Years later, on the European Cup stage, watching Kylian Mbappé sprint past him in celebration, the 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo would recall that night in April 2009, during the Champions League quarter-finals, witnessing a 16-year-old teenager create a miracle. At this moment, the 24-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo stood panting at the edge of the penalty area, personally witnessing what a miracle was, and what the limits of human talent and willpower could achieve.
In his perception, surrounded by the Manchester United defence—with the Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić combination in front, and Michael Carrick and Patrice Evra blocking from behind—no one could easily escape. He couldn't do it. Lionel Messi might, but it would be highly unlikely. Ronaldinho would have created opportunities with more clever methods in advance, not forcing his way through. The Portuguese star would probably just open up an angle and shoot directly. Zinedine Zidane would definitely look for an opportunity to pass to a teammate making a late run.
The names Cristiano Ronaldo could think of were already world-class superstars, the very pinnacle of the world football pyramid, the most talented and powerful group of people. Even they found it difficult to defy the laws of football, let alone ordinary players.
Anyone who dared not to pass back in time, who dared to hold onto the ball and get dispossessed while surrounded by opponents, must have lost their mind. Yet, just now, Cristiano Ronaldo had personally witnessed an impossible scene.
"What? How? Why?"
Cristiano Ronaldo's years of football knowledge were completely overturned at this moment. One man, truly just one man, was enough to completely dismantle an entire meticulously functioning defensive line. Not relying on mistakes, not relying on defensive players making foolish errors, but entirely on physical prowess and footwork to break through—just brute-force breaking through. It was unbelievable.
"Puta!"
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't know how to describe his feelings, he could only curse angrily in his native language.
"Man! What can I say?"
Wayne Rooney felt the same. However, Rooney's mentality was still good. After the infamous incident in the 2006 World Cup, the forward had gradually matured. Manchester United drawing 2-2 away was not the end of the world; they still held a slight advantage. Moreover, the miraculous teenager was truly brilliant. This was perhaps one of the most beautiful, unscientific, and unreasonable goals Rooney had ever seen—the ultimate in individual heroism.
Rooney could already feel that his team's defence was starting to crumble mentally. Dortmund, on the other hand, rekindled their morale; everyone seemed to have a berserker buff, transforming into raging warriors.
"The second half will probably be very difficult to play," Rooney couldn't help but complain.
Jin Hayes's head was completely muddled. After scoring purely on willpower, his ears had been ringing with a constant "whooshing" sound. It was like the muffled sound caused by a sudden increase in heart rate, accelerated blood circulation, and elevated blood pressure impacting the inner ear after intense exercise.
In a state of hypoxia, his brain felt slightly dizzy, his steps were unsteady, and he felt completely disoriented. After scoring, Jin Hayes could barely celebrate, let alone run. It was all thanks to his frantic teammates who rushed into the Manchester United goal, pulled him out, and with many hands, hoisted Jin Hayes onto Mats Hummels' shoulders. Jin Hayes was forced into a piggyback celebration with his teammates.
Amidst the stadium's wild screams and cheers, Jin Hayes instinctively smiled and waved, making him appear human. Otherwise, his half-dead state would have been captured clearly by the close-up camera. Even Jürgen Klopp rushed over frantically, sprinting 30 metres to fly to Jin Hayes's side, excitedly patting his back.
"Beautiful, Jin!! Brilliant!! Brilliant!!" The surrounding Borussia Dortmund players had seen Klopp excited, but never this excited.
"Jin Hayes, the teenager from China, has truly become the hero of this stadium."
"He has saved the team from dire situations more than once, playing the role of a saviour multiple times."
"With this goal, Jin Hayes completely tore through Manchester United's defence with his individual ability!"
The director couldn't help but replay Jin Hayes's miraculous breakthrough from just now; the performance of the magical teenager inspired He Wei to poetic fervour and endless emotion. Regardless of whether Dortmund wins today, this Champions League quarter-final will become one of the eternal classic battles in Champions League history.
Domestic fans were already so excited their brains were deprived of oxygen. Even if any foreign player had produced such a god-tier performance, domestic fans would have excitedly shouted "awesome."
