[Football History in the Making: Ye Chen Scores in 25 Consecutive Matches Across All Competitions, Setting a New Record!]

[Dortmund's Current State: Dominating the Bundesliga, Struggling in the Champions League! Facing Real Madrid Away Could Be Their Last European Match of the Season.]

[Dortmund Arrives in Madrid, but Only a Handful of Fans Greet Them!]

[Sharp Contrast: Fewer Than 200 Fans Welcomed Dortmund Upon Arrival in Madrid.]

[Dortmund's Last Champions League Battle This Season? 12 Reasons Why They Might Lose...]

Dortmund's squad boarded the plane to Madrid, but upon landing, they were met with a disappointingly small number of welcoming fans.

It was a stark contrast to when Real Madrid had traveled to Germany.

This was the reality—Dortmund, despite having a rich history, had only truly risen to prominence in the past couple of years. Their international fanbase was still growing.

However, there was a silver lining to the lack of supporters: the few fans who did show up all managed to get signed jerseys.

Among the small crowd were a dozen Chinese international students studying in Madrid. They hadn't been particularly interested in football before, but after learning that Ye Chen was Chinese, they immediately became his fans.

Some were initially motivated by profit—after all, a signed Ye Chen jersey was reportedly selling for tens of thousands. So, they had staked out the airport early.

But passion often starts this way. What begins as an opportunity can turn into genuine admiration. Over time, these jerseys became treasured collectibles, symbols of pride rather than something to be sold.

As Ye Chen's reputation exploded in the football world, their classmates often asked if they were from the same country as him. Every time they nodded, they were met with looks of envy. Never had they imagined that one day, they would feel this much pride in Chinese football.

The Dortmund squad boarded the team bus, admiring the bright Spanish sunshine.

For many players, it was their first time in Spain, and excitement was in the air.

But for their head coach, Jürgen Klopp, the situation was far from joyful.

Sven Bender was suspended due to a red card, Mario Götze was injured, and the midfield options were running thin.

Gündoğan alongside Kehl?

That was the best option, but at 32, Kehl wouldn't last the full match...

If push came to shove, Klopp might have to take a risky gamble.

Playing away against Real Madrid, defending was nearly impossible. But attacking outright would play right into José Mourinho's hands—after all, Real Madrid's counterattack was the best in the world that season.

What to do?

It was a dilemma.

The Champions League draw had been unkind to them. If only they had drawn Bayern, the match wouldn't have been as brutal.

If only their opponent had been APOEL, their path to the semifinals would have been almost guaranteed.

Upon arrival, the team began training under the assistant coach, while Klopp attended the pre-match press conference.

Unlike his usual cunning demeanor, Klopp was unusually direct:

"A coach who doesn't aim for the semifinals isn't a good coach! We're here to win!"

A journalist, a young woman with gold-rimmed glasses, asked, "Have you found a way to defeat Real Madrid? Do you have a secret weapon?"

Klopp calmly replied, "If I had a secret weapon, I wouldn't tell you. We know eliminating Real Madrid on their home turf is difficult, but Mourinho's team isn't invincible. Ye scored a brace against them, didn't he?"

Another journalist followed up: "In the last match, Ronaldo outperformed Ye. Have you figured out a way to stop him?"

Klopp shrugged. "Football is a team sport. Ronaldo is incredible, but we are confident we can limit his impact."

Of course, stopping Ronaldo couldn't be done the same way Real Madrid tried to stop Ye Chen.

Even if you neutralized Ronaldo, there were still Di María, Benzema, and Kaká to deal with.

By the way, Mesut Özil had fractured a rib and was ruled out for three months—his season was over, including the upcoming European Championship.

And no, that wasn't Ye Chen's fault. It was Pepe who landed on Özil.

"Ye was the most fouled player in the last round, suffering 10 challenges. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

Klopp gritted his teeth. "Mourinho calls himself a defensive mastermind, but in reality, his methods against Ye have been overly rough! And when they can't beat someone, they just try to buy them. During the match, José even attempted to poach Ye... But no matter what, I will never let Ye join Real Madrid!"

"Speaking of contracts, have you discussed a new release clause for Ye?"

"Yes, we have. The negotiations are going well, and we will further increase his release clause."

"Will it reach 100 million euros?"

"Of course!" Klopp nodded firmly.

"Who do you think will advance?"

"Wait and see. I firmly believe Dortmund will emerge victorious!"

A journalist then asked with a smirk, "You speak so highly of Ye. If Mourinho offered Ronaldo in exchange for him, would you refuse?"

Klopp sat up straight and said seriously, "I'll say this again—no, not even for Ronaldo. At just 17, Ye has already surpassed both Messi and Ronaldo. He is truly one of a kind in this world!"

These words caused an uproar in the Spanish media.

They took Klopp's statements and ran with them, mocking him relentlessly. Some claimed he had lost his mind after losing the first leg.

Mourinho, however, remained composed.

"Please don't ask hypothetical questions—I won't answer them."

"Klopp is right. Every coach fights for victory, but they also need to recognize the gap between teams. Right now, Dortmund is still far behind Real Madrid."

"Ye is a talented player with great potential. I do admire him. But we won't pay more than 100 million euros for him. No, we won't sign Ye for a price higher than Ronaldo."

"This match, we won't give Dortmund any chances!"

"Let's wait for the game. Real Madrid is the number one club in the world right now!"

With both press conferences concluded, the online world exploded with heated debates.

Meanwhile, the Milan vs. Barcelona matchup seemed relatively quiet in comparison.

But that was expected—after all, Real Madrid had the most special player.

And Klopp's unusual confidence had only intensified the tension, putting him right in the spotlight.

Seeing their beloved coach mocked and ridiculed across Spanish media, Dortmund players didn't lash out in anger.

Instead, they clenched their fists and stored that rage deep inside.

The second leg of the quarterfinals was just around the corner.

They would let their performance do the talking.