Chapter 46 He Ying's Choice

Not long after Zhou Yi decided to stay in Dortmund, he received a call from He Ying. In the call, He Ying apologized to Zhou Yi and told him that he had ultimately decided to stay in Barcelona, competing for playing time in the first team and fighting against those established players.

He was calling to ask for Zhou Yi's forgiveness, after all, Zhou Yi had given him advice, but he hadn't listened.

Hearing his reason, Zhou Yi laughed: "What's that? I'm just a suggestion-giver, but you're the one who makes the final decision, so you don't need to care about my thoughts, He Ying. Just do what you want to do, if you want to stay in the first team, then stay with peace of mind. And I think your agent is right, when facing difficulties, it's not okay to just run away, you have to face them head-on, don't be a coward, just do it! You're not that much worse than them."

"Uh, Zhou Yi, do you really think so?" He Ying wasn't very sure, because Zhou Yi had been firmly supporting him leaving Barcelona before.

"Of course, although I suggested you leave Barcelona, it doesn't mean you have no chance at all in Barcelona. As long as you work hard, plus a little bit of luck, nothing is impossible. Actually, the most important thing is whether you can seize the opportunity. As long as you can seize the opportunity given to you, you can achieve success." Zhou Yi explained to He Ying in detail.

After listening to Zhou Yi's words, the stone in He Ying's heart finally fell.

He had actually been feeling uneasy ever since making his choice, feeling like he had no face to face Zhou Yi. So he finally gave Zhou Yi a call, hoping to explain the situation clearly to him.

Zhou Yi even joked with He Ying, saying that if they met in the Champions League, they should agree in advance that whoever won would treat the other.

"Then I'll treat you to a Barcelona feast!" He Ying sounded much more relaxed.

"Hey, it's not certain who will win or lose!" Zhou Yi retorted. "Don't think that Dortmund will definitely lose to Barcelona!"

※※※

The next day, Chinese media reported that He Ying had confirmed that he would stay in Barcelona's first team, and the Barcelona club officials were very satisfied with He Ying's decision.

Head coach Vilanova said in an interview that he had followed He Ying's performance at the London Olympics, praising He Ying as a calm and comprehensive striker in front of the goal, and he was very optimistic about He Ying's performance in Barcelona's first team.

Faced with this news, the Chinese media and fans were overjoyed, because they hoped that more and more Chinese players could gain a foothold in strong European teams. Zhou Yi, Sun Pan, and Yang Muge could all be considered to have established themselves. Although Guo Nu had also gained a firm foothold, Cesena really had nothing to do with strong European teams—they were still in Serie B, not even in the top league...

Only He Ying was left.

When he first went to La Masia, he received much attention and was given high hopes. Unexpectedly, he didn't get anywhere in La Masia, and many people were disappointed about it. Fortunately, Zhou Yi rose up unexpectedly, otherwise people would really start to wonder if Chinese people were suitable for playing football—He Ying was also one of the best among his peers in China, a key player in the national youth team and national youth team, and was considered a rising star of Chinese football. La Masia brought together talented teenagers from all over the world, including outstanding talents from Japan and South Korea. Now, He Ying, as China's representative, didn't even make a splash, which was a bit of a blow to the fans' self-esteem compared to Japan and South Korea...

When He Ying was loaned to Valladolid, the fans were desperate, thinking that He Ying might sink and degenerate from then on.

Who would have thought that in the Spanish Second Division, He Ying would be reborn and perform very well.

In fact, before the end of last season, Chinese media and fans hoped that He Ying could be transferred to Barcelona's first team through his outstanding performance in Valladolid, which would be a dream come true for everyone.

So now that everyone saw that He Ying had really stayed in Barcelona's first team, everyone was very happy.

This was the first player to play for a top club in the true sense.

Although Dortmund was also a member of the G14, in everyone's mind, Dortmund was not considered a top club. There was only one top club in German football, and that was Bayern Munich. But even Bayern Munich was not as good as Barcelona.

So He Ying filled a void.

Having just won the Olympic championship, He Ying successfully stayed in Barcelona's first team, this summer was really extremely happy for Chinese fans.

※※※

A few days later, before the start of the Bundesliga season, Zhou Yi and Yang Muge had a meal together.

During the meal, they talked about He Ying's matter.

"The media is all reporting about He Ying staying in Barcelona, everyone is very happy." Yang Muge said.

Zhou Yi shook his head: "Actually, I'm not very optimistic about He Ying... He called me to explain the situation, but I couldn't say anything, I could only encourage him."

"Is it really that bad? Actually, it's just a possibility, right? He might fail in Barcelona, but he might succeed." Yang Muge always hoped that his friend would develop smoothly.

"Of course, anything is possible, but there is also a probability problem. The probability of him succeeding in Barcelona's first team is too low. Think about it, he didn't participate in the pre-season training camp at all this season, he was playing in the Olympics in London. If he had already played in the first team for two or three seasons, then the impact of missing the pre-season training camp would still be there, but it wouldn't be too great. But he has never trained or played with those stars in the first team at all, he doesn't understand them, and they don't understand him. Then he goes to the first team, he faces a completely unfamiliar environment, he doesn't even have an adaptation period, and he has to immediately enter the most intense competition, I really find it hard to be optimistic about him..."

After listening to Zhou Yi's analysis, Yang Muge also felt worried about He Ying's prospects.

