Pain! So much pain! My head hurts so much!
In a daze, Jin Hayes, who had regained consciousness, felt as if his brain had been overloaded. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but the throbbing behind his eyes told him he'd pushed himself far beyond any reasonable limit.
Hiss—
Jin Hayes suddenly woke up, his eyes meeting a magnificent Baroque-style ceiling. And several curious heads, all leaning in closer—it looked exactly like that meme of a surgical table with three big words written on it: "You're awake."
"What are you doing?"
"Jin, we were about to call an ambulance."
"Yeah, if we hadn't seen you breathing, we would have thought you were already—"
"Dying young at 16, what a pity."
"Scram, scram, all of you."
Jin Hayes grumpily shooed away his teammates. Nuri Şahin, Mats Hummels, Mario Götze, Marco Reus, and other players all breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. Even though Reus wasn't on the main roster and hadn't stayed at the hotel yesterday, he still appeared in Jin Hayes's hotel room. It was clear he cared deeply for his good brother.
"What happened? Why am I sleeping here? How long have I been asleep?"
Looking out the window, Jin Hayes realized it was broad daylight, at least past 12 PM. Sure enough, Şahin smiled faintly: "Don't you remember? You slept for a full 14 hours."
What exactly happened yesterday? The stinging in Jin Hayes's brain slightly subsided, and he carefully recalled yesterday's events. Yesterday seemed to be the final injury time…
Seeing that there wasn't much time left, Manchester United's corner kick was cleared, and then he dribbled past two players, his mind already a bit hazy.
Wait! Speed? Speed talent!
Jin Hayes vaguely recalled the voice in his heart yesterday; the familiar enhancement was back. At the most crucial moment, he used his speed to suddenly break through Manchester United's defense, dribbling past Edwin van der Sar and into an empty net. That feeling of lightning speed was quite exhilarating to think about.
Jin Hayes had tried it before, after running 20 laps, his body would reach a certain limit, then, accelerating in the last lap, just before crossing the finish line, he would experience an intense sensation of power.
The exact increase in speed would need to be meticulously evaluated later when he found the time. In any case, his arsenal now had another powerful weapon. In some situations, he wouldn't need to show off his skills or use flashy dribbling. With one burst of acceleration, how would you respond, sir?
However, what was the cost?
Jin Hayes would need to test it to find out. Counting them, he now had several top-tier talent modules: technical control, physical enhancement, set-piece precision, and speed. The system felt like a product that had grown organically over time, new features added as needed without a master plan. But it worked, and that was what mattered.
"What are you mumbling about? Has the kid gone crazy?"
"You're the one who's crazy. I'm a bit hungry, is there still breakfast in the hotel cafeteria?"
"It's 12 PM, my God. The cafeteria only has lunch, Frankfurt sausages with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut—"
"Never mind, I'll just grab a burger."
Theoretically, a beef burger, as long as it doesn't have too much mayonnaise or grilled cheese, can be considered healthy food. Professional athletes usually eat burgers too. It's the fries, fried chicken, and high-sugar cola that are considered high-calorie junk food. The hotel Dortmund was staying at had a cooking standard even worse than Maria's.
Thinking of Maria, Jin Hayes couldn't help but think of her daughter. He opened his phone to check, and—over 20 messages and 5 missed calls overnight.
"Jin, your girlfriend must be worried. Your phone vibrated many times last night, but you were sleeping too soundly, and I didn't want to disturb you." Hummels's eyes held a teasing warmth as he jabbed at Jin Hayes,
"I really appreciate it."
Jin Hayes quickly sent a message.
[I was too tired yesterday, went to bed a bit early]
[That's good, I've been a bit worried about you. I'm sorry, I was too anxious and called several times, I didn't disturb you, did I? /aggrieved.emoji]
Uh, Jin Hayes was still worried, would not replying to messages make his girlfriend angry? In the stories he usually saw, when a guy didn't reply to messages, a girl's barrage of texts and calls always meant she was very angry. But Anna acted as if she had done something wrong, looking all aggrieved.
