I Am Victory! Dortmund's New Signing Shines, 15-Year-Old Chinese Prodigy Assists Twice in Comeback Win!
A 15-year-old Chinese player coming off the bench to help Borussia Dortmund achieve a comeback victory, and winning the MVP for his outstanding performance, was already big news.
What's more, he was full of spirit and spoke boldly in the interview.
The next day, major German media outlets plastered Chen Tao's photo on their front pages, sparking a wave of public opinion.
Apparently, Aunt Maria loved such reports, and she bought every newspaper she could from the newsstand.
Bild, Daily Star, Munich Daily, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung…
Uncle Heinrich was still complaining:
"Why are you buying so many newspapers?"
"Chen rarely plays, and he won Man of the Match. I want to make scrapbooks. When he becomes a big star in the future, my scrapbooks will be very valuable."
"You're too business-minded... But, it makes a little sense."
Aunt Maria was often teased by Hans.
The idea of renting out the spare room in their house as a guesthouse was Aunt Maria's idea.
Facts proved that her idea was actually quite good.
Borussia Dortmund's future star, Chen Tao, had almost become a half-family member.
"By the way, where's Chen? I haven't seen him."
"Oh, him? He went to the training ground at 7 in the morning."
Their youngest daughter, Anna, responded calmly.
Initially, she was very repulsed by having a stranger in the house, especially a boy her age, and an Asian one at that.
After nearly two months of living together, she gradually got used to Chen Tao's presence.
Every morning at 7 AM, come rain or shine, he would go to the training ground's gym, never missing a single day.
Borussia Dortmund was already chaotic enough, and he wasn't guaranteed playing time, so why insist on doing something meaningless?
With such skills, he could play anywhere, why come to this godforsaken place?
"What a strange person."
Anna muttered to herself.
...
At the training ground, Chen Tao had already eaten breakfast and was lifting weights with headphones on in the gym.
Despite facing a debt crisis, Borussia Dortmund's cafeteria food was still good, allowing players to choose according to their preferences.
Chen Tao particularly liked different types of German sausages.
He tried to satisfy his taste buds as much as possible within the healthy diet guidelines for professional players.
However, the longer he stayed in a foreign country, the more Chen Tao missed local delicacies like rice rolls and shrimp dumplings from Guangzhou.
Based on Chen Tao's age and muscle condition, Borussia Dortmund's fitness coaches and nutritionists tailored a training plan for him.
Chen Tao, of course, took it seriously, wishing he could train extra every day.
Even with a divine ball sense surpassing Ronaldinho's, he still needed to enhance his physical strength.
Otherwise, in a professional match, a defender's shoulder charge would make you lose balance and possession, no matter how good your skills were.
Chen Tao, 15 years old, Chinese, and relatively thin, had all the buffs stacked against him on the field.
He was easily targeted by opposing players.
As a former German international and an attacking midfielder, head coach Thomas Doll felt this deeply.
"Your post-match comments yesterday were quite confident."
Statements like "I play = victory" seemed a bit arrogant to Germans.
Thomas Doll didn't mean to blame him; for a 15-year-old player with such excellent skills, youthful exuberance was normal.
He was more concerned that Chen Tao might become conceited, looking down on other opponents due to his superior skills.
"Do you know why I haven't let you play in the League yet?"
"The coaching staff must have their own plans."
"You don't hold a grudge?"
"Then you underestimate me."
Chen Tao's calm response, however, made Thomas Doll look at him in a new light.
Like Wenger, they had seen too many young talents, some even more arrogant than Chen Tao.
But when they reached the first-team stage, they found that actual matches were completely different from training sessions and youth team games.
If a young talent passed the test, they could evolve into a world-famous star.
However, most talents found it difficult to pass the test, eventually fading into obscurity and out of professional football.
Manchester United had a talented midfielder named Ravel Morrison, whose talent was on par with Cristiano Ronaldo, a future legendary superstar in the words of Sir Alex Ferguson, completely overshadowing Pogba.
In 2011, Ravel Morrison led Pogba and Lingard to lift the Youth FA Cup.
But 10 years later, the world only knew Pogba; who knew Morrison?
Chen Tao understood Thomas Doll's meaning.
However, a head coach had his own considerations when arranging the lineup, taking into account team performance and recent squad form.
But these were all from the perspective of an ordinary player. Was Chen Tao an ordinary player?
"How do I underestimate you?"
"You saw my performance in the German Cup; I make an impact when I play."
"So, you can prove that you can also make an impact in the League? The level of opponents in the League is not comparable to a Cup match."
"How can I prove it if I'm not given a chance?"
In the locker room, Chen Tao and head coach Thomas Doll were at loggerheads, and the atmosphere became tense.
"Alright, alright, everything can be discussed, gentlemen."
Assistant coach Dick Fuhren thought the two were having a conflict and quickly tried to mediate.
To his surprise, head coach Thomas Doll burst out laughing.
"Good, in three days, we'll play Werder Bremen at home. I'll give you a chance."
...
The daily training began, and Chen Tao was laughing and chatting with players like Nuri Şahin and Kehl on the training ground.
On the sidelines, head coach Thomas Doll was worried, still fretting over the team's performance.
Borussia Dortmund was only four points away from the relegation zone; a slight misstep could send them plummeting.
Putting aside yesterday's Cup victory, the League situation remained dire.
Every day, fans expressed dissatisfaction on forums, demanding Thomas Doll's dismissal.
Some fans even displayed banners outside the training ground, with "Doll Out" slogans everywhere.
Thomas Doll was plagued by both internal and external troubles.
Clearly, having led the team to avoid relegation last season, he couldn't gain the fans' trust.
At this moment, Chen Tao's excellent performance in the Cup might become a surprise weapon in his hands... or would it?
"No, how do you expect him to prove it? Are you expecting him to lead the team to victory?"
Assistant coach Dick Fuhren lacked confidence.
The entire coaching staff knew Chen Tao's talent; the strengths and weaknesses of a 15-year-old prodigy were very obvious.
Good technique, decent speed, a certain overall view and vision;
Poor physical strength, wild shooting.
Whether Chen Tao played on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, he needed scoring ability from deep, and Chen Tao clearly couldn't score goals.
These were all reasons why the coaching staff hadn't included him in their plans.
What's more,
The next opponent was Werder Bremen, currently the second-ranked team in the Bundesliga, second only to the dominant Bayern Munich.
Their squad included core player Diego,
As well as Rosenberg, Borowski, Frings, Mertesacker, Naldo... numerous national team core players.
Borussia Dortmund would find it difficult even to secure one point at home, let alone win.
Should a 15-year-old child really bear all this?
"What else... He brought it up himself, why not? Too much dribbling is useless; only winning is the hard truth."
Thomas Doll picked up a football and juggled it back and forth to hide his inner anxiety.
"If he succeeds, it will naturally be very good."
"If he can't do it, he'll have no reason to demand playing time in the future."
Hiss...
"I thought you cherished talent; you're more pragmatic than I imagined."
Dick Fuhren secretly clicked his tongue.
"If you're not pragmatic, if you don't calculate every single point, how can you be a head coach?"
Thomas Doll brought the ball down and chipped it into the goal.
Dick Fuhren fell into contemplation; he felt something was off with the head coach but couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Looking at the 15-year-old youngster Chen Tao on the field, Dick Fuhren could only silently wish him good luck.
The next match, the most difficult one, was also a major test for the 15-year-old!