Chapter 692: How Does It Feel to Hold the Hercules Cup? (Second Perspective)
"I knew you'd come back!" Inside the Werder Bremen training base, seeing De Bruyne, who seemed both helpless and relieved, Yellow Tiger said with joy.
He stepped forward and grabbed his friend's neck. "You insisted on going back to Chelsea and wasted a year. If you had stayed in Bremen, maybe we could have secured a spot in the Champions League."
De Bruyne smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Yellow, not everyone is like you, able to resist the temptation of the big clubs. It's Chelsea, the Premier League champions and the Champions League winners!"
"I don't care about all that. Even if I have no team to play for, I won't go, not even to Real Madrid!"
At this moment, their agent, Balmond, interjected, "Alright, we can catch up later. I need to take Kevin to handle some paperwork, and Yellow, you should go to training."
Yellow Tiger shrugged. "Alright, let's get together with the teammates tonight. There are quite a few new faces you haven't met."
That's how it is in a small team��player turnover is frequent. Old veterans like Silvestre and Bobrovsky retire after giving their last bit of effort, while players like Pizarro, who returned, join Bayern, and struggling youngsters like Anautovic move around European lower leagues.
Young players like Yellow Tiger, who steadily progress without being arrogant, are rare. According to De Bruyne, at least four Champions League clubs made offers to him during this summer transfer window, offering higher salaries.
But all these Chinese players turned them down. Without the players' desire to move and without offers meeting Werder Bremen's expectations, the deals couldn't proceed.
Of course, after securing a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds, the club didn't hesitate to give Yellow Tiger a raise. However, the increase was not significant, only about 30%, which means he could earn around �530,000 after taxes.
He was already very satisfied with this. After becoming a national team player, his popularity increased further, and being a regular in one of the top five leagues meant endorsement contracts kept pouring in. Overall, his treatment was not low compared to other talented players of his age.
More importantly, he was still very young. Improving his skills and gaining experience were the top priorities for him. Yellow Tiger couldn't wait to step onto the European stage.
Back at the training ground, as teammates arrived one by one, they chatted while warming up. The official training session hadn't started yet.
The team began gathering in early July, with a few players who participated in the World Cup allowed to return as late as mid-to-late July, as their first Europa League qualifying match was scheduled for July 31.
However, there were exceptions, like De Bruyne, who, wanting to integrate as soon as possible, started his transfer procedures right after the World Cup ended and reported to the team today.
Then there was the captain, Clemens Fritz, who was named in the German national team squad for the World Cup. Although he didn't get much playing time, he did get to lift the World Cup.
This was also a big deal for Werder Bremen, so a small celebration ceremony was held on the day he returned. Even now, many players were still surrounding Fritz, eagerly asking for details, with eager expressions on their faces.
There was no player who didn't yearn for that trophy!
"Hmm, what does it feel like? I lifted it, and it just felt heavy. The base of the cup is engraved with the names of each champion team, and having your country's name engraved there is naturally very honorable."
"By the way, wasn't the last champion the Chinese team? Yellow, how did you feel at that time?" Yellow Tiger waved his hand, "I wasn't there for the last one."
"True, after all, you were still young back then. I wonder if Wang Feng can maintain his high level next time. If he remains dominant like in the past two years, I think you guys will still be one of the favorites."
Fritz rubbed his chin. "I felt a bit regretful about the final. Not only did I not get to play, but I also didn't witness the scene of the god of football carrying the Hercules Cup onto the field."
"It seems like you sent a veteran player called Weifeng Li to deliver the Hercules Cup. It was said that Wang Feng had some injuries and needed to recuperate? It's hard to imagine such a strong man being injured."
Yellow Tiger smiled but didn't say anything. He had vaguely heard about the situation. The guy simply didn't want to go. He didn't care about anyone's face, and the team leader was furious but helpless.
As everyone discussed World Cup anecdotes and their holiday activities with laughter, the coaching staff approached. Seeing the stern-faced head coach Thomas Schaaf, everyone quickly fell silent and stood in line.
This coach, who had been in charge of Werder Bremen for 15 years, appeared even more imposing. But what many didn't know was that two seasons ago, he faced the crisis of being sacked.
Despite creating glory for the team, the lack of European football for several years and finishing mid-table in the league stretched the club's finances and tested the patience of the higher-ups.
Luckily, in the past two years, Schaaf managed to turn things around, from almost qualifying for European football to securing a spot in the Europa League qualifying rounds, allowing them to breathe a little easier.
But even greater challenges lay ahead. In the new season, Werder Bremen would have to face the pressure of competing on three fronts, which would be quite difficult for their current squad.
Schaaf did his best to persuade the higher-ups to bring in De Bruyne and even forced an additional �10 million budget for other reinforcements. It could be said that this was the most expensive summer window for the club in the past five years.
The greater the investment, the higher the expectations. Schaaf understood that if they didn't succeed now, they would face the consequences.
"Alright, everyone, let's get started. As usual, split into groups for attacking and defending training. Rolf, Henebach, you two will oversee."
Players like Dzellok, Haylovich, and Yellow Tiger formed two rows and began passing and receiving the ball while standing still, then gradually increased the difficulty by passing while running.
This not only tested the players' passing accuracy and dynamic receiving abilities but also their fitness, as constantly running and passing in circles required significant physical exertion.
As everyone trained earnestly, De Bruyne completed his paperwork and interviews and joined them on the field. Coach Schaaf called everyone over, "No need for introductions, right? Our old friend is back, and with him, we'll be even stronger. We'll definitely achieve good results in the new season!"
Most players showed approval and anticipation. They knew De Bruyne's level quite well. Although he spent a season on the bench at Chelsea last season, his performance in the World Cup showed that he hadn't regressed.
With assists and being named the best player in the group stage, and scoring goals in the knockout stage! This was something even Messi hadn't accomplished.
Only a handful of people, led by Junuzovic, looked unhappy because they knew De Bruyne would undoubtedly take away their starting positions.
The Austrian international had always been highly regarded, but he seemed incompatible with head coach Schaaf and hadn't been able to deliver ideal performances. Now, with De Bruyne joining, the crisis escalated.
So, during the training session that followed, he deliberately found opportunities to taunt De Bruyne, "Kevin, do you know what it feels like to betray the team and go back to sit on the bench? And now you shamelessly come back. Your face must be as thick as a pufferfish."
Before De Bruyne could respond, Yellow Tiger, who overheard, immediately became unhappy. "Zlatko, what are you saying?"
"Am I wrong? Damn kid, you've only been here for a few years, yet you're so arrogant." The two of them immediately got into a tussle, and their teammates quickly stepped forward to break it up, with captain Clemens Fritz rushing to stand between them.
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