[I want to see you]
[Me too, waiting for you at home~]
Just as Jin Hayes was about to put away his phone and leave, he received another message from Anna.
[Loveya ~]
Watching Jin Hayes hold his phone, grinning foolishly, his teammates around him all wore disgusted expressions.
...
The plane left Dortmund Airport airspace and entered a stable cruising phase. Cristiano Ronaldo sat back in his chair, arms crossed, with a dark expression, resting his eyes. The gentle voice of the flight attendant came to his ears.
"Sir, would you like a newspaper?"
"Oh, alright."
Since he couldn't sleep anyway, Cristiano Ronaldo took the newspaper.
Uh…
It was all in German, which he couldn't understand, the only thing he could make out was the face on the front page. A spirited young Asian, mimicking his future pose, soaring through the air. The number 10 on his back was particularly glaring. The more Cristiano Ronaldo thought about it, the angrier he got, and he folded the newspaper with a dark face, stuffing it into the fabric pocket in front of his seat.
"Don't be like that, let me have a look."
Cristiano Ronaldo glared sideways, seeing it was Dimitar Berbatov. Cristiano Ronaldo was genuinely impressed by Berbatov's skills. The guy just didn't like to run, but his actual footwork was incredibly powerful. Out of mutual respect between strong individuals, Cristiano Ronaldo took out the newspaper and handed it over.
"You can read German?"
"Of course, I played for Bayer Leverkusen."
The cool guy smiled faintly with great composure.
"Alright."
Taking the newspaper, Dimitar Berbatov opened the sports section and read it carefully. Cristiano Ronaldo scratched his head and ears, unable to resist leaning his head over.
"What newspaper is this? What does it say?"
"Oh, this is Bild, Germany's most influential newspaper. Like your The Sun, it likes to report gossip, and its language is quite aggressive and attention-grabbing." Berbatov pointed to the sports section and explained, "Of course, the sports section is quite professional, with many football legends writing analytical articles."
"Let me see what it says about yesterday's match."
"The headline is, 'Dortmund 4-3 Manchester United — An Epic Comeback! Jin Hayes Stages the 'Westfalen Miracle'—"
"Matthäus's column states that Ferguson's team showed the resilience of a defending champion, and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance was terrifying. His two goals in the first half demonstrated the true nature of a world-class killer, and his brace almost crushed the opponent. This Portuguese man is truly worthy of the Ballon d'Or title, with him, Manchester United is the best team in all of Europe—"
Hearing the part praising himself, Cristiano Ronaldo pretended to be nonchalant, but the corners of his mouth were already hard to suppress.
"And then? What did it say next?"
Dimitar Berbatov almost couldn't hold back; he saw through Cristiano Ronaldo's thoughts and continued reading the rest of the content without changing his expression:
"—Using young talents like Götze and Şahin to counter Manchester United's superstars, they relied on the entire team running their hearts out. Mats Hummels's header clearance, Roman Weidenfeller's miraculous save, Jakub Błaszczykowski's wing raid—everyone was creating the fertile ground for Jin Hayes to perform miracles.
On this night, Jin Hayes proved that genius needs no age stamp! His free kick was as precise as the best in history, his powerful breakthroughs reminded me of my own playing days, and his calmness in the decisive moment even surpassed the greatest at the same age. Even more terrifying is his mental strength—when Manchester United equalized, he could still sprint 50 meters in injury time! This heroic quality of saving the team single-handedly is a treasure that money cannot buy."
"Never mind, I'm tired, I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't listen anymore; all the subsequent content was praising Dortmund and the young Chinese player. As the world's number one, the great Ballon d'Or winner, he had become a mere backdrop for an up-and-coming talent. Who could tolerate that?
Yet, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't blame anyone else. In injury time, he clearly had a chance to score the winning goal. But his final header was cleared by the opposing defender, which instead set up the opponent's winning goal.
Wayne Rooney sat nearby, watching the whole show.
Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's displeased expression, he couldn't help but want to laugh, even though the team lost yesterday. "Ronaldo, don't worry. Next time we return to Old Trafford, it will be our home turf—then, it will still depend on your performance."
"You're right." Cristiano Ronaldo pouted, shamelessly admitting it. He was Manchester United's main man, the core of the entire team; who else could they rely on if not him? He had to lead Manchester United to lift that trophy again. Last time in Luzhniki, Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in the final was mediocre, and he even missed a penalty kick.
If Chelsea's John Terry hadn't slipped on his penalty, Manchester United might have missed out on the championship. Cristiano Ronaldo had always been bothered by it, and he was determined to reach the Champions League final this time. He, Cristiano Ronaldo, was the chosen one, the sole protagonist on the field. Others, including Jin Hayes, could only be trampled under his feet.
2:09 0:00 / 2:09
The clash between Dortmund and Manchester United completely ignited the hot topic of the following days. Especially another battle in the Champions League quarter-finals—Barcelona, at home, thoroughly thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0. Originally, everyone expected a fierce struggle, a strong confrontation between giants, and intense, thrilling tactical battles. But none of these elements appeared.
Bayern Munich was completely dominated by Barcelona at Camp Nou, with no ability to fight back whatsoever. Any Bayern fan who watched the match felt a helpless urge to reach through the screen and shake someone. Even if the mighty Bayern were down on their luck, they should at least put up some resistance, right? At the very least, score one goal. Unfortunately, they didn't. Bayern barely crossed Barcelona's half.
Arjen Robben's injury meant Franck Ribéry couldn't exert pressure on his own flank, and Zé Roberto and Hamit Altıntop had almost zero impact. The entire team was forced into passive defence, watching Barcelona's tiki-taka continuously pass the ball around, unable to even touch it. They were effectively controlled out of the game.
Ultimately, Barcelona had 78% possession, while Bayern only had 22%. Barcelona had 16 shots, 9 on target, while Bayern Munich had 1 shot on target. Lionel Messi had 2 goals and 1 assist, directly involved in 4 goals. Xavi successfully completed 128 passes with a 96% success rate. Andrés Iniesta delivered 7 key through balls, creating 6 direct scoring opportunities. Bayern's Ribéry, despite 5 successful dribbles, had no teammates to link up with after his runs, forcing him to charge into the lion's den alone and be swarmed by Barcelona players.
If Barcelona's performances in the group stage and the Round of 16 didn't fully alert Europe, then this quarter-final match made Europe truly recognise the monster that is Barcelona. Pep Guardiola's "Dream Team" dynasty had taken shape. "Manchester United's crown is about to fall—Barcelona's new king ascends!" European media outlets exclaimed. A new powerhouse had appeared.
German media and fans, however, were in widespread despair. Their proud Southern King was beaten without being able to retaliate, and the only team defending the glory of the Bundesliga was the youthful Borussia Dortmund. Facing a strong opponent and being completely suppressed for the entire match, Jin Hayes's direct free-kick sounded the charge for a counter-attack, leading Dortmund to fight back and score three consecutive goals.
After Manchester United equalized, it was Jin Hayes again, stepping up to run 50 metres and score the winning goal against Manchester United. Compared to that thrilling match, Bayern's performance was simply unbearable to watch.
As Dimitar Berbatov flipped through the back pages of Bild, the entire section was an indictment of Bayern Munich.
"Bayern was a level below Barcelona; they suffered a humiliating 90-minute massacre."
"Against an outstanding Barcelona, Bayern didn't even get any chances. Messi, Samuel Eto'o, and Thierry Henry took only 45 minutes to dismantle Bayern's makeshift defence."
"Bayern's CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge expressed his dissatisfaction directly to Barcelona president Joan Laporta in the stands, stating that Barcelona's humiliating dominance was a trampling of the Bundesliga's dignity."
"Despite their glorious Champions League history, Bayern was given a good lesson at Camp Nou. Their performance was far inferior to another Bundesliga team, Borussia Dortmund, who at least fought to the very end."
