"Today is our National Day, and I want to dedicate this victory to my country."
"As for things like the MVP, there's not much to feel sentimental about. I've won it so many times I'm already numb to it—but the design of this Champions League trophy is quite beautiful."
"I hope to make a trophy cabinet at home and fill it up in the future."
"Prospects for the Champions League? Currently, we are top of the Group of Death. The goal is naturally to qualify as group leaders and then go as far as possible."
"How far? At least reach the semi-finals."
Hiss—
it wasn't just the German reporters at the scene; the Spanish, Italian, and English reporters were all dumbfounded. Jin Hayes was now the definition of being young and headstrong.
Borussia Dortmund in the semi‑finals? Could this young team really break into the Champions League top four? With so many giants like Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Inter Milan, how could it be Dortmund's turn? However, judging by today's performance in the 4–1 upset victory over Real Madrid, they certainly had a certain level of competitiveness.
After the MVP interview ended, Jin Hayes was about to leave when he was called back by photographers. He was only let go after posing for several photos. Compared to the newspapers of the past, internet news spread much faster nowadays.
…
At the same time, in Aalborg, Denmark.
The Red Devils, Manchester United, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, had just finished their match, easily dispatching Aalborg 3‑0 away from home without breaking a sweat.
Unknown Danish teams like this were purely there to experience the Champions League atmosphere; no one expected them to qualify from the group. The spots for qualification in Champions League Group E were inevitably locked by Manchester United and Villarreal.
For this game, Ferguson did not field his full starting lineup. Key players like Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Nani, Paul Scholes, and Rio Ferdinand were all rotated, only Cristiano Ronaldo played the full match, contributing one goal and one assist.
The candidates for the 2008 Ballon d'Or had already been released.
First place was Cristiano Ronaldo, second was Lionel Messi, and third was Fernando Torres. Barring any surprises, Cristiano Ronaldo would win the pinnacle of individual honours he had dreamed of for the first time. His form had been consistently sharp lately, and he played with great energy even against Aalborg.
Returning to the dressing room, he excitedly chatted with his teammates about the game just now: "We played really well just now, brothers! Anderson, your ball distribution was great! Evra—our coordination was fantastic! Look at this trophy; I actually think it looks quite nice."
The French defender, Patrice Evra, just leaned tiredly against the wall, letting Cristiano Ronaldo show off his MVP trophy in front of him. The whole team knew he was strong, but this guy couldn't wait to shove his success in their faces.
Not only did he spend two hours on his hairstyle before going on the pitch, but he also searched for the camera's presence everywhere during the game. In the dressing room, he wouldn't even let his teammates off the hook.
"Yes, yes, it's very nice." Evra could only brush him off with a fake smile; after all, Cristiano Ronaldo was Ferguson's darling.
"? Dortmund actually won!"
"Holy shit! No way? Dortmund could pull an upset and beat Real Madrid?"
"You're kidding!"
"I'm not kidding you; Dortmund even crushed Real Madrid 4‑1."
"What the fuck?"
Cristiano Ronaldo was still planning to show off his MVP trophy to his teammates one by one, but the Manchester United players' attention had already shifted to the news. Rooney held his phone with a shocked expression, and Danny Welbeck, Nani, Darren Fletcher, and others gathered around.
"Hey, Park! Is he from your country?"
"No, he's Chinese." Park Ji‑sung was helpless; how many times had he told these foreigners? Jin Hayes and he were not compatriots. But they still couldn't tell the difference, always feeling that the three East Asian countries were all the same.
As for Jin Hayes, Park Ji‑sung still admired him greatly. There aren't many players from East Asia who go abroad, and those who can gain a foothold in the top leagues are few and far between.
Park Ji‑sung was even a little wary.
With Jin Hayes performing so strongly, could it drive the development of Chinese football? Wouldn't their neighbors surpass South Korean football in a few years? He also wondered when South Korea would produce another top player after he retired.
While the others were discussing animatedly, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't help but lean in. "What are you guys looking at? What happened to Dortmund?"
"Here, see for yourself." Rooney handed the phone over; it was still a simple browsing interface on a 2G network. At this time, images needed buffering, and the resolution wasn't very high. Cristiano Ronaldo still recognised that man from the photo, as well as the Champions League Man of the Match trophy in his hand, which was exactly the same as his own.
"Shocking! 16‑Year‑Old Prodigy Batters the Whites, Prince of Bernabéu Crushed by the Yellow and Black Youth Storm!"
"The Sun reports: A shocking tragedy just occurred at the Westfalenstadion, where the giant Real Madrid was ravaged by the Yellow and Black Youth Storm!
4‑1, the old‑school powerhouse suffered a humiliating defeat. The Chinese teenager dribbled as if in uninhabited land; even the World Cup‑winning captain Cannavaro was nearly left with a broken back by his feints.
Jin Hayes recorded a hat‑trick of assists, plus a stunning solo goal that dazzled the whole stadium. A performance of one goal and three assists can be called the best of this Champions League round.
In addition, Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster publicly admitted in the press conference that he might resign from his post in the near future. The young talent is still exerting his power; the 'coach killer' is about to personally see off another manager—"
This—
Cristiano Ronaldo thought his performance was already brilliant enough, but he didn't expect this kid to steal his thunder again. In the last round of the Champions League, Jin Hayes's wonderful performance had already made the headlines of major media outlets. While Manchester United had drawn 0‑0 with Villarreal at that time, Cristiano Ronaldo had no chance of making the news.
"This guy again!"
"Why do I feel like you're jealous?" Rooney grinned and teased, only to be glared at by an annoyed Cristiano Ronaldo.
"No, why? I also got one goal and one assist!" Cristiano Ronaldo was very indignant. The headline on the webpage was Dortmund 4‑1 Real Madrid; you had to scroll down to find the match report for Manchester United's game.
