Chapter 636
Cristiano Ronaldo: Oh no, I've become a substitute!
Real Madrid is preparing to make a substitution!
"Mourinho is probably planning to bring Ronaldo on to further strengthen the attacking firepower!"
When Real Madrid saw that they were preparing to make a substitution, the commentators on various TV stations subconsciously assumed that they were preparing to bring Ronaldo onto the field.
However, when they saw that it wasn't Cristiano Ronaldo who was on the field, but rather the young Argentine player they had brought in from Benfica, everyone's faces were filled with astonishment.
How dare Mourinho do that?
[If Ronaldo isn't substituted in such an important situation and the team loses, can he take responsibility?]
Mourinho is a mediocre talent; he's completely unfit to coach a powerhouse like Real Madrid!
[We strongly urge Ronaldo to be brought on; the Ronaldo-Rim link-up is the right answer for Real Madrid to win!]
Mourinho's substitution immediately caused a huge uproar among the fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo's fans were furious, feeling that Mourinho was deliberately humiliating Ronaldo.
As a superstar, being placed on the bench is already a huge loss of face for Ronaldo. Now, he's not even given a chance to be a substitute, but instead, he's given the playing time to an unknown newcomer.
Isn't this a blatant slap in the face to Cristiano Ronaldo?
Angry Ronaldo fans immediately launched a wave of online attacks against Mourinho, digging up everything from tactical choices and in-game management to his past misdeeds as a coach.
They desperately want to thoroughly criticize and discredit the other party!
Wow, Mourinho has such a strong will! I can't even imagine the backlash he'll face if they lose!
[Absolutely! I'm really curious what considerations led Magic Bird to make such a bold substitution!]
Perhaps he genuinely felt that Ronaldo was not up to the task and was a burden to the team?
[You can't say that, you'll get completely outmatched. He's a top-three active superstar in football!]
[Third place is third place. What's with the top three? Would the first and second place players say they're in the top three?]
[This third place ranking is also questionable. Just like university rankings in China, the top two are pretty much a given, but there are plenty of universities claiming to be in the top three!]
Hehe, now that you guys mention it, I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing what happens when Real Madrid loses!
Neutral fans, always eager for drama, simply enjoyed the spectacle. Some even hoped for an even bigger spectacle, ideally with a full-blown conflict between Mourinho and Ronaldo, which would provide even more entertainment!
There's a sense of 'I'm bored, I want to see rivers of blood.'
"Me, go on?"
Di Maria was very surprised to hear the coach call his name.
With a market value of only 1500 million euros, he might be considered a star player in other teams, but in Real Madrid, the world's number one club with market values of tens or even hundreds of millions, Di Maria feels like he has no presence and is like a nobody.
"Do I have to say it again? If you don't want to play, then don't play at all. Just sit on the bench for the rest of your life!"
Mourinho was very dissatisfied with Di Maria's fussy attitude, his expression was cold, and he seemed ready to sideline her at the slightest provocation.
The reason Di Maria was brought on was because he had noticed that the young Argentine, who was in his early twenties, had performed exceptionally well in the team's training matches.
Not only does he have a natural flair for playing football, but he is also incredibly selfless and a great team player.
Even when he created opportunities on the wing through his own breakthroughs, he never thought about taking the shot himself to steal the spotlight, and always gave the opportunity to his teammates in the first place.
In this match, Real Madrid did not apply enough pressure to Barcelona on the flanks, allowing Barcelona's full-backs to frequently push into the halfway line, which increased the number of players in the attack and made it difficult to contain Messi, who always had support on the flanks and in the half-spaces.
Although Mourinho advocates defense, he also knows in his heart that offense is the best form of defense.
Instead of replacing a defensive player to strengthen the defense, it would be better to replace the defensive player with an offensive player and use offense as a substitute for defense.
As for why they didn't use Ronaldo, it's simply because Ronaldo's playing style didn't achieve the desired effect.
Upon hearing Mourinho's words, Di Maria dared not say another word. He jumped up, high-fived the player he was substituted, and then, filled with excitement, rushed onto the field as fast as he could.
When Mourinho sent on a young player in his early twenties, Barcelona's coach Guardiola couldn't help but frown.
