"This is too delicious!"
This was Raiola's review, given while he was stuffing food into his mouth with a spoon and simultaneously giving a thumbs-up.
The profound and extensive Chinese cuisine gave Raiola a slight shock!
The improved Sichuan cuisine, with its mildly spicy flavor, captivated the tongue of Raiola, the gourmet eater.
Then, when he heard the owner introduce him to Chinese dining culture and the existence of the Eight Great Cuisines, Mark could even see Raiola's squinting eyes widen considerably, shining with excitement.
If football was life and work.
Then food was pure passion!
If he didn't harbor greater ambitions, Raiola might have been able to make a name for himself in the Italian food industry...
After finishing dinner and returning home, it was already past ten o'clock.
He could have come home a little earlier.
But in order to take the puppy for vaccinations and buy necessities like a cage and dog food, he had driven around the city for a while.
Clink. Mark tossed the keys he was holding into the bowl by the entrance, carried the dog, and sat down on the sofa.
This two-month-old black dog was round-headed, round-bodied, and even its face was chubby, making it especially adorable.
The most crucial thing was that since leaving the restaurant, the puppy hadn't whined, barked, or been shy around strangers.
It simply sniffed the new environment and continuously licked Mark's finger with its black tongue, as if it had been naturally close to him.
Mark smiled as he stroked the dog's furry head: "From now on, you little guy are my family!"
"Since you're a member of the Ma family, your name shall be... Ma Xiaohei!"
Mark placed the dog cage in the corner of the living room, lined it with a diaper pad, and then filled a bowl with water: "This is your home from now on... drink some water first..."
Watching the dog obediently drink water, Mark contentedly sat down on the sofa and summoned the system panel: "System!"
Winning the German Supercup and receiving the Fritz Walter Gold Medal earned him a total reward of six potential points.
Where exactly to allocate these six potential points was the question he had to consider.
Having passed the novice protection period, he could now only gain potential points through the match mission system by completing various seasonal missions.
As a result, potential points had become even more valuable.
Therefore, he needed to be more cautious about allocating points, ensuring that every single potential point was used effectively.
Attributes that could be improved through daily training did not need to be boosted using potential points.
For example, [Balance] and [Flexibility].
For example, [Crossing], [Short Pass], and [Long Pass].
For example, [Stamina]...
Since starting to practice the Sāntǐshì standing stance and horse stance of Xingyiquan in April, he had spent two hours on these two basic martial arts skills over the past five months.
And his attributes for [Balance] and [Flexibility] had seen visible improvements due to his long-term persistence!
[Balance] increased from 58 to 68!
[Flexibility] increased from 62 to 70!
As for the passing attributes, [Crossing], [Short Pass], and [Long Pass], they all saw significant increases under the personal guidance of De Bruyne.
[Crossing] reached 72, [Short Pass] reached 75, and [Long Pass] reached 73!
As for [Stamina], that was the area he had recently been focusing on improving.
Considering his playing style, he was the main focus of the opponent's marking in every match, and he was also the most fouled player on the entire team.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Mark decided to add these six points to [Reaction]!
His [Reaction] attribute also changed from 64 to 70!
Although reaction ability could also be trained and improved later.
It required a significant amount of time and specialized training!
In Mark's understanding, the higher the Reaction attribute, the faster his reaction Speed on the field.
Faster reaction Speed meant he could react faster than his opponents!
Coupled with his [Explosiveness] attribute, which was as high as 95, even if an opponent tried to slide tackle or foul him, he could react immediately!
...The next day.
The nutritionist arrived punctually at eight o'clock.
When he saw the dog, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"When did you buy a dog?"
"A friend gave him to me..."
After a pause, Mark turned and called the dog's name in Chinese: "Xiaohei!"
"Xiaohei!!"
"Xiaohei!!!"
After calling three times, the little black dog realized its name was being called, and it scurried over to Mark's feet, running circles around him.
"Your dog doesn't seem very familiar with you."
Mark smiled and picked up the dog: "That's right, I only brought him home last night. We're still just getting acquainted..."
After eating breakfast at home, Mark instructed the dog to stay home obediently and then departed for the airport.
Taking a flight, Mark arrived in Düsseldorf to join the German National Team.
During this international break, Germany would play two matches.
One was a friendly match against Argentina, and the other was a European Cup qualifier against Scotland.
The friendly match against Argentina had been arranged in advance by the Argentinian side.
Perhaps the Argentine Football Association felt that even if they couldn't win the World Cup final against them, they had to win back at least one friendly match!
The German Football Association gladly accepted.
After all, it was just a friendly, and playing against opponents who were too weak wasn't interesting.
However, for the clubs and players, with the League having just started, playing such an intense National Team friendly—if someone got injured, whose fault would it be?
Would it just be bad luck for themselves and their clubs?!
Even without injury, the physical exertion would take a toll, affecting them when they returned to their clubs.
This was the dreaded FIFA virus that clubs hated so much!
Of course, this was just routine for every international player.
The club was life; the National Team was faith.
It had always been this way.
On September 3rd, the German Team hosted their first warm-up match in Düsseldorf since lifting the world cup trophy.
Their opponent was the "Pampas Eagles," Argentina!
This was another clash between the two teams following the World Cup final.
However, this time, Messi and Higuaín were not called up to the squad.
The German Team, on the other hand, fielded a large number of new players.
Led by Reus and Mark, young players born in the nineties, including Schürrle, Draxler, Drmic, and Ginter, all received starting opportunities.
It is worth mentioning that before the match began, the German Team held a National Team farewell ceremony for Philipp Lahm, Klose, and Mertesacker.
Every player in the squad held a bouquet of flowers, presenting them to the three men who had made extraordinary contributions to the German Team.
Following the line onto the field, Mark presented his bouquet to "K God" Klose.
Seeing Mark present him with flowers, Klose smiled brightly: "The future is up to you young people!"
"Work hard, I believe in you!"
Hearing this, Mark nodded very seriously: "I will!"
After speaking, the two shook hands and embraced.
A photographer on the sidelines captured the moment of their handshake and embrace, then captioned it: "The Transition of Generations! The Inheritance of the Divine Striker!"
...
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