"How strong is Germany's rising star, Ye Chen? A hat trick in 60 minutes during his national team debut!"

"Post-match interview with Ye Chen: 'The German team fears no opponent!'"

"From being released by Manchester United to scoring a hat trick in his national debut—what happened to Ye Chen?"

"Iconic moment: Ye Chen plays rock-paper-scissors with Kroos to decide who takes a free kick, followed by Löw's pointed critique in the post-match interview."

"Germany vs. France player ratings: Ye Chen earns a perfect 10, while Ogo hits rock bottom!"

"Making history again: Ye Chen becomes the youngest player to score a hat trick on his debut for Germany!"

...

As the match concluded, the news quickly dominated trending headlines.

After all, this was a clash of titans, and every goal was pure gold!

The last player to score a hat trick on his debut for Germany was Dieter Müller in 1976 during the European Championship semi-finals, where Germany beat Yugoslavia 4-2. Apart from Müller, players like Dumke, Pohlenz, Fritz Walter, and Strehl also delivered extraordinary performances during their debuts.

It's undeniable—Germany's football tradition is a class above.

Such records—hat tricks on debuts—seem almost commonplace for this team!

Naturally, after the match, coach Joachim Löw said:

"Ye Chen's hat trick was expected. This is what I envisioned from him!"

"I fully agree with Klopp's assessment—Ye is the 'new generation Ronaldo.' Of course, compared to peak Ronaldo, Ye is more well-rounded both physically and technically. But let's not forget, Ye is only 17! With him, we have both the present and the future!"

No "the higher you climb, the harder you fall" rhetoric here.

To Löw, Ye Chen is nothing short of a phenomenon.

When he subbed Ye Chen in, Löw's original intention was simple—let him disrupt the opposing defense a little, get a feel for the national team atmosphere, and build some chemistry with his teammates.

He never expected a comeback.

But Ye Chen's performance left him utterly stunned.

It was like a hero straight out of a Hollywood movie—singlehandedly saving an entire team!

That's also why Allianz Arena erupted into a literal earthquake during the decisive moments.

Even though it was just a friendly match, for fans, it felt like a championship final.

The next day, the team returned to Dortmund and immediately resumed recovery training.

"Ye, how does it feel playing for the German national team? Was it fun?" asked Kagawa Shinji with the excitement of a fanboy.

Ye Chen shrugged and said with a wry smile, "Well, there are too many Bayern players on the team. After I scored five against them, they're understandably not too happy. They barely pass me the ball during training. Even coach Löw had to yell at them!"

Kagawa paused, then said, "But Kroos passed you the ball for that final corner kick!"

"Yeah, that surprised me too," Ye Chen said with a chuckle.

Truth be told, even Ye Chen couldn't figure out why Kroos had given him the ball, but it didn't matter.

He completed the decisive goal and became the hero of the match.

What Ye Chen didn't know was that Kroos was later criticized by his Bayern teammates.

After all, they had pre-agreed not to pass the ball to Ye unless absolutely necessary—don't give him a chance to shine!

Yet Kroos broke the pact at the critical moment...

"Forget about all that. Let's train!" Ye Chen ended the conversation. "You should work hard too. Oh, and try learning from De Bruyne—his style suits modern football more."

Kagawa froze.

Was Ye serious? Telling him, a starter, to learn from a bench player?

Sure, De Bruyne had shown promise, but Kagawa felt there was still a significant gap between them.

But Ye Chen's advice always carried weight!

Over the next few weeks, Kagawa genuinely studied De Bruyne's playstyle.

In truth, Ye Chen had only casually mentioned it. Whether Kagawa could grasp it depended on his own ability.

Ye Chen naturally felt a bit of resistance toward Kagawa due to historical issues. However, Kagawa was always kind to him—constantly supporting and even flattering him.

Under such circumstances, giving Kagawa some helpful pointers wasn't a big deal.

De Bruyne, after all, was originally an attacking midfielder, but his game covered vast areas of the pitch, and he was highly active in defense as well.

What set De Bruyne apart was his defensive efficiency, something Kagawa could benefit from learning.

Why did Kagawa fail in the Premier League?

First, Ferguson left, and Moyes didn't know how to use him.

Second, Kagawa's defensive skills were underwhelming.

If he could improve in these areas, maybe Kagawa could have lasted longer at Manchester United...

That said, even if his career fizzled out, being a former United player meant he could always find work as a pundit.

After all, United alumni love to comment on everything!

Everyone's gotta eat, right?

Returning to the training ground, Ye Chen focused on improving his proficiency in the left-wing position while preparing for the next match.

Ye Chen's first game after officially joining Dortmund was against Mainz.

Ye had fond memories of Mainz—he made his mark with a spectacular hat trick off the bench, earning fans' admiration.

Now facing Mainz again, Ye Chen naturally wanted to shine.

Klopp checked in on Ye Chen's fitness.

"Boss, I only played 30 minutes in that friendly match—how could I have stamina issues?" Ye Chen confidently replied.

Such a humblebrag!

Scoring a hat trick in just 30 minutes? That's next-level arrogance.

The media in both France and Germany went wild. Major outlets like Bild, L'Équipe, and Kicker provided in-depth analysis.

Kicker's cover featured a shot of Ye Chen sitting on an advertising board, revealing his jersey number.

"Remember this name: Ye Chen. His debut hat trick saved Germany!"

One sentence perfectly summarized the match.

Especially since two of the three goals were scored purely through individual brilliance.

Klopp laughed. "Alright, keep training hard. I'm planning to start you against Mainz!"

To prepare Ye Chen for his national debut, Klopp had rested him during the Hannover 96 match. Now that Ye was back, it was time for him to deliver for Dortmund.

As Klopp finalized the lineup, he grinned.

"I, Klopp, have never had such a stacked squad!"

The starting XI against Mainz was ready... except for one tricky decision.

Who should play midfield—Gündoğan or Wang Chu?

Gündoğan was the better player, but Wang Chu had unparalleled chemistry with Ye Chen.

Such a dilemma!

Wang Chu would never have dreamed he'd be competing with Gündoğan for a starting spot.

After all, Gündoğan was destined to become a world-class midfielder!