Why so concerned about him? It's because this person is too mysterious, and all sorts of things seem to be targeting me.
More importantly, at this moment, Cao Baming even suspects he possesses some unknown aspects, such as having some similarities to his own background.
However, these things naturally couldn't be explained too thoroughly to the person in front of him.
Not wanting to delve deeper, Cao Baming simply made a perfunctory reply. He couldn't get much more information tonight, and he had largely obtained some of the answers he needed.
It was clear that Anthony didn't know him very well, especially what kind of person this individual was. In fact, even he himself understood it better than Anthony did.
And this situation would likely not change much in another half a month or even a month. That person would still find it difficult to make friends at the club, let alone be approached.
Thus, it was better to rely on oneself than others. In this world, other people are often unreliable, and only oneself is truly dependable. This point had been repeatedly confirmed by past experiences.
The next day, back to training...
"The match against Manchester United is over, but to win our next league championship, we still have one last game to play. Everyone, don't let your guard down!"
Arteta shouted at everyone on the field. He simply didn't want them to become complacent again, as the biggest fear was underestimating the opponent.
The talent these prodigies displayed on the football field was unparalleled. No team could match the overall strength of their squad. However, if they truly relaxed too much, anything could happen.
During conversations with his teammates, Cao Baming just learned something. In the match played yesterday afternoon, after the game concluded, the official rating placed Cao Baming firmly in first place. However, the second place was astonishingly Manchester United's Max. He had only played for less than 40 minutes, yet his post-match rating was only 0.1 points behind Cao Baming!
He even surpassed Messi!
Cao Baming, who had never cared much about these ratings, had almost never left the first position. Now, someone was truly challenging his spot.
He didn't expect this guy to still achieve such a high score even though his team lost!
This was definitely not good news for Cristiano Ronaldo. At this moment, he should be the one feeling the most upset, because the better Max performed, the more detrimental it was to him.
On one hand, fans might soon discover that his skills were not as strong as they imagined, and he was already being surpassed from behind, which was not a distant prospect.
Cao Baming had long guessed that Ronaldo's temper would inevitably lead to a breakup with Manchester United. Now that there was an opportunity, perhaps the club had already quietly begun planning to get rid of him.
However, finding a new club was not as simple as imagined. Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer young, and coupled with various other limiting factors, perhaps seeking a transfer was the only viable path, even if it was out of desperation.
If he could predict the future, Cao Baming was willing to bet that within three months, Ronaldo would attempt it. Whether it led to success or failure, the outcome would be decided then!
As for what kind of performance Max would deliver in the future at Manchester United, that was what Cao Baming truly cared about.
If Cristiano Ronaldo left, he would undoubtedly get more playing time, and it would be more justifiable.
The players were playing on the training ground. In a practice match, Cao Baming was struggling to find his rhythm.
All these events were giving him a headache, making it difficult to fully immerse himself in the game.
In the practice match, only thirty minutes had passed, and Messi had already scored two goals. Cao Baming was on the opposing side of Messi, responsible for defense.
Soon after, Odegaard also scored a goal. Cao Baming felt helpless.
Just then, a system notification suddenly appeared in his mind. Cao Baming was startled, and his eyebrows slightly raised.
During a throw-in, his teammates behind him started to look confused.
"Are you not in good form today? Is something bothering you?"
Hearing the voices behind him, Cao Baming couldn't afford to pay attention and listened carefully to the system's announcement.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing a hidden mission..."
A hidden mission?
Cao Baming let out a soft breath. So that's how it was.
"...Being dribbled past more than three times within ten minutes on the field, current progress 3/3, target achieved. Mission reward: one top-tier talent skill card, upgrade to level three..."
Upon hearing this, Cao Baming couldn't help but laugh.
What was this? Being dribbled past could also lead to an achievement? What kind of ridiculous mission was this?!
However, he quickly suppressed these emotions. After all, as long as there were rewards, everything was fine. Now that the reward was in hand, who would object to it?
As long as he could continue to improve himself, it didn't matter who Max was; there was nothing to fear. Even if Real Madrid could assemble a team of all the world's top stars next year, there would be nothing to fear!
Thinking carefully, being dribbled past three times in 10 minutes was not an exaggerated number.
Had he never reached such a statistic in so many previous matches?
In fact, although everyone's impression of Cao Baming's defense was that it was as solid as a rock and extremely stable, no one had ever meticulously counted this. And until now, this was indeed the first time, even including practice matches, it was still only the first time.
This was terrifying. A normal player, a normal defensive player, would probably have such a statistic to show for it every two ten-minute intervals.
Finally, there was some good news, which could temporarily alleviate his worries.
Just then, Messi made a passing error. Cao Baming, without hesitation, intercepted the ball, turned, and drove towards the back.
He single-handedly controlled the ball through midfield and finally slotted it into the net with a simple shot, thus pulling one goal back!
When he put his mind to it, no one could stop him.
Messi also applauded in admiration. This was indeed Cao Baming.