortunes declined.

By the time Zhang Xiaorui was born, his grandfather had already passed away. His father was just an ordinary farmer.

However, since a young age, Zhang Xiaorui showed remarkable football talent.

Unfortunately, his family was poor, unable to afford a good pair of football shoes for him.

Sometimes when he played football, his father would hit him. His father believed that in Great East Pot, playing football led nowhere, playing and succeeding was fine, but failing was nothing good.

At age 11, Zhang Xiaorui was selected by a football team invested by a major entrepreneur, sent with a group of buddies to study in Balse, essentially studying Balse's football philosophy and techniques.

Among this group of buddies, Zhang Xiaorui was very outstanding, often drawing attention from some Balse stars and coaches, saying this kid played football more Balse-like than Balse people.

With his strong physicality, excellent ball skills, and nimble, delicate dribbling skills, Zhang Xiaorui always amazed spectators.

Perhaps inheriting the Valle People's skin tone, his complexion leans towards bronze, earning him the nickname "Copper-winged Swan" while studying in Balse.

Such a nickname was indeed an endorsement, as he played football as elegantly as a swan, capable of spreading his wings and flying.

Unexpectedly, at the age of 17, the entrepreneur behind Zhang Xiaorui crashed, committing suicide under pressure, thus cutting off their training funds.

Zhang Xiaorui and his buddies ended their overseas study early, initially expected to return to Great East Pot at age 19.

Upon returning to Great East Pot, they indeed attracted a scramble among some teams, with Zhang Xiaorui and a few others selected for the Great East Pot youth team.

In Great East Pot youth team matches, Zhang Xiaorui played three warm-up games, dazzling everyone with outstanding control techniques, wide midfield vision, ability to organize mid-field, pass, shoot, and timely defense. In those three games, his passing success rate was 100%, dribbling success rate 100%, with nine shots and nine goals, making his goal success rate 100%; one-on-one defense success rate 100%!

Whoa… This Copper-winged Swan is going to take off!

Instantly hailed as a wonder, people dubbed him the future Emperor of Great East Pot football.

Although they were only warm-up matches, because of the samba-like performances on the green field by this young man, he even sparked an upheaval among all Great East Pot football fans, drew attention from overseas scouts. Even Boss Mei's club offered him a contract, breaking his valuation above ten million Euros.

At that time, Zhang Xiaorui had just turned 18, attracting the foreign head coach of Great East Pot's national team, who elevated him into the national training squad, preparing for next year's World Cup qualifiers.

This in Great East Pot football history was surely a genius-level youth!

When everyone placed Great East Pot football's revival hope on him, fate always played a sizable joke on him.

During national team training, Zhang Xiaorui's stunning ball skills delighted the coach and many players, leaving them full of anticipation.

However, in a country football team rife with gangs, many senior players naturally existed.

Regrettably, in a training session, a scrimmage between starters and substitutes occurred, with Zhang Xiaorui as the substitute midfield core.

At midfield, Zhang Xiaorui nutmegged a senior player thrice consecutively. At that time, the senior player, enraged after the first nutmeg, thought, how could this happen?

A mere kid daring to nutmeg me?

Thus, the senior player chased him persistently, performing two slide tackles without success, getting nutmegged twice more...