Chapter 341 - 79: Best in Europe! Back-to-Back Braces! The True Leader! He Tore Through a Defense Line Alone

’For powerhouse clubs, there’s no shortage of talented young players. Who even pays them any mind?’

’Never mind anyone else, isn’t Bayern’s attitude toward Tony Kroos the best proof?’

’And that’s not even mentioning Real Madrid and Barça.’

’When young players run off to the La Liga Giants, Wang Shuo suspected they were just asking for trouble.’

’Is the situation at Manchester United any better?’

’Anderson was supposed to be the next Ronaldinho. Manchester United spent 20 million British Pounds to sign him.’

’In the end, Ferguson just had to turn him into a workhorse.’

’For a club, handling player transfers is a high-risk venture. But isn’t it just as much of a risk for the players themselves?’

’The most a club can lose is a large sum of money. But for a professional player?’

’What they might lose is their entire career!’

’A big name?’

’To the top powerhouse clubs, that means nothing at all.’

’Ibrahimovic is a big enough name, right?’

’Barça didn’t hesitate to trade Eto’o plus cash just to sign him. And now?’

’How high were Guardiola’s expectations for Ibrahimovic back then?’

’And yet, isn’t he now being cast aside like a worn-out shoe?’

’You could say it’s because Ibrahimovic was unwilling to properly support Messi, to play second fiddle to him.’

’So why should I go and play second fiddle to Messi?’

’Even if I were willing, could I guarantee I’d play that role well?’

’When problems arise, all it would take is one word from them to "remold" me, to change my tactical role. Would I listen or not?’

’Tuchel was right about one thing: being weak is the original sin!’

’Only if you’re strong enough can you control your own destiny!’

"Don’t worry. At least for now, I haven’t even thought about leaving Dortmund!"

Wang Shuo reassured his two best friends.

Subotic and Foyelner both knew what kind of person Wang Shuo was.

If Wang Shuo said he hadn’t, then he definitely hadn’t.

There was one more thing Wang Shuo didn’t mention: Thomas Essien had been actively pushing for a contract renewal with Dortmund.

The two sides had met twice to exchange ideas and opinions, and negotiations were still ongoing.

Things were different now. The Wang Shuo of today, negotiating a contract renewal with Dortmund, was in a much stronger position than before.

After saying this, Wang Shuo suddenly shot up from his seat and clapped his hands together forcefully.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

"Alright, guys, time’s running out! Let’s get ready! We’re fighting for another three points today!"

"Yeah!"

A chorus of agreement erupted in the locker room.

...

「A little over an hour later.」

In the 20th round of the Bundesliga, Dortmund was away to challenge Stuttgart.

The match was in its 75th minute.

Dortmund’s left-sided attacker, Reus, was fouled by Khedira as he dribbled the ball forward near the halfway line. The foul resulted in a free kick for Dortmund on the left side of the field, just inside the attacking half.

The entire Mercedes-Benz Stadium was filled with the roars of the Stuttgart fans.

At this moment, the scoreboard read 1-1!

With Sven Bender out injured, Hummels was once again starting as the defensive midfielder.

As a result, in the 14th minute of the first half, while trying to block a shot from Stuttgart’s forward, Marica, Santana had inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net for an own goal.

However, in the 23rd minute of the first half, Owomoyela pushed forward on the right flank. After receiving a pass from Wang Shuo, he delivered a diagonal cross to the far post, where Grosskreutz connected with a close-range header to equalize for Dortmund.

Afterward, both teams were locked in a grueling battle.

Then, in the 48th minute of the second half, Stuttgart was awarded a penalty.

However, Marica’s penalty kick was saved by Ziegler.

In the short 25-minute span from the 50th to the 75th minute, a total of five yellow cards were issued between the two teams.

Four of those were given to Dortmund.

Shahin, Kuba, Santana, and Schmelzer all received yellow cards.

After receiving his yellow card in the 61st minute, Kuba went down after a physical challenge and had to be taken off the field.

Wang Shuo made a point to ask the team doctor, and the initial diagnosis was a pulled muscle.

As a result, Reus came on for Kuba, and Grosskreutz shifted over to the right wing.

All of this led to Khedira’s foul in the 75th minute.

Khedira’s foul occurred on the left flank, just past the halfway line. It was too far from the goal to pose any direct threat.

Shahin walked over, placed the ball, and then slowly backed away.

Reus, Schmelzer, Foyelner, Hummels, and others spread out nearby, preparing to receive a pass from Shahin.

Wang Shuo noticed Shahin raise his right index finger and immediately guessed what he was thinking.

"Kevin."

Wang Shuo called out softly to Grosskreutz.

Grandcross immediately looked over. Wang Shuo jerked his head in Shahin’s direction.

Grosskreutz understood at once and nodded back at Wang Shuo.

The Stuttgart defenders had been watching the pair and naturally saw the exchange.

But they didn’t understand what it meant.

After all, the spot of the foul was indeed too far out.

Wang Shuo, who was standing outside the Arc Top District, immediately began to drift slowly to the left.

This was a clear sign that he was moving to support the left flank.

In response, Stuttgart’s two center-backs, Niedermayer and Tashche, shifted to their left along with Wang Shuo, determined to keep him within their sight and marking range.

As the referee blew his whistle, Shahin started his run-up.

Every player on the field began to move in concert.

Just as everyone assumed Shahin would pass directly to a teammate—a perfectly normal play, whether he passed to Reus, Foyelner, or even back to Schmelzer and Hummels.