Dominating Football with Perfect Ball Control

Chapter 41: 41. Have I Really Become a Big Star?

Check out advanced Chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari

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After the Bundesliga match against Hannover 96, the previously relatively quiet ”Lance Bar” became much livelier.

”Bayern Munich fans here to watch!”

”Borussia Dortmund fans here to watch!”

”Just finished watching the game, Lance is awesome!”

”It’s rare to see such a talented Chinese player! True geniuses really do need to be cultivated abroad.”

”Upstairs, can’t they be cultivated domestically?”

”What are you thinking? Domestically, no matter how much of a genius you are, you first have to learn to give gifts and toast.”

”And you also have to guard against teammates fouling you.”

”Domestically? No money to play football!”

”Don’t tell me he’s going to be the next Jeremy Lin?”

”No, no, Lance definitely won’t be; his talent is much higher. In NBA terms, he’s equivalent to Stephen Curry of the Warriors, or Klay Thompson, or Kevin Durant of the Thunder.”

”Durant is an exaggeration, right? Lance is that good in the Bundesliga?”

”Just wait and see. In the next match against Bayern Munich, Lance will dominate.”

Fans in the forum were temporarily unable to tell if this person was a Lance fan or a troll.

A 16-year-old dominating the ”Quintuple Crown” Bayern Munich?

It’s not even certain if he’ll play.

What if the Bayer Leverkusen coach is conservative and chooses veterans for a tough match like Bayern Munich? Wouldn’t that be a bust?

Regardless, as match after match passed, Lance, with his performance of over 1 goal per game, had gradually won over many fans.

And with big V accounts on Weibo reposting and recommending him, his popularity in Germany grew daily, gradually catching up to the attention from German fans.

Calling Lance a ”hotshot” is not an exaggeration at all.

...

Compared to the gradually increasing buzz on the domestic internet, Lance’s popularity in Bayer Leverkusen also grew significantly.

When he rode his bicycle to the training base and stopped at traffic lights, people often rolled down their car windows to greet him.

”Lance!! Hey, Lance!!”

”Great performance yesterday!! I’m your fan!”

”Lance!! You’re amazing!! Bayer Leverkusen thanks you!”

”Keep up the good work in the next match!”

”Can I get an autograph?”

Lance was even surrounded by fans, signing autographs and taking photos at intersections.

He watched as police motorcycles with flashing lights approached, dispersing the crowd of curious citizens.

Lance thought he was going to be penalized, but to his surprise, the local traffic police handed him a small notebook, not a ticket.

”Lance, I’m also your fan, and my child really likes you. Could you sign an autograph?”

”Of course.”

Even the traffic police were scrambling to take photos with Lance, which made him feel helpless.

It was his first time experiencing the troubles of being a football star.

”Should I buy a car?”

Lance suddenly had an idea.

When he first joined the team, Lance’s weekly salary was only 5,000 euros, not much different from an apprentice contract.

Originally, he would only automatically convert to a professional player contract after 10 appearances.

However, due to his excellent performance in recent matches and repeatedly saving Bayer Leverkusen from dire situations, the club had automatically raised his weekly salary to the 15,000 euro tier.

Lance’s monthly salary, including appearance fees and goal/assist bonuses, after deducting 45% tax and some insurance, was a net income of around 45,000 euros.

In one month in Germany, he could buy an Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, or Mercedes-Benz E-Class; in two months, a Porsche Cayenne or Mercedes-Benz S-Class; in three months, a Bentley Flying Spur; and in half a year, he could get a Ferrari 458 or a Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG...

And this was only at the 15,000 euro weekly salary level.

If his contract was renewed next year, Lance might be able to afford an entry-level sports car like a Porsche 911 in just one month.

Lance planned to wait until after the match against Bayern Munich.

If they won, he would reward himself with a car.

If they lost, he would save the money.

The premise was that he had to get a chance to play.

...

At the training base, he coincidentally ran into Sascha Lewandowski in the cafeteria.

Other players kept their distance, not daring to eat with the coaching staff.

