Less than five seconds into the game, the ball came to Bell's feet.
According to Bell's recollection many years later, before his first appearance on stage, his brain was still a little confused.
Although Keegan resisted most of the outside pressure for him, Bell still had a moment of self-denial when faced with the doubts of fans and the disdainful looks of opponents.
But all of this disappeared with the first touch of the ball.
Some players are like this, born to belong on the football field.
After getting the ball, Bell faced the opponent's winger's attack, quickly pulled the ball behind him with his left foot, and violently moved the ball laterally while his opponent was level with his own body.
In an instant, Bell missed his opponent with the ball, and his body unconsciously carried the ball across the half court.
"good!"
"pretty!"
"This monkey still has a few tricks up his sleeve!"
Bell's series of operations won initial praise from the visiting team's fans. It was hard to imagine that a forward as tall as Bell could pull people off so delicately.
“Oh oh oh~~~”
The home commentator also let out an incredible exclamation.
"This tall, lanky guy looks tough to deal with."
"I wonder if he can get through Richard's defense?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Richard Hughes was separated from behind by Bell who started to speed up.
The Scottish midfielder is ten years older than Bale and has been with Portsmouth for five years.
Looking at his career resume, this guy who came from Arsenal's youth training has been playing for Bournemouth in the third level league since leaving the Gunners.
When he moved to Portsmouth, he was loaned out for a year because he couldn't play.
Richard has two career highlights. One is the season when he first became a professional player. He won the league championship with the Gunners in the 1997-98 season, although he did not play once that season.
The second one was when Portsmouth was promoted to the Premier League for the first time, he happened to be a member of the team. It's just that that season, Richard was loaned out.
So although today's Richard is in the golden age of professional players, his career has basically been finalized. Unless a miracle happens, there won't be much improvement.
He is like many ordinary players in the Premier League today, with experience but no reputation. He has been pretty regular all his life. Apart from being a backdrop for the stars, if he wants to be famous, he has to do some extraordinary things off the court.
Although a player like Richard will be included in the football game with the team, the editors will not spend any effort to design any skills or characteristics for him. Even the ratings are simulated by the system itself, and the highest level is Just about 75.
But what he met today was a super genius whose initial statistics could reach 85!
Maybe Bell hadn't been included in the game company's database yet, but he looked at Richard's back getting farther and farther away from him. Everyone knew that another talented guy had emerged.
"Oh, buy it, do it!!!"
On the sideline of the court, Bell was getting rid of Richard at a speed visible to the naked eye, not even giving his opponent a chance to follow behind and eat dust.
In the footage, the 1.80-meter Scottish midfielder is already gritting his teeth and desperately chasing, but the 1.85-meter Welsh winger can run more than enough, and even looks at the situation in the middle.
"He's too fast!"
"Are his feet equipped with jet canisters?"
"Have biologists successfully developed rocket monkeys?"
Bell's speed is so fast that even his teammates can't keep up with him.
In desperation, Bell rushed to the front of the penalty area and ended his first attack with a long shot.
Although he didn't have a shot on target, his whirlwind speed still left a deep impression on most fans.
Redknapp did not expect that he would have to stand up and come to the sidelines before his butt was hot, to put some pressure on his disciples and cheer them up.
"Watch him, watch him!"
"Don't let him break through, don't let him get past you so easily!"
However, Redknapp's shouting had no effect. Bale could not be seen with just his eyes.
Soon, the Saints' second offense arrived.
Wang Xiaodong formed a strong barrier in the midfield, making it difficult for the home team's high-altitude balls to find their teammates.
Southampton has always implemented a double midfielder style of play in order to prevent the defense from constraining Wang Xiaodong.
Therefore, although he is a defensive midfielder, in many cases, Wang Xiaodong is further forward than some midfielders in his defensive position.
Many teams wanted to take advantage of this to play behind Wang Xiaodong, but none of them failed.
When they discovered that Wang Xiaodong's physical strength was almost never exhausted, those teams that liked to play high and high immediately became paralyzed.
High-altitude balls are not Wang Xiaodong's advantage, but he is good enough to use other methods to prevent you from getting the ball.
"Great Sage, catch the ball!"
Wang Xiaodong roared, and Darren Porter flew up and kicked the ball away.
On the court, Wang Xiaodong also has another role, which is to use his loud voice to convey information to his teammates.
With his unique accent, title and explosive volume, Wang Xiaodong is like a mastermind, quickly conveying the team's front and backcourt information to the ears of target players.
It's still Bell's strong thrust.
The Welshman didn't spend much time on the ball at all.
Bell's natural ball sense and foot skills allowed Bell to quickly adjust his body shape, turn around, and step forward with his two slender thighs.
This time Richard was well prepared and took the lead.
However, in terms of speed, he is no match at all.
It was clear that this kid was already close, but after two or three breaths, he walked away again with the ball.
