"Portugal have just won as well, which means they'll face France in the European Championship quarterfinals. Another early clash between two major contenders!"
"England will face Switzerland, while Turkey will take on the Netherlands!"
"Gullit, the Netherlands have played very well at this European Championship. I think they have an excellent chance of beating Turkey."
Gullit could not hide his smile. The Netherlands had faced constant criticism in the past, but Van Dijk had now matured, and the young defender Aké had joined the team.
Depay and several others had also performed well at this European Championship, allowing the Netherlands to produce the kind of football their supporters had not seen in a long time.
"Now that the European Championship quarterfinal matchups have been decided, why don't we ask Leo Lin and Modrić to predict which four teams will reach the semifinals?"
This time, Gullit was not making the prediction himself. He wanted Modrić to do it.
Leo Lin had already refused. Spain were still competing in the European Championship, and as a member of the squad, he naturally wanted to avoid getting involved in that kind of discussion.
Modrić, however, gave his predictions without hesitation, relying entirely on his own judgment.
"Between Spain and Germany, I actually favor Germany. But because Lin is playing, I'll predict that Spain will win."
Leo Lin did not know whether Modrić was simply showing him some respect or genuinely believed Spain would win, but Germany would certainly be difficult to face.
They had Gündoğan, along with popular young German players such as Havertz and Musiala, who were attracting attention throughout Europe.
"Between Portugal and France, I think France will win again."
"According to my predictions, that means Spain and France will meet in the semifinals."
"On the other side, I think England will reach the final. The Netherlands will make the semifinals, then be eliminated by England. That's my prediction."
Modrić had shown Gullit no mercy at all.
"Modrić, I'm sitting right here. Couldn't you at least predict that the Netherlands will reach the final?"
Modrić looked at Gullit as though he had only just remembered that a Dutch legend was sitting beside him.
"Then I'll say it again. I think the Netherlands will reach the semifinals and lose to England."
It was exactly the same prediction as before.
Leo Lin burst out laughing, while Stam laughed directly in Gullit's face.
Modrić had initially wanted to predict a German victory because his Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos was part of the Germany squad.
Modrić's prediction that Spain would win eventually reached the young German midfielder Musiala.
Although Toni Kroos tried his best to stop him, Musiala still gave his opinion when questioned by a reporter.
"Musiala, Modrić chose not to support his teammate Toni Kroos because of Lin."
"More and more people now believe Spain will win. Do you think Germany can beat them?"
Musiala's first reaction was to reject the premise of Germany needing to beat Spain.
"I don't think about whether we can beat Spain. I only think about whether they can beat us."
"This Germany team is no longer the same as before. We've been renewed, we're stronger, and we'll prove ourselves at this European Championship."
The reporter produced a comparison of the two squads' market values.
Germany's squad was valued at 160 million euros less than Spain's. The main reason for the difference was Lin, whose individual market value of 230 million euros had pushed Spain ahead of Germany.
"Market value has never been something I focus on, and I don't believe any player can really be worth 230 million."
"For a long time, whenever we discussed a player's value, the question was whether he could reach 100 million. Now someone is supposedly worth 230 million. Doesn't that sound ridiculous?"
"Rodri is currently valued at 100 million, and I think that's reasonable. If Liverpool put him on the market for 100 million, someone would definitely buy him."
"But if Liverpool put Lin on the market for 230 million, who would actually pay that much?"
The reporter had successfully drawn enough material out of the young Musiala to create a major story.
Musiala did have a point, but Leo Lin's supporters certainly would not be pleased.
Borussia Dortmund, as Bayern Munich's rival, soon responded to the Bayern player's comments.
"If Liverpool are willing to sell Lin for 230 million, we will definitely make an offer. Whatever form that offer has to take, we will submit one!"
Real Madrid then posted a response of their own, accompanied by a photograph of Modrić and Leo Lin sitting together during their interview.
"We hear someone wants to sell Lin for 230 million. Is that in cash, or can we use another payment structure? Please let us know immediately!"
Liverpool responded soon afterward.
"Don't even think about it!"
The same reporter tracked Leo Lin down the following day, hoping to provoke a response to Musiala's remarks.
"I like Musiala's personality, but I think his own market value could reach 230 million one day. It might even go higher."
"He plays for Germany, so naturally he believes Germany will win. That's perfectly normal, just as I believe Spain will win."
"I know Germany have quite a few young players, such as Toni Kroos."
Leo Lin's joke was also a tribute to Kroos.
"After our match against Germany, I'll tell you whether Spain or Germany deserves to reach the European Championship semifinals."
Hierro had watched Germany's matches. Although Musiala was a midfielder, he was playing on the left wing. His ability to control the ball through a rapid series of touches was one of his defining qualities.
Gündoğan had played differently at the European Championship from the way he did at Manchester City, while Toni Kroos had remained as consistently reliable as ever.
Germany's greatest problem was Havertz, who had been forced to play at center-forward.
"Germany simply don't have another solution. That's why they're using Havertz as their striker."
"We'll have Laporte mark Havertz, while the other center-back focuses on helping Gayà defend against Musiala."
"We'll move Gayà to right-back. He's the only one who can stop Musiala."
Zubizarreta had devised another defensive adjustment. Gayà would move from left-back to right-back to reduce Musiala's influence, allowing Laporte to deal more comfortably with Havertz in the center.
Xavi remained more concerned about the midfield.
"What about Germany's midfield?"
"Gündoğan, Toni Kroos, and Emre Can. That midfield won't be easy to handle."
It was the first time Zubizarreta had heard someone describe an opposing midfield as difficult to handle.
"What do you mean, difficult to handle?"
"With Lin on the pitch, who cares who they have in midfield? How could they possibly be difficult to handle?"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (65 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.