Chapter 109: Preseason Warm-Up Match

"I'm ready!" Dai Zhiwei tried his best to keep his emotions in check.

Hearing his voice, Claudius, the team doctor for Villarreal's medical examination staff, who was sitting in a chair looking at the computer in front of her, turned her head.

When she saw Dai Zhiwei's body, she couldn't help but be stunned, remaining frozen in a look of astonishment for nearly four seconds before saying, "Wow! Wow! Dai, how did you train this summer? Your physique is incredible!"

At that moment, Claudius looked at Dai Zhiwei like a sculptor gazing at Michelangelo's David, feeling that a nearly perfect male physique was presented before her: a height of 178 centimeters, long legs approaching the golden ratio, clearly defined abdominal muscles, thick and solid legs, and not a single ounce of excess fat on his entire body. Not only was there no fat, but the muscles even showed traces of definition as he moved.

As a researcher in sports medicine, Dai Zhiwei was a treasure in Claudius's eyes at this moment.

Hearing Claudius's question, Dai Zhiwei didn't know how to answer and just felt very awkward. Although he was trying his best to control himself, he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts, while the girl who was staring at his body with glowing eyes was dressed in long sleeves and trousers; it was incredibly awkward.

"Hiss!"

Dai Zhiwei saw Claudius reaching out toward him. He steadied his emotions, but when the woman's hand touched his chest, he couldn't help but gasp; her hand was a bit cold.

Claudius immediately came to her senses and said repeatedly, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, apart from bodybuilding competitions, this is the first time I've seen a body like this! You're not even any worse than Cristiano Ronaldo!"

Just then, Marcelino walked in. "Is it not done..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was immediately stunned by Dai Zhiwei's physique. He still remembered that when Dai Zhiwei first joined at the beginning of the year, he looked like a scrawny bean sprout!

"You brat, you've been playing the pig to eat the tiger!" Marcelino was not like Claudius; relying on his status as head coach, he reached out directly.

"Hey, don't you see I've got goosebumps? If you want to ask, just ask, why are you touching me? I'm not a woman!" Dai Zhiwei was having a hard time with it.

He could tolerate Claudius reaching out, but a man in his fifties trying to touch him? Dai Zhiwei was a straight man through and through, and he felt a chill running down his spine.

Just as Marcelino pulled his hand back, another voice came from the door: "Wow! You trained your muscles like this in just one vacation! That's really amazing!"

Following the direction of the voice, Dai Zhiwei looked up and found that his teammates, who had been sitting in the hall, didn't know when they had arrived at the doorway, their eyes wide and green like hungry wolves, staring straight at his muscles.

Soon, seven or eight heads popped up around Dai Zhiwei, and they began to crowd around him, asking questions incessantly.

Dai Zhiwei felt quite embarrassed. Just imagine how it feels to be surrounded by a group of men while wearing nothing but boxer shorts. Although these people weren't wearing much either—nothing more than tank tops and shorts—at least they had athletic shorts on, unlike Dai Zhiwei, who was essentially wearing nothing but a loincloth.

In fact, Dai Zhiwei's physique hadn't reached a level that defied the heavens or made spirits weep, but compared to a month and a half ago, the rate of growth was truly staggering, as if a boyish idol had suddenly transformed into a muscular action star.

Through the performance of the first day of physical examinations upon returning to the team, everyone at Villarreal realized that Dai Zhiwei's performance last season was definitely not a flash in the pan; he would be even stronger this season!

Villarreal's training camp had already begun in mid-July. Apart from a few national team players who participated in this year's European Cup, the rest arrived one after another by the designated time, and Dai Zhiwei also returned to the team one day early.

It is worth mentioning that, following the principle that "reborn people must bet on football," Dai Zhiwei had also made a small bet on this year's European Cup. However, worried about the butterfly effect caused by his rebirth, he only spent 100,000 euros betting on Portugal to win the title. After taxes, he ended up earning six or seven hundred thousand euros.

The personnel movement at Villarreal during this transfer window was not too large, so the team's main lineup hadn't changed much. Even Pato's transfer had been confirmed early, leaving the "Yellow Submarine" with ample time to prepare for the new season.

On July 17, just six days after the full squad had arrived, Villarreal began the first step of their new season's journey—an away friendly match against the Tercera División team L'Hospitalet. The newly joined forward Pato started the match, making his first appearance for the Yellow Submarine. In order to observe the new signing, Marcelino made Dai Zhiwei a substitute for this match, with Pato, Rafael, and Soldado forming the attacking trident.

