Chapter 2: Magath’s Dilemma—Who Should Partner with Raul?

Lin Hao’s system began updating, but he had no time to wait and see what surprises this update might bring.

There was no choice, because before returning to China to participate in the Asian Youth Championship, his agent in Germany had already been urging him to quickly finalize his options for the new season.

Having won the Golden Boot in the German third division last season, despite the so-called curse of the runner-up, many teams were eager to have Lin Hao.

The pressure was intense from Germany, and Lin Hao had little else to do at home. So, the morning after the Asian Youth Championship final, he boarded a flight directly to Germany.

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While Lin Hao flew to Germany, the domestic media skillfully launched various scornful celebrations mocking the national football team.

Of course, alongside mocking the national team, many mainstream media outlets began flocking to Germany in droves.

Although Lin Hao still hadn’t broken the so-called curse of the chosen runner-up, his performance at the Asian Youth Championship had conquered all of Asia.

Everyone knew that after returning, even if Lin Hao didn’t make the Schalke 04 first team, there was at least a chance to join a second-division or even a lower-tier Bundesliga club.

If Lin Hao could indeed find a Bundesliga team in the last few days of the transfer window, then the wildest era of Chinese football would truly arrive.

Shao Jiayi, Hao Junmin, and Lin Hao!

The Bundesliga would simultaneously feature three Chinese players — a historic first!

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At 10 p.m. that night, the plane finally landed smoothly at Gelsenkirchen International Airport in Germany.

No welcoming party, no fans...

Only Lin Hao’s agent in Germany, Giesen, was there.

A fairly ordinary agent in his fifties, who had long operated among second and third division players.

Why did Lin Hao choose Giesen?

Well, because Lin Hao had no other option. When he first arrived in Germany for trials, there was no top-tier agent willing to deal with him!

But fortunately, although Giesen wasn’t outstanding as an agent, he was impeccable in taking care of daily life.

Transportation, daily routines—since Lin Hao was his only promising client, Giesen doubled as nutritionist, trainer, driver, and caretaker all in one.

“Hey, Lin!”

As Lin Hao appeared in the airport corridor, Giesen greeted him with a warm smile and embraced him.

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Then, with familiar ease, he took Lin Hao’s luggage.

“Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Giesen!”

“Lin! No trouble at all, this is my job! Sorry I missed your matches at the Asian Youth Championship. It’s a pity you couldn’t lead your country to the championship, but your performance was already outstanding!”

Ah, old Giesen was a good man, just blunt sometimes!

Just as Lin Hao’s mood started recovering, that remark brought him back down again.

“Don’t think too much, Lin!”

“There’s an old German proverb!”

“If you want the fruit on the tree, you have to learn to climb first!”

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August in Gelsenkirchen wasn’t too warm.

Especially late at night, it carried a slight chill.

Thus, listening to old Giesen’s nagging, blowing in the Gelsenkirchen night breeze, Lin Hao slowly headed toward his private apartment.

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Meanwhile, inside the Schalke 04 club building.

Less than ten days remained before the Bundesliga season officially began.

Schalke 04’s head coach, Magath, was still working late in his office, pondering the starting lineup for the season opener.

Last season, Schalke 04 had soared to second place in the league, even at one point giving Magath hope for the championship.

Such a remarkable achievement, along with qualifying for the Champions League, had attracted Real Madrid’s veteran captain Raúl to join Schalke.

With Raúl’s arrival, Magath naturally intended to make a strong push in the Champions League.

However, Magath felt awkward—though Schalke was a Bundesliga powerhouse, it was in a completely different league from Bayern Munich.

The tight transfer budget forced him to barely assemble a Champions League-level squad; as for bench depth?

It was virtually nonexistent.

Especially in the forward positions: Raúl and Huntelaar were no problem as starters, but the backup Van Nistelrooy was extremely inconsistent, and Edu had suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a recent friendly, ruling him out for half the season.

Therefore, with only four forwards, Magath had to find one more capable substitute for Huntelaar and Raúl before the transfer window closed.

After all, Raúl was getting older; he couldn’t be expected to play nonstop all year.

“Boss! Maybe you should get some rest early?”

Just as Magath was worrying, his assistant Milner entered with a cup of coffee.

“No! Milner, any news from the market?”

Despite his fatigue, Magath was still concerned about strengthening his backup lineup.

“No, boss. The players you suggested either ask for too much or don’t want to sit on the bench...”

“Ugh! That’s...”

“But, boss, actually, what about that Lin Hao from the U20 squad?”

Milner noticed Magath’s troubled expression and suddenly suggested this.

Lin Hao?

At the mention of the name, Magath immediately pictured a tall, 1.88-meter black-haired youth.

As the first-team coach, how could Magath not know that Lin Hao had become the German third division’s top scorer while still with the U20?

But now, Magath’s focus was the Bundesliga, the Champions League!

No matter how talented, a U20 player would need a season or two of development before competing in the Bundesliga.

Though a season or two wasn’t long, he really couldn’t wait—not just him, but Raúl, whom he’d painstakingly brought from Real Madrid, couldn’t wait either!

“That guy...”

Milner seemed to sense Magath’s lack of enthusiasm for Lin Hao.

But having studied Lin Hao’s characteristics carefully during the Asian Youth Championship, Milner was determined to get his boss to take a good look at this rising star.

Ignoring Magath’s frown, Milner quickly plugged a USB drive into the computer and played a highlight reel of Lin Hao’s Asian Youth Championship performances.

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