A few days earlier, when Nagelsmann told Oliver he could start at Anfield, Oliver immediately told the news to his father and agent.
"Hello? Son?" Oliver's father's slightly sleepy voice came from the other end of the phone, with Oliver's mom's busy movements in the kitchen audible in the background.
"Calling so early, what's wrong?"
Oliver took a deep breath, "Dad, our coach has decided to let me start in the next Champions League qualifier, at Anfield."
The other end of the phone suddenly went silent for two seconds, followed by a rustling sound, as if Oliver's Father had suddenly sat up from the bed.
"What?! Start?! Champions League qualifier?!" Olivers Father's voice suddenly went up an octave, "Wife! Come here! Your son is going to start against Liverpool!"
Oliver heard the sound of dishes clashing on the other end of the phone, then Oliver's Mom's hurried footsteps: "Is it true? Oliver? Is it really true?"
"It's true, the coach told me himself." Oliver's lips unconsciously curved upwards; he could imagine his parents' expressions at that moment. His father must have wide eyes, and his mother might have already covered her mouth in excitement.
"Oh my God!" Oliver's Mom's voice trembled slightly, "My son is going to start at Anfield! That's the Champions League!"
Oliver's Father's muttering could be heard in the background: "I need to book tickets quickly... Is it still time to book now...?"
"Dad, Mom, don't get too excited, it's just a qualifier, no big deal," Oliver said lightly.
Oliver's Father was displeased and immediately retorted. "What do you mean 'just'! Do you know how many players never get to play in the Champions League in their entire lives? You're only 17!" He suddenly lowered his voice, "Tell your dad honestly, are you nervous?"
He admitted softly, "A little, but more than that, I'm excited."
Oliver's Father's voice regained its vitality, "That's right, remember, just play at the level you do in training, your mom and I will definitely be there to cheer you on. I'll post it in our family group later, and our relatives and friends in China will also watch the live broadcast."
Oliver's Mom snatched the phone: "Son, don't put too much pressure on yourself, just play well. I'll bring you some food when I go, the Chinese food in Liverpool definitely isn't authentic..."
"Mom, we're going for a match, not a trip," Oliver said with a laugh, "The team also has a nutritionist managing things."
"Can a nutritionist understand your stomach better than your mom?" Oliver Mom was insistent, "It's settled then, I'll make more of your favourite Trifles..."
"Alright, Mom."
...
At the same time, the football circle in China also experienced quite a stir because of this Champions League qualifier. The reason was none other than Oliver's appearance. This 17-year-old Chinese-descent teenager had a truly unique identity. Even though he was mixed-race blood, with a pure British father and a third-generation British-Chinese mother.
Coupled with his impressive performance in the German Cup first round and his Bundesliga debut, many domestic football bloggers had already started paying attention to him, and some even dug up his match highlights from his time in Birmingham's youth academy and Paris Saint-Germain's youth academy. More importantly, the two teams in this match were Hoffenheim and Liverpool.
How large was Liverpool's fan base in China? Let's put it this way: even an ordinary person who doesn't usually watch football would have at least heard of "Gerrard," "Mohamed Salah," "Miracle of Istanbul."
And Hoffenheim? Before Oliver joined, the number of fans in China who knew about this team could probably be counted on two hands. But now it was different. Because of Oliver and Liverpool, the live broadcast popularity of this small Bundesliga team's matches had skyrocketed.
In the evening, on Youtube,
Inside the live stream, a man claiming to be "the best Ronaldo fan" Darren Jason Watkins Jr. a.k.a IShowSpeed, wearing black-rimmed glasses, sat in a gaming chair, talking wildly to the camera.
IShowSpeed was a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the wall behind him was hung with Cristiano Ronaldo's jerseys from various periods.
"Brothers, in tonight's Champions League qualifier second leg, Hoffenheim playing away against Liverpool, I'll state my conclusion first: no chance! Seeeweeey" Zhao Speed took a sip of cola, looking confident.
"Hoffenheim lost 1-2 at home in the first leg. Going to Anfield this time, isn't that just giving it away? What's Liverpool's level? A Premier League giant! What's Hoffenheim's level? Mid-table Bundesliga! The gap is bigger than the gap between Ronaldo and ordinary players!"
The live chat immediately poured in:
"Speed has a pure Liverpool accent here."
"Speed, Oliver is starting this match, what do you think?"
+"What if Hoffenheim pulls off an upset?"
"If Oliver performs well, can he be naturalized?"
Speed glanced at the bullet comments and scoffed:
"Oliver? Who is he? Just a flash in the pan. He's only played one Bundesliga match, what's all the hype about? If he were really that good, would Paris Saint-Germain's youth academy have kicked him out?"
"Speed, you said Mbappé was a bust last time."
"I misjudged Mbappé," Speed immediately glared, "Mbappé was already a starter at Monaco at 17 and won the Ligue 1 title. Oliver is 17 and just played his first Bundesliga match. Can they be compared?"
The live chat burst into laughter again.
Speed bounced up and down, "SERIOUSLY CHAT!"
He sat back on the chair,
"For Hoffenheim to turn this around, either the entire Liverpool team gets food poisoning, or they voluntarily forfeit the match. No matter how brilliant Nagelsmann is, he can't change the difference in player strength, especially since they already lost to Liverpool at home."
"Oliver's awareness is pretty good, and his ball control isn't bad either. Maybe he can sneak one in!"
"Good awareness? What's the use of just good awareness!" Speed scoffed, "Why is my Ronaldo strong? Not just because of good awareness, but crucial technical and physical qualities. SUUIIIII"
The live stream was filled with laughter.
"But then again," Speed suddenly became serious, "Don't have too high expectations. At Anfield, many stars get weak legs, let alone a 17-year-old kid?"
"Speed, you're looking down on people too much."
"Too pessimistic, Speed."
"The football field is never short of miracles."
"It's not looking down, it's being realistic!" Speed spread his hands, "Think about it, what's Liverpool's setup? Front three trident, defensive line Robertson, Arnold, Lovren + Matip as the central defensive pairing. Can Oliver's small frame withstand that? Although Arnold is young, his attacking ability is first-class. If Oliver's defense can't keep up, he'll be exploited in minutes!"
Someone in the bullet comments disagreed:
"Oliver had two goals and two assists in his Bundesliga debut!"
"Can the Bundesliga compare to the Champions League?" Speed scoffed, "The pace and intensity of the Champions League are a completely different world! Why is Ronaldo, the King of the Champions League? Because he proved himself on the highest stage! SUUIIII. If Oliver can really score at Anfield, I'll do a handstand and accept that Messi is the goat!"
"Screenshot taken!"
"Already screenshotted."
Speed looked indifferent: "Screenshot whatever you want, it's simply impossible. Hoffenheim would be burning incense if they even get a draw, let alone score? Dreaming!"
The discussion in the live stream grew more and more heated. Some supported Oliver, believing he might be a surprise; Others agreed with Speed, feeling that Hoffenheim had no chance of winning.
But regardless, this Champions League qualifier, which originally had ordinary attention, saw its popularity skyrocket in China because of Oliver's presence.
On X, the topic #OliverChampionsLeagueStart# had already trended, and many fans began to bypass firewalls to find Hoffenheim's match recordings, trying to understand the strength of this 17-year-old young player. In football forums, posts about "Is Oliver worth naturalizing?" garnered hundreds of replies, with both sides arguing fiercely. Meanwhile, in Germany, Oliver was oblivious to the heated discussions in on the internet. He was already boarding the flight to Liverpool with his team.
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