Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Double Hat-Trick (1)
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Ban Ye-rin had made her Ban Yeager hat-trick prediction before every single game up to now, but today she just couldn't.
Of all days, Ban Yeager's hat-trick looked all but guaranteed.
There was no reward or mission for successfully predicting Banny's hat-trick.
It just felt good, that was all.
She had predicted a hat-trick for Ban Yeager no matter who the opponent was in every game...
But on this one day, due to a perfectly valid yet inexplicable tardiness, the first game she couldn't predict...
A hat-trick was practically set in stone.
Trying to console herself that it might stop at a multi-goal went against her fan heart.
Banny would become a fan who didn't trust Ban Yeager's hat-trick, doubting her own player.
As if responding to this massive event, Ban Yeager's third goal.
The hat-trick came right before halftime.
Even among Vtubers, the ultimate Meng-gu Vtuber let out a wail.
Of course, Banny, who was trying to close donations for the first time ever, fumbled around for ages before finding the way.
[Found it!]
By the time she finally blocked them, she'd already taken a barrage of 1,000-won punches, leaving her mentality in tatters.
About twenty 1,000-won punches for a total of 20,000 won.
After exchange fees, that came to around 12,000 won...
She'd only been streaming for less than an hour, so Banny had basically gotten minimum wage while getting mobbed.
The Manchester United players returned to the locker room after crafting a dominant 3-0 scoreline.
Already certain of victory, the players with beaming faces each tossed a word at Ban Yeager, who was carrying them yet again today.
"Ban~ You're gonna win the golden boot at this rate?"
"For real? That's 17 league goals already?"
"Who's leading the scoring charts right now?"
17 league goals put it firmly in contention.
The EFL Championship sometimes saw EPL monsters drop down due to relegation, so top scorer tallies varied wildly across seasons.
For example, in the 21-22 season when Fulham got relegated, Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged 43 goals.
Luckily, no such monster this season.
If you had to pick one, it was Ban Yeager himself, who joined mid-season via the winter window and jumped into the race.
With 14 games left including the current round 33.
The current leader was Leeds United striker Chris Wood.
20 goals—just a three-goal gap from Ban Yeager.
"Whoa~ Joining mid-season and snagging golden boot?!"
"At this pace, he'll catch up in two or three games?"
Manchester United was buzzing like they'd already won the league and the boot, celebrating wildly.
Ban Yeager responded happily to each one, but inwardly he wasn't thrilled.
From the moment he arrived in this second division, becoming top scorer was a given—no big deal.
He was just disappointed that Lucas Cruijff hadn't gotten debut minutes and some experience in this easy win.
'Well... I can't exactly demand they put him on the squad right now.'
Since the first-team chemistry wasn't there yet, it was just a mild regret.
"Golden boot..."
Might as well score a few more while he's at it.
When Lucas came up, he'd need a goal rush for confidence and adaptation, so banking them now.
'Catch up in two or three games?'
Just nail another hat-trick in the second half.
For Manchester United fans, it was a festival day.
They'd been winning nearly every game lately, turning matchdays into daily celebrations, but today was extra special.
Ban Yeager had slammed in a hat-trick in just 45 first-half minutes.
They thought that was plenty, but apparently not for the man himself.
He mercilessly slaughtered Birmingham City, who had hoped for even a slight change in the second half.
Two more goals in the first 30 minutes of the second half for an over-hat-trick.
"Am... am I dreaming right now?"
"Dad, this isn't Dream Theatre... it's reality!"
The Smith family, faithful as ever, had come to watch United away.
"Even in the second tier... how is this possible...?"
Victoria Smith, dragged along to yet another away game under the pretense of "no choice" against her dad's nagging.
She was already half a United fan—no, a Ban Yeager fan.
"Victoria! See?! This is our club's true form!!"
"Fine... I get it~"
Manchester United was definitely strong.
No—had become strong.
The wind of change was brought by the Eastern player Ban Yeager.
No one in the second tier could match him.
Even in the recent FA Cup against West Ham, he shone unchanged—a player likely to thrive in the top flight too...
"Now's the time for you to carry on the family legacy!"
"How is rooting for a soccer team a family legacy..."
Manchester United with Ban Yeager...
Sure, they were on a hot streak lately, but still not enough for Victoria Smith to support.
She was a die-hard big-team fan with sky-high pride and standards.
Rooting for a second-division side? Absolutely impossible.
It ended up having the exact opposite effect of the Smith family's wishes.
'How much stronger would Ban Yeager get at Barcelona?'
When a player's talent shone so brilliantly regardless of team, you couldn't help wanting to poach him for your own.
A hat-trick.
It refers to when a single player scores three goals in one game.
In the Bundesliga specifically, all three must come in either the first or second half, and if another player scores during that hat-trick span, it doesn't count.
Ban Yeager had three in the first half alone, with no other goals.
The stern Bundesliga Hat-Trick Recognition Association would approve.
But succeeding in the first half meant the second was fair game too, right?
Three in each half—six total.
Six goals in a game is a double hat-trick—unheard of since the revamped EPL, and even the near-century-old World Cup maxes at five.
'Doable.'
Surveying the pitch, it didn't seem impossible.
15 minutes left.
One more goal in that time for the first-ever double hat-trick in English league history—barely a whisper in others.
"Huff... huff..."
Iwata Tomoki, who'd shadowed him all game, was effectively knocked out.
The manager, mind broken by the overwhelming defeat, hadn't even subbed him.
"Pass to Ban Yeager no matter what!!!"
"Everyone on him!!!"
Darren Fletcher knew the situation, bellowing from the touchline like he was about to storm the pitch.
With about 10 minutes left, Manchester United earned a corner.
They used their two subs.
Darren Fletcher's solution for Ban Yeager's goal was prescribed.