Capítulo 60: Sowing Discord
After the match, both Lin and De Bruyne, who had performed well in this game, were chased by reporters.
They were surrounded by layers of reporters outside the player tunnel, making it nearly impossible to move.
Having won the game, Lin was in a good mood, so he greeted the club's press officer and agreed to a few media interviews:
"Lin, you scored two goals and provided an assist in today's game, helping the team to win. How do you evaluate your performance in this match?"
The question came first from a fan of Werder Bremen, a reporter from the Bremen Daily.
Although Lin hadn't been interviewed by this reporter before, he had seen him interview Captain Fritz and others before, so he was not unfamiliar.
"The team won the game, and I'm very happy. As for my performance, I think I can give myself a score of 3. There were some areas where I didn't do well enough in this game, and there is still room for improvement!"
The reporter was a bit surprised to hear his self-rating:
"Wow, I didn't expect you to have such strict demands on yourself. But the post-match scores given by the media to you are 1 (The post-match ratings in the Bundesliga are a bit different from other leagues, with a range of 1-6, with a higher score indicating a poorer performance). Let me congratulate you on winning the MVP of this match!"
After the reporter finished speaking, he started applauding, and several other reporters from Werder Bremen also joined in.
Other players might have been strutting about after playing a good game, but the young player in front of them was so low-key and humble.
This quality won him the favor of the reporters.
Werder Bremen is a small club, and they haven't had a player as phenomenal as him in many years.
Lin's arrival not only improved Werder Bremen's performance in the league, but also further ignited the enthusiasm of the fans for watching, which, in turn, increased the sales of the newspapers that followed and reported on Werder Bremen.
Therefore, players like Lin and De Bruyne were particularly cherished.
On the other hand, De Bruyne was not as lucky. He was interviewed by a reporter supporting Hannover.
With the Werder Bremen reporters all surrounding Lin, it gave the other side a chance.
"Mr. De Bruyne, the highest score given by the media after this match went to your teammate Lin, does this mean that your teammate is stronger than you?"
This question was clearly intended to cause trouble. The reporter on the other side was obviously not well-intentioned.
He wanted to sow discord between the two players, but he didn't expect De Bruyne to be straightforward and not understand the other's intentions.
After hearing the question, he solemnly said:
"Yes, I think so. His strength is indeed greater than mine. At least I can't dribble and score like him!"
The reporter didn't expect De Bruyne to answer this way. After a moment of astonishment, he quickly asked again:
"But, your passing, your free-kicks are better than his, right?"
De Bruyne thought for a moment and shook his head firmly:
"No, that's not true. You haven't seen him play. He's very good at passing. The assist to Arnautovic in the previous game is an example.
As for free-kicks, Lin has many ways to take them. His free kicks are as good as mine, and he even taught me the chip shot, so technically, I should call him a teacher!"
The Hanover journalist was dumbfounded, thinking, "What kind of person is this? Doesn't he have any competitive spirit at all?" He intended to sow discord, but De Bruyne's responses ruined his scheme.
Unwilling to give up, the journalist posed a similar question to Werder Bremen's head coach, Schaaf, during the post-match press conference: "Coach Schaaf, in Werder Bremen's tactical system, who is more important, Lin or De Bruyne?"
Schaaf, being experienced, noticed the journalist was from Hanover and immediately understood their intentions. He replied, "In my team, every player is essential!"
The journalist was unsatisfied with this response and continued, "Every team has its tactical core. So, between De Bruyne and Lin, who is Werder Bremen's tactical core?"
Schaaf, facing the journalist's probing, wrinkled his brow. Instead of directly answering, he asked the reporter a question in return: "So, do you think, in Barcelona's team, Messi is more important than Xavi and Iniesta?"
This question was not easy to answer. Each of these three players has a massive fan base, and choosing one over the others would offend the remaining two as well as their fans.
Moreover, Barcelona's strength doesn't rely solely on one person but on the collective effort.
While reporters aim to stir trouble, Hanover's newspaper subtly mocked Werder Bremen for overestimating themselves.
They compared Lin to Messi and De Bruyne to Xavi and Iniesta, suggesting the two Werder Bremen players were simply unknown young players.
This kind of taunting occurred despite German media outside Hanover speaking highly of Werder Bremen's duo.
The Bild's report praised De Bruyne as invaluable to Werder Bremen, forming a powerful and surprising duo with Lin.
De Bruyne proved his skill and Chelsea's good judgment through the £8 million transfer deal. Experts saw his potential and elevated his worth to £18 million, indicating other clubs must pay at least £20 million for him.
Meanwhile, Lin finally gained recognition in the transfer market, debuting among the top young players under 21 but with a modest £8 million value, ranking 22nd.
Critics felt this valuation was too low for Lin's performance in the Bundesliga. They wondered if such a talented player was truly valued at only £8 million.
Although big clubs might rush to grab him for that price, Barcelona would likely not sell.
His worth may increase in the future, sparking curiosity about whether he could reach Messi's level when he comes of age.
In the latest transfer market evaluation, Messi topped the player value ranking at an impressive €120 million!
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