October 9, 2014. The Volkswagen Arena. The tunnel.
Looking at the shirts on the Hamburg players, David Qin was reminded of a common joke: "Hamburg hasn't forgiven the Bundesliga yet." His gaze then drifted to Hamburg's Number 23: Rafael van der Vaart.
Once, the "Four Great Talents" of Dutch football were a legendary force. The first three were Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Robin van Persie. The fourth was Van der Vaart. Anyone who had played Football Manager knew exactly how lethal Van der Vaart could be, but that was in a digital world.
Tragedy and bad luck are often the shadows of genius. After winning the Golden Boy award in 2003, Van der Vaart clashed with Zlatan Ibrahimović. And Zlatan doesn't just "let things go." During a Sweden-Holland friendly, Zlatan famously caught him with a taekwondo-style kick. When Van der Vaart claimed it was intentional, Zlatan's response was legendary: "If you lie again, I'll break both your legs, and then it will be intentional."
Outmatched by Ibrahimović, Van der Vaart fled to the Bundesliga to join Hamburg. Later, Real Madrid signed him, only for him to find Kaká as his primary competition. How do you compete with that? Even when Kaká was injured, a new club president arrived, and Van der Vaart, seen as a remnant of the old regime, was relegated to the bench.
In the 2010 World Cup Final, he finally got his chance as a substitute, only to make a clearance error in extra time that gifted the ball to Cesc Fàbregas. Fàbregas provided the assist, and Andrés Iniesta struck the dagger into Dutch hearts. A stint at Tottenham followed, where he played alongside Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić—elite company, but at a club synonymous with "Spursy" luck. Hampered by a mid-season ligament tear, he returned to Hamburg two seasons ago. A late-career resurgence followed, with a brilliant 8 goals and 10 assists last season.
"What a tragic run," David Qin thought, offering a silent prayer that his own career wouldn't be quite so cursed.
Soon, his expression hardened. This was the first match without Kevin De Bruyne. To be honest, he felt a bit out of sorts. But he couldn't stay tethered to "Ginger Peaches" forever, could he? If he couldn't carry the attack on his own, he would never reach the pinnacle of the sport.
David felt the weight on his shoulders, but it was matched by a surge of adrenaline.
"Good evening, everyone!" He Wei's voice greeted the Chinese audience. "We are live for Round 11 of the 2014-15 Bundesliga season! Wolfsburg hosts Hamburg!"
"The Wolves have made adjustments to the starting XI. Christian Träsch returns to provide stability at full-back, allowing Vieirinha to shift to the other side. The midfield engine room features Josuha Guilavogui and Luiz Gustavo—two formidable defensive specialists. Aaron Hunt takes the Number 10 role today, flanked by David Qin and Ivan Perišić."
"The whistle blows, and we are underway!"
The Wolfsburg supporters were secretly worried. While David Qin's stats were phenomenal, De Bruyne remained the tactical heartbeat of the team. His organization and cold-blooded vision were the essential gears of the Wolfsburg machine. Without him...
He Wei's fears were quickly realized. Without De Bruyne, Wolfsburg's transition play looked stiff and labored. They were avoiding the crowded center, opting instead for a more direct, wing-heavy approach.
"The Wolves seem to be struggling with the tempo!" the commentary continued. "Behrami intercepts a pass from Guilavogui and moves it quickly to Van der Vaart! One of the great Dutch masters!"
"Beautiful! A sharp turn to bypass Luiz Gustavo, and he's driving forward!"
Van der Vaart's creativity remained world-class. His legendary "scorpion kick" against Juventus still lived in the minds of his loyal fans. Snap! Just as Knoche stepped up to block, Van der Vaart released a disguised diagonal through-ball. The ball fizzed past Vieirinha's left and found Nicolai Müller.
The German winger's ball control was shaky under pressure from Vieirinha, but he managed to dig out a cross. Because Knoche had stepped up, a pocket of space had opened at the edge of the box. Hamburg's Pierre-Michel Lasogga arrived on cue and lashed a venomous strike.
Bang! The ball thundered toward the net. Benaglio reacted quickly, but the sheer power of the close-range blast was too much to parry.
"Goal!"
"Lasogga's strike clips Benaglio's hand and nestles into the net! In the 23rd minute, the visitors have taken the lead! I don't think many fans expected the game to open up like this!"
He Wei sighed inwardly. Professionally, he had to remain neutral, but his heart was with The Wolves—or rather, with David Qin. At the Volkswagen Arena, the home fans looked stunned. In the away end, the Hamburg supporters were delirious. Having held the leaders Bayern to a draw earlier, were they about to topple second-place Wolfsburg?
"The game is just beginning! Heads up!" Diego Benaglio shouted, trying to rally his troops.
"Give me the ball more," David Qin said, looking at Aaron Hunt.
Dieter Hecking's game plan had been centered on the counter-attack. Now that Hamburg were ahead, they would likely drop deep into a compact block. Wolfsburg had to seize the initiative. David knew he had to step up, or they would be "slow-cooked" into a defeat. He thought of his [Diabolical Finesse Shot] mastery, currently sitting at 68%, and decided to hunt for a chance in the left half-space. If he could break the deadlock, everything would change.
"Got it!" Hunt nodded firmly. He knew his limits; he was an excellent defensive midfielder, but he wasn't a creative architect. The best he could do was ensure David had a solid platform to work from.
As play restarted, the cameras panned to the touchline. Hamburg's manager, Bert van Marwijk—the man who led Holland to the 2010 final—was applauding with a satisfied smile. On the other side, Hecking looked restless, almost sensing an impending disaster.
"Still too young..." Hecking sighed to himself.
But then, he noticed a shift. Under David Qin's subtle direction, Wolfsburg began to tilt their entire formation toward the left. Were they looking for a switch of play?
The plan unfolded exactly as he suspected. David pinged the ball to Perišić on the far side, but the Croatian didn't cross or drive into the box. Instead, he played it back inside to Aaron Hunt.
The former Bremen captain, hearing David's shout, laid the ball off with a crisp, sideways pass.
In that instant, Hecking realized what was happening. His heart hammered against his ribs.
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