Fans' Blessing: +10% State, +5% Attributes, -5% Injury Prone!
This is...a hero's buff!
After reading the description, Ye Chen was stunned.
No doubt about it, the system knows how to play!
Though the buffs may seem minor, their impact is substantial.
"State" is intangible but can be keenly felt by players.
Take Ye Chen, for example: after a tiring night, he would feel utterly drained. Running, shooting, and executing techniques would all feel off.
"System, how many levels are there in total for state?" Ye Chen asked.
"Host's match state is divided into ten levels: Perfect, Extraordinary, High-Spirited, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Average, Slightly Poor, Extremely Poor, and Downcast."
"And what were my states in the last few matches?"
"You may check before every match. For the last three games, your states were Extraordinary, Extraordinary, and Excellent!"
No wonder!
Ye Chen had already sensed during the third game that his running and long-range shots felt offâit turns out his state wasn't optimal!
If he'd had the Fans' Blessing beforehand, his state could have been boosted to High-Spirited...
But Ye Chen conveniently forgot that two days before the match, he had subjected himself to grueling training!
After such high-intensity training, expecting to be in peak condition during a match was unrealistic.
"How many loyal fans are needed for the next level?" Ye Chen asked the system.
"Ten million!"
"Hiss..."
Don't think ten million is easy!
Keep in mind, this is about loyal fans, not just any fans.
Moreover, Ye Chen had no idea what the criteria for loyal fans were...
Since the system activated this fan feature, it likely has its own standards.
All Ye Chen could do was train hard, play his best, and use his skills to win over even the most critical fans!
As for the rest, let it happen naturally.
Following the match against Werder Bremen, Ye Chen once again dominated the headlines of numerous websites.
Nine goals in three matches, tying with Podolski and Bayern's striker Mario Gómez for second place on the scoring leaderboard!
However, Podolski took eight matches to achieve this, and Gómez needed nine!
Currently, the leader is Schalke 04's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Huntelaar was an unstoppable force this year. Even without closely following the Bundesliga, Ye Chen knew Huntelaar had scored a terrifying 29 goals in just 34 matches.
That's nearly a goal per game!
Meanwhile, Mario Gómez, with Ribéry on the left and Robben on the right, managed 26 goals.
Huntelaar's 29 goals not only made him the Bundesliga's most prolific striker in 30 years but also the foreign player with the most goals in a single season in league history.
But with Ye Chen's emergence, everything could change.
Who would hold the title of the Bundesliga's top-scoring foreign player in a single season: Huntelaar or Ye Chen?
Time would tell!
For now, nobody was comparing Ye Chen to Huntelaar. Their next opponent was FC Köln, and the showdown with Schalke 04 wouldn't happen until the 14th roundâa derby match anticipated across Europe!
Meanwhile, the competition for top scorer between Ye Chen and Podolski was intensifying.
In China, this rivalry was even being dubbed the "Asian Derby."
After all, FC Köln's squad featured Tomoaki Makino, a Japanese player who alternated between defensive midfield and center-back.
However, Makino had been at Köln for a year, playing only five games last season, with just one start.
This season was slightly better: two starts in nine matchesâbut both games ended in losses.
Notably, in the second round against Schalke 04, Köln lost 5-1, with Huntelaar scoring a hat-trick.
Makino's performance rating for that match: a miserable 4.2.
For Asian players, succeeding in European football is incredibly tough.
Underperformance often leads to being sidelined or even released, unlike European players who are afforded more opportunities despite mistakes.
Coaches may forgive young European players, but this leniency rarely extends to their Asian counterparts.
This underlying discrimination is deeply ingrained, even if not overtly expressed.
That's why players like Shinji Kagawa are so remarkable. His achievements also bring him immense attention in Japan.
Incidentally, Ye Chen's rising popularity in Japan was partly due to his excellent chemistry with Kagawa at Dortmund.
Kagawa provided a few assists for Ye Chen, and Ye Chen often dropped back to help free up space for Kagawa by drawing away defenders.
In China, however, there were many negative posts and reports about Ye Chen.
It felt as though an invisible hand was orchestrating a smear campaign.
When Ye Chen was released by Manchester United, these reports exaggerated his shortcomings, claiming he wasn't even good enough for the national team.
After Ye Chen signed with Dortmund, they suggested the move was purely a marketing ploy to tap into the East Asian market, inspired by Kagawa's success.
They alleged his inclusion in Dortmund's roster was the result of backroom dealings or even paid placements.
Before his first game, they declared Ye Chen would merely be a benchwarmer.
But what happened next silenced them:
Ye Chen came off the bench and scored a hat-trick.
Still, the media shrugged off their embarrassment, claiming Ye Chen's performance was due to weak opposition and his strong teammatesâa typical fake fan reaction.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson's comments gave them so-called "authority." Ferguson remarked, "If Ye Chen is truly capable, let's see him score against a team like Bremen."
And what happened?
Ye Chen scored another hat-trick!
Back in China, the country was in an uproar.
Meanwhile, the Chinese national team lost to Iraq at the Bird's Nest Stadium.
Winning a friendly against the UAE meant nothing when the team couldn't score in official matches.
Public outrage flooded the Chinese Football Association's (CFA) website, demanding Ye Chen's inclusion in the national team.
The CFA, left with no choice, issued a statement:
"To ensure the development of overseas players, no players under 18 will be recalled."
A small footnote added:
"Fans should abandon their tendency to idolize foreign players. The Chinese Super League is thriving, and domestic players are not inferior to those abroad. Ye Chen should focus on his club matchesâfor now, he is only a substitute."
This statement sparked massive controversy.
Ye Chen scored nine goals in three Bundesliga games, yet the CFA labeled him a mere substitute?
But technically, they weren't wrongâhe really had only played as a substitute in those matches!