Back when Ye Chen wanted to join the national U17 team, he filled out the necessary forms, officially becoming part of the Football Association.
If Ye Chen had stayed in China, the Football Association could have sidelined him from playing entirely.
But unfortunately for them, Ye Chen wasn't under their control.
Technically, joining the Football Association is voluntary, but there's a catchâonce a player's registration is revoked, they cannot re-register unless the Association concedes.
Would the Football Association compromise?
Clearly not.
Ye Chen's decision to have Mendes push for this outcome was simpleâhe wanted to focus all his energy on club matches.
No national team games?
He still had the Champions League!
The teams that make it to the Champions League are so powerful that words can hardly describe it.
Take Barcelona, for instanceâXavi, Iniesta, and Busquets are Spain's midfield dream team.
Messi is Argentina's top superstar.
Sánchez is a national team veteran, and even their substitutes hold key roles in their national squads.
And these clubs aren't ranked in the 70s or 80s; they hail from football giants like Spain, France, and Englandâthe kind that make it to the World Cup.
So from now on, the Champions League would be his personal World Cup!
Still, Ye Chen felt uneasy when announcing his withdrawal from the Chinese Football Association.
He used to love opening the "DÇngqiúdì" app, where the splash screen showed a child sitting on the grass with the caption: "Do you remember your childhood dream?"
He had always dreamed of donning the red jersey, sweating it out on the field, fighting for Chinese fans, fighting for his country.
But...
Maybe this is the difference between ideals and reality.
Ye Chen knew his decision would draw heavy criticism from some, but he understoodâhe wasn't money, not everyone was going to love him.
You don't live to please everyone. You live to find those who resonate with you.
Hopefully, the fans would understand.
Honestly, he just wanted to play football. But there was always someone stabbing him in the back.
Look at this situationâhe was bullied, he fought back. Was he wrong?
Should he have just taken the hit and thanked them for it?
And of course, the person who twisted the narrative was infuriating.
But the video was just the sparkâthe real disappointment lay in the Football Association's response.
They passed judgment on him based on a single, contextless clip and slapped him with a massive fine!
This was the largest fine ever imposed on a player in the Football Association's historyâ900,000 RMB!
Terrifying, isn't it?
The second half began.
No matter the storm brewing online, Ye Chen ignored it.
Training, matches, self-improvement.
That's what mattered now. The restâlet it drift away with the wind.
The match resumed, and the intensity ramped up.
Clearly, Stuttgart's players had been scolded during halftime, as their aggression escalated.
Just one minute into the second half, Lars Bender was floored.
The team doctor signaled he couldn't continue. Dortmund had no choice but to make a substitution, sending Leitner in.
Ye Chen sat on the bench, itching to get on the field.
But Klopp didn't seem ready to call him up yet.
As a player, all Ye Chen could do was wait for his chance.
55:24.
Bender's absence began to show.
He was a defensive midfielder. While the captain could fill the spot, Kehl was already 32âhis speed and explosiveness were fading.
Hajnal took the ball and launched a long pass to Kvist.
Kvist's through-ball found Cacau in the box.
Facing Hummels, Cacau didn't shoot. Instead, he squared it back to Shinji Okazaki, who was arriving late.
Okazaki's positioning was flawlessâno one marked him. With a single touch, he slotted it home.
Weidenfeller dove but couldn't keep it out, even though his fingers brushed the ball.
Okazaki didn't run to his bench to celebrate.
Instead, he dashed toward Dortmund's away fans and made a throat-slitting gesture.
His message was clearâI've killed the Black and Yellows!
Fans hurled insults at him, some even threw objects.
But Okazaki laughed.
Curse me all you wantâthe more you do, the more fired up I get!
...
"Ye, warm up!" Klopp called to Ye Chen from the sidelines.
"Huh? Oh!" Ye Chen snapped out of it and began warming up immediately.
"You too, GroÃkreutzâwarm up!"
"Yes, boss!"
"Ye, there's only about 30 minutes left. Your hat-trick streak might end today," GroÃkreutz teased.
"You're still thinking about records at a time like this?" Ye Chen gave him a baffled look. "I just want to crush that arrogant little... never mind, let's go!"
There was fire in his heart.
You taunted me. I just want to strike back.
But you shouldn't have provoked the Black and Yellow fans.
Now, I want to destroy you.
Of course, murder is illegal. Ye Chen wasn't stupidâbut he'd make Okazaki feel a pain worse than defeat with his feet.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sports Channel 5!"
"We can see Ye Chen warming up on the sidelines. Looks like Klopp is aware Lewandowski's luck isn't great today. Let's see when Ye Chen gets subbed in!"
"I can't wait!" The commentator's voice brimmed with anticipation.
But suddenly, his co-commentator cut in.
"Just ten minutes ago, Ye Chen announced on Weibo that he would permanently withdraw from the Chinese Football Association. This means we won't see him donning the national jersey on the international stage!"
"This stems from the pre-match clash between Stuttgart and Dortmund. The Association's unfair ruling, without proper investigation, and the hefty fine left many disappointed," the commentator stated firmly.
"I hope fans can remain calm, becauseâ"
Before he could finish, his mic went silent.
"Director, what's going on?"
"Mr. Jian, if you keep talking like that, how are we supposed to broadcast Bundesliga matches in the future?" the director said helplessly.
The incident had already gone viral.
Some cursed, others supported.
But Ye Chen's loyal fans stood their ground.