Lance didn’t care about any of that.

After getting his food, he deliberately sat across from Sascha, which surprised Sascha Lewandowski.

”Lance, do you need something?”

”I wanted to ask about the upcoming match against Bayern Munich...”

”Pfft.”

Sami Hyypi? was the first to burst out laughing.

”You’re too impatient, Lance.”

”You want to play that much?”

Sascha also looked at Lance with a half-smile.

”Of course. If it were other opponents, I’d completely follow the coaching staff’s arrangements. But the next round is Bayern Munich...”

Lance’s serious eyes were full of anticipation.

”If I miss it, I might have to wait until next year.”

Excluding cup matches, there were only two chances a year to play against Bayern Munich.

Compared to other teams, Lance’s desire to fight Bayern Munich was the strongest.

Not to mention that he came from Bayern Munich’s youth academy and was familiar with the players in Bayern Munich’s first team.

Just the fact that the bald Erik ten Hag had kicked him out, Lance wanted to prove him wrong in front of him.

Sascha and Hyypi? exchanged glances; they understood Lance’s grievances with Bayern Munich to some extent.

”Don’t worry, Lance. You’re definitely on the roster. I can guarantee you’ll have a chance to play.”

”That’s enough. Thank you, coach.”

Lance picked up his tray, ready to leave.

”You’re not concerned about how many minutes you’ll get?” Sascha was still a bit surprised.

He thought Lance wanted to secure a starting spot.

”It doesn’t matter. No matter how many minutes, I’m sure I can make an impact.”

Hiss—

What a big claim!

Sascha and Hyypi? were both stunned.

If Lance was only given 5 minutes, was he sure he could break through Bayern Munich within 5 minutes?

He must be joking!

However, on second thought, Bayer Leverkusen really needed Lance’s fearlessness, that youthful spirit.

Looking at Lance’s back, Hyypi? was very happy.

”I feel like we have a chance in this match.”

”That’s the Quintuple Crown Bayern Munich.”

For almost a week, a heavy stone had weighed on Sascha Lewandowski’s heart.

Bayern Munich was definitely a mountain in front of any Bundesliga team, and anyone who encountered the Bundesliga’s big devil had to be prepared to be dominated.

Moreover, the next round was an away game, heading to Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich, making the difficulty exponentially higher.

Sascha implicitly accepted losing these 3 points.

The goal of the match was only to secure 1 point and fight for 3; getting 1 point away from home and escaping unscathed would already be a very good result.

”You, you’re not as confident as a 16-year-old kid.”

”Who are you talking about?!”

Sascha was quite indignant at Hyypi?’s jab.

However, his response was rather hesitant.

Theoretically, Lance was indeed much more confident than him.

...

On the training ground, the entire Bayer Leverkusen team saw a more diligent, even somewhat crazy, Lance.

While others were jogging to warm up, Lance had already rushed to the front of the line.

While others slacked off in training when the coach wasn’t around, Lance insisted on doing every detail well, even if he was sweating profusely.

”Lance, is it really necessary?”

Even Julian Brandt, who often slacked off, couldn’t stand it anymore.

Lance was too intense, making it impossible for him to slack off; he could only follow along and work hard.

”Julian, do you want to be Cristiano Ronaldo?”

”Of course I do!”

Cristiano Ronaldo was Julian Brandt’s idol.

Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, there was also Marco Reus.

”Then just think about it. With your training attitude, it’ll probably be difficult to compare to Cristiano Ronaldo.”

”Who are you looking down on? It’s just training!”

Julian Brandt also sped up his running, his chest heaving like bellows.

Lance shook his head; his good brother was really easy to fool.

Thinking about the match against Bayern Munich in 3 days, Lance also quickened his pace.

Next up were shooting, passing, coordination, and confrontation training.

He couldn’t always rely on his cheat, always rely on his rage value.

Putting aside the cheat, he also had to become stronger himself!

Only a stronger version of himself could fully utilize the system!

He hoped that one day, even without the system, he could become an S-tier player!