"Samu, why is this season's second away kit so ugly?" The Yellow Submarine wore a gray kit for this match, which really didn't fit Dai Zhiwei's aesthetic, so he couldn't help but complain while on the bench.

For the new season, Villarreal's new home kit continued the club's traditional yellow. The jersey featured a slim fit, using a mix of different fabrics to achieve a snug and comfortable feel, while incorporating subtle horizontal stripes on the shoulders and side panels. The home kit had a simple and modern yellow polo collar, with the club's abbreviation "VCF" added under the collar on the back. The sleeve trim, as well as the chest advertisement and the Xtep logo, were all in navy blue, creating a sharp contrast with the yellow kit.

Villarreal's away kit used a bolder color scheme, with a pink exterior that made the jersey look more magnificent. Dark red horizontal stripes were added to the front of the jersey, giving it a more dynamic look. The jersey featured an innovative round neck, with the club's abbreviation "CVF" pattern added to the back of the collar and the ribbed patch below the neckline. The sleeve trim, chest advertisement, and Xtep logo were in a high-contrast yellow, enhancing the jersey's visual impact.

What Dai Zhiwei was complaining about now was Villarreal's second away kit for the new season. The second away kit opted for a low-key gray, with subtle and dynamic horizontal stripes on the shoulders and sleeves. A sky-blue diagonal stripe was added to each side of the jersey to accentuate the players' body lines. The second away kit featured a uniquely designed V-neck, with gray and sky-blue striped decorations on the collar, and the club's abbreviation "VCF" also placed under the collar on the back. Like the home and away kits, the second away kit's sleeve trim, chest advertisement, and Xtep logo were in sky blue.

"You..." Castillejo just smiled helplessly upon hearing Dai Zhiwei's complaint. After all, he wasn't an undisputed starter like Dai Zhiwei; being able to secure a starting spot was what he cared about most, so he didn't care about the style of the kit.

Setting aside the complaining Dai Zhiwei, let's return to this friendly match.

After the start, both sides traded attacks. In the 11th minute, Cheryshev made a run on the right and sent a low cross into the box, but there was no one to connect. Bruno was dispossessed by his opponents several times, while the home team's short passing combinations often threatened the Yellow Submarine's goal. In the 26th minute, Hyypiä headed the ball clear to the edge of the box, and the opposing forward volleyed it over the bar from outside the area.

In the 31st minute, Bruno played a through ball into the box, Cantalapiedra passed it on, and Pato dribbled past two defenders, but his final long-range shot went over the end line. Three minutes later, Trigueros took a direct free kick from the edge of the box, which was blocked by the wall. The home team launched a quick counterattack, and the L'Hospitalet left winger fired a low shot that was collected by Asenjo. In the 40th minute, Cantalapiedra provided a clever pass in the middle, but Rafael's shot was blocked by a defender. The two teams were tied 0-0 at halftime.

During the break, Marcelino continued to rotate his squad, and even second-choice goalkeeper Fernandez got a chance to play. However, Dai Zhiwei, who had been complaining about the team's away kit, clearly annoyed the Spanish coach with his noise offensive and was not brought on as the team's undisputed starter and attacking core.

Unfortunately, after the second half started, Villarreal's offense bloomed but bore no fruit, failing to break the opponent's goal. In the first match of the new season, Marcelino naturally wanted a winning start, so he brought on Dai Zhiwei in the 68th minute to strengthen the team's attacking firepower.

Just after coming on, Dai Zhiwei had a golden opportunity to score. In the 78th minute, Gaspar chipped a cross into the box from the right, and Dai Zhiwei, 20 yards from the goal, turned his body and struck a powerful volley with his right foot. Unfortunately, the ball bounced off the ground and went wide of the right post. One minute later, Castillejo sent a long diagonal pass to Dai Zhiwei, who was charging down the left wing. Dai Zhiwei swept it into the box without taking a touch, and Bakambu opened the scoring for the team.

In the end, Villarreal easily defeated their opponent 1-0. The players who had just returned were clearly not fully adjusted from their vacations, while the new signing Pato looked to be in good form, though his chemistry with the team clearly needed improvement—all of which would come with time.

After four days of rest, Villarreal returned to the El Madrigal Stadium to start their second friendly. Although it was only a friendly, this was Dai Zhiwei's first appearance in a home match wearing the number 10 jersey, winning cheers from all the fans! Nearly a quarter of the fans in the stands were wearing Dai Zhiwei's number 10 shirt; he already showed signs of being the team's top star.

