Chapter 353: Chapter 81: Worldie! Diving Header! The Difference Between a Genius and a Mortal! This Is Our Dortmund Football

"What are your thoughts on Wang Shuo now?"

In the presidential box at Allianz Arena, Rummenigge, Hennes, the Football Emperor Beckenbauer, and Adidas Chairman Herbert Hainer were all seated together, watching this marquee national derby.

But no one had expected that Dortmund would launch a blitzkrieg right from the kickoff, breaching Bayern’s goal twice in quick succession.

This sent the entire Allianz Arena into a panic.

Who could have imagined that Dortmund would come out playing so aggressively, so utterly dominant?

Klopp’s team has been on an absolute tear lately!

Faced with Beckenbauer’s question, both Rummenigge and Hennes were at a loss for words.

Back when Wang Shuo was still at Mainz, they had chosen Gomez over him.

Yet now, the two players’ performances were worlds apart!

And that damn Klopp.

He had rushed out to celebrate both goals.

It was practically a taunt, a blatant display in front of the Bayern fans at Allianz Arena, right in front of them—the board members!

"Wang Shuo has improved immensely!" Hennes acknowledged.

"His availability this season has been incredible too, with practically no injuries. We really misjudged him."

Beckenbauer wasn’t surprised.

Compared to Rummenigge, Hennes had one great virtue: he wasn’t afraid to admit when he was wrong.

"Wang Shuo is becoming much more well-rounded. His performance has improved dramatically, especially now that he can hold his own in physical confrontations."

"Klopp’s use of him in this match is fascinating. By moving him out of the number 10 role, he’s given Wang Shuo a lot more freedom."

On the pitch, the match was still raging on.

The pace was frenetic on both sides.

After Dortmund’s two quick goals, Bayern began to fight back.

But possession kept changing hands, and Bayern struggled to penetrate deep into Dortmund’s territory.

As a result, they couldn’t create any real threats.

"On both goals, Wang Shuo dropped back very deep. You could almost say he was playing the roles of both striker and attacking midfielder by himself. At least half the credit for the second goal belongs to him."

"And Demichelis, in particular."

Having played for so many years, managed for so long, and watched countless matches, Beckenbauer had developed an incredibly sharp eye for the game.

Demichelis was certain to face criticism from all sides after this match.

For the second goal, his positioning was too tight on Wang Shuo.

In truth, it was a dilemma.

If he hadn’t closed down Wang Shuo, Kuba could have played a direct through ball, and Wang Shuo could have made a diagonal run in behind Demichelis to get a shot off.

The moment Wang Shuo laid the ball off to Kuba and spun into a sprint, any defender—even the likes of Ferdinand and Vidic—would have been faced with an impossible choice.

They’re left completely on the back foot!

There are just too many attacking options to cover!

"I’ve always said that Wang Shuo’s off-the-ball movement is brilliant. It’s been vastly underestimated!"

As he said this, Beckenbauer smiled faintly, a wise glint in his eyes behind his glasses.

"Everyone focuses on the fact that he runs over 12 kilometers per match, but they overlook how many of those runs are incredibly intelligent. It’s just that his teammates often fail to read his intentions."

"In that respect, he’s just like Tony Kroos with his positioning and passing."

Beckenbauer was deliberately trying to make a point.

At the mention of Tony Kroos, the expressions on the faces of both Rummenigge and Hennes soured.

Rummenigge in particular.

"Geniuses are geniuses for a reason. You can’t restrict or bind them with ordinary standards, and you certainly can’t measure them by the same yardstick as regular players."

"What they need is trust and support, not constant assessment!"

Beckenbauer’s message was perfectly clear.

Hennes and Rummenigge both understood.

Tony Kroos’s loan contract with Bayer Leverkusen was set to expire at the end of the current season.

Bayer Leverkusen was aggressively pursuing negotiations with Bayern to sign Tony Kroos on a permanent deal.

The player himself had no desire to return.

It was the exact same situation as with Hummels.

And how good was Hummels?

Everyone at Bayern, from the top down, knew the answer to that.

But at Bayern, there had been no place for him, so he was loaned out to Dortmund.

Once he became a key player at Dortmund, he no longer wanted to return.

The Football Emperor’s meaning was crystal clear: Tony Kroos was a genius.

The mistake with Wang Shuo had already been made; Bayern absolutely could not afford to lose another midfield prodigy. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Herbert Hainer’s eyes, on the other hand, lit up.

He had heard long ago that Beckenbauer held Wang Shuo in extremely high regard, even predicting that he would become the fourth-best player in world football, after Ronaldo, Kaka, and Messi.

Now, hearing him speak like this, Hainer immediately understood the weight Wang Shuo held in the Football Emperor’s estimation.

’This is an Adidas-sponsored player.’

’Behind him is a massive market of 1.4 billion people—a market that is Adidas’s next top priority.’

Hainer immediately pulled out his phone and sent a message to the head of the company’s football division.

"Report on Dortmund player Wang Shuo’s contract status. Redo a detailed commercial value assessment. Also, investigate what competing brands like Nike and Puma are doing. Submit it all to the board for discussion."

...

Just as the three Bayern titans were conversing, the intense match on the pitch took another sudden turn.

Wang Shuo suddenly appeared just inside the Bayern half, to the left of the center circle. Receiving a long pass from Subotic, he shielded the ball with his back to Van Bitten and immediately engaged him in a physical battle.