Chapter 272: A nce at the Top


    *7:10 pm*


    Jason was still at the CTFD Portogaia training ground for the Porto senior tram, hard at training.


    Everyone else had left, even the trainers, and Jason was the only one still on the training ground juggling the ball.


    He had single-mindedly been juggling the ball for almost two hours.


    It had been two full months before he could simply lose himself in training like this and Jason didn’t let go of the first opportunity he got to train as much as he wanted with the ball.


    The team doctors would disagree with him training this hard, saying that it could increase the risk of re-injury, but their thoughts didn’t matter to Jason who thought to himself that since he was using his legs mostly for the training and not his previously injured shoulder, there should be no problem.


    However, he also didn’t want to overdo it, so he brought his training session for the day to an end and went to wash up before packing up his things and beginning to leave.


    As Jason walked toward the car park while enjoying the evening breeze, he thought he heard a noiseing from the training ground of the Porto juniors as he walked by the training grounds. Normally, Jason would have ignored it, but it was already evening, so it was a bit strange to hear the sound of a ball at the training grounds.


    Jason had an borate thought process and he knew that he was a special case, which was why he was able to train till now, and it was something he was proud of.


    Suddenly feeling the urge to see who the like-minded individual who was still training at this time, Jason headed into the training ground and soon came to the side of the green field.


    On the field was a figure d in green and red training gear that had the Portuguese national team’s emblem on its chest, running back and forth between cones with a ball at his leg, before unleashing a powerful shot that made Jason’s hair stand on end.


    As Jason caught a glimpse of the figure’s face, his mouth dropped open in shock.


    How could he not be shocked when a figure who stood out in the football world as the image of hard work, unwavering dedication and determination, and egoistic pride that was supported by results, was training right in front of him?


    Jason wasn’t someone who focused on the news a lot, but while ncing at the news in passing in thest few days, he was sure he had seen something about the Portuguese national team being unable to use their stadium in Oeiras for home matches for a while and apparently, they would be using other stadiums in Portugal for the time being.


    Jason did not know why the stadium in Oeiras could not be used as he had only nced at the news in passing since it didn’t really concern him, but Jason had not expected to see a yer from the Portuguese national team at the Porto training ground.


    What was even more shocking was that the yer was Cristiano Ronaldo.


    ‘Am I dreaming right now?’ Jason thought to himself as he pped a palm against his right cheek and winced slightly at the pain, immediately confirming that he wasn’t dreaming.


    The p had seemingly shaken Jason’s brain into functioning and he realized that the stadium that was probably selected to be used by the Portuguese national team this time was probably the Estadio do Dragao.


    If that was the case, then it wasn’t too far-fetched that CTFD Portogaia could be used as a training ground by the national team, but despite realizing that, Jason’s nervousness did not disappear.


    ‘Should I go meet him and ask for an autograph? Or maybe a picture? Or maybe we can train together?’ Different thoughts started running through the mind of a hopeless Cristiano Ronaldo fan.


    Just like how Jason had quite a few fans now, Jason was also a fan… a staunch and unredeemable fan of Cristiano Ronaldo.


    He had been a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo in his previous life despite both of them being of simr ages, Cristiano Ronaldo stood out to him as what he aspired to be.


    Rising over everyone with not just talent but unwavering dedication and hard work that put him in the same picture as Lionel Messi, the greatest football talent to have ever graced the football field.


    Ronaldo was that guy, and Jason could not help but respect him.


    One of the major pirs of Jason’s drive to strive to be the best was inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo who showed that with enough hard work, even the insurmountable could be mounted.


    Cristiano Ronaldo was the personification of everything Jason had aspired to be but failed, but even now that he had gotten another chance and was on track to bing a yer as great as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jason still couldn’t keep his excitement in check.


    He was internally fanboying hard, but then a sudden thought struck him as he saw Cristiano Ronaldo nce at him for a second and then continue with his training.


    ‘Even though he stands at the peak of more than what I hoped to be, he’s still here training hard while I’m already leaving the training ground,’ this thought suddenly appeared in his head and immediately cooled off his excited thoughts.


    Right now, he had merely embarked on his journey to arrive at the top, and he was still not even in his prime age yet, but Ronaldo who was already at an age where most footballers had either retired or were nning to was training harder than him without getting distracted for a second.


    Jason suddenly felt ashamed of himself.


    Various thoughts that could justify his actions popped up in his head.


    He was justing off an injury and had already overdone his training, excessive training could prove to be harmful, e.t.c.


    All those thoughts swirled around in his head and tried to make him feel better, but Jason couldn’t ept it.


    He had already failed to reach the top once, but even after getting another chance he was still not doing the best he could possibly do.


    As for the thought that he had already done his best, Jason called bullshit on that thought.


    Jason didn’t know when Ronaldo arrived, but estimating that Ronaldo came earlier than his teammates and was still here, it was impossible for Jason to have trained more than him, yet Jason’s muscles were already screaming.


    If his muscles were screaming, then Ronaldo was probably going through worse especially since he was double of Jason’s age, yet he still stubbornly persisted.


    ‘I’m not doing enough,’ Jason thought to himself as he turned around and headed out of the training ground and went to his car.


    He was too embarrassed to walk up to Ronaldo who he admired and wanted to surpass when he wasn’t even doing enough.


    Jason quickly drove home and despite the hunger pangs that were hitting him waves, he went to the room where he kept his gym equipment and hopped on the treadmill.


    From that day henceforth, he nned to train till he was half-dead.


    Merely surpassing the limits wasn’t enough, he had to surpass the surpassed limits time and time again until he could stand above everyone.


    Maybe at that time, he wouldn’t be embarrassed to stand beside a yer like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.