What's more, Jin Hayes was a genuine Chinese player. Everyone had witnessed the performances of overseas players before. Now, they personally saw a Chinese player mercilessly tormenting the Champions League champions, riding on Manchester United's defence and taking control. Superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney were utterly helpless against Jin Hayes. It was simply more exhilarating than anything.
In the Chen Tao Baidu Forum, the live commentary thread for the Dortmund vs. Manchester United match was already a chaotic frenzy. Besides "Holy crap," "Awesome," "!!!," "Lord Jin!!," and "#@%*," fans had no other words to describe the shock they felt. Some more emotional fans even found themselves in tears without realizing it. Is this a scene that National Football Team fans can witness? Is this really our player?
"It was worth it, this life was worth it."
To personally witness a Chinese person single-handedly tear through Europe's top defence and defeat a powerhouse—it was truly worth it.
It's unclear if domestic fans cried, but at least Anna, present at Westfalen, had tears in her eyes. Her first reaction was not the excitement of the equaliser, but rather a pang of distress for Jin Hayes. Others might not have known Jin Hayes's condition, but seeing the detailed close-up of his face on the big screen, Anna could no longer hold back; tears streamed from her eyes, and her nose felt sore.
She couldn't bear to see Jin Hayes burn himself out like this. He was just a 16-year-old kid, who should have been enjoying his carefree school days and having a sweet romance with her. Only 50,000 euros a week, why risk his life? She was worried that Jin Hayes would truly disregard his body and collapse on the field.
Only after confirming that Jin Hayes could walk on his own and continue the match did Anna feel a little relieved.
"This fool!! The biggest fool in the world!"
Of course, Anna could understand Jin Hayes; she knew his personality very well. If he held back on the field, if he only considered himself and not the team, then he wouldn't be Jin Hayes. Jin Hayes was the kind of person who would throw himself into everything without regard for himself.
"SuperDummkopf..." the girl murmured softly. Little dummy.
...
After the holiday, work still had to continue. After the revelry, the match still had to go on. The scales of victory had completely tilted.
Before Jin Hayes's goal, Dortmund's win probability against Manchester United was 30-70 or even 20-80. But now, Dortmund's home win probability had reached 70-30, with a minimum of a 50-50 draw. The arrogant Red Devils, the strongest team in Europe from 2007 to April 2009, now showed slight signs of collapse. The central defensive and midfield players were somewhat dazed, allowing Dortmund to furiously press and win possession.
The Bumblebees had all transformed into super-warriors, risking their lives for any 50/50 opportunity. Jin Hayes had just done what he did; if the rest of Dortmund didn't fight hard, would they be worthy of Jin Hayes's efforts? Would they be worthy of the fans present?
The red devils named Manchester United had been stabbed in the main artery by the brave warrior Jin Hayes's sword. It proved that Manchester United's scales were not impenetrable, and Manchester United's flame was not terrifying. Dortmund would transform into demon slayers today, to strike it down with mortal bodies.
"Charge!!"
"Go up, go up!!"
"Pass me the ball!! Here!"
"Run into position!!"
Everyone was actively communicating.
Dortmund suddenly launched a continuous fierce attack, leaving Manchester United with little ability to parry, completely turning the tables. Under the explosion of Dortmund's players, Jin Hayes finally got a chance to rest. He didn't need to carry the team on his shoulders and struggle forward; he just needed to slack off a bit, and play a connecting role at critical moments. Everyone knew that what Jin Hayes needed most right now was to recover his physical strength. Everyone tried to do more work.
Even Nuri Şahin, uncharacteristically, played a greater role in defence, covering Jin Hayes's defensive area. His aggressive pressing upfront forced Darren Fletcher into a mistake, and Şahin seized the opportunity to poke the ball away. Jin Hayes arrived in time, didn't try to dribble, but swept the ball across to the left. Mario Götze, the culprit who missed a chance in the first half, was redeemed by Jin Hayes in the second half. Otherwise, after a loss, he would surely be singled out by the media and fans as the scapegoat.
