Chapter 1 After the Match

After the match, Zhou Yi, who scored the only goal for Dortmund, which was also the crucial goal, was naturally the target of the media.

After celebrating the victory, he was dragged by reporters to the mixed zone for interviews.

Before asking questions, reporters from China and Germany first congratulated Zhou Yi on leading the team to the Champions League final for the second consecutive time, and then asked him about his expectations for the final.

Zhou Yi was consistently low-key in front of the media: "Both teams that reach the final probably want to win the championship, but there is only one champion. I hope we can defend our title, but I also know it's difficult. So if you ask me what I hope for in the final, of course, I'll say the championship. But that doesn't mean we can definitely win..."

He kept repeating the same old nonsense.

But the reporters all knew that what he said in front of the camera often didn't mean anything and didn't represent his true thoughts.

Zhou Yi was a man of few words who was also ruthless.

He rarely said anything harsh, so when he suddenly publicly and ostentatiously said he wanted the league title during the season when he and Bayern Munich were neck and neck, everyone was very surprised, because this was not the normal Zhou Yi.

When facing the media, he would use the most tactful attitude possible to deal with those tricky questions.

But his low-key and peaceful demeanor on the surface didn't mean he was a person without a temper.

Away from the camera lens, on the field and on the training ground, everyone knew that Zhou Yi was a ruthless character. Otherwise, how could he have repeatedly scored the winning goal against his bitter rival Bayern Munich?

Whether Zhou Yi was ruthless or not could be seen from the championships he had helped Dortmund win.

Seeing that it was not easy to dig up any "big news" from Zhou Yi, the reporters had to turn to ask him about the goal.

"That goal? The biggest contributor to that goal is, of course, Yan Min. If it weren't for his beautiful breakthrough on the wing, where would my subsequent shot have come from?"

Zhou Yi humbly said, "Yan Min's pass was so comfortable, I just needed to shoot."

The reporters then interviewed Yan Min, whose performance in this game was also very good, especially the scene where he broke through the Atletico Madrid defense line one-on-two on the wing, which was his highlight moment.

Unlike Zhou Yi, Yan Min was not very cautious when speaking.

He directly expressed his ambition: "I want to win the Champions League title. If I can win it, I'll be so happy I'll die! I'll do everything I can for it!"

This young player, participating in the Champions League for the first time, was full of all kinds of beautiful visions for the Champions League final.

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Although Klopp was also very excited, he calmed himself down when attending the press conference.

"Defending champion? We don't want to think so much. We only care about the next league game. There are still two rounds of league games, and we are only one point ahead of Bayern Munich..."

He then praised Zhou Yi's goal: "That goal was very crucial. It was that goal that calmed us down, and everything that followed was logical..."

Simeone also admitted at the post-match press conference that Zhou Yi's goal immediately made Atletico Madrid's situation difficult: "Before that goal, we were playing normally and completely dominated. Looking only at the performance during that period, we should have been the ones to advance to the final. But football is so unpredictable. That goal made things very difficult for us, and there was almost no room for tactical maneuver..."

Simeone looked a little haggard after losing the semi-final.

After the match, major media outlets reported on Dortmund's entry into the Champions League final with great fanfare. Zhou Yi, who scored the only goal for Dortmund in this match, which was also the crucial goal, was naturally the focus of attention.

Chinese fans have already seen a lot of various complimentary words about Zhou Yi. Some Chinese fans even joked: "Are we still considering how to praise Zhou Yi? Stop talking nonsense and just do it!"

Of course, everyone's attention to Zhou Yi was normal, and fans were used to it.

However, Yan Min's performance in this game was also very outstanding. To be strict, as Zhou Yi said, the biggest contributor to that goal was not actually Zhou Yi, who scored the goal, but Yan Min.

After the match, the internet was filled with dynamic images and video clips of Yan Min's one-on-two from various angles, and everyone could appreciate Yan Min's agile "dance" over and over again.

First, a Cruyff turn to adjust his direction so that he could face the defending player head-on, making it easier for him to make the next move, and then pull the ball back in front of Filipe, his foot speed was so fast that Filipe couldn't keep up at all.

It can be said that Chinese fans have gradually become accustomed to the "Five Little Dragons" and are no longer surprised. But this season, Yan Min has become their biggest discovery.

This young man, who was unknown in the Chinese domestic football scene, actually took the main position in Dortmund in less than a season after going to Dortmund, and also repeatedly had excellent performances.

This also makes people have to think - do we not have good seedlings, or do we not have good soil?

