Every football player has dreamed of one day visiting the most famous sanctuary in world football—the Santiago Bernabéu.
Jin Hayes was no exception.
Although his favorite team was Arsenal, he was currently in a honeymoon phase with Borussia Dortmund. He also admired Barcelona's intricate passing game, as well as Chelsea's resilience. But in quiet moments, Jin Hayes would occasionally imagine what it might be like to play for one of the truly global giants.
On the team bus, the Borussia Dortmund players leaned against the windows, looking up at the massive structure on their right.
On the way from Madrid-Barajas Airport to the team's five-star hotel, the InterContinental Madrid, they happened to pass by the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This was also the venue for the fifth round of the Champions League group stage the following day.
After playing away at Hamburg, returning to Dortmund, then traveling to Düsseldorf to catch a flight to Madrid—running through multiple cities and two away matches of different competitions in a single week—it was hard for this group of young Borussia Dortmund players to cope.
If not for the allure of the Bernabéu's reputation, these guys would probably still be fast asleep.
"It's truly great, the Bernabéu."
Even after the bus had driven away from the stadium area, Nuri Şahin remained pressed against the window, looking back at the Bernabéu. It was clear he truly yearned for this stadium. In the first leg against Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez had been in the stands. Şahin delivered a dominant performance in midfield, outplaying Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra as a 20-year-old.
His performance certainly made it easy to win Real Madrid's favor. Perhaps tomorrow at the Bernabéu, in front of the Real Madrid fans, Şahin could regain his form and put on an outstanding display.
"Nuri, do you want to go there?"
"Of course, I dream of going there—no, I mean, I want to battle against Real Madrid!" With the head coach on the bus, Şahin didn't dare to be too obvious, but in reality, through the media's speculative reports, his secret thoughts were already an open secret.
Şahin's agent had already met with Florentino in Madrid; a transfer might happen in the next couple of years.
Real Madrid's current midfield was full of defensive workhorses; they truly needed a playmaker who could hold the ball and pass. Liverpool's Xabi Alonso was the primary target, so Şahin was the backup rising star.
Having already secured their qualification spot from the Group of Death, even if they lost the next two matches, they would still qualify with 12 points, though it was possible for Juventus to win both and reach 13 points.
For this second leg against Real Madrid, Jürgen Klopp still decided to go all out to fight for the top spot in the group. Borussia Dortmund had received a significant broadcast revenue share from joining the Champions League this new season, and with the club's financial restructuring basically complete, the team's financial situation was getting better and better.
The previously stingy Hans-Joachim Watzke would only arrange four-star hotels, but now, it was five-star all the way.
Jin Hayes slept quite comfortably at the InterContinental Madrid. His roommate, Marco Reus, was very quiet and didn't have any habits of grinding teeth, snoring, or talking in his sleep; he was a five-star roommate. Otherwise, if he were rooming with Mats Hummels, that guy's snoring would make it impossible to fall asleep.
...
"Hiss."
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Upon waking up, Reus was holding his lower leg and rubbing it. Jin Hayes didn't pay much attention, assuming it wasn't anything major. However, when the team arrived at the Bernabéu to prepare for the pre-match warm-up, Reus tried high-knee running on the pitch, followed by acceleration, shuttle runs, and then a shot, when suddenly, with an "ouch," he collapsed to the ground.
Everyone else was caught off guard, but Jin Hayes sensed something was wrong and rushed over immediately.
"Medical team! Frank, Frank!"
"Coming!"
Reus lay on the grass, clutching his lower leg in pain, his already fair complexion turning even paler. Beads of sweat the size of peas seeped from his forehead; the intense pain left him completely unable to speak.
"Brother, hang in there, the team doctor is coming!"
While calling for the team doctor, Jin Hayes made a preliminary assessment of Reus's condition. He guessed it was a muscle strain or a ligament injury; it looked like he wouldn't be able to participate in today's match, and the best-case scenario was for him to recover as soon as possible.
Frank and his medical team colleagues rushed over carrying a stretcher.
"Marco! Can you hear me?"
Reus was in too much pain to speak and could only nod slightly in response. The team doctors carefully examined and felt his leg, their expressions grim.
