The match against Bayern had really taken a lot out of the Mainz players.
On the bus back to Mainz, everyone who had played in the match, including Hoffenheim, who had come on as a substitute, was slumped exhaustedly in their seats, resting.
"This is just the U19 league. If you make it to the first team and play in the Second Bundesliga, the physicality will be greater, the matches more intense, and the toll on your bodies even heavier than it is now."
"So, can you handle it?"
With a casual air, Head Coach Kramny once again threw a bucket of cold water on the players.
In his time with the team, Wang Shuo had gotten to know Kramny fairly well. He was a classic tough-love coach.
He was strict on a daily basis. Even if you performed well, he would still knock you down a peg and demand more from you.
But what he'd said was the truth.
The pressure of the Second Bundesliga was on a completely different level from the U19 league.
Of course, for many of the players, they wouldn't even think about the Second Bundesliga.
It was too far off.
Wang Shuo, however, could afford to think about it. Just a little while ago, when he met with Klopp and Buvac, the two bigwigs from the first team had praised him highly, mentioning they might arrange for him to train with the first team soon.
Actually playing in a match?
At the moment, Wang Shuo wasn't old enough.
Seeing that everyone else was resting, and with Schürrle sitting next to him dozing with his headphones on, Wang Shuo also closed his eyes to rest and entered the Ball God System.
After entering the system, Wang Shuo first checked his personal attributes, collected his Passive Value, and then went to the lottery football.
He now had one Passive Skill Card. He could use it for a lottery draw, or he could use it to upgrade one of the Passive Skills he'd drawn before: Breathing or Insight.
It would be an upgrade from Professional Level to Regional Level.
'Should I draw another passive skill?'
'Or should I strengthen one of the ones I already have?'
Wang Shuo only hesitated for a moment before deciding to go for another draw.
After getting familiar with the system over this period, he realized that with his current strength, boosted by the two Passive Skills, Breathing and Insight, he had no problem handling the U19 league.
At his current stage, the benefits of drawing a new passive skill were definitely greater.
"Used Passive Skill Card. Obtained Professional Level Passive Skill: Swift."
"Swift: Increases agility and accelerates the frequency of technical movements."
Holy shit!
'This is fucking awesome!'
Especially when Wang Shuo focused his attention on Swift and learned more about the passive skill, he grew incredibly excited.
As the name suggested, Swift increased agility and the frequency of his technical movements.
For example, if he could only touch the ball once per second before, now he could touch it twice.
And anyone who had played football knew that the more touches you can get on the ball in the same amount of time, the stronger a player's ability with feints, changes of pace, and changes of direction.
Take Messi, for example.
The reason the superstar playing for Barça was able to perform so exceptionally well was because the frequency of his technical movements was extremely fast—so fast that defenders couldn't keep up with his rhythm.
But the frequency of movement was often inversely proportional to a player's height.
Messi is only 1.7 meters tall.
If he grew to 1.8 meters, his frequency of movement would surely drop a couple of notches.
But now, the Passive Skill Swift could help Wang Shuo increase his frequency of movement.
Moreover, this passive skill increased the frequency of all his movements, including his stride frequency when running.
Wang Shuo guessed that this should also slightly improve his speed and acceleration.
On paper, Swift also had another effect: allowing a player to execute technical moves at high speed.
On the football pitch, the faster you move, the harder it is to execute technical actions.
Why do so many people still fondly remember Ronaldo to this day?
It was because even at top speed, he could still perfectly execute all sorts of difficult technical moves.
Others just couldn't do it.
And Swift could enhance Wang Shuo's ability to perform various technical moves at high speed.
Combined with Breathing and Insight, plus Wang Shuo's own speed and acceleration, drawing Swift was like giving a tiger wings.
'This is really forcing me to go full-throttle down the path of a speed-focused striker.'
Wang Shuo couldn't help but smile.
Not that there was anything wrong with that.
For now, developing into a specific type of player and gaining a firm foothold in the European leagues as quickly as possible was the best path forward for him.
At that thought, Wang Shuo felt an overwhelming urge to cheer out loud.
'Who says Passive Skills are no good?'
'Passive Skills are even more badass than Active Skills, okay?'
You could say that every passive skill he drew took his abilities up a whole level.
It was insane!
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Bayern's chief scout, Wolfgang Dreimler, knocked on the office door of General Manager Uli Hennes.
"Come in."
Dreimler pushed the door open and went inside, seeing Hennes waiting for him on the sofa with a smile.
Both men were legendary figures in the German football scene.
But they had never played together.
Dreimler had transferred to Bayern from Brunswick in '79, by which time Hennes had already retired and begun his career in management.
But Dreimler was a key player in Germany's runner-up finish at the 1982 World Cup.
"Uli, you were looking for me?"
Dreimler sat down at Hennes's invitation.
"There's something I need you to take care of in person." Hennes handed over a slip of paper with a smile.