Back then, before Zhou Yi, our Chinese football scene also produced young geniuses, the super platinum generation of that year, as well as the players from the 2005 World Youth Championship. If they could have gone to Europe to play football after showing their talent, would their future and the future of Chinese football have changed?

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Dortmund eliminated Atletico Madrid in the away game and entered the Champions League final.

This news must be unacceptable to Bayern Munich fans.

They were overturned by Dortmund in the league. Now, in the Champions League, after they were eliminated by Real Madrid, they found that their bitter rival was singing all the way and entered the Champions League final. This really made them super unhappy.

If it was said that during the semi-finals, playing in the Champions League might have an impact on Dortmund in the league, then now even this factor no longer exists.

The Champions League final is on the evening of May 24, and the last round of the Bundesliga will all end on the afternoon of May 10...

So now Dortmund can completely ignore the Champions League and prepare wholeheartedly for the last two rounds of the league, resolutely not giving Bayern Munich any chance.

What about Bayern Munich?

Seeing that they only have the German Cup to compete for this season, the exact same result as last season really made the team unable to accept it.

Last season, they could still say it was the coach's problem, so they couldn't wait to sign Guardiola, who was idle at home, halfway through the season.

What reason can they find this season?

Guardiola, as the most popular young coach, has surpassed Mourinho. After he coached Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich has indeed undergone great changes and has been performing well in the league.

But they still can't do anything about Dortmund?

How to solve this problem?

They can't change the coach again, right?

First of all, there are not many coaches on the market that Bayern Munich can look up to, and even if there are, they are basically under contract. How can they just change their allegiance?

Moreover, since the Bayern Munich executives have dug up Guardiola, they will naturally trust him. How can they change the coach in the first year?

Although the final result of the team this season may not be satisfactory, the club executives still choose to trust Guardiola.

So how to solve Bayern Munich's arch-rival Dortmund?

At this time, the Bayern Munich executives decided to repeat their old trick...

I can't beat you on the field, but I can beat you in the transfer market!

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"Bayern Munich is looking for me?" When Zhou Yi heard this news from his agent Schulze, he felt as if he had traveled to a fantasy novel. "They really came looking for me?"

"Of course."

"Are they out of their mind... no, what are they thinking? Are they deliberately provoking us?" Zhou Yi couldn't figure out why Bayern Munich needed to do this. "They know I won't go to Bayern Munich. We've been fighting with them in the league for so many years, how could I go to Bayern Munich? Besides, I'm not Gotze, who has been their fan since he was a child. I'm not Lewandowski either, who just wants to take revenge on Dortmund..."

"Business is business, so of course we have to put aside emotional factors." Schulze spread his hands and said to Zhou Yi. "No matter what you think in your heart, how can you know if it will work if you don't try the result? You say you can't go to Bayern Munich, who knows? Even if you say it, people will think you are playing hard to get. No one can know what you really think in your heart... Besides, what is 'impossible' in this world? When Figo was king in Barcelona, who would have thought that he would transfer to Real Madrid in the future?"

Zhou Yi was speechless by Schulze, and after a long time, he nodded and admitted that what Schulze said was reasonable.

"And Bayern Munich is quite sincere this time. They plan to offer you the highest salary in the team, 13 million euros, to sign you. You know, Ribery, the highest-paid player in their team, only gets 12 million euros, which is not as much as you. If you agree, you will be the highest-paid player in the entire Bundesliga."

"They've already talked to you about salary? You've talked so deeply?" Zhou Yi was very surprised.

Schulze quickly clarified: "No, we've only talked once. They took out a contract for me to look at as soon as they came up..."

"Tsk tsk, what a big hand." Zhou Yi shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, they also said that if it weren't for the fact that your contract with Dortmund had a clause that the termination fee could only be activated in the last year, they would have directly activated the termination fee..."

"That's 90 million euros!" Zhou Yi was shocked by Bayern Munich's wealth.

"It seems that they were forced to a dead end by you in Dortmund, otherwise they wouldn't have done this." Schulze laughed.

"They are indeed 'sincere'..." Zhou Yi was very touched, and then rejected them.

"You can just tell them that even if I want to leave Dortmund, I will definitely not consider going to Bayern Munich."

"They said they want to talk to you alone..." Schulze said.

"There's no need for that." Zhou Yi waved his hand. "I don't have time to deal with them now. You can just reject them."

"Okay." Schulze nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right, if possible, try to reply to them by phone, and don't meet them if you can avoid it."

Schulze also nodded obediently.