Robert was a brilliant soccer kid. He could dribble so good that nobody can touch the ball. His favourite soccer player was Garrincha of Brazilian. He hoped that he could be a soccer stars. His pathetic school result could not continue his education. After F.3, he did not study.

Some day, he went to soccer field to play soccer. Even undermanned, his soccer fields could turn everything upside down. He could easily pass thru 2 or 3 defenders and score a goals. What a genius!

However, he had so many bad habits. Drinking, Gambling, Lazy etc. He always asked for the family for the money. All of his family members did not like him.

Shirley, his neighbourhood also longtime friend, was working in the factory as a sewer machine operator. She was hard-working and tame girl. Also, she always helped anybody around her. Shirley’s father dead many years. Her mother and she were working. Her younger brother was studying at that moment.

In one day, Robert was drunk and he is on the way home and Shirley was nearby.

“What you look like…Don’t drink it” Then Shirley brought Robert to home.

Robert don’t like to find any job. He just like to go soccer field to play. Also, he asked his family member money for himself. So, family members would not like him.

In 1966 World Cup, Brazil had a very bad result. Not same as 1958 or even 62. Some stars like Didi and N.Santos did not play. Garrincha and D.Santos did not play well and Pele has a big injury. Robert feel very disappointed. However, in this world cup, there were a lot of great stars….. Bobby Charlton, Eusebio, Beckenbauer…. He dreamed that in one day he would be one of those stars. He would like goes to English for his soccer career!!

In one night, Robert was drunk again!! He opened the home door but it’s locked. His family member ordered him either to be better or never again. And right now, he was sleeping along the street like a begger. However, he did not prefer to be a beggar. HE wanted to be a soccer player. SO, some pedestrian give some money to him, he kicked away!!

On one day, Shirley was on the way home. When she saw Robert, she feel very angry and she ordered he get up and find a job. Robert pretends to be sleep. She dragged Robert to her home. A woman dragged a man is not easy.

After Shirley brought Robert to home, she feel very tired and fall asleep. However, Robert asked,” I would like to drink beer?” The Shirley shouted,” NO!!”

Robert opened the fridge door and take the beer. Then Shirley stopped this. If Robert still drinking, she would beat him.

Then Robert was lying down on the old-fashioned sofa and slept. Then Shirley said ,” Wake up! And take a shower!!” However, it seems that Robert did not hear what Shirley say!!

Then Shirley said,” You either take a shower or do some house work. The choice is yours!!” Then Robert unwillingly took a shower. Then her mother and brother come home and Shirley said his family member knock him out. He just stayed the home for a while. Her mother promised just only by her own duty only.

The next day, Shirley asked for Robert to do some housework and have finished before she worked. However, when Shirley was at home after work. There was nothing that Robert had done. Shirley felt very angry.

“ You know what you look like… Lazy pig. Get up and do something.” She did really mother like use a bamboo stick to hit Robert. This time, Robert pick up the bmoom to clean up the floor.

Every day and every night, Shirley seems to be a Robert’s trainer. However, in Shirley’s mind, she would like to turn Robert to be good.

On year later, Robert was really getting better. He automatically did all house work. However, he did not dare to find any job because he did not have any specialties or professional skills or knowledge. In that moment, a restaurant was really looking for a waiter without any experience. So, Shirley persuaded Robert to interview. Initially, Robert did not have courage to face with these people. However, Shirley did not waste any opportunity to convince Robert.

Finally, Robert’s interview took place on the next day. It’s so glad that the captain of the restaurant hired Robert. Robert feel very happy and he would like to share his happiness with Shirley and his family members. At that moment, his family member were changed his mind and accept that he was better.

Robert was no longer gambling right now and he was still drinking but he drank beer once a week only. Shirley feel very comfortable.

Sometimes, Robert and his colleagues were playing soccer. Nobody could catch his ball. Everybody were amazed by his soccer skills.

In one day, 新琦隊‘s coach was nearby. He saw Robert’s extraordinally skills. He would like to discuss with Robert about to attend the club. However, Robert would like to think about this.

At that moment, Robert did not know how to do. He would like to be a soccer player. It was his dream. However, he had a steady job and a soccer player may not be steady. So he would like discuss this with his family. However, his family member could not give him a complete answer.

So, he would like to talk with Shirley. Shirley tried to comfort him.” If you would like to be a soccer players, go Ahead.”

Robert confidently attend 新琦隊. 新琦隊 has a lot of great players such as:

Thomas(left back) goal-grabbing defender.

