At the same time, a glimmer sparked in Dieter Hecking’s eyes behind his glasses, deepening the wrinkles at the corners.
A seasoned eye can spot talent instantly—especially in competitive sports like football.
Dribbling rhythm, speed, and footwork can easily reveal a player’s level.
“There’s something there,” Hecking murmured, straightening his back and shedding his earlier dismissiveness.
Following his gaze, Qin Ming continued dribbling forward for over ten meters before being met by a defender.
Sebastian Jung!
Signed for €2.5 million from Frankfurt during the summer window, he was Wolfsburg’s new right-back.
Eager to prove himself and earn the coach’s trust for more playing time, Jung saw this moment as a chance.
A soft opponent?
No way he was letting that go.
He instinctively assumed a defensive stance—only to see Qin Ming suddenly accelerate and subtly shift his weight to the right.
Slide tackle!
Jung prepared to go in with a clean, stylish slide—only for his pupils to shrink a second later.
Qin Ming feinted right with dazzling foot speed—then cut sharply left!
In an instant, he accelerated again, breezing past the stunned Jung.
The simple yet effective move instantly drew attention from everyone on and off the field.
Hecking stood up from the bench to get a clearer look.
De Bruyne raised an eyebrow; what had started as sympathy was quickly turning into anticipation.
“Don’t just stand there!”
B Team goalkeeper Grün’s roar snapped Tim Klose out of his daze.
No confusion here—Tim Klose was a center-back who’d just joined Wolfsburg last season.
At 193 cm, he was physically dominant and solid in aerial duels, but he had one glaring weakness:
Clumsiness.
Like an aircraft carrier trying to turn, everything took him time.
Qin Ming used the same move again, faking a left-side breakthrough as if to deliver a cross.
But as Klose shifted his weight, Qin used his core to twist sideways, suddenly creating space for a shot.
Before Grün could react, Qin unleashed a powerful strike.
Boom!
The dull thud echoed as the ball rocketed past the line and smashed into the back of the net.
“Where the hell did this kid come from?”
“Bayern’s second team is that good?
Why’s he even trialing at Wolfsburg?
Shouldn’t he be in Bayern’s first team already?”
“Damn it!
How are we supposed to compete with that?”
It wasn’t the players on the pitch, but the trialists on the sideline who complained bitterly.
One of them, from Dortmund’s second team, had played against Bayern’s reserves but only vaguely remembered Qin Ming.
Frowning, he sighed.
Today wasn’t going to be his day.
If he’d known, he would’ve trialed at Mainz or Leverkusen instead.
“Maybe it was just luck?” muttered Scott from Darmstadt 98.
“Heh…”
His comment was met with cold laughter.
These were all professionals—if you couldn’t tell Qin Ming’s ability after those two feints and the goal, maybe it was time to quit the sport.
“Get me his test data,” Hecking coughed and told his assistant.
As a Bundesliga coach famous for keeping teams up, Hecking had a reputation for spotting young talent.
In Bild’s ranking of coaches who favored U23 players, Hecking was third, with 25.1% of league minutes given to players under 23.
Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund ranked fourth (23.3%), and Arsène Wenger of Arsenal came fifth (22.4%).
Pep Guardiola of Bayern was tenth (18.7%).
The stats were based on nearly 250 matches—so the rankings had weight.
A talent-spotter like Hecking knew exactly what it meant for a player not yet 17 to perform like this.
As for why Qin Ming would choose Wolfsburg over Bayern?
He didn’t care.
As long as the paperwork was legal and proper, it didn’t matter.
On the field, Qin Ming didn’t celebrate his goal.
Instead, he walked straight to De Bruyne with a bright smile.
“Kevin, thanks.
That was a beautiful pass.”
“You handled it well.
I just made the pass—anyone else could’ve done it,” De Bruyne replied seriously, shaking his head.
Qin Ming smiled even wider.
Who wouldn’t be happy being praised—especially by Kevin De Bruyne?
He’d always liked the blond Belgian, even before crossing over.
At first, it was sympathy—after all, De Bruyne had been famously cheated on by his best friend.
But later, it was pure admiration for his talent.
And being De Bruyne’s teammate?
That could mean a lot of goals.
As they walked back side by side, Malanda raised an eyebrow.
“Are they that close?”
“Maybe geniuses just understand each other better,” joked Tim Klose, who had been beaten earlier.
But he didn’t feel embarrassed—he respected talent.
Sebastian, however, wasn’t so calm.
He’d hoped to use Qin Ming as a stepping stone to make himself look good—only to get humiliated.
How could he stand that?
After the restart, Qin Ming clearly noticed a change.
His teammates no longer froze him out; instead, they started passing to him intentionally.
But to be honest, Qin Ming was still new to the pro level and had much to learn.
Those two feints had taken advantage of clear defensive mistakes.
As the saying goes: pressure changes everything.
Under stress, even 100% skill becomes 30%.
Qin Ming felt that.
But he also knew the importance of first impressions.
If he didn’t impress Hecking now, his path forward would be much harder.
So he instinctively ignored the pressure and treated the match as a game.
How did he play football as a kid?
He enjoyed it.
De Bruyne was the first to notice the change.
He saw that Qin Ming’s movements were no longer stiff or hesitant—there was a distinct spark to them now.
As the first half neared its end, Tim Klose intercepted a ball in defense and cleared it long.
Luiz Gustavo won the aerial challenge and headed the ball down to Qin Ming.
Sebastian closed in fast, sticking tightly to him.
He wanted to use his physicality and experience to strip the ball, then launch a counter and reclaim his pride.
If he could help B Team retake the lead before the halftime whistle, he’d be the standout.
Just as Sebastian was about to touch the ball—
Pop!
With a crisp sound, the ball suddenly popped up, narrowly escaping the Swiss defender’s reach.
(END CHAPTER)