stonecrandall Chapter 64: Is Leipzig about to become number 1 in the 2. Bundesliga?
Chapter 64: Is Leipzig about to become number 1 in the 2. Bundesliga?
At 1:12 a.m. Beijing time on December 13, RB Leipzig traveled to Greuther Fürth for an away game in the 17th round of the German Second Division.
The 2. Bundesliga season has a total of 34 rounds, and today marks the halfway point!
Two hours before the start of the competition, Hao Ren, who had been invited, arrived at the press conference room.
Hao Ren was quite pleased to receive the reporter's invitation, and at the same time, he was also a little curious.
"You already interviewed me during the last match."
"Yes. We prefer to interview you."
The reporters in the audience looked at each other, and finally gave an affirmative answer: "You speak more politely, my respected Mr. Goodman."
The reporter wasn't lying.
Mr. Goodman is a rather interesting player, and he occasionally makes headlines both on and off the field.
This is the kind of player reporters love most!
"..."
"Okay, so what do you want to ask?"
"What does 'hell' mean? Why would you go to hell after a draw with Ingolstadt? Is this hell the hell we understand it to be?"
"Yes, it's what you understand as hell."
This wasn't the first time Hao Ren had answered this question, but he didn't show any impatience.
Because Hao Ren became even more serious in front of the camera, Kimmich next to him was affected by the atmosphere and remained silent.
"Ingolstadt is very strong, and I realize that I will have to pay a price to beat them."
"Ralph is right, we need to work hard to become stronger."
Click!
This was the first time Hao Ren had spoken in front of the camera in agreement with Rangnick!
……
"Damn it, what is this Fürth goalkeeper trying to do?!"
"They've launched a direct attack!"
"What's going on?!"
"The home team's goalkeeper cleared the ball with his foot; Poulsen missed the one-on-one opportunity presented by Hao Ren!"
In the attacking third, Poulsen held his head in his hands.
I thought the ball was in the bag, but I didn't expect the opposing goalkeeper to be so bold!
Fürth successfully averted the crisis!
"..."
"Hao Ren directly pushed Sucaro aside!"
"Wow, looks like there's a chance!"
Snapped!
With a through pass, Hao Ren delivered a precise pass to Poulsen's feet.
"GOOO-AAAA-LLLL!!!"
"1:0!"
"That's awesome, Hao is amazing!"
"Shh!!!"
Boos erupted from the home fans, but the Leipzig players were unfazed and celebrated right in front of the opposing fans.
The camera focused on Rangnick in front of the substitutes' bench.
"Rangnick is ruthless. If I were a Greuther Fürth player, I feel like I couldn't breathe."
"What do you mean the commentator can't play football? That has nothing to do with whether he plays football or not. Didn't you notice that Leipzig put a lot of pressure on the home team? Their defenders were constantly panicking."
"This is your Grandpa Cow, scared you, huh!"
"..."
"Maurice, header! Shoot it!"
"Goal!"
"2:0!"
Leipzig have extended their lead!
2-0 in the 67th minute.
This score might not be very consistent in the Premier League, but this is the 2. Bundesliga, and there aren't many teams that can come back from behind.
Seeing that Fürth was unable to retaliate, Rangnick decisively used two substitutions to bring on Hao Ren and Poulsen to rest.
"Rangnick is very confident."
"If we do it this way..."
Wang Chao quickly checked Leipzig's upcoming schedule on his phone.
The match against Aaron will take place on December 18th.
On December 23, they will face Munich 1860.
"Is Leipzig aiming for a three-game winning streak? I feel Rangnick probably has that in mind. Actually, I don't think the gap between Leipzig and Ingolstadt is that big; they have a chance to push them!"
"..."
"Beep, beep beep—!!!"
The final score of the match was 3-0, with Leipzig defeating Greuther Fürth very easily.
On the bench, Hao Ren stood up and applauded his teammates on the field.
It was at this moment that he noticed the movement coming from his mind.
[Match won, Victory Points +13]
Current Achievement: Bronze Tier 96 LP (LP required for advancement: 100)
As expected, Hao Ren secured the victory point with this win.
13 is below the 8-20 moving average, so it's not considered a lot.
But it doesn't matter, because Hao Ren is now only 4 points away from entering the next stage!
……
Leipzig secures their first win of December with a 3-0 shutout; are they aiming for the top spot in the 2. Bundesliga?
dong dong!