After this outpouring of emotion, German media also recognised the issues in the development of football tactics. Barcelona's tiki-taka passing and control system undoubtedly ushered in a new era. Der Spiegel published an article stating: "This was a victory of technical play over brute force. Bayern's traditional iron-blooded defence appeared clumsy against Barcelona's Tiki-Taka tactics, with their defensive line repeatedly torn apart by Messi's individual breakthroughs and Xavi's orchestration."
Former German international Andreas Brehme pointed out that Bayern needs to relearn how to defend space, rather than relying on physical confrontation. "In current European football, only Borussia Dortmund's full-pitch pressing tactics have a chance to limit Barcelona; their relentless pressing can effectively disrupt Barcelona's passing and control. Jin Hayes's individual ability is sufficient to go head-to-head with Messi, creating breakthroughs at key points and thereby galvanising the entire team."
...
On the bus back from the hotel to the training base, Jin Hayes kept checking the Kicker forum on his phone. Fans were almost going crazy with arguments. Both Champions League matches yesterday were too explosive. One group of people was wildly hyping Barcelona as invincible, claiming they were about to dominate the world. Another group of fans asserted that Borussia Dortmund was the key player in saving Europe. This assertion, as expected, was met with countless sneers and sarcastic remarks from Bayern fans as soon as it was posted.
"Don't make me laugh, what makes Dortmund strong?"
"If Bayern weren't in bad form, how would it be Dortmund's turn to be at the top of the league?"
"Weren't they still being dominated when they played Manchester United?"
"Manchester United was just rehearsing; in the second leg at Theatre of Dreams, Dortmund can expect to be massacred."
"Manchester United is the only team that can stop Barcelona."
Without even looking, these IDs were clearly all Bayern fans. Jin Hayes was amused by them. Their own team had been humiliated by Barcelona, yet they turned around and acknowledged Manchester United as their superior? All to suppress Borussia Dortmund? What happened to presenting a united front?
Jin Hayes quickly left a message under an alias: "Just say whether they won or not. Who won yesterday?"
His comment was quoted by netizens in less than a second.
"Exactly, we BVB clearly won, but it's being made out like a crushing defeat to Manchester United. Who says we can't win the second leg?"
"Bayern fans, don't worry, the task of stopping Barcelona really falls to us, Borussia Dortmund."
"Just wait, as long as we draw Manchester United in the second leg, we'll win."
Soon, fans from both sides were furiously arguing again. Jin Hayes got a headache from watching and simply turned off his phone to rest his eyes.
Unknowingly, he woke up to find the bus had already arrived at the entrance of the training base. Since many teammates had dispersed earlier in the city, only Jin Hayes, along with young players like Mario Götze and Bajram Sadrijaj, returned to the base by bus. Dragging his tired body, he had just stepped off the bus with his backpack.
Suddenly, he felt a rush of wind, and before Jin Hayes could react, a familiar scent filled his nostrils. Then, a soft, warm body threw itself into his arms, almost knocking the unsteady Jin Hayes back two steps. Looking down, he saw himself tightly embraced by a slender blonde girl. Seeing this, Götze and other teammates chuckled with knowing glances, and discreetly left the scene, giving the two young people some space.
"Why are you here?"
"You didn't reply to my messages yesterday, and you didn't answer your phone. I was so worried."
"Silly, what's there to worry about? I was with the team."
"But—"
Anna suddenly felt a little embarrassed. After watching the match yesterday, she went home with her overly excited family. Anna had been eager to share the joy of victory with Jin Hayes, but her messages went unanswered. Anna anxiously refreshed news feeds and forums, and saw candid photos of Borussia Dortmund players celebrating at a nightclub. Anna inevitably imagined a series of scenarios, where Jin Hayes was entangled with some seductive woman, and they had a passionate night together.
She knew Jin Hayes wasn't that kind of person, but a young girl caught in such thoughts couldn't help but overthink. What if? What if she didn't truly know Jin Hayes? What if Jin Hayes repeatedly refused, but was still forced by the other party? It's hard for men to truly resist such temptations.