He really didn't know much about Di Maria, the young winger Real Madrid signed at the last minute of the summer transfer window.
All I know is that the other person won the World Youth Championship (2007), participated in the Olympics with Messi, and won the Olympic silver medal.
He previously seemed to be playing for Benfica, where he would make more than 30 appearances a season, but his stats weren't impressive, with a total of less than 10 goals and assists.
Such players are not uncommon in the football world, if not extremely rare.
Compared to super geniuses like Messi and Lin Feng, who proved themselves before the age of 20, Di Maria doesn't seem that amazing.
But he knows Mourinho; the other side wouldn't make such a pointless substitution.
He must have had a special purpose in sending Di Maria out.
Guardiola couldn't help but focus his attention on Di Maria, wanting to see what was so special about this young Argentine winger.
Others may not understand the angels' power, but Lin Feng, as a reborn individual, naturally knows it very well.
Aside from not winning the Ballon d'Or, Di Maria is arguably one of the few players in football to have achieved a Grand Slam.
He has won championships in many international competitions, including the World Youth Championship, the Olympics, the Copa America, and the World Cup.
He even won the Champions League Best Player award once while playing for Real Madrid, and was one of the biggest contributors to Real Madrid's title win.
If he hadn't lived in the same era as Messi and Ronaldo, and his brilliance hadn't been overshadowed by these two superstars, Di Maria's status in the football world would certainly have been much higher, given his ability and achievements.
With so many prestigious honors to his name, Di Maria's strength is certainly not to be underestimated.
Although he is not yet a fully-fledged angel, but only a juvenile angel, Lin Feng still chooses to believe in him.
When his teammates doubted Di Maria's abilities because he was too young and were unwilling to pass the ball to him, Lin Feng passed the ball to him without hesitation.
Di Maria was both surprised and delighted to receive the pass from Lin Feng. He really didn't expect that the team's leader would be the first to pass the ball to him!
And so, the angel began his performance on the right wing!
Facing Barcelona's left-back Abidal's defense, Di Maria used a highly deceptive change of speed and direction to easily get past his opponent, and then, like a wild horse, dribbled all the way.
Seeing this, Guardiola could no longer sit still.
He had already discovered his opponent's speed advantage! Abidal, who was chasing hard from behind, couldn't catch up!
Is Mourinho trying to use the opponent's speed and crosses to break down Barcelona's defense?
However, just when everyone thought Di Maria was going to make a violent run down the wing, he suddenly cut inside and dribbled towards the penalty area.
Abidal hadn't caught up yet, and the defensive midfielders hadn't covered in time, leaving Barcelona's right flank undefended.
Seeing this, Barcelona's captain Puyol, like a lion with its mane standing on end, pounced menacingly on Di Maria.
However, upon seeing the Barcelona captain, Di Maria displayed remarkable composure.
He calmly took small, quick steps, observing his teammates' positions as he pressed forward relentlessly towards the penalty area.
The moment Puyol charged forward, he suddenly spiked and changed direction, pushing the ball towards the center.
After passing the ball, Lin Feng, who was making a forward run from the middle, received Di Maria's pass back at the top of the arc.
He didn't look at the goal, but relied on his instincts to volley the ball towards the left side of the goal. The ball flew over the head of Barcelona defender Pique, who was trying to intercept it, and nestled into the net just inside the left post before Valdes could block it.
The score became 2-1, with Real Madrid taking the lead again.
Di Maria provided a crucial assist as soon as he came on, helping his team take the lead!
"Well done, angel!"
As Lin Feng retreated, he pointed to Di Maria, who had provided the assist, signaling her to come and celebrate with him.
Di Maria, of course, wouldn't miss such an opportunity to get close to a senior member of the team, and quickly stepped forward, offering his compliments:
"It's all thanks to your excellent positioning and accurate shooting, Captain. My passing is nothing special; as long as you have feet, it's fine!"
Ha, this kid's pretty good at getting things done!
Although that's what the other party said, Lin Feng wasn't naive enough to think that the pass they made just now was simply a matter of having a foot.
He has faced this group of Barcelona players many times and is very clear about the abilities of Abidal and Puyol.
