Most importantly, Ronaldo felt no discomfort in his right leg after completing the move.
He burst forward, catching up to the ball that had rolled away.
The moment he reached it, he trapped the ball with the tip of his foot. His body swayed with the rolling ball, his feet moving as if by magic. He performed a series of step-overs, then made a sharp cut and dribbled off to the left.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Beside him, Nelson hurriedly called out to Ronaldo.
This was just the start of his rehab with the ball; couldn’t he take it a little easier?
Ronaldo broke into a wide grin, revealing his white teeth and the distinct gap between his front two. He was clearly overjoyed.
He felt like everything had returned.
The man who was once unstoppable, who could pull off any move and dared to take on an entire defensive line—that version of himself was back.
On the sidelines.
Moratti involuntarily clenched his fists. He turned to Chen Yu excitedly. "Chen, did you see that?"
He repeated himself, his hand gripping Chen Yu’s arm tightly.
Beside them, Blanchini and Martins were just as excited, hugging each other in celebration.
’Their cash cow was back.’
Cooper also began to applaud involuntarily. Although they were just two simple moves, his eye was sharp enough to see at a glance that Ronaldo’s explosive power had returned.
He knew full well that Ronaldo had been plagued by injuries since the ’98-’99 season. Even back then, it was clear that his physical condition was affecting his performance.
But now, he looked to be in exceptionally good shape. His movements were light and agile, no longer weighed down and unable to accelerate as he had been during his period of frequent injuries.
"Chen, would you be willing to come to Italy and be Inter’s team doctor? I’ll pay you whatever salary you ask, as long as you agree," Moratti said, his voice full of excitement.
’Even the best players are useless if they aren’t healthy.’
’If Chen Yu were Inter’s doctor, I wouldn’t have to worry about the players’ health at all.’
His words instantly made Ewing and Olajuwon, who weren’t far away, prick up their ears. A tense look appeared on their faces.
’This old geezer is actually trying to poach him.’
Ewing, in particular, had signed with the Phoenix Suns specifically for Chen Yu. ’If Chen Yu left, what was the damn point of him being here?’
Chen Yu first thanked Moratti for the kind offer, then said, "But I have my own career here in the United States, so I’m afraid I have to say no. However, if your players ever have any issues, you can still come to me. Of course, it would be best if no issues arise at all."
Moratti looked deeply disappointed. The idea had first crossed his mind during his last visit to Phoenix. Seeing how well Ronaldo had recovered today only strengthened his resolve.
On the field, Ronaldo began his on-ball training under Nelson’s guidance.
Though it was called training, it was actually rehabilitation.
The main goal was to help Ronaldo reacclimate to his healed right leg and gradually restore its explosive power.
Therefore, the exercises were all focused on his right leg.
This included things like balance and weight-bearing strength.
Finally, there was shooting.
The focus wasn’t on powerful shots, but on using finesse to restore control to his right leg.
Nelson brought over a large blue barrel and had Ronaldo try to get the ball into it from various positions and angles, using any technique he liked, such as curled shots or chips.
Ronaldo quickly found his touch again. It was as if the ball had eyes, always landing precisely inside the barrel.
Chen Yu nodded to himself and couldn’t help but applaud.
’Wow, his aim is dead on.’
However, after he finished clapping, Chen Yu noticed that Moratti, Redondo, and the others around him had barely reacted.
’I guess for a professional soccer player, this is just a fundamental skill?’
The training session lasted for half an hour.
Grinning, Ronaldo ran back to Chen Yu’s side. He ignored the sweat covering his body and immediately pulled Chen Yu into a hug.
"Chen, thank you."
Ronaldo clapped him hard on the back.
"You’ve said that many times already." Chen Yu freed himself from the hug and glanced at Ronaldo’s knee.
It looked fine. No problems at all.
You could say it was no different from a healthy person’s knee.
Of course, it had only recovered to the standard of a healthy person.
The next step was to steadily increase the training intensity, with his own rehabilitation methods providing a safety net, to restore Ronaldo to the level of a professional athlete.
Moratti came forward and eagerly asked how much longer it would be before Ronaldo could return to the pitch.
He couldn’t wait to see Ronaldo on the pitch at San Siro Stadium.
Chen Yu considered for a moment. "At this rate of recovery, he’ll probably need another two months."
’Mid-October should be doable.’
This was even a little ahead of the ten-month recovery period he had originally promised Ronaldo.
"That’s wonderful!" Moratti was ecstatic. At this rate, Ronaldo would miss eight or nine league matches at most.
Moratti and his group had originally planned to stay for two days before leaving.
But they changed their plans and stayed for two extra days because Cooper was astonished to find that, when it came to rehabilitation and training, Chen Yu’s small clinic did a better job than their entire Inter organization.
For example, the Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing Chamber.
The first time he saw it, Cooper was dumbfounded; he had no idea such a method could be used to rapidly reduce player fatigue.
And then there was the futuristic-looking Anti-gravity Treadmill.
Most importantly, he witnessed many of Chen Yu’s rehabilitation techniques.
Acupuncture, acupressure massage, medicinal plasters, and a dietary therapy similar to Physical Fitness No.1.
Regarding Physical Fitness No.1 in particular, Cooper’s expression grew tense after hearing it could increase an athlete’s stamina. He quietly asked Chen Yu if it was considered a performance-enhancing drug.
