Capítulo 176: Lin's Explosive Debut Causes a Stir!
When Mbemba fouled David Silva, Lin had already checked his system points balance and was ready to upgrade his injury immunity talent.
After the DFB-Pokal final with Werder Bremen, Lin's system points reached 50.
Although he didn't get the Bundesliga Assist King reward, he did receive 20 points for the Bundesliga Golden Boot.
This brought his total points to 70.
During the Confederations Cup, where Spain won all five matches and Lin played in each one, he earned another 10 points.
Unfortunately, the Confederations Cup Golden Boot and Best Player awards did not come with additional points.
Since joining Manchester City, Lin had played in four matches.
The Audi Cup win against AC Milan and the friendly against Fulham both added 4 points to his total.
Thus, his total points reached 84.
The injury immunity talent required 100 points for a complete purchase, but Lin was just short.
However, upgrading his existing level 2 injury talent, worth 20 points, would cost only 80 points, making it just right!
If he hadn't had enough points to exchange for the injury immunity talent, Lin wouldn't have confidently entered the Premier League.
These Premier League defenders thought they could take advantage of him, not realizing they were up against a monster!
Seeing Lin bounce back without any issues left Manchester City and Newcastle players in disbelief.
They couldn't help but glance at Lin's ankle, wondering if it was made of iron.
The one committing the foul got injured, but Lin was perfectly fine?
Was this even possible?
After the referee showed Mbemba a red card, he continued to scream in pain on the ground, unable to get up.
Everyone realized he was genuinely hurt.
However, his injury from a back tackle foul was entirely his fault, and no one felt any sympathy.
With the score against them and a teammate sent off, Newcastle was in dire straits.
Facing a 10-man defense, they gave up any hope of scoring, merely wishing not to be humiliated at the Etihad Stadium.
In the second half, Newcastle's coach substituted all attacking players for defensive ones, clearly aiming to avoid a complete rout.
But parking the bus doesn't always work.
With the injury immunity talent maxed out and no worries, Lin became even more unstoppable in the second half.
Newcastle's lack of attacking threat allowed Manchester City to press forward with full force, besieging Newcastle.
After relentless attacking, Newcastle's defense finally crumbled in the 76th minute when Yaya Touré headed in from a corner.
The score became 4-0.
Newcastle was being thoroughly beaten!
The Etihad Stadium turned into a sea of joy, with Manchester City fans singing and dancing, celebrating their team's strong start to the Premier League season.
But the fans wanted more.
Despite Lin scoring twice and assisting once, they hoped for a hat-trick on his Premier League debut.
Fans started chanting in unison:
"Hat-trick!"
"Hat-trick!"
Humiliated by the 4-0 scoreline, Newcastle players focused on preventing Lin from achieving a hat-trick.
They would rather let other Manchester City players score than let Lin get a hat-trick!
Newcastle's players crowded their penalty area, making it difficult for Lin to break through.
So, he tried his luck with long shots from outside the box.
In the 82nd minute, Lin attempted a surprise long shot instead of breaking through.
The defenders, expecting him to dribble, were caught off guard.
Krul, the Newcastle goalkeeper, reacted quickly but misjudged the ball's trajectory, which swerved unpredictably in the air.
The ball slipped under his arm and into the net!
Lin's long shot completed his Premier League hat-trick and made the score 5-0!
After scoring, Lin ran to the sidelines, took off his jersey, revealing a tight-fitting shirt with a message.
The camera zoomed in, projecting the message onto the big screen:
**Dedicated to Manchester City fans!**
Seeing this, the fans went wild.
"Wow! The new signing has already won over the Blue Moon fans!"
Andy Gray from Sky Sports laughed and commented.
"Scoring a hat-trick in his debut, showing immense determination, and standing up for an injured teammate – how could anyone not love such a player?"
Martin Tyler wasn't surprised by the fans' reaction. Even as a neutral commentator, he was becoming a fan of Lin.
After commentating on the Confederations Cup, Tyler had fallen in love with Lin's playing style.
So, he specifically requested to commentate on Manchester City's games after Lin joined the Premier League.
He was eager to see what this not-yet-eighteen-year-old could achieve in the Premier League!
...
Ultimately, with Lin's three goals and one assist, Manchester City thrashed Newcastle 5-0 in their season opener.
With a goal difference of five, they temporarily topped the Premier League table.
As expected, Lin's outstanding performance attracted the media's attention post-match.
Manchester City's press officer, seeing Lin surrounded, quickly stepped in.
With Lin's consent, he said to the reporters:
"One at a time, please, don't all rush in!"
He then selected a few familiar reporters for Lin to interview:
"Lin, hello, I'm a reporter from The Guardian. How would you rate your performance in this match?"
The Guardian had a good relationship with Manchester City and was a professional football newspaper, so they didn't ask provocative questions.
Lin responded politely:
"Passable. I'm generally satisfied with my performance, but my coordination with my teammates needs improvement. I hope to work on that."
The Guardian reporter expected Lin, hailed as the third best in football, to be arrogant, especially after a hat-trick on his debut.
