Chapter 21: The Melee Begins—A Red Card on Debut?

"Lin! What a brilliant pass!"

Raul's goal ignited the Veltins-Arena once again. Amidst the deafening roar of the crowd, Raul grabbed his younger teammate, Lin Hao, who had delivered the perfect assist.

Moving from Real Madrid to Schalke 04, Raul wasn't here to retire. He chose Schalke specifically because they held a spot in European competition. The whole world knew Real Madrid had cast him aside, and Raul was determined to prove in the Champions League that he was not finished—that he was still worthy of the Real Madrid he loved so dearly.

However, once he arrived at Schalke, he realized the team's overall quality was somewhat lacking. His despair deepened when he saw Klaas-Jan Huntelaar—a player who couldn't even make the bench as a fifth-choice striker at his former club—being treated as the star signing Schalke had spent a fortune on. He even feared they might not make it out of the Champions League group stage. If that happened, he knew exactly how much those who drove him out would be laughing. Raul was desperate, even questioning if he had made a mistake.

Yet, a turning point that reignited his hope soon appeared. It began with Lin Hao’s stunning movement and tactical vision during training sessions. Raul began to take an interest, observing the 18-year-old’s every move. To his surprise, he discovered that this youngster was incredibly well-rounded: shooting, positioning, awareness, passing... Raul had never seen a striker so comprehensive, someone who could even play as an attacking midfielder. From that moment on, Raul decided to mentor Lin, hoping to forge a perfect partnership.

Then came Lin Hao’s incredible performance in the Super Cup, followed by his role as a super-sub with magical assists today. At this moment, clutching Lin Hao, Raul felt as if the second spring of his career had arrived. With such a perfect partner who could score and deliver the most lethal passes at the most critical moments, why would he ever need those players he had never rated in the first place?

***

2:2! Raul’s chip shot had finally brought the two teams back to level terms. Because Schalke had equalized within just eight minutes of Lin Hao coming onto the pitch, their morale soared so high that Hamburg manager Armin Veh looked uneasy on the sidelines.

In the 56th minute, Ivan Rakitić dribbled down the flank into Hamburg’s half. As Lin Hao dropped back to support, Rakitić didn't hesitate to pass the ball to him. This time, the Hamburg midfielder Jarolím, who had been heavily criticized by his manager earlier, didn't dare to relax; he stuck to Lin Hao like glue to prevent him from turning. But Lin Hao had no intention of playing hero ball; he one-touched the ball back to Rakitić—a classic one-two. Rakitić raced to the byline and sent a cut-back pass toward Raul, who had arrived in the box. Raul blasted the ball, but he put too much power into it, and it sailed into the stands.

In the 58th minute, Hamburg had an attacking opportunity, but just as the ball reached Ruud van Nistelrooy at the edge of the box, Lin Hao—who had been tracking him from the center circle—threw himself into a sliding tackle and hooked the ball away. The fact that Lin Hao was defending that deep showed just how desperate the entire Schalke team was. As soon as he won the ball, the Schalke attackers launched a lightning-fast counter-attack. Lin Hao rose, fed the ball to Jurado, and sprinted forward. However, just as the counter-attack song began to echo, Zé Roberto cynically pulled Jurado down, conceding a yellow card to kill the momentum.

***

In the 67th minute, Schalke came back again. Jurado pushed the ball past the halfway line, and after being pressured by Pitroipa, he laid it off to Rakitić. Before Rakitić could start his run, Hamburg winger Petrić was already on him. Despite Schalke’s mounting pressure, Hamburg’s deep defensive line made it difficult to find the breakthrough.

Seeing the midfield struggle, Lin Hao dropped back to help organize. Since coming on, he had been doing the dirty work—the tracking back and ball recovery that Raul would otherwise have to do. This was exhausting for Jarolím, who had been tasked by Armin Veh to man-mark Lin. For twenty minutes, Jarolím had been running himself ragged, yet he couldn't afford to lose sight of Lin, fearing another long-range strike. Lin Hao was essentially walking him like a dog.

