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Chapter 289 was merely an early declaration of victory.
"I came here for only one thing, and that is to win, to achieve victory!"

Seeing Wang Lie say this to the camera on his phone, Sven Heldon couldn't help but laugh, and then said to his assistant coach Norbert Demos:

"I was still thinking about how to boost the team's morale, but Wang has already taken care of it for me. Thank you, Wang."

“I think that in the eyes of the King’s fans, their idol must look very cool doing this. But…” Demos shook his head at this point and did not continue.

Wang Lie's remarks at the pre-match press conference immediately became a hot topic online.

Just as Demos said, Wang Lie's fans went wild.

They even montaged this scene together with Tyne's 9-0 victory over Sofia United.

First, a fast-forward of highlights from Tyne's 9-0 victory over Sofia United is shown, ending with Wang Lie staring at the camera and saying:
"I came here for only one thing, and that is to win, to achieve victory!"

Coupled with a very energetic background music, it certainly prompted many viewers to leave various enthusiastic comments in the comment section.

It was as if Tyne had already won the match against Ruhr United.

However, those who dislike Wang Lie share the same feeling as Heldon and Demos at this moment: Wang Lie may have become arrogant because he is in good form in the new season.

For example, Lawrence Dadomo immediately wrote an article after the pre-match press conference, launching a fierce attack on Wang Lie, criticizing him for losing his mind:

"...I've seen people open champagne at halftime, but I've never seen anyone open champagne before the game even starts. What is this? A loan-based victory strategy? I really can't imagine that a 38-year-old veteran would be so frivolous, acting like an 18-year-old kid, making such a provocative move before the game even begins."

"What was he thinking? Did he expect that after he said that, Ruhr Steel Union would be terrified and lose its will to resist? I'm afraid the opposite is true. He successfully aroused the fighting spirit of everyone in Ruhr Steel Union, and he helped Heldon eliminate the noise within the team."

"Now, Tyne will face a united team and the most passionate home fans at the Arena North Rhine-Westphalia—Ruhr United fans have already declared they'll show Tyne why the Arena North Rhine-Westphalia is considered a 'devil's home ground' in European football. Ruhr United fans are even mimicking the King's style, changing his pre-match press conference remarks to 'I'm here for only one thing: to lose, to fail!'"

"Look, Wang probably wanted to show off in front of the whole world, but instead he showed his backside and became a laughing stock for everyone... I know he's been in great form lately, but being in great form doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants, or take it for granted that he can do whatever he wants..."

"Honestly, if I were Tyne's player, I would definitely regret not covering Wang's mouth at the press conference. Wang's actions would not only fail to boost the team's morale, but would also cause division within Tyne—who wants to become a laughing stock in the world and be the butt of jokes? I admit Wang has a super big heart, but not everyone is like him..."

Sven Heldon had certainly read Lawrence Dadomor's article and agreed with every single word of it.

Since leaving Sofia United, he has paid close attention to Dadomo. In fact, when he was coaching Sofia United, he didn't really care who Dadomo was.

Now he considers Dadom a kindred spirit, feeling that every article Dadom writes "resonates deeply with me" and makes perfect sense.

Unfortunately, people in this world are still too easily misled, deceived, and blinded by superficial things. There are too few wise people like Mr. Lawrence Dadomo who can see through appearances to the essence of things.

Fortunately, Wang Lie got carried away and messed up this time, which led to ridicule from everyone. Only then could the comment section of Mr. Dadomo's article finally be bearable - before, it was a celebration by Wang Lie's fans, which was a complete mess!
The comments section is now almost entirely filled with angry criticisms of Wang Lie's arrogance.

What does "universal understanding" mean?

This is!
One comment put it well:
"In any case, arrogance cannot be built on humiliating one's opponent!"

Therefore, Wang Lie has truly incurred the wrath of the masses this time.

Even those who are not supporters of Heldon will stand with him on this matter.

“Actually, I don’t understand. If Wang really wanted to put on this act, why didn’t he wait until after the match to say it? If he had won the match, even if he said it, there would be far fewer people criticizing him…” Demos shook his head.

Heldon sneered: "Is it possible that Wang isn't confident about beating us away from home? If he hadn't said that before the game, he probably wouldn't have had the chance to say it."

"But for this, he offended even more people and united our team. What was he after? Did he just want to find a strong opponent that he couldn't beat?"

"Norbert, you think too highly of Wang. How can you use normal human thinking to guess his thoughts? If he had normal human thinking, why would he have such a bad reputation in the football world?"

Before that 0-9 defeat, when relatively close people like Heldon and Demos talked about Wang Lie, they could at least maintain a facade and refrain from directly uttering harsh words.

