The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

He would never forget it, because it was the most humiliating match of his career to date!

"Honestly, I hope we draw Real Madrid, but it’s not just because I want revenge, nor is it because of that so-called bet I have with Ronaldo over who’s the best player. It’s not even because they’re Real Madrid."

Wang Shuo voiced what was truly on his mind in a very level tone.

"For me, that crushing defeat is in the past. I hold on to that humiliation to motivate myself, to remind myself of how we—so weak back then—were mercilessly slaughtered by our opponents. And during our club’s centenary celebration, no less."

"But if we can, I hope we draw Real Madrid. That way, we can all see for ourselves just how much progress we’ve made over the past two years!"

The locker room instantly fell silent.

Everyone understood Wang Shuo’s intentions, and they were all filled with a sense of solemn respect.

That’s right. While they all held Real Madrid in awe, Wang Shuo saw them as a whetstone—a way to measure the progress born from their hard work!

Perhaps that was the biggest difference between them and Wang Shuo!

As Wang Shuo’s best friend, Subotic noticed the shift in the locker room’s atmosphere.

Wang Shuo had practically killed the mood.

So, he immediately burst out laughing.

"Wang Shuo, of course *you’d* say that. It’s one thing for you forwards, but as a center-back, I have to say, the last teams I ever want to face are Real Madrid and Barça."

At this, Subotic spread his hands wide in a straightforward gesture. "There are three players every defender in the world dreads facing."

"Ronaldo, Messi..."

"And you!" Subotic said, pointing at Wang Shuo.

The room immediately erupted in laughter.

Especially the defenders.

It was true, after all.

Whoever had to face those three was in for a rough time!

Unless you were a masochist, it was just as Subotic had said.

Wang Shuo realized he’d been a bit intense, gave Subotic a nod, and said no more.

Subotic, Götze, Reus, and the others quickly changed the subject.

But deep down, Wang Shuo really did want to face Real Madrid.

...

Who knows if the heavens were listening to Wang Shuo’s thoughts or not.

Two days after the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16, the quarter-final draw was held at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Dortmund, however, did not get their wish to draw Real Madrid.

This time, they drew a team from the Premier League: Chelsea!

Barça and Real Madrid had the best luck of the draw, getting Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively.

Barça was in the upper half of the bracket, where the other quarter-final was a clash between Inter Milan and Manchester United.

Meanwhile, the lower half of the bracket featured the matchup between Real Madrid and Tottenham, as well as the showdown between Dortmund and Chelsea.

In other words, if Dortmund could overcome Chelsea and advance to the semi-finals, it was highly likely they would face Real Madrid.

Unless Tottenham could pull off yet another upset!

The German media’s reaction to the draw was quite favorable.

With the United Kingdom and Germany being arch-rivals, a match against Chelsea meant Dortmund would surely be in for a bitter fight.

Most importantly, Chelsea weren’t in a great position themselves this season.

They had invested heavily during the winter break to sign Torres and David Luis, but of the two, only Torres was eligible to play for the team in the Champions League.

Therefore, the Blue Army would not be fielding their strongest lineup.

However, Chelsea were no pushovers.

Stars like Drogba, Terry, and Lampard were all world-class players, and their manager, Ancelotti, was one of the world’s best, especially skilled in cup competitions.

This presented an even greater challenge for Dortmund!

Once in the quarter-finals, drawing a team like Chelsea was actually a pretty good outcome, unless a team had some truly heaven-defying luck.

After the draw, Kicker Magazine’s analysis was that both Chelsea and Dortmund were now concentrating all their efforts on the Champions League.

But the two teams were in different circumstances.

Chelsea had given up on their domestic league early, as they no longer had any hope of winning the title.

Dortmund, on the other hand, had established a commanding lead early in their season and had all but secured two titles: the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.

Given the circumstances, the clash between the two teams promised to be a fascinating watch.

An even bigger storyline, however, revolved around Wang Shuo.

The whole world knew that Chelsea had tried and failed to sign Wang Shuo the previous December, only turning their attention to Torres afterward.

Now, meeting in the Champions League quarter-finals, everyone wanted to see how this showdown would play out: would Chelsea come to regret their decision?

Or would Wang Shuo be put in his place by Chelsea?

When interviewed by the German media, Wang Shuo calmly stated, "It doesn’t matter to us who we drew."

"We only have one goal: to advance!"

He wanted to make it to the semi-finals and face Real Madrid!