Chapter 80 - 42: Well Done, Wang Shuo! The First Upset of the New Season! Clickbait and Image Rights

「The evening of August 16th, Capital time.」

"Capital Television, Capital Television!"

"To all our viewers watching, welcome to Capital Television Sports Channel’s live broadcast of the first round of the 08/09 Bundesliga season."

"This match is being played at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, Germany."

"The two teams facing off are VfL Wolfsburg and the newly promoted Mainz."

"Providing commentary for this match are Duan Xuan and Tao Wei."

"Coach Tao, this match is getting a huge amount of attention nationwide because our very own Chinese player, Wang Shuo, is playing."

"We’ve seen reports on him today from basically every outlet, from major news organizations to sports media. What are your thoughts on this young player, Wang Shuo?"

The live broadcast feed cut to Tao Wei, who was sitting next to Duan Xuan.

"First of all, I think Wang Shuo’s story is truly inspiring. He had trials with 18 different teams in Germany before finally making a name for himself at Mainz. I personally have immense respect for him."

"Additionally, I’ve gathered more information through various channels, including some of my friends in the German football world. By all accounts, Wang Shuo’s performance in the 2nd Bundesliga was truly outstanding."

"From what I know, big clubs like Bayern, Dortmund, Hamburg, and Frankfurt were all actually interested in signing Wang Shuo this summer, but he chose to sign with Mainz."

"And it’s not just me. My friends and other football professionals all agree that Wang Shuo’s choice was very wise. For him, the most important thing right now is getting playing time."

"Now, let’s look at it from the team’s perspective."

"Many of our fans aren’t very familiar with this Mainz team."

"They are indeed a very small club. Look at this summer—both are newly promoted teams, yet Hoffenheim invested over ten million euros."

"The veteran club Borussia Mönchengladbach also invested over ten million euros."

"And Mainz? Just over two million euros, and more than half of that was spent on signing Hainauer."

"That’s the gap."

"I think before we watch this game, we need to have a realistic understanding of Mainz. They’re a small club whose only goal is to avoid relegation."

"Wang Shuo currently has the full trust of Mainz’s head coach, Klopp. After all, the team’s promotion to the Bundesliga last season was largely thanks to Wang Shuo’s outstanding performance in the final few matches. Klopp is very fond of him."

"But in this match, they’re facing a VfL Wolfsburg team with their sights set on the championship."

"VfL Wolfsburg has spent the most out of all 18 Bundesliga teams this summer, reaching a staggering sum of over thirty million euros."

"An investment of that size ranks very high even in the broader European football scene."

"And they’ve brought in established stars, like Barzagli."

"Let me add one more thing: the total market value of VfL Wolfsburg’s squad is currently around 150 million euros."

"And Mainz? 30 million euros."

"Of course, this doesn’t mean Mainz is guaranteed to lose. I just hope everyone has a realistic perspective before watching. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon because the media says Mainz can win and Wang Shuo will score."

"I hope Wang Shuo scores too, but I think it will be very, very difficult."

"He’s only 17 years old."

"We know that the Bundesliga is currently ranked fourth in the European football scene—some even say 4.5, with Ligue 1 getting very close."

"In terms of tactics, technique, and physical play, Bundesliga teams are a notch below those in the Premier League, Serie A, and La Liga."

"But it’s still one of the top four leagues!"

"I think, for Wang Shuo this season, just scoring a few goals, securing his place in the team, and helping Mainz successfully avoid relegation would already be a huge success."

"As for this match, judging from the pre-game chatter in Europe and all the analysis, it will be very difficult for Mainz to walk away from the Volkswagen Arena with a result. A narrow loss would be a victory in itself."

Duan Xuan hummed in agreement and took back the conversation.

"It’s clear that Coach Tao is very optimistic about Wang Shuo, but he’s also being cautious."

"Yes, he’s a young player, after all. We need to be more patient," Tao Wei explained.

"We certainly hope our Chinese players can make a huge splash in Europe, but right now, it’s really not easy."

"That’s right, especially in this match against Wolfsburg."

"Wolfsburg is one of the top contenders for the Bundesliga title this season."

"Alright, the live feed is coming in now."

"We can see the players from both teams entering the pitch now."

"Mainz is in the red kits."

"And now for the starting lineups. Wolfsburg is fielding their strongest eleven."

"Magat is sticking with a 4-3-1-2 formation."

Goalkeeper: Benalio;

Defense: Schäfer, Barzagli, Ricardo Costa, and Zacardo;

Midfield: Gentner, Josue, and Nagatome Makoto, with Misimovic in front of them;

Forwards: Griffith and Dzeko.

"Japanese international midfielder Nagatome Makoto joined VfL Wolfsburg on a free transfer in January of ’08. He quickly became a key player in Wolfsburg’s midfield and earned the trust of Magat."

"Also, on Wolfsburg’s bench is Iranian international Ashkan Dejagah."

"That’s true. There are actually many Asian players in Germany; we have relatively few from China," said Tao Wei.

Duan Xuan changed the subject.

"Now let’s look at Mainz’s starting lineup."

Goalkeeper: Dimo Wahe;

Defense: Van der Heyden, Nowitzki, Subotic, and Hogland;

Midfield: Foyelner, Pekovic, Kalhan, and Helle, with Hainauer in front of them;