But Lin was humble, considering such a stellar performance merely passable.
What high standards did this guy have?
The reporter wondered what kind of performance would earn Lin a perfect score.
"Lin, hello, I'm a reporter from The Sun. What do you think of Newcastle's playing style and the Premier League referees' leniency?"
Unlike The Guardian, The Sun was a tabloid known for sensationalist news.
Lin saw through the reporter's intent to provoke controversy and attract the FA's attention by criticizing the league's rough play and lenient refereeing.
Criticizing referees could result in punishment from the FA, and Lin wasn't foolish enough to fall for that.
"Each team has its own style:
"Arsenal plays beautifully; Manchester United plays thrilling football; Chelsea's defense is renowned worldwide; Liverpool's courage created the Istanbul Miracle.
"But Newcastle can only resort to such brute fouling. Why?
"Because their players can't perform Arsenal's intricate passes, lack United's spirit, can't defend like Chelsea, and don't have Liverpool's resilience.
"So besides rough fouls, what else can they do?"
Lin's retort left the reporter stunned.
Though the Premier League is known for its physicality and fouls, not all teams play that way!
Such rough play is just an excuse for some mid-to-lower-tier teams' tactical and technical deficiencies.
Teams with ambition always pursue technical football.
Post-match, Lin's stellar debut attracted widespread media coverage.
"100-Million Man Scores Hat-Trick on Debut, Leads Team to Victory, Tops Premier League!"
"Spanish Superstar Lands in Premier League, Scores Three and Assists One, Wins Fan Approval!"
"Premier League Has Its Own Superstar, Not Just La Liga Anymore!"
Overall, mainstream media highly praised Lin's debut.
He received the highest match rating of 9.2 and was named MVP.
Many Premier League legends were thrilled by his performance.
Kevin Keegan praised Lin as the type of attacking player he always wanted, comparable to Alan Shearer.
In an interview, Ferguson said that since Ronaldo left, the Premier League had lost its top superstar.
Lin's arrival filled that void, making the Premier League competitive with La Liga again.
Having top-tier superstars brings attention and allure, boosting the Premier League's global influence, especially in the Far East.
Arsenal manager Wenger believed Lin's arrival strengthened the technical aspect of the Premier League.
Spanish players' fine footwork and excellent passing could become a trend, injecting technical prowess into the league.
"Just as my arrival transformed Arsenal, Lin's arrival brings the same effect to Manchester City."
In recent years, La Liga teams excelled in the Champions League and international tournaments, making other countries, though grudgingly, adopt their style.
Bringing in a top Spanish playmaker with excellent vision and passing became a trend.
Besides the positive reports, Lin's post-match comments about Newcastle sparked some controversy.
"Arrogant or Confident? Premier League Rookie Criticizes Traditional Playing Styles!"
"Lin: Premier League Football Means Rough and Unskilled Play!"
These sensational headlines came from lesser-known tabloids, attracting attention due to Lin's popularity.
His comments sparked heated discussions among fans.
"I'm an Arsenal fan, and I agree with Lin. Those mid-to-lower-tier teams don't improve their tactics each season, just focusing on fouling. It's disgusting. Arsenal suffers a lot from this!"
"Gooner +1. Those rough fouls against us would get players sent off in other leagues!"
"I'm a Liverpool fan. We've had so many injuries, so I support Lin!"
"Haha, Liverpool's injuries are more due to your medical team!"
"Red Devil here. United's tactics have improved, and so have our results. We're still behind top La Liga teams, but progress is visible!"
Lin's praise for the top four clubs in his interview greatly reduced resistance from their fans, even gaining him some favor!
Compliments from ordinary players or stars might not mean much to them.
But praise from a superstar like Lin was like sweet nectar, making them feel delighted.
Fans of the big clubs responded with support for Lin.
For top clubs, every player on the field is valuable.
Yet, against mid-to-lower-tier Premier League teams, their expensive stars are
easily fouled and injured.
Such injuries can significantly impact league results and even Champions League matches.
The Champions League is far more competitive than the Premier League. Missing a key player could mean losing and being eliminated.
This is unacceptable for top clubs.
However, fans of mid-to-lower-tier teams were not as friendly towards Lin!
Newcastle fans, like angry hedgehogs, reacted vehemently:
"Shut your mouth, or when you come to St. James' Park, we'll make sure you leave on a stretcher!"
In response, Lin had Manchester City report the threats to the FA.
The FA couldn't ignore the report, especially since Lin's comments were solely about Newcastle and not the FA.
The FA was pleased with how Lin handled the situation.
They didn't mind club rivalries but couldn't tolerate personal threats against a player like Lin.
As Ferguson said, Lin was the only superstar who could rival Messi and Ronaldo.
If he got seriously injured due to rough play, it would tarnish the Premier League's reputation, deterring other top stars from joining.
So, the FA had to intervene.
Moreover, post-match, Mansour used his influence within the FA to pressure them into action.
The FA hinted to referees to offer extra protection to stars like Lin, preventing severe fouls to maintain the league's and the FA's reputation.
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