’The Serie A doping scandal of ’98 was only a few years ago, after all.’
"Don’t worry," Chen Yu replied with a smile. "Are you aware that I’m an honorary consultant for the United States Anti-Doping Agency? Do you really think I’d give players banned substances?"
Cooper was stunned again, completely unaware that Chen Yu held such a position.
Chen Yu continued, "Furthermore, regarding Physical Fitness No.1, if all goes well, Eli Lilly Company is preparing to market it as a sports supplement next year. So there definitely won’t be any problems."
It had to be said, Eli Lilly was truly resourceful. The progress on bringing Physical Fitness No.1 to market was moving incredibly fast.
Of course, that was also partly because they were having it approved as a health supplement.
A full week later, the group finally returned to Italy.
But Chen Yu couldn’t rest. The seventh match of the Hexagonal was scheduled for September 1st, so on August 28th, he traveled to Washington to meet up with the National Team.
Donovan had already reported back to the National Team a week earlier.
After two days with the squad, the team set off again for Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.
There were two matches in September.
An away match against Honduras on the 1st.
Then, a few days later on September 5th, they would play a home game against Costa Rica at RFK Stadium in Washington.
Since these were National Team matches and Chen Yu’s time with the squad was short, there was a limit to how much he could help with training or improving player performance. The one thing he could do was guarantee the players’ health.
As for whether they could win, that depended on the United States Team’s performance.
Tegucigalpa is on a small plateau with an altitude of 1,000 meters, which put some strain on the players.
In this match, Donovan, now free from his groin problems, was in the starting lineup and even contributed a goal with a brilliant, composed shot in front of the net.
Unfortunately, they were a bit short on luck.
In the second half, Honduras scored twice in a row, winning the match 3-2.
Disappointment was unavoidable, but fortunately, their record from the early stages of the qualifiers was excellent. Alina remained confident about securing a spot. In a casual chat after the match, he even began discussing the group draw for the World Cup.
The World Cup draw was scheduled for December 1st.
"Chen, you should come with us to South Korea for the draw," Alina said, struck by a sudden idea. "You’re our renowned Miracle Doctor; maybe we can borrow a bit of your good luck."
Chen Yu paused, then asked, "Can I go?"
Alina laughed. "Of course. You can’t be one of the guests drawing the lots, but it’s an all-expenses-paid trip, and you can even bring a plus-one."
Chen Yu’s spirits lifted instantly at the words.
"Deal."
’The new season will have started by December 1st, but as a team doctor, I can leave whenever I need to.’
’I’ll just take it as a chance to take Lexi on an overseas vacation.’
During the off-season, everyone else had been out having fun while he was slaving away in surgery day after day, dragging Lexi into it as well. Chen Yu felt he owed her.
Carrying their disappointment, the team returned to Washington to prepare for the match on the 5th.
Come to think of it, the United States had actually beaten Costa Rica 1-0 back in the third round.
But to put it bluntly, these North American teams were all just minnows battling it out. Past results were meaningless.
And in this match, Costa Rica had clearly learned from their previous loss. They played a defensive counter-attack strategy to nullify the United States Team’s speed, and on two separate occasions, they seized their chance and found the back of the net.
2-0!
In front of over 8,000 paying fans, the United States Team suffered a frustrating defeat.
Alina stood on the sidelines, a look of helplessness on his face.
Chen Yu turned to look at the stands.
The fans in the stands were just eating and drinking, not cheering at all. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think this was the visitors’ home game.
’This is a shame,’ Chen Yu thought, ’but there’s nothing I can do to help with tactics.’
He could only console himself with the thought that a loss was a loss. ’As long as we still qualify, it’s fine.’
The September matches were over. The next two rounds wouldn’t be until October and November.
Chen Yu stayed in Washington for a few more days before preparing to return to Phoenix.
However, just before he was set to return to Phoenix, he made a last-minute change to his plans.
Chen Yu decided to make a detour to New York.
Wojnarowski’s article, "Behind the Eighth-Seed Miracle," had generated quite a bit of attention.
For example, the methods Chen Yu had implemented with the Phoenix Suns—using sensors to monitor players’ physical conditions and employing various high-tech devices in training—had been reported by numerous media outlets.
Stern wanted to have a proper talk with Chen Yu to see if he would be willing to share some of his experience so it could be promoted throughout the NBA Alliance.
The goal was to raise the overall level of the NBA.
Following Jordan’s retirement, interest in the NBA had been on a gradual decline.
This year, for example, the Lakers had swept the Bucks again. With the championship a foregone conclusion, fans found it boring, which naturally impacted the league’s revenue.
Why change the rules to limit O’Neal? Because he was too dominant. With one team reigning supreme, everyone knew who the champion would be before the season even began. Who would still buy tickets to watch that?
This made it necessary to improve the level of every team.
With Chen Yu’s help, the Magic had pulled off an eighth-seed miracle, generating a massive wave of hype.
He was also achieving great success with the Phoenix Suns. Thus, from Stern’s perspective, these were valuable experiences worth promoting across the entire league.
And this was something Chen Yu had wanted to do for a long time.
’Take the Five Animals Qigong, for example. It’s such a great warm-up routine. If everyone practiced it, it would surely be beneficial.’

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