Chapter 112: A Last-Second Buzzer-Beater and Rejecting D&G

Casilla retreated to his goal line, while Varane immediately charged out of the penalty area, attempting to close down Dai Zhiwei's shooting angle. Ramos kept bumping into Dai Zhiwei from behind, both defenders knowing full well that at this stage of the match, the referee would rarely dare to award a penalty.

With Ramos’s interference, Varane reached a spot two meters in front of Dai Zhiwei.

Dai Zhiwei suddenly dropped his shoulder and shifted his center of gravity to the left, appearing as if he were about to dart into the open space on the left flank. However, the very moment his foot touched the ball, he used the outside of his right boot to flick it outward, simultaneously twisting his waist and accelerating to the right.

A right-angle feint!

Two consecutive high-speed, ninety-degree changes of direction that pushed the limits of human physiology—this was the essence of the right-angle feint!

As the ball was flicked away by Dai Zhiwei, Varane reacted instantly, adjusting his center of gravity and rapidly closing the distance.

Varane truly lived up to his reputation as one of the best center-backs in the game. This time, he was as sharp as if guided by divine intervention; he didn't fall for the feint, positioning his defense exactly where Dai Zhiwei was actually heading.

However, despite not being fooled by the move, Varane’s start was still a fraction of a second slower than Dai Zhiwei’s.

That tiny margin of time was all Dai Zhiwei needed to carve out a narrow shooting angle.

He raised his leg and struck the ball with ferocious power!

"Danger!"

Casilla was startled, quickly shifting across the goal line to try and block the path of the shot.

"Don't let him shoot!"

Simultaneously, Varane reacted. Although he had been slightly slow to start, it was only by a hair, and he remained confident he could intercept the attempt.

Varane didn't hesitate to slide in, throwing his body into the path of the ball. As long as the ball left Dai Zhiwei's foot, there was no way it could bypass the frame of this iron-willed defender.

"Oh no!"

The moment he committed to the slide, Varane’s heart sank—because he saw Dai Zhiwei suddenly pull the ball back!

It wasn't a shot!

It was another feint!

A fake shot followed by a true dribble; Dai Zhiwei had deceived Varane at the very last second.

In fact, this move didn't just fool Varane; it even caught Ramos off guard. Moving with too much momentum, Ramos couldn't stop himself and collided directly with Varane, sending both Real Madrid center-backs sprawling onto the turf in a heap!

"Beautiful!"

Marcelino, who had been standing on the sidelines since the attack began, jumped up in delight. Dai Zhiwei’s fake-shot-turned-dribble was a stroke of genius, making even the coach react with the pure, unbridled joy of a fan!

Even after years of witnessing countless talents in La Liga, Marcelino was still captivated by Dai Zhiwei’s performances time and again.

In this moment, Marcelino was no longer just the head coach of Villarreal; he was simply a fan of Dai Zhiwei.

Not just Marcelino, but even Zidane and several players on the pitch were stunned by this brilliant display. At this moment, Dai Zhiwei was simply too composed, too gifted.

Casilla was naturally alarmed; now, Dai Zhiwei was one-on-one with the keeper.

It was Dai Zhiwei versus Casilla—a direct duel!

From Casilla’s perspective, he had seen Dai Zhiwei wind up for a shot, then Varane fly in to block it, and then his line of sight was briefly obscured by Varane.

In that instant, he lost sight of the ball and couldn't clearly see Dai Zhiwei’s movement.

By the time he saw the ball again, the situation had completely changed.

Varane and Ramos were lying on the ground like a pair of lovers, while Dai Zhiwei had adjusted the ball to his left foot and was preparing to shoot again!

This time, Dai Zhiwei was truly about to fire.

"Bang!"

Casilla immediately turned and dove in the opposite direction.

His reaction was lightning fast; almost the exact moment Dai Zhiwei struck the ball, he had made the correct move.

However, no goalkeeper’s save could be faster than Dai Zhiwei’s "Tiger Shot"!

Varane’s flying block had not only obstructed Casilla’s vision but had also caused him to be a split-second late in his dive. That tiny defensive gap was precisely what Dai Zhiwei had exploited!