"That's not the end of it. He started much later than others, and while he's working hard to train, his teammates can't just lie down and let him catch up, right? Let's not talk about Messi, He Ying's opponent is not him, let's talk about the other few people, Pedro, Villa, Sanchez... Which of these people's starting order is not ahead of him? I think his direct competitor is Tello, and even this opponent is not simple, he played in Barcelona last season and performed well."

"Actually, I think Tello's development trajectory in the first team can be used as a reference for He Ying... In the first game he played for the first team, he had two goals and one assist, becoming the protagonist. Not long after, he started in La Liga, and had a debut goal in his debut, and almost scored twice. This start is dreamy enough, right? Last season, he eventually played 14 league games, three starts, eleven substitutions, and scored three goals. For a newcomer, this is actually very good, but I think if there are no surprises in the new season, Tello may still be on the bench a lot of the time, and it's unlikely that he will get stable playing time. Because Barcelona's attacking lineup is relatively fixed, and the lineup of this kind of powerhouse will not be easily changed, frequent rotation is absolutely impossible. Even if He Ying can achieve Tello's starting performance, he is just the second Tello in Barcelona's first team... Is it meaningful to be a substitute in Barcelona?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Yi spread out his hands.

"Uh... Zhou Yi..." After listening to Zhou Yi's long speech, Yang Muge's expression was a little dull.

"What's wrong?"

"How do you know so much about the situation of a substitute in Barcelona?"

"I usually like to study and pay attention to other teams when I have nothing to do, you know I used to be a fan. As a fan, I naturally wouldn't let go of any football information, ha!" Zhou Yi said.

He wasn't making excuses, not to cover up his virtual system, because he was telling the truth this time. This was the habit he had developed as a fan.

In the past, in school, everyone as fans would pay attention to the situation of each round of the major European leagues, pay attention to the performance of those players, and if any newcomers emerged, they would definitely discuss it with their partners. In addition, in the online society, you can also find enough like-minded fan companions online, and discuss and post in forums.

So this was a habit for Zhou Yi.

After he became a professional player, he also brought this habit to his professional career, because he found that this habit was very beneficial to him.

As the midfield core of a team, he had to lead the team to victory, so he had to know himself and the enemy, understand his opponents, so that he could have a basic understanding when he encountered them and know what to do.

"I understand why you are so amazing..." Yang Muge sighed. "Truly an extraordinary person."

Zhou Yi laughed and changed the subject, continuing to talk about He Ying's matter.

"With He Ying's strength, he should be a starter, not a substitute for a top club. Everyone says top clubs are good, but top clubs are not all good. He is still a Barcelona fan after all, and this fan mentality will restrict his development. When he needs to make a choice, he will be too influenced by emotions, and thus make the wrong choice..."

"What about you, Zhou Yi?"

"Hmm?"

"Choosing to stay in Dortmund, isn't that also being emotional? With your ability and fame, it's normal and more sensible to go to top clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid, right?" Yang Muge asked.

"I'm not being emotional, Lao Yang." Zhou Yi shook his head. "I will definitely leave here in the future, but not now."

"Why not now? Do you still have any goals here? You've won the league championship and the German Cup, what other championships haven't you won?"

"The Champions League." Zhou Yi said.

Yang Muge opened his mouth wide, but didn't make a sound.

"If I go to teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid now and win the Champions League, people will think it's a matter of course, right? No one will think it's because of me that they won the championship, right? After all, teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid are strong, they have the strength to win the championship, whether I'm there or not. But if I win the Champions League in Dortmund, I don't think anyone can ignore my importance. So I'll wait until I win the Champions League here before I consider leaving."

Yang Muge's mouth was still open, his eyes were straight, and Zhou Yi didn't get any response after he finished speaking.

So Zhou Yi waved his hand in front of him: "Hey, come back to your senses, Lao Yang."

Yang Muge blinked his eyes, finally regaining his senses.

"Why are you reacting like this?" Zhou Yi asked.

"No... I didn't expect you to be so ambitious, Zhou Yi..."

Zhou Yi laughed: "Is that what scared you, Lao Yang? What would you say if I said I also wanted to lead the Chinese team to win the World Cup?"

"Don't joke around, Zhou Yi..." Yang Muge waved his hands repeatedly.

"I'm not joking, Lao Yang." Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi's expression was very serious. "I'm twenty-one years old this year, even if I retire at thirty-six, I still have fifteen years in my career. In the time that I can still maintain my form, I should be able to play in three World Cups. 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar. By the time of the Qatar World Cup, I'll be thirty-one years old, and if there are no accidents, that will be the last World Cup where I'm in good form. I have three chances, and I'll do my best."

This time, Yang Muge wasn't scared by Zhou Yi's ambition and the grand prospect he described. He was indeed scared at first, but as Zhou Yi spoke, his expression gradually returned to normal.

"Huh, you don't seem to be scared." Zhou Yi saw that Yang Muge was calm after he finished speaking, and was a little surprised.

"Yeah, Zhou Yi, because I will also do my best to help you." Yang Muge said.

This answer stunned Zhou Yi.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I suddenly feel like you're being so cheesy..." Zhou Yi crossed his arms and pretended to be cold.

"Damn!" Yang Muge didn't expect Zhou Yi to say that.

Zhou Yi burst out laughing after seeing Yang Muge's reaction.

Yang Muge realized that Zhou Yi was teasing him, so he also laughed.

In the laughter, both of them understood that they were serious about that matter.