"Liverpool Officially Announce Leo Lin Will Wear the Number 8 Shirt, Taking Over the Club's Legendary Number!"
"Liverpool's physical stores launch Leo Lin jerseys on schedule. Fans line up in massive queues—some supporters set out at 3 a.m. to join the line, only to be told the jerseys were already sold out and they'd have to wait for the next restock."
"Leo Lin jerseys shatter sales records in physical stores, surpassing 100,000 units sold in a single hour!"
"Leo Lin leaps to become Liverpool's best-selling jersey player this season, showing just how immense his fan support is!"
Early in the morning on March 13, news of Leo Lin's jersey sales quickly shot to the top of sports headlines around the world. Fans everywhere could only lament that they didn't live in Liverpool and couldn't line up to buy one themselves.
Liverpool quickly followed up with another announcement: a second batch of Leo Lin jerseys would arrive in physical stores in three days, with an estimated stock of 100,000 shirts.
Fifteen days later, another 50,000 of Leo Lin's No. 8 jerseys would go on sale through Liverpool's official online store.
Finway was practically grinning from ear to ear.
Strong sales of Leo Lin's jerseys would inevitably boost the sales of other Liverpool merchandise as well, bringing in additional revenue for the club.
Those seemingly small streams of income would eventually flow into Liverpool's financial chain, adding up over time and improving the club's financial strength.
Mike, Liverpool's chief executive, was already preparing for the next transfer window.
With the summer transfer window approaching, Liverpool would need sufficient funds to remain competitive next season. The club also hoped to give Klopp as much support as possible in the market.
Meanwhile, Leo Lin was excited about stepping onto the pitch wearing the No. 8 jersey.
On March 14, Liverpool held their pre-match tactical meeting ahead of their upcoming FA Cup fifth-round clash against Chelsea, a side that had been in excellent form recently.
Leo Lin was eager to push further in the FA Cup.
If he could lift the FA Cup trophy, he would gain additional points—allowing him to unlock another star skill sooner.
He checked his current points.
After unlocking the Rainbow Free Kick skill, his remaining points had now accumulated to 125.
He was still 175 points away from unlocking the next skill.
But if he won the FA Cup, he would receive an additional 150 points—bringing him close enough to unlock the next ability and further strengthen himself.
Leo Lin opened the system interface.
It had been a long time since he had carefully reviewed his current attributes.
After more than half a season of improvement, many of his attributes had increased. The two major growth modules—the All-Round Midfielder Growth Module and the Attacking Midfielder Growth Module—had provided additional boosts, significantly raising several key stats.
Host: Leo Lin
Height: 1.85m
Weight: 78kg
Penalty Area Shooting: 81
Long-Range Shooting: 84
Attacking Positioning: 80
Short Passing: 81
Long Passing: 81
Vision: 84
Heading: 76
Explosiveness: 99
Strength: 92.6
Interception: 79
Tackling: 82
Dribbling: 83
Crossing: 75
Curve: 82.6
Defensive Positioning: 79
Ball Control: 80.7
Several key attributes had improved, and after adapting to the physical intensity of the Premier League—and with the club helping him add muscle—his weight had now reached 78 kilograms.
That said, attributes like heading, crossing, and defensive positioning still had plenty of room to grow.
For someone his age, Leo Lin was already very satisfied with these numbers.
From here on, he planned to focus on improving his weaker areas and continue developing.
At the March 14 tactical meeting, Klopp laid out his plans for the upcoming FA Cup fifth-round match.
The FA Cup is England's most beloved cup competition, officially rated four stars—second only to the Champions League and the Europa League.
Liverpool were determined to compete for the trophy.
But their opponent would be a Chelsea side in excellent form.
During the pre-match analysis, several football legends appeared on broadcast panels. Sky Sports invited Chelsea legends John Terry and Gianfranco Zola.
"Liverpool have been excellent recently," Terry said, "but Chelsea have been just as good, and their three-man midfield has been extremely solid."
"Bakayoko, Fabregas, and Kanté—right now, I think they form the best defensive midfield trio in the Premier League. Liverpool's midfield won't get many chances. And with Kanté and Bakayoko doubling up, they'll definitely be able to limit Lin."
Inside the Sky Sports studio, John Terry spoke confidently, naturally backing his former club.
But Gerrard didn't care about anything Terry had said.
Instead, he nervously turned toward Owen—the Manchester United legend.
He was waiting for Owen's final prediction.
"I'm leaning toward a draw," Owen said. "Then Chelsea knock Liverpool out in a penalty shootout."
The moment Owen once again backed Liverpool's opponent, Gerrard finally relaxed.
He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile.
The media hype before the match focused almost entirely on the showdown between Kanté—the Premier League's best ball-winning midfielder—and Leo Lin, the league's top all-round midfielder.
The sharpest blade versus the strongest shield.
At 8:00 a.m. on March 15, the FA Cup's official social media account released a massive promotional poster for the match.
Red and blue clashed head-on.
Leo Lin, representing Liverpool, appeared in the poster wielding a crimson longsword, slashing fiercely toward Kanté, who held a blue shield.
Kanté held the shield in his left hand.
In his right hand was a dagger.
And engraved on that dagger was a single name:
Hazard.
Belgium's versatile attacking star, Eden Hazard, possessed exceptional individual ability and explosive attacking power.
Whether facing one defender—or even two—Hazard often found a way to come out on top.
Nearly all of Klopp's tactical preparations revolved around containing Hazard.
At 6 p.m. European time, the weather had begun to warm.
The air carried a comfortable spring atmosphere.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea awaited their battle with Liverpool.
Live broadcasts began across major platforms.
On ESPN's coverage, the familiar commentary duo introduced the starting lineups.
Jon Champion's voice rang out with energy.
"Hello and welcome, football fans!"
"You're watching the 2017–18 FA Cup Fifth Round, as Liverpool take on Chelsea!"
"The winner tonight advances to the FA Cup quarterfinals in the hunt for the trophy!"
"Both sides have submitted their starting lineups—let's begin with Chelsea."
"Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois."
"Defenders: César Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, Antonio Rüdiger."
"Midfield: Marcos Alonso, Tiemoué Bakayoko, N'Golo Kanté, Cesc Fàbregas, Victor Moses."
"Three central midfielders with two players wide—a classic 3-5-2 setup."
"Up front, the towering French striker Olivier Giroud partners Belgian star Eden Hazard."
"One tall, one quick. One powerful, one agile."
"Some of the greatest strike partnerships in football are built exactly like this."