Although he wasn't in the starting lineup for the warm-up match, after the meeting, assistant coach Flick found him and shared some good news:
"You'll be coming on as a substitute in the second half of tomorrow's match!"
"You'll have fifteen minutes to show what you can do!"
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me; you earned this with your performance in training!"
"Get ready for your National Team debut!"
After patting Mark's shoulder, Flick turned and left.
Just as Mark returned to his room, his phone rang.
He pulled out his phone and saw an unfamiliar number on the caller ID.
Normally, Mark wouldn't answer unknown calls.
However, considering that only a few friends and coaches knew his number, he didn't think too much of it:
"Hello."
"It's me, Michelle."
Michelle?!
Why is she calling me?
While he was wondering, she got straight to the point:
"Mark, are you guys playing a warm-up match at Mönchengladbach tomorrow?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"I saw it written on the official schedule."
"Oh, I see..."
"Do you remember what we talked about at the championship celebration last time?"
"What thing?"
"About me setting you up with a girlfriend!"
At this, Mark finally realized: "Oh, that! I thought you were just kidding..."
"What did you say? Too quiet, I can't hear you!"
"Nothing. So, what do you need me to do?"
"I'm bringing a friend to watch your game tomorrow, and I'll introduce you two then."
"Can you get us two tickets?"
"Sure, no problem!"
After hanging up, Mark, who had initially intended to call Raiola, decided after some thought to approach Flick instead.
As the National Team's first assistant coach, Flick was not only Löw's most trusted aide but also largely managed most of the German National Team's affairs.
This included matters like player family tickets.
"Two tickets?"
"Of course, no problem! Have your friends find the stadium manager when they arrive, and he will take them to the VIP stands."
"Thanks, Hans."
That evening, the German National Team contingent boarded a plane and flew to Düsseldorf!
They would play their first warm-up match before the World Cup at Mönchengladbach's Borussia-Park!
Their opponent was the "Indomitable Lions" of Cameroon!
The opponent chosen by the German Team was very particular.
Too weak, a one-sided game, no training value.
Too strong, and if they couldn't win, it would affect player confidence.
It was just right to play against a team one tier weaker than themselves!
Germany and Cameroon had both successfully qualified for the World Cup finals and would begin their respective World Cup campaigns in two weeks.
The German Team was currently ranked second in the world, trailing only defending champions Spain.
Cameroon's world ranking was fiftieth, placing them among the lowest-ranked teams participating in the World Cup.
The two sides had only met twice before, with the German Team winning both matches, scoring five goals, and holding a clear advantage.
However, their most recent encounter was ten years ago.
This Cameroon squad also featured several notable players.
Matip, Mbia, Alex Song, Choupo-Moting, and the "Cheetah" Eto'o, who was in the twilight of his career!
As one of the Bundesliga's top stadiums in terms of attendance, Borussia-Park had a very high attendance rate for this match.
Most were home fans who came to support the national players.
Among them was Michelle, who had specifically come here.
However, she wasn't there to watch the game, but for another purpose.
Since De Bruyne was also in closed training with the National Team, she thought she should quickly solve Mark's single status while he and De Bruyne were "not together."
"Aisha, is this your first time coming to a stadium to watch a game?"
Sitting in the VIP section of the South Stand, Michelle turned to look at the girl beside her.
It was a blonde girl wearing a black baseball cap, a trench coat, and jeans.
Beneath the baseball cap, her fresh and beautiful oval face possessed both the charm of a girl next door and a hint of aloofness befitting a cool goddess.
Her stunning beauty, slender figure, and those emerald eyes that seemed to draw people in made one sigh:
Was she God's muse?
In response to Michelle's question, the girl merely shook her head:
"Not the first time. I've watched Hamburg games with my dad before."
Just then, a tremendous cheer suddenly erupted in the stadium!
That was because the German Team's substitute players had emerged first from the player tunnel!
The live cameras also focused on these handsome men in yellow vests.
Klose, Draxler...
Immediately after, Mark's handsome face appeared on the big screen.
The next second, cheers from young girls echoed through the stands.
"Aisha, look, that's the person I told you about!"
Looking at the black-haired young man on the big screen, Aisha Hirsch had only one thought:
"He has a pair of green eyes, just like me."
Mark, of course, didn't know that a beautiful woman in the stands was watching him.
He was simply chewing gum and intently observing the situation on the field from the bench.
Although he wasn't starting, he was observing Müller's off-ball movements. Müller primarily played as a right winger for the German National Team, a role and position very similar to his own at the club.
However, compared to himself, who required more possession, Müller had very few touches and moved more without the ball.
And in training, Müller always managed to appear where he needed to be.
Therefore, he was particularly observing Müller's off-ball movement habits and routes during the game, learning his positional awareness.
His on-ball skills were already strong enough, but his off-ball movement still had significant room for improvement.
And off-ball movement was often the key to finding easier spaces to receive the ball and getting closer to scoring!
One must know that football IQ and awareness couldn't be leveled up...
Seeing Mark's focused demeanor, Klose, sitting beside him, was also a little curious:
"Mark, you don't seem nervous at all."
"Nervous? What's that?"
He had been hit by a dump truck and then reborn through transmigration, after all.
He had seen the grand spectacle of rebirth; a National Team warm-up match was just a piece of cake!
Although it was on their home soil, with tens of thousands of fans cheering them on, the German Team played rather conservatively in the first half.
Aside from Özil missing a one-on-one chance and Götze hitting the post, the German Team didn't create many opportunities.
Cameroon, playing away, also didn't have many chances to threaten Weidenfeller.
While the African players were individually explosive in terms of physique, their tactical awareness indeed lagged behind the German Team.
Moreover, it was evident during the match that both teams' players were holding back.
After all, the World Cup was just around the corner, and no one wanted to get injured and miss out by trying too hard in a warm-up match.
...
More Chapters at Patreon.com/zeaser