20: Chapter 20: Hat Trick, Entering the First Team!

August 14, Manchester City Football Academy Stadium.

The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, making the brand-new turf shine.

Yu Bai stood in the away team's half, gently stepping on the lawn beneath his feet, feeling a hardness different from that of London.

He looked down; the red AIA logo on the chest of his white jersey was particularly eye-catching, and the "21" and "YU" on his back rose and fell slightly with his breathing.

His fingertips unconsciously brushed over the stitching of the number, and a heavy, tangible sense of "starting" spread from his fingertips to his limbs.

This match kicked off at 1:00 PM local time.

In distant China, it was 8:00 PM prime time.

The live broadcast announcements on several domestic sports platforms had long been posted: "Chinese demon star Yu Bai starts against the Blue Moon."

Three days ago, he had officially signed his name on the standard agent contract handed over by Jonathan Barnett.

No special clauses were added, and the commission rate was standard industry practice.

When signing, Barnett had jokingly said: "Yu, with your momentum, we could negotiate something more 'aggressive'."

Yu Bai just shook his head.

Money, he didn't care much about;

The system hidden deep in his brain was even more of a top secret.

The only thing he craved was for that road to the Premier League to be shorter, to be faster.

On the sidelines, in addition to the regular scouts, there were more faces holding telephoto lenses or constantly sending messages on their phones—well-informed tabloid sports reporters, as well as those sharp-nosed football social media bloggers.

In the live broadcast, the comments began to scroll the moment the player tunnel appeared on camera:

"Ahead, high energy! Yu Bai starts for Tottenham U21 for the first time!"

"Heard you were rejected by our Arsenal? [Dog head]"

"The betting is open, Yu Bai's stats for this match: 1 goal and 1 assist minimum!"

"Heard Manchester City's youth academy is awesome, but today we only watch Yu Bai!"

...

The head coach of Manchester City U21 is Patrick Vieira.

In the locker room, this former Arsenal legendary captain, a Frenchman known for his iron will and wisdom, used a tactical pen to tap heavily on Yu Bai's name and photo on the whiteboard, his voice deep and clear: "This Chinese boy, I need at least two of you to know where he is at all times. Restrict his turning, compress his space, don't let him think comfortably."

...

"Beep—!"

The whistle tore through the afternoon air, and the match began.

Only in the 4th minute.

Shayon Harrison made a clever escape in midfield and sent a low through pass; the ball pierced through the defensive line and accurately found Yu Bai, who was receiving the ball with his back to the goal at the edge of the penalty area.

Yu Bai stopped the ball steadily.

Three Manchester City defenders surrounded him in a fan shape, but kept a cautious distance—typical youth team defense, emphasizing positioning, avoiding risks.

He turned around, facing the goal, his pace even looking a bit slow, as if observing, as if weighing.

The next second.

His left shoulder sank suddenly, and his right foot's outer instep simultaneously poked the ball lightly toward the front right!

The whole person, like a spring compressed to the limit suddenly released, "whoosh"ed, and forcibly squeezed through the narrow gap between that midfielder and the defender who were slightly slow due to a momentary hesitation!

One step, two steps! Only took two steps!

Entered Shooting range!

The covering defender was still stretching his leg, and goalkeeper Angus Gunn was moving his feet.

Yu Bai didn't make any adjustments; while running, his right leg swung, and his instep struck the lower middle part of the ball solidly!

"Bang!!"

A dull explosion burst out!

The ball turned into a white light, heading straight for the top left corner of the goal!

Gunn flew to make a side save, his body fully stretched, his left fingertips reaching out with all his might—he touched it! He felt the tangible touch from his fingertips!

But, the ball speed was too fast, the power too brutal!

The touch from his fingertips only caused the ball to deflect imperceptibly, "Clang!!!" a loud noise, the ball smashed hard against the lower edge of the crossbar, then hit the turf inside the goal line heavily, and bounced into the net!

1:0!

"Roar—!!!"

Yu Bai turned around, spread his arms, roaring as he rushed towards the corner flag area, his chest heaving violently due to extreme excitement, and finally, with a passionate knee slide, he left three clear marks on the pristine turf of Manchester City's home stadium!

"Holy crap! World-class goal!!"

"4 minutes! Blitzkrieg!!"

"This turned-around blast... Arsenal youth academy product, must be a fine product!"

