The Tragedy Maker

Sao Paulo's first training session in Munich was open to the public. Not many fans showed up, but there were quite a few reporters.

After all, Chen Anno had been linked with several European giants recently. This seventeen-year-old prodigy was naturally attracting plenty of attention.

However, after watching all morning, many reporters came away with a low opinion of Chen Anno.

Average speed, average technique, and even an average attitude on the pitch. After losing the ball, he barely pressed to win it back.

That was the impression Chen Anno's open training session that morning left on those reporters. Everyone believed Chen Anno's fame had been entirely hyped up by the Brazilian clubs working together.

Their goal was to find some European sucker and make a fortune off him!

It wasn't as if those South American clubs had never done that kind of thing before.

A player would tear through South American leagues, scoring goals for fun, only to show his true colors the moment he reached Europe and turn into a complete flop.

If Chen Anno knew that this was the first impression he had left on the European media, he would definitely cry foul.

Because on the training ground, he had nearly fallen asleep. The fact that he could finish training with his eyes half-closed was practically godlike, all right?

Still, precisely because of this accident, when the official match came a few days later, Chen Anno instead gave them a super... super... enormous surprise.

"Hello, brothers, good evening, and welcome to the Batian Football Live stream."

"Just a reminder to everyone in the stream—it's already two in the morning, so turn the volume down a little so you don't disturb your neighbors."

"That's right, brothers. Today we're broadcasting the Audi Cup match, Bayern against Sao Paulo. This is a commercial cup competition held in Munich, Germany. The teams taking part are Bayern from the Bundesliga, Manchester City from the Premier League, Benfica from Portugal's Primeira Liga, and Sao Paulo from the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A."

"Heh heh... I know a lot of you brothers came here to Batian because you want to watch Chen Anno. I've checked the starting lineup, and Chen Anno is on it, so everyone can rest easy."

"And, brothers, although this is a commercial match, both teams are basically fielding their main starters today. Ribery is in for Bayern, and Mandzukic is there too. This is definitely going to be a great showdown."

Chen Anno stood behind Aloisio, following the team forward.

"Kid, don't space out." Lucio, behind him, patted Chen Anno on the shoulder. "This may be a commercial match, but our opponent today is Bayern Munich, last season's treble winners. For you, this is absolutely the best chance to test the results of your training during this period."

Chen Anno nodded seriously.

The player tunnel at the Allianz Arena was very spacious. On the ceiling overhead was a huge Bayern Munich crest, while the black floor and ceiling were lined with two white strips of light extending all the way forward, giving it a very futuristic feel.

Last August, this stadium had just undergone expansion, increasing its capacity from over sixty-six thousand to more than seventy-one thousand.

Although this was a commercial match, it was the off-season. The fans, who had gone two months without football, could no longer hold back, and today, all seventy thousand-plus seats were packed.

As he walked out of the player tunnel, a sea of red greeted his eyes.

Looking at the Bayern players walking into the stadium alongside him, Chen Anno felt a moment of daze.

These players had once been people he could only see on television, yet today, he was actually walking beside them. In a while, he would even be competing with them on the same pitch.

Although he had already had a similar experience playing against Ronaldinho in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, he still could not help feeling a little excited.

Inside a VIP box in the stands.

"That number twenty-one is the Anno Chen you mentioned?" Bayern president Uli Hoeneß looked at sporting director Sammer beside him.

"That's right, sir." Sammer nodded. "I've watched his match footage against Santos and Corinthians, and combined with our scouting reports, Anno has outstanding dribbling and explosiveness. He has something of Ronaldinho back in the day."

Hoeneß nodded. "Mm... I've also watched this kid's match footage. He has very Brazilian traits. What did his agent say?"

Hearing that, Sammer shook his head. "His agent asked us to guarantee him playing time. I asked Pep for his opinion on this, and I believe you can understand as well—there's no way we can make that kind of guarantee to a seventeen-year-old player."

After a pause, Sammer continued, "Although Anno does have some talent, the European stage is different from the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A. The physical intensity and the tempo of the matches are not on the same level."

Hoeneß waved a hand. "Geniuses having some special demands is normal, but the one thing world football has no shortage of is geniuses. Let's observe him for now. Since this Audi Cup is happening, we can use it to see whether he can adapt to high-level matches."

While the two Bayern executives were talking, in an inconspicuous corner of the Allianz Arena, two men wearing baseball caps and dressed very low-key were also observing Chen Anno on the pitch.

"Old friend, that number twenty-one is the Anno Chen you talked about?"

"Yes. I swear, he is absolutely a genius! With all my years of scouting experience, Anno's future achievements definitely won't be inferior to Messi's!"

On the pitch.

After a brief opening ceremony, the two captains and the referee carried out the coin toss, and the countdown to kickoff began.

With a whistle from the referee, the match officially began.

As one of Europe's top giants, having just won the first treble in club history last season, Bayern Munich showed overwhelming dominance right from the start.

The tempo of the match was astonishingly fast. German midfielder Schweinsteiger, as the lone defensive midfielder, stood there like an iron gate.

Up front, young talent Thomas Muller linked play, while Toni Kroos directed the tempo through the middle.

Robben and Ribery flew down both wings, and on the forward line, Croatian target man Mandzukic acted as the pivot.

Chen Anno finally experienced up close what a high-level match was. Previously, he had only heard about it from Lucio.

However, there was not the slightest retreat or timidity in Chen Anno—only endless fighting spirit bursting from his eyes!

The surging adrenaline left Chen Anno incredibly excited!

This was football! This was the football he wanted!

Compared with the level Bayern displayed, the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A was practically a retirement home for old men!

Of course, compared with young calves like Chen Anno and Aloisio, veterans like Lucio were much calmer.

After all, old Lucio was someone who had seen the big stage.

7th minute of the match.

Robben broke through down the right and cut inside, then curled a shot from the left side of the penalty area, but Lucio stuck out a foot and blocked it behind the goal line.

Three minutes later, Ribery broke through again on the left and crossed the ball into the box near the byline. Thomas Muller arrived late and powered a header at goal, the ball flying out almost grazing the crossbar.

Bayern's attack was like a red tide in the stands, surging in wave after wave.

"Don't panic! Stay steady first!" Lucio commanded the back line with his booming voice.

As a veteran who had been through countless battles, he knew full well that once a team like Bayern disrupted their shape, what awaited them was a total collapse.

After all, that nickname—massacre machine—hadn't come from nowhere.

For this opening spell, Chen Anno had dropped all the way back to help defend. Bayern's tempo and precise passing left him somewhat alarmed.

Just now, he had taken the ball and gone into a physical duel with Schweinsteiger. It was a level of intensity completely different from the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, like slamming straight into a concrete wall.

This was also the first time Chen Anno had suffered such a big loss in an official match, though it was partly because he had been underprepared.

But! That overwhelmingly real sensation really was different!