The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 76 Ballon d'Or Rankings! The Fourth Greatest Player in World Football! How a Legend is Forged! A Shock from China!
UEFA has broken its promise!

After the match against Celtic, their officials made an appointment with Borussia Dortmund's press officer, Josef Schnecker, for the following day.

But the next day, they called again to say that the plan had changed and the time had been changed.

The Europa League match is on Thursday night. If you don't come on Friday, don't expect UEFA staff to work overtime on Saturday and Sunday.

Moreover, there's a Bundesliga match on the weekend, so Wang Shuo wouldn't have time to cooperate with them.

Therefore, it has been delayed until next Monday.

In the 12th round of the Bundesliga this weekend, Borussia Dortmund faced Werder Bremen away from home.

Wang Shuo met Marco Marin when he was in the German second division, playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach. Marin is now a starter for Werder Bremen.

It was his combination with player number 11, Mesut, that led to a quick counter-attack in the 36th minute, which breached Dortmund's goal.

The reason for the goal conceded was a passing error by deep-lying midfielder Sven Bender.

This is also something that cannot be done.

Overall, Sven Bender's performance was really good.

But in his position, in such a high-stakes match, even a single mistake can cause huge losses.

Fortunately, in the 54th minute of the second half, left-back Schmelzer made a quick forward run, received a pass from Grosskreutz, and delivered a low cross from near the byline.

Wang Shuo seized the opportunity between Mertesacker and Naldo, the two tall center-backs, and sent Schmelzer's cross into Werder Bremen's goal, leveling the score.

Neither side managed to score again after that.

The score was tied 1-1.

In the locker room after the game, everyone, including Wang Shuo, expressed their understanding of Sven Bender's mistake.

Especially Wang Shuo.

He also came from the German second division, and he has a natural affinity with Sven Bender, who also came from the German second division and came from Munich 1860.

More importantly, Schaaf's tactics were truly insane.

He truly belongs to the tactical style of prioritizing offense over defense, even to the point of neglecting the rear.

"It's alright. If you make a mistake in the backfield, we'll just try to score one more in the front. It's nothing, don't feel pressured!"

Wang Shuo deliberately spoke in a very relaxed manner, and many people in the locker room laughed.

Klopp was satisfied with the 1-1 draw after returning to the locker room.

Werder Bremen is currently ranked 3rd in the Bundesliga, and Borussia Dortmund got 1 point in their away game, which is a good result.

Not to mention Dortmund, Bayern also drew at home.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04.

Magath has truly had his moment of triumph this time.

They almost beat Bayern at the Allianz Arena.

Van Gaal has been unlucky; his league ranking has dropped again and again, and he is now ranked 9th.

But Van Gaal also said that the current ranking is not important.

Wolfsburg played terribly in the first half of last season, but they still won the championship.
Once the team gets back on track, with Bayern's strength, a winning streak will send their ranking soaring.

Bayer Leverkusen was the most impressive team of this round.

Heynckes' team scored three goals in the 2nd, 6th and 11th minutes.

Tony Cross also scored a goal.

In the end, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 at home.

After 12 rounds of matches, Borussia Dortmund leads the standings with 29 points, while Bayer Leverkusen is in second place with 26 points.

After this match, the national team will begin its training camp in November.

……

"Hello, Martin, this is Wang Shuo."

“Your Majesty, this is Martin Hagmeister Kuhn.”

In a small press conference room at the Westfalenstadion specifically used for signing player contracts, Wang Shuo met with UEFA's media team, led by a very young German.

She's said to be only 24 years old.

In other words, he should have gone directly to work for UEFA after graduating from university.

However, according to Joseph Schnecker's private introduction, Kuhn also works for the German Football Association.

He served as a media and communications coordinator in both organizations.

As the name suggests, this is a position responsible for communicating and dealing with the media. It mainly involves targeted media communication and content distribution, and is a relatively new type of job.

This was actually Wang Shuo's first time encountering it.

Generally speaking, each club will have various coordinators, such as youth training coordinators.

It involves arranging the time, venue, and accommodation for training and competitions for all age groups.

Just like Mainz.

With such a small venue and a large number of youth teams, we have to stagger the times and locations.

This requires dedicated personnel to coordinate.

The situation is similar for Dortmund.

The media coordinator is responsible for media and communications.

