Chapter Summaries

Real Madrid prepared for the Champions League return leg against Chelsea while league draws frustrated both Barcelona and Villas-Boas. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s pressure through Drogba threatened Real Madrid, and Mourinho concluded that Lin Feng would be key to winning.

• Villas-Boas’s reserve side drew with Mallorca, while Barcelona also settled for a goalless draw against Getafe after resting its starters.
• Wenger reluctantly let Real Madrid train at Arsenal’s base, then watched Lin Feng and regretted not signing him; Fabregas, Walcott, and Wilshere also observed the young star.
• Chelsea fans welcomed Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge, and Shevchenko sat on the bench while regretting his departure from AC Milan.
• Mourinho started Higuain in place of Robben and used Pepe instead of the suspended Diarra for the second leg against Chelsea.
• Chelsea attacked through Drogba, who troubled Real Madrid’s center backs with repeated shots and headers during the opening half hour.
• Mourinho considered bringing on Mertesacker to counter Drogba but decided that Real Madrid needed to attack, with Lin Feng central to their chances.

Real Madrid defeated Chelsea 2:1 away, advanced to the Champions League semifinals 4:1 on aggregate, and joined Liverpool, Barcelona, and Manchester United in the final four. The semifinal draw was announced, leaving fans stunned.

• Chelsea used collective zonal defense to contain Lin Feng until he dropped back into midfield and pushed Sneijder forward.
• In the 35th minute, Lin Feng sent Van Nistelrooy through with a long pass, and Van Nistelrooy set up Raul to score.
• Chelsea attacked desperately after conceding, but Lin Feng later assisted Higuain before Drogba scored a late consolation goal.
• Real Madrid won 2:1 and advanced 4:1 on aggregate; at the press conference, Mourinho praised Chelsea players and openly invited several to join Real Madrid.
• Chelsea announced John Terry had extended his contract through 2013, while Liverpool, Barcelona, and Manchester United also secured semifinal places.
• The Champions League semifinal draw was announced, surprising fans who had expected an El Clásico pairing.

After Real Madrid drew Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals, Lin Feng warned his teammates not to underestimate them, while Mourinho weighed the league schedule against the European campaign. Real Madrid extended their league lead to fifteen points, and Mourinho sent Villas-Boas to lead the team in the next league match while he took the squad to Liverpool.

• Real Madrid's players celebrated drawing Liverpool, but Lin Feng urged them to stay cautious and focus on winning both the league and Champions League.
• Real Madrid defeated Murcia 3–0 despite receiving an early red card, and Barcelona's draw left Real Madrid fifteen points clear with six league matches remaining.
• Barcelona refocused on the Champions League, with Ronaldinho regaining his seriousness and Henry determined to pursue the trophy.
• Mourinho decided not to risk tiring his players before the Liverpool semifinal and assigned Villas-Boas to lead Real Madrid in the next league match.
• Villas-Boas welcomed the chance to lead the team and planned to leave Mourinho's staff after the season to start his own coaching career.

Villas-Boas led Real Madrid’s substitutes to a 2-0 win over Racing Santander, clinching the La Liga title five rounds early and boosting the starters’ confidence before their Champions League semifinal against Liverpool. At Anfield, Liverpool dominated the opening minutes, but Lin Feng created a dangerous chance for Raul, and Mourinho prepared Real Madrid to counter as Liverpool shifted toward attacks from the wings.

• Villas-Boas guided Real Madrid’s substitutes to a 2-0 away win over Racing Santander, securing the league title early.
• Villas-Boas announced that he would leave Mourinho’s coaching staff after the season, while Real Madrid’s starters celebrated their title win in the United Kingdom.
• Mourinho and Benitez prepared their teams for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at Anfield, with Real Madrid focusing on limiting Xavi Alonso and Liverpool planning to attack.
• Liverpool pressed Real Madrid early, but Casillas saved Gerrard’s close-range shot and kept the score level.
• Lin Feng dispossessed Xavi Alonso and sent Raul a precise long pass, but Raul held back to avoid injuring Reina and the goalkeeper gathered the ball.
• Liverpool moved its attacks toward the wings, prompting Mourinho to signal that Real Madrid should begin its attack.

