The sun was bright, the clear blue sky and the lush green grass merged into one, like an oil painting by an Italian artist. The fragrant scent of flowers and grass wafted over, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.
Wearing a helmet, a sky-blue sports short-sleeved shirt, and riding a mountain bike, Mark followed at the end of the team, leisurely enjoying the beautiful scenery of the mountains in northern Italy.
Of course, mountain biking uphill was also part of their physical training.
Soon, they arrived at the training base located halfway up the mountain.
Only then did Mark realize that the team's training base was not at the club, but on the mountain!
Since the players' numbers had not yet been assigned, the German War Machine's soldiers were all wearing basic, unnumbered jerseys.
Changing into the white-based home jersey with a gradient national flag pattern on the chest, Mark joined the other national team players on the outdoor training ground.
Except for Lahm and Neuer, who were injured, Mertesacker, who was on leave, and Khedira, who was about to participate in the Champions League final, all other national team players gathered in a circle, waiting for Head Coach Löw's speech.
Müller, Reus, Hummels, Götze...
Looking at the familiar faces and well-known names, Mark couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
"I never thought that one day I would be able to fight alongside these stars from television..."
For Mark, being called up to the German War Machine was a good opportunity to make a name for himself.
Because he knew that this German Team would win the World Cup in Brazil, reaching the top of the world for the fourth time!
That is to say, if he could get on the flight to Brazil, even if he didn't play for a minute, he could still win the championship by just being there!
Besides the championship honor, the reward for a World Cup champion would definitely be substantial.
The reward for the German Cup champion was ten potential points, so what about the World Cup champion?!
Twenty points?
Thirty points?!
Of course, in addition to winning by just being there, if he could get playing time in the World Cup, he would also gain immense training value and expand his personal fame.
However, if he wanted to make it into the final twenty-three-man squad, he had to give his all during his time in the training camp!
Only then would Löw see his value and take him along.
Standing in the circle, Löw simply said in a deep voice:
"Guys, there's less than a month left until the World Cup kicks off."
"Seven of you will still leave."
"So, if you want to stay and go to Brazil together, let me see your attitude and ability!"
"Alright, let's begin!"
As a newcomer who had never played for the national youth team and was called up for the first time, Mark naturally did not receive a red bib belonging to a starter.
The morning training mainly consisted of simple recovery exercises.
It allowed both veterans and newcomers to get familiar with the South Tyrol mountain environment.
During training, apart from his outstanding explosiveness, Mark's physical confrontation and passing and shooting abilities were not particularly prominent.
However, once he entered ball-training, he displayed a unique presence.
Whether it was dribbling or breaking through opponents, he moved as if through an empty space; anyone who tried to defend him had only one outcome:
He would be bypassed!
Löw and Flick, standing nearby, exchanged glances, their hearts stirring:
"This kid, he's gotten faster again!"
In fact, before departing for South Tyrol to meet the team, Mark had already spent all the potential points he had accumulated.
In the semi-final against Dortmund, he completed the match tasks of [Goal], [Brace], [Dribble], and [Man of the Match], earning four potential points;
In the thirty-second League round against Freiburg, he completed the match tasks of [Dribble] and [Assist], earning two potential points;
In the thirty-third League round against Stuttgart, he completed the match tasks of [Dribble] and [Goal], earning two potential points;
In the League's final match against Mönchengladbach, he completed the match task of [Dribble], earning one potential point;
In the German Cup final against Bayern, he completed the match tasks of [Dribble], [Goal], and [Man of the Match], earning three potential points;
Plus the ten potential points gained from completing the season task of [German Cup Champion]...
A total of twenty-two potential points!
And after spending double, twelve potential points, to raise [Burst] from 84 to 90, the system indeed prompted again:
[Ding!]
[Burst attribute has reached a bottleneck!]
[To continue upgrading, triple potential points are required!]
I knew it!
And upon learning that triple potential points were needed to further upgrade, Mark, as planned, gave up the idea of continuing to add points to the [Burst] attribute and instead allocated the remaining ten potential points to [Speed]!
Therefore, the [Speed] attribute also increased from 62 to 72!
This was also why he was faster and more composed and fluid when dribbling past opponents!
The morning training lasted until three o'clock.
And after seeing Mark's skill in dribbling past opponents, some teammates' initial disdain and doubts completely vanished.
They were replaced by a strong sense of crisis!
This kid has a lot of potential!
After the training ended, everyone went to the training base's restaurant to enjoy lunch.
At this moment, Mark faced a new problem:
Where to sit!
Where there are people, there is society; where there are people, there will be conflicts.
Since Mark was the only Wolfsburg player selected for the national team, and he didn't belong to either the Bayern or Dortmund factions.
He could only sit with players from the third faction.
The so-called third faction consisted of neutral players outside the two major factions of Bayern and Dortmund.
For example, Klose, who played for Lazio, Draxler and Höwedes, who played for Schalke, Lars Bender, who played for Leverkusen, and Schürrle, who played for Chelsea, among others.
Of course, forming small groups didn't mean there would be internal favoritism within the team.
It was normal for players from the same club or youth system to be closer in the national team.
The key was to be able to set aside club rivalries and competition on the field and play professionally!
Perhaps seeing Mark standing there, holding his plate and looking a bit hesitant, Klose, as an elder brother, directly waved him over:
"Mark, come sit!"
Seeing K-God, Mark's brow immediately relaxed, and he promptly walked towards Klose's table.
Joining them were Mustafi, who played for Sampdoria in Serie A, and Volland, who played for Hoffenheim, among other neutral players.
"Thank you, Mr. Klose."
With a slight smile, Klose casually said, "You're welcome, just call me Miro."
"Okay, Miro."
Interacting with Klose up close, Mark never expected that this German Team's super K-God's private demeanor was completely different from his domineering presence on the field.
Besides speaking very gently and kindly, he also loved to joke around.
Just as Mark was talking to Klose, a burst of jeering suddenly erupted!
Following the sound, he saw a man wearing a pink German Dirndl walk in from the restaurant entrance.
It was none other than "Second Child" Thomas Müller!
Seeing Müller's comical appearance, everyone immediately burst into laughter.
And as Mark's lips curled slightly upwards, he also looked utterly bewildered:
"Miro, what's going on?"
Hearing Klose's explanation, Mark learned that Müller had lost a golf bet with a psychologist, and wearing women's clothes to serve the team was the stake!
"So that's it!"
The photo of Müller in a pink Dirndl was very popular among fans back then.
Only now did Mark finally understand the story behind that photo!
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