章 461: Chapter 461: Christmas Break, De Bruyne's Hidden Beauty

Chapter 461: Christmas Break, De Bruyne's Hidden Beauty

As Christmas approached, many leagues went into their winter break. Players began sharing photos online of themselves vacationing with family and girlfriends. However, in the Premier League, there was no break. Instead, the players had to prepare for the congested Christmas schedule.

Veteran players were used to this, but some of the new foreign players found it hard to adjust.

"Lin, do you think the coach will give us a break today?"

During the morning training session on December 24th, Son Heung-min approached Lin Quan, trying to get some inside information. The other teammates, also curious, pricked up their ears to listen.

"Why? Got a date?"

Lin Quan glanced at Son Heung-min. Usually, Son was very focused during training, but today he seemed distracted, clearly preoccupied with something.

"Uh, tomorrow's Christmas, right? It's a big deal for Westerners..."

Son Heung-min blushed, feeling embarrassed. Seeing his reaction, Lin Quan immediately understood.

"It is important, but we have a match on the 26th, just two days away. Usually, coaches don't give time off so close to a game."

"Oh, I see..."

Son Heung-min looked disappointed. If Lin Quan said there wouldn't be a break, it probably meant no break.

"Well, I said usually. Considering our next opponent is Sunderland, there might still be a chance for a half-day off."

Sunderland wasn't a strong team and posed little threat to Manchester City. Plus, the match was at home, eliminating the need for travel. It wouldn't be surprising if Guardiola granted them a short break.

"Let's hope so. Thanks, Lin!"

Son Heung-min's spirits lifted a bit, and he kept sneaking glances at Coach Guardiola during training, hoping for good news.

Guardiola was on the sidelines discussing the lineup for the Christmas to New Year period with his assistant coaches. Rotation was necessary, possibly extensive, because they had three matches in six days, including a top-of-the-table clash with Leicester City. This match was crucial, so Guardiola needed to ensure the team was in top form for that away game. Therefore, he planned to substitute players early in the Sunderland match to keep his key players fresh.

This also meant that City's substitutes and rotation players needed to step up.

"Why do these guys all seem so distracted?"

Guardiola quickly noticed something was off with his players. Many of them were physically present on the training ground, but their minds were elsewhere.

"That's typical without a winter break. Especially the new foreign players, they struggle with having no break and playing during the holidays. They want to be like players in other leagues, spending the holidays with family or vacationing in the Mediterranean."

One of the British assistant coaches explained. He had seen this happen many times in the Premier League.

"Is that so?"

Guardiola had been with Manchester City for a short time and hadn't noticed this issue last year. This year, he fully realized the impact of having no winter break on the team and the players.

"Alright, let's give them a half-day off. Training like this is just a waste of time."

Shaking his head, Guardiola clapped his hands, gathered the players, and announced the half-day off.

"Remember, be here at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I don't want anyone being late."

As soon as Guardiola announced the break, the players cheered.

"Yay, coach is the best!"

"I love you, coach!"

Even a half-day off was precious to them.

"Lin, you're amazing!"

Son Heung-min, also excited, gave Lin Quan a thumbs up before rushing to the locker room to change. Clearly, he had a date. Recently, there was a report in The Sun about Son being caught by paparazzi on a date during national team duty. Son was becoming a notable figure in the Premier League, and such stories attracted attention. Fans were envious of his girlfriend's figure, seeing Son as a lucky guy.

Lin Quan wasn't interested in others' personal lives, but seeing his teammates leave, he continued training. De Bruyne, showing camaraderie, stayed back to train with him. However, when they went to the cafeteria for lunch, Lin Quan noticed De Bruyne was missing.

"Hey, Kevin, where are you?"

"Of course, I went home. Coach said we could leave, didn't he?"

De Bruyne sounded puzzled on the phone. With a break, why would he stay?

"Is there someone at your place?"

"No."

"Huh?"

"Are you talking about Caroline? We broke up."

"Oh."

Lin Quan's curiosity flared. Normally, he didn't care about others' private lives, but he was very interested in De Bruyne's relationship status, especially since there were rumors his girlfriend might have cheated on him. Poor De Bruyne, unable to escape being cheated on?

With this thought, Lin Quan lost his training focus and drove to De Bruyne's house to check on him.

But when he arrived, he was stunned.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

De Bruyne wasn't alone; there was a beautiful woman with him. They looked very close, clearly in a relationship.

"Ahem, Michelle just arrived. Would you believe that?"

De Bruyne had a habit of touching his nose when he lied.

"I believe you. I'm just here to deliver Christmas presents."

Lin Quan handed over two pre-prepared gifts to De Bruyne and quickly left, not wanting to be a third wheel.