Jacky(Forward) Bomber

陳治 as a midfield-total footballer

Cujo as a captain also a playmaker of the team.

In the first season, Robert has so many surprise to many teams. Nobody could catch the ball from him. Also, he assist many his teammate. Especially, he kick the corner kick and 許樂 as a sweeper get the ball and score. Many soccer fans believe they were the best partnership in the team.

At the end of the seasons. 新琦隊 get extraordinally 60 points. More than 太陽隊 10 points and 東威隊 15 points. Here is the table of 1969-70 soccer league

1. 新琦隊 60

2. 太陽隊 50

3. 東威隊 45

4. 北望隊 43

5. 今來隊 40

Also , Jacky is the leaded goal-scorer. All of teammates believe 新琦隊 can defeat 2 rivals--太陽隊 and 東威隊 are relied on Robert. Without him, there would be no way to get the championship.

All soccer teams wouls like to get Robert, but Robert would like to stay in 新琦 because without 新琦隊’s coach, he waws just a waiter only.

1970 World Cup. Robert watched game by game. Jairzinho, the successor of Garrincha has a brilliant performance, besides Pele. Robert has a new soccer hero in his mind, Jairzinho. In the final of 1970, Brazil has the best game in the tournament. 4-1 wins. Jairzinho scored one.

Then in the 3 years , 新琦隊 was invincible. Hat-trick championship. No team could beat them. It was 新琦隊 best ever.

However, in 73-74 season.It was a tough road for 新琦隊 because Robert has a leg injury and 太陽隊 has foreign players joined in. In this season, 新琦隊 has a slip and they got 3rd.More and More soccer fans believe the importance of Robert.

Here is the table of 1973-74

1. 太陽隊 55

2. 東威隊 53

3. 新琦隊 50

4. 今來隊 47

5. 北望隊 46

　

In 1974 World Cup, Brazil had a pathetic result. Jairzinho did not play well. They lost by “Total-footballer” Holland.

Then in a few years, it was a scrabble on the soccer league. There were no dominated teams among them. Here is the final result in the following years:

74-75 1. 東威隊 56 2. 新琦隊 53 3. 太陽隊 50 4. 今來隊 47 5. 北望隊 46 75-76 1. 太陽隊 57 2. 今來隊 55 3. 東威隊 50 4. 新琦隊 48 5. 北望隊 4776-77 1. 北望隊 56 2. 新琦隊 53 3. 今來隊 52 4. 東威隊 50 5. 太陽隊 48

　

However, in those years, 新琦隊 has a lot of great new and young players. Such as

TIM -central-back (cool -defense)

Anon-Defensive-half Strong tackling and blcok.

Toni-The best forward among young players

But Robert’s condition is unstable. Sometimes he was OK but sometimes he had serious injury. In this season, there were just only 2 teams could obtain the championship---新琦隊 and 太陽隊 . Here was the result of the mid-way of the season:

1. 太陽隊 29

2. 新琦隊 27

3. 北望隊 21

4. 今來隊 19

5. 東威隊 18

Many soccer fans expected the “match of the year”. 新琦隊 and 太陽隊 were so comepetitive. Sometimes 新琦隊 got No.1 and sometimes 太陽隊 got it. Nobody knew who would get the championship.

This was Robert’s final season. Whatever the results it was, He would retired of his soccer career. So he tried his best to recover his leg.

This was the final match before the end of the season. Here is the result:

1. 太陽隊 55

2. 新琦隊 54

3. 北望隊 39

The final match 新琦隊 vs 太陽隊. The scenario is:

新琦隊 must win to get the champion because 太陽隊 has the goal difference. However, 太陽隊 draw or win, they got the champion.

So, every team member has tried their best to train.

The stadium is fully seated with more than 25,000 attendance. Unfortunately, Robert could not play the game. 新琦隊 faced a tougher challenge.

Kick Off. 新琦隊 get the kick. They tried their best to attack. In the 5th minutes, Thomas was received the pass from 陳治. But he just missed in the difficult angle.

However, 太陽隊 scored the first goal in 13th minutes. 許樂 and Tim marked the forward but it’s still score.

In 25th Minutes, Cujo has along pass to Jacky and Jacky socre a easy goal without player marked him.

However, in 32nd and 37th minutes, 新琦隊 loss 2 goals respectively from 太陽隊’s forward outstanding shoot and a requested 12 yards. The problem was 神童 tackling the defenders. He had no intention to stop the forward and the forward was falling down. And the pathetic referee judged that is a fault. That was a questionable penalty.