On the slip were a few words.
Wang Shuo, China, Mainz U19.
Dreimler knew right away that this was information on a player.
"A Chinese player?"
Hennes nodded. "I couldn't find any information on him in the International Football Bank."
The International Football Bank, or ISB for short, was a German company. Its headquarters were in New Waldnaab River Town, a small town of only 6,000 people located 200 kilometers northeast of Munich, near the German-Czech border.
In 2000, a German man named Jurgen Koster founded the International Football Bank corporation there.
They weren't in the banking business; they sold player information.
The company's business was to use its own channels to gather information on professional players from all over the world, enrich its own database, and then, after compiling and analyzing this information, sell it to interested clubs.
Their main clients were scouting departments.
Within Bayern, Dreimler was the person who dealt with the International Football Bank most often.
"ISB Corporation now has player information from over four thousand clubs worldwide. That should include Mainz U19." Dreimler was surprised.
The German football market was the International Football Bank's home turf, the region where their data was most comprehensive.
And Mainz was a 2nd Bundesliga team.
"I don't know what's going on, but he's really not in there. That's why I need you to go there in person."
After a pause, Hennes added, "Kurt Niedermayer just called me to recommend this Chinese player. He thinks the boy has potential on par with Thomas Müller."
Was Thomas Müller good?
There was no debate about that within Bayern.
His physicality was average and his technique was average, so many people believed his talent was inferior to Tony Kroos's.
But everyone, including Rummenigge and Hennes, believed that Thomas Müller could score goals and had an exceptional football IQ.
Most importantly, he was a homegrown talent, through and through, and he had a surname like Müller.
As for Tony Kroos?
His talent was undeniable, but he was from the East Germany region, and his personality had always been a bit hard to manage.
"Didn't his team just play against Mainz U19?"
"Yes. 3-4. We lost."
"Mainz U19 is that good?" Dreimler was astonished.
Hennes just smiled.
He wasn't the least bit bothered by the Bayern Munich U19 loss.
"This guy scored a hat-trick and orchestrated their other goal."
Dreimler's expression immediately grew serious.
The starting center-back for the current Bayern Munich U19 team was Badstuber, and the back line also had Konstantin. Both were among Bayern's most highly-regarded prospects and were standouts among their German peers.
For this Wang Shuo fellow to score a hat-trick against Badstuber and Konstantin... that was no simple feat.
At this thought, Dreimler rose from his seat.
"I'll prepare at once. I'll go tomorrow."
"Wolfgang," Hennes called out, stopping Dreimler as he was about to leave.
When Dreimler turned around, Hennes continued, "Take a look. If he's a good fit, talk directly to Christian Heidel and bring him back."
"I understand."
Hennes was confident, knowing Dreimler was handling it personally.
A Chinese player not even listed in the International Football Bank... it was like he had just popped out of the Black Forest.
So mysterious!
Just as Hennes was frowning, the Siemens phone on his desk rang.
The caller ID clearly showed it was the boss of the International Football Bank, Jurgen Koster.
"Hello, Jurgen. Do you have news?"
"That's right, Uli. I asked around and even specifically contacted someone at Adidas Headquarters. I've finally got Wang Shuo's information."
"Quick, let's hear it."
"Wang Shuo, 17 years old. Came to Germany this January through a sponsorship from Adidas. He had trials with 18 different clubs, none of which were successful. He only went to Mainz on March 16th and was kept on."
"Trials with 18 clubs? Did he ever come to us at Bayern?" Hennes was stunned.
"No."
Hennes nodded.
If he had trialed at Bayern, they would definitely have a file on him, and it would be impossible for Niedermayer not to know him.
"Right, is he a signed Adidas player now?"
"That I'm not too clear on. Logically, he should be, but Adidas doesn't have detailed information on him either. When I asked, they were also completely baffled and are looking into it now."
Hennes understood.
This was a complete nobody who had used Adidas's channels to come to Germany for trials.
After hitting a wall everywhere, he was finally starting to make a name for himself at Mainz.
"By the way, you also know his agent."
"Who?"
"Thomas Essien."
"It's him!" As the man in charge of Bayern's football operations, Hennes of course knew Thomas Essien, but they weren't well-acquainted.
The main reason was that Thomas Essien's work as an agent was very mediocre.
If Hennes remembered correctly, he didn't think the man had any players to speak of.
He mainly handled some commercial events.
After getting Thomas Essien's phone number and hanging up, Hennes still felt the whole affair was a bit bizarre.
But that was the world of football for you.
Unlike other German teams, Bayern had always been committed to globalization.
That was why Bayern was planning to open a branch office in New York in the United States this year, with plans to open another in Asia—specifically, in the China region—to develop its global business.
If they could sign a Chinese player at a time like this, even just a young prospect, it would be an excellent opportunity.
Thinking of this, Hennes picked up his phone again and dialed Thomas Essien's number.