Chapter 91 De Bruyne: An Extraordinary Talent
"Welcome to 'World Football'! Next up, we'll be reviewing goals from La Liga and the Champions League..."
"In the 34th round of La Liga, Real Madrid defeated Villarreal 3-0. Real Madrid's midfield trio stepped up, with Modric and Jiang Yan both scoring, and Ronaldo continuing his consistent goal-scoring performance."
"In the 35th round of La Liga, Real Madrid traveled to the away game to face Rayo Vallecano for the second time. In this match, the two sides engaged in an attacking battle and scored a total of five goals. Ronaldo was rested, Bale scored twice and shone brightly, and substitute youngster Vazquez delivered the winning goal."
"In the 36th round of La Liga, Real Madrid traveled to the away game and defeated Real Sociedad 1-0, with Ronaldo scoring the winning goal. At the same time, Barcelona won 2-0 away against Real Sociedad. It seems that the La Liga title will have to wait until the last round."
"The Champions League match on April 27 is worth noting. In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Manchester City, Manchester City, despite having the home advantage, failed to perform as expected of a top-four Premier League team. Both teams' star players, Aguero and Ronaldo, were ineffective, resulting in a 0-0 draw, which will have to wait until the upcoming second leg of the Champions League semi-final."
……
The second leg of the Champions League match is about to begin.
If Real Madrid can get past Manchester City, the Champions League title will be within their grasp!
In the other half of the bracket, Atletico Madrid took a 1-0 lead in the first leg of their Champions League match against Bayern Munich, putting them in a very good position to advance.
However, for Jiang Yan, it doesn't really matter which of these two teams advances.
He had long wanted to meet this so-called King of the South!
Snapped!
"Hey Jiang, what are you thinking about!"
Benzema slapped Jiang Yan on the back.
"We're going to win the Champions League! Get excited, Jiang!"
Jiang Yan rubbed his back.
"I'm thinking."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Would Bayern be easier to deal with than Atletico Madrid?"
"???"
Benzema touched Jiang Yan's forehead with his hand.
"You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"
Midway through the season, Lewandowski's feat of scoring 5 goals in 9 minutes resonated throughout the football world. Bayern Munich boasts world-class players like Neuer, Alonso, Ribery, and Lewandowski.
Almost no one wants to face them in the Champions League.
Who would have thought that Jiang Yan would say something so astonishing!
……
The battle between the two sets of fans continued from outside the Bernabéu to inside the stadium.
The cheers of both sides' fans rose and fell.
Until the white waves completely submerged the Bernabéu Stadium.
The chants, shouts, and drumbeats of Real Madrid fans mingled together, transforming into the sharpest weapon, pressing down on the visiting Blue Moon team.
Even the air was filled with the tension and fervor of an impending decisive battle.
The rousing Champions League theme song suddenly rang out, reverberating throughout the entire Bernabéu Stadium.
From the stands, chants of "Hala Madrid" soared into the sky.
From the commentary booth, a familiar voice, brimming with excitement, rang out:
"Zhuangdianertai! Zhuangdianertai! Good evening, everyone!"
"We are now broadcasting live the second leg of the 15-16 Champions League semi-final, with Real Madrid hosting Manchester City at the Bernabéu!"
"Both sides failed to score in the previous Champions League match, and Real Madrid and Manchester City have staked everything on this second leg!"
"It's worth noting that since this match is being played at Real Madrid's home ground, if the final score is 1-1, Manchester City will advance on away goals. Therefore, Real Madrid cannot accept a draw!"
"This match is destined to be a clash of titans!"
……
The pre-match press conference.
"Mr. Benitez, some fans say that Real Madrid seems to be the one under pressure compared to Manchester City. What do you think about this?"
Benitez remained calm and composed.
"As you probably know, the Bernabéu is one of the most intimidating stadiums in the world; here, they are the challengers."
the other side.
"Mr. Pellegrini, you previously coached Real Madrid and know this team inside and out. How do you feel about returning to the Bernabéu?"
Pellegrini gently pushed up his glasses, speaking calmly. This renowned coach, known in the football world as the "Chilean Engineer," has an excellent understanding of Real Madrid's tactical system and player characteristics.
"I know Real Madrid very well; they have excellent players and a strong home atmosphere. But football isn't about winning based on memories. My players and I came here to win."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the camera lens:
"We will maintain a balance between attack and defense, creating threats through possession and counter-attacks. It's the Champions League final, so the pressure is mutual."
The reporter then followed up with, "Mr. Pellegrini, what are your thoughts on Real Madrid's rising star, Jiang Yan?"
Upon hearing the name, Pellegrini smiled slightly: "You always hear about him, even in the Premier League. He's humble and incredibly talented. I don't believe any manager would dislike such a player. I hope to have the opportunity to work with him."
……
Following the press conference, a report titled "Pellegrini hopes to return to Real Madrid" was published.
