Lin Quan Injured? Guardiola Can't Sit Still

"Let's take a look at this play."

Inside the CCTV studio, seeing Werder Bremen suddenly accelerate into a counterattack, He Wei and Xu Yang both perked up.

"Prödl wins the ball and passes it to De Bruyne. Dortmund is sprinting back on defense! De Bruyne sends a pass—beautiful, this ball has real penetration. Dortmund's backline is in danger!"

"Lin Quan receives the ball, slips past Leitner, then gets by Ginter. Those dribbles were clean and sharp—the opposing defenders must be left with no answer!"

"It's a one-on-one with the keeper! He's about to shoot! Oh no, he's been taken down!"

Xu Yang quickly chimed in: "We'll have to see what the referee decides. Dortmund's center-back Hummels slid in from the side and behind to take down Lin Quan. Whether he touched the ball or not, that's a dangerous move—could earn a card. If he hit the man first, it might be a red card and a penalty!"

"The call is made. The referee awards a penalty and gives Dortmund's number 15, Hummels, a red card. Even though he keeps pleading to the ref that it wasn't intentional, the referee shows no sign of changing the decision, just signals him to leave the pitch."

"Dortmund's players look furious. They're crowding around the referee, arguing, apparently protesting the call."

"Lin Quan seems to be injured. Werder Bremen's players are all rushing into the box!"

Compared to the referee's decision, He Wei was more concerned about Lin Quan's injury: "Lin Quan looks seriously hurt. He hasn't moved at all since he went down. We don't know the exact extent yet, but Hummels' red card is completely justified."

"Yes, that kind of tackle from behind is extremely dangerous for a player. They can't see the tackler's movement, so it's hard to avoid in time. If they get caught, they're very likely to get injured—maybe even a career-threatening one!"

After sending Hummels off, the referee walked over to Lin Quan, who was still down in pain. He checked on him for a moment, then waved for the stretcher to come on.

Werder Bremen's medical team rushed up immediately. Seeing the pained expression on Lin Quan's face, they were alarmed and quickly asked: "Lin, how are you feeling?"

Lin Quan wasn't actually badly hurt. He'd noticed the tackle coming and dodged in time, so while he was still brought down, he avoided the direct impact. The main reason he stayed down was that after the intense sprint, his legs cramped up from exhaustion, and he was too drained to get up right away.

Once they understood that, the medical team breathed a sigh of relief. They quickly helped straighten his legs and loosen his muscles. Cramping after exercise wasn't a big deal, but it was still uncomfortable.

The home fans showered Lin Quan with boos, convinced it was a dive and that the referee's call was unfair. But then the big screen replayed the moment, shutting them up. In the replay, Hummels' tackle from the side and behind didn't touch the ball at all—it went straight into the player. Even a total football novice could see it was a clear foul. They couldn't keep shamelessly calling the ref biased or accusing Lin Quan of diving. Still, regardless, it was because of this number 10 that they got a red card and a penalty, so booing him was the way to go!

The stadium erupted in a storm of boos. Lin Quan was carried off under the deafening jeers. The moment Lin Quan went down injured, Coach Schaaf had the substitute on the bench start warming up to come on. By the time Lin Quan was being treated on the sideline, Werder Bremen's number 14 winger, Aaron Hunt, had already stepped onto the pitch.

"Is the injury serious?" Coach Schaaf, too distracted to watch the penalty result, walked over and asked the head of the medical team.

"From what we can see, it's not serious, but we'll need further tests to be sure."

"Alright, then arrange a full set of tests for him. Don't miss anything."

The moment Lin Quan hit the ground injured, Schaaf's heart felt like it was being squeezed. He was terrified that the promising young star his team had finally found might be ruined on his watch. That's why he was so meticulous about Lin Quan's health. Young players often think their bodies are tough and recovery is fast, so they don't take injuries seriously. That's clearly the wrong mindset. Early-career injuries, if neglected, can easily leave huge hidden problems. By the time they pile up and worsen or recur, it's too late for regrets. Countless talented players in football have been destroyed by injuries. That's why top clubs in recent years have placed immense importance on their medical teams, sparing no expense to hire professional sports and medical experts. The old days when some clubs used a janitor as a doctor are long gone.

Schaaf wasn't the only one worried about Lin Quan's injury. Far away in Munich, Guardiola, watching the live broadcast, shot up from his seat when he saw Lin Quan collapse, his face tense with fear. He knew all too well what an injury at that age could mean—it could outright end a career! And Lin Quan's career had just begun. If it was so easily ruined, Guardiola feared he might never recover.

"Sorry, Manager Hoeness, I have an urgent matter to attend to. We can talk about the things you mentioned another time." He stood up, apologized to the other person in the room, and turned to leave.

"Uh, Coach Guardiola, your son's injury probably isn't that serious. Our preliminary contract is mostly finalized—just needs your signature. How about signing it first before—" Hoeness was a bit speechless. Even if you're worried about your son, you don't have to rush off this instant!

How long could signing a name take?

But Guardiola hadn't even listened to him finish before he'd already left the meeting room, leaving him and Guardiola's agent staring at each other.

"Say, is Guardiola always this impulsive?"

Hoeness felt a bit annoyed—after all, he was the general manager of Bayern Munich.

He'd spent the whole day with him, showing him the team's youth setup, training facilities, base, and even the locker room.

And now, when it came time to sign, the man dropped one sentence and ran off, making him feel slighted and disrespected.

Orovitg shook his head:

"Not at all. Pep is a very humble man; he wouldn't normally be so rude. But when he encounters someone he truly cares about, he can lose his composure."

"Are there many people he values that much? I'm not trying to pry into Guardiola's private life, you understand—I need to rule out risks for the team. We can't have our head coach just abandoning the team on a whim, can we?"

Orovitg said seriously: "You can rest assured on that. Pep may be an emotional man, but his professionalism is beyond question. I can tell you, there aren't many people he values that much. Aside from family, only two people on the pitch have ever earned that level of regard from him!"

"Oh? Who?"

Hoeness asked curiously.

"Barca's number 10, Messi, and the one you just saw—the man who was injured and lying on the ground!"