Ye Chen was surrounded by people like a star being adored by all.

Of course, given Ye Chen's performance today, any praise was well deserved.

After all, he had quieted the picky fans at the Bernabeu—twice!

After the match ended, Ye Chen planned to go back to the locker room with the other players to rest, but a female reporter holding a microphone stopped him.

As the best player of the match, he had to accept an official Champions League interview.

A stunning, curvy Western beauty appeared in front of Ye Chen. "Congratulations on being the MVP of this match. It must feel amazing to score a hat-trick and deliver a crucial assist at the Bernabeu, right?"

"Of course! Our coach told us to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and my first thought was, 'Is the coach alright?' But in the end, he was right. We achieved an unbelievable victory away from home!"

"Now you're just one goal away from Messi at the top of the scoring chart. Do you have anything you want to say to him?"

Ye Chen shook his head. "I don't see myself as in competition with Messi. Before I started playing in the Champions League, I never cared about the top scorer list. I'm just not interested in it. The happiest moment for me is when the team advances. As long as the team progresses, I'll be just as happy, even if I don't score a single goal!"

Hearing Ye Chen's response, the reporter next to him tried hard to stifle a laugh, her chest heaving with amusement.

She was professionally trained, so unless she absolutely couldn't hold it in...

"Ha ha ha..." The female reporter couldn't hold back any longer after hearing Ye Chen's serious nonsense. But she quickly regained her composure and asked, "Can you talk about the team's goal this season? What are your plans for the Champions League?"

"A coach who doesn't want to win the Champions League isn't a good coach, and it's the same for players. Now that we've made it to the semifinals, we naturally want to go further and become the new European champions!" Ye Chen answered seriously. "But we might not have much time to think about it. The next few weeks will be tough for Dortmund, so I hope we can achieve good results over the next month!"

Dortmund had eight matches in April—three in the Champions League and five in the league.

With this Champions League match over, only seven games remained.

Starting from April 7th against Wolfsburg, Dortmund would play seven games in just 21 days—essentially a match every three days...

Among those, on April 12th, they would face Bayern at home, and just two days later, on April 14th, they would have to play Schalke 04 away.

If the Champions League progresses without any surprises, it would also be Bayern.

In other words, in one month, Dortmund would have to face Bayern three times, plus the final of the German Cup...

Dortmund would play Bayern four times before the season ended!

Although Dortmund had won all three of the previous encounters with Bayern, the rematches would undoubtedly be tough!

And adding the April 17th match against Gladbach—

April would be a real test, with the only potentially easier game being away against Kaiserslautern on April 28th.

Such a packed schedule and high-intensity matches were a huge challenge for both the coach and the players.

Even a strong player like Ye Chen felt a little apprehensive when seeing the schedule.

He'd heard the Premier League's schedule was even more brutal... just how terrifying could it be?

Maybe he should forget about going to the Premier League and just stay in the Bundesliga.

Like Lewandowski did in his past life—break every Bundesliga record first, then move to Barcelona or Real Madrid to rack up stats and maybe win a Ballon d'Or or something!

Of course, the host didn't give him the chance to dwell on his thoughts and continued asking, "Cristiano Ronaldo also scored a crucial goal today. Do you have anything you want to say to him?"

"Today's performance from Ronaldo was phenomenal. His goal caused us a lot of trouble. I hope next time we meet, his form will be a bit worse, so we don't have to work as hard..." Ye Chen said with a smile, jokingly.

Germany and Portugal were in the same group for the European Championship. If Löw decided to field him, there was a good chance Ye Chen would face Ronaldo again...

Of course, Ye Chen felt more respect than rivalry for both Messi and Ronaldo.

After all, they had both left a significant mark on the football world.

Rather than comparing who was better, it was better to cherish the fact that they were still playing on the field.

They were destined to be legends in football.

In fifty or a hundred years, people would still remember the achievements they made!

As Ye Chen had said before, idols are meant to be surpassed.

