After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

The days flew by amidst the repetitive training and matches, and before we knew it, it was time for the last league match before Christmas.

In December, the air in Germany is already filled with a festive atmosphere, but the tension on the football field will not dissipate.

This time, Hoffenheim will host their Baden-Württemberg derby opponent, Stuttgart.

Before the match, considering the tight schedule, Yan Yuan's importance, and the upcoming Champions League knockout stage, Nagelsmann made it clear to his protégé during pre-match instructions:

"Yan, this derby will be very intense. The opponent will definitely focus on you. You need to conserve your energy. In the first half, you will be on the bench."

Yan Yuan said it was perfectly fine.

The derby has begun, and both sides are fiercely battling for every inch of ground.

Hoffenheim's players did not lose their way because Yan Yuan was not in the starting lineup.

In the first half, Hoffenheim played aggressively and proactively under the relentless attacks of their two wingers, Kaderabek and Schulz.

In the 27th minute, taking advantage of a free kick opportunity in the attacking third, Grillitsch's header was blocked, but the alert Uth was quick to follow up and score!

1: 0!

The entire stadium stands were engulfed in a sea of ​​blue and white!

Just 10 minutes later, Hoffenheim scored again!

Gnabry cut inside from the left and played a brilliant one-two with Grillitsch in the middle before breaking into the penalty area and calmly slotting the ball into the far corner past the goalkeeper!

2: 0!

At halftime, Hoffenheim went into the locker room with a two-goal lead. Yan Yuan on the bench celebrated with everyone, looking relaxed.

However, the intensity of derbies and the dramatic changes in the second half have always been classic scenarios in football.

The Stuttgart coach clearly gave a strong pep talk and made tactical adjustments at midfield.

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Stuttgart pulled one back with a quick counter-attack, when winger Brekalo capitalized on a minor mistake in the coordination between Hübner and Vogt, firing a powerful shot from a tight angle!

1:2! The cheers from the away fans instantly surged!

This goal conceded seemed to unlock a subtle tension in Hoffenheim's defense.

Just 11 minutes later, Stuttgart came back stronger!

Another attack down the flank, a cross created chaos, and Stuttgart striker Donis poked the ball into the net amidst the scramble!

2: 2!

In just over ten minutes, Hoffenheim's two-goal lead vanished.

The Rhein-Neckar Arena fell into a deathly silence, the faces of the home fans filled with disbelief and anxiety.

Hoffenheim dominated possession, but the experienced Stuttgart capitalized on two moments when they were slightly lax in play.

Nagelsmann could no longer sit still.

The pressure of the derby, coupled with the danger of being tied after two goals, meant he had to respond!

He abruptly stood up from the coaching bench, strode to the substitutes' bench, and fixed his piercing gaze on Yan Yuan:

"Yan! Warm up immediately and change your clothes! Switch to right winger Oakes; I need your attacking firepower to tear a hole in their defense!"

"Yes, boss!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Yan Yuan threw off his thick coat, revealing his blue and white No. 17 home jersey underneath. He then skillfully put on the black thermal neck warmer handed to him by the assistant coach, and quickly put on the same thick black thermal gloves, as the temperature in the second half had dropped significantly as night fell.

With a focused expression and sharp eyes, he quickly ran towards the warm-up area on the sidelines.

Yan Yuan is on stage!

The entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers!

Hoffenheim has received reassurance!

He replaced Oakes and stepped onto the lawn where snowflakes were beginning to fall in the cold.

After Yan Yuan came on, he did not rush to make a breakthrough. He first dropped back to the midfield and helped Kramaric and Amiri organize possession on the right wing.

With a few concise and precise passes, the team quickly got the ball moving and made the overall attack flow smoothly again.

His positioning also became more threatening, sometimes weaving into the flanks and sometimes pulling to the sidelines to draw defenders away.

In the 79th minute, under sustained positional attacks...

After drawing the defense in the middle, Grillitsch suddenly passed the ball to Kaderabek, who was overlapping on the right wing!

Instead of going down the wing, Kaderabek looked up to observe and decisively delivered a quick, low cross.

The ball was moving very fast, spinning intensely, heading straight for the penalty spot!

The moment the cross was delivered, Yan Yuan, like a ghost, darted from the edge of the penalty area to the edge of the six-yard box.

His timing was perfect. Just as the attention of Stuttgart's two center-backs was briefly drawn to Uth at the near post and Gnabry at the far post, Yan Yuan keenly seized that fleeting opening.

He subtly tapped the ball with the outside of his right foot before the defender could react.

There was no swinging of the leg, no exertion of force; it was merely a delicate touch, a subtle yet powerful exchange.

The ball lost the force of the cross, but changed direction.

Then, with a tricky arc, it gracefully bypassed the goalkeeper's desperate attempt to save it, and rolled into the net, hugging the inside of the far post.

This ball was "lobbed" in.

"GOOOOOOOAL!!! Top scorer, Yan, Hoffenheim's nuclear weapon, the Bundesliga's rising star!!!" The commentator's voice was hoarse with excitement. "In the 79th minute, number 17 Yan Yuan, after coming on as a substitute, scored a divine tap-in, putting Hoffenheim ahead 3-2!"

