Chapter 1 The National Team

Zhou Yi was once again surrounded by Chinese reporters after finishing training. Although the Champions League final was imminent, the Chinese reporters were clearly not concerned about that.

This time, Zhou Yi pulled Yan Min behind him, telling him to shut up and not say anything.

Lest he accidentally say something he shouldn't and then be hyped up by the media.

Keeping the team calm at this time was the best approach.

Zhou Yi would be the spokesperson.

"I just heard about this news myself. I have no opinion on either Coach Gao or Lippi. The most important thing now is whether the team's preparations can proceed smoothly, with the interests of the team as the top priority. Anything that allows the team to prepare smoothly for the World Cup is good."

Zhou Yi said earnestly.

The reporters, of course, wouldn't let it go, and they pressed, "Do you think that Lippi as head coach would give China a brighter outlook in the World Cup than Gao Hongbo?"

Zhou Yi shook his head. "I never predict the future."

That was a blatant lie. He had predicted the future quite a bit in the past. Otherwise, how would he have gotten the nickname "Wizard"? Wasn't it by predicting that Barrios would score a goal that he rose to fame?

But even though everyone knew that Zhou Yi was talking nonsense, they couldn't do anything about it… because everyone knew Zhou Yi's temper. He wouldn't say what he didn't want to say, and no one could stop him from saying what he wanted to say. It all depended on whether he wanted to or not, frankly speaking, on his mood.

So a reporter asked from another angle, "There are rumors that Gao Hongbo's dismissal was due to hidden reasons, not a voluntary resignation but a forced one. What do you say?"

Zhou Yi spread his hands, looking innocent. "I wasn't there, I wasn't on the scene, how would I know what the specific details are? Shouldn't you be asking the people involved about this? Why ask me?"

Zhou Yi's words left the reporter speechless, not knowing what to say.

Yeah, Zhou Yi wasn't there, how would he know the truth of those rumors?

Facing the reporters, Zhou Yi finally said, "I hope to see a smooth transition in the national team's coaching change and that the preparation training can return to normal. That's my wish. And right now, the more important thing for me is the Champions League final. After all, the final is only two days away... After the final, I'll go and join the national team, and then we can discuss the national team's affairs."

He directly shut up all the reporters who were about to ask questions.

Indeed, everyone's attention had been completely focused on the national team's news during this period, and they had almost forgotten that the Champions League final was just around the corner...

Perhaps Klopp was the one who least wanted to see Chinese reporters at this time. The Champions League final was imminent, and these Chinese reporters still had to come and disturb Zhou Yi and Yan Min...

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The Champions League final was indeed imminent. One day later, the entire Dortmund team boarded a plane and left Dortmund, setting off for Lisbon, Portugal, the venue for this year's Champions League final. There, they would have the last two days to adapt to the venue and adjust their condition, and then they would face Real Madrid here.

Dortmund and Real Madrid had clashed quite a few times in recent years.

After returning to the Champions League proper after seven years, they met Real Madrid in the knockout stage.

At that time, Dortmund and Zhou Yi were still a bit inexperienced, and they played very passively against Mourinho's Real Madrid. In the first leg, they lost 1:4 away. Zhou Yi scored Dortmund's only goal.

In the second leg, they drew 1:1 with Real Madrid at home, with Zhou Yi providing an assist.

In the end, they were eliminated with a total score of 2:5.

This was Zhou Yi's first Champions League experience, and his result was the Champions League quarterfinals.

Although they only reached the quarterfinals, it gave Zhou Yi experience in the Champions League, letting him know what the Champions League was like.

The following season, he and Dortmund went one step further, reaching the semi-finals. And after a hard fight, they eliminated Barcelona, but lost to the eventual Champions League winner Chelsea in the semi-finals.

Zhou Yi's third Champions League season created a miracle - he helped Dortmund win the Champions League!

And this season, he and Dortmund actually faced Real Madrid four times…

In the group stage, they were placed in the same group as Real Madrid, a group known as the most deadly group since 1999.

It was indeed "deadly" enough, as Premier League champions Manchester City were eliminated.

In the group stage, Dortmund first defeated Real Madrid 2:1 at home, with Zhou Yi providing two assists.

Then they defeated Real Madrid 3:2 away, with Zhou Yi scoring a goal and providing an assist.

Two victories over Real Madrid helped Dortmund break out of the deadly group as the top seed.

Then the two teams met again in the semi-finals.

In the first leg, Dortmund defeated Real Madrid 4:1 at their home stadium, with Lewandowski scoring four goals and Zhou Yi assisting on two.

This was almost like a revenge for that 1:4 game two years ago.

In the second leg, Dortmund lost 1:2 to Real Madrid away, but still eliminated Real Madrid with a total score of 5:3, advancing to the final and facing Bayern Munich at the new Wembley Stadium.

Everyone knows the end of the story. Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich in this "German National Derby" Champions League final, lifting the Champions League trophy for the second time in history.

There's no need to look at the too-distant past encounters, they're not very informative.

But the frequent clashes between the two sides in recent years can illustrate some issues.

From the record of the past few years, it is clear that Dortmund has the advantage.

The two teams have played a total of six times, with Dortmund winning three, drawing one, and losing two.

Especially last season, Dortmund faced Real Madrid four times, defeating them twice in the group stage and eliminating them in the semi-finals. Some media even said that "it's not that German teams are the nemesis of Real Madrid, but that Dortmund is the nemesis of Real Madrid."

This season, Real Madrid eliminated two Bundesliga teams in one go, especially the elimination of Bayern Munich, which was a thrilling victory.

For a time, the curse that "Real Madrid cannot defeat German teams away" had been completely shattered.

This gave them more confidence when they met Dortmund in the Champions League final.

But in comparison, Dortmund is probably more confident.

The current situation is that supporters of both sides feel that they are more confident when facing the other, with a psychological advantage.

But the situation is not that simple.

First of all, on Real Madrid's side, Cristiano Ronaldo is injured. In the thirty-fourth round of La Liga on May 7, the Portuguese player was injured and left the field after only nine minutes, and he also missed the last two rounds of the league.

But everyone believes that Cristiano Ronaldo will definitely be able to participate in the Champions League final, and he is absolutely eager to help Real Madrid win the championship.

Currently, Ronaldo leads the Champions League scorer list this season with sixteen goals. Second and third place are Ibrahimovic and Messi and Diego Costa, who have scored ten and eight goals respectively. However, none of these three players have any more games, so Cristiano Ronaldo has actually won the Champions League Golden Boot in advance. He still holds the record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League season, and he is about to continue to rewrite the record as long as he scores in the final.

At the same time, Real Madrid also has a hidden danger, that is, their midfielder commander Xavi Alonso will miss the Champions League final because he received a yellow card in the semi-final, and was automatically suspended for one game due to accumulation, which happened to make him miss the Champions League final.

This is a tragedy for Xavi Alonso. And for Real Madrid, it is a huge hidden danger.

Xavi Alonso's importance to Real Madrid is self-evident. He is the commander, the headquarters, and the engine of this team.

Without him, Real Madrid's midfield strength will inevitably be weakened. In the competition with Zhou Yi's Dortmund midfield, it is unknown what will happen...

On Dortmund's side, the defense will be the most watched area, because Subotic has not yet returned to the team, and they can only use a weakened lineup to deal with Real Madrid's front line.

And Real Madrid's attack is the most powerful in the Champions League this season. So far, they have scored thirty-seven goals. With such a powerful attacking firepower, can Dortmund's defense withstand it?