With the God of Football system, Ye Chen would only rise above Messi and Ronaldo in the future, but for now, he was still a rising star, and showing respect to the veterans was basic.

After all, in a sense, they were part of Ye Chen's youth.

He still remembered how his bedroom used to be covered with posters of Messi and Ronaldo. Back then, there wasn't even a "duo" nickname for them yet.

In addition, he also had posters of Beckham and Kaka... As for the ones of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, he hadn't put them up. Ye Chen had a bit of an aesthetic preference.

Especially for Ronaldo—the classic 'Afro' hairstyle looked a bit goofy.

But the 'Alien' (Ronaldo) was the first football superstar Ye Chen recognized. He didn't even watch football at the time, but the 2002 World Cup match between China and Brazil made him remember Ronaldo.

"Last question, we all know Mourinho is very interested in you. Would you consider playing for Real Madrid?" the beautiful reporter asked, the last question that everyone wanted to know.

Ye Chen rubbed his chin. "No one can predict the future. Maybe I'll join Real Madrid, Barcelona, or another La Liga club. But for now, I'm still a Dortmund player. My priority is to help Dortmund win more victories and trophies. Transfers aren't on my agenda at the moment!"

"Thank you for the interview. I hope you score even more goals in the future!" The reporter flashed a bright smile.

After the cameraman gave the 'OK' signal, the interview officially ended.

The reporter suddenly tiptoed and whispered in Ye Chen's ear, "Ye, I'm free tonight. Want to have a drink with me?"

As she spoke, her body brushed against Ye Chen's arm, sending a sensation through his arm...

Amitabha!

Ye Chen quickly muttered under his breath. This woman was clearly trying to tempt him!

He couldn't afford to let his energy leak out during the competition period. It would definitely affect his performance on the field.

Ye Chen had experienced this in his past life—he once partook in some activities with women the night before a match, and the next day, after just running for half an hour, he was completely exhausted.

His legs were shaking...

With that lesson learned, he wasn't about to make the same mistake this time.

Politely, Ye Chen said, "Sorry, I'm not available," and left the reporter standing there, bewildered.

The reporter stomped her foot, watching Ye Chen's departing figure, while the cameraman gulped.

He really wanted to experience the feeling of being accepted!

Of course, once in the locker room, Ye Chen took a hot shower and changed into a clean jacket.

It was still quite cold in Europe at this time, so he had to make sure to keep warm.

The team's schedule was simple: after a night of rest, they would head back the next day.

The team would rest for a day before returning to training, with their next match against Wolfsburg at 3:30 PM on April 7th, German time.

Dortmund's devilish schedule for the season was about to begin, and meanwhile, online news was spreading wildly...

[Champions League Upset: Dortmund Shocks Real Madrid, Ye Chen's Hat-Trick Dominates Ronaldo!]

[The Strongest Forward of the New Era? Twelve Goals in Four Matches Create a New Champions League Legend, and This Youngster Is from China!]

[Dortmund Creates a Bernabeu Miracle, Real Madrid Eliminated at Home, Mourinho Can't Escape Blame.]

[Mourinho Before the Match: The One Who Laughs Last is the King; Mourinho After the Match: We Didn't Lose to Our Opponents, We Lost to the Referee.]

[Champions League Semifinals Now Set, Real Madrid Eliminated by Dortmund in Extra Time, Barcelona Knocks Out Milan at Home.]

[...]

The match on the field had ended, but the media war had just begun.

In the post-match press conference, Mourinho took all the questions on his own. He admitted that Pepe's absence was a key factor in Real Madrid's elimination, while once again praising Ye Chen.

His exact words were, "I activated Ye Chen's release clause for €88.88 million, and many people laughed at me for being foolish. After these two matches, it's clear who the fool really is!"

With a favorite like Real Madrid eliminated, the media jumped on the chance to analyze every possible angle...

Such as "One Hundred Reasons Real Madrid Was Always Going to Be Eliminated"!

[Varane Becomes the Third Center-Back to Be Nutmegged by Ye Chen. He's Not the First, and He Won't Be the Last!]