The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 257 - 67: A Blessing in Disguise! Miraculous Right-Brain Thinking! 1 vs 3, Wang Shuo Scores Again! Klopp’s Belief
Wang Shuo’s long dribble was intended to help him score.
"He didn’t say it, but I knew he was trying to draw all the defenders to him before passing me the ball to help me score."
"Wang Shuo is a truly excellent player, and he’s one of my best friends here at Dortmund. He respects all his teammates and opponents—he’s a consummate professional!"
Reus explained that he came forward to clarify things because he didn’t want the public to misunderstand Wang Shuo or cause him any trouble.
"We’ve only known each other for less than two months, but he’s like a big brother to me. He’s always helping me, giving me advice, and helping me improve. I’m incredibly grateful to him!"
But a German reporter immediately couldn’t help but chime in, reminding Reus with a smile.
"Marco, you’re from May ’89, and Wang Shuo is from September ’90."
The room instantly erupted in laughter.
Reus looked a little embarrassed himself and couldn’t help but laugh along.
It was true, after all.
He was, in fact, slightly older than Wang Shuo.
"I meant on the football pitch!" Reus quickly clarified. "He’s definitely better than me there, and I’m trying my best to learn from him!"
...
Reus’s clarification quickly spread through local media outlets like Ruhr News and the West German Newspaper.
Following that, Bild, Kicker Magazine, and various major websites all reposted the story.
Only then did everyone realize what had actually happened.
The Dortmund fans immediately went wild!
"Come to think of it, I remember Marco Reus now. That kid joined our youth academy when he was six. A great prospect. It’s really stand-up of Wang Shuo to help him out like that!"
"Exactly! Wang Shuo was clearly helping Reus score. How did the trash media twist that into him being a ball hog?"
"I’ve been to the team’s training sessions before. A few of our own academy players are on great terms with Wang Shuo. Reus, Grosskreutz, Götze... they all get along really well with him."
"If you ask me, Wang Shuo is a real stand-up guy!"
"Couldn’t agree more. That’s what a locker room should be about—teammates helping each other."
"Reus is having a good start to the season. He’s already scored 4 goals."
"Wang Shuo’s a great influence. Didn’t you read Ruhr News? Reus was the one who helped him find a house." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
"The media these days... they just love to stir the pot!"
"This team under Klopp feels really good. The locker room atmosphere is great, and they play with so much passion."
Public opinion reversed in an instant.
Especially after major outlets like German Television, Bild, and Kicker Magazine weighed in.
More Dortmund players began giving interviews, and all of them had high praise for Wang Shuo.
Captain Kael went even further, stating that Wang Shuo was becoming a role model for the younger players in the locker room.
Some reporters even went to Dortmund’s Strobelaler Training Ground to dig for more.
And the deeper they dug, the more inside stories they uncovered.
Especially from the security guard.
According to a report in Bild, this security guard had been manning the gates at Dortmund for over a decade. He had personally witnessed the Strobelaler Training Ground go from being completely deserted to bustling with activity, and then back to its current state of decline.
"But there has never been a player like Wang Shuo."
"He’s at the training ground almost every day a little after five in the morning, and he just buries himself in hard training. The man is incredibly disciplined!"
In competitive sports, practice is everything!
With the security guard’s confirmation, Bild was full of praise for Wang Shuo’s professionalism.
"Back when he was at Mainz, we heard stories about Wang Shuo more than once."
"Now, after transferring to Dortmund, Wang Shuo is still the same!"
Bild concluded that as long as Wang Shuo maintained this level of self-discipline, he was sure to achieve astonishing success in the future.
And perhaps even realize his dream.
"According to news coming out of Strobelaler, Wang Shuo’s dream is to become the best player in the world!"
The media frenzy surrounding Wang Shuo had appeared quickly, but the reversal of opinion came even faster.
Not only did the controversy fail to have any negative impact on Wang Shuo, it actually caused his standing among the Dortmund fans to skyrocket.
Before, the Bumblebee fans had simply placed their hopes in his goal-scoring ability.
But now?
Look at the influence he’s had on Reus and the other young players.
Fans of every team have a soft spot for their homegrown talent and always show special affection for players who came up through their own youth academy.
As a result, Wang Shuo became a player beloved and watched closely by the Dortmund faithful.
The most direct evidence of this came on August 8th, during the first match of the new Bundesliga season, a home game against Cologne.
During the pre-match warm-up, as Wang Shuo stepped onto the pitch at Westfalen Stadium, the more than 80,000 Dortmund fans in the stands erupted in a unified cheer.
Countless people were shouting Wang Shuo’s name at the top of their lungs.
This even startled Wang Shuo himself.
"What’s going on?"
"Our fans love you!" Captain Kael said with a hearty laugh.
Wang Shuo understood immediately. He walked over and gave Reus a light pat on the shoulder, a gesture of thanks.
He had helped Reus purely out of camaraderie.
He never expected it would win him the hearts of the Dortmund fans.
’Was this a blessing in disguise?’
...
Zvonimir Sordo, the 41-year-old Croatian head coach.
A former Croatian national, he had played for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga for ten years.
After retiring, he coached at Dinamo Zagreb, where his impressive results earned him the head coach position at Cologne.
Ever since failing to secure promotion in the summer of ’08, Cologne had been forced to reflect on their painful experience.
