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They double-killed Shakhtar Donetsk!
They remained undefeated against Manchester United with one win and one draw!
They easily defeated Real Sociedad 3-1 in their opening match!
When the Champions League Group A draw results were announced, who would have thought of this outcome?
Bayer Leverkusen, a little-known team from the Bundesliga, actually became the big boss of Group A!
With 4 wins and 1 draw in 5 matches, they secured first place in the group with 13 points!
Manchester United followed closely with 8 points.
In another match, Real Sociedad and Shakhtar Donetsk drew 1-1.
Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United have already secured their qualification for the knockout stage, and the result of the last match will not change anything.
Only at this point did Sascha Lewandowski and Sami Hyypiä breathe a sigh of relief.
After the match, at the press conference, the two coaches were visibly relieved.
"Yes, the goal we set at the beginning of the season, successfully qualifying from the Champions League group stage…"
"We didn't expect to achieve it so easily; happiness came so suddenly."
"However, for the entire team, the process of the matches was not easy."
"In every match, the players on the field fought desperately, and every point was hard-earned."
"I am truly grateful to this group of excellent players; in my heart, they are the best team!"
"The biggest surprise of this season?"
"Then I must mention the player Lance. As everyone knows, he is only 16 years old this year, the youngest player in Champions League history."
"To be honest, when we signed him, I was a bit hesitant. Can this kid really play football?"
"The club was just signing people randomly…"
Sascha and the reporters present all laughed.
"Yes, I was short-sighted back then. But who would have thought that his slender body contained such powerful energy?"
"Today's goal, in my opinion, absolutely deserves to be nominated for the Puskás Award."
"It's the most spectacular goal I've ever seen."
Sascha didn't say "one of the most spectacular"; Lance had scored many spectacular goals.
But his goal against Manchester United, where he dribbled past 3 defenders and chipped the ball in for the winning goal, simply stunned everyone. To this day, they can't believe how he did it.
"A talented player like Lance deserves to shine in the Champions League knockout stage."
"Of course, all the other players are great, and I won't name them one by one here."
"I hope our team can go further. It's not clear how far we'll go, but I believe we are not afraid of any opponent we face!"
Sascha's interview and Lance's goal simultaneously topped Twitter's trending topics after the match.
Soon, the video of Lance's goal on YouTube surpassed 1 million views within a few hours.
When Lance held up the Champions League MVP trophy after the match, a reporter also asked him during the interview:
"How did you score that goal at that moment? Why, at the moment you fell, could you complete the performance with unconventional, hip-hop-like movements?"
The reporter's question also represented many fans.
On the field, flashy dribbling is common.
Ronaldinho, Robinho, early Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar… many stars like to use unconventional dribbling methods to break through.
But these are basically still within the reasonable scope of football.
Lance's execution clearly exceeded the fans' understanding, yet these street dance or freestyle football moves are all things that others can do and imitate, which is truly very reasonable.
Only on a tense and fierce field, it's quite unreasonable!
There's confrontation, psychological pressure from the game, and movement distortion after physical decline.
Even Neymar would find it very difficult to perform some fancy moves after 85 minutes of a match.
How exactly did Lance do it?
"My interest since childhood has been football, so after regular training, my recreational activity was freestyle football, learning some freestyle football moves."
"Coincidentally, I'm also a street dance enthusiast, and I also learned some moves when I was a child…"
Lance made up stories without batting an eyelid.
He did like football when he was a child, but freestyle football, street dance, and the like were all fleeting interests.
The cost of practice was too high and too difficult, so he simply didn't continue.
He purely enjoyed the feeling of playing and competing with his friends.
His parents were busy with work and business and didn't pay as much attention to Lance.
There was no way to verify whether he had actually learned these things as a child.
Lance simply described the all-round ability enhancement brought by the system template as the result of his diligent practice in childhood.
"That's right, I'm just that hardworking. When everything becomes muscle memory, it naturally forms an instinctive reaction in critical situations."
The surrounding reporters couldn't help but applaud. Lance was simply a model of talent + effort!
A good role model for players!
It made Lance a bit embarrassed. Had he boasted too much about himself?
Forget it, just keep up the act for now, who cares.
"Puskás Award Selection Nears, Bayer Leverkusen's Prodigy Feared to Sweep Awards"
"Perfect Goal Seals Victory Against Manchester United, Dark Horse Bayer Leverkusen Secures Group First!"
"Transfermarkt Value Soars! Bayer Leverkusen Prodigy Coveted by Giants"
"…According to unofficial sources, after the match, giants like Manchester United, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain have all set their sights on Lance."
"This Bayer Leverkusen prodigy has already been targeted by scouts."
"The latest update from Transfermarkt shows that"
"Lance's value has soared overnight from 25 million euros to 40 million!"
The transfer market in 2013 showed a trend of inflated prices, but it wasn't as exaggerated as the hundreds of millions seen later.
40 million euros was already a significant recognition for a player.
Robert Lewandowski, the main striker of the 2012-2013 Champions League runner-up, was valued at 40 million euros;
Ángel Di María at 50 million euros,
Wayne Rooney at 45 million euros,
Karim Benzema at 40 million euros,
Mario Götze at 37 million euros,
Marco Reus at 40 million euros…
These were all first-tier European stars who had been famous for a long time, had won championships, or had proven themselves in important matches, and were in their prime.
A 16-year-old Lance being compared to them?
Initially, when German and even European fans saw this report, they couldn't believe it.
This was only Lance's first professional season. 40 million was too exaggerated, wasn't it?
The previous 25 million was already exaggerated enough!
But his solo run and goal against Manchester United were shocking enough.
Before his first season was even over, his value soaring to 40 million euros surprisingly caused no major controversy.
Discussions among fans from various European countries on Twitter also deemed it reasonable.
"I feel it's pretty normal. Lance has the age advantage. If he can maintain this form or improve, I feel 40 million won't be the limit."
"If his potential is fully realized, he'll be worth at least a hundred million, comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Neymar…"
"I even feel 40 million is low. That goal yesterday was simply divine!"
"Bayer Leverkusen's manager must be dreaming and waking up laughing."
Lance was somewhat surprised when he saw this news. His value skyrocketed overnight?
Just then, Jorge Mendes also called:
"Lance!! My favorite player! One good news, one bad news, which one do you want to hear?"
Lance was speechless. Isn't Cristiano Ronaldo his favorite player?
"The bad news, I guess."
"The bad news is, you might be a bit busy from now on, and it might take up some of your training and tutoring time."
"And the good news?"
"The good news is… the contracts with Armani, Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin, and Coca-Cola are basically settled. Congratulations, you've become a true superstar, hahaha!"
Mendes was genuinely happy.
It felt like winning 10 million euros on a 2-euro lottery ticket.
Who would have thought that a 16-year-old kid he casually signed back then would now rocket to fame?
At 16, he should have been unknown, needing at least 5 years of development to emerge.
Lance had already made a name for himself and secured his future, one goal at a time.
The collaboration invitations from major sponsors were insane; Mendes's phone was almost ringing off the hook.
Excluding Adidas and Nike, the two sports brands Lance specifically refused,
Mendes carefully screened other collaborations that matched Lance's young, elegant, and high-end brand appeal and took on a batch of them for him.
"Oh, by the way, didn't you just get your provisional driver's license and want a car?"
"Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin are both sponsoring at the same time. Pick whichever model you like; it's free."
Wait a minute?
Only then did Lance realize that his commercial value was already this high?