The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 159 - 53: Top Scorer! Huge Reward! This is a Miracle

Chapter 159: Chapter 53: Top Scorer! Huge Reward! This is a Miracle

New seasons and new situations naturally lead to the emergence of new talent.

And Wang Shuo was undoubtedly the most outstanding of them all!

With 19 goals in 17 Bundesliga matches, the 18-year-old Chinese striker had rapidly become the most dazzling new talent on the Bundesliga stage.

"What’s most astounding is that Wang Shuo’s goals aren’t just tap-ins. They include long-range solo runs, scorpion kicks, the Swing Pass, and dribbles past multiple defenders..."

"In the final match, he even made an exceptional turn and delivered a precise long pass to assist a Schürrle goal."

"After the match, Bochum’s head coach, Marcel Koller, said that Wang Shuo could do almost anything on the pitch."

Bild noted that 19 league goals would have been enough to contend for the top scorer award in many other seasons.

"Wang Shuo is rapidly becoming a phenomenal player in the Bundesliga!"

But as it happened, Hoffenheim’s Ibisevic had also scored 18 goals.

The star strikers of the two newly promoted teams were putting on a goal-scoring race right under the noses of powerhouse clubs like Bayern and Dortmund.

How were the star strikers of the major clubs supposed to feel about that?

Bayern superstar Frank Ribery made his ambitions clear during a media interview, not mincing his words.

"The Bundesliga top scorer’s list?"

"That’s not my goal. What I want is the Golden Ball Award!"

After returning from an injury at the start of the season, the popular French star had put in a solid performance and was even named the best player of the first half of the Bundesliga season, but this decision sparked significant controversy.

The reasoning was that Ribery hadn’t delivered any particularly memorable performances, wasn’t ranked on the scoring or assist charts, and Bayern wasn’t even the half-season champion. On what grounds was he chosen as the best player of the first half?

But there was no arguing with Bayern’s immense influence and prestige.

Besides, Ribery was the most influential superstar in the Bundesliga at the time.

After Ribery was named the best player of the first half of the Bundesliga season, French legend Zidane commented, "He’s truly great! Bayern is lucky to have him."

"Everything Ribery brings will exceed expectations."

Bayern legend Netscher went so far as to say, "Whether Bayern is strong or mediocre depends entirely on Ribery."

However, Bayern’s own "Football Emperor," Beckenbauer, had high praise for Wang Shuo in a media interview.

"He can do just about anything on the pitch!"

With his 19 goals, Wang Shuo ultimately claimed the title of top scorer for the first half of the season.

Klopp, in turn, was named Best Coach for leading Mainz to a historic half-season championship.

Despite winning the half-season championship, only one Mainz player made it into the Team of the Half-Season.

That player was Wang Shuo.

He appeared alongside Ibisevic in the two-striker formation of the Team of the Half-Season.

Hainauer had also played very well, but he was overshadowed by the even more outstanding performance of Misimovic.

Subotic’s overall performance had also been excellent. Unfortunately, he had been completely dominated by Luca Tony in the match against Bayern, which cost him dearly and ultimately kept him out of the team.

...

After the match against Bochum, the league went on its winter break.

Wang Shuo stayed in Mainz for a day to see off his best friend, Neven Subotic.

Although the official transfer wouldn’t be effective until January 1st when the window opened, Subotic decided to head to Dortmund early to find a house and get familiar with his new surroundings.

His world-champion girlfriend would be going with him, giving them some time to themselves.

That was some consolation, at least.

In a few days, Wang Shuo’s childhood friend from the Huairun Football School, Zhao Yifan, would be arriving in Germany and moving right into Subotic’s old room.

One friend leaves, another arrives.

Still, Wang Shuo was left feeling pensive.

He hadn’t fully adapted to the constant comings and goings of players in the European Football Scene.

The next morning, Wang Shuo departed from Mainz for Turin, Italy, accompanied by his agent, Thomas Essien.

Wang Shuo was lost in his own thoughts the entire way.

Subotic’s departure and Zhao Yifan’s arrival were both things he needed to process.

For example, Mainz’s general manager, Christian Heidel, had set a goal for the team’s second half of the season in a media interview. "I hope that by the end of this season, we’ll be on the list for a spot in the UEFA Cup."

In other words, a top-five finish in the league!

Heidel also revealed that Subotic’s departure would not significantly impact the team’s strength.

Players like Neustadter and Bungert would quickly step up to fill the gap.

The aging of their midfield was a serious problem, but Kirschhoff was performing well.

To put it simply, Mainz had sold a player during the winter break but had no intention of reinvesting that money in the transfer market.

They planned to heavily promote their young players in the second half of the season.

Heidel was just putting a more diplomatic spin on it.

What worried Wang Shuo most was the team’s morale and form.

The winter break in Germany lasted for over a month, with no matches during that time.

Even holding proper training sessions wasn’t always possible.

Because of the snow.

That was why nearly every team in Germany chose to head south for their winter training camps, to the warmer climates of Spain or Portugal.

There was simply no other way.

Wang Shuo even began to have a thought. ’Did Mainz bite the bullet and sell Subotic just to deal with the cost of winter training? Moving that many people south, with all the food and lodging, costs a fortune!’

The forty-plus day break, while giving Mainz a chance to catch their breath, would also completely disrupt the team’s momentum.

Subotic’s departure was bound to be a blow to the team’s morale and confidence.

’An ambitious team wouldn’t sell players during the winter break; they’d be looking to bring in reinforcements instead.’