Chapter 16: What? The Secondary Card Is the Chosen One—Alvarez?
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“Heavens! Who is that guy?”
“Damn it! Schalke 04 actually equalized?”
“Fuck!!! A last-minute equalizer?”
The roar at the Pulse Stadium continued unabated!
Schalke 04’s fans erupted in wild celebration, while the Bayern supporters, who had just been singing their team’s championship praises moments ago, were left dumbfounded.
With the match seemingly about to end, who would have expected Schalke’s number 23, who had already scored once, to snatch an equalizer in the dying seconds?
And it was still that kind of absolutely spectacular volley that had a genuine chance of winning the Puskás Award!
In front of Schalke 04’s bench:
After a long moment of mental paralysis, Milner finally snapped back to reality.
“Boss… this guy… this guy…”
Once lucid, Milner immediately grabbed his coach, whispering to him.
Though Milner said little, Old Ma instantly understood his meaning.
Indeed!
Facing Bayern, and in a Super Cup match no less!
Truth be told, Old Ma was already wondering whether he should keep the pointless Huntelaar on the bench from now on.
But compared to future plans for Lin Hao, the immediate priority was preparing the lineup for the impending penalty shootout.
According to Super Cup rules, if the two teams are tied after 90 minutes, there’s no extra time—straight to the brutal penalty shootout.
Old Ma discussed the shooting order with Milner, while on the other side, Van Gaal, after some frustration, summoned his entire squad near him.
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After about ten minutes of preparation, the cruelest moment in football—the penalty shootout—finally began.
Old Ma chose Raul to take the first penalty for Schalke.
As a world-class striker, Raul did not disappoint Schalke fans; with an effortlessly elegant chip shot, Raul secured the first point.
However, while the entire stadium chanted for Raul, Lin Hao, who was slated to take the fourth penalty, couldn’t bring himself to rejoice.
Why?
Because of his damn Kane template’s side effect!
Luck minus fifty percent!
With such a debuff, how could there be any hope of winning the shootout?
Sure enough, after Raul’s successful penalty, Schalke’s other shooters started to falter one by one.
Rakitic sent the ball sailing into the stands in pursuit of an angle; Baumjohann blasted straight at the Bayern keeper, who blocked it effortlessly!
In the end, even though Lin Hao calmly converted his penalty into the corner, Klose’s rock-solid strike sealed the match.
4:2!
There was no need for a fifth round; Bayern had already clinched the 2010 Super Cup!
“Beeep!!!”
As Klose’s shot hit the net, the Pulse Stadium instantly turned into a sea of red waves.
The Bayern fans, who had been tense moments before, erupted in ecstatic cheers.
Though the Super Cup meant little to Bayern supporters, today was different!
They were nearly capsized by that Schalke number 23!
Of course, while the fans were thrilled, the Bayern players showed little enthusiasm.
After all, the Super Cup held no real prestige.
As Bayern’s fans passionately celebrated, the team’s stars began the customary post-match handshake.
“Hi! Great game!”
Lin Hao was pondering how his performance would be rated when a true Bayern legend suddenly approached him.
Not only Klose but also Raul hurried over as the final whistle blew.
“Indeed!”
Hearing Klose praise his young teammate, Raul smiled in agreement.
“Thank you, Mr. Klose!”
Two goals and one assist!
Two sublime goals and a top-tier assist!
Klose’s compliment was sincere.
After patting Lin Hao on the shoulder, the German legend even offered to exchange jerseys.
With Klose’s request, Lin Hao swiftly removed his damp shirt and handed it over.
For Lin Hao, though Bayern was the opponent, this legend was one of his all-time favorite stars.
Had he not still been on the field, Lin Hao would have asked Klose for some heading tips.
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“Congratulations!”
As the teams shook hands and exchanged words, Magath naturally approached Van Gaal first after the match.
Pre-match banter was just professional necessity; once the game ended, coaches of their caliber wouldn’t allow the media to capture petty moments.
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“No, no! I should be congratulating you. I only won a worthless little trophy, but you’ve got yourself a young man who’s destined to become a world-class striker!”
Old Ma congratulated Van Gaal on his championship, but was surprised to see Van Gaal enviously eyeing the treasure Old Ma had unearthed.
“Haha, thank you! Thank you!”
Old Ma was no fool; although Van Gaal’s words seemed innocent, Old Ma detected a hint of jealousy that brought him great satisfaction.
Yes, what was the Super Cup?
A purely trivial event!
More than the trophy, Lin Hao was the greatest gift Old Ma had received today.
“Oh! By the way, I heard this guy was just promoted from your U20 squad?”
Old Ma laughed heartily, but when Van Gaal suddenly dropped that line, his smile froze.
Just promoted from U20?
That plainly meant Lin Hao probably wasn’t expensive!
Old Ma knew Bayern Munich’s nature too well.
Especially seeing Van Gaal’s suddenly upturned lips, Old Ma’s guard shot up.
No way!
The contract’s buyout clause was too low!
Tomorrow… no, today, he must call Hughes over and renegotiate a new contract with Lin Hao.
Raise his salary!
That was essential, and most importantly, the buyout clause had to be multiplied several times!
Otherwise, the precious gem he had found might be snatched away by these shameless Bayern rogues!
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The Super Cup was over!
With two goals and an assist, as always, Lin Hao not only won the Golden Boot but also the Man of the Match.
Yet, still unable to break his runner-up curse, Lin Hao held the trophy but could not muster joy.