“When I was at the German Football Association, I often heard them mention you. I also watched the Mainz vs. Frankfurt match.”

Kuhn smiled as he shook hands with Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo exchanged a few polite words.

The headquarters of the German Football Association is located in Frankfurt.

Dortmund specially decorated this small press conference room, mainly with a backdrop and some decorations.

Kuhn told Wang Shuo that UEFA took this interview very seriously.

"President Platini personally approved the specifications, so now not only the official website, but also the TV station has come."

Wang Shuo and Joseph Schnecker exchanged a surprised glance.

“I thought this was just a simple interview,” Schnecker laughed.

Kuhn glanced at his busy colleagues and chuckled softly, “We are paying close attention to the Europa League right now, after all, it’s a competition that was just reformed this year, so we will be giving this a major report.”

"At that time, it will not only be broadcast in Europe, but also around the world. Major mainstream media, TV stations and websites will receive the broadcast, especially in Asia, where more resources will be invested."

Wang Shuo understood.

Platini took office in early 2007. He was eager to achieve some results while also trying to win over the smaller countries that voted for him, so he took a two-pronged approach.

One is to further expand the Champions League, mainly through the qualifying rounds.

Many people even say that Platini tends to favor teams from smaller countries when drawing lots.

The most typical example is in the Champions League group stage every season, there is always a group that "guarantees" teams from smaller countries.

Of course, no evidence has been obtained to support this claim.

The second is to reform the UEFA Cup.

Strictly speaking, renaming the UEFA Cup to the Europa League was Platini's most powerful move in expanding the prize pool.

With the Champions League taking center stage, the Europa League's influence is indeed limited, which necessitates investing resources in its promotion and outreach.

Publicity and promotion require materials.

"Your goal not only broke the record for the fastest goal in the history of the Europa League, the UEFA Cup, and the European Cup Winners' Cup, but also surpassed the record for the fastest goal in the history of the Champions League."

"The Champions League?" Wang Shuo hadn't really noticed that.

"Previously, the fastest time in the Champions League was Bayern Munich's Roy Makaay, who ran 10.12 seconds against Real Madrid, but this time you ran 10.07 seconds, which is 0.05 seconds faster!"

Wang Shuo was unsure how to react.

Isn't this a bit outrageous?
They're really going to completely offend Bayern!

"Records are part of the tournament's history and legend. The Europa League's inaugural season broke many long-standing records in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, setting a new record for European club competitions. The bigwigs at the top must be..."

Kuhn touched on the point briefly, but he made it very clear.

For UEFA, this is an attempt to use breaking the Champions League record to generate buzz for the Europa League.

This is truly excellent marketing material!

Moreover, Wang Shuo is from Asia, specifically China, which could help UEFA expand into new markets.

"I can also reveal one more thing: Peter Williams, UEFA's marketing director, and his team have already started working on a plan."

That's enough.

After Kuhn made the gesture of goodwill, he went over and got to work.

Wang Shuo was left there, somewhat incredulous.

This was the first time he had ever experienced so closely how star players and legends are created step by step.

Of course, the most crucial element is the football itself, specifically the goal scored on the field.

But in this day and age, factors other than scoring goals are equally important.

This reminded Wang Shuo of something.

It is said that before signing with Nike, Pelé was also destitute and heavily in debt.

At that time, there was no such thing as a "King of Football," and there was no concept of anything related to it.

Nike wanted to enter the football field, so it chose this hot topic and signed a contract with Pelé to jointly create and market the legendary status of the King of Football.

FIFA also recognized the potential commercial value and thus actively invested in it.

Over the years, how many fans and young players have fallen in love with and dedicated themselves to football because of Pelé?

……

"First of all, congratulations, Wang, for not only breaking the record for the fastest goal in the history of the Europa League and the UEFA Cup, but also the record for the fastest goal in European competitions."

"Thank you."

"Do you still remember how it felt when you scored the goal?"

“It felt great! I was putting pressure on Marco and Kuba together. They were very fast, and when I saw Marco make the tackle, I knew the ball was in.”

"We like to take the initiative from the start, and scoring a goal is an ideal result."

In a small, meticulously decorated press conference room, Wang Shuo and a female UEFA presenter sat on a sofa.

The backdrop behind it features the UEFA logo, but also the Borussia Dortmund logo.