"Be careful, get him on the stretcher first and take him back to the dressing room for further examination. Also, call an ambulance; he might need to be rushed to the nearest hospital for surgery."
Frank was usually not very serious, constantly changing girlfriends one after another. But when it came to work, he was reliable enough.
"Frank, what's the situation?"
"Preliminary diagnosis is an Achilles tendon rupture. Even if the surgery is successful, he'll need at least three or four months to recover."
"What? How? He fell on his own; there wasn't even any intense contact."
How could it be an Achilles tendon rupture?
"It's probably related to the recent dense schedule. Marco doesn't have much muscle mass to begin with, and combined with extreme fatigue, his muscle contraction and cushioning ability have weakened. Any sudden overexertion could cause this."
"Has he mentioned any discomfort in his lower leg recently?" Jin Hayes suddenly remembered Reus's condition that morning. Could it have been then?
"Yes, his leg was hurting this morning."
Jin Hayes blamed himself endlessly. If he had taken it more seriously back then and taken Reus for a thorough check-up, perhaps he could have avoided the current situation. Head coach Klopp also arrived at that moment, and after understanding the situation, he was equally helpless.
"Jin, this isn't your fault. Marco doesn't say anything; this young man likes to keep things to himself." Reus always liked to show his bright side to everyone and never displayed his vulnerability to the outside world. Jin Hayes couldn't have imagined it would be this serious; this matter really couldn't be blamed on him.
"Mario, take this time to stretch thoroughly; you can't go down too. You'll take Marco's place in the starting lineup today."
Gaining a starting spot in a heavyweight Champions League clash, Mario Götze couldn't bring himself to be happy. Reus was his good friend and had also taught him many things. Compared to his own starting opportunity, Götze would much rather have Reus healthy and back in the lineup.
..
"There was a sudden incident before the match today; Borussia Dortmund's starting left winger Marco Reus was suddenly injured and had to leave. Götze is replacing Reus in the starting lineup. The average age of this Borussia Dortmund squad has reached 22.2 years old, making this the youngest starting lineup in the history of the Champions League!"
"It is also the first time in Champions League history that two under‑age players have started!"
The Madrid TV commentator was stunned. Borussia Dortmund's youthful storm was blowing even younger. The Spanish commentary guest was former Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro, who was still comforting the fans not to worry.
"Youth means being prone to mistakes; it means instability. Perhaps today is our chance for Real Madrid to take revenge—"
That's right.
Real Madrid was a noble, prestigious club; how could they be defeated by a bunch of kids?
This was the Bernabéu.
The Madrid fans rekindled their confidence, hoping to use the power of their home ground to win it back—to strive for a chance to qualify. Otherwise, if the mighty Real Madrid were eliminated in the group stage, wouldn't that be a laughingstock?
...
Real Madrid's new head coach, the interim manager who replaced Bernd Schuster, was Juande Ramos. His brows were always furrowed; he could never relax. Before taking the job, the position at Real Madrid seemed wonderful.
As the manager of a prestigious club, commanding a group of world‑class superstars, directing the play, and enjoying the adoration of fans worldwide.
However, the cruel reality told him that the Real Madrid manager couldn't command this group of stars at all; the dressing room was in chaos, and the person with the most influence was Raúl.
Never mind losing; even if the team played poorly, the head coach was the first to be criticized. The media and newspapers were all attacking him, seizing on every detail.
Juande Ramos was only happy on the day he signed the contract; every moment after that, he had been regretting it.
"Sigh, just try to get through this match. Hopefully, Reus's injury will affect the opposition."
Unfortunately, Jin Hayes did not make things easy for Juande Ramos.
...
"Brothers! We need this top spot in the group! We want to advance to the knockout stages, we want to reach the quarter‑finals, the semi‑finals, or even the final! No matter how long Marco is out, we must make sure he can come back to play in the Champions League! For Marco!"
"For Marco!" The Borussia Dortmund players huddled together, shouting at the top of their lungs, and their momentum instantly spread across the pitch.
On the other side, Real Madrid captain Raúl felt a tightening in his heart; he suddenly had an ominous premonition.
..
As it turned out, Raúl's premonition was spot on. Losing Reus actually made Borussia Dortmund play with more cohesion, and from the very kick‑off, they launched a relentless press against Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's current lineup didn't support them playing artistic football.
