Football: The national football team was expelled and rewarded with a long-range goal card Chapter 097

In the Bundesliga, all teams were actively preparing as the eleventh round of the league was about to begin.

Dortmund was naturally no exception.

However, next to Dortmund’s training ground, there was a 7-meter-high hill. From atop the hill, Dortmund’s training situation was clearly visible…

Fans, of course, were delighted by this, but Dortmund’s opponents naturally wouldn’t miss out on this “benefit”!

Earlier, Klopp, to prevent his training content from being exposed, planted nine poplars on the hill, hoping to use the trees to block out reporters’ sneak photos.

But the effect…

Of course, no matter what, Dortmund was currently ranked second in the league, only three points behind Bayern!

And this match against Stuttgart was naturally the focus of everyone’s attention.

After all, with ten rounds of matches concluded, Stuttgart was ranked fifth in the league, only two points behind Dortmund!

If Stuttgart won, they would step over Dortmund and enter the top four.

So, before the match, reporters actively sought out Stuttgart players for interviews.

Even 19-year-old Rüdiger couldn’t escape.

“As a defensive player, if you encounter Ye, how will you deal with him?”

Rüdiger smiled easily, “Others are afraid of Ye, but I’m not. If the boss lets me play, I will definitely defend him until he loses all his temper!”

“Who gave you the courage to say that?”

Rüdiger raised an eyebrow, “We’ll (liang) see (jing)!”

This 19-year-old boy was Rüdiger, the top center-back who would later join Real Madrid as a free agent. However, he had just been promoted to the first team and, although he had made substitute appearances, he had yet to make his first start.

But his words didn’t cause much of a stir. It was Shinji Okazaki, who appeared later, whose words caused quite a stir online!

“No matter how many goals Ye scores, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s a substitute player, but I’m Stuttgart’s main striker! Scoring goals isn’t the only criterion for measuring a striker! So, please don’t casually compare me to a substitute!” Shinji Okazaki said with a cold expression, “Just like Benzema, although he doesn’t score many goals, he’s also a world-class striker!”

Actually, Shinji Okazaki was so angry because of the termination of Tomoaki Makino’s contract with the team.

Japanese players playing in the Bundesliga would often gather for meals when they had free time.

This time, Tomoaki Makino’s contract was terminated, and he was preparing to return to Japan, so he gathered everyone for a farewell meal.

Shinji Okazaki and Tomoaki Makino had a very good relationship. Now that he was going to play against Ye Chen, he naturally wanted to get revenge!

For this, he even had an argument with Shinji Kagawa.

Tomoaki Makino was about to leave the Bundesliga and return to Japan, yet Shinji Kagawa was still emphasizing things like “Tomoaki Makino was also at fault, Ye was just retaliating.”

This directly made Shinji Okazaki furious, even cursing Kagawa as Ye Chen’s lapdog!

The meal naturally ended on a sour note!

The reporter, having gotten the answer he wanted, continued to ask, “Then which team do you think will win this Asian Derby?”

“Dortmund cannot take victory from the Mercedes-Benz Arena!” Shinji Okazaki said without hesitation, “We are not weaker than them!”

“Do you have any harsh words you want to say to Ye before the match?”

Shinji Okazaki looked at the screen with a sinister expression, “Ye, listen carefully, no matter how many goals you scored before, that’s in the past! In this head-to-head battle, I will only score more goals than you! I will use my two feet to tell you who is the number one Asian striker in the Bundesliga!”

“Tomoaki Makino lost his job because Ye Chen kicked him. Will you want to get revenge for your national team teammate on the field?”

“Of course! Tomoaki Makino is my friend, so I will make Ye taste the bitterness of defeat!” Shinji Okazaki clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth.

“What is your evaluation of the Chinese national football team, a national team opponent you often encounter?”

“Chinese football? Not a single one can fight!”

…

It must be said that German sports reporters were shrewd, and the questions they asked were very targeted.

First, personal hatred.

Second, friend’s hatred.

Third, national hatred.

They got the answers they wanted!

Just this interview alone could make a report…

And this also made the match even more interesting!

Due to Ye Chen’s strong insertion, the Bundesliga’s viewership in China significantly increased, which also made the Bundesliga official begin to pay attention to the huge Chinese market.