Wang Shuo, on the other hand, was wearing Borussia Dortmund's KAPPA training kit, but he casually crossed his legs, revealing a pair of Adidas sneakers on his feet.

His outfit was prepared for him by Lena Gerke, and she even took him to get his hair cut.

He looked very neat, energetic, and alert.

Lena Gerke also reminded him to smile more, but not to laugh out loud.

"Indeed, Dortmund has been playing better and better this season. Can you describe that goal? Was it part of a tactical arrangement, or was it an impromptu performance on the field?"

"All of them."

Wang Shuo nodded in response, "Before every match, our coach repeatedly emphasizes the need to pressure the opponent and seize the initiative from the start."

"Before the match, we noticed that the opposing defenders were a bit lax."

"Our three forwards are all very fast, and when they rushed forward decisively, the ball was lucky enough to come to us."

"I think there was definitely some luck involved in that shot, but when the opportunity came, we were prepared and seized it."

"You mentioned being well-prepared. Professionals have watched that video repeatedly. It shows that you slowed down just before Dortmund intercepted the ball, but immediately accelerated after the interception. Many people say your movement was excellent."

"Thank you."

Wang Shuo thanked him again with a smile.

"My job is to be ready at all times, because every opportunity I have is created by my teammates working hard behind me, and I must do my best to seize it."

"The situation was that if I didn't slow down, I would have a high probability of being offside, but when Marco intercepted the ball, I no longer needed to worry about offside, so I naturally sprinted at full speed."

"In other words, at that moment, you were actually very calm and had a clear judgment."

"Of course, this is the kind of ability a striker must possess."

……

"Joseph, he has a great sense of the camera, strong logical thinking, and can answer questions fluently. More importantly, he has high emotional intelligence."

"Plus, he plays football so well, and his image is really good. You guys better seize this opportunity!"

While the cameras were being filmed, Kuhn whispered to Schnecker behind the camera.

“I would like to, but the problem is, firstly, we don’t have his image rights, and secondly, our club’s resources are very limited.”

"If it were Bayern Munich, let me tell you, he would be the hottest young talent in Europe right now, the next Messi, the next Ronaldo."

Kuhn smiled and nodded.

Publicity and promotion both require the investment of resources.

These resources are not just funds, but more importantly, connections and channels.

Just like the European Golden Globe Award.

Everyone knows that it's not entirely based on competitive considerations; many off-field factors can influence the outcome.

For example, creating momentum through the media.

But the question is, who can mobilize so many influential media outlets at the same time?
To put it bluntly, media relations, connections, and channels all need to be built up over time.

If you don't have it normally, even if you want to spend money at a crucial moment, you won't know where to start.

Are we supposed to just walk right up to their door, throw a check in their face, and say, "We want to place an ad"?
Brother, what era are we living in?
How much money do you have, and how many houses can you smash up?
Even if you have enough money to spend and the media accepts it, your rivals don't have to do anything. They'll expose everything at a crucial moment, and you'll be finished immediately.

Scandals always spread more effectively than positive news!
Therefore, these things need to be built up and maintained over time.

Just like in Manchester.

Ferguson always knew about the scandals the media had uncovered about Manchester United's stars before they did.

Even what the star players did.

Only wealthy families can maintain such a vast network of relationships and channels on a daily basis.

Because wealthy families naturally attract attention, they don't need to spend much money to maintain good relationships with various media outlets.

They step in at crucial moments, launch an attack, and the momentum is instantly generated.

Teams like Borussia Dortmund simply cannot do these things.

Look at Bayern Munich. Ever since Thomas Müller rose to prominence in the youth team and Bayern decided to promote him, they have been investing resources in marketing him as the second generation of Müller.

Thomas Müller joined the first team this summer. How much has Bayern Munich invested in him?

Putting aside everything else, countless events were specifically organized for him.

He's even aiming for the national team now.

Bayern Munich has resources that Borussia Dortmund simply doesn't have.

This is the advantage of a top-tier team!

Of course, if Wang Shuo were transferred to Bayern Munich, Bayern might not be so willing to promote him.

Ultimately, Bayern Munich will not consider Wang Shuo as one of their own.

This is similar to Barcelona's push to promote Bojan and replace Messi.

The visit was short and the content was not particularly special, mainly focusing on the goal, Wang Shuo himself, and Dortmund's Europa League match.

Wang Shuo answered them one by one.

