Almighty Coach

Dai Li wasn’t aware that the Team Pyramid effect had prevented yet another coach from getting another job.

There wasn’t a reputable coach on Dai Li’s team. Most of them were youngsters and Dai Li’s training center only became operational a few years ago. It couldn’t be compared to the old school training centers that had been operational for decades.

Whether it was because of experience or ability, it was unlikely that young coaches would be that exceptional. Of course their wages were much lower; you get what you pay for. It’s possible that someone could get paid more than they’re worth. It’s unlikely for someone who’s not getting paid what they’re worth to stay too long.

It was a good thing Dai Li had the Team Pyramid because it made the young coaches better..

However, the bonus provided by the Team Pyramid just a bonus. It did not reflect the true ability of the young coaches. When they chose to job hop or were pried away by another owner, Dai Li they did not keep the bonus afforded by the Team Pyramid. They would, of course, revert back to their previous level of skill.

Over the last two years, as Dai Li’s training center became more famous, people started to pay attention to Dai Li’s coaches and their relatively small salary. The process of training coaches was difficult and troublesome; anyone would prefer to just pick up a finished product. As such, a good number of people from Dai Li’s place had been headhunted.

However, the competitors who headhunted coaches from Dai Li’s place quickly discovered that prying people from Dai Li’s training center wasn’t a good idea. The coaches weren’t worth what they were paying them. From their ability alone, one could see that Dai Li gave them a fair salary. They only deserved so much. If one were to pay them more, that employer would be getting the short end of the stick..

Gradually, the competitors discovered that the young coaches performed amazingly under Dai Li. Each of them seemed among the best their age. Upon leaving Dai Li’s training center, however, they would revert back to being an average coach. They couldn’t even be regarded as talented.

Some people began to joke that Dai Li might know some kind of Eastern witchcraft that he used to curse the coaches that left him. In truth, every professional knew that it was probably the difference in management.

It was like in basketball, where there are always “system players.” These players have all kinds of weaknesses, but, under certain tactical systems, they performed amazingly. Even if a player who was not making much money might be able to look like an all-star. Upon leaving the tactical system that suited him, he immediately reverted back to his original skill, becoming a mediocre player once again.

Coaches were similar. Most coaches had areas of expertise in which they excelled and weak areas. Therefore, there was also such a thing as a systems coach. Whether it was football or basketball, there was always a coach that was a one-trick pony. In a system, he excelled in he had great ability. Without that system, he was no good.

Dai Li’s competitors assumed that the poached coaches performed terribly because they were only suited to excel in Dai Li’s training system. Multiple sports industry leaders in Los Angeles came to the conclusion that Dai Li’s coaches should not be headhunted, as they were all system coaches and not worth the effort. Even if the coaches at Dai Li’s place actively sought to change companies, they should not offer them high salaries.

The loss of talent increased Dai Li’s vigilance. It wasn’t easy to groom a qualified coach these days, so Dai Li did not want to lose too many of his employees. If his coaching staff changed every few days, it would disrupt the workflow of the training centers.

To deal with this, Dai Li devised countermeasures to prevent the loss of talent. For example, he would give out dividends to employees with decent abilities; Chris Payton was one such employee. He was also generous with bonuses. After the Olympics ended, Dai Li gave everyone bonuses and promised to double the year-end bonus. That increased employee loyalty.

Apart from that, Dai Li switched to a better insurance company. He purchased better medical insurance for his employees. Healthcare was ridiculously expensive in the U.S., so good medical insurance did not just cover the healthcare of the employee but also the spouse and offspring of the employee as well. For the employees who had families, this was one of the best benefits. A lot of people with families opted for lower-paying jobs with better medical insurance.

…

Dai Li arrived in Madrid, Spain.

Madrid was the capital of the country. However, it didn’t look like a capital to Dai Li. The roads were narrow, the buildings were old, and the streets weren’t that crowded. It felt to Dai Li like a city that hadn’t woken up. The vibe of the city was slow-paced and relaxed.

The first stop for Dai Li was the Real Madrid Football Club.

The home stadium of Real Madrid was the Bernabeau. It was open for visitors. Tourists could buy tickets, visit the stadium, and also go to the Real Madrid Museum, which displayed the glories and awards of the Real Madrid football team.

Real Madrid accommodated many visitors every year. Among them were tourists, politicians, and famous people. Occasionally, when politicians or celebrities visited, the club would give them a jersey with their name printed on the back as a gift.

Dai Li sent a letter in advance, so he did not have to visit with the other tourists. Real Madrid sent a special envoy to take care of him and, at the same time, they gave Dai Li one of those special jerseys.

The U.S. National Track and Field Team was pretty famous. On top of that was how well they did at the Olympics under Dai Li’s coaching. From the 27 gold medals alone, Dai Li earned the respect of Real Madrid.

Results were the most important thing in the sports training industry. Even you coached a different sport, as long as you were one of the best, you had the respect and recognition of whoever you were with.

Real Madrid sent the team’s sports division manager, Henry, to receive Dai Li.

Henry was a French man, who played football when he was younger. He used to play for Real Madrid and, at his peak, he was one of the world’s best forwards. He received the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times and the Europe Golden Ball Award once. He had also been on teams that had won the European Champions League, La Liga League, and the Italian Serie A. On the national team, he had won the World Cup and European Football Championship Cup. He had won it all.

Dai Li knew who Henry was; he’d grown up watching Henry play football. When Dai Li was a student, he would see Henry on TV and all over the newspapers. Now, Henry was there to personally welcome and receive him.