Casilla stretched out, diving to save the ball.

But the ball grazed his fingertips, spinning as it curled into the far corner of the net!

3–2!

Villarreal had scored again!

The scorer was that familiar name—Dai Zhiwei!

"Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!"

"It’s Dai Zhiwei again! Once again, he has decisively settled the suspense of the match! The King of Villarreal’s forward line shines at the Lerkendal Stadium! A last-minute winner? This is truly a last-minute winner!" The commentator began roaring at the audience in front of their televisions.

Of course, for Villarreal supporters, what was a bit of noise compared to this?

"To hell with the penalty shootout! We are the champions!" Cheryshev, having seen the ball roll into the net, didn't even wait for Dai Zhiwei to perform his signature "blow-the-gun" celebration before roaring and charging forward to tackle him to the ground.

"Well done! You two guys, I love you to death!" Gaspar and Rukavina, who followed closely behind, piled on top of them.

As the stadium announcer shouted excitedly, thousands of traveling Villarreal fans in the stands erupted into thunderous cheers!

They saw the goal and immediately realized the outcome—we won! We have secured the first championship trophy of the new season!

At this moment, Zidane looked up in frustration at Dai Zhiwei, who was celebrating with his teammates, and slammed his fists onto the soft back of his seat.

That summer, scouts and transfer department staff had suggested that Real Madrid sign Dai Zhiwei. After all, his release clause at the end of last season was only 80 million euros, and the transfer fee might not have even reached half that amount. But wanting to give the youngsters from Castilla more opportunities, Zidane had rejected the proposal.

Now, for the first time, Zidane began to regret not listening to others and signing the guy who was undoubtedly a superstar striker.

Compared to Dai Zhiwei, Vazquez and Mayoral were not even on the same level. Currently, only Asensio had the potential to compete with Dai Zhiwei, but his immediate impact was far inferior.

A thought even crossed Zidane’s mind: if they had signed Dai Zhiwei, Benzema could have been sold immediately, and even with Ronaldo’s departure, Real Madrid would have had their future heir.

What a pity...

However, Zidane didn't realize that his regrets were merely wishful thinking; Dai Zhiwei had no intention of joining Real Madrid, as the club was simply too devoid of human warmth.

"That guy is a monster, don't blame me! Maybe he’s from Asgard!" Varane stood in the penalty area, looking at Dai Zhiwei’s excited expression, and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "He was just missing an axe."

Dai Zhiwei’s goal officially declared the winner of the European Super Cup.

Not just Zidane, but the entire Real Madrid squad had conceded the result.

After all, when Dai Zhiwei launched his attack, it was already in stoppage time of the second half of extra time; by the time he scored, it was well past the one minute of allotted stoppage time.

Perhaps because the trailing side was Real Madrid, the most successful football club of the 21st century, the referee did not blow the final whistle immediately, granting the "Galacticos" one last chance to attack.

Alas, Asensio’s final long-range effort from outside the box sailed into the stands, failing to live up to the referee’s benevolence.

When the referee finally blew his whistle, the section of the stadium filled with Villarreal fans exploded. They cheered and jumped wildly, celebrating with Dai Zhiwei and his team as they claimed the first European Super Cup following their first-ever European trophy last season!

On the pitch, Dai Zhiwei and his teammates embraced, faces filled with ecstasy. Owen, in particular, laughed out loud, high-fiving his teammates one by one, while tears welled up in his eyes.

Although their opponents, Real Madrid, clearly hadn't taken the match seriously, fielding a rotated squad in all positions except the defense.

Although the Galacticos’ biggest stars, Ronaldo and Bale, were absent due to injury, and Benzema, Modric, and James Rodriguez were only substituted on around the 70th minute.

But, a championship is a championship!

"Haha, Bruno, you'll get used to the taste of winning trophies!"

Just as Bruno Soriano was crying incessantly, Dai Zhiwei excitedly wrapped his arm around his neck and promised his captain.

"We are the champions! This is our first trophy of the season!" Bruno Soriano choked out.

Bruno Soriano was a product of Villarreal’s youth academy and had been a mainstay in the defensive midfield since the 2009-10 season. He was an absolute pillar of the team, highly valued by both Pellegrini and Garrido.