The last question is, "What does setting a new record for the fastest goal in European club competition mean for Wang Shuo? What are his next goals?"

Wang Shuo was well-prepared and answered fluently as always.

"This is a great start, but I believe that in the future, even better players will emerge in European competitions to break this record. That's the spirit of competition!"

"I'm happy to have achieved this result, but what I care about more is how to help the team win the next game and keep moving forward. That's the most important thing!"

When Joseph Schnecker heard Wang Shuo's answer, he couldn't help but want to applaud him.

He could already imagine that Dortmund fans, and even more neutral fans, would have a better impression of Wang Shuo after hearing or seeing this interview.

From head to toe, from clothing and personal image to speech and mannerisms, it was almost impeccable.

He is neither as shy and reserved as Messi, nor as unruly and competitive as Ronaldo.

Wang Shuo's image is somewhat similar to Kaka's, but he is more ambitious than Kaka.

This gave Joseph Schnecker a rather interesting idea.

If Beckenbauer's prediction is true, and Wang Shuo becomes the fourth greatest footballer in the world in the near future, how will he compete with the three superstars Ronaldo, Messi, and Kaká?

In terms of ecological niche, it seems that there will be a conflict with Kaka.

But the key point is, Kaka is Brazilian!
Joseph Schnecker couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle as he thought about it.

You're worrying too soon!

Wang Shuo is just getting started!

……

Just two days after the interview was completed, UEFA began promoting it on its official website and UEFA TV.

This quickly sparked the first wave of public opinion.

Subsequently, media outlets and television stations in European countries, including Germany, Britain, Spain, and Italy, began to get involved, and public opinion began to ferment.

In particular, Wang Shuo's goal video began to be continuously pushed on TV stations, various highlight reels, video websites and other fields in various countries, which quickly aroused heated discussions among fans.

This goal wasn't actually that spectacular.

The first reaction of everyone who saw it was that Dortmund's attack speed was really fast!
But Wang Shuo is no novice.

He has scored quite a few brilliant goals in the past period.

Interested fans began to delve deeper, especially online fans, who kept sharing various goal highlights of Wang Shuo, sparking heated discussions among more and more netizens and fans.

More and more people are discovering that there was actually such a player in the Bundesliga.

Dribbling past several players, pendulum dribble...

There were countless amazing goals and breakthroughs.

Most importantly, he is not only technically skilled and fast, but also incredibly fast.

With an average running distance of 12 kilometers per game, he is comparable to the world's fastest midfielder.

Uh, no, most of the midfielders who can run don't even reach that average.

This is absolutely incredible!
As the story continues to gain traction online, traditional media outlets are also following suit.

Especially in Europe and Asia, it has been continuously promoted by print media, television stations, major websites and forums.

Even fashion and entertainment sections are buzzing about Wang Shuo's relationship with German supermodel Lena Gerke.

Once the public opinion was stirred up, the German Football Association, German professional football, and Borussia Dortmund all realized the opportunity and began to get involved in the campaign.

The biggest difference between Dortmund and Mainz is that Dortmund has more legends.

When they reached the German Cup final, Bayern Munich legends came out to promote them, but what about Mainz?

It was so shabby that it made people feel embarrassed.

But now?

It goes without saying that the German Football Association and the German Professional Football League stepped in, and even some of the legends of German football came forward.

Borussia Dortmund itself has many legendary players.

Sammer is hailed as the last free man in Germany.

Not only was he brilliant as a player, but his time coaching Borussia Dortmund also led to the club's final peak, making him a figure fondly remembered by countless Dortmund fans.

Now, as the sporting director of the German Football Association, he has publicly praised Wang Shuo.

"He is the most exciting young player to emerge in German football in recent years."

Sammer stated that Wang Shuo is a super genius comparable to the top superstars.

"He is not only very fast and technically excellent, but more importantly, he has outstanding tactical awareness and is also very creative, which makes him comparable to the world's top football talents."

These words, coming from Summer, carry enough weight, don't they?
Lars Ricken, a prodigy from Borussia Dortmund's youth academy, was praised by Brazilian coach Pereira as a player who played like Pelé.

Hitzfeld praised him as a great genius.

Now, the head of the Dortmund youth academy has also given an interview, stating publicly, "Wang Shuo possesses incredible talent, and in fact, he is already a highly competitive player."

