"Jin!! It really worked! Your move is simply divine!"
"That's right. If you ever feel nervous or out of form in the future, just use this move, and it's guaranteed to work."
After scoring the second goal and taking the lead in the second half, Gündoğan was completely activated, displaying his original ability. He even showed some extraordinary play on this goal.
Borussia Dortmund attacked in a positional play, and Bayer Leverkusen's defensive formation was already very tight. Vidal and Toni Kroos were both restricting Gündoğan to prevent him from passing to Jin Hayes. Rolfes would occasionally press forward to double-team him. Yet, Gündoğan, in front of three players, shielded the ball, turned to create space, and delivered a through ball with extreme penetration within half a second.
Jin Hayes made a diagonal run, received the ball outside the box, and had already shaken off the defender. He then used a pendulum dribble to get past the goalkeeper near the six-yard box and easily tapped the ball into an empty net.
It turned out that when his teammates were strong enough, Jin Hayes didn't need to exert 100% of his effort. He could play with sufficient ease. If he had more teammates of this caliber, he believed that the next time he faced peak Barcelona, Jin Hayes would definitely be able to completely defeat them head-on!
However, Gündoğan attributed all the credit to Jin Hayes because it all stemmed from Jin Hayes's "Secret Motivation Jutsu." At that moment, Jin Hayes's status in Gündoğan's heart soared infinitely. The young midfielder looked at his teammate with something approaching reverence, convinced that he had been granted access to a secret mental technique that would transform his career.
With the midfield stabilized, it was already very difficult for Bayer Leverkusen to break through. The more anxious they became in attack, the more opportunities Borussia Dortmund would seize.
In the 75th minute of the match, Bayer Leverkusen attempted an offensive wave. Toni Kroos suddenly made a long cross-field pass to the left flank. The moment Vidal received the ball, Gündoğan seized the opportunity, anticipated the play, and chest-trapped the ball to steal it!
"Gracias!"
Gündoğan returned the same words to Vidal and then played a through ball down the middle to Jin Hayes. The pass was comfortable enough that Jin Hayes easily dribbled past Rolfes with a nutmeg, broke into the box, and made a short diagonal pass to Reus, who had made a late run from deep without being offside, and then unleashed a powerful shot!
"Marcooooo Rueeeeees!"
"Borussia Dortmund scores again!"
"3–1!"
"After 40 minutes of silence, Borussia Dortmund, with all players back in form, is on a roll! They are marching towards the German Cup title!"
This night, the sky above Dortmund was once again ignited by the fans' overwhelming passion. The 2008–09 season was simply their most unforgettable and happiest season in recent years! With a change of coach and a large number of players being cleared out, no one expected this young team to achieve results at the beginning of the season. As long as Borussia Dortmund continued to push into the top four and secure a Champions League spot, everyone would have been very satisfied. Who would have thought that Borussia Dortmund not only reached the Champions League final, but also had hopes of winning both the Bundesliga and the German Cup!
The 3–1 lead had completely crushed Bayer Leverkusen's fighting spirit. As a result, the Borussia Dortmund players became more and more confident on the field, even starting to show off with fancy moves. Starting from the goalkeeper, they executed continuous fancy one-touch passes, which always drew applause from the fans in the stands.
"Hummels, Schmelzer—Kehl, Gündoğan, beautiful!! A backheel to Schmelzer."
"One-touch pass to Reus, a wall pass!"
"A rabona to Jin, Jin then backheels it to Gündoğan!"
"Diagonal run and turn to Jin, Jin intentionally lets it through!!"
"Reus!! A cut-back pass to Jin—OHHHH!! A master-class chip pass!!"
"Gündoğan!! That's a goal!!"
4–1!
That last goal was pure fun! The dazzling interplay left the defenders scrambling, unable to cope. Facing Reus's cut-back pass near the byline, Jin Hayes didn't even trap the ball; he simply flicked it up with the tip of his foot, sending it over the centre-back's head and precisely to Gündoğan's position on the right. Gündoğan also didn't trap the ball, volleying it directly! Jin Hayes's pass was so comfortable; it was practically a tap-in, and Gündoğan, as if in a training session, volleyed the ball into the net without any pressure!
4–1, sealing the victory!
With only a few minutes left in the match, Bayer Leverkusen had no chance of a comeback! The match had lost its suspense since the equalizer in the first half!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After the customary three whistles, all the Borussia Dortmund substitutes rushed onto the field for the third time this season. Klopp was equally delighted that Borussia Dortmund had secured a double in his first season, a dream start! As for the upcoming matches, he wouldn't think about them for now; he would first savour the taste of today's victory!
