"Are you sure?"
"Stop talking nonsense, just give it to me."
"Damn it, if you don't score, you have to lend me your Lamborghini for a month."
"If I don't score, I'll give it to you."
"Holy crap? Are you kidding me!" Nuri Şahin was dumbfounded, Cantonese slang slipping out of his mouth. Having spent so much time with Jin Hayes, the Borussia Dortmund players had picked up quite a bit of Chinese culture. Jin Hayes was even willing to bet his precious Lamborghini; could it be that this kid had been secretly practicing free kicks and had truly mastered the art?
"Fine!! I believe you!" Şahin's expression shifted before he finally steeled himself and handed the ball to Jin Hayes. Jin Hayes might actually be able to score a free kick, but it also seemed highly unlikely. But since they were brothers, brothers had to have absolute trust in one another. Besides, Jin Hayes had earned the free kick himself. If he missed, it was on him, and had nothing to do with Şahin.
"Should I stay here to provide cover for you?"
"Sure, that works perfectly." Şahin happened to be left-footed, so he could stand to the right of the football. Jin Hayes, meanwhile, placed the ball and stepped back, standing to the left of it.
The Schalke 04 players were lazily forming a wall. Nuri Şahin's free kicks were decent, but they weren't as terrifying as those of a world-class free-kick master. Schalke 04 wasn't particularly worried.
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer gripped the goalpost, directing his teammates in the wall to block the near corner. Spotting Jin Hayes carrying the ball and setting it down through the gaps in the wall, Neuer didn't think much of it at first, but after a few seconds, he realized something was off.
"Huh? That guy?"
No, wait, man! Why was he standing back to take the free kick? The scouting reports didn't mention he could do this!
According to the secret investigations of Schalke 04's scouts, Jin Hayes definitely couldn't take free kicks; he almost never hit the target during practice at the training ground, and his shots were usually quite wild. Just like his ordinary, uncontested shots, there was no need to worry. Jin Hayes usually poached goals in the box or lurked, waiting for the second ball. Standing behind the ball this time was truly unusual.
However, Şahin was also at the set-piece position, so it was highly probable that Jin Hayes was just acting as a decoy for Şahin.
"Hard to say!"
Neuer's sixth sense told him that this shot certainly wouldn't be that simple. He stood at the far corner to defend the other half of the goal, while simultaneously preparing himself mentally to dive toward the near corner behind the wall at any moment.
The coaching bench was equally perplexed. "Wait? Why is Jin going to take the kick?"
"Yeah, does he even know how?"
"He couldn't be trying to practice it in a real match, could he?"
Assistant coach Željko Buvač frowned slightly. "Jürgen, is this your tactic?"
"No, I never instructed him to. It must be his own spur-of-the-moment decision."
"What should we do?"
"It's just a free kick; it's normal to miss. Let's just see." Jürgen Klopp wasn't flustered at all; he even crossed his arms and stood by the touchline to watch the show. He was also curious to see just what Jin Hayes could pull off. Based on his understanding of Jin Hayes, this kid was even more cunning than a 30-year-old veteran; he would never do something recklessly if he wasn't confident. Choosing to take the free kick meant he must have his own judgment. It was best to just trust the player.
Jin Hayes set the ball, measured his run-up by stepping back diagonally, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. Things had come to this; there was no turning back. If I don't want to be a laughingstock, come out now! Where's the ability?
The Schalke 04 wall was set, and the attacking and defensive players of both sides were in position within the box. On the other side, Şahin also prepared his stance, ready to start his run-up at any moment. The referee blew the whistle. Both sets of fans in the stands held their breath, waiting for the free kick. Cameras across the stadium had locked onto Jin Hayes, with a close-up shot focused on his face. The stage was set.
Şahin signaled to Jin Hayes more than once with his eyes.
Hey! What's the deal? This guy couldn't be scared, could he? Why wasn't he moving? He actually closed his eyes!
