The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

When Lin Yi first emerged at the beginning of the season, he was surrounded by a lot of paparazzi.

Early fame and sudden wealth and status that are disproportionate to one's maturity can lead many young people astray, causing them to indulge in a life of debauchery and revelry.

These gossip tabloids originally thought Lin Yi would follow the same pattern, especially after he moved out of his dormitory at Carrington base. The paparazzi thought the time was ripe and began to stake out him day and night.

They were biting into apples, holding long lenses, hoping to capture some exciting photos and get a few more bones.

However, reality disappointed them. Although Lin Yi was not as self-disciplined as an ascetic, he also did not generate any newsworthy events.

Does Lin Yi have any female friends? Yes!

But that was his girlfriend, Emma Watson.

Does Lin Yi usually go to nightclubs? Yes!

But he was mostly with Aguero and Balotelli, and their games were so uneventful that Manchester's red-light district became desolate without Balotelli.

Does Lin Yi throw parties at home? Yes!

But the people who appeared at Lin Yi's villa were not swimsuit beauties or sexy babes. The people who came to the party were either celebrities like Guy Ritchie and Gallagher, or Manchester City teammates or staff. Even Pellegrini and Mubarak had attended.

Lin Yi's private life is far less newsworthy than his outspokenness on and off the football field; reporting on him is not as appealing as reporting on Aguero's marital crisis.

Being a paparazzi is just a job, not a hobby. They also need to eat, and over time, they basically lose their minds.

Only one young reporter working for The Sun is still sticking with the project because he's a fan of Emma Watson.

He barely managed to earn enough to eat by secretly filming Lin Yi and Emma's daily lives, such as shopping.

With the help of this persistent fan, the whole of Britain soon learned that Robben, his rival, had visited Lin Yi's luxurious villa alone two days before the match.

Unfortunately, the fact that the two grown men met in private did not generate any media buzz.

Although Britain is known as a country of BL (Boys' Love), the loving image of Lin Yi and Emma Watson as a golden couple has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and Robben, whose appearance does not meet the minimum standard, cannot arouse the imagination of female fans of BL.

The British were not interested in Lin Yi's private meetings unless the leader of the Irish Republican Army was involved.

Aside from Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes, who suspected Lin Yi and Robben of being gay, only one Argentinian paid close attention to this news.

After training, Aguero angrily questioned Lin Yi.

"You treated Robben to dinner?"

"He insists!"

"He insisted, so you treated him?"

"If you insist on it, why don't I invite you? I'm not a stingy person."

Lin Yi suddenly sensed something was off about the tone of the conversation. He asked疑惑地, "Wait a minute, why does this conversation sound so familiar? It seems like we've talked about this before. Are you planning to grab me by the neck and say Robben is your idol?"

"Pah!" Aguero spat out in disdain, angrily saying, "You've never invited me to your house for a meal alone."

"Bullshit! Ever since you injured your foot last time and got addicted to the pig's trotters I gave you, every time you want to satisfy your cravings, it's been at my house. Do you even know how to make stewed pig's trotters, braised pig's trotters, soy-sauce pig's trotters, or pig's trotter soup?"

"Pay attention to the key point, I said alone! Every time I go, I'm with Gianna, and Emma is there too!"

"What the hell does it have to do with anything? They don't eat pig's trotters, so nobody's going to take them from you." Lin Yi thought for a moment and then added, "When you came to my house to play video games, Emma and Gianna weren't there."

"But Mario is always there whenever I play video games!"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"You must invite me alone! You must! Alone! Just me!"

"Neuropathy!"

Lin Yi neither agreed nor refused, and left directly, leaving Aguero alone in the locker room sulking.

Compared to the inexplicable Aguero, Lin Yi was more concerned about the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.

Time quickly came to match day, with Manchester City hosting Bayern Munich first, and the other semi-final between Chelsea and Real Madrid scheduled for the following day.

During the handshake between the two players, Robben, who had been teased by Lin Yi, took the opportunity to punch him hard in the chest. Lin Yi, who felt he had gotten away with it, smiled and did not retaliate.

If it weren't for Aguero's refusal to shake hands with Robben drawing considerable attention, the atmosphere between the two teams could generally be described as very harmonious.

Bayern Munich and Manchester City have faced each other twice in the group stage, so they are quite familiar with each other.

Neither side pulled out any surprises in this match, and both used the formations and starting lineups they had been employing recently.

The only difference from the last encounter is that Lin Yi has been starting as the left winger recently, with Aguero playing as the lone striker.

This means Lin Yi will face off against Robben on the wing, making it a major highlight of the match.

With the referee's whistle, the brief period of harmony vanished instantly, and Bayern, having kicked off first, quickly got into the game, launching a direct attack on Manchester City without any probing.

Their first attack was launched from the right flank.

Kroos passed the ball to Robben, whose body had recovered, and the Flying Dutchman immediately faced off against Lin Yi, who had gotten used to making him vomit.

To avenge the loss, Robben decided to defeat Lin Yi head-on, even though taking down Lin Yi, who is not known for his defense, was not a remarkable feat.

Robben struck his signature dribbling pose, shoulders slightly hunched, upper arms close to his torso, hands outstretched like a robot, body slightly leaning forward, accompanied by extremely quick little steps, looking just like Wu Lao Er suffering from cerebral thrombosis.

Lin Yi was unable to discern Robben's feints, so he completely ignored Robben's strange posture and waited for him to make a choice first before using his speed to catch up.

Robben continued to cut the ball inwards, while Lin Yi simply retreated slowly without making any unnecessary movements.

Robben, equally confident in his speed, decided to have a head-to-head competition with Lin Yi.

He took a big step inward, then immediately used the inside of his left foot to pull the ball back, followed by his right foot to lead the ball forward, accelerating past Lin Yi from the outside.

Lin Yi, who needed to observe the opponent's movements carefully before acting, was unable to respond immediately. It wasn't until Robben started running that he turned around and began to chase after him.

"Good lad!"

Robben, who had been observing Lin Yi out of the corner of his eye, was slightly surprised and couldn't help but admire him in his heart.

Lin Yi did start late, but his acceleration process was very short, reaching peak speed almost instantly, truly befitting his status as a supercar ambassador.

As a result, Robben dared not dribble inside, fearing that he would be cut off by Lin Yi, who was running in a straight line. He could only continue to accelerate and dribble along the outside.

Left-back Clichy, who came up to help block, was completely ineffective and was easily beaten by Robben. The only hope was still Lin Yi.

Soon the two players reached the position near the byline. Robben, whose dominant foot is his left foot, could not cross directly from the right wing, so he had to find a way to cut inside.

Lin Yi was aware of this, so he was on high alert to guard against Robben's next move.

Robben suddenly braked hard, and Lin Yi, who was prepared, also immediately chose to stop abruptly.

Just as Lin Yi was focused on controlling his body, Robben casually flicked the ball with his left foot, sending it flying between Lin Yi's legs before it had completely stopped.

Robben, having succeeded with his first move, immediately began cutting inside, while simultaneously using his hand to pull Lin Yi's body away, preventing him from completing the turn quickly.

"Beautiful! Robben's nutmeg! He's starting to move inside! Whether Robben is in the legendary Robben Corridor or not, his lateral dribbling is a fearsome sight!"

Amidst the commentator's expectant shouts, a person wearing a sky-blue jersey suddenly appeared on the grass.