Chu Zhongtian didn't remember how they returned to the hotel room. The clearest moment of yesterday's memory was when he held up the Bundesliga championship prize plate on behalf of the whole team. What happened after that quickly blurred.

He even wondered if he had a very real dream. In fact, today was on May 23rd, and he got up to prepare for the last round of the league this afternoon... But when he turned his head and looked at the bedside table, the idea disappeared, and he saw the gold medal hanging on the table lamp above the bedside table.

The prize plate is an honor belonging to the club, while the gold medal is an honor that allows the players to retain themselves.

They did win the Bundesliga championship, and as a newly promoted team, they won the league championship without anyone thinking at the beginning of the season.

Domestic Cup champion, League Cup champion, European Super Cup champion, and even the league champion have been won. Chu Zhongtian’s wishes are fulfilled one by one. What are the goals now? World Cup? Chu Zhongtian dares not think about this at all. I don’t know whether the Chinese team can participate in the World Cup. Let alone win the World Cup... If the Chinese team can win the World Cup... it must be him dreaming, and he occasionally does something like this in his dream. In the Asian Cup... it is also very difficult.

For Chu Zhongtian, the biggest goal in his career is the European Champions League.

As a Chinese player, as a player who only started to get involved in professional football at the age of 21, he used to be a half-way player in amateur football. It is enough to win so many championship trophys.

But he would not stop there. He knew that the European Champions League as the highest honor was not so easy to obtain, and he would not fall for other champions on the way forward. In short, in his career, as long as he had the ability, opportunity, hope, and the championship honor came as much as he wanted.

Chu Zhongtian, who had got up and sat for a while, jumped down, touched the hanging gold medal with his hand, and then went to the bathroom to wash. Weis, who was in the same room as him, was still sleeping soundly at this time.

※※※When most of Hoffenheim players were still asleep, the outside world was already crazy because of their championship.

In every corner of Sinsheim, the special special issue of Hoffenheim winning the championship was placed in the most eye-catching locations, including convenience stores, newsstands, stations, squares, and photos of Chu Zhongtian leading his teammates holding the prize plates everywhere.

The blue and white flags fluttering in the wind have long been hung throughout the city.

The media even reported Hoffenheim's championship in a long and long way. Comment experts jumped out to congratulate Hoffenheim, even though they were not optimistic about such a small team from the country before.

"Actually I don't want to say 'This is really incredible'. Because judging from Hoffenheim's performance this season, they have the ability to win the championship. Since the winter championship, that's it. They didn't suddenly rise and win the championship in the last two rounds of the league. They have laid the foundation for winning the championship since the first half of the season..."

"Now I just want to replay the clip of Chu when he was interviewed by Monica, but what we need to pay attention to is not the Q&A between Chu and Monica, but his expression when he answered - from that time on, Chu hoped and firmly believed that his team would win the championship. It is this amazing belief that allows him to score key goals in the last two rounds of the most critical games, and he scored two at the same time!"

"Hoffenheim, a fairy tale for a season!" This is the title of German Bird. This German and European daily newspaper uses two full pages to report Hoffenheim's success from all angles, including club executives, their opponents, players, coaches, and enthusiastic rural fans.

"Kickers" also praised the success of Rangnick's team: "A season ago, you asked me where Hoffenheim is? I also wanted to look for it with the largest number map. But now I don't need it. Everyone knows this place. If you don't know where Hoffenheim is, you will be outdated. They are now the center of German football and the focus of everyone's attention. Yesterday, they defeated Schalke 04 3:1 at the Aofu Schalke Stadium, and won the first Bundesliga championship prize plate in the club's more than 100 years of history. I thought of the chairman of Bayern Club Rummenigge, who once mocked Hoffenheim for being comparable to them at Bayern's shareholders' meeting.

What I said - 'Since they are called Hoffenheim 1899, then who knows what they are doing in the past hundred years?' The past hundred years are not the responsibility of this Hoffenheim, and they do not need to pay for the obscurity of the past hundred years. But from now on, more people may hear their names and they can create this new century. This is hope. If Hoffenheim's name is separated and pronounced, it is 'Homeland of Hope', and the young Hoffenheim is the home of hope. In the Champions League next season, we will see a new face appearing in Europe, and what kind of performance they will bring us is worth our expectations."

The craziest performance was Sinsheim's local Rhine-Neckar. After they won the championship in Hoffenheim, they produced a championship special issue overnight and then distributed it to a newsstand and convenience store for free. The next day, Sinsheim could share the joy of Hoffenheim's victory in the whole city.

