Chapter 1 The News About Yang Muge

The day after the match, news reports gathering evaluations and opinions from Yang Muge’s teammates and friends were released.

In China, fans were also very interested in this mysterious and low-profile player.

Through the reports, everyone learned that Yang Muge really was a low-key person. He had gone to the Schalke 04 youth training camp only a little later than Zhou Yi, but remained unknown for a long time in the youth training camp. While Zhou Yi had already won youth-level championships with the Borussia Dortmund youth team, Yang Muge was still unheard of.

It was also learned that Yang Muge had been a marginal figure in the youth team of his domestic club.

Regarding why he participated in that reality show, the Northern Hemisphere company that produced the program was interviewed.

This revealed why Yang Muge appeared in the reality show.

Because the club Yang Muge was with at the time didn't take the TV show seriously and didn't plan to send their best youth team players to participate. The marginal figure Yang Muge was sent to the reality show crew as someone for the club to send just to get it over with.

Unexpectedly, participating in the filming of this reality show brought him good luck.

While he was a marginal figure in the club's youth team, he played as a starter in the reality show and performed outstandingly.

After the filming of the reality show, he was spotted by Schalke 04.

It should be known that Schalke 04 was not on the list of opponents challenged by the reality show team, so it was not easy for them to discover Yang Muge.

The other four members of the "Five Little Dragons" were, at least, spotted by their opponents because of their outstanding performances in the matches.

Subsequently, Yang Muge went to Schalke 04 to lie low.

Until yesterday.

Actually, looking at yesterday's match, it wouldn't be right to describe Yang Muge as an overnight sensation in the match. Because, to be honest, Yang Muge only had a few defensive highlights; the rest of the time, he was like he had disappeared and wasn't conspicuous at all.

If it hadn't been for the sincere affirmation and praise from Schalke 04 coach Stevens at the post-match press conference, Chinese reporters would probably have been worried that Yang Muge would have to return to the stands after playing this match.

However, through the digging and sorting of Yang Muge's information, everyone gradually realized that this was probably just who he was. Some people are born to be in the limelight, while others are born to be low-key.

Yang Muge clearly belonged to the latter.

And his low profile was quite suitable for his position on the football field.

Because a defensive midfielder needs to be able to endure loneliness.

Why was Makélélé successful at Real Madrid and Chelsea? It was because he understood his strengths and weaknesses, so he was willing to defend, to do the blue-collar work, and to endure loneliness throughout his career. He worked diligently in the defensive midfielder position. Although he was not an important person in the eyes of fans and some club owners, he was dispensable. But any coach and knowledgeable expert would understand his importance.

Subsequently, public opinion vindicated Makélélé.

The Galácticos, having lost Makélélé, sank.

This shows how important a pure defensive midfielder is.

Although modern football increasingly requires players to be versatile, players like Makélélé, who are particularly strong in a certain specialized skill, even approaching the peak, still have a place, and a very important place.

In Yang Muge, everyone seemed to see such a future.

He will not become someone like Zhou Yi who is in the limelight, who can decide the outcome of a match by himself, but he can become an indispensable part of the team. With him, the team may not necessarily win, but without him, the machine will definitely not run smoothly.

In fact, in today's football environment where defenders are increasingly like forwards and goalkeepers are increasingly like defensive midfielders, players like Yang Muge are becoming increasingly rare, making them even more precious...

Some domestic media commented on Yang Muge's appearance: "He is not the savior of Chinese football, nor will he be the kind of superstar who enjoys the cheers and adoration of fans. To put it bluntly, he is just a role player. But are role players not important? No, they are extremely important! Because a team cannot be composed of eleven superstars. The foundation of a team is precisely those unknown or seemingly ordinary role players. Without these role players, the team would not have the most basic combat effectiveness..."

Another domestic media outlet said: "If we compare Zhou Yi to the leading actor in a movie, then Yang Muge is certainly a supporting actor. But even for supporting actors, there is such a thing as 'Best Supporting Actor.' Being able to focus on just one thing and doing it to the peak can also be called 'great.' A movie cannot only have the protagonist; without the support of supporting actors, even the best play cannot be produced."

Regardless of how the media evaluates him or how the fans view him, for Yang Muge, being able to play in a professional league means that the Long March has finally taken its first step. Everything is difficult at the beginning. Having taken the first step, what could be more difficult than the beginning?

