May 20, 2014.
South Tyrol, Italy.
Merano town.
This is a province located at the very top of Italy's 'boot'.
And here, there is a small club of the same name.
South Tyrol's home stadium, Drusus Stadium, has a capacity of only a few thousand people, is relatively quiet during matches, and training can be conducted free from outside interference.
This is also one of the main reasons why the German Team chose to come here for training camps in the previous and current World Cup.
At this moment, a black Mercedes sedan stopped at the entrance of the Merano training camp.
Immediately after, a black-haired young man, wearing a motorcycle jacket paired with jeans, got out of the car, carrying a suitcase.
This person was Mark Lane, who had come alone to the training camp to meet up with the German Team!
Originally, his agent, Raiola, wanted to accompany Mark Lane to the training camp.
However, Mark Lane only let him accompany him on the plane; after arriving at Milan Malpensa Airport, the two parted ways.
Fortunately, the national team had already sent someone to pick him up.
"Thanks, buddy."
"You're welcome. My daughter is your fan. Could I trouble you for an autograph?"
"Of course, no problem!"
After fulfilling the driver's request, Mark Lane also pulled his suitcase and entered the training camp.
Upon arriving at the front desk, he saw a man in a black German training uniform holding a camera pointed at him:
"Hey, how are you? What are you filming?"
"Thanks for asking, I'm doing great... I'm the team's embedded photographer, my name is Krüger. This is a full record of the team's World Cup journey..."
Hearing this, Mark Lane's face showed a look of realization, and he immediately waved at the camera.
"Hey, guys, this is Mark Lane, happy to be on camera!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a voice sounded from his side:
"Mark Lane!"
Following the sound, what came into view was a smiling face eerily similar to a clown.
The one who came out to greet him was 'Müller', Thomas Müller, whom he had met just a few days ago at the German Cup final!
"We meet again!"
Seeing Müller's familiar face gave Mark Lane, who had traveled alone by car to a strange country and a strange place, a sudden sense of inexplicable familiarity.
"Yes, Thomas, how are you?"
The two shook hands, unaffected by the outcome of the German Cup final.
"I'm good. How about you, was your journey smooth?"
"Very smooth."
"The coach is in a meeting, so he sent me to greet you first and then show you around."
Mark Lane had a very good impression of Müller.
He is a famously good player in both sportsmanship and character.
Although he wasn't a Bayern fan, he had once been attracted by this humorous German.
"Then thank you in advance."
"You're welcome, buddy... Although you scored in the final, we are teammates now, not opponents."
After speaking, Müller didn't forget to wink at Mark Lane, adding:
"Don't worry, I won't pull you aside and give you a good beating."
Hearing this, Mark Lane also smiled, and then retorted playfully:
"Are you sure? I know Chinese Martial Arts, you know..."
"Really?"
And just then, the team photographer didn't forget to ask:
"Mark Lane, this is your first call-up to the German Team. What are your thoughts?"
Facing this question, Mark Lane thought for a moment and then gave a confident answer:
"I believe this is just the beginning!"
Such a confident answer surprised both the team photographer and Müller.
It should be known that in Germany, people do not idolize superstars.
Moreover, most players are taught from a young age to play as a team, not to fight alone.
Because of this, German players rarely win the Ballon d'Or, which represents the highest individual honor.
From the first moment he arrived at the training camp, Mark Lane showed them his unique and confident side!
Following behind Müller, Mark Lane quickly toured the entire Merano training camp.
Along the way, he also met Hummels, Reus, Kramer, and others.
Since they had all played against each other in the Bundesliga, they were not strangers. Coupled with Mark Lane's initiative to greet these teammates and competitors, the others also greeted him with a smile.
As a newcomer selected for the national team for the first time and also his first time coming to South Tyrol for a training camp, he was very curious about everything.
Soon, the two ran into Flick, the national team's assistant coach.
"Thomas, I'll take it from here."
"Alright."
"See you around, buddy."
"Alright."
After bidding farewell to Müller, Mark Lane also shook hands with Flick:
"Mr. Flick, hello."
"Hello."
Flick looked Mark Lane up and down and could easily tell that the young man in front of him seemed a bit taller and stronger than the last time he saw him.
Glancing at the shoe bag Mark Lane was carrying, Flick spoke:
"I'll take you to your room first. Later, you can take your shoes to the equipment room..."
"Alright."
Subsequently, Flick led Mark Lane to his room.
"This room is where you'll be staying during the training camp..."
After putting his suitcase in his room and placing his shoes, Mark Lane followed Flick to the infirmary to undergo a simple physical examination.
In just five months, with effective scientific training and healthy eating habits, his height had increased by four centimeters!
In addition to his height increasing from 175 to 179 now, his weight also reached seventy kilograms!
Compared to his scrawny appearance during his debut, the current Mark Lane had developed streamlined muscles, and even had a four-pack of abs!
And just after the physical examination, Flick came to the infirmary:
"Mark Lane, gather in the locker room!"
"Alright!"
When Mark Lane arrived in the locker room, he looked around and realized he was like a little lamb voluntarily walking into a tiger's den.
Everywhere he looked, there were enemies and opponents!
Especially the two major factions of the national team, the Bayern gang and the Dortmund gang, when dozens of eyes stared at him, they were filled with scrutiny.
It should be known that he had eliminated Dortmund in the semi-finals and defeated Bayern in the final.
In other words, he had already offended the two major factions of the German National Team before even joining the team!
Fortunately, most people understood that this was the national team, where they would fight side by side, not clubs where they fought for themselves.
At this moment, 'Schweini' Schweinsteiger, as the vice-captain, was the first to step forward, smiling and extending his hand to Mark Lane:
"Welcome to South Tyrol, Mark Lane."
"Thank you, Captain."
"I think everyone knows you, so there's no need for introductions. Your locker is over there."
Following 'Schweini's' finger, Mark Lane found his locker right next to Draxler's.
"Hey, Julian."
"Mark Lane."
The two had met in the Bundesliga, so they could exchange a few words.
"Alright, change your clothes, we leave in ten minutes!"
What Mark Lane didn't expect was that the first training session at the national team training camp was not physical training, nor ball training, nor an internal scrimmage.
Instead, it was going for a ride on mountain bikes with the team!
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