Chapter 1 Winter Is Coming

The winter break was fast approaching.

Bayern's sporting director, Sammer, got the cold shoulder in Leverkusen.

He didn't even get a chance to show Li Kang the charm of the "last libero."

His old friend Voller kicked him out of North Rhine.

"As an East German, the team badge on your suit is infuriating!"

"Li can go to any club, but not Bayern!"

...

The feud between Leverkusen and Bayern...

The spark was the Daum affair in 2000.

Then, from 2002 to 2004, Bayern poached three core players in a row.

Time has not washed away the hatred.

The most intense conflict was coming!

During the 2008/09 winter break, Bayern loaned young Kroos to Leverkusen.

Yes.

The same Kroos who later played for Real Madrid!

Before the loan, Bayern's executives had a heated discussion:

"The top scorer of the European Youth Championship at 16, a Golden Boy award winner, shouldn't we keep such a genius?"

"Kroos is East German..."

"Two exquisite assists in his first-team debut at 17. Doesn't such a performance deserve to make him Bayern's crown prince?"

"Kroos is East German..."

"He is a super genius that German football sees only once every 50 years!"

"Kroos is East German..."

Unexpectedly.

After arriving in Leverkusen at the age of 18, Kroos completely conquered North Rhine in just three games!

The following winter break, as a midfield core, he helped Leverkusen take the top spot in the Bundesliga at the halfway point! Crushing Bayern underfoot.

Breaking record after record in Bundesliga history.

For example: If you put the 17-year-old Kroos in a soccer novel as the male lead, readers would definitely say, "This book is invincible!"

....

Voller seized the opportunity: Your Bayern has poached so many of our core players. Kroos won't be a starter when he returns to Bayern. Why don't you just sell him to us? Or extend the loan. You don't like East Germans, but we do.

Bayern's executives panicked: What East German this and East German that? He's our future number ten! How could we sell him to you? No extension either! Let you win the Bundesliga title? There's no room for discussion!

Kroos panicked: He's now the prince of North Rhine! If he returns to Van Gaal's command, the competition for positions will be fierce, and he's likely to be frozen out again, only appearing as a substitute in unimportant games.

In the end.

The loan period ended, and Kroos's fate with Leverkusen came to an end.

Back to Bayern.

"Where's the number ten jersey?"

"You're East German."

"What about the starting position?"

"You're East German, you have to learn to fight for a starting position yourself... the most remote spot on the bench is yours!"

....

Leverkusen Club.

Sporting Director's office.

Voller lit a cigar and said, "Havertz and Brandt can't go to Bayern in the future! As for Li... let's ask him what he thinks."

The little assistant shook his head and said, "He's not focused on the transfer. He's just thinking about how to beat Bayern in two weeks!"

....

The Bundesliga match day arrived.

Li Kang finally boarded a domestic flight, destination Berlin.

The Bergkamp module did not bring the negative effect of "aviophobia."

Leverkusen's opponent this time was: Hertha Berlin.

This club is not weak, but its internal affairs are extremely chaotic, leading to significant fluctuations in its performance over the years.

When they're strong, they make it into the top four of the Bundesliga.

When they're weak, they fall into the second division.

This season, Magath has changed this team!

The Bundesliga now has a tough nut to crack that is "strong against the strong, weak against the weak."

They can upset powerhouses like Monchengladbach and Schalke 04.

But they can also be惨败 (can bei, miserably defeated) by relegation teams like Hannover 96 and Augsburg.

Leverkusen was upset and slaughtered by Hertha Berlin at the beginning of this season, thus losing the opportunity to lead in points.

At that time, the value of the two teams' players differed by several times.

.....

Three hours later.

The Leverkusen club bus slowly drove into the Olympic Stadium.

Old Man Topp got out of the car and headed to the press conference with practiced ease: "Their record is so bad! But they have such a magnificent stadium! The seating capacity is four times that of our home stadium!"

Dino quickly said, "Boss, when you see Mr. Magath later... please don't start arguing!"

Topp and Magath have very similar coaching experiences.

Ups and downs.

Their way of speaking is also very similar, the Bundesliga "fat snow."

Magath once said to the media: "Professional players should just play football well! What's the use of studying?"

This sparked heated discussions throughout Germany. The Football Association responded quickly and urgently issued a regulation: All adult German players playing in professional leagues must obtain a diploma above the associate's degree!

.....

Olympic Stadium.

A sea of people.

The wave-like cheering was like a torrent.

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, friends!"

"Welcome to the eleventh round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Hertha Berlin vs. Leverkusen!"

"I am the commentator for this match, Duan Xuan!"

"I'm He Wei!"

"The two famous coaches are standing in their respective coaching areas, looking very rosy!"

....

The referee team led the players of both sides out of the tunnel.

The hot air balloon with the Bundesliga logo slowly rose into the air.

Hertha Berlin's mascot is a brown bear doll wearing a blue and white jersey.

It excitedly approached the line and patted Li Kang on the butt.

Causing the fans on both sides of the nearby stands to burst into laughter.

Li Kang also smiled. The relationship between the two clubs was still good in 2015.

In the neutral stands, there were also many Hertha Berlin fans in casual clothes, raising posters of Leverkusen's number 10.

He suddenly realized: He seemed to have some fame in Germany.

...

"Next, we will introduce the starting lineups of both teams!"

"Wearing blue and white home jerseys, attacking from left to right is Hertha Berlin!"

"They are fielding a 4-4-2 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Jarstein!"

"Left back: Weiser!"

"Center backs: Stark, Beger!"

"Right back: Plattenhardt!"

"Central midfielders: Haraguchi, Darida, Skjelbred, Stocker!"

"Forwards: Kalou, Ibisevic!"

Live broadcast room.

Not many comments.

-[Why do so many Bundesliga teams have Japanese or Korean players? Li Mingdeng encounters them almost every game?]

-[Many Jia A players also went to Germany to play abroad before, and some of them actually made it!]

-[Haraguchi's footwork is very strong, even his two dogs can't defend against him! His wife is very pretty!]

-[This game should be an easy win, right?]

-[Hard to say! Magath's Hertha Berlin specializes in killing strong teams! Leverkusen's performance this season is considered a t0.5-level strong team in the Bundesliga!]

-[Magath's "medicine ball training method" stimulates Hertha Berlin players' running, will, and tackling! They play very aggressively!]

-[Our Chinese Super League clubs are already emulating it!]

.....

With the referee's whistle.

The game officially began!

Hertha Berlin with possession!

Ibisevic passed the ball horizontally to Kalou.

Seeing that the players did not encounter Leverkusen's frantic pressing.

Magath couldn't help but frown.