De Bruyne rejected Chelsea and chose Bayern. In fact, it was not because of any competitive reasons, financial reasons, or Pan Yi's face was not enough.
The real reason is heartwarming.
That's because of his fellow Belgian, Courtois!
In fact, these are the famous cuckold brothers in world football.
The two brothers made their debut together in the Belgian club Genk, and they are almost like good brothers who wear the same pair of pants.
However, one day in 2012, De Bruyne's girlfriend Caroline went to Madrid alone to visit, where she met Courtois, who was loaned to Atletico Madrid.
The two met very late, but soon found a harmonious life together and grew up together.
Later, De Bruyne discovered the adultery, but his girlfriend Caroline directly provoked De Bruyne. She said: "Courtois offered that night and had not been with De Bruyne for three years."
the services you receive”.
This is simply a critical hit!
Courtois' actions also aroused the dissatisfaction of then-Belgium coach Mark Wilmots, who approached De Bruyne and asked whether Courtois should be fired.
But De Bruyne generously said, "Even if this is Courtois's fault, he is still an excellent goalkeeper."
As a result, Courtois finally stayed in the national team, and they were able to continue participating in the World Cup together.
Even in the 2018 World Cup, at the last moment of the knockout match against Japan, Courtois took the corner kick and quickly passed the ball to De Bruyne, and finally completed the winner. The green hat connection also created an eternal classic!
However, the relationship between the two of them only lasted on the court. Off the court, they became strangers and completely broken down.
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for De Bruyne to join Chelsea when Courtois is already in the team.
It's just that when Pan Yi heard the news that De Bruyne was going to be poached by Bayern, he just thought that there were already Hazard, Lukaku and other Belgian internationals in the team, so that De Bruyne could quickly integrate.
, but forgot that there is such a thing!
Now when people came to ask why, Pan Yi could only prevaricate by saying vaguely that De Bruyne "had already initialed a contract with Bayern" and "didn't like the weather in London".
Let this pain pass!
"That's a shame." The coaches all shook their heads.
After all, De Bruyne's strength has been recognized by everyone now.
Everyone also agreed that if De Bruyne can join Chelsea, it will definitely improve the team's offensive capabilities to a great extent.
But at this time Pan Yi said: "Forget it, he was not my first target anyway."
With that said, he walked to the tactical board, placed the chess pieces a few times, and then said:
"In the 3-4-3 formation that I plan to play in the new season, there is actually no attacking midfielder or pseudo-winger position."
"The addition of De Bruyne can indeed enrich our team's offensive routine, but he is not indispensable."
"And if I had to choose only one person to take away from the current Hamburg team, it would be..."
"Kante!"
Scaloni on the side said: "It is said that Leicester City also wanted to bring him to the Premier League, but Hamburg's offer of 40 million euros scared them away."
Pan Yi said with a smile: "They can't afford it, so let's buy it. 40 million euros is actually not expensive at all for a player like Kanter."
"But..." Horan hesitated, "Didn't he play as an all-around midfielder in Hamburg? In your 343 tactical system, there is no all-around midfielder role?"
"This is what makes him valuable." Pan Yi smiled again and explained,
"Kante can play almost any position in the midfield, assume any responsibility, and do it well."
"When playing 433, he can stand in front of the midfielder and play as an all-around midfielder; when playing 4231, he can also switch freely between central midfielder and defensive midfielder;"
"And now if he is in my 343 formation, he can also become the hub of the defensive midfielder in transition between offense and defense!"
Then, Pan Yi showed everyone Kanter's data from the past season and gradually analyzed the role Kanter can play in the team.
It can be said that the energy Kanter brings to the team cannot be underestimated. It is no exaggeration to say that his contribution on both offense and defense can be used as "one person as two people."
Kante's average steals per game reached an astonishing 3.6, making him the steal leader in Hamburg and ranking second among all players at the same position in the Bundesliga;
In addition, his average number of interceptions per game has reached 2.4, ranking first in the Hamburg team.
Moreover, Kanter has gradually developed his ability on the offensive end in recent years. He averaged one pass per game this season, ranking third among all players in the same position.
His performance on the organizational end is also very impressive. Kanter averaged 0.6 key passes per game, created two excellent opportunities, averaged 60.6 passes per game, and had a pass success rate of 89%.
The pass success rate is 85%, and these statistics can rank in the top 10 of all players in the same position.
