Chapter 1 Rending the Barcelona Fans

As the players from both sides walked out of the tunnel to the Champions League anthem and entered the pitch, thunderous cheers erupted from the stands of Camp Nou.

Amidst the cheers, Zhou Yi, walking in the team, suddenly raised his arm and waved at the stands. At the same time, he looked up at the stands with a smile on his face.

His actions and expressions made it seem as if he was responding to the fans' cheers...

But this wasn't Borussia Dortmund's home ground, but Barcelona's! It could be said that ninety-five percent of the people here were Borussia Dortmund's enemies!

Yet, Zhou Yi still did this, which made it hard to understand.

"Pfft, Zhou Yi is definitely provoking the Barcelona fans!" Sun Pan laughed in the group chat after seeing this scene on TV.

"I think so too, one hundred percent," Guo Nu agreed.

"But such provocation won't do Zhou Yi any good. He'll only get...boos." As He Ying finished speaking, a huge wave of boos erupted from the TV, just as expected.

"But He Ying, don't you think that what Zhou Yi did interrupted the Barcelona fans' cheers for their own team?"

Hearing Yang Muge say this, He Ying paused, then realized it.

It was indeed like that.

Originally, the cheers in the Camp Nou were deafening and powerful. One could imagine that every Barcelona player who stepped onto the pitch in such an atmosphere must have been filled with pride, feeling that no one in the world could stop them from advancing from victory to victory.

This was also the appearance He Ying had dreamed of. Ever since joining La Masia, he had longed for the day when he could step onto the Camp Nou turf amidst thunderous cheers.

But now, because of Zhou Yi's sudden wave, the cheers that were about to continue were abruptly cut off, turning from cheers into piercing boos.

It had to be said that the Barcelona fans were truly unified, just like well-trained soldiers, able to boo on command.

But to the listeners, this sudden change made them uncomfortable. The sudden boos not only stimulated the Borussia Dortmund players but also the Barcelona players.

This could be seen from the actions of the Barcelona players who were startled by the sudden boos and looked up at the stands.

And most importantly, with the boos continuing, it was difficult for the Barcelona fans to organize the same overwhelming cheers as before...

Some people wanted to continue cheering for their team after booing Zhou Yi, while others wanted to continue booing Zhou Yi, as they were very dissatisfied with Zhou Yi's shameless behavior of butting into their cheers.

This led to the cheers on the stands being mixed with boos. Those who didn't know what was going on might have thought the Barcelona fans were booing their own players, making it sound completely lacking in momentum.

Thus, the Barcelona fans, who were originally quite united, were torn apart by Zhou Yi...

"So cunning!" Guo Nu exclaimed.

"He wouldn't be him if he wasn't cunning," Sun Pan also praised Zhou Yi. "Full of bad ideas, yet he has the face of an upright person, tsk tsk..."

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"Zhou Yi, what are you doing?" Some people hadn't figured out why Zhou Yi was doing this, such as Götze, who was walking behind him.

"Saying hello to our fans," Zhou Yi said.

"Our fans? Where?" Götze also looked up at the stands, but all he saw was a sea of red and blue. Where was any yellow to be seen?

"They're in the stands."

"I don't see them..."

"They're there. Just because you don't see them doesn't mean they don't exist. They've come all the way to support us in the away game, so of course, we have to say hello."

What Zhou Yi said was logical, but Götze still felt that something was wrong with this explanation.

It wasn't until he stepped onto the pitch that he realized, "But I didn't see you say hello to them in the previous away games!"

By this time, the players from both sides were already lining up. Zhou Yi stood in his position, following his teammates in front, and smiled without saying a word. His gaze was still fixed on the stands.

Götze looked at the stands with Zhou Yi in confusion, but it was the main stand, and there was no sign of Borussia Dortmund fans at all.

Maybe...the Borussia Dortmund fans were in his heart?

Götze could only think that way.

※※※

When the players from both sides shook hands before the match, the away team players stood still, waiting for the home team players to take the initiative to shake hands to show their welcome.

