Leading Real Madrid 2‑0 at the Bernabéu, Jin Hayes, feeling confident, decided to use this match as an experiment.
The experimental subject, of course, was Real Madrid's stalwart defender, Pepe.
...
It wasn't until the second half that Jin Hayes roughly understood the characteristics of the new enhancements.
Compared to technical enhancements like Heartfelt Pass and Causality Shot Enhancement, which require strict prerequisites to trigger, body enhancements like Jump Enhancement and Steel Body are much simpler, both completing instant enhancements by consuming a certain amount of stamina.
Jump Enhancement requires less stamina, so it generally doesn't have much impact.
Steel Body requires a significant amount of stamina, roughly 20% of current stamina. If one's stamina is already low, forcefully triggering Steel Body might lead to a sudden feeling of weakness and dizziness, similar to hypoglycemia, as experienced just now.
The good news is that stamina recovery speed is fast after physical talent enhancement, with a fifteen‑minute cooldown before Steel Body can be used again.
From another perspective, the so‑called Steel Body enhancement effect should be the experience of maximum physical quality by spending a certain amount of stamina.
According to Jin's deduction, assuming his current physical rating is 75, when he trains to reach the upper limit of 99, he won't need the enhancement anymore, because he will always be in a Steel Body state, theoretically the maximum strength the human body can achieve.
...
While Jin Hayes was experimenting with his new enhancements, the most uncomfortable person on the pitch was Pepe. At first, he wanted to bully this young player, seeing his build and thinking he would be easy to deal with.
However, in the first half, he tackled the opponent's ankle to no effect, receiving a yellow card himself. When contesting headers, he was completely outmatched, his proud physical strength proving vulnerable in front of the teenager.
Pepe's expression was as if he had seen a ghost, gradually beginning to fear Jin Hayes, wishing he could avoid him. Unexpectedly, this player deliberately sought him out for one‑on‑one duels.
Real Madrid fans at the Bernabéu could not imagine when a 16‑year‑old, seemingly slight of build, dribbling against Pepe, was violently shoulder‑charged by Pepe yet remained unmoving, and instead, with a firm push, sent Pepe stumbling—this had already exceeded the Real Madrid fans' comprehension.
...
In the 63rd minute of the match, Jin Hayes received the ball at the edge of the box, turned, pushed past Pepe, then ran diagonally, holding off Fabio Cannavaro's charge, back‑heeled the ball, turned, and shook off Cannavaro to face Iker Casillas directly.
As Casillas rushed out to save, Jin Hayes made a simple, unadorned horizontal pass to the other side. Alexander Frei easily tapped into an open goal. 3‑0.
"Real Madrid has not been humiliated like this at home in a long time."
The commentator for Madrid TV was almost in tears. If he could, he might have knelt before Jin Hayes, begging him to go easy. Unfortunately, going easy was impossible. For Jin Hayes, a three‑goal lead was not at all secure; he had seen many examples of 3‑0 comebacks. He would give his all until the final whistle.
"Jin, you could have shot yourself. You didn't have to deliberately pass to help me regain confidence—"
Alexander Frei felt a little embarrassed. His shot just now was completely devoid of technical skill. Jin Hayes had passed Cannavaro and was almost at the edge of the six‑yard box; any shot would have had a chance.
"We're all brothers; whether you score or I score, it's the same." Jin Hayes and Frei bumped fists in celebration, but inwardly, he was roaring: Do you think I didn't want to shoot from the six‑yard box?
...
Ten minutes later, Real Madrid completely lost hope of equalising.
Taking advantage of Borussia Dortmund's stamina dip and slightly relaxed high press, Real Madrid finally organised a counterattack. But without Arjen Robben, they no longer had suitable wing players to carry the ball.
Only two players were dribbling through: left‑back Marcelo and right‑winger José Callejón. The Brazilian Marcelo's footwork was naturally refined, more skilful than many European wingers. However, his tendency was also very distinct: he would dribble down the left wing all the way, without much cooperation with Wesley Sneijder.
After getting past Jakub Błaszczykowski, Marcelo still intended to break through right‑back Patrick Owomoyela. Captain Sebastian Kehl timely covered, and the two of them double‑teamed to tackle Marcelo.
Kehl did not hesitate, quickly turning and sweeping the ball to Nuri Şahin. Şahin had already looked up and observed Jin Hayes's position, and before Raúl could press, he immediately sent a long pass to the front.