Real Madrid took a 1–0 lead over Liverpool in the first half, with Lin Feng setting up Van Nistelrooy’s goal and helping Casillas preserve the advantage. After halftime, Liverpool attacked more aggressively, but Lin Feng broke through their defense and unleashed a shot with Reina out of position; the chapter ended before the result was revealed.

• Lin Feng created chances for Real Madrid, and Van Nistelrooy scored in the 28th minute after Arbeloa misplaced a pass under pressure.
• Prautz denied Raul a penalty, and Casillas saved Babel’s one-on-one attempt as Liverpool chased an equalizer.
• Lin Feng cleared a dangerous corner before the first half ended with Real Madrid leading 1–0.
• Mourinho urged Real Madrid to maintain their confidence, while Gerrard persuaded Benitez that Liverpool had to attack in the second half.
• Pepe won the ball and passed to Lin Feng, who sprinted past Carragher and shrugged off Skrtel before Reina came off his line.
• Lin Feng shifted the ball to evade Skrtel and make room to shoot, leaving Reina unable to react in time.

Lin Feng scored twice as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3:1 at Anfield, leaving Liverpool with a steep deficit ahead of the next match. After Raul was substituted, Lin Feng took over Real Madrid’s captain’s armband.

• After Lin Feng scored Real Madrid’s second goal, Mourinho reinforced the defense while Liverpool pushed forward, and Gerrard hit the crossbar with a shot.
• Kuyt scored for Liverpool in the 62nd minute after Reina’s long ball and Gerrard’s header, narrowing the score to 2:1.
• Mourinho instructed Lin Feng to mark Alonso, and Real Madrid won the ball and quickly passed it to Lin Feng.
• With Reina caught outside his goal, Lin Feng launched a long-range lob that made the score 3:1.
• Raul’s shot was saved by Reina, and Mourinho substituted him; Raul handed the captain’s armband to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng completed a late hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 4-1 at Anfield in the Champions League semifinal first leg. After the match, Benitez sought funds for a new striker, while Mourinho considered Lin Feng’s recommendation of Torres.

• Lin Feng nearly scored from 30 yards and set up a corner routine before Pepe blasted his shot over the bar.
• Gerrard and Kuyt combined for a late Liverpool chance, but Casillas collected Gerrard’s effort as the exhausted captain struggled to keep running.
• In the final minute of stoppage time, Lin Feng headed Marcelo’s cross into the net to make it 4-1 and complete his hat-trick at Anfield.
• At the press conference, Mourinho praised Liverpool before declaring that Real Madrid had won because the team and its coach were better.
• Barcelona and Manchester United drew 0-0 in their first leg, while Liverpool faced an almost impossible task in the return match.
• Benitez demanded more transfer funds and considered Agüero, Torres, and Suárez; after Lin Feng recommended Torres, Mourinho studied his footage and decided to keep evaluating him.

Real Madrid celebrated their La Liga title and advanced to the Champions League final after defeating Liverpool, while Lin Feng agreed to return for China’s crucial World Cup Qualifiers against Qatar. Liu Yifei and Shu Chang planned to attend the match, and the story left Real Madrid preparing to face Manchester United for the Champions League trophy.

