Sports Medicine Master System

He wasn’t a top-tier star. As for the 2010 World Cup, who knew what kind of shape he’d be in by then, or if he could even make the National Team.

So this year’s World Cup was quite possibly the most crucial one of his career.

If he missed it because of an injury, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

“Don’t worry, you’ll definitely make it.”

Chen Yu pulled his hand away and went to find Rijkaard.

Sure enough, after hearing the news, Rijkaard felt as if his world was collapsing.

Xavi was injured, and so was Motta. If Edmilson, their starting defensive midfielder, was also out for the season, Bar?a’s midfield would be completely decimated.

“Chen, are you sure it’s a season-ending injury?” Rijkaard asked, his voice trembling.

Chen Yu “suspected” there was a problem with Edmilson’s right meniscus.

Of course, that was just what he said. With the Eye of All-Seeing, the truth was plain as day.

It was a torn meniscus.

When Rijkaard heard Chen Yu say an MRI was needed for confirmation, he asked in confusion, “But he’s perfectly fine, isn’t he? He played in the last match, and he’s been training normally.”

Chen Yu patted his shoulder. “Let’s wait for the test results.”

Edmilson’s tear was a peculiar one.

There are several types of meniscus tears.

The most common is a radial tear, which is like a small splinter.

But there are also special types, like a horizontal tear, which was what Edmilson had.

This type of tear is like a thick shoe insole being split horizontally into two layers.

The meniscus primarily absorbs vertical pressure. One layer of cushion provides a buffer, but so do two. If the tear isn’t severe, the pain might not be that intense.

He might just feel some discomfort in his knee.

For professional athletes, physical discomfort is a daily occurrence, so it’s very likely they’d just dismiss it.

But if left untreated, continuing to play high-intensity matches could cause the separated layers of the meniscus to tear again, making it much worse.

Rijkaard nodded blankly, his expression truly one of utter devastation.

Chen Yu’s thoughts turned to Aragonese.

‘That optimistic old man was going to treat me to dinner. I wonder how he’ll react when I tell him this bad news.’

Eriksson was unlucky, but Aragonese was having a particularly bad run of it himself.

Ronaldo and Ronaldinho had already made arrangements to give Chen Yu a grand welcome upon his arrival.

But now, seeing Edmilson being wheeled into an ambulance, all the Bar?a players were stunned.

As a result, when Ronaldo, Beckham, and the others arrived at the party that evening in high spirits, they too were left dumbfounded after learning the terrible news.

‘Raul, Xavi, Belletti… how many people had gotten injured in La Liga this year?’

Despite being surrounded by beautiful women, Ronaldo’s mind was elsewhere. He kept rubbing his own knee, then nervously asked Chen Yu about the recent soreness in his right knee.

And his right knee was the very one that had suffered a major injury in the past.

The moment he said this, the faces of Beckham, Zidane, Carlos, and the others in the room turned grim.

“Relax, Ronnie. You’re fine.”

Chen Yu waved a dismissive hand. He had already scanned all of their bodies with his ability when he walked in.

Ronaldo’s knee soreness was most likely just a minor muscle strain—nothing serious at all.

“Chen, are you sure? Why don’t you give me a check-up?”

Ronaldo, still unconvinced, immediately lay down.

Beside him, Carlos, Ronaldinho, and Robinho all nodded in agreement.

The Brazil Team couldn’t afford to lose Ronaldo this year.

If he got injured, Brazil’s chances would be shot.

As he spoke, Zidane also lay down, pointing to his own calf. He said his calf muscles had been feeling tight and sore recently.

They all knew the details by now. Edmilson had been perfectly fine at training that morning, but as soon as it ended, Chen Yu examined him, and he was carted off in an ambulance.

By now, the media in all of Catalonia was probably in an uproar.

“Trust me, you’re both really fine,” Chen Yu said, exasperated, motioning for the two of them to get up.

But after a moment’s thought, Chen Yu added a word of caution. “Still, with the World Cup approaching, you all need to be careful. Especially you.”

Chen Yu looked at Ronaldo.

Chen Yu knew all too well what this World Cup meant to Ronaldo.

It was late February, just four months before the World Cup.

There were some injuries Chen Yu could deal with ahead of time without much issue.

But if he got injured toward the end of the season, there wouldn’t be enough time to recover. Not even a miracle could save him then.

So for a player like Ronaldo, who had already won every honor imaginable and was living for this one World Cup, he really needed to be extra careful.

And then there was Zidane.

“Zinedine, are you still taking your medication?”

Chen Yu remembered something.

Zidane’s thalassemia.

Back in ’02, Chen Yu had discovered that he suffered from thalassemia.

At the time, Chen Yu had advised him to take medication long-term to manage it.

But thalassemia is a genetic disorder. Mild cases don’t require treatment, while moderate to severe cases are incurable.

Therefore, the medication served more as a psychological comfort than anything else.

The reason he asked again was mainly that Zidane’s hair loss was getting progressively worse. It had been a while since they’d last met, and now he was completely bald.

Everyone else turned to look at Zidane in unison.

Carlos said in a low voice, “Zinedine, I feel like you’ve been having trouble keeping up on the pitch this season.”

Beckham, beside him, nodded in agreement.

It was common knowledge within the team that Zidane had thalassemia and had been taking traditional Chinese medicine that Chen Yu mailed to him.

But they also knew it was a genetic disease with no cure.

And going bald was a significant symptom.

They had watched with their own eyes as Zidane’s hair grew thinner and his head became smoother.

Zidane’s expression became a little awkward, and he glanced at the women in the room.

Just as in the NBA, the women who moved in these circles were known for being discreet.

So Zidane hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, “I feel… I feel all right.”

He sounded hesitant.

He probably had some issues he found difficult to discuss.

Chen Yu didn’t press the issue. Thalassemia was a slowly progressing disease, and even if one wanted to treat it, it wasn’t easy.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yu said, “After the season ends, your National Team will arrange for you to come to the United States. I’ll help you take care of it then.”

‘In his condition, it would be best to get a blood transfusion before the World Cup.’

“Also, try to keep your temper in check.”

Chen Yu added another warning.

As soon as he mentioned it, Carlos couldn’t help but chime in. “That’s right, Zinedine. Your temper has gotten worse. During training last month, you didn’t have to chew out Bravo like that. He’s a good kid.”

Zidane rubbed his bald head and said nothing.

Seeing the atmosphere had become too heavy, Ronaldinho couldn’t stand it anymore. He quickly called over to the women to liven things up.

He immediately handed Chen Yu a drink, trying to shut him up.

‘If Chen Yu keeps going like this,’ he thought, ‘no one here is going to leave with any peace of mind.’