"—I will knock Bayern back to reality."
In the Borussia Dortmund dressing room, Nuri Şahin was imitating Jin Hayes's tone. The television happened to be broadcasting this interview segment. ZDF, Germany's second television channel, aired Jin Hayes's words in the news exactly as they were, without any cuts.
Quickly, this sentence became a viral meme in the German football world this week. It was quoted by countless fans and netizens.
"Asshole!"
Having just finished working out, Jin Hayes was exhausted and had no time to mess around with Şahin. According to his current fitness progress, Jin Hayes estimated that by the end of this season, around his 17th birthday, his physique should be able to reach 85% of its peak state.
Then, if nothing went wrong, by the time he was 18, following his current training schedule, he could achieve a state of physical perfection, hitting 100% of his talent's limit. At that time, the world of football would see the appearance of an ultimate physical specimen.
The likes of Pepe, Nigel de Jong, Yaya Touré, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, and others wouldn't even compare. He could completely rely on his physique to power through. In most cases, dribbling skills wouldn't even be necessary. Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to maintain his fitness intensity; daily extra training and hard work were essential.
"Guys! Everyone take a half-hour break. Those who need a cold bath, go soak. Recover from your fatigue as quickly as possible. Today is the final tactical drill, keep your nerves tight! Vamos! Vamos! Hurry up!"
It was clear that head coach Jürgen Klopp was also very anxious. Before facing Bayern, he was keeping a very close eye on Borussia Dortmund's training progress. Clearly, he was carrying a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
After the loss in the last round, the fans were not kind at all about Klopp's coaching. They criticised him over everything from training sessions to the choice of the starting lineup. In the post-match press conference, Klopp also publicly admitted his shortcomings, taking the blame entirely on himself to shield the players from some of the pressure.
If they lost to Bayern as well, calls for his dismissal would likely start to emerge. Klopp didn't dare to be negligent, urging the Borussia Dortmund players in their training with almost military-like demands.
However, no one expected that, during a routine half-pitch offence and defence drill, just as Jin Hayes attempted to jump for a header in the penalty area, Neven Subotić, who was defending beside him, suddenly cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"Neven!! Hey, brother, are you okay?"
"My leg!"
Shit!
Jin Hayes couldn't help but curse under his breath. Of all times, something had to go wrong for Dortmund now.
The team doctor, Frank, hurried onto the pitch with his colleagues. After an examination, his expression was serious. "Thigh muscle strain. The situation isn't too severe, but it needs to be handled immediately."
"Will he be okay this week?"
"I'm afraid not. A strain of this degree requires at least four weeks or so."
"Scheiße!!!" Klopp let out a German curse, angrily kicking a water bottle dozens of metres away.
This was bad timing.
While Marco Reus and Patrick Owomoyela had yet to return from their injuries, the team had added another important injured player—Subotić, the defensive stalwart. Especially with the match against Bayern Munich approaching, his absence would greatly diminish Dortmund's defensive solidity. Seeing the 1.9-metre muscular giant on the stretcher covering his face and crying like a little girl, the Dortmund players all fell silent.
"Robert, I might have to trouble you for the next few matches."
"No problem." The Croatian veteran in his 30s, Robert Kovač, quickly agreed. His contract was expiring after this season, and he had already made plans to retire. He was just staying with the team to finish his final duties; who knew he would get the chance to be called upon in a crisis.
"Don't just stand there, go train! Željko, you organise it."
"Okay!" Assistant coach Željko Buvač led the players to continue the tactical drill, while Klopp went outside the training ground, pulled out a pack of cigarettes he'd kept for a long time from his pocket, took one out, and lit it. It just so happened that club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke was passing by and rarely saw his head coach in such a miserable state.
"Jürgen, what's going on?"
"Subotić is injured."
"Another injury? My God."
"There's no other way. One lineup has held out until now, winning 14 in a row. Now the backlash has begun."
"Don't worry, with you here, the team will definitely be fine."