What's even more noteworthy is that Kanter averaged an astonishing 7.8 regains of the ball per game, ranking first among the Hamburg team and second among all players in the same position.
This season, his performance on both offense and defense has been impeccable. His stable passing success rate and abundant passing route options have given players who are marking Kanter a headache.
Kanter's presence is not only reflected in pure statistics, but will also be the finishing touch to Pan Yi's 343 formation.
As we all know, in the 343 system, wing offense always plays a very important role. The two wing backs often enter the opponent's defensive third zone, so there is no way to get back to their position immediately.
Kanter's super high coverage area allows him to fill the team's defensive gaps on the wings, solving a major problem for many head coaches who use 343.
With Kanter's extremely high penetration rate, the team is equivalent to having two full-backs who can reach the defensive area at any time.
In this way, the wing backs can devote themselves to the offense more confidently, so that they can maintain a good defensive performance while maintaining offensive firepower.
Finally, Pan Yi said: "I will contact Hamburg and Kanter immediately to let this seemingly ordinary but energetic kid appear in our lineup for the new season..."
As for how to strike a balance between meeting his other signing goals without hollowing out Hamburg, Pan Yi has also found a way.
He also has other candidates in mind!——
Soon after, Pan Yi and Scaloni came to Sunderland, a city in northeastern England.
In a cafe on the bank of the Weir River, the two of them drank drinks and waited.
The purpose of their trip is a representative figure who can become a left wing back in the future, and one of the players who can execute the 343 tactic's wing attack most smoothly, Marcos Alonso.
They are all called Alonso. Although he is not as famous as Xavi Alonso, he is also known as "Brother Long" in the world.
He came from the youth training system of Real Madrid Football Club, but only represented the Real Madrid first team once, so he transferred to Bolton Wanderers Football Club in the Premier League in 2010.
In 2013, Alonso joined Fiorentina Football Club in Serie A, but he didn't get much chance to play at all, so he joined Sunderland Football Club in the Premier League on loan at the beginning of 2014.
Here, he performed well and helped the team successfully avoid relegation.
Perhaps because he has more offensive genes than defensive genes, he is a relatively rare player who is much better as a wing-back than a traditional full-back.
And perhaps because of this, he is still not able to have a stable position in a team at the age of 24.
After all, in today's world football, there are still far fewer teams that resolutely play a three-back formation than a four-back formation.
In Pan Yi's previous life, Alonso really shined after joining Chelsea and serving as the left wing-back in Conte's 3-4-3 formation.
He has perfectly inherited the Blues' tradition of knife-wielding defenders and is well-known to fans around the world.
When it comes to the best left back in the world today, I believe Marcos Alonso is difficult to rank among the top, but when it comes to the best left back, many people may vote for the Spaniard.
In other words, as far as the wing-back position is concerned, Alonso's ability can be said to be only higher than Robertson.
This is why Pan Yi is here today.
The left wing-back he is looking for is right here!
After the season ended, Alonso stayed in Sunderland for vacation and had not returned to Florence to report, so Pan Yi made an appointment with him to meet in this coffee shop to discuss their intentions first.
As long as we can get the players, it will be much easier to go to Fiorentina to make an offer.
After all, this is just a loan player who can't play in Florence.
Bringing Scaloni along is to facilitate communication between two native Spanish speakers and avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or troubles.
"This guy can't even play as a main player in Florence, can he really gain a foothold at Chelsea?" Scaloni was a little worried, "And his technical characteristics... don't feel like a left-back."
Pan Yi smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will be no problem."
Of course Pan Yi knew what Scaloni was worried about.
Although the characteristics of Marcos Alonso and the needs of a traditional left back are not completely different, they can at least be said to be polar opposites.
He lacks explosive power and is definitely not fast, and these are almost the necessary qualities for a full-back!
Alonso's characteristics are that he is good at long shots, long passes, including handling set pieces. Moreover, he is tall and even has the ability to grab points and score headers!
Compared with ordinary fullbacks who generally have speed and dribbling ability, there is indeed a big difference. It's like he clicked on the wrong skill points.
But it is precisely because of this that he became a man born as a wingback.
Alonso's technical characteristics determine that he is a system player. Simply put, he needs the help of his teammates to perform well.
