Everyone knew that helping Logan Grant practice the basics meant sacrificing their own training time. They were all youth team players, all hoping to make it to the first team, and there was always competition beneath the surface—no one wanted to cut their own training time for someone else.

At that moment, someone in the team suddenly raised his hand: “I’ll do it! I love helping newcomers the most—this is definitely my duty!”

Upon hearing this, someone muttered inwardly, “That guy Lucas is just looking for another excuse to slack off…”

Amidst everyone’s silent complaints, Lucas Sutton stepped out from the team.

Of course, Warren knew exactly what Lucas Sutton was thinking.

But he didn’t stop Lucas.

Lucas Sutton was an oddball in the São Paulo youth team. He didn’t train seriously, wasn’t particularly talented, and his technical skills were below average for the team, with no real strengths. Many people didn’t think he’d go far in professional football—most likely, once he turned eighteen and was eligible for a professional contract, he’d be shown the door.

There was no way he’d find a place in Brazil’s professional football scene.

Maybe that’s why he’d become even lazier in training.

Warren couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore—he’d tried before, but it was useless.

“All right, you go teach Grant the basic drills. Start with juggling to get familiar with the ball.”

Warren had no choice but to let a youth team player teach Logan Grant. With Logan Grant’s level, he’d be better off in a lower-tier squad for basic training. But he was too old for that, so he could only join the under-eighteen youth team, which was for players aged sixteen to eighteen.

The under-eighteen youth team didn’t have that many coaches, and it was impossible to assign someone just to teach Logan Grant the most basic things. So they had to get a player to fill in as a temporary coach.

Lucas Sutton happily accepted the task from the coach and walked up to Logan Grant: “Hi, I’m Lucas. Are you really Chinese? Are all Chinese girls beautiful? Do you think they’d like a handsome mixed-race guy like me?”

He pointed at himself with his thumb. He wasn’t black, nor was he white—his skin was a blend of both, the color of wheat after a summer in the sun, looking healthy and strong—at least stronger than Logan Grant looked right now. His features were well-defined, his face sharply contoured, but his eyes were a bit small, which was his only flaw.

When he squinted, he always looked like he was up to something mischievous.

“Uh…” Logan Grant didn’t know how to answer his enthusiastic teammate’s questions.

“Lucas!” Warren barked.

With his back to Warren, Lucas stuck out his tongue, then turned to Logan Grant and said, “All right, all right, let’s go train over there.” With that, he put his arm around Logan Grant’s neck and led him to a corner of the training field.

“Lucas, if you slack off, I’ll make you stay after practice and run twenty laps!” Warren shouted after him.

“Yes, sir!” The moment Lucas heard about the penalty laps, his expression changed, and he straightened up and replied loudly.

…

With the threat of twenty penalty laps hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles, Lucas Sutton didn’t dare slack off.

He started seriously, teaching Logan Grant from the warm-up.

Once Logan Grant knew how to warm up properly, he began teaching him how to juggle the ball.

Whether it’s football or basketball, getting familiar with the ball is very important.

In basketball, you control the ball with your hands, which is easier. In football, you use your feet, which are definitely less agile than hands, so it’s even more important to get used to the ball.

Only by getting familiar with the ball can you control it well in a match.

And the simplest, most common, and most effective way to get familiar with the ball is juggling. If a professional player can’t even juggle the ball well, his basic skills must be terrible, and he won’t achieve much.

This is something every player should know, but Logan Grant wasn’t a player… he was a complete outsider.

When he heard that he was supposed to learn juggling, he was a bit surprised: “Isn’t it shooting? I heard from Gordon that shooting is the most awesome thing in football!”

Lucas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Logan Grant’s clueless comment.

“You haven’t even learned to walk, and you want to run? If you don’t have the basics down, there’s no way you’ll be able to shoot well!” He put his hands on his hips, striking a teacherly pose.

“So when can I play in a match…” Logan Grant was disappointed. Even as an outsider, he knew that if he couldn’t play, he couldn’t make money. He wished he could play in a match tomorrow, become famous, and return home in glory…

“What are you thinking? Play in a match? Do you even know the rules of football? Do you know what to do once you’re on the field? Stop talking and follow me to learn the basics!”

After that, Lucas ignored Logan Grant’s disappointed look and began explaining the purpose and importance of juggling practice to Logan Grant.