After De Bruyne left the field, the quality of Werder Bremen's midfield playmaking declined. Furthermore, the players' stamina significantly dropped, resulting in no change in the score until the final whistle.
Although Cottbus made a strong effort to score and save face, they faced the opponent's five-back formation that paid little attention to offensive tactics.
As a result, their attacks seemed futile, and they were unable to find a way to score.
Consequently, they had to accept the 0-3 loss to Werder Bremen in the away game.
Following the match, Schaff led the players around the field to express gratitude to the supportive fans in attendance.
Despite the relatively low attendance rate, every fan who attended the game deserved appreciation.
Their purchase of home tickets each season accounted for approximately 30% of the Werder Bremen club's total income, making them a vital source of support for the team.
As it was a friendly match, there was no post-match press conference, and only a few reporters from local media in Bremen were present.
Due to his outstanding performance, a reporter from the Bremen Citizens newspaper approached Lucas outside the stadium for an interview.
However, the team's press officer declined the request, citing Lucas's underage status.
"Lucas, after you return, you'll need to undergo relevant training. It is essential for professional players to handle interactions with reporters," advised the General manager Allofs outside the locker room passage.
General manager Allofs, who had watched the entire game from the private box, expressed his satisfaction with Lucas's performance and began paying closer attention to him.
He patted Lucas on the shoulder.
Lucas said "Thank you for the reminder general manager, I will definitely attend the training sessions."
In contrast to Lucas, De Bruyne, being of legal age, couldn't use the excuse of being a minor to avoid interviews.
As a result, he reluctantly agreed to be interviewed by two newspapers, the Bremen Citizens Zeitung (Gesichter der Wirtschaft) and the Bremen Daily News.
"Kevin, congratulations on winning the game. How do you assess your performance? If you were to rate yourself, how many points would you give?" asked the reporter.
De Bruyne pondered the question for a moment and replied, "I didn't perform exceptionally well in this game. If I were to rate myself, I could only give myself 75 points."
"I didn't expect you to be so critical of yourself. The fans consider you the best player in this game!" remarked the reporter, surprised by De Bruyne's self-assessment.
..
The reporter was taken aback when he heard De Bruyne's answer.
In their opinion, De Bruyne displayed an exceptional level of offense and defense in this game.
His presence filled the void of Werder Bremen's offensive problems following Ozil's departure.
Furthermore, his active involvement in defense alleviated the defensive pressure on Captain Fritz and boost the team's overall defensive stability.
Such a performance should at least warrant a high score of 85 points or more.
"No, no, no, I'm not the one who performed the best!"
"Then who, in your opinion, performed the best?"
Without hesitation, De Bruyne replied, "I believe my teammate Lucas performed even better than me.
He scored an unbelievable goal and consistently posed a threat.
His contribution in the offensive end is unparalleled!"
Satisfied with the response, the reporter proceeded to interview Werder Bremen's captain and other players.
To their surprise, everyone's answers were remarkably unanimous, all considering Lucas as the game's MVP.
"There is no doubt that Lucas possesses limitless potential. You see, he's only 16 years old this year, with tremendous room for growth!
If he continues to perform at this level, in a few years people might compare him to superstars like Messi and Ronaldo!" expressed Captain Fritz, whose evaluation was even higher.
However, this statement is not widely acknowledged yet, as Lucas has only played a friendly match and hasn't truly proven himself in the top five leagues.
Nonetheless, as devoted fans of Werder Bremen, the Bremen City Zeitung and Bremen Daily News are extremely optimistic about Lucas's future.
Not only did they truthfully report the news he received from his teammates, but they also sought the opinion of legendary Werder Bremen captain Marco Bode on Lucas. "Yes, I have watched this young man play, and he has left a deep impression on me.
Fritz mentioned him potentially competing with Messi and Ronaldo in the future, and while I'm not certain if he will achieve such greatness, there are countless unpredictable factors in a young player's career."
..
However, if he can stay healthy, avoid injuries, and continue to improve his dribbling and breakthrough skills, he has the potential to reach a historic level, especially in the winger position."
You may not pay much attention to evaluations of ordinary Werder Bremen players.
But the team legends have given Lucas such high praise that it's impossible to ignore him any longer.
Some fans who couldn't attend the game asked others around for news about Lucas.
Others chose to watch the game replay on video websites.
I was in for a shock when I saw it. I was amazed by his several brilliant breakthroughs!
How can there be a player with such incredible dribbling skills?
They couldn't wait to share it with their relatives and friends, so they shared several amazing pictures from the game, particularly those showing Lucas's breakthrough against defenders.
These pictures were cropped and sent to friends.
Initially, it was just Werder Bremen fans sharing among themselves, but unexpectedly, more and more people started sharing these videos.
Almost everyone who saw it couldn't help but share it with others, and within a few days, it became an internet sensation.
...
Spain, Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia.
At the Barcelona team's training base, players who had just finished a day of training walked towards the locker room, engaged in conversation and laughter.
Iniesta, Xavi, and Busquets, who had returned to the team two weeks later than the other players after participating in the European Cup, were lagging behind.
The three of them appeared to be watching something, discussing as they walked.
"Looks like Messi!"
Busquets, known as the professor, furrowed his brow and analyzed thoughtfully, "Indeed, it's strikingly similar. The way he initiates that step, the ball control, and his extraordinary style, all very reminiscent!"
Iniesta and Xavi exchanged glances, and when even Professor Busquets acknowledged the resemblance, it seemed truly striking.
No wonder this short video has garnered such a title.
"What are you guys talking about?"
At that moment, Messi turned around curiously from the front and noticed the three of them huddled together, engrossed in discussion.
He approached them with curiosity.
"Leo, take a look at this!"
Iniesta, who shares the closest bond with Messi, extended his hand to greet him, and then passed the tablet held by several people to Messi.
..
.
"What are you watching?" asked Messi curiously.
Messi was completely puzzled by what was happening. Could it be some kind of funny video?
Some players on the team liked to watch humorous videos to alleviate their pre-game pressure, but the new season hadn't started yet, and the game hadn't even begun!
"Just take a look and you'll find out!" replied his teammate.
Messi glanced down and noticed a short video on the tablet with an exaggerated title: "Exactly similar to Messi!"
Messi shrugged.,these days, there are too many individuals trying to gain attention by associating themselves with his name. He had become almost immune to it.
Nevertheless, he decided to click on the video, curious to see how this player, who claimed to be the most similar to him, actually played.
As the video started playing, Messi witnessed a match between two teams.
In the footage, a young player wearing a green jersey broke through from the side, skillfully dribbling past six defenders of the opposing team one after another, and even managed to score while falling to the ground.
Messi is stunned, this is too familiar, he simply resembled himself.
How could they be so similar?