Tens of thousands in the stadium and millions more in front of their televisions had their eyes focused on Jin Hayes. Shouldering immense pressure, Jin Hayes instead tried to let himself relax.
Centering his spirit, his attention was completely focused on himself; the noise of the stadium and everything outside was gradually blocked out. After an unknown amount of time, Jin Hayes finally captured that familiar feeling in the depths of his heart.
It's here! It's finally here! I hope to obtain free-kick skills that surpass everyone else's—the talents of all the free-kick masters throughout history concentrated into a single point, converging within himself.
But what is the price?
The moment that question arose from the depths of his soul, Jin Hayes seemed to sense something slipping away from him, but none of that mattered.
Opening his eyes again, Jin Hayes's determined gaze was like a torch, turning into a sharp sword pointed directly at the top corner of the goal. Everyone in front of their televisions, including the fans at the scene, was struck by the look in Jin Hayes's eyes on the screen, a gaze that pierced through the soul.
!!!
Neuer felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his sixth sense made his body tremble slightly.
"No way, right?"
Distance, angle, air humidity, wind direction, turf friction coefficient, boots, wall height, ball material—all the minute data points converged unconsciously, calculating automatically. Jin Hayes felt as if he were in control of everything, mastering the football's trajectory even before taking the kick. A curve ball to bypass the wall, then a bit of a dip—yes, like that. The long rehearsal in his mind took less than three seconds in reality.
Jin Hayes signaled to Şahin with his eyes. Nuri Şahin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm even more nervous than you!"
He could finally start his run-up and reach the ball.
"Borussia Dortmund is preparing to take the kick, Nuri Şahin!!" The commentator Mehmet Scholl couldn't help but feel nervous, his voice trembling. Just as expected! Şahin reached the ball and stepped over it! The Schalke 04 wall was certain that Şahin was taking the shot, and they jumped early.
"We've been tricked!"
In Heiko Westermann's terrified eyes, Jin Hayes, behind Nuri Şahin, had already finished his run-up and swung his leg to strike. It really was Jin Hayes.
"Jin—takes the free kick!!!" Plant foot, arm swing, core, leg swing, contact—perfect. Everything was like a computer's precise calculation; Jin Hayes, in his most perfect state, curled a pleasing arc with his right foot. The ball carried intense spin, taking advantage of the moment the wall reached its peak and began to drop, perfectly clearing the tops of their heads. Manuel Neuer's pupils constricted violently as he frantically pushed off the ground, diving toward the right.
If nothing went wrong, his hand should be able to cover the top right corner. Unless—
The football was like a master's perfectly executed strike, flying in front of the goal in an instant.
"It's over!"
Neuer's confidence was crushed by this shot in an instant. The ball was even more perfect than he had imagined, turning into a blurred shadow that bypassed his fingertips and tucked into the net, grazing the gap between the crossbar and the post.
"So beautiful—" Before hitting the ground, Neuer even felt a heartfelt sense of admiration. This free kick by Jin Hayes was simply the most beautiful arc he had ever seen. To be defeated by such a shot, Neuer felt his life was complete.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment. The entire world seemed to pause in shock for two or three seconds, before the stadium finally erupted in cheers.
"Goooooooal!!! A perfect free kick! Jiiiiiin Haaayeeees!"
"Jin Hayes scores on his first-ever free kick! This is simply the most perfect, most moving arc I have ever seen in my commentary career!"
"The great free-kick takers of the past would be proud—this goal is simply a work of art!"
"Jin Hayes helps Dortmund secure a brace, extending their lead away from home!"
0-2.
The Schalke 04 players were starting to question their reality. The Ruhr Derby, the blood feud between the two teams—none of that seemed to matter anymore. Jin Hayes's free kick just now was a perfect combination of power, speed, and art, showing them the pure beauty of football, regardless of winning or losing. Trailing by two goals, they didn't even feel that dejected.
