The 2008–09 season had completely ended.
The dream of Barcelona being crowned treble winners and challenging for the sextuple had vanished. Instead, the Indomitable Blues of Chelsea were crowned champions of Europe.
Last year, John Terry had shed tears on the field during the rainy night in Moscow. This year, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, John Terry still shed tears on the field. However, this time, they were tears of joy.
Terry, Lampard, Drogba, Ballack, Essien, Carvalho—these players were no longer young. The average age of the starting lineup was close to 30. If they couldn't win the Champions League with this relatively strong squad this year, Chelsea fans truly couldn't imagine having another chance to touch the Big Ears Trophy, which symbolizes the pinnacle of Europe.
At the post-match championship celebration, the one who cried the most was not Terry, but the German veteran Michael Ballack.
His professional career had been practically that of a runner-up collector. League runner-up, German Cup runner-up, Champions League runner-up—the "triple runner-up" in the 2001–02 season with Bayer Leverkusen. Following that were the 2002 World Cup runner-up, and the 2008 Champions League runner-up and Premier League runner-up with Chelsea.
Ballack couldn't count on a World Cup title; he could only leave that for the younger generation of the Germany national team to strive for. But the Champions League title had seemed within reach. Having reached the Champions League final for two consecutive years, Ballack had even developed a mental block, fearing that a Borussia Dortmund team missing more than five key players would somehow make him collect yet another runner-up medal.
Fortunately, fate did not play a joke on him this time. With the Champions League title in hand, Ballack's professional career had no regrets. Subconsciously, he seemed to feel something was off, as if there should have been some tribulation in his destiny, but it was inexplicably resolved. Oh well, who cares!
Ballack lifted the Big Ears Trophy, no longer able to hold back his tears; even a tough man has a tender side.
For Jin Hayes, his Champions League final was the battle against Barça. It couldn't help but remind him of his favourite manga from childhood. In Slam Dunk, Shōhoku's first national tournament saw them, as underdogs, overturn the strong favourite Sannoh. Unfortunately, they were severely depleted after that battle and ultimately lost to Aiwa Academy, missing out on the quarter-finals.
"At least we made it further than Shōhoku," Jin Hayes laughed at himself. His Dortmund had reached the final, even if they had ultimately fallen short.
After the Champions League final, the 2008–09 season concluded with a flourish. The team was about to hold a double-championship parade celebration two days later on the weekend, followed by the off-season, awaiting the arrival of the 2009–10 season.
But the storm surrounding Jin Hayes intensified.
Today, he had planned to use the training base's gym to do some light weightlifting and maintain his fitness. Only when he reached the club entrance did he discover a group of fans protesting at the base gate, holding banners and placards.
Jin Hayes was very curious, so he casually grabbed a fan in the back row.
"Buddy, what's going on here?"
"We're trying to keep Jin Hayes; we don't want the club to sell him!"
"Ah? The club is going to sell players?"
"Yes, it's been widely rumoured recently that CEO Watzke met with Chelsea owner Abramovich."
"Is that true? Is it just a rumour?"
"No way, Di Marzio even broke the news that both sides are discussing the possibility of Jin Hayes joining Chelsea."
"I see, but it still doesn't feel reliable. Jin Hayes himself wants to stay, so the club can't possibly force him out."
"Not necessarily. Watzke is known to be a shrewd businessman."
"Believe me, Jin Hayes won't leave, at least not this season."
"Who are you to be so sure?"
The young man rolled his eyes and complained, then returned to the protest line. Jin Hayes just smiled without speaking. He circled around and slipped in through the side gate of the base.
It wasn't until Jin Hayes's figure disappeared that the young man from earlier reacted. Although he was wearing a sun hat and sunglasses, he looked like—Holy crap?!
"Could it really have been Jin Hayes?"
It couldn't be helped; just as many East Asians are face-blind to Westerners, foreigners are also a bit face-blind to Asian faces. By the time he realized something was wrong, Jin Hayes's figure had long vanished.