"Brother Qi!"
"Didn't you already go back to China? Why are you back again?"
He pushed open the door and sat down on the sofa.
I never expected that Lü Qi would come to the base to find me.
"They went back, but then came back."
Lü Qi smiled and said, "After all, I'm still in charge of the German and French side. The transfer window opens next month, so I have to come here to make some preparations."
"That's true, after all..."
"Just passing on a message."
Ok?
Hao Ren looked up.
He had already replied, but Lü Qi didn't finish her sentence.
"What news?"
"Several Chinese Super League clubs want you, including Guangzhou Evergrande."
"this……"
Hao Ren shook his head: "I've already said it before, Brother Qi, I don't really want to go back. I haven't even started the actual operations yet."
Hao Ren was speechless; he hadn't expected Evergrande to be in such a hurry.
I wonder if Mr. Goodman is working hard to become a Silver Master?
"Haha, I know. I've been following your games. You're completely different from last season, you're much better now. Of course, Hao Ren, that's also why Evergrande wants to buy you back."
"I won't go back."
Hao Ren answered quickly.
However, Lü Qi seemed to have already guessed it and did not show too much surprise.
"You want to play in Europe, that's fine, I know you want to prove yourself. Evergrande's message is that they will continue to observe you, at least until the end of this season's 2. Bundesliga."
Lü Qi raised an eyebrow at Hao Ren: "After all, you're a player who played abroad, so you have a higher value in China. Do you know how much Evergrande is willing to offer you annually if you can maintain this outstanding performance this season?"
"How many?"
"1000 million RMB!"
Lü Qi said, "There are many!"
An annual salary of 1000 million RMB is absolutely unprecedented for a player like Hao Ren who is only 16 years old.
Hao Ren earns €8500 per week in Leipzig, and with 42-45 weeks of paid leave, his annual salary can reach an astonishing €35.7+.
But all of this is just on the surface. Considering Germany's high tax rates, the actual salary he receives is not much.
"I've calculated it for you. Excluding commercial endorsements, you're currently making 145 million RMB a year after tax in Leipzig, but if you go back to Evergrande, it'll be 500 million RMB after tax. The difference is significant."
"I……"
"etc!"
Hao Ren was about to speak when Lü Qi raised her hand and interrupted him.
"Don't rush into a decision, you still have half a season left."
Half a season is an opportunity that Evergrande is giving Hao Ren.
An opportunity to triple your after-tax annual salary!
"Of course, that's assuming you can play like this in the second half of the season. You have to maintain your current form to get this new 1000 million RMB contract."
"Also, there's something else. A German second division club asked me to inquire about your transfer plans."
Lü Qi said, scrolling through the chat history on his phone: "Ingolstadt, they are willing to pay a transfer fee for you."
Oh?
Hao Ren's eyes lit up.
Hasenhüttl is no joke.
Hao Ren thought the other person was just joking, but he didn't expect them to be serious.
"That's unnecessary. Leipzig and Ingolstadt are about the same size."
"Really? You really think you can get promoted to the Bundesliga?"
Lü Qi looked at Hao Ren with a meaningful gaze.
"Of course, I didn't lie during the interview."
"That would be terrible."
Lü Qi stood up and patted Hao Ren on the shoulder: "If you fail to get promoted, going back to the Chinese Super League is definitely a better option. But if you do get promoted... well, that's hard to say."
After saying goodbye to Lü Qi, Hao Ren stretched his body and stood up to go out, only to run into Rangnick as soon as he opened the door.
"gentlemen?"
"Oh? Goodman."
Rangnick adjusted his glasses and turned to Hao Ren: "How did your talk with your agent go?"
Hao Ren nodded.
"smoothly?"
Rangnick frowned and took a step forward: "What exactly do you mean by 'smoothly'?"
"Well... um, my tone was normal when I talked to him, nothing changed, even though I didn't accept his advice."
Having grasped the key information, Rangnick raised an eyebrow and touched his glasses again: "Then... well, let's get ready for training. Time is precious."
……
boom!
[Carlos Outside-of-the-Foot Cannon Template (Reissue)]
Proficiency: -112/0
You have received a new mission.
Oh?
coming!
Hao Ren stretched his legs and began to check the task he had just received.
[Mission Objective: To achieve 5 successful steals in a single game]
[Mission Reward: Random Premier League Chest (Gold)]
He made 5 successful steals in a single game.
