Chapter 391: Chapter 86: Super Striker! Two Great Historical Records! Punching Müller, Kicking Klinsmann! What an Incredible Touch

The player with the most goals in a single season in UEFA Cup history is Klinsmann.

In the ’95-’96 season, the Golden Bomber scored 15 goals in the UEFA Cup while playing for Bayern.

Dortmund had now advanced to the quarterfinals.

If Wang Shuo scored two goals in the two-legged tie against Benfica, he would catch up to Klinsmann, tying the all-time record for most goals in a single UEFA Cup season.

And as it happened, both of these records were held by Bayern Munich!

And so, the Bayern supporters weren’t having any of it.

The controversy began to brew after Dortmund’s victory over Juventus.

Bayern’s supporters argued that the modern UEFA Europa League, with its group stage format, had more matches than the UEFA Cup of Klinsmann’s era.

Dortmund’s supporters immediately fired back.

It was true that there were more matches.

The Bumblebees had played six group stage matches and four knockout stage matches in the UEFA Europa League this season, yet Wang Shuo had only made eight appearances.

He hadn’t played at all in the final two matches of the group stage.

Klinsmann, on the other hand, had played in all 12 matches of his run, playing the full 90 minutes in every single one.

In comparison, Wang Shuo’s current goal-scoring efficiency was far higher than Klinsmann’s!

More importantly, was the UEFA Cup really that prestigious back then?

When Klinsmann faced Barça in the semifinals, he failed to score a single goal across the two legs.

The UEFA Cup final that year was a two-legged affair. Bayern defeated Ligue 1 side Bordeaux 5-1 on aggregate, and Klinsmann only scored the fifth goal—icing on the cake—when the team was already leading 4-1.

Furthermore, while Klinsmann scored 15 goals that year, he had zero assists.

And Wang Shuo?

Besides his 13 goals, he also had seven assists.

Putting everything else aside, wasn’t this performance alone better than Klinsmann’s?

And as you might expect, the Dortmund fans’ counterattack immediately triggered a backlash from the Bayern supporters.

The two sides began to argue, and the debate grew more and more heated.

Whether it was Gerd Müller’s all-time Bundesliga record or Klinsmann’s all-time UEFA Cup record, to Bayern, they were both monumental historical achievements!

They were part of the very heritage that Bayern took such pride in!

But now, both were being shaken, both were under threat!

Under these circumstances, the two sides were, of course, arguing furiously.

"Müller gets the fist, Klinsmann gets the boot!"

As a die-hard Dortmund fan, Reus’s position was unwavering.

"Wang, let’s go! We’ll do everything we can to help you reach that goal!"

As he spoke, Reus made sure to turn and look at Götze.

"Mario, that long shot you just took... next time, just pass. We need to help Wang pad his stats and crush Bayern!"

Götze actually nodded in deadpan agreement.

’He really had been a bit reckless back there.’

’If Wang Shuo ended up failing to surpass Gerd Müller by a single goal, he and all the Dortmund fans would be filled with regret.’

’Next season?’

’Who knew what next season would bring?’

’Just look at VfL Wolfsburg. They were unstoppable last season, and look at the state they’re in now.’

’They’re currently 8th in the Bundesliga.’

’They just got thrashed 5-1 at home by Hertha Berlin this round!’

’Griffith and Dzeko were unstoppable last season, scoring goals left and right. But now?’

’It was the same for players and teams alike—form was always unpredictable.’

...

Ever since he acquired the Ball God System, Wang Shuo could clearly feel himself improving every day.

Especially after acquiring the National Level passive skill, [Foundation], he began to constantly study and familiarize himself with it.

Previously, he was very weak in physical confrontations.

So, when he played, he tended to avoid defenders.

This also played to his strengths, making the most of his excellent movement.

But now?

He was still relatively weak, to be honest.

But he was no longer as afraid of contact.

At times, Wang Shuo would even proactively seek out physical challenges.

Of course, knowing how to engage in these challenges was an art in itself.

For example, against shorter, faster, and more agile defenders, he would adopt a more direct and forceful approach.

Thanks to the boost from his National Level [Foundation], he had an edge in strength, power, and positioning.

But against taller, stronger defenders, Wang Shuo would switch tactics, "bullying" them for their lack of agility.

Take, for example, the afternoon of March 27th, when Dortmund played away at the Olympic Stadium Berlin against Hertha Berlin.

Facing the German international center-back Arne Friedrich and the Czech Republic international center-back Roman Hubnik, Wang Shuo employed a strategy of using his speed to exploit their slowness.

However, the two opposing center-backs had a solid defensive partnership and didn’t give Wang Shuo any clear opportunities to score.

However, as he gained more match experience and faced a wider variety of opponents, Wang Shuo’s ability to adapt on the fly grew stronger and stronger.

This was especially true in the 74th minute of the match, with the score still deadlocked at 0-0.

The team launched an attack down the right flank, with Kuba, Götze, and Owomoyela all on that side of the pitch.

Wang Shuo immediately made a run from the penalty spot toward the right.

Hertha Berlin’s left center-back was Roman Hubnik.

He was 1.91 meters tall and weighed 85 kilograms.

The player’s main characteristic was his immense physical strength; he had the kind of physique that made Wang Shuo green with envy.

But after clashing with him for the better part of an hour, Wang Shuo was certain of one thing: the defender was slow to turn and lacked agility.