※※※The Hoffenheim players who got up had not yet come back to their senses from the joy of winning the championship. Many people still had championship gold medals hanging around their necks when they came to have breakfast. When greeting each other, they would lift the gold medals and show them.

"How did you sleep yesterday?"

“It’s never been so good!”

"Hey, I didn't sleep well... As soon as I closed my eyes, it was the scene of us winning the championship..."

"I can't believe we really won the championship!"

...While everyone was having a meal, they were still talking about the league championship.

For many Hoffenheim players, this season is a dreamy season, and things that many people dare not even think of have become reality. They will become the most enviable object of other teams, because compared with their first-time boys who participated in the Bundesliga, no one of them has played for ten years or even more than ten years of Bundesliga, but they have no chance or hope to win the league championship. Should Hoffenheim players be lucky? But if they don’t have such strength, the goddess of luck will not favor them.

After dinner, Rangnick and his assistant coaches reminded everyone to take a bus back, and there was a bigger celebration waiting for them in Sinsheim.

Many people fell asleep in the car from Schalke back to Hoffenheim. They didn't have a good rest last night. Now they take this opportunity to make up for their sleep and will be even more tired at night.

There are also many Hoffenheim fans driving cars with Hoffenheim’s team bus. They are all hardcore fans who went to Aofuschalke Stadium to watch the game. They didn’t go back last night because when they needed to celebrate, many people were waiting to follow the team back to Sinsheim today.

They followed Hoffenheim's bus on the highway, and even shot Hoffenheim's flag at the window, even poked out the window, waved to the Hoffenheim players on the bus, and cheered loudly.

The Hoffenheim players who were not sleeping smiled and waved to them.

In this way, led by Hoffenheim's bus, a team composed of Hoffenheim fans drove towards Sinsheim in a mighty way.

※※The team arrived in Sinsheim at 1:00 pm, and they headed straight to a hotel. The team's boss Hope had already set up a celebration banquet for them. In addition, at the banquet, Hope's boss would fulfill his bonus promise on the spot - if the team wins the championship, they will get 3.5 million euros in prize money. Even if everyone shares the money equally, they can get 150,000 yuan, and half of the tax deduction will be left.

So while cursing Germany's high tax rates, everyone was looking forward to the boss fulfilling the bonus promise.

During the World Cup in Germany, Merkel, then the German Chancellor, went to the German national team to explore the camp to boost morale. At that time, the documentary director Walterman was filming a documentary called "Germany, A Summer Fairy Tale". The players took the DV to shoot the team's affairs. After shook hands with Chancellor Merkel, "Little Pig" Schweinsteiger turned his head and whispered to the DV in Podolsky's hand: "Please, cut taxes!"

One reason why the Bundesliga cannot attract high-level football superstars is that they have up to 45% of their personal income tax. In addition, since Germany's politics and church are a concessional relationship, ordinary people also have to pay some miscellaneous taxes such as church taxes, and players also have to pay social insurance. This is a very important expenditure. Medical insurance is included and accounts for the majority. Because the probability of players being injured is higher than that of ordinary people, their medical expenses are an important part. Players have to pay about 10,000 yuan a year.

Social insurance of around 1,000 euros. The amount paid by the club is roughly the same as the number paid by the players. No matter how much the player's annual salary is, it is 11,000, and the two sides add up to 22,000 euros. In order to help players avoid taxes, other leagues have tried every means and have only one goal. Anyway, the clubs have to pay so much money, so it is better to let the money fall into the players' pockets as much as possible instead of paying it to the national treasury. In this way, attract the players' franchise and improve the competitiveness of the league.

Germany has high taxes and is mixed, and the players' income is the lowest among the five major European leagues. Chu Zhongtian's annual salary after tax is 3 million euros, while Hoffenheim's actual contribution is more than 6 million. In terms of annual salary, Chu Zhongtian is already a player of the same level as Ribery.

When Hoffenheim was a second-tier team, the highest annual salary in the team was head coach Rangnick, who had two million euros after tax. Chu Zhongtian had broken this standard since he wanted to continue making appointments, and the annual salary increased. But for Hope, he was still within the standard that he could bear. He knew that if the team wanted to develop and have honors, he had to be willing to spend money. Of course, he did not spend money unlimitedly. He could still save money in terms of salary of players. Therefore, except for a few people such as Chu Zhongtian and Ibisevic, most of the other players were the same.

The income is still very low. Save a little salary and be generous in bonuses, which can also make players loyal and do their best. In fact, the role of the bonus is more like "carrots on sticks", hanging in front, inspiring players to work hard, but can they finally get it? It's hard to say. Bad luck and negligence may lead to bankruptcy of the goal that has worked hard for a season, just like Wolfsburg. But before the end of the season, no one knows whether the bonus can be obtained. Maybe the boss doesn't have to pay a penny in the end?