On the sidelines, Jonathan Barnett pressed down on his baseball cap, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

He wasn't just looking at the goal, but the entire choice Yu Bai made in handling the ball—from the calm observation when receiving the ball with his back to the goal, to the precise grasp of the breakthrough timing, to the blast without any hesitation. Concise, efficient, and full of confidence.

He seemed to see a piece of unpolished jade with inner brilliance, slowly shedding its stone coat before his eyes.

He habitually adjusted the number representing Yu Bai's future value in his heart up by two notches.

After taking the lead, Yu Bai played more and more calmly and gracefully.

Facing the increasingly impatient pressing of the Manchester City players, he would pull, hook, or flick, always able to protect or transfer the ball lightly at the moment the opponent's foot was about to touch it.

Barnett counted silently; in the first half, Yu Bai attempted seven one-on-one breakthroughs, all of which were successful.

The young Manchester City defenders were dizzy from his feints, and they could barely even touch the edge of his jersey.

Tottenham U21 head coach Ugo Ehiogu stood on the sidelines, his hands in his training suit pockets, nodding frequently.

Yu Bai on the training ground is a genius, but Yu Bai in the match is more like a calm assassin.

This calmness in seeking a killing blow amidst a chaotic battle far exceeded his expectations for a 17-year-old boy starting for the first time.

...

In the 44th minute, the first half was coming to an end.

Yu Bai drifted to the left, received a pass from a teammate. Only the Manchester City left-back was in front of him.

One shoulder drop, feinting to the left!

A second shoulder drop, feinting to the left again!

The moment the opponent's center of gravity was deceived, Yu Bai flicked the ball lightly to the inside with his right foot, followed by a quick adjustment to create a Shooting angle!

In a situation where the angle wasn't big, he shot before another covering player could slide to block, pushing a low ball steadily with the inside of his right foot!

The ball speed wasn't fast, but the angle was extremely tricky, skimming the turf, and precisely drilling into the net through the only tiny gap between the goalkeeper's extended foot and the far post!

0:2! A brace!

Tottenham U21 returned to the locker room with a two-goal lead.

During halftime, the Manchester City U21 locker room door was tightly closed, and Vieira's raised-volume lecture could be vaguely heard.

In the second half, the defensive intensity of Manchester City visibly increased, and their actions were much rougher.

Yu Bai could feel that every time he touched the ball, at least two people would immediately surround him, with constant small hand actions and body shoving.

He played a bit smarter, reducing individual Dribbling and using more one-touch passes to coordinate the offense.

But the flash of a genius is enough once.

In the 68th minute.

A fatal error occurred in Manchester City's backfield passing, and the ball was intercepted by the alert Tottenham striker, who did not hesitate to cross it to the middle.

On the left side of the large penalty area, Yu Bai arrived.

A defender was blocking in front, and the goalkeeper was blocking the near post.

No adjustment, no hesitation.

Facing the rolling ball, Yu Bai gently scooped it with the inside of his right foot!

A beautiful arc rose in response, passing over the head of the defender who flew to block, crossing the fingertips of the goalkeeper's desperately extended arm, carrying strong rotation, drawing an elegant trajectory, and hanging straight into the top far corner of the goal!

Banana Kick! Hat-trick!

3:0!

Yu Bai was buried under layers of ecstatic teammates.

The camera swept over the sidelines, Vieira had his hands in his pockets, expressionless, just pursing his lips tightly, shaking his head with a tiny movement, in those deep eyes, helplessness and a trace of clear appreciation were intertwined.

"Hat-trick! A Hat-trick on his U21 debut!"

"Killing, and then attacking the heart?!"

"@Arsenal Youth Academy come out and get beaten! @Wenger Professor, is your blood pressure okay?"

"Pochettino! Did you see that?! This is the answer!!"

Subsequently, Ehiogu used a protective substitution to replace the biggest contributor of the match, Yu Bai, letting him accept the standing ovation from all the Tottenham fans who traveled with the team.

The final score was fixed at 1:4, Tottenham U21 won away, achieving two consecutive victories.

After the match in the mixed interview zone, Patrick Vieira was surrounded by microphones.

He sighed, his tone complex yet honest: "We were prepared, but the opponent's number 21's performance tonight decided the match. He played an extraordinary game. This young man... his level is clearly beyond the scope of the youth League. Talented, clear-headed. I believe that if he maintains this trajectory, it won't be long before we see him on the Premier League stage."

No surprises.