Looking at Bell's retreating back, Richard's mind was filled with confusion.
foul?
Farke!
I don’t want to get a yellow card in the first minute!
This time Bell did not take a long shot, and his teammates' follow-up speed also increased.
After arriving at the bottom line on the left side of the penalty area and adjusting for a moment, Bell swung his left foot and sent a high and fast curve ball flying into the penalty area.
Bell's left-foot kick pinned Portsmouth goalkeeper Dean to the goal line. This outward-rotating pass is most likely to attract goalkeepers who are not focused enough to take the bait.
The penalty area was bustling with activity and the ball flew over most people's heads.
Nathandale, who was plugged in from behind, barely jumped up and rubbed the ball with his scalp.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to push forward, and was blocked by the opponent's defender and bounced out of bounds.
The two attacks after the opening were launched by Southampton, and Redknapp looked a little livid in front of the bench.
Taking a closer look at Southampton's current lineup, it is more than a little bit worse than last season.
Not only are there no well-known players, the characteristics of the players are not outstanding, and the tactics are naturally very general.
Last season, with Crouch in his hands, Redknapp was still able to lose 1-4 in the away game.
In Redknapp's view, he has really tried his best.
But why did Keegan neither buy stars nor recruit experienced veterans after taking over the Saints this season? Just by playing in the youth team, can the strength improve so much?
Is it because of the players?
Redknapp looked at Wang Xiaodong, who was calling to his teammates at midfield not to retreat easily, and fell into deep thought.
He did not rush to give instructions to the players, and Bell's speed and breakthrough were completely unexpected.
If Theo Walcott was still playing for the Saints, then all teams facing Southampton would have worked out a method that suits them before the game to prevent wide players from penetrating.
However, Little Tiger moved to Arsenal, and Southampton only promoted a rookie in the youth team, which caused a hidden loss for those teams that had not yet played against the Saints.
As the saying goes, everything is dark under the lights. Who would have thought that after Southampton lost its striker, it would take such a short time to find a player of the same type who is taller, similar in age, not weak in speed, and looks like a monkey?
Farke!
He is also a left winger!
When Bell appeared in the corner, the fans were not calm again.
Not only can this guy make sudden runs, but he can also kick set pieces?
In full view of the crowd, Bell kicked a low and flat corner kick.
Sean Davis, who was standing at the front point, breathed a sigh of relief. The ball was passed too low and flat. It seemed that this kid's footwork was not very good.
He stabilized his stance, flicked his neck, and without even jumping, cleared the ball directly out of the penalty area.
But Wang Xiaodong appeared at the second landing point, pushed the ball gently, and returned the ball to Bell's feet again.
"Fake!" Davis gritted his teeth and rushed towards Bell.
When he made a clearance just now, if his teammates in front of the goal line ran out of the penalty area immediately, Wang Xiaodong's pass would have been offside.
What he didn't know was that Bell wasn't stupid either.
How could Bell, who had been watching the opponent's last central defender move, make such a low-level mistake?
The speeding up Bell did not give Davis the slightest chance to defend himself. Just when Davis was studying how to stop Bell, he stopped himself.
Turning left, turning right... slowly stepping on the ball, everyone was waiting for the moment when Bell suddenly broke out.
But at this moment, Bell pushed with his left foot and suddenly pushed the ball towards Davis' wicket.
The latter put his legs together, and the cool feeling coming from under his crotch told him that he was still lost.
"He's waiting for the second defender!"
In the stands, some saints saw the clues.
The reason why Bell stood there for a while was to attract more firepower and create opportunities for his teammates in the penalty area.
At this moment, Bell showed the way he handled the ball, not like a rookie on the court at all.
Darren Porter, who just transferred from Liverpool this season, rushed out of the penalty area and ran towards the ball. His height of 1.85 meters allowed him to fully resist the sight of the defender behind him.
Just when the Portsmouth defender stepped forward to prevent Darren Porter from turning around, the young midfielder with dual nationality of England and Ireland flicked his right foot and moved the ball to the upper left corner of the penalty area.
What is he going to do?
Before the fans could react, Redknapp's eyes widened.
"Be on guard!"
"Guard him!!!"
For a short period of time, Redknapp was unable to shout any more words. How should the players deal with the simple word "defend"?
Whoosh!
Before Davis and Richard could react, a gust of wind roared past.
In desperation, Davis reached out his hand to grab Bell who was starting up.
But Darren Porter, who acted as a wall screener, moved slightly laterally, blocking Davis' last hope.
"stop!"
"Stop him!"
"Kill him!!!"
Deungili kept roaring in his heart, but at this moment he could only lower his center of gravity and slowly move laterally from the near post towards the middle.
He pressed his arms down and stared at the ball at Bell's feet, fearing that the opponent would suddenly kick.
Dial right...dial right...dial right again...
With his heels close to the line of the penalty area, Bell kept dribbling the ball laterally and passed several defenders in succession.