"Kevin, why didn't you invite your friend in?"

Michelle asked, coming out with tea for Lin Quan, only to find he had already left.

"I forgot."

De Bruyne scratched his head, feeling unexpectedly nervous despite being very close friends with Lin Quan. It felt as if he was caught doing something wrong, and he even forgot to invite Lin Quan in or give him a gift in return.

Michelle was speechless at De Bruyne's explanation. However, having spent enough time with him, she understood his personality and didn't say much. She just took out two carefully prepared gifts, asking De Bruyne to bring them to Lin Quan and the coach the next day.

When Lin Quan returned home, the large villa was empty. Sera had already gone back to Spain with her younger siblings, and his workaholic father, Guardiola, was likely still at the club working overtime. Lin Quan took off his coat, turned on the living room light, and sat on the sofa, bored, watching TV.

The TV was showing highlights from the last Premier League round, and Lin Quan saw himself and Son Heung-min. Hearing the host and commentators excessively praise him, he felt a bit awkward. His goal in the last match wasn't that spectacular, yet it made the highlights reel—probably a perk of his fame.

More interested in other leagues' matches, Lin Quan switched to watching highlights from Real Madrid and Barcelona's recent games. Both Messi and Ronaldo had been performing exceptionally well over the past month.

Under Zidane, Ronaldo was showing his peak form again. His goal-scoring efficiency had improved dramatically, with Zidane's offensive tactics allowing Ronaldo to shine on the front line, scoring goals effortlessly. After failing to reach the semifinals last year, this season's stronger Real Madrid was undoubtedly a formidable opponent.

As for Barcelona, Messi had been in excellent form since recovering from injury, almost reaching his peak again. With Neymar gone, the burden on Messi had increased, but this pressure also led to his transformation. Messi was becoming more versatile, significantly enhancing his attacking and organizing abilities. With Suarez still in his prime, the Messi-Suarez duo remained a formidable force in both La Liga and the Champions League, making them a daunting opponent for any team.

Compared to the Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid might not have many star players, but under Simeone's coaching, the entire team was united, disciplined, and operated like a well-drilled army. Atletico had shed their underdog status, gradually becoming La Liga's third powerhouse. In Europe, there were only a handful of teams that could confidently claim they could beat Atletico.

Facing any of these three Spanish teams in the quarterfinals or semifinals would be a tough challenge. The worst-case scenario would be encountering these strong teams consecutively, which could severely drain Manchester City's resources before even reaching the final.

La Liga is on par with, if not superior to, the Premier League, which is why many pin their hopes on La Liga teams to challenge the Premier League's dominance. Besides the Spanish giants, Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga and Paris Saint-Germain from Ligue 1 also appeared to be formidable this season.

After acquiring Neymar, PSG had no shortage of talent or funds. All they lacked was a championship. To boost the image of the Qatar World Cup, the Qatari owners were eager for PSG to conquer Europe. They had already invested over a billion euros and were willing to spend more. However, despite PSG's improved strength, their chances of winning the Champions League still seemed slim. Their failure to beat Real Madrid in the group stage showed their struggles against Europe's elite teams. With three other teams at Real Madrid's level, PSG's ability to advance was uncertain. A single failure would mean waiting until next year to try again.

While watching PSG's highlights, Lin Quan also paid special attention to another French team, Monaco. Although Monaco didn't make it to the Champions League this year, losing in the qualifying rounds, Lin Quan's interest lay in a young player on their team—Kylian Mbappe.

Influenced by Lin Quan, Mbappe had entered Ligue 1 earlier than expected. With Monaco out of the Champions League and PSG dominating Ligue 1, Monaco had the luxury of time to develop their young players. As a result, Mbappe's appearances and playing time steadily increased. This season, he had played eight times for Monaco—four in Ligue 1 and four in cup competitions—scoring two goals. Although his goal-scoring efficiency might seem low, considering he was only 17, breaking records just by playing and scoring was impressive.

Breaking the record for the youngest goal-scorer in Ligue 1, Mbappe naturally attracted attention from many teams. He was seen as a future star for the French national team, and even France's head coach Deschamps personally watched his matches, praising him highly afterward. Retired legend Thierry Henry also praised Mbappe, whose record he had broken. With similar playing styles, speed, and positions, comparisons between Mbappe and Henry seemed inevitable.

Although Monaco isn't on French territory, Mbappe is genuinely French. If he continues to grow, he is bound to become a French international player someday. If he reaches Henry's level, the future French national team could become a formidable force. In recent years, France has seen a surge in talent across all positions, with stars like Pogba and Griezmann rising quickly. Many predict that France could soon become the team to dethrone Spain.

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