A True Bundesliga Debut?

Four days later.

Another wonderful Bundesliga matchday had arrived.

After training, Leo Kang boarded the club bus with his teammates and headed to Gelsenkirchen.

They were about to face Bundesliga powerhouse Schalke 04 away from home.

Over the past two years, the standings and historical records of upper-mid-table Bundesliga teams had been completely unreliable as references.

Although Schalke 04 had finished sixth in the Bundesliga last season, they had lost every clash against strong opponents with dignity.

Looking out at the beautiful farmland beyond the window.

Leo Kang lowered his head and flipped through the map, forming a rough geographical impression of several clubs in the North Rhine region.

"Leo, that football cartoon you recommended to me isn't rigorous at all."

"Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen are only a few dozen kilometers apart. Why did the protagonist have to take a plane?"

"Still, Raúl was very handsome!"

Brandt held a tablet in his hands as he complained.

Bender smiled. "The current Schalke 04 no longer has Raúl. They only have Klaas-Jan Huntelaar left, but they're still very strong. How many top-flight teams have you seen where a center-back is their top scorer?"

After thinking for a moment, Kramer said, "With Schalke 04 missing from the Champions League this year, our Bundesliga European coefficient is in a bit of danger!"

Schalke 04 had another characteristic: respectable in domestic competition, godlike in Europe. Whenever they faced La Liga or Premier League clubs in the Champions League, their fighting power rose by several levels.

Thanks to the explosive performances of Bundesliga powerhouses and Bayern Munich in previous Champions League campaigns.

For the new 2015/16 season, the Bundesliga's European coefficient had surpassed the Premier League's, rising to second place.

What was the use of this coefficient?

It determined how many teams each league could send to the Champions League and Europa League.

An hour and a half later.

Bayer Leverkusen's club bus entered Gelsenkirchen.

Leo Kang discovered that this city and Leverkusen were practically two different worlds.

He did not see the Glass Waterfall Science Park that had been featured on television.

Nor did he see any elements associated with a "green city."

The roadsides were filled with a post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

Amid the clamor.

Several drunken men were violently fighting in the broken-down street.

Son Heung-min said, "Don't be so surprised, Leo. We took a shortcut. Next time we come here for fun, if we take the main road, you'll see a beautiful little city."

"Those men's tattoos... they should be from the Hydra Organization. God, their own people fighting each other—only in Gelsenkirchen would you see something like that."

Brandt asked curiously, "What is the Hydra Organization?"

Son Heung-min was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain it to a nineteen-year-old player.

Kramer explained, "It's a women's protection organization. This city collects entertainment taxes from girls. I hope there won't be too many Bayer Leverkusen fans at the stadium. Schalke 04 fans are famously good at fighting."

Half an hour later.

Bayer Leverkusen's club bus arrived at Veltins Arena.

Schalke 04's home ground!

Its original name: Arena AufSchalke!

The Veltins brewery had spent a fortune to secure the naming rights.

This magnificent stadium had an artistic exterior that seemed utterly out of place in Gelsenkirchen.

It incorporated countless new technologies and could hold sixty thousand spectators.

Bayer Leverkusen's BayArena had only a third of its capacity.

The bus drove into the parking lot.

Old Topp led Dino toward the press conference venue with practiced familiarity.

"I attended this stadium's opening ceremony back then! The president came too, and he even shook my hand."

"Schalke 04 is insane. They borrowed 190 million euros to build this stadium. When will we at Bayer Leverkusen ever have that kind of courage?"

At the pre-match press conference.

Andre Breitenreiter stood and warmly shook Old Topp's hand.

He was Schalke 04's new manager.

His coaching style was exceptionally bold.

The reporters eagerly began asking questions.

"Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke 04 have a very good relationship. We were both founded in 1904, and neither of us has ever won the Bundesliga title."

Andre Breitenreiter's words made the media burst into laughter.

The reporters quickly turned their questions toward Old Topp.

"Mr. Topp, has Leo Kang completed his contract renewal with Bayer Leverkusen?"

What kind of question was that?

Old Topp's face darkened. He said calmly, "You should ask Bayer Leverkusen's sporting director that question. You should focus more on Schalke 04's Leroy Sane. He has already scored four goals in two Bundesliga rounds—he is absolutely a phenomenal young talent!"

"Last season, he scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League! He set a Champions League record for young players!"

"And against Wolfsburg, he made an astonishing eighty-meter run, beat four players, and scored. I believe he has a brilliant future ahead of him!"

Now it was Andre Breitenreiter's turn to lose his composure.

"No, no, no! Sane is just stronger at dribbling. His abilities in other areas are very average. Yes, yes, yes, the club has renewed his contract."

Damn it.

No one was allowed to set their sights on Schalke's youth academy jewel!

Europe's major giants had long been eyeing Sane greedily.

Especially Bayern Munich.

Inside the players' tunnel.

The players from both sides warmly greeted one another.

There was not the slightest trace of tense hostility.

Quite a few players had formed deep friendships during their academy years.

For example, Sane had spent three years in Bayer Leverkusen's academy before returning to Schalke 04's academy.

Leo Kang surveyed the tunnel walls and ceiling, feeling as though he were inside a mine shaft.

He then looked toward Schalke 04's lineup.

Their starting eleven today.

They were all elite players who would establish themselves at Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, and Manchester City in the future.

Brandt suddenly patted him on the shoulder. "Leo, this is your Bundesliga debut!"

Kramer hurriedly corrected him. "Leo played in the first Bundesliga round. He just barely took a few steps onto the pitch before the match ended."

Veltins Arena.

The place was packed to the brim.

Blue-and-white flags fluttered in the wind.

Schalke 04's fans sang their stirring and impassioned club anthem in unison.

The refereeing team led both sides out of the tunnel.

The four giant LED screens above the stadium immediately displayed the starting lineups for both teams.

"CCTV-5! CCTV-5! Good evening, viewers! We are bringing you live coverage of the third round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Schalke 04 at home against Bayer Leverkusen!"

"A clash between two Bundesliga powerhouses! Matches between these two sides never lack goals!"

"Next, let us introduce the starting lineups for both teams!"

"Schalke 04 have lined up in a 4-3-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper: Ralf Fährmann!"

"Left back: Dennis Aogo!"

"Center-backs: Joel Matip alongside Benedikt Höwedes!"

"Right back: Christian Riether!"

"Midfield: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Leon Goretzka, Max Meyer!"

"Left winger: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting!"

"Center forward: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar!"

"Right winger: Leroy Sane!"

"Bayer Leverkusen have also lined up in a 4-3-3 formation!"

"Goalkeeper:"

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