Chapter 107 German Super Cup! England Debut?

Chinese fans initially wanted to petition, hoping that Union Berlin would take the double trophy to China for a tour. Many companies in China were also willing to sponsor their "China Tour." With Su Luo's appeal among fans, they were sure to make a lot of money from every game!

Especially the Yangcheng Hengtai Club, whose boss, Xu, couldn't wait to invite Su Luo to participate in a friendly match. It was time to hype up Su Luo's "homecoming" and let him reunite with his friends from Team Hengtai. Tianhe Stadium would surely be packed!

Unfortunately, after deliberation, Union Berlin's management decided to reject the invitation from the Chinese enterprises. On one hand, the new Bundesliga season had started ahead of schedule, and their preparation time was already very tight. Flying to Asia and back would inevitably disrupt their plans and cause instability in the new season.

On the other hand, Union Berlin was not a club that chased commercial sponsorships. Otherwise, they would have already received a lot of such offers. To ensure the purity of Union Berlin, the entire management, including lead director Singh, was quite determined. Even after winning the double crown, they did not forget their original intentions. Such a club was quite rare in Europe.

Su Luo himself didn't actually want to go back and face Hengtai. Speaking of Hengtai, he thought of the painful years in their youth training program. From the team leader to the youth coach, everyone's face disgusted him. Su Luo didn't want to have anything to do with that unpleasant football circle at all, unless one day the atmosphere in football was completely purified. But he doubted that day would ever come.

The warm-up matches for the new season were still held locally to save trouble, effort, and money. Due to the addition of many new players, Union Berlin's warm-up match results were naturally not satisfactory. Su Luo didn't cheat; he wanted to play football with his own abilities. The results were 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in the 5 warm-up matches, which was so-so:

1-0 victory over Kaiserslautern 2-1 victory over Düsseldorf 2-2 draw with Freiburg 0-1 loss to Paderborn 1-2 loss to Karlsruher

Su Luo scored 3 goals in 5 games, while the new additions, Sane and Maher Reiss, failed to score. There was no obvious sense of fluency in the team's overall cooperation. This made people a little worried about their upcoming game against Bayern.

According to the evaluation of "Kicker," Union Berlin was not yet ready. "There is still a week before the game against Bayern. Obviously, the large-scale changes in the main lineup mean Union Berlin needs time to adjust."

"Due to the absence of offensive partner Grealish and the departure of Sabitzer, Su Luo was not activated in the warm-up matches. He seems to have lost the terrifying offensive ability of last season."

"Maybe this is what an 18-year-old rookie should look like?"

"Su Luo's second year in the Bundesliga may be difficult."

"In addition, the two attackers, Maher Reiss and Sane, did not show good coordination with the team. Especially Sane, who spends more time playing alone and barely cooperates with Su Luo."

"Playing against other Bundesliga teams is already tough, and facing a stable Bayern lineup will likely be even harder..."

Union Berlin coach Neuhaus remained very confident. "The pre-season warm-up matches are not about results. It's more about adapting to new tactics and testing the potential of new players. The process is more important than the results. We've obtained the data we wanted and successfully completed our tasks in these games."

"As for Su Luo... his form hasn't declined as some suggest. Let's look forward to the new season."

Bayern fans saw Neuhaus as being purely stubborn. Following this news, they left excited messages.

"This Chinese guy goes to nightclubs every day. It seems he's burnt out at a young age."

"His form is declining too fast. He's no longer a threat to Bayern."

"We'll beat them 5-0 in the opener!"

"Our Southern Star is the real overlord of the Bundesliga!"

Bayern fans had been very depressed after being humiliated last season. Now they were finally ready to get back on the field and seek revenge!

As an appetizer for the Bundesliga, the German Super Cup between Bayern Munich and Union Berlin was about to start! The venue was still the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Hertha Berlin's team had to sit out again. "Why do we have to see our city rivals fighting in this stadium again?" Unfortunately, no one cared about Hertha Berlin's feelings. Now, the eyes of all Germany were focused on this "Double Red Derby!"

In the Premier League, the Double Red is Liverpool vs Manchester United. In the Bundesliga, it's Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin!

The day before the game, the squad for the 2015 German Super Cup was finally released. Based on the coaching staff's assessment through the warm-up matches, the starting lineup for this game was finalized:

Goalkeeper: 21-year-old English rookie Jordan Pickford. Defenders: Pavard, Richards, Rudiger, Laxalt. Midfielders: Naby Keita, Kimmich, Forsberg, Maher Reiss, Sane. Single striker: Su Luo, the youngest captain in the Bundesliga!

Fabianski and Alex were suffering from muscle soreness and were on the bench. Seventeen-year-old center-back Lisandro Martinez had also been promoted to the first team as a substitute center-back. Everyone else made up Union Berlin's strongest lineup!