On the sidelines, Felix Magath looked at Lin Hao with doting eyes. "Boss, this kid is a perfect match for Raul!" Magath was already pleased, and with his assistant’s encouragement, he glanced at Huntelaar, who had covered his face with a towel. Magath had made up his mind: who says an 18-year-old can't be a starter? With this level of goal-scoring and organizational ability, he deserved a chance.

On the pitch, Lin Hao delivered another perfect long-range diagonal ball. After receiving it on the left, he touched it horizontally and launched a long pass to Hao Junmin on the right. After a clean trap, Hao Junmin sent a surgical through-ball into the Hamburg box. With the Hamburg defense focused on the left, Hao had plenty of space. Raul, the "Ring King" who was beloved by Chinese fans, rose above Hamburg center-back Mathijsen and smashed the ball into the bottom corner.

"Bang!"

The ball crossed the goal line for the third time, finding the corner of Frank Rost’s net.

"Beautiful!"
"Beautiful!"
"The third one!"
"It’s Raul González again!"
"A brace in this match!"
"3:2!"
"Schalke has turned the game around!"
"A long-range transfer from Lin Hao’s incredible vision, a top-tier through-ball from Hao Junmin, and Raul finishes it off!"

Commentator He Wei roared with excitement. As the whistle blew, the Veltins-Arena erupted for the third time. Raul gave Hao Junmin a warm hug, and as Lin Hao arrived, Raul pulled him into the embrace as well. It was a scene that thrilled every Chinese fan: the Real Madrid legend hugging two Chinese teammates who had provided his assists, receiving the worship of forty thousand Schalke diehards.

***

Coming back from two goals down at home! When the referee blew the whistle for the third time, Armin Veh, who had been smug after the two headers in the first half, finally scrambled to make substitutions. He knew perfectly well that Schalke’s efficiency in the second half was due to that number 23. Lin Hao’s tactical awareness and relentless movement had revitalized Schalke, and Jarolím simply couldn't contain him. If he let that "damn 23" continue, he feared a total bloodbath.

Without hesitation, Veh brought on the Venezuelan defensive enforcer Tomás Rincón to replace the exhausted Jarolím. Though only 22, Rincón was a nightmare for strikers in the Venezuelan league, known for his violent tackles and impulsive temper. Veh hoped Rincón could shut down the player who had disrupted his entire tactical setup.

Magath, seeing the change, grew nervous. Rincón had been highlighted in his pre-match reports. He didn't want any of his key players injured. He shouted for his team to be careful of Hamburg’s number 15.

However, less than five minutes after the "Venezuelan Butcher" entered, Magath’s worst fears were realized. In the 74th minute, Raul received a pass from Lin Hao at the edge of the box. Before he could move, Rincón lunged in with a sliding tackle, aiming directly for Raul’s standing leg.

"Ah!!!"

Raul screamed and collapsed onto the turf. It was a malicious tackle from behind—somewhere between a yellow and a red. Rincón waited to see his fate, but before he could even stand up, Lin Hao charged over. Seeing his mentor in agony, Lin Hao lost his cool and grabbed Rincón by the throat. Manuel Neuer, the Schalke captain, sprinted from his goal to join the fray. Players from both sides swarmed together, and a brawl broke out.

"You son of a bitch, is this how you teach your players?" Magath screamed at Armin Veh, who retorted, "Give me a break! This is football! It’s a man’s sport—what’s wrong with a bit of a hard tackle? Are you here for a beauty pageant?"

The fourth official and assistant coaches scrambled to separate the two managers. The Veltins-Arena was in chaos. In the commentary box, He Wei looked on with concern at Raul, who was still on the ground. But just as everyone feared the worst, Raul, who had been writhing in pain, saw Lin Hao being ganged up on by two Hamburg players. He immediately jumped to his feet and charged into the middle of the brawl.