After a simple tour of the stadium, Henry brought Dai Li to the Valdebebas training ground. It was Real Madrid’s training ground. All the players associated with Real Madrid, including the big shots, trained there. The difference between the training ground and Bernabeu stadium was that the training ground was not open to the public.

Under normal circumstances, no one, not even a politician or a celebrity, would be scheduled to visit Valdebebas. However, Dai Li was different, he was a coach. He was a professional, one of the best in his field. Real Madrid F.C. naturally wanted to let him see the team in its genuine state.

There is a saying that says that average men gather to have fun, while experts gather to observe the inner workings. In ancient times, during street performances, when an expert was around, he or she would be inclined to whip out a move or two to show off their skills. If a world-class club such as Real Madrid dealt with an expert just as they did normal fans, it would look like they were ridiculing themselves.

As such, Dai Li had the chance to visit Valdebebas training ground.

“Coach Li, over there is our youth training base. We are planning to open up part of it for the tourists as a next step. At the end, on the left, is our Real Madrid youth training academy. Let’s start over there,” Henry said, smiling.

“Whatever you say,” Dai Li said. He followed Henry towards the training ground of the youth academy.

The youth academy was filled with a bunch of kids. They were divided into three levels: the U10s, the U12s, and the U14s. The older ones, if they remained at Real Madrid, reported to the youth team.

“Our U10 team is the strongest in Spain. They have won all 23 games this season! These kids scored a total of 50 goals in those 23 games, scoring an average of two goals per game. Only eight goals were scored against them the entire season.

“Our U12 won the Mediterranean Cup that just finished up in April by defeating Barcelona.. My son was the first to score in that match. Look, the third one from the left, that’s him,” Henry said with pride. The man who had once been the world’s greatest forward talked more excitedly about his son than winning a championship.

Dai Li was stunned by the football system of Spain. The U10s and the U12s had their own professional leagues. The kids were taken so seriously that huge organizations like Real Madrid participated in their training. No wonder Spain was so good at football. In China, no one paid attention to football, much less a bunch of 10 to 12-year old kids who played football.

Beside Dai Li, Halls watched the children, who were about his age, play football. He clearly wanted to jump in and play as well.

A few people arrived at the training ground of the U14 team.

“Looks like the U14 team has a practice game,” Henry pointed towards the field.

“There is even an Asian.” Dai Li saw an Asian man run onto the field.

“His name is Tanaka. He is Japanese. He is regarded as a genius footballer in Japan.” Henry shook his head as he spoke. “Perhaps in Asia, he is a genius. In Europe, in Spain, there are teenagers all over the place as good as he is.”

As Dai Li and Henry chatted, a kid on the field cleared the ball with a powerful kick. The ball flew towards Dai Li.

Next to Dai LI, Halls saw the ball flying over. He ran forward a few steps and moved onto the sidelines of the field. After that, he stopped the ball with his chest and controlled the ball steadily. Then, with a kick, he sent the ball flying towards the front of the penalty box.

The ball was sent precisely to the feet of an attacking player.

“Hwis hwis!” The coach blew the whistle to call the play dead, stopping the practice match.

Henry looked at Halls. Henry was one of the best forward in the world. When it came to overall skill, he could be regarded as the best player in the world. So he could tell that that touch and cross from Halls was not something a normal kid could execute.

“Who’s this kid?” Henry assessed Halls seriously.

This kid doesn’t look Chinese. He probably isn’t Coach Li’s son, so who is he? As Henry thought this, he said, “Coach Li, who’d have thought you would have a young player hidden beside you!”

“Hehe, he’s called Halls Frast, and he has loved football since he was a baby. One of the coaches that works under me, Coach Payton, is his guardian. Coach Payton came with me to Spain, and we couldn’t leave Halls alone in the United States, so we thought we’d bring him along,” Dai Li said.

“Not a lot of Americans like football,” Henry said as he nodded.

“Halls is Argentinian,” Dai Li explained.

“Argentinian!” A peculiar look flashed across Henry’s eyes. He then pointed towards the field, and asked Halls in Spanish, “Hey kid, do you want to go and have a try?”

Halls nodded seriously, he then turned to look at Dai Li, as if asking for Dai Li’s permission.

Dai Li intentionally displayed a weak smile, “Alright, if Mr. Henry allows it, you can go. But remember, don’t injure yourself.”

“Awesome!” Halls pumped his arms in the air in excitement.

Henry called over the coach on the field and uttered a few words to him. The coach brought over a red practice bib and passed it to Halls. He then said, “You’ve joined the red team. What position do you play?”

“Striker,” Halls answered.

“Striker? You don’t have any height advantage. Amongst the strikers in our lineup, the shortest is at least one head taller than you.” The coach smiled helplessly and said, “I’ll give you a short run-down of our strategy today, and then you can go play. The red team is mainly playing counter-attack football…”

…

Payton moved to Dai Li’s side and whispered into his ear, “Boss, look at the players from Real Madrid. Although they are around the same age as Halls, they are much bigger and stronger than Halls. Won’t Halls lose because of this physical difference?”

“Football is very different from American football,” Dai Li smiled. “Football is more like an art, the art of the foot.”

Payton looked as if he did not fully understand.

Dai Li continued, “Do you remember what I told you last time? Halls will become a king of football. Do you think that the king of a generation of footballers wouldn’t know how to handle such a situation? Just wait and see, he’ll surprise us!”