The Pompeii boys rushed forward one after another, stretching their legs or sliding tackles, trying their best to block Bell's shooting path.
Bringing it all the way from the upper left corner of the penalty area, with continuous fake kicks, Bell took the ball to the other side of the penalty spot.
If you wear it again, there will be no angle at all!
Just when Dean was relaxing, Bell suddenly tightened his instep and hit the back right side of the ball hard.
Whoosh!
Primus stretched his right leg desperately, trying to block the ball.
But he found that the black and white elf was clinging to the turf, whizzing around from the top of his toes.
Walter? ? ?
As the leading defender of Pompey Boys, this is Linwo Primus' sixth year playing for Portsmouth.
This big black man, who was born in the eastern suburbs of London, still has mop-like dreadlocks.
Although it looks funny, no one dares to underestimate this fierce-looking central defender.
Primos, who was born in 1973, is already considered the most experienced veteran on this court.
When other teammates rushed to "prostrate themselves" under Bell's shorts, only Primos firmly resisted Bell's pace and followed from the left side of the court to the right side.
Because of this, Bell made an extremely unconventional leg swing while dribbling the ball continuously, which made Primus instantly understand: This kick was a real shot!
The moment Bell touched the ball, Primus, who had been prepared for it, took a step forward at almost the same moment, fell to the ground and stretched his legs laterally.
He is convinced that with his many years of blocking experience, after squeezing the shooting space to such a small space, even if the opponent's shot avoids his torso, it will be difficult to hit the goal frame.
But this time, looking at the ball whirling past on his toes, Primus' heart sank to the bottom.
This is no ordinary reverse push!
This is obviously a small external rotation volley!
Damn, isn't he left-handed?
Uh-huh! ! !
The shadow of the ball flashed past, and Dean tried his best to save it in the opposite direction.
But the ball almost missed the uprights and entered the net.
When Dean's palm landed, there was still more than fifty centimeters between his fingertips and the doorpost.
The three-in-one shot of speed, angle and arc left the Portsmouth goalkeeper beyond his reach.
"hurey!!!"
In an instant, more than two thousand visiting team fans in the visiting team's stands burst into deafening cheers.
When the familiar voice came out of the stadium, more than 2,000 saints outside Fratton Sports Park also raised their arms, echoing the compatriots inside the stadium.
Even the most senior football pundits did not expect that Fratton Stadium would be captured less than five minutes after kick-off.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
"GOAL, GOAL, GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
"IT'SGareth~~~~Bale!!!"
"Bale!!!"
Only then did the fans take a closer look at the name on the back of the scorer.
B,A,L,E.
When the fans spelled out such a simple word, they discovered that their new star actually had such a simple and loud name.
"BELL! BELL! BELL!!!"
The saints raised their arms and shouted to welcome their new king.
After scoring the goal, Bell was also extremely excited. He rushed to the sidelines as fast as he could, and roared at the fans supporting him behind the barbed wire fence.
At this moment, the grievances Bell had accumulated for more than half a year were wiped away.
I have been injured.
But I'm fine now!
After I recover, I can still run on the green field, I can still score goals, and I can still accept the worship of the fans!
The young Bell raised his arms high, and his two monkey ears were red from congestion.
With a smile on his young face, countless fans wanted to reach out and have a close contact with this Saints star of tomorrow.
It's like touching a monkey when you visit the zoo.
"Oh, oh, my child, is your name Belle?"
In the first row of stands, there was an old woman sitting in a blue dress, with gray cotton hair, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with anti-skid chains.
Others bared their teeth and unleashed their fanaticism.
However, the old woman has always maintained a good education, smiling and looking at the young boy in front of her.
Such a contrast between the old fans naturally attracted Bell's attention. Looking at the other's age, Bell felt that calling him grandma was not an exaggeration.
"Uh...yes, madam, my full name is Gareth Bale."
Bell dismissed the teammates behind him who were disturbing his hair style and replied softly.
Seeing Bell being so polite, the old woman kept shaking her head.
"Okay, okay, okay, what a polite boy."
"Oh, you remind me of that kid from Hiller. He was as polite as you back then."
Thirty-six-year-old Alan Shearer is two years older than Bale, but he is still a child in the eyes of the old saint.
Hearing this, Bell became even more frightened.
"That guy Keegan did a good job teaching him, and he actually trained such a talented young player..."
The old woman was chattering as she reached into her purse.
When she stretched out her hand again, she was holding a big golden banana.
"Come on, kid, you're welcome. Eat it. It's very nutritious."
The old woman didn't know if she had Alzheimer's disease or if she really thought this thing could supplement nutrition, but the kindness on her face was not just an act.
Bell awkwardly took the banana, quickly opened the skin in front of everyone, and bit into his mouth three or two times.
Seeing Bell obediently eat the banana, the old woman smiled kindly again: "Okay, good boy."
"come on!"
"After you score another goal, I have other rewards here!"