When Zhou Yi shook hands with Messi, their hands simply touched briefly before letting go. Messi continued forward to find Götze. It was a very normal and ordinary handshake, neither good nor bad.

However, when Xavi shook hands with Zhou Yi, he very obviously gave Zhou Yi a special look.

That was definitely not a simple and ordinary pre-match handshake.

Facing Xavi's scrutiny, Zhou Yi also smiled and looked back at him, his eyes natural and unflinching.

However, the two of them simply looked at each other from the crowd and did not exchange any words.

In the subsequent coin toss, Borussia Dortmund lost the right to choose sides, and Barcelona chose to play the first half in the half of the field under the north stand. In this way, Borussia Dortmund was placed in the half under the south stand.

The south stand of Camp Nou was the same concept as the south stand of Westfalenstadion. It was where the most hardcore, most loyal, and most fanatical fans gathered.

Letting Borussia Dortmund play the first half with their backs to their most fanatical fans, Barcelona's intention was very clear, which was to put pressure on Borussia Dortmund under the influence of the fanatical atmosphere of the south stand. You had to know that in this kind of game, fans could actually do a lot, and their contribution was much greater than people imagined.

Their tireless shouts, songs, and curses could all interfere with the away team's players.

Letting Weidenfeller guard the goal within close range of them for forty-five minutes, if there was a slight fluctuation in his mind, maybe he would fumble a save?

Even a simple coin toss required so much consideration. Football was not just a game of bravery and strength. It also required using your brain, so if anyone said that players were simple-minded and well-developed, you could confidently spray them back – even a fool can't play football well!

※※※

Because Barcelona won the coin toss, Borussia Dortmund naturally got the right to kick off. After the game started, they would kick off first, which meant that possession was in Borussia Dortmund's feet at the beginning of the game.

Zhou Yi didn't care which side he was playing on, but it was naturally excellent that possession could be in his own hands.

While the two captains were still huddled together completing the full set of ceremonies, Zhou Yi grabbed Götze and said to him, "As soon as the game starts, you go forward, run towards the flanks of their defense, keep running."

Götze was surprised. "Keep running?"

"Yes, keep running," Zhou Yi nodded.

"But...won't that be offside?" Götze was puzzled.

"Are you very fast?"

"I'm not a speed-type player, Zhou Yi," Götze reminded him.

"Then that's settled. If you run fast, you'll be offside. Since you don't run fast, what offside are you talking about? I'm worried you'll be late," Zhou Yi patted Götze on the shoulder.

Götze rolled his eyes at him. These words didn't sound like kind words no matter how he heard them...

"Then what? Do I just keep running like that?" he asked Zhou Yi after rolling his eyes.

"Of course not. When you run past their defensive line, you have to be ready to receive the ball," Zhou Yi said. "I'll pass the ball in front of you, behind their defensive line. There should be a gap behind their defensive line at that time. After you receive the ball, you should be near the edge of the penalty area. Then, as long as there's a chance, just shoot."

"Shoot when there's a chance?"

"Yes, no matter where you are, shoot when there's a chance! That's not a difficult thing for you, is it, Mario?"

"Of course!" Götze seemed very confident.

Letting Götze go, Zhou Yi didn't quietly wait for the game to start in his position. He went to Sven Bender and several other teammates, gathered them together, and told them that he would pass the ball back later, but he hoped that everyone could immediately pass the ball back to him after receiving it, and the speed had to be fast enough, not slow.

The teammates didn't quite understand what Zhou Yi was going to do. This request was a bit inexplicable. But they all agreed and didn't ask Zhou Yi why he was doing this.

This was the treatment that Zhou Yi should enjoy after three seasons in Borussia Dortmund's first team – whenever this young man had an idea, just believe in him.

By the time Zhou Yi finished doing these things, the captains of both sides had returned to their respective camps, and everyone walked to their positions, waiting for the whistle to sound.