Half-time 1:3

新琦隊 had a jeopardy right now. However, Robert was still injury. He requested the coach to play the game. But the doctor said, he has a dangerous that if he still got injury, his leg would not be recover forever.

After the discussion, the coach and Robert agree that in the second half , Robert would play the game!!

Every team player was getting hurray. However, they also worried about Robert’s leg injury. So, every body hope Robert would get find in the remaining of the game.

Here is the line-up

-------------Jedi-------------

-------------許樂------------

神童-------TIM-----Thomas

--------Anon---陳治---------

-------------Cujo-------------

Robert-----------------------

--------Jacky---Toni--------

Explanation :

許樂& Thomas: goal scoring defenders!!

Anon: Defensive half

陳治: hardworking midfield. Always assist attack and defense(total-footballer)

許樂 lead the defense

Cujo lead the midfield

Robert lead the forward

OK 新琦隊 soccer club haws the most powerful line-up. In the second half, they tried their best to attack. Many defenders were more aggressive to attack such as 許樂, and Thomas . Thomas is a defender like Italian Frachetti who score 10 goals in national team. You may imagine something like Brazilian side backs. 神童 and Thomas are always attack in the second half and don’t come back.

陳治 just catch the ball in 10 mins and have a powerful 25 yards shot and just wide. Later Cujo has several pass to Jacky, Toni, and Anon. However, 太陽隊 has a quite strong defensive shield . It was so difficult to attack.

Here is the miracle. 太陽隊midfield miss the pass and Robert steal it. He dribble 3 defenders before he score a spectucular goals. The results 2:3. Everybody was so excited. Because it was just 15 minutes and they have so much opportunity to overcome it.

太陽隊 soccer club were not only try their best to defense, but also tried any mwthod they can to anti-attack. Here was the opportunity. However, 新琦隊 has 許樂 leading the defense. Robert was an attacking players but he assisted defense many times, so 太陽隊 lose many golden chance.

Here is the opportunity for 新琦隊. Toni has a over-wallie shoot and was deflected by the goalkeeper and it was a corner. 許樂& Thomas was goal -grabbing defender And they obtain opporrtunity to score a goal.Usually, 許樂 ,Thomas,Jacky, Toni and 陳治 are inside the area and Robert kicked the corner.

Robert kicked it. Many defenders of 太陽隊were marking Jacky and Toni. But they foregt those goal-scoring defender. Actually, Robert passed to 許樂 , even some players was blocking him. However, Robert perfect passing and 許樂 ‘s brilliant head…… It turned something into reality. It’s 3-3 and it’s draw!!

The atmosphere was changed. If 新琦隊 score 1 more goals and they won the game, they could get the champion! Everybody was so excited including Shirley. Even she was not a soccer fans, everybody knows that is Robert’s last season before he retired.

太陽隊 has so many chances to lead. However, 許樂’s great defense leadership and Jedi’s several saved , 新琦隊 is out of jeopardy, including several’s offside trap and Jedi extraordinally reaction!!

Last 2 minutes, Cujo steal a ball from 太陽隊 players and a long range pass to Robert’s sudden attack. He was absouletly no off-side. 太陽隊 defenders try their best to defend. Then Robert dribble one and two defenders and cross from the line. The ball seems to pass to Jacky.

NO!! Jacky pretend to hit by the head and the ball just leave to 陳治. 陳治 waws not been tackled and he score one easy goals.

Result: 4-3

太陽隊 tried their best to attack. All players like as a forward. In the stoppage time, 太陽隊obtain a corner kick. All 新琦隊 players including Jacky and Toni back to defense. The corner kicked. All 新琦隊 players spends all the energy to block. All of emergentic scrabble around the area. Sudden Cujo kick a ball to far away.

Then Beep. The game is OVER!! 新琦隊 soccer club get their 3 times champion in 5 years!!

Everybody were so happy, especially Robert. Even his injury, his outstanding performance were not forgotten. He was officially voted to be the best player of the match. Also, He voted to be Hong Kong footballer of the year. He believes the final match for him is the most important for his life.

Two days later, Shirley was head to the home. When she opened the door, Robert was inside the flat. He kneeled in front of her. If she did not marry with him, he would not stand up. Without her positive guidance, he would be no way. Shirley felt very embarrassed and touchy and she would like to cry.

One week later, Robert and Shirley registered to be couple. After their married, Robert would like to be a trainer of football team and Shirley would like to quit her job and would like something to study.