Even though Wang Lie had publicly expressed his dissatisfaction and criticism of Heldon, Heldon still did not make any negative comments about Wang Lie's behavior and character.

Perhaps it was because at that time he could still consider himself the victor over Wang Lie, after all, he had successfully erased Wang Lie's traces in Sofia.

Since you are the victor, you should be more magnanimous and show gentlemanly manners.

But that 0-9 defeat changed everything, not only turning Heldon from a victor to a loser, but also making him a complete "clown" in front of the whole world.

Since that's the case, Heldon naturally no longer needs to play the gentleman. Now, whenever he mentions Wang Lie, he makes no attempt to hide his hatred and loathing for the man.

Norbert Demos was not surprised by this and understood and supported Heldon's actions.

※※※

Klaus Jansen is video chatting with his family in his room.

This wasn't originally in his plan. After all, he and his wife were an old married couple, and it wasn't like they would have video-called each other to pour their hearts out after only one night apart.

The video call was actually initiated by his wife, but it was his twelve-year-old son, Michael, who appeared on camera after the call was connected.

The wife's voice came from off-screen: "Our son asked me to make this video call to you..."

Klaus Jansen heard the helplessness in his wife's voice and knew that she must have been driven to desperation by their son to make this call.

I also know why I've been worn down to the point of no return.

It's most likely related to the jersey exchange.

Perhaps it was because of Wang's previous remarks that his son was worried that it would be inconvenient for him to exchange jerseys with Wang, so he came to find him again...

Yes, Michael Jansen, son of Ruhr United captain Klaus Jansen, is a Wang Lie fan.

When the group draw results came out, his son had already asked his father to exchange jerseys with Wang after the game.

Moreover, in order to prevent others from getting there first, he hoped that his father could express his wishes to Wang before the game started and reserve the jersey in advance.

Klaus Jansen readily agreed at the time.

This is not a difficult thing.

Perhaps it was Wang's "outrageous remarks" at today's pre-match press conference that made his son a little worried about whether he could complete this "task," which is why he persuaded his wife to video call him.

So I heard my wife's helpless voice and saw my son with a furrowed brow.

Klaus Jansen laughed and said, "Don't worry, Michael, I will definitely keep my promise to you."

When he said that, his son Michael in the video paused for a moment: "What's wrong?"

Seeing his son's expression, Jansen was speechless: "Of course, we'll exchange jerseys! I promised you I'd get you a Wang jersey. I know you're worried that after what Wang said today, I won't be able to get a jersey from him... Don't worry, Michael. As long as we win the game, I'll be fine exchanging jerseys with Wang... The only thing to worry about is that Wang might not be confident enough to fulfill your request after losing the game, haha!"

Jansen even laughed at the end, but his son on the other end of the video call didn't laugh at all. Instead, he asked, "Dad, what's the situation inside the team right now?"

“After Wang said that, everyone was really upset… I know you’re a fan of Wang, Michael. But if you see any criticism of Wang in the media, you have to keep a good attitude. After all, Wang himself started this…” The son then asked, “So everyone thinks the same as Dad, that they can definitely beat Tyne?”

Hearing his son's naive question, Klaus Jansen laughed heartily: "Besides Wang, who would dare to say they're sure to win before the match? We don't think we're guaranteed to beat Tyne, but because of what he said, everyone's morale is high, which is definitely going to help us win the match."

After hesitating for a moment, the son said, "Then Dad, you must tell them, whatever you do, don't underestimate your opponent in the competition. Wang is extremely, extremely, extremely strong! Really!"

Seeing his son clenching his fists and trying to dissuade him from underestimating his opponent, Klaus Jansen found it endearing. He lovingly promised his son, "Don't worry, Michael. We all know Wang is very powerful."

Unexpectedly, his son corrected him: "It's not 'very good,' it's 'extremely, extremely, extremely good!'"

Klaus Jansen didn't argue with his son. He knew his son was a fan of Wang Lie and always held him in high esteem, which was why he was nitpicking over the words.

He simply nodded in acceptance of his son's reminder: "Okay, no problem."

※※※

"Are you relieved now?"

After ending the video call, the mother took her phone back and asked her son a question.

The son frowned and pouted, saying, "I always feel like Dad is just brushing me off..."

“How could that be?” Mom laughed. “Don’t think of your father as some clueless young man. He’s only three years younger than Wang, practically players of the same generation. How could he possibly look down on Wang?”

