Chapter 61: Sowing Discord
After the game, both Lin Quan and De Bruyne, who performed outstandingly in the match, were chased by reporters.
Outside the player tunnel, the two were surrounded by layers of journalists, making it nearly impossible for them to move.
Having won the game, Lin Quan was in good spirits. He greeted the club's press officer and accepted interviews from several media outlets:
"Lin, you scored two goals and assisted another in today's game, helping the team secure victory. How would you evaluate your performance in this match?"
The first question came from a fan of Werder Bremen, a reporter from the Bremen Daily.
Although Lin Quan hadn't been interviewed by this reporter before, he had seen him interview captain Fritz and others, so he wasn't unfamiliar with him.
"The team won the game, and I'm very happy about that. As for my own performance, I'd give myself a 3 out of 6. There were some areas in this game where I didn't perform well enough, and there's room for improvement!"
The reporter was somewhat surprised by his self-assessment: "Wow, I didn't expect you to be so strict with yourself! But post-match ratings from the media have given you a score of 1, which is the highest (in Bundesliga post-match ratings, unlike other leagues, the score ranges from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating poorer performance). Congratulations on being named the MVP of this game!"
After the reporter finished speaking, he led the applause, and several other reporters from Werder Bremen joined in.
While other players might have been flying high after a good game, the young player in front of them was so modest and humble.
This quality endeared him to the reporters.
Werder Bremen is a small club, and they haven't had such a sensational player in many years.
Lin Quan's emergence not only improved Werder Bremen's league performance but also further ignited the enthusiasm of the fans. Consequently, the sales of newspapers that tracked Werder Bremen also increased.
Therefore, players like Lin Quan and De Bruyne were particularly cherished.
De Bruyne, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. He was interviewed by a journalist supporting Hannover.
With all the Werder Bremen reporters interviewing Lin Quan, it gave the Hannover journalist an opportunity.
"Mr. De Bruyne, in the post-match ratings by the media, your teammate Lin Quan received the highest score. Does this indicate that your teammate is stronger than you?"
This question was clearly intended to stir up trouble, and the journalist from the other side clearly had ill intentions.
He hoped to sow discord between the two players, but he hadn't expected De Bruyne to be so straightforward and honest.
Upon hearing the question, De Bruyne replied earnestly:
"Yes, I believe so. His abilities are indeed superior to mine. At least I can't dribble and score goals like he does!"
The journalist was taken aback by De Bruyne's response. After a moment of stunned silence, he hurriedly asked again:
"But your passing and free kicks are better than his, aren't they?"
De Bruyne thought for a moment and then shook his head firmly:
"No, that's not true. You haven't seen him play. He's very skilled at passing. The assist to Anautović earlier in the game is a perfect example. As for free kicks, Lin Quan has various techniques, and his free kicks are just as good as mine. Besides, he's the one who taught me the knuckleball technique, so strictly speaking, I should call him my teacher!"
The Hannover journalist was dumbfounded. What kind of person was this? No competitive spirit at all?
He had hoped to sow discord, but De Bruyne's responses completely foiled his scheme.
The journalist wasn't ready to give up. During the post-match press conference, he asked a similar question to Werder Bremen's head coach, Shaaf:
"Coach Shaaf, in Werder Bremen's tactical system, who is more important, Lin Quan or De Bruyne?"
Shaaf was an old hand at this. He glanced at the journalist asking the question, realizing he was from Hannover, and immediately knew what he was up to.
"In my team, everyone is important!"
The reporter wasn't satisfied with this answer and continued to press: "Every team has its tactical core. So, between De Bruyne and Lin Quan, who is the tactical core of Werder Bremen?"
Facing the reporter's persistence, Shaaf frowned slightly.
Instead of directly answering the question, he counter-questioned: "So, in Barcelona, do you think Messi is more important or Xavi and Iniesta?"
This question wasn't easy to answer. All three players have a massive fan base, and choosing one would offend the other two and their fans.
Moreover, Barcelona's strength doesn't solely rely on one player but on the team as a whole.
While Messi is undoubtedly strong, without Iniesta and Xavi, he wouldn't play as smoothly in the front field.
Iniesta is indeed a midfield maestro, but without Messi upfront, even if they perform well, the team won't score goals.
But journalists always find ways to stir things up.
On that day, Hannover's newspaper sarcastically mocked Werder Bremen, implying that they were overestimating themselves by comparing Lin Quan to Messi and De Bruyne to Xavi and Iniesta.
Who are these three?
They are currently the hottest stars in the football world, while Werder Bremen's players are just unknown young players!
However, unlike the belittling of Lin Quan and De Bruyne by Hannover's media, other major media outlets within Germany hold high hopes for Werder Bremen's twin stars.
"Chelsea's Newcomer Proves Himself on the Bundesliga Field"
This was the headline in Bild's Sunday report about De Bruyne.
Here's how they reported it:
"Kevin De Bruyne holds an irreplaceable position in Werder Bremen. His partnership with another newcomer, Lin Quan, in the front field is the most powerful and surprising duo in this season's Bundesliga matches.
The Belgian not only proved his strength but also proved Chelsea's foresight.
Now, looking back, Chelsea's initial £8 million deal can be considered quite a bargain.
Even if the Belgian doesn't get a chance at Stamford Bridge in the future, he won't worry about finding a new club.
At least for Werder Bremen, they are very willing to spend £8 million or even more in transfer fees to buy this young midfielder with unlimited potential!"
To corroborate Bild's report, in the latest evaluation of the German transfer market, they raised De Bruyne's value by €5 million, bringing his current value to €18 million.
This valuation means that in the future, if other teams want to buy De Bruyne, they will have to spend at least €20 million, more than double the valuation by Bild!
In the evaluation by transfer market experts, they wrote:
"De Bruyne is an excellent attacking player who can adapt to multiple positions in the front field.
He possesses excellent footwork and technique, as well as the broad vision and perspective possessed by top midfielders.
His passing is impressive, always finding loopholes in the opponent's defense and making deadly passes.
Considering he's only 21 this year, very young, with enormous room for growth.
If he continues to grow at his current pace, he may become one of the world's top midfielders in due time!"
Meanwhile, Lin Quan finally made a name for himself in the transfer market.
He made his debut among the young players under 21 in the German transfer market.
However, his value is not high, only €8 million, ranking 22nd.
The German transfer market seems to think he's too young and is hesitant to give a higher valuation, especially since young players are prone to injury, and one major injury could make them forgettable.
German football commentators feel that Lin Quan's valuation is too low.
With his performance in the Bundesliga, is he only worth €8 million?
If he's really that cheap, then many top clubs would immediately rush to Barcelona with their checkbooks!
But Barcelona wouldn't be so foolish as to let him go, so this valuation is just for reference, like Messi's. He indeed has value, but he's unattainable!
To be valued at €8 million before turning 17 has made many people curious: when he reaches adulthood, will his value reach Messi's level today?
In the latest ranking of player values in the German transfer market, Messi's value ranks first, reaching €120 million!
(End of Chapter)