"Because they crushed Real Madrid. Isn't that enough?" In Rooney's view, it was perfectly reasonable for the 16‑year‑old Chinese player to make the headlines after Dortmund's 4‑1 demolition of Real Madrid. He didn't know what Cristiano Ronaldo had to compete with a kid for.
Of course, Rooney knew very well that this was just Cristiano Ronaldo's personality. No matter what he did, he had to be number one. If there were a burger‑eating contest and Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and the 16‑year‑old Chinese kid all participated, Cristiano Ronaldo would probably fight to the death to take first place. Rooney found it hilarious watching Cristiano Ronaldo's indignant expression.
After his face changed colours for a while, Cristiano Ronaldo irritably handed the phone back to Rooney. After a moment of silence, he suddenly blurted out: "When can we play Dortmund?"
"I don't know, at least in the round of sixteen or the quarter‑finals."
"I hope we draw them." More than Chelsea or Barcelona, Dortmund had become the opponent Cristiano Ronaldo most wanted to defeat.
…
The next day, Barcelona, Camp Nou.
During the pre‑match preparation for Barcelona's clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, Gerard Piqué pulled out a copy of Mundo Deportivo from somewhere. "Leo, look, this is that Chinese guy you mentioned last time."
"Oh?" Messi leaned in curiously, only to see a young face prominently on the sports headline. He was wearing the yellow Dortmund jersey, smiling happily while holding the Champions League MVP trophy.
"No way, 4 to 1?"
"Yeah, it's a bit ridiculous." Messi scratched his head, finding it hard to believe. The current Real Madrid was indeed quite poor, far from their glorious peak. But no matter how bad Real Madrid was, they were at least a top‑tier European team; their squad depth wasn't bad.
If it were the current Barcelona, it would only be a narrow 2‑0 win. Dortmund could actually make it 4‑1? A 16‑year‑old with a hat‑trick of assists and a solo goal? If he weren't about to go out and play, Messi really would have wanted to open the video of last night's match and watch the whole thing carefully. He wanted to see how that kid beat everyone on a solo run.
Messi thought to himself that even he would find it hard to break through Real Madrid's defensive line. Fabio Cannavaro, Pepe, Lassana Diarra, Fernando Gago—the rest of the midfield and defence weren't that easy to deal with.
"This guy is crazy."
"It would be great to have a chance to play against him. I'll take him on!" Piqué patted his chest, full of presence.
He was quickly doused with cold water by the old captain, Carles Puyol. "Focus on the match at hand first. Win against Shakhtar Donetsk before saying anything else. Don't underestimate the enemy; no team in the Champions League is easy to play."
"Understood!" The old captain still commanded authority, and the Barcelona players' expressions all turned serious.
...
Jin Hayes didn't know that after one match, he had caught the attention of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi at the same time. He was still busy preparing for the next Bundesliga Round 7 match in four days.
Lately, playing three games in eight days was truly a brutal schedule. Klopp had originally planned to leave Jin Hayes out of the matchday squad again. After much persuasion, Jin Hayes finally convinced the coach to let him start.
"Seriously, Coach, my recovery speed is very fast. All my indicators are fine, and I'm capable of playing this match well."
"That's not what I meant. I'm mainly worried that your body is too fatigued, which makes you prone to injury risks."
"Coach, don't worry, I'll protect myself."
"Sigh…" Klopp really couldn't out‑argue Jin Hayes. Especially when he saw those sincere eyes, revealing a strong desire to compete, it was truly hard to refuse. European youth players around Jin Hayes's age were usually full of thoughts about money and glamour; it was hard to find a player who didn't go to bars and clubs.
They would pick up a bunch of bad habits at a young age.
Those "geniuses" who dominated the U18 academies often faded into obscurity after turning 18, disappearing from the public eye. On the contrary, those who trained diligently became the pillars of their respective teams in the future.
Klopp had seen far too many such examples. Injuries and distractions could easily destroy a player. Jin Hayes seemed to be the exact opposite; his mind was only filled with the desire for matches and the obsession with becoming stronger.
"Alright, if you're there, we'll be more secure."
Three days later, Dortmund would host Hannover 96 at home; it was a tough battle. You should know that in the last round, Hannover 96 was the team that had defeated Bayern Munich 1‑0.
Since being crushed 5‑1 by Dortmund, it seemed the authority of the 'Southern King' of the Bundesliga had been swept away, and anyone could come and take a kick. Hannover was temporarily ranked 9th in the league and was definitely no pushover. With part of the lineup rotated, Jin Hayes's presence on the pitch could at least ensure they wouldn't lose.
Three days later, Klopp was glad he had started Jin Hayes. Dortmund, with a rotated lineup, conceded a goal early on.
"Jiří Štajner—the Czech striker with a sudden long‑range shot—Dortmund falls into a disadvantage at the start! But the good news is, there are still 80 minutes left. The star player Jin Hayes is starting today; let's see if he can lead the team to a comeback!"
Conceding early? The Dortmund fans at the scene didn't panic at all. Besides nicknames like 'coach killer' and 'young magician' from last season, Jin Hayes also had a title called the 'Comeback King'!
In any match where Jin Hayes played, he had helped Dortmund claw back at least thirty points. Being one goal ahead, it was actually Dortmund's opponents who should be most worried.
Faced with this situation, guest commentator Oliver Kahn couldn't help but joke: "Other teams rely on their veterans; Dortmund relies on their young star."
In smooth times, look to Jin Hayes; in adversity, look to Jin Hayes; in desperate times, you still have to look to Jin Hayes. The young number 10 had become the heartbeat of this team, and every Dortmund fan knew that as long as he was on the pitch, no deficit was insurmountable.