"Don't underestimate me!!" Götze, encouraged by Jin Hayes, faced Gary Neville with full confidence. He performed a step-over on the left wing, carefully observing his opponent's subtle movements. He used the outside of his right foot to push the ball inwards, and the moment Gary Neville moved—
"Now!" He pulled the ball back with his right foot at the limit. Instantly nutmegging Gary Neville. A Ronaldo chop followed by a nutmeg.
"What?!"
The Manchester United captain, the soul of the Red Devils, was easily outwitted by a young kid. Gary Neville turned to try and grab Götze, but the moment he exerted force, his legs felt like they had no strength, allowing Götze to completely shake him off. At that moment, Gary Neville truly realised—he seemed to be genuinely old; the story of the Red Devils' Class of '92 was nearing its curtain call.
"Götze!!! He's broken through!!"
"A great chance for Dortmund!!"
Rio Ferdinand stood in front of Götze, and Manchester United's defence was still diligently organising, trying to withstand this attack. But Dortmund was too frantic, almost all of them rushing into Manchester United's defensive zone. The sheer numbers momentarily caught Manchester United off guard.
Şahin's run drew Fletcher away. Sebastian Kehl's forward run was marked by Michael Carrick, leaving them momentarily exposed to the most dangerous player.
"Jin!!"
Götze feigned a shot, then suddenly half-turned and played a reverse pass.
Jin Hayes was still exerting himself outside the box; at this moment, he temporarily lacked the strength to break through and the mental energy for precise operations. But Jin Hayes still had his fundamental skills. For two years, Jin Hayes had never stopped practicing; sweat and the training ground had accompanied him for two years. Even without his special abilities, Jin Hayes was still a qualified professional player.
Bang—
Jin Hayes had already observed his teammates' positions. A seemingly ordinary ground pass suddenly pierced through Manchester United's entire defensive line. Everyone else was being drawn forward by the Dortmund players; who would have thought that Jin Hayes would play a timing trick, deliberately pausing for a second. The pass slipped past everyone, heading straight for the far post.
"Frey!!"
Alexander Frei, the player who had been invisible throughout the match and not taken seriously by Manchester United, stood in the most lethal position. A seemingly harmless striker, criticised for losing his scoring touch, a striker in a long goal drought, now transformed into Dortmund's most incisive assassin.
"No!!"
Vidić was still trying his best; his defensive awareness allowed him to anticipate early, braking in time to abandon the charging Jakub Błaszczykowski and turn back to defend Frei.
We Manchester United are not your backdrop! We are a world-class powerhouse! Scoring is not that easy!
Vidić stretched out a leg to intercept, his tall frame erupting with incredible agility, instantly blocking Frei's shooting angle.
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar simultaneously shifted his feet; the calm Dutch national goalkeeper was like an iceberg, standing in front of Manchester United's goal. Europe's strongest defence last season, holder of a record for consecutive clean sheets, the Golden Glove winner in the 2007-2008 season—he was Manchester United's last line of defence.
Just when the whole world thought Frei was going to force a shot, that he was going to be the hero, he suddenly stepped over the ball with his raised foot, turning it into a backheel pass.
"What?!!"
At the same time, if the camera had given a close-up to the Manchester United players, everyone's faces would have instantly shown terror. A figure that had never been noticed quietly entered the penalty area.
Dedê!! The 30-year-old substitute left-back who was playing out of position as a right-back, performing poorly, lacking defensive strength, and insufficient in attack—Dedê.
He was basically Jürgen Klopp's helpless choice, a filler player to complete the 11 men to start the game. Manchester United's iron defence was operating almost to its limit, resisting Dortmund's numerous creative attacks, when Dedê's sudden appearance was the last straw that broke the camel's back. He was the true killer move.
"Heh heh!!" Klopp's mouth finally stretched into a grim smile.
Didn't expect that, did you?
A left-back playing out of position as a right-back, his weaker left foot actually produced a miraculous effect. With Van der Sar already moving to the near post, Dedê was unmarked, and from the edge of the penalty area, he curled the ball with his left foot into the far corner. Unstoppable.
Whoosh—
The ball left a blur, drilling into the net.
3-2. Dortmund, leading the Red Devils Manchester United for the first time.