“He is more talented and more outstanding than me. At least at his age, I cannot reach his level of achievement!”

"In my memory, there are very few players who can do what he does, like Ronaldo, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo."

Lars Ricken, a former German prodigy, said that although Wang Shuo did not come from Borussia Dortmund's youth academy, he had heard many rumors about him.

"I think his most important task right now is to ensure he doesn't get injured; that's crucial!"

"I've spoken with Klopp and the team doctor, and he's in excellent health, which I find very... amazing!"

"Given his attendance record and his playing style, I really think it's incredible!"

Besides these two Dortmund legends, former Dortmund number 9 legends Jan Koller and Chapuisat also gave interviews to the media, praising Wang Shuo's performance.

Both Jan Koller and Chapuisat believe that Wang Shuo is the most ideal successor to the legendary number 9 jersey of Borussia Dortmund.

Andres Müller, a rare talent in German football history known for his exquisite footwork and who once played for Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, even gave a special interview to China's Capital Television.

In the interview, the Borussia Dortmund legend praised Wang Shuo as the most special player in the Bundesliga.

"Whether in Germany, Europe, Asia, or even the world, countless fans have begun to pay attention to this young player from China."

"He not only scored an amazing goal, but more importantly, he is striving to become the most unique player in the Bundesliga, and even in the world of football!" This sentiment was echoed by Franz Beckenbauer, the "Emperor of Football," in an interview with China's Capital Television.

“When he was still at Mainz, I recommended him to the Bayern management. I believed that he had the ability to become a top superstar on par with Messi, Ronaldo and Kaká.”

"Of course, he's still very young, and I believe he has that potential!"

Beckenbauer expressed his regret that Bayern Munich missed out on this talented young genius for various reasons.

"He performed even better at Dortmund, and his progress is obvious."

"This is very important for young players."

"And now, I am even more convinced of my initial judgment."

"Perhaps we don't even need to wait until the future; maybe right now, Bayern Munich has already begun to regret their decision!"

Of course, Beckenbauer said a few more things to save face for Bayern, but the most widely circulated ones were the first few sentences.

The weight of the "Football Emperor" is recognized by media and fans worldwide.

But when Beckenbauer compared Wang Shuo's future to that of Messi, Ronaldo, and Kaká, Wang Shuo's future was already different.

This sudden fame inevitably impacted Wang Shuo's life to some extent.

For example, in Lükelenberg, media reporters often loiter around Wang Shuo's house.

The benefit is that, despite targeting the women's market, Lina Gerke's fashion brand became an instant hit when it launched, all thanks to Wang Shuo.

This German supermodel's career has also skyrocketed and she has gained immense popularity thanks to Wang Shuo.

And then there's Thomas Essien.

He started receiving more calls from sponsors and brands, asking him about things related to Wang Shuo.

Regarding commercial sponsorships, Wang Shuo's attitude is "better to have none than to accept bad ones."

This was also a suggestion from Lina Gerke.

She is now Wang Shuo's personal image consultant and also helps Thomas Essien build Wang Shuo's personal brand.

As for Wang Shuo himself, he devotes most of his energy to training and competitions.

He always kept in mind Heynckes' advice, Klopp repeatedly reminded him, and Gao Huai-ren, who was far away in China, even called him to remind him not to lose sight of his original aspirations because of his fame.

They were all genuinely concerned for Wang Shuo, so Wang Shuo humbly accepted their advice and devoted himself even more to training.

……

When Wang Shuo left Mainz to join Borussia Dortmund, he thought about one question more than once.

If he were to encounter Mainz on the pitch in the future, and meet these teammates with whom he once fought side by side, what kind of reaction would he give?
Go all out?

Absolutely.

Therefore, in the match between Dortmund and Mainz on November 21, Wang Shuo would relentlessly charge towards Mainz every time he got the ball.

They almost always managed to wreak havoc on Mainz's defense.

Thomas Tuchel was well aware of Wang Shuo's strength and the threat he posed, so he paid special attention to him.

He even arranged for center-backs Bo Svensson and Kirchhoff to play as deep midfielders, along with Bungert and Noveski, with Löw on the left and Hoglund on the right, to work together to limit Wang Shuo and Dortmund.

That's all Mainz could do.

Schürrle, Calhanoglu, and Heller played in midfield, while Bansey was positioned up front to prepare for counter-attacks.

