Chapter 13: First Training Session

After the hug, she said to Alex: "Let's take a selfie of my first time in the studio." After that, she directly posted it on her Instagram account.

Alex could only smile. He knew that Maia had a little inferiority complex here. His two ex-girlfriends are big celebrities known internationally, while although she started gaining fame, she didn't even have 2 million followers on Instagram. This is also one of the reasons she didn't want to announce their relationship.

By posting this selfie of the two of them, she is officially announcing that they are together. At the same time, she must also bear the pressure from the media. The English media are well known for putting pressure on celebrities, and there will definitely be many fans who will compare her with his two exes, especially since she is Argentinian. They will have an initial negative impression of her thanks to Diego Simeone's deeds at the World Cup.

"Are you sure you will not regret doing this? You have to know that there will definitely be some pressure that you must bear."

Maia just smiled. It's a lie to say that she didn't feel pressured. Alex's ex-girlfriends are all international singers while she had to act in a movie to gather some fans. But to be honest, as long as Alex continued to be honest and considerate, she felt that she could overcome this pressure.

After the date ended, Alex and Maia naturally returned to Alex's home, and only they knew what happened after returning home.

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In the morning, Alex woke up much earlier than he used to because today is the day of the training reprise. It is also the first training session that Alex will officially direct. Although he has done it before as the captain when the coach asked him, today will be completely different.

Alex is truly a fearless person, but not a fool. He knew that there must be players doubting him, but his advantage is that no one would dare to disrespect him in Sunderland no matter what he did, just like no one would disrespect Leo Messi at Barça in 2012.

Putting these careful thoughts aside, Alex was already at the training ground. Today, as it was the first training session since becoming player-coach, he would not do too much but just give the players some encouragement, playing a training match to show his new ability. Since it's an open training, fans can also participate, which will entertain the fans.

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Only one hour after he arrived, all the players were already there. Even though they are friends with Alex, they also know that it's basic respect to arrive a little earlier for the first training of a newly appointed coach, a little bit of an unspoken rule.

Right now, they are not in the locker room but on the training ground, and the atmosphere is a little more formal than it used to be.

First, Alex coughed a little before saying: "Hey, why does everyone seem so shy? You aren't meeting a girl but your new boss."

Jordan Willis, who has a good relationship with Alex, responded with a grin: "Well, captain, maybe we're just intimidated by your new 'coach' aura. It's quite something."

The group chuckled, easing the weird atmosphere that had built up. Alex appreciated the levity, knowing that humor would be key to maintaining a positive atmosphere. It was also one of the reasons why he has a good relationship with Willis, because the latter has a high EQ.

"Alright, I also know I'm intimidating when I am serious. Who made me have the aura of a king?" Alex said, then clapped his hands to gather their attention. "I know it feels different with me in this role, but the goal remains the same – to be the best team we can be. You have the best midfielder in history after all. Alright, let's get started with some light drills and then we'll have a training match."

As the players dispersed to begin their warm-ups, Alex was the one leading the warm-up. He knew that it was through these little actions that he would continue to gather their respect. Still, his transition from teammate to leader was seamless, especially with his easy-going personality.

Meanwhile, Maia, who woke up, found that Alex had already left. However, he had already prepared breakfast for her. While eating, Maia, a little woman of only 19, was curious about how many likes the photo posted yesterday had. She was shocked to find out that it had already garnered thousands of likes and comments.

Although there were some predictable critical comments, overall, she could see that most of them were supporting and encouraging her. There was one that amused her saying, "Alex's ex-girlfriends are all singers, his new girlfriend is also a singer. Does he have some weird hobby?"

Another comment made her proud: "Although Alex has a weird taste in choosing a club, I will give him five stars when it comes to choosing a girlfriend. Look at them, any of them is heaven, but his new girlfriend is definitely the top." Although this comment had the most dislikes thanks to the fans of his exes, she couldn't help but click the like button.