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"What? Why am I seeing you again?"
"What, am I not welcome?"
"I've seen too much of you, getting a bit tired of it."
"Lance!"
De Bruyne's face visibly reddened again.
Lance suppressed his laughter and decided not to tease him anymore.
"Welcome to Bayer Leverkusen, brother. Is your leg okay? You recovered so quickly?"
"Of course, I can do rehabilitation training now, but I can't play yet… I just hope this club isn't a trap."
De Bruyne wasn't sure whether his choice was the right one.
Wolfsburg, from top to bottom, had tried hard to keep him, and De Bruyne had been very happy at Wolfsburg.
At least it was much better than sitting on the bench at Chelsea.
When he heard about Bayer Leverkusen's invitation, De Bruyne initially wanted to refuse.
But after a detailed conversation with Lance during the World Cup, he eventually completed the transfer through his agent.
De Bruyne had a strong feeling that his life seemed to have reached a major turning point because of this.
He couldn't say exactly where it was heading.
He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.
In the parking lot, the car De Bruyne drove was still the 2013 Volkswagen Touareg that Wolfsburg had given him during his time there.
Looking at the new Lamborghini Murciélago next to Lance, De Bruyne also seemed a little envious.
During his time at Chelsea and on loan at Wolfsburg, his salary wasn't very high.
Buying a regular car was easy, but a supercar still required some consideration.
Seeing De Bruyne's gaze, Lance's mouth curved into a smile:
"Brother, when you become famous, you'll change cars like these more often than model cars. Joining Bayer Leverkusen might be the best decision of your career. Let's win championships together!"
"I ended up on your pirate ship after all."
De Bruyne shook his head with a bitter smile.
Before, the two were rivals, and Lance had beaten him twice last season.
He didn't expect to become teammates in the new season.
After the World Cup, the two brothers from Belgium continued to fight side by side!
"Hey!! You two!! You're Kevin, Lance!! Can I get an autograph?"
As the two were about to head to the locker room to meet their teammates, they suddenly heard an excited voice, speaking with a strong English Yorkshire accent.
Turning around, what they saw could be summed up in two words — Big Head!
"Whoa!"
"Holy…"
Lance and De Bruyne were both slightly stunned.
The big guy in front of them looked a bit comical.
His height of over 190 cm was imposing, but the young man's expression was also very amusing, and combined with his large head, he didn't look threatening at all.
"You are…"
The other party reached out, and De Bruyne hesitated before shaking his hand.
"Harry, right? I've heard of you."
"No way!! OMG!! Lance, you've heard of me?"
"Yes, I learned about you in recent transfer news. They say you have a lot of potential!"
"Hahahaha… That's right!"
The big guy seemed very simple and honest, but also quite confident.
As a Championship player, he showed no fear in front of Lance and De Bruyne, two World Cup stars.
"Harry Maguire, very happy to meet you both. I'm a fan of yours!"
Sure enough, that big head was too obvious.
Lance suddenly remembered the phrase "aircraft carrier turning around."
He wondered if Bayer Leverkusen signing Maguire was the right or wrong decision.
Would he be the "Excellent Maguire" or the "Clumsy Maguire"?
In the future, he caused quite a few football memes at Manchester United, but he also became the most trusted person under Erik ten Hag, Amorim, and England manager Southgate for a period of time.
The three walked into the locker room together.
Most of the new teammates had already arrived, except for Hazard, who was still recovering from a muscle strain.
Everyone else was basically here.
Bayer Leverkusen didn't have many international players.
Captain Rolfes was considered to have caught the last train to the World Cup, lifting the trophy with Germany.
He needed to rest at home for a while.
Speaking of which, after Lance led Bayer Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga, it triggered a butterfly effect that led Löw to choose Rolfes in the end.
Although Rolfes didn't play many times, he still managed to get a World Champion title.
Back to the locker room.
Hyypiä and Sascha were not present, nor was Captain Rolfes.
Vice-captain Lars Bender was leading the veteran and new players in the locker room to get acquainted.
Kevin De Bruyne was already familiar to everyone.
Harry Maguire was naturally sociable and had already hit it off with Lance and the others.
The tall black defender Rüdiger, sitting in the corner, was also often seen by everyone in the Bundesliga.
Only the Dutch center-back Virgil van Dijk and the 19-year-old young center-back Nathan Aké, two Dutchmen, sat in the corner, looking at each other.
"Hello, do you speak German?"
"A little."
Virgil van Dijk nodded coolly.
As a Dutchman, he understood some German, so communicating with the team wouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, Lance and De Bruyne, two Belgians, spoke Flemish, a branch of Dutch.
With their help, Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Aké quickly became familiar with everyone.
"Brothers!! Let's get hyped!! Let's go!!!"
Harry Maguire was shirtless in the locker room, more energetic than if he had taken drugs.
He was practically a social butterfly.
Anyone who didn't know would think he had been with the team for 10 years, but this was only his first day joining.
"Very good, spirits are high!"
Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the locker room, Hyypiä nodded with satisfaction.
If the players got to know each other themselves, he wouldn't have to bother.
The World Cup had delayed training for a long time.
By the time Lance, De Bruyne, and others returned to the team, it was already mid-July, with a month and a half until the Bundesliga season started.
Pre-season preparations were urgent.
He hoped the players could quickly develop tactical coordination.
Evidently, Lance had put in a lot of effort.
He was not only a lubricant in tactics but also a sufficiently strong leader in the locker room.
He always felt emotional, finding it hard to imagine that he was truly only 17 years old!
"Kevin, Harry, Virgil, Nathan, Antonio… I'm glad you joined. By the way, Kevin, due to your ankle injury, you temporarily cannot train with the team. We need to create a rehabilitation training plan for you."
"Thank you, no problem. I will diligently undergo rehabilitation."
De Bruyne did not try to be strong.
He yearned for the field, but his body was important, and he couldn't gamble his career away recklessly.
After a brief chat with the new players, Hyypiä looked at his most prized disciple again, who was also his most successful signing last season.
"Lance, I feel like you can't wait. Actually, you could have taken more time off."
"Of course, Coach. Rather than vacationing on the beach, I'd rather run on the field."
"Good. Then you lead the team. Go to the field for a warm-up run first. Our training today is mainly focused on recovery."
The 2014-2015 season had not yet begun, but Bayer Leverkusen had already started intensive preparations.
During the pre-season preparations, the club's transfers did not stop and continued to gain momentum!
Former RB Leipzig full-back/midfielder, Joshua Kimmich, officially announced his move to Bayer Leverkusen.
Atlético Madrid's versatile midfielder Saúl Ñíguez joined on loan.
Liverpool youth academy full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold joined on loan.
Benfica player Bernardo Silva officially signed with Bayer Leverkusen for 13 million euros!
Hoffenheim forward, Roberto Firmino, officially joined for 10 million euros!
Watching the team gradually grow stronger, with some players who would become famous at various major clubs becoming his teammates.
Lance suddenly realized something.
Hyypiä actually believed my drunken words!
But the good news was that Bayer Leverkusen's squad for the new season was a bit terrifying!
Is there a chance to compete for the Champions League title?
Or even bolder!
The Treble!