Villarreal's opponent for this friendly was Tarragona of the Segunda División, one level higher than the first friendly's Tercera División team, L'Hospitalet. Marcelino was clearly planning to start easy and then progress to harder challenges, letting the team slowly regain their competitive form before the season officially started.

In this match, Villarreal was still relatively slow to get into the rhythm. Tarragona took the initiative after the start and found the back of the net with their first shot in the 19th minute. However, Villarreal quickly scored two goals in succession to turn the score around. First, in the 28th minute, Cantalapiedra passed into the box; Dai Zhiwei hesitated slightly and missed a chance for a direct shot, but he then cleverly slipped the ball past the defender to the charging Pato, whose toe-poke opened the scoring for the Yellow Submarine!

This was the first goal Pato scored for his new club after joining Villarreal! The scene of Pato and Dai Zhiwei hugging and celebrating after the goal drew thousands of cheers at El Madrigal. This was not just for the goal, but also for the first successful combination of the "Dai Zhiwei + Pato" super forward line!

Villarreal broke the deadlock again in first-half stoppage time, with another new signing, Cheryshev, calmly slotting home. The 2-0 scoreline was the final result of the match. For Marcelino and Villarreal, the victory in this friendly didn't mean much, but the sight of Dai Zhiwei and Pato consciously looking for each other and even beginning to build a partnership was what made the Yellow Submarine the most pleased.

Three days later, Villarreal's third friendly took place at the Anoeta Stadium, with Villarreal playing away against La Liga side Real Sociedad. After the start, the match fell into a stalemate. Both sides fought fiercely, but there were very few real scoring opportunities. Marcelino left the dugout several times to instruct the players. In the 37th minute, Trigueros passed the ball, and Soldado's powerful shot from 15 yards on the right side of the box hit the side netting. Real Sociedad's cross from the right side of the box before halftime was also cleared by Ruiz at a critical moment.

In the second half, Villarreal got a golden opportunity to score in the 51st minute. A Real Sociedad defender fouled Cheryshev in the box, and Dai Zhiwei, as the team's first-choice penalty taker for the new season, buried the penalty into the bottom left corner to break the deadlock! Five minutes later, Real Sociedad equalized with a direct free kick from 25 yards. Eventually, the match at the Anoeta Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw between Villarreal and Real Sociedad.

After completing the three-level jump of domestic friendlies—against Tercera División side L'Hospitalet, Segunda División side Tarragona, and La Liga side Real Sociedad—Villarreal completed their final two friendlies against Portuguese top-flight teams Sporting CP and Porto.

On August 17, the first leg of Villarreal's Champions League qualifier against Monaco would begin, but they didn't schedule any more friendlies because they were about to face their first official match of the new season—the 2016 UEFA Super Cup.

The opponent would be last season's Champions League winner, Real Madrid!

And the journey and honors for Dai Zhiwei in the new season would begin with this UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid!

...

Attached: Dai Zhiwei's latest stats for the 2016-17 season:

Attacking Ability: 94 (Excellent)
Defensive Ability: 34 (Very Poor)
Body Balance: 85 (Good)
Left Foot: 75 (Average)
Right Foot: 85 (Good)
Stamina: 83 (Good)
Top Speed: 97 (Top Tier)
Acceleration: 95 (Top Tier)
Reaction: 97 (Top Tier)
Agility: 91 (Excellent)
Dribbling Accuracy: 95 (Top Tier)
Dribbling Speed: 90 (Excellent)
Short Passing Accuracy: 92 (Excellent)
Long Passing Accuracy: 70 (Average)
Shooting Accuracy: 88 (Good)
Shot Power: 95 (Top Tier)
Shooting Technique: 84 (Good)
Free Kick: 56 (Amateur)
Turning: 87 (Good)
Heading Accuracy: 91 (Excellent)
Jumping: 93 (Excellent)
Technique: 90 (Excellent)
Goalkeeping Skills: 40 (Amateur)
Teamwork: 89 (Good)
Health: 7 (Excellent)

Skills: Miller's Thinking Dribble, Kisugi's Off-the-ball Movement, Flying High Header, Hyuga Kojiro's Tiger Shot, Roberto Hongo's Overhead Kick, Aoi Shingo's Right-Angle Feint, Elle Sid Pierre's Eiffel Pass

Overall Rating: 90 (Superstar Level)

(End of chapter)