It was worth noting that the club did not poach Ramsdale but managed to lure Pickford from Sunderland just three days ago! Pickford was a potential new star who helped the team reach the top 4 in the 2018 World Cup. The coaching staff saw great potential in the young goalkeeper. Although inexperienced, his goal-line reactions were superb! Pickford was also a candidate recommended by Su Luo. Relying on Fabianski alone was indeed a bit unstable; the team needed a backup goalkeeper for multi-line combat.

This game would be Pickford's first important match! It was the first time in his professional career he would play seriously against the giants Bayern!

On the day of the Super Cup match, in the changing rooms at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Pickford sat on the bench, nervously kneading his goalkeeper gloves. Su Luo had just taken a shower and was about to change into his shirt when he saw Pickford looking anxious. As the captain, Su Luo felt responsible for helping his teammates.

"Jordan, are you nervous about playing against Bayern?"

"Ah, Su... yes, a little bit."

Pickford had only known Su Luo for less than two days and still felt a bit distant. He didn't know the rest of the team well, so even if he was nervous, he didn't know who to talk to.

"Have you played against Manchester United, Manchester City, or Chelsea in the Premier League before?"

"No, our opponents were League One teams," Pickford replied with a sheepish smile.

If it wasn't for Fabianski's muscle soreness making him unfit to play, Pickford wouldn't have had the opportunity to start. It felt like being a duck rushed onto the shelves! The coaching staff on this team was insane!

"You are actually very strong, Jordan. Give yourself more confidence," Su Luo encouraged.

He could see that Pickford's main issue was a lack of confidence. Even though Pickford's level had long surpassed Sunderland's main goalkeeper Pantilimon, the latter's experience at Manchester City and as Romania's goalkeeper of the year made him more trusted by coach Advocaat, who was reluctant to give new players a chance. This allowed Union Berlin to pick up a great talent.

Su Luo could only smile, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Eh? I haven't thought about it. I don't have any plans."

"Have you ever considered that you have the opportunity to play for the Three Lions and become the main goalkeeper in the World Cup?"

"Huh?" Pickford was dumbfounded. How could that be possible? He was a fringe player, often loaned to lower leagues, and wasn't even a main force in England's U21 team. How could he be selected for the national team and become the main goalkeeper?

Pickford thought Su Luo was joking, but Su Luo's expression was very serious.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. Do you dare to make a bet? In the 2018 World Cup, you will be selected as the No. 1 goalkeeper and achieve good results. If I'm wrong, I'll give you my Aston Martin."

"..."

Pickford was completely shocked. Was Su Luo playing such a big game? The obviously absurd future seemed to have happened in real life when Su Luo spoke of it. Maybe Su Luo really believed in his abilities?

Pickford inexplicably gained a lot of confidence. "Thank you, Su. I will work hard to play well in this competition for that future!"

"I'm not kidding."

"I understand your efforts. Thank you, Captain."

Su Luo realized that no one believed him when he told the truth. But if it helped his teammates regain confidence, it was worth it.

Not long after, Su Luo stood at the forefront of the player tunnel as the captain, with Pickford behind him. On the other side was Bayern Munich's captain, Lahm. The 32-year-old veteran was still a key player for Bayern Munich. Lahm's eyes were firm and full of belief in victory as he looked at Su Luo.

Lahm seemed a little surprised to see Su Luo as the captain. During the coin toss before the game, Lahm and Su Luo shook hands.

"Su, we're going to play two consecutive matches. I hope we have a wonderful game."

"I hope so too."

"Well, come on. We're stronger than last season!" Lahm said confidently.

"So are we," Su Luo responded with a determined smile, full of fighting spirit.

Su Luo guessed tails and won the right to choose a side. Bayern Munich would kick off first!

The ZDF commentator, Sauer, along with guest commentators Kahn and Klinsmann, couldn't wait for the game to start.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a long offseason," Sauer said excitedly.

"Yes, so many stories happened between these two teams last season. I'm looking forward to this matchup!" Klinsmann smiled gentlemanly.

Kahn locked his eyes on Su Luo. "Oh? There is news that Su has become the official captain of Union Berlin?"

"That's right!" Sauer glanced at the information. "According to Union Berlin's report, Su Luo is their captain for the new season. He has also become the youngest captain in Bundesliga history and a foreign captain at that!"

"Then we have a good show ahead," Sauer nodded, his tone suddenly playful.

"And there's another good show. Sabitzer, who won the championship with Berlin last season, is in Bayern's starting lineup!"

"The game has begun! Bayern Munich kicks off first!"

"Audience friends, the Bundesliga season has officially started!"

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