The more she thought about it, the more worried she became, and Anna even felt a little angry with Jin Hayes.
Later, she couldn't resist calling Marco Reus's girlfriend, Caroline, and only then did she indirectly get news about Jin Hayes. After the match, he was so exhausted that he went back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep. Anna couldn't help but feel guilty for her narrow-mindedness, for doubting Jin Hayes.
Before Jin Hayes returned, Anna had been waiting at the base entrance for half an hour, and finally couldn't help but rush into his arms. Jin Hayes didn't have God's perspective; how could he know the girl's emotional journey? He was puzzled but thoroughly enjoyed the embrace. It was as if after a great battle, all his fatigue and weakness were instantly dispelled by Anna's presence.
"It's so good to have you here."
In the afternoon in Dortmund, at the entrance of the training base, two 16-year-old teenagers hugged each other tightly, savoring the unique tenderness of the moment.
...
In Barcelona, Spain, after a day off, the Barcelona players were still basking in the glow of their big win two days prior. So much so that on the training ground, Gerard Piqué and Dani Alves were laughing a bit too freely, their passes rather casual and sloppy. Xavi couldn't stand it.
"Gerard, you feel like you're already the world's best centre-back, capable of winning championships with ease, right?"
"Of course, we're invincible! On the day we truly win the championship, won't I be the world's best—" Piqué turned his head and realised that Xavi's expression wasn't one of praise, but rather a slightly unnerving smile.
Within the Barcelona team, a few key figures held relatively high authority. Coach Pep Guardiola, the team's manager and leader; Captain Carles Puyol, the tough guy who represented the team's spirit; Midfield maestro Xavi, the team's brain; Key player Lionel Messi, the soul of the entire team.
Among these, Piqué wasn't afraid of Guardiola; at most, he'd argue with the bald coach. As for Messi, Piqué was even less afraid, constantly "bullying" him, joking and teasing him, and Messi usually just smiled, never saying much. Whether he secretly harboured resentment was unknown. His feelings for Puyol were more of admiration. Captain Puyol was straightforward, usually addressing issues rather than people. Even after a fierce argument, a drink with Captain Puyol would quickly mend things.
The only person Piqué was relatively wary of was Xavi, who seemed honest and simple-minded but was actually an old fox. The first time they met, he was almost fooled by Xavi's appearance; only after getting to know him did he realise how sharp-tongued he could be, often making snide, veiled remarks.
Piqué used to play a bit recklessly, making some elementary mistakes. Puyol would kindly offer comfort, but Xavi would mercilessly criticise him, occasionally interspersing harsh criticisms. It made Piqué so uncomfortable that he wished he could avoid him.
Piqué, who had just been bragging, couldn't help but flinch when he saw Xavi's half-smile. "No, I didn't mean that. I was just saying Bayern was a bit weak—no, I mean we cooperated better, everyone played great."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Seeing Xavi about to criticise Piqué's training attitude, Messi quickly intervened, "Well, we'll play well in the next match and try to reach the semi-finals. After the semi-finals, we'll have a chance to win the championship."
"Not necessarily. Manchester United won't be that easy to deal with," Xavi frowned.
"Manchester United? No, no, no," Messi's expression was quite serious. "Our next opponent will most likely be Borussia Dortmund."
"No way, Leo, it has to be Manchester United. Dortmund is definitely going to suffer in the second leg," Piqué couldn't help but retort.
Messi just shook his head gently, his eyes very serious. "No, it's not Manchester United, it's Borussia Dortmund. As long as that kid is on the field, Manchester United has no chance."
"Huh?" All the Barcelona players were stunned. Messi rated that young player so highly?
"Yes, I hope to face him in the semi-finals."
This was the second time Piqué had seen such an intense desire to win in Messi's eyes. The last time was in last year's Champions League semi-final against Manchester United, when he faced Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Is it really Borussia Dortmund?"
Piqué was already a little swayed.