• Real Madrid received Athletic Bilbao’s guard of honor, celebrated their 31st league title, and beat them 3-0 as Di Stefano praised Lin Feng.
• China drew its first two World Cup Qualifiers matches without its overseas players, leaving Zhu Guanghu’s team in danger of failing to advance.
• Lin Feng confirmed he would play against Qatar, prompting Liu Yifei to buy a ticket and Shu Chang to offer to accompany her.
• Manchester United eliminated Barcelona 1-0 on aggregate, leaving Real Madrid as La Liga’s final hope in the Champions League.
• Lin Feng assisted Raul and scored twice as Real Madrid drew Liverpool 3-3, advancing to the final 7-4 on aggregate.
• Real Madrid and Manchester United prepared to meet for the Champions League title at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Real Madrid prepared for El Clásico after Mourinho warned his players against complacency and promised training performances would determine the lineup. Messi and Lin Feng traded pre-match challenges, and Lin Feng opened the Bernabeu match with a free-kick goal.

• Gago returned from injury but struggled defensively against Osasuna, while substitute Lin Feng scored late to secure Real Madrid's win.
• Mourinho told the squad that training and practice-match performances would decide the starters for El Clásico, improving the players' focus.
• Barcelona ended a five-match winless run with Messi scoring four goals against Valencia, and Messi vowed to beat Real Madrid and avenge the previous defeat.
• Lin Feng answered Messi by promising to help him remember the last match, as both teams' fans traded taunts before the Bernabeu clash.
• Barcelona refused to give Real Madrid a guard of honor, then attacked from kickoff as Messi threatened with a dribble.
• Lin Feng surged forward in the seventh minute, drew a foul from Puyol, and scored from the resulting free kick past Valdes.

Real Madrid overwhelmed Barcelona in El Clásico, with Lin Feng scoring twice and assisting another goal before halftime. As Barcelona collapsed, Guardiola reconsidered much of the squad and Rijkaard decided to resign after the match.

• Cristiano Ronaldo watched Lin Feng score a knuckling free kick and realized Lin Feng could strike them even better than he could.
• Guardiola took notes on Barcelona’s players as Real Madrid dominated, marking many for a planned squad purge.
• Messi equalized for Barcelona in the 18th minute, but Lin Feng assisted Raul’s goal five minutes later to restore Real Madrid’s lead.
• Real Madrid smothered Barcelona’s midfield, and Lin Feng won the ball from Xavi before combining with Raul and scoring in the 38th minute to make it 3:1.
• Rijkaard decided to announce his resignation after the match, while Guardiola wondered whether to leave rather than watch Barcelona suffer further humiliation.

Lin Feng scored a hat trick as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4:1 and completed a home-and-away league double. Rijkaard resigned, and Barcelona appointed the inexperienced Guardiola as their next head coach, leaving Mourinho to face his former friend as a new rival.

• Lin Feng completed his hat trick, and Guardiola left the Bernabeu early as Real Madrid dominated Barcelona for the rest of the match.
• Real Madrid won 4:1, completing a home-and-away double over Barcelona and sending Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson into a renewed sense of pressure and concern.
• Rijkaard announced his resignation as Barcelona head coach after the defeat, prompting speculation about his successor.
• Barcelona's board narrowly approved Laporta's proposal to appoint Guardiola as head coach for the 2008–09 season on a three-year contract.
• Mourinho learned that his former friend Guardiola would coach Barcelona and felt conflicted about facing him as a league rival.

After a difficult start at Barcelona, Guardiola continued reshaping the team and earned his first win, while Lin Feng finished the league season with a record-breaking 43 goals. Real Madrid traveled to Russia for the Champions League Final against Manchester United, and Lin Feng celebrated his twentieth birthday with his parents and teammates on the eve of the match.

• Guardiola left Ronaldinho out of the squad, and Barcelona lost 3–2 to Mallorca after surrendering a two-goal lead to Guiza’s stoppage-time winner.
• Mourinho advised Guardiola to speak less and work more, and Guardiola appreciated the support as he faced mounting pressure at Barcelona.
• Guardiola promoted Busquets and other youth players, made Messi the team’s core, and tested tiki-taka in Barcelona’s final league match, which they won.
• Lin Feng scored in Real Madrid’s season finale to reach 43 league goals, breaking Hugo Sanchez’s goals-per-game record.
• Real Madrid flew to Russia to face Manchester United in the Champions League Final, with both teams intent on winning the trophy.
• Lin Feng celebrated his twentieth birthday with his parents, received a music company as a gift, and shared birthday wishes and cake with the Real Madrid squad.