On the one hand, the key to him gaining space to move forward in the attack is that his own full-back or winger can contain the opponent's full-back;
On the other hand, the prerequisite for his defense not to show any timidity is that the defensive midfielder and wide central defender can fill the gap left by his forward penetration.
As for these, Pan Yi has already made plans, so it's no problem.
Since he came to Alonso today, he is sure to activate his potential and make him the most handsome boy in his 343 formation!——
As soon as Marcos Alonso entered the door, he saw Pan Yi and Scaloni.
The panting Spaniard slowly walked up to Pan Yi, looking a little nervous: "You... hello, I am Marcos Alonso."
"Hello, I'm Pan Yi. This is Scaloni, my assistant coach." Pan Yi also introduced himself.
"Of course I know you." Alonso's breathing became rapid.
Who in the football circle doesn’t know Pan Yi now?
In the past three years, Pan Yi's deeds of cultivating countless young players have spread all over the world one by one through the media and the Internet, and have become a topic that countless players, fans and reporters talk about.
topic.
In the past 2013-2014 season, Pan Yi led the Hamburg Youth Army to win the Triple Crown in one fell swoop, shocking the entire Europe.
Just a few days ago, Pan Yi became the most expensive head coach in the world and officially took charge of Stamford Bridge.
It can be said that in recent years, Pan Yi has been the most popular and famous football coach in the world.
If anyone says he doesn't know Pan Yi, he is definitely not a football player. It can even be said that he is not even a fan!
Today, Pan Yi came all the way from London to Sunderland to chat with Alonso. What this means, Alonso was already thinking about it on the way.
Vardy, Salah, Kante, Mitrovic...
These stars who were discovered by Pan Yi personally had almost the same story before they became famous.
Could it be that it is my turn today?
Sure enough, after Pan Yi nodded lightly at him, he immediately asked: "Are you interested in playing football for Chelsea?"
"I think." Alonso replied without hesitation.
Pan Yi is well-known, and now he is representing a big team like Chelsea. Alonso really doesn't know why he hesitates.
Even if you are playing as a substitute at Chelsea and watching the water cooler, it is better than doing the same thing in Florence!
Not to mention the rumors in the world that as long as Pan Yi takes action, the opponent must be superior, and Pan Yi will definitely reuse him. It is impossible to really buy a mascot!
Even next, Pan Yi will analyze in detail his positioning and tactical play after joining Chelsea...
"Okay, I will contact the relevant personnel of your club, and you just wait to sign the contract." Pan Yi said and stood up.
"Ah? That's it?" Alonso was a little confused.
"What else?" Pan Yi smiled at Alonso, "We have other players we need to contact, so let's go first."
Then, Pan Yi pulled Scaloni up, who was also a little confused: "Let's go, next stop, Portugal!"
——
Standing outside the Stadium of Light again, Pan Yi was really filled with emotions.
The last time I won the Champions League, it seems like just yesterday——
Well, it seems that it has only been more than a month.
However, this time Pan Yi came to Lisbon not to lead a football team, but to discuss business with Benfica, the owner of the Stadium of Light!
As the political, cultural and sports center of Portugal, Lisbon is one of the richest cities in Europe. It also has fertile football soil, including Benfica and Sporting CP (Sporting Lisbon), two Portuguese super giants, both located in Lisbon.
Coupled with Porto, these three youth training camps are the most outstanding youth training systems in Portugal and even in Europe. Most of the Portuguese national team players come from these three youth training systems.
In addition to youth training, Benfica also often buys young players for "reprocessing", and then sells them at high prices after they have made a name for themselves.
It is precisely because of its excellent youth training system and club management that Benfica has become the most profitable club in the football player market.
It can be said that in the ranking of European "black shops", Benfica can indeed overtake Porto and become the undisputed number one.
According to statistics from the German transfer market, Benfica's revenue from transfer operations from 2000 to 2022 was as high as 1.44 billion euros, and its profit was as high as approximately 678 million euros, making it the most profitable club in the transfer market this century.
one!
There are many famous operations among these transfers:
For example, Joao Felix was sold to Atletico Madrid for €127.2 million;
Another example is Uruguayan striker Nunez who joined Liverpool for 80 million euros;
Also, Portuguese defender Ruben Dias joined Manchester City for 71.6 million euros...
After the 2022 World Cup, the Argentine youngster Enzo Fernandez, who performed well, will be sold for who knows how much.
