After De Bruyne came off, Werder Bremen's organization in the middle and attacking thirds declined somewhat.
With the players' stamina also dropping considerably, the score did not change again before the final whistle.
Although Cottbus tried hard to score and salvage some pride, they faced their opponents' unsporting five-man defense, and their attacks were like crashing into a wall—they simply could not break through.
Thus, they had no choice but to accept a 0–3 away defeat to Werder Bremen.
After the match, Schaaf led the players on a lap around the pitch to thank the fans who had come to support them.
Though attendance was not high, every fan who came to watch the match deserved their gratitude.
The revenue from the home tickets they bought every season accounted for roughly thirty percent of Werder Bremen's total income. To the team, they truly were the ones who kept them fed and clothed.
Since it was a friendly, there was no post-match press conference, and not many reporters had attended. Only reporters from several local Bremen media outlets were present.
Because of his outstanding performance, a Bremen Citizen News reporter found Lin Quan outside the players' tunnel and wanted to interview him.
However, the team's press officer declined the media interview on the grounds that Lin Quan was still underage.
"Lin, once you get back, you'll need to undergo some relevant training. Professional players can't avoid dealing with reporters."
Outside the tunnel leading to the locker room, team manager Allofs patted Lin Quan on the shoulder as he spoke.
He had watched the entire match from a private box and was extremely satisfied with the ability Lin Quan had shown during the game. As a result, he valued Lin Quan even more.
"Thank you for the reminder, Manager. I'll attend the training classes!"
Unlike Lin Quan, De Bruyne was already an adult and could not use being underage as an excuse to avoid interviews.
Left with no choice, he accepted interviews from both Bremen Citizen News and Bremen Daily.
"Kevin, congratulations on winning this match. How do you feel about your performance today? If you had to rate yourself, what score would you give?"
Hearing the reporter's question, De Bruyne thought seriously for a moment before answering:
"I didn't play very well in this match. If I had to give myself a score, I think I could only get a 75."
"I didn't expect you to hold yourself to such high standards. The fans all think you were the best player in this match!"
The reporters were all somewhat surprised by De Bruyne's answer.
In their eyes, De Bruyne had displayed an extremely high level at both ends of the pitch in this game.
His presence had made up for the problems Werder Bremen had faced in attack after losing Özil.
Moreover, his active tracking back had eased captain Fritz's defensive burden and made the team's defense more solid.
A performance like that deserved at least an 85 or higher.
"No, no, no. I wasn't the best player!"
"Then who do you think performed the best?"
De Bruyne answered without hesitation:
"I think my teammate Lin Quan performed better than I did. He scored an unbelievable goal and created danger many times. His impact in attack was unparalleled!"
Having gotten the answer they wanted, the reporters happily went to interview Werder Bremen's captain and other players.
To their surprise, their answers were remarkably consistent. They all believed the match's MVP should go to Lin Quan.
"Without a doubt, Lin is a player with limitless potential. You have to understand, he's only sixteen this year, and he still has enormous room to grow!
I think that if he keeps putting on performances this crazy, then perhaps in just a few years, people will mention him in the same breath as superstars like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!"
Captain Fritz rated him even more highly. He even believed Lin Quan could threaten Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance in world football.
However, that claim did not receive much recognition for the time being. After all, Lin Quan had only played in a friendly and had not truly proven himself in the Top Five Leagues.
But as supporters of Werder Bremen, both Bremen Citizen News and Bremen Daily were very optimistic about Lin Quan's future.
Not only did they faithfully report the team's praise for Lin Quan, they also invited Werder Bremen's legendary captain, Marko Bode, to comment on him.
"Yes, I've watched the young man's match. He really left a deep impression on me.
Fritz said he could one day stand alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I can't say for certain that he will achieve that, because there are too many uncertainties in a young player's career.
But if he can stay healthy, avoid being plagued by injuries, and continue improving his dribbling and ability to beat players, then at the very least, as a winger, he will be a historic-level presence!"
People might not pay much attention to the evaluations of ordinary Werder Bremen players.
But when even a legendary club icon gave Lin Quan such high praise, people could no longer ignore him.
Some fans who had not gone to the stadium began asking other fans around them about Lin Quan.
Others chose to watch replays of the match on video websites.
They did not realize it until they watched it, but once they did, they were stunned.
They were all shocked by Lin Quan's several sharp dribbles during the match!
How could there be a player whose dribbling was so devastating?
Unable to wait to share it with friends and family, they clipped several exciting moments from the match—especially the moments of Lin Quan beating defenders—and sent them to their friends.
At first, this was merely something Werder Bremen fans shared among themselves, but unexpectedly, more and more people began sharing those clips.
Almost everyone who saw them could not help but share them with others. One passed them to ten, ten passed them to a hundred, and in just a few days, they went viral online.
Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, Spain.
At Barca's Training Base, the players who had just finished a day of training walked toward the locker room in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.
Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets, who had returned to the team two weeks later than the others after just finishing the European Championship, lagged behind.
The three seemed to be looking at something as they walked and discussed it.
"He looks a lot like Messi!"
Busquets, known as Professor Bu, frowned slightly and analyzed it seriously.
"Mm, he really does. That first burst, that cut inside, and the way he beat defenders all look very similar!"
Iniesta and Xavi exchanged glances. Even Professor Bu said so, so it must really be true. No wonder this short video had such a title.
"What are you talking about?"
At that moment, Messi curiously turned around from ahead. Seeing the three gathered together and discussing something, he asked out of curiosity.
"Leo, come take a look at this!"
Iniesta, who was closest to Messi, beckoned him over and handed him the tablet they were holding.
"What am I looking at?"
Messi had no idea what they were up to. Was it another funny video?
Some players on the team liked to watch funny videos to relieve stress before major tournaments, but the new season had not even started yet. They had not even begun playing matches!
"You'll know when you see it!"
Messi lowered his head and saw a short video on the tablet. Its title was highly exaggerated:
The player who looks the most like Messi in history!
Messi shrugged. These days, there were simply too many so-called "Messis" using his name to draw attention. He was practically immune to it by now.
Still, he tapped on the video, wanting to see exactly how this player, supposedly the most like him in history, resembled him.
Once the video opened, it showed a match between two teams. A young player in a green jersey broke through down the wing, dribbled past six opposing defenders in succession, and scored even as he fell to the ground.
This...
Messi froze!
Could someone really be this similar?
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