Real Madrid and Manchester United cautiously began the 2007–08 Champions League final, with Lin Feng creating early danger and Cristiano Ronaldo drawing a booking from Marcelo. The chapter ended with Ronaldo preparing to take a free kick as Casillas organized Real Madrid’s wall.

• Zhang Lu and Zhan Jun introduced the teams’ lineups before the final, noting Real Madrid’s cautious defense and Manchester United’s midfield choices.
• In the tunnel, Lin Feng encouraged Cristiano Ronaldo, who grew excited, then tried to encourage a nervous Gago.
• The final kicked off at Luzhniki Stadium, and both teams cautiously probed before Manchester United and Real Madrid launched early attacks.
• Lin Feng broke free of Carrick and later fired a long-range shot just over the crossbar, prompting Ferguson to have Hargreaves help mark him.
• Cristiano Ronaldo beat Marcelo down the right, and Marcelo pulled him down and received the match’s first yellow card.
• Ronaldo chose to take the resulting free kick, and Casillas directed his teammates to form a wall.

Manchester United took an early lead when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free kick, but Lin Feng answered with an even more powerful knuckleball to equalize for Real Madrid. The match grew increasingly intense, and the chapter left both teams level after Scholes and Diarra were booked following a midfield scuffle.

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored a free kick to put Manchester United ahead, disrupting Real Madrid's plans.
• Lin Feng prepared his team to handle either an attacking or defensive approach from Manchester United, and Real Madrid pressed aggressively after play resumed.
• Lin Feng dispossessed Carrick in the 19th minute, forcing Carrick to foul him and receive a yellow card.
• Lin Feng scored a spectacular free kick past Van der Sar, leveling the match and prompting Mourinho to push Real Madrid's formation forward.
• Scholes and Diarra shoved each other during a header contest, and the referee issued both players yellow cards after Lin Feng disputed Cristiano Ronaldo's accusation of a malicious foul.

Real Madrid controlled the first half against Manchester United, and Van Nistelrooy put them ahead 2:1 just before halftime after Lin Feng created the decisive counterattack. Van der Sar made a fortunate late save to keep the deficit at one, leaving Real Madrid forty-five minutes from their tenth Champions League trophy.

• Scholes returned from treatment and cleared Sneijder's shot off the goal line after Ramos set up the chance.
• Lin Feng tested Van der Sar from long range, then controlled possession under pressure as Manchester United tried to launch a counterattack.
• Ferguson held off on bringing Park Ji-sung on to mark Lin Feng, and Lin Feng later assisted Van Nistelrooy's goal to give Real Madrid a 2:1 lead.
• Hargreaves fouled Lin Feng, and Real Madrid nearly scored from the resulting free-kick routine when Ramos's header was saved by Van der Sar and cleared by Ferdinand.
• Real Madrid ended the first half in front, despite Van der Sar's lucky save preventing Ramos from extending their lead.

Real Madrid weathered Manchester United’s early second-half attack, then Lin Feng assisted Raul’s goal to make it 3:1 in the Champions League Final. Real Madrid moved within reach of its tenth European Cup, but Manchester United’s desperate comeback remained a threat.

• Mourinho praised Real Madrid at halftime and laid out defensive and attacking plans for the second half.
• Cristiano Ronaldo broke past Real Madrid’s double team and crossed for Tevez, but Casillas saved the header.
• Scholes’s corner found Cristiano Ronaldo, whose header was challenged by Lin Feng and went over the end line.
• Lin Feng combined with Ramos to break free on the right, then passed across the penalty area for Raul to volley past Van der Sar and make it 3:1.
• Mourinho, the Real Madrid players, and the supporters celebrated the goal as Calderón anticipated the club’s tenth Champions League trophy.
• Chinese commentators warned that Manchester United would attack relentlessly and urged Real Madrid to stay alert.