However, many years ago, Benfica did not become famous in world football by selling people.
In the late 1950s, the famous Hungarian coach Gutman achieved great success in coaching Benfica.
In 1961, he led the team to defeat Barcelona in the European Champions League final, and in 1962, he defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League final, winning the championship for two consecutive years, making Benfica and even Portuguese football glorious.
However, before the 1962 Champions League final, Benfica's top management took the initiative to promise that if they won the championship, they would build a bronze statue for Gutmann.
After winning the championship, Gutmann asked for a salary increase, but was rejected by his senior management, and the bronze statue issue was left unresolved.
When Gutman switched to the Uruguayan team Penarol, he also issued a curse: "Benfica will not win the European championship again in 100 years."
It sounds like an angry remark, but it turns out that it is almost the most supernatural legend in world football, known as the "Gutman Curse".
Benfica has maintained a very high competitive level in the following 52 years and can continue to win numerous championships in domestic arenas, but it has never been able to win a European championship!
In the 2013-2014 season when Pan Yi won the Triple Crown, Benfica reached the Europa League final for the second consecutive season.
But when facing their Spanish opponent Sevilla, they tried their best. They took 21 shots in the game, which was 10 times more than their opponents. Their 15 shots on target were twice as many as their opponents, but they just couldn't knock Sevilla away.
's goal.
The Spanish club endured 120 minutes, dragged the game into a penalty shootout, and won 4-2, allowing Benfica's curse to continue.
Going back to the previous season, Benfica also lost the championship in the final when they were defeated by Chelsea player Ivanovic in the final stage.
Since the beginning of the "Gutman Curse", Benfica has reached the finals of the Champions League (formerly known as the Champions League) five times and the finals of the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) three times, but lost all of them!
On February 28 this year, Hungarian Ambassador to Portugal Konkoli presented Benfica with a bronze statue of Guttmann on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the founding of Benfica Club.
Benfica deliberately placed the bronze statue in front of Gate 18 of the Stadium of Light, hoping to commemorate a generation of legends and also hope to resolve the resentment in the old coach's heart.
When Pan Yi passed by the bronze statue, he couldn't help but clasped his fists in greeting.
It’s impossible not to accept this kind of man of God!——
“Welcome to Benfica!”
When arriving at Benfica headquarters, the club's executive assistant Luis personally went out to greet him.
After meeting and shaking hands, Luis immediately welcomed Pan Yi and Scaloni into the administrative office.
There, club president Felipe Vieira was waiting for them.
Everyone knows that Abramovich is rich, so Chelsea is a big customer!
Big customers need to be well served.
Besides, Pan Yi is now famous and can be said to have a pivotal position in European football.
Establishing a good relationship with such a young and famous coach is especially important for a club like Benfica.
Who knows what important transactions the two sides will make one day, even if Pan Yi is not at Chelsea by then.
And everyone can see that Pan Yi definitely did not come to Benfica to visit for nothing.
He has only one purpose here, and that is to buy people!
However, Felipe Vieira screened all the players on the team after Pan Yi said he was coming, but he couldn't figure out who was chosen.
There is no valuable person left!
"Oh, maybe it's for Oblak."
The Slovenian came to Benfica in 2010. Last season, Oblak helped Benfica win the Portuguese Super League, Portuguese Cup, Portuguese League Cup and Europa League runner-up, and then he was spotted by many teams.
At present, the closest player to Oblak is Atletico Madrid. The reason is that it was heard that Chelsea was not prepared to renew the lease of Courtois to Atletico Madrid, so Simeone found Oblak as a substitute.
Could it be that Pan Yi later felt that Oblak was stronger and was ready to buy him again?
Regarding this, Felipe Vieira, as chairman, certainly did not resist at all.
Doing business!
If there is competition, there will naturally be greater benefits as a seller.
Although goalkeepers generally cannot be sold for a particularly high price, maybe Chelsea's tycoon style means the price is higher than Atletico Madrid's?
With this mentality, after Pan Yi and Scaloni sat down and exchanged a few polite words, Felipe Vieira couldn't help but ask about Pan Yi's purpose:
"May I ask which player Mr. Pan Yi has chosen when he came to our place today?"
Pan Yi did not mince words and said directly: "To be honest, I came here today just to talk to you about player transfers. And not one, but two."
"Oh?" Felipe Vieira said with a smile on his face, "Which two are they?"