Klopp sprinted 30 metres in an emotional celebration, then turned to the Borussia Dortmund fans in the stands, giving his signature fist pump!
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
"Hey!!"
The three farmer's punches!
Ah, it's over.
Toni Kroos stood blankly on the field, hands on his hips. His Bayer Leverkusen teammates around him had all fallen; the match against Borussia Dortmund had been a double torment, both physically and mentally. At the moment it ended, there was a sense of relief. But Toni Kroos was not resigned. He felt they clearly had a chance to win today! If one day he returned to Bayern Munich, would he be able to defeat this guy?
Jin Hayes happened to pass by him, and the two exchanged glances, then a simple fist bump in greeting. Toni Kroos would not exchange jerseys with Jin Hayes. He hoped to exchange jerseys with Jin Hayes as a victor. That moment would come, he was certain of it.
Compared to the silver salad bowl of the Bundesliga, the German Cup trophy looked more like a traditional trophy. It shimmered with golden light, adorned with two rings of gems. In the very centre, there was a fist-sized emerald embedded. The entire trophy's design evoked a sense of Mayan culture or ancient Egyptian ritual tools, full of retro charm.
This was the second time in half a month that Jin Hayes stood on the stage to receive an award. The players had also gained experience with the award ceremony process, calmly receiving their German Cup champion gold medals. And standing on the podium, they felt the joy of golden confetti showering down for the second time.
"We are the champions—my friends—"
"We'll keep on fighting till the end—"
At first, only Hummels sang loudly along with the song played by the live DJ. Eventually, the entire Borussia Dortmund team joined in the chorus, savouring the beauty of being champions. Queen's "We Are The Champions" was truly a classic!
Looking up at the tens of thousands of Borussia Dortmund fans singing and dancing, holding their scarves, tears streaming down their faces. Golden streamers from the confetti cannons drifted down. With fireworks soaring in the background, Jin Hayes felt a lump form in his throat.
"I really f*ing love this feeling!"
Training together, fighting together, messing around together with a group of like-minded brothers, trusting and relying on each other on the field. Feeling the cheers of tens of thousands of people, feeling the gaze of countless eyes. Scoring together, making comebacks together, winning together. Lifting the trophy together!
As an ordinary fan, seeing his favourite team win a championship would always bring tears to his eyes and wild joy. Now, as one of them, personally lifting the championship trophy through his own hard work and sweat—and a tiny bit of stats—felt amazing!!
"Damn, it's a bit heavy after holding it for so long. The trophy isn't really solid gold, is it?"
Jin Hayes couldn't help but kiss the trophy. If not for the three or four cameras and photographers following him, Jin Hayes really wanted to bite it to see if it was real gold. He stared at the trophy for a long time, then was caught off guard by a sudden icy drenching; beer poured all over Jin Hayes's head.
"Who the hell used iced beer?!"
He spun around to see Gündoğan grinning at him, an empty glass in his hand.
"That's for the technique, master!" the young midfielder shouted, laughing.
Jin Hayes wiped the beer from his eyes and charged after him, but Gündoğan was already sprinting away, weaving through the celebrating crowd. The rest of the team quickly joined in, and within moments the podium had turned into a chaotic, joyful beer fight.
Klopp watched from a distance, his normally intense expression softened by a genuine smile. He had done it. In his first season, he had delivered a domestic double. The Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. And they had come within 90 minutes of a Champions League final appearance.
The future was bright. The future was yellow and black.
And at the centre of it all, a 17-year-old from China—the youngest double champion in German football history—was laughing, soaked in beer, holding a trophy he had dreamed of since childhood.
This was just the beginning.
London, West End.
Inside a discreet private club, a scruffy, big-nosed middle-aged man was intently staring at a paper report in front of him. No words were needed; just by looking at his face, it was clear. One could guess his nationality in zero seconds. When he spoke, it became even more obvious. His thick Russian-accented English sounded just like a villain in a Hollywood movie.
"Sixteen years old, second season in his professional career, Bundesliga champion, German Cup champion, double MVP—21 goals, 37 assists in the league."
"No problem, can we make a move?"
Across from him, chief scout Jim Fraser nodded.
"Boss, no problem. His agent is Mendes, and I've already scheduled a meeting with Mendes."
"Excellent, I wanted to talk to him anyway."
A Russian billionaire, a European football agent giant. The two had already had dealings before. Now was a good time to discuss Jin Hayes.