Jin Hayes looked back to judge the ball's trajectory and did not turn to stop and control the ball. Instead, he faced the goal, held off Lassana Diarra, and charged forward. As the ball flew in, Jin Hayes, as if having eyes in the back of his head, precisely flicked the ball to his right with his left heel, while rapidly accelerating from his left to bypass Lassana Diarra. Stopping the ball and flicking it past the opponent in one smooth motion. Lassana Diarra was completely bypassed without even seeing the ball clearly.
"OHHHHHH—"
"Jin Hayes—"
The cheers from the Bernabéu stands made the Borussia Dortmund fans in the away section question reality.
Who were the home fans supporting anyway? Why were they more excited than the away fans?
Jin Hayes had conquered the Bernabéu in just one match; his flamboyant and elegant playing style simply captivated the Real Madrid fans in the stands. If possible, these Real Madrid fans would have rushed onto the pitch to keep him, wishing he would just stay.
But Pepe didn't think so. His eyes were bloodshot, and he charged like an enraged bull. Jin Hayes bypassed Lassana Diarra, continued to charge forward with the ball, directly confronting Pepe. Just before the opponent collided, he trapped the ball with his feet and flicked it upwards.
"It's Jin's rainbow flick again!!"
Usually, a rainbow flick on the pitch is just a momentary flash of inspiration for a few players. Only Jin Hayes treated this flashy move as a regular dribbling technique. Pepe's charge was narrowly avoided by Jin Hayes's slight sidestep, and as they brushed past each other, Pepe could still see the calm determination in Jin Hayes's eyes.
"Ah ah ah ah!!!"
Pepe had completely lost his mind, stopping abruptly, turning, and rushing over for a tackle from behind. Jin Hayes also didn't expect the opponent to be so reckless; at the first sound of movement, he activated Steel Body. His ankle was again kicked with immense force, and he fell to the ground.
Whistle!
The referee's shrill whistle sounded, and he immediately ran to Pepe and pulled out a card. It wasn't even two yellows leading to a red, but a straight red card expulsion.
"Pepe! How foolish!" The Madrid TV commentator was practically wailing. "Losing the ball and losing tempers, Pepe is very likely to pay the price for his irrationality; a direct red card is not just a one‑match suspension, but potentially a longer ban from UEFA after the match."
"Hmph! Hmph!"
Pepe snorted, regretting the tackle the moment he made it. But as long as he could take out this player, a suspension didn't matter.
"Medical team!! Medical team!!"
Captain Sebastian Kehl quickly called to the sideline, fearing something might happen to Jin Hayes. However, this time, Frank didn't even need to examine him; Jin Hayes himself got up from the grass as if nothing had happened.
"Jin, don't stand up yet. What if there's a hidden injury? Let the team doctor take a look—"
"Don't worry, Captain, I'm perfectly fine."
"Ah?" The team doctor, who was halfway running, also froze. Frank looked at Jin Hayes on the field; where did he look injured?
"Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
Even the referee was concerned about Jin Hayes's injury. He had just witnessed Pepe's malicious foul up close, and he couldn't believe the young player was uninjured. Could this player be made of something else?
Regardless, Pepe's tackle from behind was a fact, and this did not affect the red card decision against him.
"Impossible!!"
Pepe's pupils constricted; he had taken a red card to injure Jin Hayes. Yet, the opponent was perfectly fine, while he himself faced severe punishment. At this moment, no matter how much Pepe regretted it, it was too late. He walked off the pitch dejectedly, eyes vacant, his resolve shattered.
Playing with ten men, trailing 3‑0, with less than twenty minutes remaining in the match, Real Madrid players' morale completely collapsed, even defending a free‑kick in the box seemed disorganised.
Jin Hayes stood at the far post, and no one marked him closely. Nuri Şahin, who was taking the free‑kick, looked into the box, his gaze fixed on Jin Hayes, and raised his left hand to signal a set‑piece routine.
Run‑up, kick‑off.
The ball arced through the air in the box, heading straight for the far post.
"Good timing!!" Jin Hayes originally intended to head the ball back to a teammate at the far post, but Şahin's delivery was a bit fast and dropped sharply. Jin Hayes no longer had time to head the ball; seeing the ball about to fly out of bounds, his brain suddenly triggered that familiar ethereal state.
