The Rise of the Iron Wall!

After getting Higo’s jersey, both Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski walked away from the pitch immediately. However, instead of going straight to the locker room, they went to a small part on the northern side of the pitch, where a reporter had already been waiting for them with a cameraman.

"Hey, Dinara! It’s great to see you again!" Thomas Muller greeted that reporter with a huge smile, even hugging the woman warmly.

That reporter, Dinara Wagner, returned with a genuine smile as well. Or... At least, that was what they both interpreted based on the ’U’ shape that her eyes created, while they themselves couldn’t see the smile behind her mask.

Lewandowski also followed his teammate’s action, hugging with a warm smile as the reporter offered one. It was clear based on this small interaction that they all were familiar with each other.

"So, ready for a short interview?" The reporter asked, her blonde ponytail swaying youthfully as she turned her head around. If only the two players were still single, they would feel their hearts skip a bit at that smile of hers.

"Sure, Dinara! Start it whenever you want!" Muller nodded, while Lewandowski, even though he was still fixing the headphones on his ears, gave a thumbs-up to signal that he was ready.

With a deep breath, the reporter finally looked back at the camera and started speaking, "Good evening, everyone! Welcome back to Bundesliga with DAZN Sports! I am Dinara Wagner, and together with me, in this Allianz Arena, we have Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich!"

"Hello, everyone!" Muller waved at the camera with his signature smile.

"First game of the season, especially after winning the treble last season." Dinara Wagner didn’t waste too much time as she went straight to the point. "How do you feel coming back to your own home with all three trophies in your hand and starting your campaign for this new season with a win?"

This was just a standard question to open the interview, and Muller didn’t find any difficulty in answering that.

"Of course, we are ecstatic. Even though the break is just too short for us to hang out with family, it is good to be back in this beautiful stadium. Honestly, the only thing missing here is that we don’t have a full house, but we still appreciate those who are allowed to come here." He smiled, waving at the supporters that were still on the stand.

"The victory today is also important to set the tone," Lewandowski added, his tone more serious. "Even though it is just one game and everything can happen in the whole year, it is always good to start the season with a positive result."

Dinara Wagner nodded, saving that answer on the back of her mind.

"Still, 2-0 to start a season. A solid win, nonetheless. What do you think about this game?" She inquired.

"Oh, the score doesn’t matter here. We are just happy that we won the game." Muller answered, still with a smile, but this time it had a hint of mischievousness as well. "Even though we dominate the whole game, today is not that easy, you know? I mean, look at who the goalkeeper is that we are facing today! If you really want to ask how difficult today is, just ask my good friend Lewy here." He patted his teammate’s shoulder playfully.

"Oh? Is there any story behind?" The reporter asked once again; her journalism instinct smelled a story here.

"Oh, it is nothing!" At this point, Muller had already laughed, not even holding back for Lewandowski. "He and Ryusuke Higo have some sort of a unique rivalry between them! Do you know what Higo said to me before the game began?"

"What?"

"He might be losing the game today, but he would definitely kill Lewy on the frontline! And he almost succeeded!"

At this point, Lewandowski could feel his face heat up, getting too embarrassed from being teased by his teammate like that. It also helped that a beautiful woman joined his captain in laughing at him, mixing the embarrassment with a helpless feeling right now.

"So, you mean Ryusuke Higo failed today?" Dinara Wagner asked, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Yeah, at least, you can say that I won this round." The striker grumbled grumpily.

However, Muller, the traitor that he was, added quickly, "Not before Higo reminded him that he could only score from the penalty, and this was the first penalty that he had ever scored out of two times he stood against Higo in that penalty spot!"

"Oh, shut up!"

Lewandowski sent a fierce glare, which was only met with laughter as the reply. Honestly, he started to regret every decision he made that led him to be in this position, wanting nothing more than to put the most disgusting socks on the locker room to shut his captain’s mouth instantly.

Fortunately, after a little bit of laughter again, Dinara Wagner went back to her professional state.

"Speaking of Ryusuke Higo, he is such an interesting goalkeeper." The woman spoke. "He has only played for 11 games last season, and yet, in that period, he only conceded 7 goals and made 8.8 saves per game. Some people dismissed that as an empty stat since Schalke itself was in a terrible state at that time. What do you think?"

Muller frowned immediately, not expecting his new friend to be attacked like that. From the corner of his eye, he also looked at his Polish friend, finding that the man stiffened for a moment here.

It was clear that Lewandowski also didn’t like the question here.

Still, the man didn’t rush things up. He pondered for a second, using his brain to set an answer before finally speaking it out loud.

"I don’t know who said that it is an empty stat, but let me tell you this." His tone was solemn. "Out of everyone else that I fought last year, Higo was the hardest goalkeeper that I faced, and today’s game is just another confirmation of that. He has the potential to be the best in the world, so keep that in mind!"