Hope has to pay the money, but he is happy. When he was still a Hoffenheim player, he never expected that the team he played for would be qualified to stand at the peak of German football. Decades have passed, and he has changed from a young man of seventeen or eighteen to a sixty-year-old man. The team he once played for, the team he has devoted countless efforts to finally do it. Not to mention 3.5 million, even if it is five million, he will not frown at this time.

A season ago, when Hoffenheim was promoted to the League One, Hope wore a suit and had a Hoffenheim scarf hanging around his neck, sitting on the grass on the court, celebrating the team's promotion with the players. This time he was going to socialize with the German Football Association president and the president of the opponent's club, but he did not personally rush to the court to "joy with the people". This time in the hotel lobby, he still had a Hoffenheim scarf hanging around his neck, hugging every player who came in.

When Chu Zhongtian and head coach Rangnick brought the championship prize plate to Hope together, the two of them handed the prize plate to Hope.

"This is the champion, boss."

Hope took the prize plate and stared at the large salad plate that countless people had dreamed of. His white-haired face was reflected in the silver glittering prize plate.

"When I played football... I never took it as a target." He was not referring to the prize plate, but the top honor of German football. There was no such prize plate at that time. "I just think playing football is a very happy thing, especially playing football with my friends. I am not a talented player, so I can only play football in this amateur team in my hometown. Therefore, I am a Hoffenheim fan...even if she could only compete in the amateur league at the beginning."

He murmured as he looked at the prize plate in his hand.

"But when I decided to fund this team, I started to have the idea that maybe one day we can get European giants to play in this small place in Hoffenheim, and we can hold up something like that."

After saying that, he returned the prize plate to Chu Zhongtian and Rangnick: "Thank you. The dream that I have been doing for twenty years has become real. We have raised this. Next season, those European giants will come to our small place to compete thousands of miles away."

"I hope those European giants will not find a place when they come here to compete." Rangnick smiled.

Hope was amused by his words and laughed.

The other players laughed.

They all remembered that before the start of this season, there were not many people in Germany who knew where Hoffenheim was. The host of the TV program also had to use a map to introduce to the audience where Hoffenheim was in Germany. So will the same situation occur at the beginning of the new season? However, this time it was the European TV program host who made up for German geography knowledge to the audience.

They found this very interesting, a group of mysterious new troops who were fighting all over the top field, which felt great!

We don’t have to take the map to introduce where we come from. We just need to use our football to make everyone remember where Hoffenheim’s country bumpkins come from, just like this season!

After laughing, Hope patted the captain Chu Zhongtian on the shoulder: "When you came, you said you wanted to create a big scene. Is this a big scene, Chu?"

Chu Zhongtian shook his head: "Of course not counting, Mr. Hope."

Hope laughed: "You are the same as I think." Then he leaned down, leaned into Chu Zhongtian's ear, and whispered: "Can you ask Miss Emily Stan for a signed photo of her?"

Chu Zhongtian was a little surprised.

Hope looked up and blinked at him: "My granddaughter is her admirer."

Chu Zhongtian grinned, not knowing what expression he should have.

Hope laughed and pressed Chu Zhongtian's shoulder harder. "Go and celebrate the victory!"

※※※The climax of the banquet was obviously Hope congratulated the team on his achievements and fulfilled his bonus promise on the spot.

Cheers from the players and coaches resounded throughout the audience, and everyone was happy to have such a generous boss.

Then Rangnick came on stage, took the microphone and said to everyone: "Study a good holiday. When you come back, please forget the honor today. We have to start from scratch, and there are more difficult games waiting for us..."

Someone was booing him: "Ralph! Don't say such things at this time! Let's talk about it when we are happy after these days!"

I usually dare not say this in public, but after he shouted this, many people still echoed him loudly.

"Yes! That's right! Now is a time of celebration! Just have wine!"

"Save the work plan and other things for the future." Hope also spoke to everyone.

Rangnick smiled helplessly: "Okay, everyone has fun!"

"oh!!"

"That's right!"

"Ha ha!"

"Cheers! Ralph!"

The golden beer rippled in the transparent glass, and everyone raised their glasses and collided, then tilted their heads to drink.

This is a victorious wine. No matter how much you drink, no one will bring out the dogma of "professional players should not drink alcohol" to disappoint you.

Just like Hoffenheim fans sang in the stands:

We will win, the cup is full of beer.

They did win, and the cup was filled with beer.

Next season, they will let the whole of Europe know that they are Hoffenheim and let Europe taste their football.
Chapter completed!