They knew each other well and took each other seriously, so the match was very intense.

But probably no one believed that there were no yellow cards in this match.

Wang Shuo, Subotic, and Feulner all came from Mainz, as did head coach Klopp.

Therefore, the atmosphere of the competition was excellent.

Incidentally, Mainz is currently ranked 7th in the Bundesliga, higher than Bayern Munich.

After a hard-fought 42 minutes, Dortmund finally broke through on the left flank when Reus received a pass from Schmelzer, dribbled inside, and delivered a low cross into the penalty area.

Wang Shuo made a lateral run, controlled the ball with his right foot, and unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot, breaching the goal guarded by Heinz Müller.

Heinz Müller joined Mainz from Barnsley for €09 in the summer of 30.

After arriving, he quickly replaced Timo Wach as the team's starting goalkeeper.

After the goal, the whole stadium cheered, but Wang Shuo did not celebrate.

This is his way of showing respect to his former employer.

In the end, Dortmund defeated Mainz 1-0.

……

"You brat, you really didn't give me any face when you passed me!"

As soon as the final whistle blew, captain Nowitzki threw a punch at Wang Shuo.

Other Mainz players also came over to greet Wang Shuo.

Actually, they had already exchanged greetings in the players' tunnel before the game.

At the time, Nowitzki and Bongett kept telling Wang Shuo to take it easy.

Unexpectedly, they still couldn't hold on in the end.

"Captain, I didn't want to embarrass you. Actually, I held back. I probably only used a tiny bit of my strength..."

Wang Shuo deliberately made a very small gesture with his right index finger and thumb, which made Nowitzki so angry that he was about to explode.

Who are you trying to humiliate?

André Schürrle has been performing quite well this season.

If we were to say who benefited the most from Wang Shuo's departure, it would undoubtedly be Schürrle.

He has now truly become a rising star heavily promoted by Mainz.

However, since they are in frequent contact, their reaction was not as enthusiastic.

One emperor and one courtier.

After Tuchel took over, his standards for personnel selection were clearly different from Klopp's.

For example, Gunkel lost his position immediately.

Pekovic is also not very consistent right now.

This is due to the difference in the head coaches' philosophies.

To Wang Shuo's surprise, Marco Rose made a comeback and was on the roster.

Wang Shuo was genuinely surprised when the two met in the players' tunnel before the game.

He originally thought that Marco Rose was about to retire.

"We are currently short-handed on the left flank."

Wang Shuo expressed his understanding.

Veteran Van der Heyden was not highly valued under Klopp, and completely lost his place under Tuchel.

Marco Rose is quite good.

After meeting his teammates, Wang Shuo truly felt the new look of Mainz.

Although Mainz earned 2000 million euros by selling Wang Shuo, their total investment in the transfer market was less than 100 million euros.

"The club has so many things to do, such as expanding the youth academy, improving and upgrading the facilities for the first team, and replacing many of the team buses..."

Tuchel shrugged as he finished speaking.

2000 million euros?
It seems like a lot, but after installment payments, the first installment will be around 500 million euros.

How many things can it handle?
A single bus from MAN costs several hundred thousand yuan, and a higher-spec one can cost even more.

A custom-made Bayern Munich vehicle reportedly costs 80 euros.

How many can you buy?

"By the way, Haider asked me to tell you to go back and visit more often when you have time."

Wang Shuo nodded in agreement.

He did not mention Zhao Yifan to Tuchel.

Because he knew that, given Tuchel's personality, even if he didn't mention it, Tuchel would do what he could to help.

Bringing it up would be counterproductive.

……

Borussia Dortmund defeated Mainz 1-0.

Bayern Munich drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen at home.

Van Gaal's team remained in 9th place in the league.

The two goals were scored in the 6th and 14th minutes respectively.

Hamburg lost 0-1 to Bochum at home in this round.

The most eye-catching match of this round was Werder Bremen's 6-0 away victory over Freiburg.

Hoffenheim, on the other hand, thrashed Cologne 4-0 away from home.

With this victory, Rangnick's team surpassed Hamburg in the league rankings, rising directly to 4th place.

Backed by a powerful conglomerate, Hoffenheim has consistently made high investments.

For example, they invested another 1500 million euros this season.

This is already considered a fairly good level in the Bundesliga.