"Cut the crap. Where are the people I asked for?" Klopp laughed and cursed helplessly.
"Fullbacks and wingers are no problem. That Polish striker you mentioned, he still wants to stay in Poland for another year."
"Why?"
"He feels he can still improve there. He wants to push himself for another season, prove himself, and then make the move."
"That makes no sense. He can do the same coming to play in Germany."
"Alright, I'll try to persuade him again. I'll definitely strengthen the squad for the new season; for this season, I can only rely on you to hold it together. Fortunately, we have Jin. His physical condition is fine, right?"
The frequent recent injuries had made Watzke a bit panicky. He was truly worried that his star player Jin Hayes would have an issue. The whole team could be injured, but not Jin Hayes.
"Don't worry." At the mention of Jin Hayes, Klopp's mental state improved significantly. "I don't know how this kid trains, but lately, he's showing signs of being an iron man. It's really strange. He'll definitely be a monster in the future. But let me warn you first!"
Klopp suddenly looked at Watzke fiercely. "Within five years, don't even think about selling him! If you want a Dortmund revival—"
"Of course, of course. He's not for sale. I definitely won't touch him." Watzke felt a bit guilty and nodded repeatedly.
"That's more like it. I'm off to training." Klopp took a final deep drag of his cigarette, blew out a smoke ring, and turned back to the training ground with his hands in his pockets. Watzke frowned and quickly waved away the smoke.
Watzke only half-listened to Klopp's warning. Currently, Jin Hayes was indeed Dortmund's ace. Watzke had thrown all the transfer inquiry faxes from Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus, and Manchester City into the shredder.
However, according to reliable sources, Real Madrid's new president, Florentino Pérez, had already prepared €100 million in funds and reached a heavyweight agreement with Manchester United's star player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
This summer, this world-shaking deal was about to commence.
Did that mean that Jin Hayes, whose potential was no lower than Ronaldo's, could also be worth that much? Jin Hayes was indeed not for sale—unless the offer was too much to refuse.
February 16, 2009. Match day. The high‑profile clash: Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich.
In the Westfalenstadion dressing room, Jin Hayes, having just finished his pre‑match warm‑up, was taking off his training gear and preparing to put on his yellow and black number 10 jersey.
When it wasn't being worn, this jersey hung neatly on the wall behind him. The number 10 spot was exactly in the centre of the entire dressing room, mirroring Jin Hayes's status. Typically, for a 16‑year‑old player, both the jersey number and the dressing room seat would be at the absolute fringes. But Jin Hayes was an exception.
"Jin, you've got new gloves." Nuri Şahin keenly noticed that Jin Hayes had changed to a pair of black gloves. Usually, for matches in cold weather, Jin Hayes would choose a long‑sleeved kit and wear black gloves. In the recently released FIFA 09 game, when players chose Borussia Dortmund, they could recognise Jin Hayes on the screen at a glance. Wearing gloves, his elegant running style was very prominent.
"What's written on them?" Şahin was about to lean his head in for a closer look when Jin Hayes pushed him away.
"None of your business."
"Ooh, ooh, ooh—" Nearby, Mats Hummels and Jakub Błaszczykowski were joining in the teasing. One could guess without even thinking that Jin Hayes's new gloves were definitely a gift from his girlfriend. He tried his best not to show off his romance in the dressing room, but the sweet scent coming off him was really obvious.
"Ooh your heads! It's about time, we need to head out."
"That's right, brothers. Today's match is crucial, everyone stay sharp! Before the match, those Bayern guys didn't take us seriously. Today is our home ground, give them a 'little' lesson! Crush them!" Captain Sebastian Kehl rose first, leading his teammates in shouting the team slogan.
"Heja BVB!"
"Heja BVB!!!"
Jürgen Klopp was just about to enter for a pep talk when he saw his players charging out of the dressing room like angry bulls, steam coming from their noses, their momentum fierce and surging.
"Hmm, not bad, very spirited."