"Do we really want to poach him? With our tactics, we might have to sacrifice Lampard's space for possession."
Beside him, new coach Carlo Ancelotti frowned. No matter how strong Jin Hayes was in the Bundesliga, he hadn't experienced the Premier League. And Lampard had scored over 20 goals this season from midfield, performing excellently on both offence and defence; the veteran's performance was not bad. Moreover, Lampard was Chelsea's soul; taking him out would surely displease the fans. To have him and Jin Hayes on the field simultaneously would require tactical adjustments. Chelsea's tough, resolute style might not suit the artistic Jin Hayes, and he could very likely fail to adapt, like AC Milan's "nuclear warhead" Shevchenko, who rapidly declined.
In 2006, Shevchenko was unparalleled, arguably the best striker at the time. The Ukrainian "nuclear warhead" single-handedly led his national team to the 2006 World Cup quarter-finals, which was enough to prove his strength. But now? Owner Abramovich insisted on buying Shevchenko, effectively ruining half of his compatriot.
"It's okay, Sheva was just an exception. I'm sure Jin will be different."
Abramovich was stubborn, his eyes fixed on Europe's strongest prodigy, Jin Hayes.
"Alright, fine."
The good-natured Ancelotti would not argue with the owner. How could Abramovich let go of transfer power? Ancelotti had already made up his mind; Abramovich could buy whoever he wanted, and he would adjust the tactics according to the squad later.
"Do you want me to stir up some noise?"
"No problem, you handle it."
The Chelsea staff received their assignments and left one after another. Abramovich picked up his glass and took a small sip, crossing his legs with a sense of control, as if strategizing.
2008–09 season, before the Champions League final.
At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Jin Hayes could only watch his teammates suffer on the field as a spectator. History had been changed. The two teams originally scheduled to play in the final, Manchester United and Barcelona, had already been eliminated by him. The two people who should have been the protagonists, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, were both on vacation at home. It was just a pity that as the mastermind who changed the timeline, he suffered a backlash from heaven, forced to sit in the stands, not on the field.
This year's Champions League final surprisingly became Chelsea against a depleted Borussia Dortmund. Frei, Şahin, Jin Hayes, Kehl, Hummels, Schmelzer—six key core players were absent. The team on the field could only be made up of youth academy players and rotation players. So much so that today's starting striker, Sahr Senesie, was dumbfounded: "Me, in the Champions League final, beating Chelsea? Me, Chelsea? Are you kidding me!"
Chelsea played with their full main squad. Ballack, Drogba, and other players who were supposed to suffer the "Stamford Bridge tragedy" successfully advanced to the final. Jin Hayes basically acted as a shield for them. Ballack, Essien, Mikel, Lampard, Drogba, Malouda, Terry, Carvalho were all tall, muscular tough guys! The rigid style of the "Indomitable Blues" perfectly countered Borussia Dortmund, so the depleted Borussia Dortmund had no means of counter-attack.
The most cruel episode of the Champions League final.
1–0.
2–0...
After the 60th minute of the match, Chelsea was already two goals ahead, and the game had essentially lost its suspense. No, the match had lost its suspense once the finalists were determined. Borussia Dortmund was basically there to be a backdrop.
Just as the live big screen captured the stands, the close-up suddenly focused on a support banner.
"Jin, please don't leave!"
Then more and more fans joined in. It was as if the match on the field wasn't important at all; in the eyes of Dortmund fans, Jin Hayes's stay was what mattered!
"What's going on? When am I leaving?"
Regarding the rumours of his departure, how could he know? He had been focused entirely on recovering from his suspension, on supporting his teammates, on the domestic double. The transfer speculation had been swirling in the media for weeks, but Jin Hayes had deliberately ignored it. Now, seeing the banner, he realized just how much the fans feared losing him.
He looked at the pitch, where his makeshift teammates were fighting a losing battle against Chelsea's overwhelming physicality. He looked at the banner again, at the desperate plea written in yellow and black.
Jin Hayes clenched his jaw. He couldn't play today. But he would be back. And when he returned, he would make sure Dortmund never had to field a weakened side in a final again.
"I'm not going anywhere," he murmured to himself, though no one could hear him over the roar of the Chelsea fans. "Not yet. Not until we finish what we started."
The final whistle blew. Chelsea were champions of Europe. But as the blue confetti fell, Jin Hayes was already thinking about next season.
The double was nice. But the Champions League was the real prize. And he would not rest until he held that trophy too.