Has Pellegrini finally come to his senses?
[Pellegrini's coaching record is quite good, why would he leave his comfort zone to join Real Madrid? It's obviously just the media hyping things up again!]
However, Pellegrini's assessment was fairly fair; Jiang Yan's humility and formidable strength are widely acknowledged!
……
In the players' tunnel, Kovacic stood trembling next to Jiang Yan.
"Master, why do I feel like they're all staring at me? Especially that Argentinian!"
The Argentine he was referring to is none other than Manchester City's star player, Sergio Aguero.
"I see. It seems you've been targeted by them."
"What do we do, Master? It's all over now! I haven't even mastered my camera kick technique yet!"
Jiang Yan patted Kovacic on the back, just like Benzema did.
"Don't worry, if they target you, then I'm invincible."
"No way... there's no way you'd treat your apprentice this badly!"
Just as Kovacic looked utterly dejected, a deep and polite male voice softly sounded from beside them:
"River."
Jiang Yan turned his head and saw Kevin De Bruyne, who had only recently transferred to Manchester City.
He was tall and slender, with calm eyes and an aura of composure emanating from him.
The fact that he took the initiative to speak at this moment clearly indicates that he came specifically to strike up a conversation.
Kovacic immediately shut up and shrank back behind Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan nodded slightly: "Kevin."
De Bruyne's gaze lingered on him for a moment: "I've watched all your games this season. Mr. Pellegrini always mentions you to me, saying that you, like me, possess [extraordinary talent]."
After hearing De Bruyne's words, Jiang Yan was momentarily stunned. In his mind, De Bruyne was the kind of person who was not good at talking, and he never expected him to say so much to him.
Seeing that Jiang Yan did not respond, De Bruyne continued, "Although I didn't get to play in the first round, I'm actually really looking forward to... a match against you. I believe you and I will see the same thing."
"The scene... could it be a [God's-eye view]!" Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment, then said, "I hope we can all have no regrets today."
After a brief conversation, De Bruyne turned and rejoined the team.
Jiang Yan never expected that De Bruyne's intuition would be so terrifying, so easily deducing that he possessed the "God's perspective."
Fortunately, he knows more than just the skill of "God's perspective".
……
The match is about to begin.
The Champions League flags were slowly taken down, and the players from both sides entered the field.
A deafening roar erupted from the Bernabéu stands.
Although they failed to win away from home, this is Real Madrid's home ground.
This is the Bernabéu!
A pilgrimage site for football fans all over the world!
Manchester City, playing away from home, are under immense pressure.
……
The guessing game is over.
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
"Next, we'll introduce the player lineups for both teams!"
"Real Madrid fielded a classic 4-3-3 formation."
Goalkeeper: Navas
"Defenders: Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal."
Midfielders: Kovacic, Jiang Yan, Modric.
Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
This roster looks reassuring!
[Isn't that the player who watches the cameras more often? It's said he watches the cameras more times than he passes the ball in every game!]
Look at his relationship with Jiang Yan, they're always arm in arm, their relationship seems more than just friendship!
……
Manchester City fielded a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart.
"Defenders: Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Clichy."
Midfielders: Jesus Navas, Fernandinho, Francesco, De Bruyne.
"Two strikers: Iheanacho and Aguero."
Did you see that before the match started? De Bruyne seemed to be talking to Jiang Yan!
[De Bruyne? Who's that? I haven't followed the Premier League in ages.]
[It seems to be a player who performed well for Wolfsburg before, who transferred to Manchester City for 76 million!]
[Seventy-six million? Manchester City is incredibly extravagant!]
Hey! What do you guys think the transfer fee would be if Jiang Yan transferred?
[Good question.]
……
Manchester City's players didn't rush to attack, but instead calmly passed the ball around in their own half.
"What kind of tactic is Manchester City using? Constantly controlling possession in their own half to increase their own possession rate?"
"It's hard to say, maybe it's a new tactic that Perez specifically developed to counter Real Madrid."
"Anyone who has played football knows that if you keep passing the ball around, mistakes will happen sooner or later."
Zhan Jun nodded, agreeing with He Wei's words.
"Judging from the lineups of both sides, Manchester City's midfield strength is inferior to Real Madrid's, so the most reasonable approach would be a long pass to directly bypass Real Madrid's midfield..."
"They're here!"
No sooner had Zhan Jun finished speaking than De Bruyne launched a brilliant long pass that instantly tore apart Real Madrid's defense.
"Mr. Zhan Jun, you're amazing! Manchester City's tactic is indeed long balls!"
"This is just a reasonable speculation. De Bruyne dropped back to receive the ball and initiated the attack. His teammates had already moved forward in sync, and Manchester City now has a numerical advantage in certain areas!"
"Aguero receives the ball!"
"Aguero has shaken off Ramos!"
"They've broken down the door!!!"