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The day after the match, Zhou Yi and Yang Muge met discreetly at a restaurant and had a meal.

Of course, this meal was Yang Muge's treat, nominally to celebrate his first appearance in his professional career, starting and playing the entire match.

During the meal, Zhou Yi announced in the group chat that he would enjoy this meal on behalf of the other three. Guo Nu, Sun Pan, and He Ying expressed their dissatisfaction and protest, and stated that they did not recognize the "legality" and "legitimacy" of this meal. They demanded that Yang Muge make it up to them another day.

Zhou Yi expressed his agreement with their proposal, because he could freeload another meal.

Yang Muge did not object and accepted everyone's opinions with a smile.

Regarding his future, Yang Muge, although low-key and humble, had never lost confidence.

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After the end of the fifteenth round of the league, it was the last match of the Champions League group stage. Borussia Dortmund hosted Marseille at home, while Arsenal challenged Olympiacos away.

In this round of the group stage, because both Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal had already qualified from the group in advance, the actual outcome was no longer meaningful.

Neither side allowed their main players to play in this match, but instead sent substitutes and let the main players rest.

Arsenal's Wenger didn't even let most of the main players go to the away game at all.

Borussia Dortmund also did not let Zhou Yi start; he sat on the bench.

In the end, Borussia Dortmund lost to Marseille 2:3 at home, while Arsenal also lost to Olympiacos 1:3 away.

The first and second place teams in the group both ended their Champions League group stage with losses.

But the result was no longer important.

Although Zhou Yi sat on the bench, he did not play from beginning to end. Compared with the Champions League group stage, there was an even more important match waiting for him.

That was Borussia Dortmund's and Bayern Munich's fight for the winter break championship.

In the Bundesliga, the winter break championship is a tradition. This honor, which has no actual award, is related to the league title at the end of the season.

Currently, Borussia Dortmund is temporarily ranked first in the league standings, leading second-placed Bayern Munich by only one point.

With two matches left before the winter break, it is possible for Borussia Dortmund to be pulled down by Bayern Munich.

Because in the last league match, Borussia Dortmund drew 1:1 with Borussia Mönchengladbach away.

For the winter break championship, Klopp directly gave up the Champions League group stage match, anyway, Borussia Dortmund had already qualified as the first in the group in advance.

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On December 9th, the first match of the sixteenth round of the league kicked off. The match was between Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04, with the latter challenging Hertha Berlin away.

In this match, Yang Muge appeared in the starting lineup again.

The number of Chinese media outlets going to the scene to report on this match was also significantly more than the previous Schalke 04 match.

Yang Muge still didn't do anything to steal the show in the match, but his diligent performance in defense was still well-received and praised. Commentator Marcel Reif praised Yang Muge's defense in midfield during the match.

"Yang Muge doesn't look like the kind of very strong player, and his expression is not fierce and ferocious, which doesn't quite fit our fixed impression of a 'defensive midfielder.' But in defense, he performs very tough and tenacious, not giving an inch, and at the same time, he plays very wisely. He is good at positional defense and can disrupt the opponent's offensive routes in key positions... And once he sticks to an attacking player, he will bring great pressure to the opponent, because he is not the kind of person who gives up easily!"

Such an evaluation was quite high.

In the end, Yang Muge helped Schalke 04 win Hertha Berlin 2:1 away.

After watching these two matches, the Chinese reporters in the media box were not too worried about Yang Muge's position in the next match. They felt that as long as Yang Muge was not injured and maintained his form, he would definitely have a place in Schalke 04's starting lineup.

And even a fool could see that the current Schalke 04 coach Stevens liked Yang Muge.

Although Yang Muge was not drawn from the youth team to the first team by him, he was the one who gave Yang Muge the opportunity to play in the first team.

And Yang Muge himself used his practical actions to firmly grasp the opportunity in his hands, not disappointing the efforts he had put in during this period, as well as the expectations and trust of those who cared about him.

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The last two matches of the sixteenth round of the league were exactly the matches between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

On the afternoon of December 11th, Borussia Dortmund hosted Kaiserslautern at home, and on the evening of December 11th, Bayern Munich challenged Stuttgart away.