Chapter 54: The Inverted Golden Hook
Faced with Dai Zhiwei’s request for the ball, Goulart had no other real option and should not have hesitated. Yet when he noticed Dai Zhiwei’s position was almost level with Al Ahli’s defender Hamis, he did pause for a moment. A question lingered in his mind: could Dai Zhiwei even receive the ball? If Goulart passed, Dai Zhiwei would be surrounded by three opponents! Still, that hand remained stubbornly raised. Goulart steeled himself—the man calling for the ball was the very prodigy who had conjured so many miracles before! Decision made, Goulart flicked his left foot, then swung with his right, sending the ball in a soaring arc toward Dai Zhiwei!
...
“Wing, I’ve completed my Golden Boot quest. For skills worth under thirty points, I can choose any I want, right?” After the Chinese Super League season ended, Dai Zhiwei posed the question in the system space.
“Yes, that’s right.” Tsubasa Ozora always appeared before Dai Zhiwei with the shining optimism of youth.
“But...” Despite his sunny appearance, Tsubasa could be quite sly at times. “Because you just redeemed the Tiger Shot, your body can’t handle another thirty-point skill yet. You’ll have to pick from the five- or fifteen-point skills for now. I can save your remaining points for you.”
“Ugh, sigh...” Dai Zhiwei let out a breath. “I was hoping to dominate world football when the season ended, but that dream looks dead for now.”
“So, have you decided on a skill?” Tsubasa asked with a gentle smile.
“I have.” Dai Zhiwei picked out the skill he wanted.
“This one?” Tsubasa was surprised. “Only a five-point skill?”
“Ha!” Dai Zhiwei teased. “Not good enough for you? Wasn’t this the first skill you ever learned? Getting tired of old favorites already?”
“Heh, well, I suppose...”
...
Back on the pitch, Goulart sent the ball toward Dai Zhiwei. As the pass came in, Dai Zhiwei used his body to shield off Hamis, the burly Spanish defender who found himself blocked outside the play. Hamis couldn’t understand how such a seemingly slight figure could wield so much strength.
“What kind of monster...?”
While Hamis reeled in shock, Dai Zhiwei made a light leap and cushioned the ball on his chest. Before it could touch the ground, he leaned back sharply against Hamis. Without even glancing at the goal or Mahmoud’s position, Dai Zhiwei jumped off his left foot, swung his right leg high, and brought it crashing down.
A bicycle kick!
...
“Roberto Hongo’s overhead kick?” In the system, Tsubasa’s voice brimmed with nostalgia. “I remember how much effort I put into learning from Roberto back then!”
Dai Zhiwei curled his lip in mock disdain—Tsubasa had mastered Roberto Hongo’s overhead kick in less than a day after first witnessing it, turning it into his signature move throughout his career.
Dai Zhiwei still remembered, in the second episode of “Captain Tsubasa,” how Ishizaki and Wakabayashi’s Shozetsu Elementary team clashed on the training ground. Roberto Hongo volunteered to coach; when Ishizaki doubted him, Roberto offered a demonstration: he volleyed the ball onto the crossbar, then met the rebound with a stunning bicycle kick that blasted clean through the net.
A dazzling move, wasn’t it?
Though Dai Zhiwei could attempt similar shots in training, his accuracy and form were worlds apart from Roberto Hongo’s overhead kick.
“Xiaowei, thank you for letting me relive such wonderful memories!” Tsubasa suddenly interrupted Dai Zhiwei’s reverie. “Now, get ready to learn Roberto’s overhead kick. With your current abilities, you’ll pick it up in no time!”
“That’s great!” Dai Zhiwei replied, making small talk.
...
“Wing, you were right—this move really suits me!” Dai Zhiwei thought as his right foot struck the ball cleanly in midair.
In the next instant, the ball shot through Al Ahli’s defense like a sword! Mahmoud could never have imagined that Dai Zhiwei, already blocked by Hamis and facing away from goal, could still unleash such a strike. He stood frozen as the ball whistled past him.
“Whoosh!”