He had thought the Bayern Munich pre‑match interviews would affect them, but it seemed to have ignited the boys' fighting spirit instead.
Two days ago, after Jin Hayes uttered that famous line, "I will knock Bayern back to reality," it marked the beginning of a war of words between the two sides.
Bayern star Arjen Robben clamoured in front of the media: "This time we will definitely conquer Westfalen and complete our revenge."
Bastian Schweinsteiger also stated: "Dortmund's luck has run out; the Bayern dynasty is unshakable."
Forward Lukas Podolski made a bold claim: "Last time we lost 5‑1. This time I'm going to score a hat‑trick at Dortmund's home ground and let the Dortmund fans taste what a 5‑0 defeat feels like."
The veteran coach Jupp Heynckes also spoke to the media: "Dortmund has major injury problems, a thin squad, and their tactics have been dismantled by other teams. The Bumblebees are no longer magical. Next, Bayern will come from behind and overtake them."
Klopp didn't even have time to respond before the match was about to begin. It seemed the team's morale was not affected by the previous loss, nor shaken by the opponent's war of words. In that case, let's settle it with real action—answer Bayern with a victory.
Bayern Munich newcomer Thomas Müller, who was starting, couldn't help but glance at Jin Hayes beside him several times. Back when he was still in the Bayern youth academy, he had heard stories about Jin Hayes.
The young Chinese player was ravaging the Bundesliga, turning everything upside down. Jin Hayes had practically become Thomas Müller's idol, even though this idol was three years younger than himself. Finally being able to compete on the same pitch today, Müller wanted to see just how magical Jin Hayes really was.
Standing in the lineup, Jin Hayes was focused on staring at his new gloves. This was the little gift Anna had mentioned giving him earlier. The new gloves didn't have words like 'Good Luck' embroidered on them, but simply three letters: "ANA".
...
Jin Hayes had been stunned for a moment when he saw the gloves: "ANA? Antinuclear Antibodies?" In his recent high school biology class, they happened to be studying DNA, RNA, and other nucleic acid‑related knowledge.
"What are you talking about—stop it!" Seeing Jin Hayes's deadpan joking, Anna couldn't help but punch him with her small fists, though she couldn't bear to actually hurt him. Every time they landed on Jin Hayes, it felt more like a massage. This made Jin Hayes constantly want to tease the girl; her punching actually felt quite comfortable.
"It means that no matter where you're playing, I'll be with you, fighting by your side." Anna looked at Jin Hayes with a slight blush, feeling a bit embarrassed by her own words. She thought Jin Hayes would be moved and hug her. Unexpectedly, Jin Hayes suddenly blurted out: "If it gets hot in a while and I can't wear gloves, won't you be 'gone'?"
"I hate you!!" Anna gave him another round of girlish pouting. After messing around for a bit, Jin Hayes finally pulled her slender body into a hug. "Thank you, I really like them. With you fighting by my side, we definitely won't lose."
"I'm sorry." Anna suddenly lowered her head, her face full of apology. "On the day of the match, I have to go shoot a print advertisement. I'm afraid I won't be able to support you at the stadium."
"It's fine, aren't you always with me anyway?" Jin Hayes pointed to the name on the glove. "By the way, I just remembered something. Isn't the day of the match your birthday? I'll give you a gift."
"No need. Just having you at home with the whole family to be with me is enough to make me happy." For Anna, having Jin Hayes with her to blow out candles and eat cake on her birthday was already the greatest happiness. Jin Hayes's eyes darted around as he thought about what kind of gift to give her.
...
In the player tunnel, Jin Hayes gently stroked Anna's name. If nothing went wrong, the beautiful girl should be in the stands. Wearing the gloves felt as if she were holding his hand the whole time, transmitting courage and strength.
For a Dortmund in a difficult situation, this was a crucial match. The opponent was strong and well‑equipped, having regained their posture as the Bundesliga overlords. But Jin Hayes wasn't panicked at all.
"Westfalen, I will protect it."