Could they play with defensive midfielders like Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra? They didn't have the ability.
Facing the high‑intensity pressing of the Dortmund players, Gago's hurried pass was intercepted by Sebastian Kehl.
"Jin!"
Kehl immediately threaded a through ball to Jin Hayes. Jin Hayes, facing away from the goal with Lassana Diarra defending him, played a one‑touch pass to Nuri Şahin and turned to make a run. Şahin boldly threaded a through ball down the middle to find Jin Hayes again. Real Madrid's midfield defence was effectively non‑existent.
Jin Hayes shook off Lassana Diarra, chased down the ball, and charged straight toward the penalty area with sharp intent.
"Stop him!"
"Careful!"
The many world‑class stars of Real Madrid had become like birds startled by the twang of a bowstring; every time Jin Hayes touched the ball, it made their hearts jump. Fabio Cannavaro had to guard the backline and keep an eye on the striker Alexander Frei. Only Pepe rushed up to challenge, preparing to use his body to stop the young player, even if it meant committing a foul.
"Pepe! A very fierce challenge!"
In the CCTV5 broadcast, He Wei's voice was filled with anxiety for Jin Hayes. Europe had switched to winter time, and Chinese fans were willing to crawl out of bed at 3:45 AM just to cheer for him. Watching Pepe about to collide with Jin Hayes, looking as ferocious as a heavy‑duty truck on the highway—would Jin Hayes become a speed bump?
The answer was no.
He had long noticed Pepe's movement, and in the blink of an eye, he already had a countermeasure.
If you're a man, you charge head‑on.
He dribbled straight toward Pepe, and in the thousandth of a millisecond before they were about to collide, Jin Hayes dropped his shoulder to the right and faked a step with his right foot, appearing to change direction with the ball.
Pepe immediately reached out to intercept and position himself, while taking a big step forward to block Jin Hayes's path. But in that split second, Jin Hayes had already turned nimbly. The ball, more obedient than a remote‑controlled car, followed his right foot as he pulled it back, then was flicked with his left heel through Pepe's legs.
Jin Hayes turned back around, his right foot perfectly positioned to pull the ball as he faced the goal. The entire sequence was smooth as flowing water, without any loss of speed.
"A nutmeg and a Marseille Turn!! He's gotten past Pepe! Jin Hayes is in!!"
He Wei slammed his fist on the table in pure admiration, startling the guest next to him.
Cannavaro was caught off guard; he thought that even if Pepe were beaten, he could at least delay for a second or two. Who knew Jin Hayes wouldn't slow down at all while dribbling past him?
Charging to the penalty spot, Jin Hayes was already the number one defensive target. Cannavaro rushed up, while trying to keep his distance from Frei, defending two players at once.
The former World Player of the Year was truly worked to the bone.
But with a flick of his ankle, Jin Hayes sent the ball to the left side. Mario Götze appeared in the exact position where he should have been. Facing the world‑class goalkeeper Iker Casillas, the young Götze didn't show any panic, just as he did in training. He lifted his foot and pushed the ball. The ball grazed the grass and, helped by the evening dew on the Bernabéu pitch, flashed into the bottom corner of the goal.
"Jin, did you see that!!"
After the shot, Götze confidently turned back and ran straight to Jin Hayes. In his first Champions League start, he had scored. Jin Hayes was practically his god.
"Not bad, Mario! Awesome!"
The two 16‑year‑olds hugged and celebrated in front of Casillas. The passionate young Borussia Dortmund players in their black away jerseys joined in one after another. They teased Götze using the new Chinese words they had just learned: "Mario, beautiful!!" "Look at how you finished that, so cool, right?"
"32 seconds into the game, Borussia Dortmund have set the record for the fastest goal in this Champions League campaign! The German Blitzkrieg strikes first—conquering the Bernabéu!"
This wasn't even the scariest part.
The scariest part was that the determination Raúl saw in Jin Hayes's eyes had not yet been extinguished.
Wasn't the 4‑1 loss last time enough? Was he coming for another big win this time?
In that moment, Raúl truly felt that he was old. The future belonged to these young players. And they were determined to make their mark on the grandest stage of all.