Although Perisic was named Man of the Match with a goal and an assist, Mark still received a high score of three points in the post-match ratings.
The official commentary was also full of praise:
"His appearance immediately made the game different."
"This young man's talent was fully displayed in his fancy footwork!"
Although his playing time was short, Mark's performance as a right winger stood in stark contrast to Vieirinha's.
The performances of both further solidified Hecking's resolve to use Mark as a substitute surprise weapon.
On the defensive end, Vieirinha's ability to run up and down the flank and his defensive capabilities were both superior to Mark's.
On the offensive end, Mark's dribbling and creativity were the strongest among the wingers in the team.
If playing away or against stronger opponents, Vieirinha could start first to hold the line and wear down the opponent.
Then, Mark could come on to use his footwork to tear apart the opponent's defense and create scoring opportunities!
Such a tactical change would be enough to catch opponents off guard!
Thinking of this, Hecking, who was attending the post-match press conference, also showed a mysterious smile.
He had already envisioned the surprised look on the opposing coach's face in his mind... Meanwhile, Mark, after showering, went to the stadium's underground parking lot, ready to drive home.
However, just as he was driving out of the parking lot, the fans waiting outside immediately spotted him.
"That's Mark's car!"
Someone shouted, and the fans, dressed in green and white Wolfsburg jerseys, immediately swarmed forward.
Before Mark could react, his entire car was surrounded by fans.
"Mark!"
"Mark! I love you!"
"Mark, you played great!"
For a moment, the entire parking lot entrance was blocked by frenzied fans.
Among them, several reporters were taking pictures of him with their cameras.
This scene made Mark feel as if he had traveled to a world besieged by zombies.
"Damn, when did I become so popular?!"
Seeing that he was blocking the exit of the parking lot, Mark had no choice but to roll down his window and greet the fans:
"Hello everyone!"
"Mark, can you sign for me?"
"I want to take a picture with you!"
There were male and female fans, and their eyes were filled with excitement and thrill.
Feeling the fans' enthusiasm, Mark also smiled:
"Of course! But first, please make way so I can park the car up front, and then I'll sign autographs and take pictures with you."
"Okay!"
Next, at the shout of a black-haired man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, the fans moved to both sides, allowing Mark to drive out and park by the roadside.
As soon as he got out of the car, he was once again surrounded by fans!
At this moment, the black-haired man spoke again to maintain order:
"Hey, guys, one by one! Let's not cause trouble for our little dancer!"
The fans also consciously lined up.
Some held his number 45 jersey for him to sign;
Others, wearing Wolfsburg jerseys from previous seasons, took pictures with him;
Still others held Wolfsburg team flags... It's worth mentioning that due to the suddenness of the situation, Mark didn't have a marker pen for autographs.
Fortunately, a thoughtful fan had one with him!
Taking the marker pen handed to him by a fan, Mark thought for a moment, then wrote a somewhat flamboyant Chinese signature—"Mark"—on the jersey the fan offered.
While signing, Mark didn't forget to thank them:
"Thank you..."
One after another, Mark readily fulfilled every fan's request for an autograph or a photo.
Finally, it was the turn of the black-haired man with the black-rimmed glasses.
"Thank you just now, buddy."
"You're welcome..."
"By the way, I heard you say 'little dancer' just now, what's that?"
Only then did Mark learn from the black-haired man that he was the administrator of the Wolfsburg loyal fan organization "House of Wolves," named Stahl.
Moreover, after every home game, they would wait outside the parking lot, hoping to interact with the players.
As for "little dancer," it was a nickname given to Mark by the fans.
It meant that he danced gracefully on the field like a dancer!
After signing his name on the opponent's Wolfsburg baseball cap, Mark didn't forget to shake his hand:
"Thank you, Stahl."
"We should be thanking you for bringing victory to the team! We absolutely love your playing style, it's simply delightful!"
Hearing this, Mark was also grateful and showed a brilliant smile:
"Thank you, I will continue to work hard!"
