The Dortmund players walked over to thank the away fans.
Ye Chen took the initiative to hug Weidenfeller.
"That penalty save just now was incredible!"
Weidenfeller smirked.
"It's bad enough being beaten by you regularly, but did he really think he could score with that penalty?"
Ye Chen's mouth twitchedâhe hadn't realized his own role in that penalty save!
"Let's practice more penalties tomorrow!" Ye Chen grinned brightly.
Weidenfeller quickly shook his head, eyes wide with mock fear.
"You'd better ask Mitchell!"
Langerak, standing behind them, had been smiling until he heard Weidenfeller. His expression froze.
"I mean... Ye, can you go easy on me tomorrow?"
"Hehe, I'll try!"
The Dortmund players laughed and joked. At that moment, Lahm approached.
"Ye, can we swap jerseys?" Lahm, already holding his shirt, asked politely.
Ye Chen paused briefly, then smiled.
"Of course!"
This man was no ordinary playerâhe was the captain of both the German national team and Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
"Interested in playing for Bayern?" Lahm leaned in and whispered.
Ye Chen shook his head.
"Sorry, I'm happy at Dortmund. Thank you!"
"What about the German national team? Any interest?" Lahm pressed.
Ye Chen was stunned.
He hadn't considered that.
But he still shook his head.
"Sorry, I'm not German."
Lahm chuckled.
"Who said you have to be German to play for Germany?"
At that moment, Dortmund captain Kehl jogged over.
"Philipp, are you trying to poach Ye from us? He's not going to Bayern!"
"No, I was asking about something else!"
"Doesn't matter. Ye has nothing to discuss with you!" Kehl shoved Lahm aside playfully. While Lahm might be Germany's future captain, Kehl was a veteran of the national team, having played in the 2004 and 2006 World Cups.
Lahm turned to Ye Chen.
"The coach asked me to ask you. Think it over, Ye."
By "coach," Lahm clearly meant Joachim Löw, the head coach of the German national team.
If Ye Chen nodded, the rest would be handled by Löw.
But Ye Chen wasn't tempted.
Germany was strong, and they were likely to win the World Cup soonâbut so what?
He didn't feel any attachment to Germany. Even if he played for them, he'd just be a mercenary.
More importantly, he wasn't in a rush.
The next World Cup was three years away. A lot could change in that time.
Even if he missed this one, there was 2018âand 2022 after that!
He was only 17. Based on Cristiano Ronaldo's career, he could play for another 20 years...
"Congratulations on scoring five goals today. Here's the match ball," the referee approached and handed him the ball.
"Thank you!" Ye Chen smiled. This was his seventh match ball...
He was practically collecting Dragon Balls. Could he summon Shenron soon?
"Ye, over here!" Ma Fanshu waved from the sideline.
Her eyes sparkled like stars as she looked at himâclearly, she had become a big fan after that match.
Ma Fanshu was representing CCTV Sports. They had direct ties to the Bundesliga and had arranged a brief interview with Ye Chen regardless of his performance.
But she hadn't expected him to dominate the match!
In her mind, he was practically Lü Bu from the Three Kingdoms, and she was Red Hare...
"Congratulations on Dortmund's victory, and on being named MVP. How does it feel to score five goals at Allianz Arena?"
"It feels amazing! Bayern is the toughest team we've faced so far. Scoring five here was beyond my wildest dreams."
"With those five goals, you're now five ahead of Gomez. Are you aiming for the Bundesliga Golden Boot?"
Ye Chen nodded.
"Absolutely. I want to win the Golden Boot. If I'm not mistaken, I'd be the first Asian player to win a Golden Boot in the top five European leagues, right?"
"That's right. After your goals today, Bayern fans were chanting for the club to sign you. Would you consider moving to Bayern?"
"Not for now. I love the atmosphere at Dortmund and want to bring more goals and titles to the club."
"What are your goals for Dortmund this season?"
"Winning the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal, and hopefully going further in the Champions League."
"Isn't that a little greedy?"
Ye Chen flashed a bright smile.
"Hey, men are allowed to be greedy!"
Ma Fanshu laughed but wondered... was he a heartbreaker too?
She kept her smile.
"One last question: if you could call anyone, who would it be?"
Ye Chen paused.
He knew this was CCTV's emotional wrap-up segment.
But he laughed.
"I'd call myself 20 years in the future."
"And what would you ask?"
"Did China make it to the World Cup?" His smile widened.
It was an offhand comment, but he really did wonder.
Even if he had distanced himself from the Chinese Football Association, his roots as a Chinese person hadn't changed.
No matter where he was, Chinese blood ran through his veins.
But if he really could make that call, he might also askâ"Did I become the God of Football?"
With 20 years of hard work and a system backing him, it seemed possible.
The interview ended, and as Ye Chen turned to leave, Ma Fanshu called out.
"Umm... can I get an autograph?"
A bit shy, her cheeks flushed pink, making her even more charming.
"Huh?"
She retrieved a Dortmund jersey with his number 16 from a colleague.
"Please, I'm your fan now! I'll cheer for you at every match."
"Thank you!" Ye Chen signed the shirt and took photos with the crew, wrapping up the segment.
Honestly, he was curious to see the final editâhe had watched "Total Soccer" religiously during his university days.