The entire stadium erupted in chaos, with frenzied blue flames leaping wildly across the stands!

For the remainder of the time, Hoffenheim united as one and withstood Stuttgart's furious counterattack.

The final whistle blew, and Hoffenheim narrowly defeated their derby rivals 3-2 at home.

Hoffenheim secured a valuable derby victory with a 3-2 win over Stuttgart thanks to Yan Yuan's last-minute goal, bringing a triumphant end to their 2017 campaign.

After the match, the snow fell silently.

As the players finished thanking the stands amidst the deafening chants of the fans and stepped off the grass, pure white snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

This is the first snow of winter in Germany, fine and gentle, slowly falling on the stadium that still exudes the warmth of the game.

The snow in the Bundesliga is both romantic and gentle.

Yan Yuan was the last one to walk into the players' tunnel today.

Today, unlike the others, he didn't wrap himself up in his coat and rush back to the locker room to warm up.

He stopped and stood on the sidelines, looking up at the snowy night sky, which was somewhat hazy under the stadium lights.

Lights, falling snow, blue and white jerseys, and cool black accessories outline a young figure exuding unique charm in the cold winter.

Yan Yuan turned slightly to the side, raised his head, and stared blankly at the snowflakes swirling and falling in the sky.

Snowflakes landed on his hair, neck warmer, and jersey shoulders, melting and disappearing quickly, just like the dreamlike half-season that had just passed in his career—fleeting yet vividly memorable.

"Phew... the snow in the Bundesliga... is it really this beautiful..." Yan Yuan quietly felt the snowflakes falling on his body.

This moment was perfectly captured by a senior photojournalist from the German football magazine Kicker, who photographed Yan Yuan enjoying the snow.

In the picture, he is wearing a blue and white Hoffenheim jersey, his fierceness on the field gone, exuding a gentle aura of weariness yet serene tranquility.

The next day, when the photo was developed at the magazine's editorial department, the editor in charge of that issue's content decided almost instantly: "This is it! The cover for next issue!"

Following this, the magazine obtained official authorization from Hoffenheim FC and Yan Yuan himself, and paid the corresponding copyright fees.

This photo, titled "The Snow Prince of the Bundesliga," graced the cover of Kicker magazine's Christmas special issue.

Yan Yuan's handsome profile, with its oriental charm, was particularly striking against the backdrop of snowflakes, and the accompanying caption was the perfect finishing touch: "The 17-year-old Bundesliga Snow Prince is enjoying a moment of tranquility after his decisive goal on a snowy night."

Even his teammate Gnabry, after seeing the magazine, couldn't resist rolling it up into a tube, poking Yan Yuan's arm as he trained in the gym, and saying in a mock-sour tone:

"Hey, Snow Prince, it's one thing to be good at soccer, but even just standing in the snow makes you a cover star? Can't you handsome guys leave us ordinary folks a chance to survive?"

Yan Yuan put down the barbell, took the magazine, glanced at the cover, and then winked slyly at Gnabry, saying:

"Serge, next time it snows, I can have a photographer take a picture of you, and you can look like this..."

Yan Yuan imitated Gnabry's machine gun celebration after his last goal, a serious expression on his face. "You firing wildly in the snow is guaranteed to be a hundred times cooler than me standing here in a daze. How about we title it 'God of War in the Snow'?"

"Hahahahahahaha..."

"I agree, hahaha... Sergi, you must do as Yan says."

The gym erupted in laughter from the teammates, and even Captain Vogt, who was diligently pedaling his bike, was so amused that he almost fell over.

Gnabry laughed and punched Yan Yuan:

"Yan, you've gone astray!"

"Hahahaha..." Yan Yuan was also amused.

After a brief moment of relaxation and enjoyment, the players concluded their final training session of December.

The holiday has officially begun.

With joy and exhaustion from their victory, everyone packed their bags, preparing to go home and spend the Christmas and New Year holidays with their families.

With the players relaxed, Nash was finally able to get busy with transfer and reinforcement work.

In the tactical conference room, a huge whiteboard was covered with names, tactical analyses, and data charts.

Although Hoffenheim drew a relatively favorable opponent, Porto, in the Champions League Round of 16, this does not mean they can be complacent.

There are no weak teams among those that make it to the knockout stage.

Porto's toughness, efficiency, and rich experience in European competitions are their greatest weapons.

The current problem facing Hoffenheim is whether the depth of the team's current squad can support playing on two fronts, especially the grueling Champions League knockout stage.

While Amiri and Kramaric are both impeccable in terms of understanding and technique, the bench lacks enough players with Champions League experience who can immediately step up and perform consistently if either of them gets injured or suspended.

The same applies to the defense. Captain Vogt and Hübner are reliable, but a long season and a packed schedule require reliable rotation, especially in knockout matches where there is no room for error.

Strengthening the squad during the winter transfer window is imperative.

Director Rosen and Nagelsmann sat together at their desks, with the club's latest financial report laid out in front of them.

