The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 151 - 52: Mid-season Champion! A Mix-up with the Golden Boy Award? Tell Me, Is There Anything He Can’t Do?
Even with the early Adidas contract, Tuchel had thought they’d just caught wind of something. But Tuchel had also said that until the award was officially announced, there was always a chance for things to change.
Wang Shuo never stopped working, never stopped fighting.
And now, unbelievably, he’d actually pulled it off!
"Are you so happy you’re speechless?" Klopp let go of Wang Shuo and burst into a booming laugh.
Buvac also walked over. "Congratulations, Wang!"
"Great job, brother!" Subotic pulled Wang Shuo into an enthusiastic hug.
"Well played, Wang! You’re my benchmark now!" Schürrle came over too.
"You deserve this, Wang."
"I’m so happy to see you win this. Keep up the great work!"
"You’re the best, Wang. It was only natural you’d win."
One after another, his teammates came over to congratulate him.
Wang Shuo was not only thrilled but also deeply grateful.
"Thank you, everyone!"
Wang Shuo gave a deep, firm nod to everyone.
’Without the support and help from the coaching staff, without Klopp’s trust and the tactics he tailored for me, without the support of all my teammates...’
’It would have been impossible for me to have come this far.’
’Not even with the Ball God System!’
"I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling right now, but I want to say this: this award may have been given to me, but it belongs to all of us. To every single person at Mainz."
"Without you all, there’s no me, and there’s no award!"
Everyone nodded, moved by Wang Shuo’s sincere and heartfelt speech.
’Wang Shuo really was a loyal and sentimental person!’
The atmosphere was thick with emotion, setting the stage for a tear-jerking moment, when Wang Shuo was struck by a crucial realization.
"Boss, are you sure Massimo Frankie is here to present the award?"
Hearing this, everyone else instantly realized the problem too.
’That’s right, the guy’s a journalist. What if he wasn’t here to present the award? Wouldn’t that be a huge own goal?’
Klopp himself froze.
’Crap. I was so caught up in the excitement, I forgot to ask for details.’
Fortunately, just as Klopp was stewing in his embarrassment, there was another knock on the locker room door.
Christian Heidel pushed the door open, strode toward Wang Shuo, and let out a hearty laugh.
"Congratulations, Wang! Massimo Frankie from Torino Sports Daily came personally to invite you to Turin to receive the European Golden Boy Award!"
Everyone finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
But the way they all looked at Klopp had changed slightly.
’Who was it that said Klopp looks coarse but is actually meticulous?’
’Step forward!’
’He’s clearly just as unreliable as anyone.’
’Especially when he gets excited.’
...
The news of Wang Shuo winning the European Golden Boy Award spread rapidly.
The Bundesliga matches had just concluded, and the sportswriters’ pens were still hot.
In an instant, a flood of countless articles came pouring out.
They appeared online almost instantaneously.
For Wang Shuo, the past year was undoubtedly one of ups and downs.
From facing repeated rejections at tryouts early in the year to winning the European Golden Boy Award by year’s end—his trajectory was simply incredible. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The German Bild was the first to report, noting that he was the first player from Asia to win the European Golden Boy Award, as well as the first in the Bundesliga, thus making history.
"More importantly, as Mainz’s most crucial player, Wang Shuo helped them secure the top spot on the league table during the first half of the season!"
Winter champions, the European Golden Boy Award, and the top of the scorer charts—this was undoubtedly the reward for the tireless efforts of Wang Shuo and Mainz over the past half-season!
Kicker Magazine commented, "Wang Shuo was the most sensational rookie in Europe this past season, consistently delivering spectacular individual performances that helped Mainz claim the top spot."
Massimo Frankie, the editor-in-chief of Torino Sports Daily, watched Mainz defeat Hamburg 3-2 at Bruch Road Stadium. Afterward, while speaking with his colleagues from Bild, Kicker Magazine, and Süddeutsche Zeitung, he was full of praise for Wang Shuo.
"He’s a talented player with a limitless future."
"What’s more remarkable is that he’s from Asia. This destines him to leave a significant mark on the history of world football!"
Massimo Frankie stated that Torino Sports Daily and the organizers of the European Golden Boy Award were honored to see such an outstanding Asian player like Wang Shuo emerge.
"We hope to see more and more Asian players take the stage in Europe’s top leagues and showcase their exceptional footballing skills."
In a joint interview with several media outlets, Mainz head coach Klopp reiterated Wang Shuo’s importance to the club.
"Without Wang Shuo, we’d be lucky just to be clear of the relegation zone."
"It is because of him that we are currently at the top of the table."
Klopp believed that Wang Shuo was the bravest and most determined player he had ever seen.
"He isn’t afraid to face hardship and take on any challenge. He might get knocked down, but he always gets back up."
Klopp was pleased that Wang Shuo won the European Golden Boy Award, but he had even greater expectations for his future.
"Now that he’s won this award, he’ll get more and more praise, but he’ll also be under more and more scrutiny."
"I hope he understands that from now on, he’s no longer a rookie or a rising star. People won’t be as lenient with him anymore. Instead, they’ll have higher, stricter expectations."
"He needs to shoulder more responsibility!"
But as for all that, Klopp said he wasn’t worried in the least.