Especially after Ye Chen’s printed jerseys sold more than 50, 000 pieces overnight, it shocked and excited the officials even more!

The Bundesliga, like sharks smelling blood, began to formulate a series of marketing strategies.

The first adjustment was the timing of Bundesliga matches.

Take this away match between Dortmund and Stuttgart, for example. It was originally scheduled to be held at 2 AM in China, but now it was moved to 9:45 PM in China…

That would be 3:45 PM in Germany, at which time the sun would be high in the sky, greatly affecting the players, especially the goalkeeper’s vision!

Changing the match time was just the first step. They had already decided to set up a Bundesliga promotion department in China, and also specifically instructed news media to dig up more information about Ye Chen.

After all, in China, the news traffic with and without Ye Chen was completely different…

So when Shinji Okazaki’s interview spread to China, it completely exploded!

“Who is this Shinji Okazaki? So arrogant?”

“This is a Japanese international. He was the main striker when they won the Asian Cup. By the way, he also scored a hat-trick in that match against Saudi Arabia!”

In the Asian Cup held in January this year, Japan successfully won the championship, while the Chinese men’s football team was eliminated in the group stage with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss in three matches…

“Someone who has only scored 3 goals in the league dares to say such things to someone who has scored 12 goals? Is his brain broken?”

“Shinji Okazaki is a good striker, but he can’t even compare to Ye God!”

“Looking forward to Ye God playing and slapping him! Does he even deserve to challenge Ye God?”

“He’s not even fit to carry Ye God’s shoes!”

“Everyone, don’t get excited yet. It’s questionable whether Ye Chen can even play in this match!”

“Let’s see what Ye Chen himself says!”

“Ye Chen, screw him!”

In Dortmund, Germany, at the training base.

Ye Chen had just finished training and was resting on the grass.

Kagawa walked over and handed Ye Chen a bottle of water.

“Ye, your physical recovery is good. It seems there’s no problem for you to play tomorrow!” Shinji Kagawa leaned over and said with a smile.

“My physical condition is fine for a full match, it’s just the boss isn’t giving me a chance.”

“Isn’t that normal? When I first came to Dortmund, I sat on the bench for half a season, but don’t worry, Lewandowski can’t play the full match!” Kagawa said with a smile, comforting him.

Usually, to comfort someone, you have to tell them about your own worse experiences.

After all, happiness is comparative.

Sure enough, Ye Chen felt much better.

Kagawa had sat on the bench for so long, and he still had a chance to come on as a substitute…

“Why?”

“After we play Stuttgart, we have to play Olympiacos at home. That Champions League match is a must-win!” Shinji Kagawa raised an eyebrow, “Don’t you look at our schedule? And the Champions League standings!”

“I can’t play in the Champions League anyway, why would I look at that…”

“You can’t play in the first half of the season, but if we advance to the knockout stage, then you can play, right?”

“That’s true.”

“We’ve played three Champions League matches so far, with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss, ranking third in the group. First is Arsenal with two wins and one draw, accumulating 7 points, and second is Marseille with two wins and one loss!” Shinji Kagawa said, listing them off, “If we defeat Olympiacos, we have a good chance of advancing to the knockout stage, but if we lose, the qualification situation will be very grim!”

Compared to the Champions League, occasionally losing or drawing a league match was nothing.

Ye Chen nodded, “I see.”

However, he hadn’t thought about starting this league match.

After all, he had just played a German Cup match, with only three days of rest in between.

Whether for physical reasons or appearance considerations, Klopp would choose other players.

“By the way, Ye, have you been watching sports news recently?”

Ye Chen shook his head, “I rarely watch those.”

Shinji Kagawa smiled, “It’s like this, my national team teammate Okazaki said he wants to compare with you, to see who scores more goals!”

“He really wants to compare with me?”

“How about it? Do you have confidence?”

“It’s not a matter of confidence.” Ye Chen pouted, “You tell him: Who does he think he is? Does he have the right to compare with me?”

Don’t let just any random person try to pick a fight.

Ye Chen’s opponents were people like Huntelaar, Gomez, and Podolski.

How important was Shinji Okazaki?