Manchester United cut Real Madrid’s lead to 3:2 and pressed for an equalizer, but Lin Feng’s counterattacking tactics helped Real Madrid regain control. In the 72nd minute, Lin Feng began a planned corner routine that left Van der Sar turning toward the goal in alarm.

• Manchester United attacked relentlessly after Real Madrid went 3:0 ahead, and Tevez scored from a rebound to make it 3:2.
• Lin Feng reassured Pepe after the goal, then helped Real Madrid launch a counterattack that forced Raul’s shot over the bar.
• Giggs replaced Hargreaves and created a crossing chance, but Manchester United’s attackers failed to reach it.
• Real Madrid slowed Manchester United’s attack and created a corner in the 71st minute.
• Lin Feng directed Real Madrid’s players to draw defenders away from Van der Sar, then delivered the corner as the players scattered and the goalkeeper turned toward the goal in alarm.

Lin Feng scored directly from a corner, and Real Madrid defended their lead against Manchester United to win the Champions League final and claim their tenth European crown. The chapter ended with Real Madrid celebrating while Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United mourned their defeat.

• Lin Feng scored a goal directly from a corner and celebrated with his teammates in a torch-relay formation.
• Mourinho reinforced Real Madrid’s defense, and Manchester United struggled to create chances as their attacks were shut down.
• Real Madrid missed several chances to extend their lead, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s late efforts were blocked by Cannavaro and Mertesacker.
• Manchester United failed to score during five minutes of stoppage time, and the final whistle confirmed Real Madrid’s victory.
• Real Madrid’s players celebrated their Champions League title as Cristiano Ronaldo sobbed and Ferguson comforted him.

After Lin Feng led Real Madrid to the Champions League title, he collected the final’s best-player award and celebrated the club’s tenth European crown. Real Madrid’s triumph set off celebrations and intensified the transfer ambitions of Chelsea, Barcelona, and other giants, while Lin Feng headed home to prepare for Olympic activities.

• Lin Feng exchanged shirts with Cristiano Ronaldo and promised to meet again in next year’s Champions League, while Mourinho and Ferguson exchanged barbed congratulations.
• Lin Feng earned best player of the final and finished the Champions League season with 14 goals and 10 assists, defending both his Golden Boot and assist king titles.
• Real Madrid’s Champions League victory silenced doubts about Lin Feng’s transfer and burnished Mourinho’s reputation, while it provoked Chelsea owner Abramovich and prompted Barcelona to plan major reinforcements.
• Real Madrid returned to Madrid with the trophy and celebrated with a huge welcome, a Bernabeu ceremony, and two days of parades.
• After the celebrations ended on May 27, Lin Feng boarded a plane home to take part in Olympic Games activities.

Lin Feng and Liu Yifei got engaged, and their relationship became public after they ran consecutive legs of Wuhan’s Olympic torch relay. Lin Feng then reported to the Olympic team’s final training camp, where his teammates eagerly questioned him about Liu Yifei.

• Lin Feng reunited with Liu Yifei in Beijing, and he placed an engagement ring on her finger while she cooked dinner.
• Lin Feng and Liu Yifei took part in the Wuhan Olympic torch relay as the fifth and sixth runners, and reporters spotted their engagement rings.
• News of Lin Feng and Liu Yifei’s engagement spread online, drawing widespread discussion and blessings from fans.
• The Chinese Football Association announced the Olympic team’s final training camp roster as the team prepared to face Brazil, Belgium, and New Zealand in the group stage.
• Lin Feng and Liu Yifei tried to take a road trip, but reporters and paparazzi repeatedly recognized them despite their disguises.
• Lin Feng reported to Xianghe Base on June 7, where Gao Lin and his teammates teased him and asked about Liu Yifei.