Inside the base, Jin Hayes still felt something was amiss. Forgetting about the gym, he went to the lounge, opened his laptop, and browsed the forums again. It turned out that rumours about his transfer to Chelsea were already rampant. Tabloid media like Bild even directly published Jin Hayes's transfer rumours.
"According to Di Marzio, Bundesliga's youngest champion, youngest German Cup champion, and two-time Bundesliga assist king Jin Hayes may soon transfer to Premier League Chelsea. Reporters have captured images of Chelsea owner Abramovich conversing with Borussia Dortmund CEO Watzke. It is reported that this transfer will exceed Jin Hayes's 55 million valuation on Transfermarkt, with the transfer fee approaching 80 million Euros, potentially becoming one of the most significant transfers this summer after Cristiano Ronaldo—"
What the heck?
Borussia Dortmund fans on the forum were begging Jin Hayes not to leave, to continue fighting with his brothers for another year, and to challenge for the Champions League title again. Fans of Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke 04, and other teams were gloating.
"Jin Hayes, don't go!"
"Bumblebees, please, everyone stay! Let's challenge for the Champions League title with the original squad again!"
"This year was truly perfect enough, the double is fantastic! But, it's really a shame not to have won the Champions League; you absolutely deserve that title!"
"Yes, if the squad were complete, we really wouldn't be afraid of Chelsea!"
"Borussia Dortmund is number one in Europe!"
"Come on, wait until Bayern rises; you'll tremble next season!"
"A team that lost 4–0 to Barça doesn't deserve to speak!"
As more and more fans joined in, either trying to keep him or arguing with rival fans, Jin Hayes himself felt uneasy. He clearly understood the helpless feeling of bewilderment when his favourite star on his home team unexpectedly left. When Henry left to join Barça, it had taken Jin Hayes a long time to recover.
It was necessary to reassure the fans.
Thinking of this, he quickly pulled out his phone.
"Come help."
Half an hour later, at the training base, Gündoğan, Reus, Hummels, Götze, Subotić, Jakub Błaszczykowski, Captain Kehl—a group of Borussia Dortmund stars gathered, except for Şahin.
Nuri Şahin had already left the team before the Champions League final. A month later, he would be wearing Real Madrid's white jersey and reporting to the Bernabéu. Şahin had left quietly, without any farewells or displays of affection.
In his own words: "The tears have already been shed on the home field in the final match. I don't like farewell scenes, so let me leave peacefully."
"Get lost, no one cares."
"Asshole."
That time, perhaps, was their last squabble.
"Is this really going to work?"
"Let's try it; I think it's quite interesting."
"Speaking of which, Jin, you're not really leaving, are you? I see it being reported on TV."
"Huh? Am I that popular?"
"Of course!"
Hummels was very excited. "Even my great-grandmother, who has Alzheimer's, knows you. She's 94 and hasn't watched a game in years!"
"Speaking of which, last time I saw Jin's print ad in Berlin, right in the commercial district."
Götze also remembered that Jin Hayes's image could already be seen in some places on the streets. He might be the most famous foreign player in Germany, right? Jin Hayes had already used his spare time to shoot some Coca-Cola print ads. He hadn't expected them to be spread across Germany so quickly.
So, I've really become a big star? Jin Hayes had an unreal feeling.
"Jin! Hey, don't zone out; I have a date. Hurry up and shoot."
"Okay."
"What are you doing?"
Just as Jin Hayes and his brothers were about to start filming, head coach Klopp suddenly burst in, looking at the young lads with a puzzled expression.
"It's like this—" Captain Kehl briefly explained.
"I see, then I'll join too."
"Ah?" Hummels' jaw dropped.
"What, am I a very fierce coach?"
"Of course—not!"
Seeing Klopp's expression turn scary, Hummels immediately changed his words.
"That's more like it. Come on, Jin. I also have responsibility for this matter, and the club's official announcement will be released then too."