Michael Jansen shook his head again: "I know Dad won't underestimate us, but what about the others? Besides, Mom, do you think I'm just nitpicking with Dad? Is 'very good' and 'extremely, extremely, extremely good' just a difference in words? No, Mom. Wang said that before the match, and now everyone online is calling him arrogant, but those people don't understand Wang. They don't know what Wang's actions mean..."

He spoke very seriously, but his earnestness amused his mother, who spoke to him in a teasing tone, as if he were a child:

"Yes, yes, no one understands as well as you. Michael is the fan who knows Wang best!"

Hearing his mother say this, Michael Jansen could sense that she was treating him like a child.

In the past, he would have expressed his dissatisfaction by getting angry.

But this time, he just sighed and muttered, "Fine, don't believe me then..."

Seeing that her son was indeed acting like a child, the mother didn't tease him any further, but instead chuckled softly.

※※※

Shi Bo, carrying his schoolbag, stepped into the classroom with a worried expression and saw Wang Ziqi.

He threw his schoolbag on his seat and went to find Wang Ziqi.

He ran to Wang Ziqi's seat, hesitated for a moment, looked around, and then asked in a low voice, "Wang Ziqi, why did your father say that?"

Wang Ziqi glanced at Shi Bo and asked in a matter-of-fact tone, "So what's the problem with saying that?"

"There are so many people online criticizing him now... saying he has no morals, that he's a traitor, and so on..."

Wang Ziqi, with an air of nonchalance, waved her hand dismissively and said, "Let them scold me. Don't they scold me all the time? What's the big deal if they scold my dad a couple of times?"

"Your dad may not be afraid, but what about his teammates? They can't all have the same mental fortitude as your dad, can they? What if it affects the game?"

Seeing that Shi Bo was genuinely worried about this, Wang Ziqi said, "Don't worry, because Tyne's players all believe in my dad. If my dad says we can win, then we definitely can!"

Shi Bo was not satisfied with this explanation: "Your wishes will come true?!"

Wang Ziqi couldn't explain it to him in detail either, because some things can only be understood intuitively and cannot be explained in words.

As Wang Lie's son, he could certainly understand those emotions, but it was indeed difficult to make outsiders understand as well.

So all he could say to Shi Bo was, "Shi Bo, you know that the head coach of Ruhr United is that old Deng, right?"

Shi Bo nodded: "I know!"

Wang Ziqi then asked, "Do you think my dad can accept losing to that old Deng?"

Shi Bo shook his head: "Don't even mention him, I can't even do it!"

Seeing that the boy was teachable, Wang Ziqi said, "So it's not a question of whether we can win, but that we must win. Since we must win, what's wrong with my dad saying we would win before the game?"

Shi Bo was taken aback by Wang Ziqi's explanation. He paused for a moment, a confused expression on his face: "Is... this okay?"

Wang Ziqi chuckled: "Why can't we do that? The result is the same anyway, it's just declaring victory in advance."

After listening to Wang Ziqi's logic, Shi Bo felt that it was indeed true, but he still felt that something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It wasn't until he stumbled back to his seat and looked at the backpack he had tossed on the table that he understood the source of the strangeness:

Neither Lieye nor I can accept losing to that old Biden, Heldon, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But just because you can't accept it doesn't mean you'll definitely win!

So, to put it bluntly, this is just that Master Lie made some tough statements in advance, but could he avoid being proven wrong by the outcome?
To be honest, Shi Bo wasn't really confident about Tyne's victory, at least not with the almost superstitious absolute confidence that Wang Ziqi had.

Of course, this is normal, after all, he is Wang Ziqi's father, not Shi Bo's father.

Perhaps there is some kind of emotional bond between them that others don't know about?

Now there's one problem that's bothering Shi Bo: the Champions League match kicks off at 2:45 a.m., and his parents would never allow him to get up in the middle of the night to watch it.

He could only wait until he woke up the next day to ask his father about the competition results.

But the waiting was too agonizing, and he didn't know if he could even fall asleep during this torment...

※※※

Goodnight, my wife!

After sending the message on his phone, Wang Lie put down his phone, which was plugged into the charging cable, and then rolled over and lay back down on the bed.

His phone screen on the bedside table lit up again; it was his wife, Tang Xingmei, replying: "Goodnight, honey. Good luck in the competition tomorrow!"

However, Wang Lie did not pick it up again. He had already closed his eyes and did not even notice his wife's reply.

It was 10:05 p.m. His phone had been set to Do Not Disturb mode at 10 p.m., so there would be no sound or vibration when a new message came in.

On the eve of the match, after stirring up the entire European football world with a single sentence, Wang Lie still followed his usual routine and quickly fell asleep around 10 p.m., sleeping very peacefully.

(End of this chapter)