Especially during the post-match interview with CTV5, Lin Hao even said he would trade all his personal honors for a championship, just like on the day of the World Youth Championship.
However, Lin Hao’s gloom did not last long.
Because, just after returning to the locker room with his teammates, the mission completion notification he had long awaited finally sounded!
“Ding dong!”
“Congratulations, Host, you have completed the main quest: First Team Debut!”
“Debut Performance: 2 goals, 1 assist—Rated SSS level.”
“Mission Completion: SSS!”
“Ding dong!”
“Based on your mission completion, the system has awarded an SSS-level treasure box!”
SSS…!!!
Upon hearing the system’s alert, Lin Hao was ecstatic.
Triple S!
Since obtaining this system, this was the highest level he had witnessed.
Even the Kane template he chose at the start was only rated S.
He never imagined that, by sheer chance, he would snag an SSS-level treasure box in the Super Cup.
Lin Hao was thrilled, but since he was still in the locker room with teammates nearby, he restrained his excitement.
“Lin, want to go visit Xiao Uchida in the hospital?”
Just as Lin Hao planned to pack up and return to his apartment to open the treasure box, Hao Junmin suddenly approached and said.
“Oh! Let’s go!”
Hearing Hao Junmin mention Xiao Uchida, Lin Hao suddenly remembered the poor kid was still hospitalized.
Though they’d only known each other a few days, Lin Hao was among the few familiar faces to Xiao Uchida.
So, after tidying up, Lin Hao followed Hao Junmin and Raul, intending to head directly to the hospital.
At the same time, at the post-match press conference:
Though Schalke lost, Magath showed no sign of disappointment; instead, surrounded by countless media, Old Ma acted as if he’d won.
“Yes! Lin was indeed called up from the U20s!”
“I’ve been following him since he joined the U16s!”
“Huh? When? Back when I was at Wolfsburg?”
“Yes! I noticed Lin’s potential while at Wolfsburg. As everyone knows, I’m very adept at discovering young talent!”
“Back then, I even considered bringing Lin to Wolfsburg.”
“Thank heavens I didn’t. Had I done so, I’d surely regret it today!”
Schalke 04 lost!
But more than the championship, the media’s focus was on Lin Hao, who had undoubtedly made a name for himself with a single goal.
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Not only with Magath.
On the other side, at Bayern’s victory press conference.
Reporters’ most frequent questions were still about Lin Hao!
Old Ma happily answered all inquiries about Lin Hao, but Van Gaal was visibly annoyed whenever the name came up.
“Please stop asking me about Schalke 04’s number 23!”
“I don’t know him!”
“Yes! I know he nearly helped Schalke beat us, but what’s the result?”
“The championship still belongs to Bayern Munich!”
“We won!”
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The name Lin Hao truly exploded across Germany after the Super Cup!
As for back home?
The buzz was even more intense.
Germany was abuzz with talk of how mighty Bayern was nearly toppled by an 18-year-old Chinese player.
Domestically, it was even more exaggerated!
Recall that future night when a Chinese player scored a league equalizer against Barcelona, and every platform from Douyin to Weibo, even official media, praised him to the skies.
Now, two goals and one assist in the German Super Cup, including two sublime goals!
Since the match ended, domestic media had entered a full-blown Lin Hao promotion frenzy!
A morning news broadcast!
As the earliest and most authoritative news program, its female anchor, after delivering various reports, was the first to cover Lin Hao’s performance in Germany.
“According to our latest information, Chinese player Lin Hao scored two goals and assisted forward Raul once in the German Super Cup final held at 10 p.m. local time. With 2 goals and 1 assist, he has become the first Chinese player to win the Golden Boot and Man of the Match in a top overseas competition! — Please watch the live footage!”
Not only did the broadcast report Lin Hao’s goals, but it also dedicated a full two-minute highlight reel to him!
This was official media!
If the state media reported like this, how could other major websites and newspapers be any less?
Sina.com: “China’s Strongest Football Rising Star Topples Bundesliga Giant?”
Tencent Sports: “Asia’s Most Powerful Newcomer Explodes at Pulse Stadium!”
Sports Weekly: “Two Super Volleys—Lin Hao Secures This Year’s Puskás Award Early!”
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Throughout the day, from official media to local outlets,
everyone finally realized what the world’s number one sport truly was.
Even those who never watched or understood football were hearing Lin Hao’s name on their QQ feeds and Weibo.
Of course!
As countless domestic fans went wild over Lin Hao, major brands eager to secure endorsement rights scrambled to Germany after the Super Cup!
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However, while everyone raved over Lin Hao’s explosive performance,
after visiting Xiao Uchida in the hospital, Lin Hao quietly returned to his room alone.
After checking the door, he excitedly entered the system!
“Ding dong!”
“Congratulations, Host! You have received an SSS-level treasure box!”
“Open it?”
Upon entering, the treasure box shimmered with golden light before Lin Hao.
“Open!”
Without hesitation, Lin Hao opened it…
As he clicked to open, the system interface, already glowing gold, transformed into pure gold.
One second!
Two seconds!
Three seconds!
After three full seconds of dazzling gold light, it dimmed slightly.
From within the golden glow emerged a familiar silhouette?
“Ding dong!”
“Congratulations, Host! You have obtained an SSS-level sub-card template!”
“Chosen One: Little Spider—Alvarez!”
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P.S.: The theme is set—no championship but the chosen one’s dual template activated!
After losing the Super Cup shootout to Bayern, the exhilarating mode officially begins!
Begging for continued reading, for votes, for everything!