"Actually, it's not a big deal; I just wanted to film for fun."
"That's good. This can also be considered a public relations method for the club, showing fans a different side of the team, which is also good."
Jin Hayes's idea gave Klopp a whole new perspective. As expected of a young person, internet thinking is so much better than that of an old-fashioned person like him. Although the club's publicity and public relations were Watzke's responsibility and had nothing to do with him as head coach, Klopp still hoped that more people would like and support Borussia Dortmund.
That evening, a short video suddenly went viral on the gradually rising video website YouTube. In the German region, it had already accumulated over 600,000 views overnight. Globally, the views quickly surpassed 1 million, 2 million, 3 million!
The video content was very simple, just players taking selfies with a DV.
"I'm Marco Reus, and I don't agree with Jin Hayes's transfer."
"I'm Mats Hummels, and I don't agree with Jin Hayes's transfer."
"I'm Sebastian Kehl, and I also don't agree with Jin Hayes's transfer."
"I'm Jin Hayes, and I also don't agree with Jin Hayes's transfer."
"I'm Jürgen Klopp, and I don't agree with Jin Hayes's transfer. Also, keep an eye on the Borussia Dortmund official website tonight; we will have a formal announcement."
Ordinary passersby were stunned, and fans were even more stunned. What, what, what is this? What the heck is this? However, it was quite catchy. Especially Borussia Dortmund fans, who couldn't help but click to watch it several more times and forwarded it to their friends.
Those viral videos on the internet that explode in popularity are usually indeed very nonsensical, just some inexplicable content. But they just manage to hit a certain spot and spread rapidly. As more and more people saw this video, everyone also found the Borussia Dortmund official website.
Sure enough, on the official website, in addition to the official announcements of new player signings, there was also a highlighted notice.
"Special Notice: Recent transfer rumours regarding core club player Jin Hayes have affected the club's image. Borussia Dortmund Football Club officially denies all false news sources and solemnly clarifies that no club has reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for Jin Hayes's transfer. Jin Hayes's contract still has two years remaining, and during this period, Jin Hayes will always be an indispensable member of the Borussia Dortmund team. Next season, we will fight together to achieve better results and repay the fans' support. We hope everyone continues to support Jin Hayes and continues to support Borussia Dortmund—"
Borussia Dortmund fans finally had peace of mind; Jin Hayes would still be with the team next season! Only then did they have the mood to look at the new season's signings. Although Watzke had his issues, at least his execution was strong. Before the team's holiday ended, he had already secured several players.
"Japanese forward, Shinji Kagawa officially joins Borussia Dortmund—"
"Polish defender, Łukasz Piszczek officially joins Borussia Dortmund—"
"German midfielder, Borussia Dortmund youth product, Kevin Großkreutz officially joins Borussia Dortmund—"
"German midfielder, Sven Bender officially joins Borussia Dortmund—"
"Paraguayan forward, Lucas Barrios officially joins Borussia Dortmund—"
The fans scrolled through the list with growing excitement. These weren't just random signings—they were targeted additions to a squad that had already proven it could compete at the highest level. Kagawa's creativity, Piszczek's versatility, Großkreutz's energy, Bender's defensive tenacity, Barrios's goalscoring instincts—each player addressed a specific need.
And there was one more name that would be confirmed in the coming days—a Polish striker from Lech Poznań who had already agreed to join. Robert Lewandowski. The deal had been in the works for months, and his arrival would add yet another dimension to Dortmund's attack.
Jin Hayes read through the list on his phone and smiled. The club wasn't standing still. They were building something. And next season, with a full squad and a year of experience behind them, they would be even stronger.
He looked around at his teammates—Reus, Hummels, Götze, Gündoğan—and felt a surge of confidence. The double was history. The Champions League final heartbreak was motivation. And the future was yellow and black.
"Next season," he said quietly, "we finish the job."
The others nodded. No words were needed. They all understood.