Here it comes.
"Borussia Dortmund's indirect free‑kick combination, taken by Nuri Şahin."
"Pepe's foul just now was indeed too malicious; the referee's direct red card was completely justified. Fortunately, Jin Hayes was not injured by the tackle."
CCTV's He Wei was still discussing the foul when Şahin suddenly took the free‑kick.
"Şahin!! Looping towards the far post!! Oh, that ball is going out!"
"Wait!! Jin Hayes!!!" He Wei excitedly stood up from the commentary booth, almost tearing his headphone cable.
Jin Hayes didn't attempt a header; instead, near the byline, he executed a scorpion kick—his heel connecting with the falling ball at an impossible angle.
Bang!
The ball instantly flew past Iker Casillas's desperate dive, squeezing through the only gap into the goal.
"It's a goal!!!"
"Jin Hayes's zero‑degree scorpion kick, extending the lead once again!"
"Borussia Dortmund lead by four goals away from home!"
"In five Champions League group stage matches, Jin Hayes has contributed six goals and seven assists!!"
He Wei glanced at the data and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
"Jin Hayes has already surpassed Lionel Messi, Dimitar Berbatov, and Miroslav Klose, leading the top scorer list by a wide margin!"
"At the same time, he is also far ahead in the assist rankings!"
Dominating both lists in the Bundesliga, and dominating both lists in the Champions League. The 16‑year‑old can no longer be considered just a phenomenal talent—it's even frightening.
"They all said Jin Hayes would hit a sophomore slump and his performance might not be as good as last season. But he proved with his extraordinary strength that the sophomore slump doesn't exist. The new season is actually a breakout season for him. And we can't know where his limit is; he's only 16 years old!"
...
World football has always been the stage for white and black players. Park Ji‑sung, a Champions League winner, was merely a utility player in the Manchester United squad.
As for Chinese players, they weren't even considered fringe players, with almost no playing opportunities. But today, a Chinese player on the Champions League stage erupted with the brilliance of a dazzling sun.
Raúl, Casillas, Cannavaro, and other world‑class superstars became Jin Hayes's backdrop, overshadowed in front of the Chinese teenager.
...
He Wei even felt like crying seeing this scene, unable to control his emotions anymore, tears welling up as he commentated this segment.
Two matches against Real Madrid, personally creating eight goals—four goals and four assists. Single‑handedly leading Champions League newcomer Borussia Dortmund to overturn the traditional European football order.
What if they were nine‑time champions? They were still kicked aside.
German TV Two commentator Mehmet Scholl also passionately exclaimed: "Tremble, Europe! Welcome your new king!!"
Jin Hayes's scorpion kick goal was so dazzling that the subsequent fifth goal, which was just icing on the cake, left the fans numb.
Real Madrid's current modest squad was already unable to cope, and playing ten against eleven made them even more vulnerable. In the final stages of the match, Jin Hayes had already begun a display of fancy football, continuously juggling the ball and dribbling from the halfway line, barely letting the ball touch the ground.
Lassana Diarra, using both hands and feet, was unable to dispossess him. The French defensive midfielder also lost his temper, directly pulling down Jin Hayes in the box, receiving his second yellow card and being sent off.
Real Madrid: Alexander Frei converted the penalty. 5‑0.
The Bernabéu experienced its greatest humiliation since the 21st century. In two Champions League group stage matches, Borussia Dortmund defeated Real Madrid 9‑1 on aggregate.
The match had not yet ended, but fans in the stands were already leaving. By the 90th minute, the Bernabéu was almost half empty. Due to the extremely lopsided score, the referee didn't even wait for injury time, directly blowing the final whistle. That was all he could do; otherwise, with Real Madrid playing with two fewer men and everyone's morale shattered, they might have conceded even more goals in stoppage time.
"This is the most bizarre match I have ever officiated. I have never seen a giant club humiliated like this. Rather than saying their performance was bad, it's more accurate to say Borussia Dortmund played too well. The Asian kid was too relentless, showing no mercy at all."
After the match, the Swiss referee, Massimo Busacca, commented, feeling a bit of sympathy for Real Madrid.
"In this Champions League, there are two most surprising players: one is Barcelona's Messi, and the other is Jin. I'm really looking forward to seeing these two gifted young men face off."