Neuer climbed up from the ground, watching somewhat timidly as Jin Hayes and his teammates spread their arms, forming a formation of bombers flying toward the corner flag to celebrate. He inexplicably felt like joining in.
If he had disliked Jin Hayes before—disliked this flashy player and his showy dribbling that made fools of his teammates—now, Neuer finally understood why this player had become the darling of Dortmund in less than two years, and why he was one of the players with the highest jersey sales in the Bundesliga.
The first half wasn't even over yet; it was only the 36th minute. In Neuer's view, with Jin Hayes's unstoppable free kick hitting the net, this match was already over.
...
0-4.
Schalke 04 truly became '04', being shut out at home by Dortmund.
Starting from the 70th minute of the second half when it became 0-3, people in the stands began to leave one after another. The intense and fiery Ruhr Derby had only lasted for half an hour before being ended by Jin Hayes's free kick. The gap in strength, mentality, and players between the two sides was too large; the derby had lost its meaning.
Jin Hayes didn't score in the second half either. He just tried his best to participate in the attack, but he always felt like something wasn't quite right. He would space out on the pitch from time to time, and his unforced errors increased as a result.
Şahin had originally intended to find Jin Hayes with a pass, letting him create chaos in the final third and launch a counterattack to extend the lead. As it turned out, Jin Hayes actually failed to receive the ball. In a momentary lapse, the ball had already gone out of bounds.
"Man?"
"Sorry, my bad." Jin Hayes quickly gave Şahin a thumbs-up.
It's normal for players to make mistakes on the pitch. No matter how big the star or how important the figure in the team, they could lose a championship because of one fatal error. Jin Hayes was the hero of Dortmund's 2-goal lead; it was his two heavy punches at the start that dazed Schalke 04 and ended the suspense of the match early. A slight mistake was excusable.
"Jin failed to receive the pass just now, which is also understandable. He has always been the core of Dortmund, the irreplaceable one for Dortmund's title challenge this season. The recent congested fixture list has put pressure on the 16-year-old that he shouldn't have to bear. To be honest, I'm glad to see him make a mistake. Otherwise, I'd really suspect he's an alien rather than a human." Commentator Mehmet Scholl wasn't being sarcastic; he was serious. The occasional flaws in Jin Hayes instead reduced the sense of distance between him and the fans. Otherwise, being too perfect would make him seem a bit non-human.
Manager Jürgen Klopp didn't have any complaints either, smiling and applauding Jin Hayes.
"It's okay, Jin!"
After that, Jin Hayes's ball control and passing were relatively normal. Although his breakthroughs weren't as sharp as in the first half, he still created several threats. Finally, in the 85th minute of the match, Klopp used his last substitution to take Jin Hayes off.
When he went off, in addition to the frantic applause from the away stand, there was actually some applause from the home stand as well. The arch-rivals of the Ruhr Derby were actually applauding the core player of the opposing team. This was an extremely rare situation in the football world.
Jin Hayes's early strike in the first half and his perfect free-kick arc had completely conquered the Veltins-Arena. The sounds of booing him had disappeared. Schalke 04 lost today without any complaints.
"Brother, you're okay, right?"
After the match, in the locker room. The victorious Dortmund players were all like monkeys, shouting and cheering from the hallway. The first thing they did upon entering the locker room was gather around Jin Hayes.
"Are you okay?"
"Jin, your free kick today was too cool!"
"You rascal, you've been practicing in secret, haven't you!"
"You really showed off! Damn it!"
Some were concerned about his condition, some were joking, and others were sincerely congratulating Jin Hayes on his first free-kick goal. Jin Hayes just gave them tired smiles, brushing them off one by one.
Alone in the away team's shower, he turned on the faucet, and cold water poured over Jin Hayes's head through the showerhead. He finally felt a bit better.
"Could it be that the price this time is focus, or mental energy?"
Interesting.