But for all these years, as captain, he had never led the team to any championship. At 32, he thought that was all his career would amount to—until Dai Zhiwei arrived.

He had initially thought the youngster, who arrived as the reigning Asian Footballer of the Year, would at most threaten the starting spots of Soldado and Bakambu. He never expected him to lead the team to the Europa League final and win it, and now, to overthrow the invincible Real Madrid to claim the European Super Cup!

Bruno knew that as a small club, Villarreal couldn't keep an ambitious talent like Dai Zhiwei forever, but as long as he was his teammate, it was an absolutely wonderful experience!

Shortly after, as Dai Zhiwei held the gleaming championship trophy high above his head for the second time, the massive Lerkendal Stadium was submerged in the deafening cheers of thousands of Villarreal fans and local Norwegian spectators!

Both the Villarreal fans and the Norwegian crowd had been conquered by Dai Zhiwei’s performance!

The moment the match ended, the world of football was completely "exploded" by the news of Villarreal’s victory!

Although a large part of Villarreal’s win was due to Real Madrid’s complacency, nearly everyone had viewed the European Super Cup as already being in the hands of the Galacticos. No one expected Dai Zhiwei to pull off such a significant upset with a brace!

Anyone with eyes could see that whether it was Modric, Isco, Benzema, or James, none of them could suppress Dai Zhiwei’s star power. Even in front of the star-studded Galacticos, he remained the most dazzling morning star!

Everyone could see that this 22-year-old kid would surely grow into a world-class striker, and perhaps even a future Ballon d'Or winner!

Because the summer transfer window for Europe’s top five leagues generally didn't close until September 1st, and the 2016 European Super Cup took place on August 10th, the transfer applications for Dai Zhiwei piled up like snowflakes on the desks of Villarreal’s transfer department over those final 20 days.

...

"Dai, are you really not considering a transfer this summer?" Mendes sat on the sofa in Dai Zhiwei’s new apartment, staring into his client’s eyes to confirm once more.

For the new season, while Dai Zhiwei was still living in an apartment provided by Villarreal, it was far more luxurious than the previous one.

This sea-view apartment, valued at nearly 2 million dollars, was nearly 300 square meters, featuring five bedrooms and three bathrooms. One 30-square-meter bedroom had been converted into a weight room with specialized fitness equipment, while another of similar size had been turned into a home theater.

On the balcony facing the street, there was a swimming pool and a hot tub. Sunbeds were laid out under the sun, overlooking the distant white coastline and the endless Mediterranean Sea—it was absolutely cozy.

It is worth mentioning that this new apartment was also something Mendes had requested during his contract negotiations with Villarreal that summer.

"Jorge, wasn't it you who advised me to stay at Villarreal for the new season?" Dai Zhiwei said with a smile, looking at Mendes. "Besides, the pre-season friendlies for all the major clubs are almost over. If I transfer now, there won't be enough time for me to gel with a new team. Besides, I'm still young; I might as well wait another season, achieve some success with Villarreal, and then talk about a transfer later."

"Ha, I suppose I was a bit impatient. I just didn't expect clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City to want you so badly. I didn't expect myself to be less composed than you," Mendes laughed at himself.

"By the way, given your performance in the European Super Cup, another luxury brand wants you to be their spokesperson," Mendes changed the subject.

"Let's hear it?" Dai Zhiwei was interested; after all, no normal person hates making money.

"Do you know Dolce & Gabbana?" Mendes asked.

"What?"

"D&G," Mendes said, assuming Dai Zhiwei might not know. "The brand is headquartered in Milan and, along with Gucci and Prada, has revitalized the Italian fashion industry. Their product lines mainly include menswear, underwear, swimwear..."

"Wait," Dai Zhiwei tapped his forehead. "Is that the brand founded by those two gay guys?"

"Uh, gay guys?" Mendes paused, "That's right."

"Jorge," Dai Zhiwei said seriously, "I will never endorse this garbage. Garbage should be worn by garbage; we can't lower our own status, right?"

"Fine, as you wish. I think they're garbage too!"