Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 46's

Nero spent the next thirty minutes practicing free kick with the Norwegian goalkeeper. After spending more than two weeks training in the Dungeon Virtual Training System and the field, he was able to put five out of ten free-kicks into the back of the net.

He felt like he was growing every day. His technique is slowly but surely improved. Mastery of The Miracle Shoot of Lionel Messi has increased by 10%. He had taken over 200 set-pieces in the Dungeon Virtual Training during the previous two weeks.

"I'd advise you to add more power to your technique" a voice interrupted Nero after he finished taking one of the free kicks. He was confused for a moment. He kicked the ball gracefully and sent it curving, past the mannequin wall, to the back of the net. Damon didn't even manage to react. However, someone told him to add more power to his technique.

Nero turns around only to find Coach Marcel observing him. He had focused all his attention on the free-kick and failed to notice its arrival.

"Good morning, coach," she said.

"Good morning." Coach Marcel nodded, his face emotionless. "It looks like you came early as usual. And, you brought some teammates with you this time. That's good."

Nero half-smiled, nodding. "You're saying I need to add more power?"

"Yes." Yeah." The coach took a few steps towards Nero. "I can see that you have practiced your free kick technique. And it's a little bit like the Free Kick done by Lionel Messi. You must have practiced a lot to reach that level of expertise." The coach nodded as a sign of tacit approval. "But, I've also seen you do long-range shots from outside eighteen. Why not add that kind of power to your free-kick?"

"Imagine sending a strong shot over a wall with enough curves on the ball" continued Coach Marcel, half-smiling. "As long as it's on target, no goalkeeper has time to react."

Nero nodded. "I understand what you're saying. However, I have to master technique and posture first before adding more power behind the ball." He explains. If he can achieve what the coach suggests, he will create new world-class skills. But, training a new skill was a difficult task.

"It was the wrong approach you took" Coach Marcel replied. "If you aim to be another free-kick taker like Messi, your practice will be fine. However, if you need to raise your free-kick beyond that level, you should start now. Otherwise, you will have difficulty adjusting.The technique after all the postures and body movements have been embedded in your muscle memory." Coach explained, stroking his red beard. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach," Nero replied with a wry smile. He understands Coach Marcel's reasoning to some extent. The coach does not want him to emulate Messi's technique appropriately. There is no perfect technique in the whole world. He advises Zachary to try to fix it. He could only make those modifications and improve his skills further before developing a habit that was hard to break for this technique.

"It's good that you understand." Coach Marcel nodded. "As much as you admire all the stars in the world, you should try to develop your unique style of play." -."

"Aim to surpass the stars, but not imitate them. I won't say this to any other player."

"But you're not just any player. You have the talent to achieve such a feat—that if we train together for some time." The coach said before leaving.

"Did he just talk about free-kicks all the time?" Damon ran towards him as soon as the coach left.

"Yes." Yeah." Nero nodded. "He advised me to add more power to my dead balls."

"Oh, my gosh," cried Damon, rubbing his long hair with one hand. "Does he want to turn you into Roberto Carlos?"

"No. I think he just wants me to improve my technique."  Nero said with a sigh. "Coach Marcel was surprisingly somewhat concerned, in contrast to what many people thought of him."

Damon shook his head. "That's because you weren't here two years ago" he said slowly.

"Can we try a few more free-kicks?" Nero asked, shifting the subject from Coach Marcel.

Nero took a few more free-kicks against Kendrick. He added more power to his shots, making them wobble far beyond the goalposts. He realized that it would be much harder to modify the technique than he had imagined.

Lionel Messi's free-kick technique generates tremendous power, firing shots at a speed of over 80 miles per hour. Nero believes he can curl free-kicks exceeding 90 miles per hour if he masters The Miracle Shoot like Lionel Messi. However, Coach Marcel had advised him to add more power to the shot, further increasing their pace.

Did the coach intend for him to fire at 100 miles per hour? The idea was interesting to him. That would stretch physics to its limits. No goalkeeper is fast enough to react to the speed of the ball like that.

Very few individuals have managed to fire a shot like that in the annals of football history. Usually, it happens by accident, not because of design. The keeper will remain afraid of him as long as he can consistently smash the ball on target with that much force.

Nero just needs to ask the coach's advice during their meeting later that day.

On the sidelines of his training with Damon, Nero notices that most of the players have turned their attention to the administrative building that houses Coach Marcel's office. "Do you know what happened?" He asked the Norwegian goalkeeper.

"No." Damon shook his head, wiping the gloves off his sweat pants. "But I have some guesses." He smiled wryly. “Let's ask Stefan and Ryandi first. They should have known more about what was going on.

They approach Ryandi and Stefan and ask what happened in Coach Marcel's office.

Stefan took a breath. "The coach has called two players into his office. Everyone suspects they'll— cut from the team."

"Which one?" Damon asked, frowning.

Stefan's expression darkened with what seemed more like grief or perhaps sympathy. "Kjorn, one of the midfielders, and Alex Mercer, the other goalkeeper."

"Let's hope the coach is in a good mood and won't call anyone other than the two of them" Damon said. "It's good we still have a team of fourteen. Otherwise, we will miss the international tournament once again this year."

Coach Marcel cut only two players out of the program. They departed from the training ground immediately after that.

Nero empathizes with them. His team in his previous life had released him and also terminated his contract. That experience was something he did not want to experience anymore. It is very difficult to hear the news that the dream that you have poured out over half your life— will never come true. That rejection left a mark that sealed his fate as a failure in his previous life. That was the main reason he put a lot of effort into his career in this life despite having a system.

"Nero!" Assistant Coach Sebastian shouted from near the administration building.

"Here" Nero shouted back, running towards the coach.

"You can meet the coach now" said Coach Sebastian before turning around and heading inside the building.

Nero took a deep breath and followed him through the glass door. He was not the slightest bit worried that he would be let go by the team. He is convinced that he is the star player of the academy's U-17 team.

After the match the previous day, Coach Marcel assured him that they only needed to meet briefly to talk about his future. Nero was hoping to hear about the academy's plans for him.