This is also reflected in Hoffenheim's league ranking and the team's fighting spirit on the field.

In the 14th round of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund played away against Hoffenheim.

Wang Shuo assisted Kuba to score a goal just two minutes into the game.

But at the start of the second half, Hoffenheim launched a counterattack, and in the 48th minute, Demba Ba equalized for Hoffenheim.

Neither side was able to score again after that.

Bild published a commentary immediately after the match, arguing that although Wang Shuo only had one assist, he was still the most threatening player on the field.

"He single-handedly gave Hoffenheim's defense three yellow cards!"

But in the end, Dortmund failed to secure 3 points away from home.

In this round, Bayer Leverkusen thrashed Stuttgart 4-0 at home thanks to a hat-trick from Kiessling.

Bayern Munich, meanwhile, secured a resounding 3-0 victory over Hannover 96 away from home.

Mainz drew 1-1 with Hamburg at home.

Borussia Dortmund continue to lead with 33 points.

Bayer Leverkusen is in second place with 30 points.

However, thanks to the 3 points from this round, Bayern Munich jumped directly to 5th place in the rankings.

……

Midweek, Borussia Dortmund will host Rapid Vienna in the fifth round of the Europa League group stage.

Since the team has already qualified as the group winner, Klopp has adopted a rotation strategy.

However, considering it was a home game, Wang Shuo and others sat on the bench.

After a hard-fought first half, neither side managed to score.

The most outrageous thing is that Rapid Vienna paid the price with 4 yellow cards in the first half.

Reus, Götze and other players performed exceptionally well.

After the break in the second half, Reus received a brilliant pass from Götze and broke into the left side of the penalty area to open the scoring for Dortmund.

Just six minutes later, Schmelzer on the left wing assisted Valdes to score a goal.

In the end, Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 at home against Rapid Vienna.

……

The day after this Europa League group stage match, as long as it had been announced, French football magazine began publishing the 30-man shortlist for the 2009 Ballon d'Or on its official website.

After training, Wang Shuo and his Dortmund teammates gathered in the rest area, waiting for the final announcement of the roster.

Unexpectedly...

"No way? It crashed?"

When I tried to access the official website of France Football magazine using the computer in the rest area, I encountered an error 502.

This is a bit outrageous!
"Is this year's Golden Globe Awards receiving a lot of attention? This has never happened before. What's going on?"

"Nothing special this year, Messi winning the award is a sure thing, isn't it?"

"The only suspense is that the editor-in-chief of the French football magazine said before that it would not be surprising if Barcelona swept the top three spots."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Yeah, it even crashed."

“No, if we’re talking about what’s special about this year, it’s definitely the addition of our Wang Shuo,” Feulner jumped in.

In crucial moments, he still takes good care of his brothers.

Upon reflection, everyone realized it was true.

But does Wang Shuo have that kind of influence?
Wang Shuo himself had some doubts.

He recalled seeing many netizens and fans paying attention to this matter on domestic sports forums yesterday.

Could it be that domestic football fans are all logging onto the website of the French football magazine?

If that's really the case, then Europeans will experience the shock from China!

While the French football magazine's website crashed, the German media remained unaffected.

They clearly obtained the list early on, and announced it to the public a little later.

The first group of players announced were those aged 21 to 30.

"Look, Benzema is at the bottom of the rankings."

"Ribery is ranked 28th, which is tied with Barcelona's Yaya Toure. He probably only has one vote."

Everyone nodded.

Both are surnamed Feulner, and Dortmund staff and staff greatly admire Feulner's reasoning abilities.

“Dzeko is here, number 21, which is also tied with several other people.”

Where is Wang Shuo?

"Holy crap, Wang, you're in the top 20!"

"Wow, that's definitely Cristiano Ronaldo's treatment!"

"I remember that Ronaldo received 11 votes back then, tied for 12th place."

"Yes, it's number 12."

"That's different. 04 was the year of the European Championship. Portugal performed very well that year. Ronaldo achieved such a high ranking because of the performance of the Portuguese national team."

"Indeed, I think it's already quite impressive that Wang was able to get into the top 20 in his first year."

"Who says otherwise? They're in the top 20 for the Ballon d'Or!"

"To be honest, there's really no suspense about this year's Ballon d'Or. The only thing I'm concerned about is Wang's ranking."