A crisp sound rang out behind him, accompanied by the net billowing high.
“Aaaaaaa!”
The Tianhe Stadium erupted. The stands surged like a tidal wave, as if the crowd would spill right onto the field.
“It’s in! It’s in! What a goal!”
The commentator leapt from his seat, his voice flaring like the rocket’s exhaust at launch.
“Incredible! Unbelievable!” In the TV studio, the commentators threw aside their microphones—they no longer needed them to be heard.
On the roaring stands, the electronic screen replayed the impossible scene for all to see:
Control, turn, bicycle kick!
Unstoppable!
Dai Zhiwei had just produced a thunderous goal on the grandest stage of Asian club football, the AFC Champions League final! This goal, without question, had already secured its place as the best in Asian football for the year.
After scoring, Dai Zhiwei vaulted over the advertising boards behind the goal, racing toward the home crowd, arms outstretched, head thrown back in a triumphant roar.
“Champions, the title belongs here!”
Roar! Let it all out! In that moment, a wild, arrogant cry echoed around Tianhe Stadium, as if flames had been set alight in the blood of every spectator, igniting an uncontrollable frenzy from the depths of their souls.
The entire stadium became a sea of cheers. The previously dominant voices of Al Ahli’s supporters were utterly drowned out. Fans leapt from their seats without hesitation or concern—only pure, unbridled exhilaration remained.
The match had reached the 77th minute. Even with stoppage time, there were at most fifteen minutes left. For Al Ahli to wrest the trophy from Evergrande, they would need to score two more goals!
No one believed Evergrande would let the championship slip away.
The ball at their feet, Evergrande began to deliberately slow the game. Of course, “slowing down” meant smart passing and ball retention, not feigning injury or other theatrics. In front of their home crowd and under the gaze of millions, Evergrande’s players would not disgrace themselves.
Al Ahli pressed desperately, but time was running out. Seconds ticked away, and soon the match entered stoppage time—only two minutes added!
As the clock wound down, Al Ahli’s attacks grew frantic. Long balls and hopeful crosses became ever more frequent, but the more agitated they grew, the slimmer their hopes of scoring again became.
“Get loud! Get loud!”
As Al Ahli prepared for a throw-in, Dai Zhiwei raised his arms to the home crowd, urging them to make even more noise.
Seeing the referee check his watch, Al Ahli’s supporters let out a resigned sigh—the outcome was clear.
By now, every Evergrande fan was standing on their seat, every eye fixed on the man in black at the center of the pitch, watching as he glanced at his watch and then slowly brought the whistle to his lips.
Then—two short blasts, one long.
...
“Beep beep beep!”
With the referee’s final whistle, after 180 minutes of battle across two legs, the result was decided—
Evergrande were crowned champions of the 2015 AFC Champions League!
...
Dai Zhiwei’s latest stats after the second leg of the final—
Offensive ability: 90 (Excellent)
Defensive ability: 34 (Very Poor)
Physical balance: 83 (Good)
Left foot: 75 (Average)
Right foot: 85 (Good)
Stamina: 82 (Good)
Top speed: 96 (World Class)
Acceleration: 94 (Excellent)
Reaction: 97 (World Class)
Agility: 89 (Good)
Dribbling accuracy: 91 (Excellent)
Dribbling speed: 86 (Good)
Short pass accuracy: 73 (Average)
Long pass accuracy: 65 (Average)
Shooting accuracy: 88 (Good)
Shot power: 93 (Excellent)
Shooting technique: 82 (Good)
Free kicks: 56 (Amateur)
Turning: 83 (Good)
Heading accuracy: 91 (Excellent)
Jumping: 92 (Excellent)
Skill: 85 (Good)
Goalkeeping: 40 (Amateur)
Teamwork: 85 (Good)
Health: 7 (Excellent)
Skills: Müller’s Dribbling Vision, Raizo Ike’s Off-the-ball Movement, Soaring Aerial Header, Kojiro Hyuga’s Tiger Shot, Roberto Hongo’s Bicycle Kick
Overall Rating: 85 (Star Player)