Being selected for German War Machine's preliminary World Cup squad not only earned Marc congratulations from the coaching staff and teammates but also led to a breakthrough in his fame!
Many fans Googled his information and videos, then were captivated by his skills and looks, becoming his fans or followers.
In an instant, his follower counts on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube surged, exceeding 200,000 in just two days!
Of course, being selected for the preliminary 30-man World Cup squad doesn't guarantee Marc a seat on the plane to Brazil.
This is both an opportunity and a challenge.
If he wants to participate in the World Cup held in the Samba Kingdom, he must impress Löw with his performance in training and warm-up matches after entering the training camp.
Only then can he make it into the final 23-man squad.
After a quick look at the squad list, Marc felt that earning playing time in this German War Machine would be extremely difficult!
Because he can play on both the left and right sides.
So, in the winger positions, he has to compete with Reus, Schürrle, Müller, Götze, Draxler, and Volland.
Seven players competing for two starting spots?
Each position faces at least two to three competitors!
In terms of speed, he couldn't match Reus or Schürrle;
In terms of organization and positioning, he couldn't compare to Götze or Müller;
In terms of shooting, he also couldn't match Draxler or Volland...
His only advantage over these competitors was his dribbling skills!
Of course, considering that even if he gets playing time, he will most likely be deployed as a right winger.
Moreover, with his experience, he wouldn't get much possession or shooting opportunities.
Therefore, after each daily training session, Marc would do extra crossing practice.
Instead of scoring goals himself, it would be better to focus on special crossing training and see if he could get on the field to assist his veteran teammates with a goal or two; that way, he could also establish himself in German War Machine in the future.
And to improve his crossing ability as quickly as possible, Marc would specifically pull De Bruyne to join him for extra practice after every team training session.
Perhaps it was the first time someone had treated him as a subject of study, and De Bruyne readily accepted this new identity as "Marc's Designated Crossing Mentor."
It's worth mentioning that seeing Marc and De Bruyne being so disciplined, Malanda also stayed behind, becoming Marc's other sparring partner.
His main task was to do one-on-one training with Marc to improve his defensive abilities.
And seeing these three practicing on the training ground made their other teammates exclaim:
"So disciplined at only eighteen?!"
"No wonder he was selected for the World Cup squad!"
Being selected for the preliminary World Cup squad was just a small interlude; before officially reporting to the national team, Marc still needed to play the club's last two matches of the season!
That is, the final League match and the even more important German Cup final!
On the third day after the preliminary squad was announced, Marc and Wolfsburg hosted "The Foals" Mönchengladbach, who were ranked sixth, at the Volkswagen Arena for their final League match.
For Mönchengladbach, their League ranking of sixth was already confirmed, regardless of the outcome.
Therefore, Mönchengladbach's lineup also underwent significant rotation.
Rotational substitutes and young academy players with limited playing time were given starting opportunities.
This match was irrelevant to Wolfsburg's League standing.
Regardless of whether they won or lost, they had already secured third place in the League.
Even so.
But considering the German Cup final a week later, Hecking surely hoped the team would end the League with a victory while allowing the main players to build confidence, approaching the upcoming final with a winning mentality!
And so, he fielded all his main players!
And Marc also made his sixth start of the season!
Also starting was Malanda. With his excellent physique and extensive coverage, Malanda, despite not having much playing time this season, everyone could see that this Belgium youngster had great potential.
Most importantly, he had a good relationship with both of the team's core players.
One was the attacking midfield playmaker De Bruyne, and the other was the wide ball-carrying core Marc!
So, considering Arnold's fitness issues, he chose Malanda to start.
And Malanda did not disappoint him!
In this match, he used his excellent stamina and running to cover the entire midfield area, completing numerous tackles and interceptions.
And with this strong, dark-skinned player holding the midfield, Wolfsburg's attacking players could confidently go forward. In the seventeenth minute of the first half, Marc completed a dribble on the right wing and sent in a high cross.
Mönchengladbach's center-back, Dominguez, failed to clear it far enough, and it fell to Gustavo's feet outside the penalty area.
The latter followed up with a powerful long-range shot, directly opening Mönchengladbach's goal!
After scoring, Gustavo went to the camera by the corner flag, stood still, and then waved to Marc.
The latter understood and came to his side, then celebrated by dancing the Samba with him.
Subsequently, center-back Naldo also joined in, and the three of them danced. Seeing Marc, in just half a season, already getting along well with the team's main players, Hecking on the sidelines couldn't help but smile. A harmonious and good team atmosphere is absolutely the foundation for the team to achieve good results!
After taking the lead, the Wolfsburg players played with even greater ease.
In the thirty-seventh minute of the match, Wolfsburg extended their lead again.
This time, Marc dribbled and crossed from the right, creating a corner kick opportunity on the right side of the attack.
R. Rodriguez's corner kick went directly to Naldo's bald head, and he headed it back into the goal.
"Little Lion" ter Stegen could only watch in despair.
It's worth noting that Marc only focused on dribbling statistics in this match. After all, as long as he successfully completed four dribbles in this game, his season goal would basically be achieved.
And in the sixtieth minute of the second half, Marc, De Bruyne, and Perišić were all substituted off to rest.
Ultimately, Wolfsburg defeated Mönchengladbach three-to-one at home.
They ended the entire League season on a high note with a victory!
After the match, the Wolfsburg players went to various stands to interact with the fans during the thank-you ceremony.
When he saw a blonde little girl holding up a handmade cardboard sign that read, "Marc, can I have your jersey?", Marc took off his jersey and threw it to the little girl, whose cheeks were flushed.
The latter completely disregarded the sweat on the jersey, clutching it to her chest like a treasure, and then flashed a brilliant smile.
After completing the season's thank-you ceremony at home, everyone walked back to the locker room with cheerful steps.
Just then, a pleasant system female voice suddenly rang in Marc's mind:
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, Host, on completing the season objective!"