Football is the world's number one sport not only because of the players on the pitch, but most importantly, because of the countless fans.
Whether in the stands or in front of the TV, fans are the key to the healthy and long-term development of the football world!
The community attribute that German football has had since its birth has not faded today.
Fans have a deep and close affection for their clubs.
This is also why the attendance rate of any Bundesliga team reaches ninety-nine percent!
...The little interlude with the fans made Mark smile all the way home.
Although it was the first time his hand ached from signing autographs, he felt incredibly happy inside.
"I didn't expect to be a little famous now, and the fans all recognize me..."
"But why didn't any pretty girls write their numbers on a note and slip it to me..."
"The nickname 'little dancer' really suits me..."
Back home, he casually poured a glass of juice from the fridge, went to the sofa in the living room, and immediately began to summon the system within him:
"System, come out! I want to add points!"
In the match against Schalke, he completed three match tasks: [Goal], [Successful Dribbles], and [Man of the Match], earning three potential points.
Against Mainz, he completed two tasks: [Assist] and [Successful Dribbles], earning two potential points.
A total of five potential points from the two matches!
"How should these five points be allocated?"
Considering this question, Mark fell into deep thought.
Based on his few substitute appearances, Mark had a deeper understanding of his own strength.
Whether on the left or right flank, he could tear apart the opponent's defense with his excellent dribbling.
For now, it seemed that if opponents didn't foul him, no one could defend him!
However, considering Perisic's recent hot form, with both goals and assists, he firmly held the starting left winger position.
Mark could only compete for the starting right winger position.
If playing as a right winger, his dominant foot was his right foot. If he wanted to cut inside, his weak foot ability would be key.
But the [Samba Elf] card only gave him Ronaldinho's ball control ability, not his weak foot ability.
Moreover, when Mark scrolled through the entire attribute panel, he couldn't find the [Weak Foot] attribute.
This meant that he couldn't improve his weak foot ability by adding points!
Mark couldn't help but complain in his mind:
"I have a cheat, but I still have to train my weak foot myself?! This system is too weak..."
Although he couldn't cut inside and shoot from the right flank,
He could choose to set up goals for his teammates!
However, looking at his generally only fifty or sixty in various passing attributes, Mark could only silently say "sorry" to his teammates in advance.
"The ball is passed out, whether you can receive it is up to you..."
Of course, as a winger, speed is definitely the most important ability.
After all, if you don't have speed, why play as a winger?!
With Mark's current [Speed] and [Explosion] both at sixty, while not a "wheelchair" player, he was still a bit slow.
Against second-rate full-backs like Hiroki Sakai of Hannover and Park Joo-ho of Mainz, it was still enough.
But when facing a full-back like Kolašinac, who has both speed and strength, he couldn't completely shake him off.
Of course, with his burst and speed, to soar like Bale, dribbling past Maicon and Zanetti in one go, directly leading by several body lengths?
That was certainly impossible.
However, Mark didn't intend to do that, nor did he disdain to do so.
In his opinion, a long run with the ball was something only wingers without footwork would do.
He clearly possessed Ronaldinho's dribbling ability; doing those things without technical content would be too demeaning.
Dribbling past opponents with elegant techniques, and then scoring in their disbelieving eyes, that was the beauty of football!
However, if he couldn't completely shake off an opponent after dribbling past them, he would be caught up to, or even fouled, by the defending player, thus delaying the attack.
Even if he dribbled past Kolašinac a hundred times, if he couldn't threaten the opponent's goal, what was the point?!
Ronaldinho was powerful precisely because of his ball control while dribbling at high speed.
And if his speed wasn't fast enough, he couldn't fully utilize Ronaldinho's dribbling ability.
It would be even more impossible to dribble past several players like Ronaldinho, carry the ball into the penalty area, and then shoot!
Therefore, after careful consideration, Mark decisively added five potential points to the [Explosion] attribute.
"At least I need to make sure I'm not so easily caught up after dribbling past someone..."