"Now that I see Dzeko ranked 21st and Ribery ranked 28th, I feel relieved."

"First in the Bundesliga, is that what you mean?"

"Haha, that's right, that's right!"

Listening to his teammates' discussions, Wang Shuo also went online to check out domestic websites and forums.

It was discovered that major portal websites immediately reposted the report, and a large number of fans left comments below.

There are also posts on the forum.

Almost everyone is talking about Wang Shuo making it into the top 20.

This gave Wang Shuo an unprecedented sense of accomplishment!

This is the European Golden Ball Award!

Even if it's only in the top 20, it's still a huge success!
The waiting time is excruciating.

Bild quickly updated the list to include the next 20 people.

This time, when the webpage opened, the first thing everyone saw was Wang Shuo, who was at the very top of the list.

"11th place!"

"My goodness, they've only ranked 11th!"

"It's incredible!"

"It surpasses Fabregas and Torres, as well as a host of other great players such as Giggs, Henry, Fabiano, and Forlan."

"Your Majesty, you've only ranked 11th!"

Although Wang Shuo sat upright in his seat, he appeared calm and composed on the surface.

But in reality, his heart was in turmoil.

He himself did not expect to be ranked 11th.

At first, he thought that making it into the top 30 would be a victory.

Even if you come in last, it's still a success.

But when he saw that he wasn't on the list of 21 to 30, he slightly raised his expectations and felt that being in the top ten would be good.

He really didn't expect to be ranked 11th.

"How many votes did you get?" Wang Shuo asked.

"I don't know. They've only announced the rankings so far, not the specific vote counts. I guess they'll announce them all together in the final stages," Feulner replied.

Wang Shuo nodded.

His heart was never at peace.

Who can remain calm?

This is only 11th place in the European Golden Ball award!
My God, this is incredible!
Wang Shuo's phone kept receiving various text messages and QQ messages, all congratulatory messages from friends.

There was also a phone call from my parents back home.

On the phone, Wang Shuo also heard Jiang Pengju cheering, probably shouting on the other end. He vaguely heard him say, "Coach Gao, did you see that? Wang Shuo is ranked 11th in the Golden Globe Awards, did you see that?"

"For the first time, a Chinese player has entered the Ballon d'Or rankings and has jumped straight to 11th place!"

"11th place!"

While Wang Shuo was talking to his parents on the phone, the list of the top 10 was also announced.

However, this list does not include specific rankings.

Clearly, the French football magazine intends to keep the suspense until the very end, especially at the upcoming awards ceremony.

Unlike FIFA's award ceremonies, the Ballon d'Or ceremony only invites the winners.

Judging from the current situation, Real Madrid and Barcelona are the biggest winners, accounting for 6 out of 10 star players.

If we also include Eto'o, who transferred from Barcelona to Inter Milan, that makes seven.

The remaining three are all from the Premier League: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United, Didier Drogba of Chelsea, and Steven Gerrard of Liverpool.

At that moment, Wang Shuo thought of Arsenal.

Poor gunman, is he really that pathetic?

Messi is definitely going to be elected!
The only remaining question is whether Barcelona will sweep the top three spots.

That is, Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta.

Fortunately, the French football magazine didn't keep us waiting too long.

After noon, they officially announced the final results.

Messi beat Ronaldo and Xavi to win the 2009 Ballon d'Or.

Barcelona failed to secure a top-three finish, with Iniesta ranking fourth.

Eto'o is ranked 5th, and Ibrahimovic is ranked 7th.

The absurd thing is that in the summer of 2009, Barcelona actually used Eto'o plus money to sign Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan in order to acquire him.

Things in the transfer market are always so unpredictable!
The final vote count was for 30 people.

Wang Shuo received 23 votes!
They defeated Torres by a single vote.

It has to be said, that was indeed very dangerous.

Wang Shuo speculated that this might also be due to UEFA's recent series of promotions and publicity campaigns.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to rank so high.

But in any case, for him, breaking into the top 30 of the European Golden Ball award for the first time and ranking 11th is definitely a great achievement and worth celebrating!

More importantly, this affirmation is also an encouragement.

Wang Shuo is now more convinced than ever that, with the help of the Ball God System, he will be able to make continuous breakthroughs.

One day, he hopes that his name will be the first one on the list of 30 for the European Golden Ball!
He can do it!

And I will definitely do it!

(End of this chapter)