Di Maria's ability to easily dribble past and even manipulate Barcelona's two key defenders is a testament to his talent and skill.
Lin Feng noticed that when Puyol was beaten, he slipped and did a split because he braked suddenly, which caused the Real Madrid fans in the stadium to burst into laughter.
Di Maria is truly terrifying for being able to make the Barcelona captain look so pathetic.
This is just a nascent angel. When he grows to his full potential, Real Madrid's right flank will likely welcome another right-wing master since Figo!
……
"Pretty!"
"Di Maria's dribbling and pass were excellent, and Lin Feng's follow-up shot was also of high quality. The two of them combined to complete this attack and regain the initiative!"
Inside the CCTV studio, the two commentators were nearly speechless with astonishment when they saw Real Madrid's coordinated attack.
The new signing's performance far exceeded their expectations. They initially thought Mourinho's substitution was a bit overconfident, but it turned out to be a stroke of genius.
Five minutes after Real Madrid made their substitution, they scored!
This outcome was something no one could have predicted in advance!
"For Chinese fans, the name Di Maria should be familiar. During last year's Beijing Olympics, he posed a huge threat to the Chinese team's defense. Although his brilliance was overshadowed by Lin Feng and Messi, those who watched that game will definitely have a deep impression of him!"
When Lin Feng scored to put Mourinho ahead, Mourinho was talking to his assistant coach and didn't see the goal.
But then he suddenly heard a huge cheer erupt from the stadium, and immediately turned to look at the field, where he saw the ball rolling inside Barcelona's goal.
Mourinho excitedly jumped up from the coaching bench, rushed to the sidelines, and roared while pumping his fist.
Seemingly feeling that the atmosphere wasn't enthusiastic enough, the madman turned around and kept waving his arms toward the stands, demanding more applause and cheers.
Damn it, we're playing against Barcelona, such an important match, the players are giving it their all on the field, how can you bunch of lazybones slack off in the stands?
Shout it out, yell it out, pass on your passion and let the players on the field feel it clearly!
Ignoring the actions of the coach next to him, Guardiola rested his chin on his left hand and pinched his brow with his right, seriously recalling Real Madrid's attack just now.
He had to admit that the young Real Madrid player's performance was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Like everyone else, Guardiola had assumed Mourinho would likely bring on Ronaldo, but to his surprise, he not only didn't bring on Ronaldo, but also gave him a surprise player.
And this surprise attack actually worked!
Upon closer analysis, he discovered that besides his speed and ability to break through and cross the ball, Di Maria possessed several other outstanding advantages:
He has outstanding dribbling skills, high ball intelligence, excellent vision, and strong teamwork.
His touches and his handling of the ball always give people an unexpected feeling; Abidal could be said to have been careless and underestimated his opponent.
But Puyol's move was a complete trap; he was outmaneuvered by the opponent's variation ability.
Considering that the opponent is only 21 years old this year and has a lot of room for improvement in the future, Guardiola couldn't help but feel a little wary.
He believes that this guy could pose an even greater threat to Barcelona than Ronaldo in the future!
The moment Lin Feng scored, Cristiano Ronaldo, sitting on the bench, went completely blank.
DiMaria played exactly the savior role he envisioned!
He came off the bench and saved the team!
The plot was exactly as he had imagined, but the protagonist had changed from him to someone else!
Oh no, have I become a stand-in?
A sense of crisis quietly rose from the bottom of Ronaldo's heart.
As the score changed, the situation on the field also underwent a dramatic transformation.
After Messi scored, Barcelona were initially leading on aggregate.
But now, with Lin Feng's goal, the aggregate score is 4-4, but Real Madrid has an away goal advantage.
If the match ends with the current score, Real Madrid will win the Super Cup by virtue of their away goal advantage over Barcelona!
Like Real Madrid, Barcelona, which underwent a major overhaul during the summer transfer window, also needs a victory to boost morale.
If they lose a championship at the start of the new season, especially if it's snatched away by their arch-rivals Real Madrid, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to their team's morale.
Barcelona, determined to avenge their defeat against Real Madrid, cannot accept this outcome.
Therefore, unwilling to admit defeat, Barcelona launched their fiercest counterattack against Real Madrid. (End of Chapter)