Rosen pointed to the document and said to Nagelsmann,

"Julian, we achieved a historic six-game winning streak in the Champions League group stage. In addition to the generous basic Champions League participation bonus, there is also a bonus for winning all six Champions League group stage matches."

With the addition of Bundesliga broadcast revenue sharing and some commercial revenue growth, our first half of the season went very well.

Currently, we have approximately 4800 million euros available to invest in the transfer market.

This figure includes the club's existing reserves and revenue, approximately €1600 million, and the substantial profits just earned from the Champions League group stage, approximately €3200 million.

This is undoubtedly a huge sum of money, an astronomical figure for Hoffenheim, which has long operated on a small scale.

But how should this money be spent?

Nagelsmann's goal is extremely clear:

"We need to strengthen our defensive midfield and center-back positions. Okay, let's get busy, guys, let's start looking for targets."

It's currently the winter transfer window, and it's a crucial period for the Champions League. Hoffenheim's reinforcement targets can only be players who haven't participated in European competitions this season, making the selection process quite difficult.

Hoffenheim's coaching staff and scouting team are conducting extensive analysis and screening.

Ultimately, after repeated deliberations and intense internal discussions, two names came to Nagelsmann's attention:

Frenkie de Jong:

21 years old, Ajax midfielder.

With excellent positional awareness, a wide field of vision, and organizational and playmaking abilities and ball distribution consistency beyond his years, he can play as a defensive midfielder or central midfielder.

De Jong has already shown the potential to become a top midfielder in the Eredivisie and Europa League for Ajax, but he has yet to make any European competition appearances this season.

This is exactly what Hoffenheim needs!

Furthermore, De Jong's technical characteristics are a perfect fit for Nagelsmann's emphasis on ball control and rapid forward movement.

The second goal of the defender is:

Harry Maguire:

25 years old, a key defender for Leicester City.

With explosive physical attributes, standing at 1.94 meters tall, he is strong, possesses exceptional one-on-one defensive ability, and is a formidable aerial threat. Whether on the defensive end or in set-piece attacks, he is a deadly weapon, and he also has the tough style honed in the Premier League.

In Nagelsmann's view, these two players perfectly fit Hoffenheim's current needs.

De Jong represents the potential for growth in youth, talent, and tactical adaptability, while Maguire represents the guarantee of toughness, experience, and immediate impact.

With the target identified, all that's left is negotiation and execution efficiency!

Nagelsmann's team did not delay at all and immediately initiated formal contacts with both Ajax and Leicester City clubs.

Hoffenheim's proposal is very clear and pragmatic:

The loan is for half a season, ending at the end of this season.

This proposal is extremely attractive to both clubs.

Ajax and Leicester City are both happy to see their players gain more experience and exposure on a higher platform, especially on the big stage of the Champions League knockout stage!

This is crucial for increasing a player's market value and future negotiating leverage.

Both clubs are planning to sell their star players for high prices in the future. Ajax is a well-known "black shop" in Europe, and they know this well. They are happy to send their young players to play in the Champions League.

After selling stars like Kante and Mahrez, Leicester City have accumulated a wealth of experience in high-priced transfers, and they are happy to let Maguire play in the Champions League.

For them, loaning De Jong, who still has room for improvement, and Maguire, who is in his prime, to a young Hoffenheim team that has qualified for the Champions League knockout stage is definitely a win-win situation.

On the other hand, Hoffenheim also immediately engaged in in-depth communication with the two players and their agents.

Nagelsmann himself outlined a blueprint for De Jong and Maguire:

The crucial battle for the Bundesliga title in the second half of the season, the huge stage of the Champions League Round of 16 against Porto, and his irreplaceable commitment to playing time in Hoffenheim's tactical system.

For 21-year-old De Jong, the Bundesliga is a level above the Eredivisie, not to mention the chance to play in the Champions League knockout stage!

For 25-year-old Maguire, this is also the best opportunity to prove his ability.

As a result, the negotiations proceeded rapidly in a professional and pragmatic atmosphere.

The focus is more on the specific amount of the loan fee, the setting of the future buyout fee, and the proportion of salary sharing.

During negotiations with Ajax, Hoffenheim demonstrated a premium advantage as a "new Champions League winner" at a crucial moment, expressing their willingness to cover 80% of the player's salary during the loan period and pay Ajax a relatively reasonable loan fee of about 300 million euros.

At the same time, Hoffenheim paid Leicester City a €300 million loan fee and covered 100% of Maguire's wages as compensation to Leicester City.

After all, Maguire is indeed an important player in Leicester City's defense. If you loan out their defensive anchor, you should give them some compensation.

Hoffenheim showed understanding and magnanimity.

With the attractive condition of "Champions League knockout stage qualification," all obstacles to the negotiations were successfully removed.

Two important loan agreements have been officially signed before the start of the Christmas holidays!

When the confirmation document finally reached Nagelsmann's desk, he breathed a long sigh of relief and a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

De Jong and Maguire will report to Hoffenheim on time after the winter break.