To be honest, this task wasn't too difficult for Hao Ren.
Moreover, things are different now. As long as Hao Ren gets a new template, he can directly replicate it 100%!
……
"Seriously, I'm telling you, Yusuf, if we keep winning, we'll be number one in the league."
During dinner, Hao Ren was bragging to his teammates at the table.
After bragging, Hao Ren gulped down a large mouthful of milk: "I suddenly feel that what Ralph said makes some sense. We might really have to try to feel pain. Taking the unconventional path is the only way to become stronger quickly."
"Although... I haven't felt it yet."
"You mean you support Ralph? Oh, this is the first time I've heard you say something good about him."
"Poulsen said."
The Leipzig striker had already finished eating, but Hao Ren and Kimmich hadn't finished yet; he was waiting for his buddies.
"What is right is right, and what is wrong is wrong."
Mr. Goodman taught Paulson.
As an adult, one should try to remain objective.
It would be a mistake to be prejudiced against Rangnick simply because he is strict with himself.
"I understand the reasoning."
Paulsen nodded solemnly: "But aren't you underage?"
"Ha ha!"
Kimmich had already started laughing, but Hao Ren was still defending himself: "The mind and the body are different. I'm just not an adult on my ID card, but I'm an adult in spirit."
Paulsen nodded.
Just then, Belott from the next table jumped up and yelled, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"Well done!"
"..."
Bellot and Sebastian were skipping and jumping around, which immediately attracted the attention of all the team members in the restaurant.
Hao Ren crossed his legs and took a sip of his milk: "You see, this is what it means to be mentally immature. Although Benjamin is over 18, well... he's still too green."
As he spoke, Belot had already jumped up with Dem and Tiger.
"Wait, what's going on?"
Hao Ren put the milk on the table and leaned over: "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Goodman!!!!"
Bellot pressed down hard on Hao Ren's shoulders with both hands: "Ingolstadt lost!"
Ingolstadt lost their 18th round match!
"And a clean sheet!"
"What's the big deal... hey!"
Suddenly realizing something, Hao Ren's eyes lit up: "Holy crap!?"
Hao Ren quickly turned around and brought good news to Kimmich and Poulsen: "Ingolstadt has lost!"
"Holy crap!"
"Damn, Chicken Bro, we're going to be number one!"
"If we win one more game, we'll be number one!"
Belot and Hao Ren shouted a few times, and the news spread instantly among the Leipzig first-team players, and even a few reserve team players learned about it.
Is Leipzig about to become the new league leader?
……
Overseas Column: Ingolstadt suffers a shock defeat to Nuremberg, while RB Leipzig will take the top spot in the 2. Bundesliga if they win the next round.
Appendix: 2014-15 2. Bundesliga standings (18th place not yet fully completed):
1. Ingolstadt, 37 points.
2. RB Leipzig, 36 points. (One game in hand)
4. Kaiserslautern, 30 points.
4. Darmstadt 98, 28 points. (One game in hand)
5. Brunswick, 27 points.
[Ingolstadt is so unpredictable. They were so impressive against Leipzig, but then they pulled off a shock upset against Nuremberg. Why didn't they pull off an upset against Leipzig?]
[What do you know? It's obviously thanks to Mr. Goodman. Ingolstadt and Mr. Goodman were completely exhausted after the match, which is why they lost.]
[Wow, are they really going to be number one in the league?]
[Let's hold our horses, guys. Hao Ren's been getting a lot of attention lately. He's prone to getting cocky, so please stop hyping up Leipzig, okay?]
[Hoping to secure first place in the league, I feel Leipzig has a good chance of winning their next match]
Fans in China immediately opened champagne upon learning of Ingolstadt's loss.
Leipzig currently has one game in hand and is only one point behind Ingolstadt.
Most importantly, Leipzig's next opponent is Aalen.
That's not a very strong team!
[14-year-old mid-laner wants to go pro: Looks like I'm going to be number one, guys]
……
On the afternoon of December 17, the Leipzig players arrived at the Scholz Arena, ready to prepare for what could be considered their most important match of the month.
Given the importance of this match, the Leipzig starting players were all on edge, with Hao Ren even sharing a bottle of Red Bull with Kimmich in the locker room.
"Today is the day. We have no other choice but to win this game today!"
Rangnick raised his right fist: "Beat our opponents and become that damn league leader!"
"Leipzig!"
……