Chapter Summaries

Su Dong scored his fifth goal in the eighty-seventh minute to give Barcelona a 5–4 lead over AC Milan after trailing 4–0 at halftime. Barcelona held on through stoppage time, and the final whistle confirmed their stunning comeback.

• After Barcelona equalized, Su Dong urged his teammates to keep attacking and exploit AC Milan’s fear of conceding set pieces.
• Messi combined with Su Dong on the right, then crossed into the box, where Su Dong beat Dida to the ball and headed Barcelona’s fifth goal.
• Barcelona’s players celebrated wildly as Messi leaped onto Su Dong’s back, while Cruyff and Ancelotti watched in disbelief.
• Ancelotti sent on Thomassen and Costa, but AC Milan could not regain its attacking threat as Barcelona controlled possession.
• Maldini fouled Messi and received a yellow card, then Su Dong headed Ronaldinho’s free kick just wide.
• After AC Milan failed to create a dangerous attack during stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle and Barcelona’s players rushed onto the pitch.

Su Dong led Barcelona to a 5–4 Champions League final comeback over AC Milan after scoring five second-half goals. After exchanging shirts and speaking with Milan’s defenders, he joined Barcelona on the podium as the team received its medals and lifted the Saint-Brice Cup.

• Su Dong, Iniesta, and Messi reflected on their victory, and Messi shyly admitted he was thinking about a girl from his hometown.
• Kaka praised Su Dong and exchanged jerseys with him before Iniesta and Messi teased Su Dong about his looks.
• Stam, Nesta, and Maldini congratulated Su Dong, who took pride in scoring five goals against Milan’s world-class defenders.
• AC Milan received the runners-up awards, followed by the referees, while Barcelona celebrated on the sidelines.
• Su Dong received his championship medal, and Puyol and Ronaldinho lifted the Saint-Brice Cup together as the stadium celebrated Barcelona’s victory.

After Barcelona returned to Catalonia to celebrate their Double Crown, Su Dong basked in the fans’ adoration but avoided joining the club’s political slogans and nightclub revelry. He left the nightclub early with several teammates and called Mendes, who was also in Barcelona.

• Barcelona returned from Istanbul and rode an open-top bus through crowds of fans celebrating their Double Crown.
• At Camp Nou, Rijkaard and Puyol led the celebration speeches with the slogan “Long live Barça! Long live Catalonia!”
• Su Dong thanked the fans and promised Barcelona would win more Champions League trophies, but he avoided shouting the slogan and changed out of the championship T-shirt.
• At the team’s final-season dinner and nightclub outing, Su Dong politely declined attention from models and actresses and showed no interest in partying.
• Su Dong left the nightclub with Messi, Iniesta, Marcos Senna, and others, then called Mendes.

After Barcelona won the Champions League, Su Dong and Mendes began negotiating his contract renewal, with Mendes arguing that Su Dong deserved a higher salary than the club's eight-million-euro offer. The chapter ended with Su Dong proposing a special clause for his contract.

• Su Dong trained alone, ate breakfast with his parents, and saw Wang Chuqing off at the airport.
• Mendes told Su Dong that Barcelona was renewing contracts for him, Messi, Iniesta, and Marcos Senna, and Su Dong supported Mendes's effort to secure Senna a starting role.
• Mendes said Barcelona had offered Su Dong eight million euros per year after tax, but he wanted at least ten million, matching Kluivert's former salary.
• Mendes explained that Barcelona wanted to keep Su Dong's salary low before negotiating with Ronaldinho and the other players.
• Su Dong agreed that his salary should reflect his importance to Barcelona and said he wanted a special clause in his contract.

Su Dong pushed for a Barcelona contract clause allowing him to avoid politically sensitive activities, and Wang Chuqing agreed to help review the wording. After his parents supported his stance, they surprised him by revealing they wanted to buy an entire apartment building in the capital.

• Su Dong insisted that his Barcelona contract protect his right to refuse politically sensitive activities, even if it meant conceding on salary.
• Mendes agreed to have lawyers study the clause, and Su Dong asked him to send the draft to Wang Chuqing for review.
• Wang Chuqing told Su Dong she understood his concerns and promised to prepare a proposal and help negotiate if needed.
• Su Dong explained to Wang Chuqing that his roots were in China, and she promised to handle the matter as soon as possible.
• Su Wenji and Yang Xiuyu supported Su Dong's decision but then asked about his renewal income and revealed they wanted to buy an entire building in the capital.

Su Dong upgraded to Ball Three and learned the demanding paths required to reach King of Football, including an ultimate stage beyond it. Meanwhile, Wang Chuqing’s contract research impressed Su Dong’s legal team, and she shyly asked how he would thank her.

• Su Dong used his two Champions League titles to upgrade from Ball Knight to Ball Three.
• The system revealed three paths for Su Dong to reach King of Football, each requiring major international or club honors and multiple individual awards.
• Su Dong learned that upgrading to King of Football would unlock a tenth, ultimate stage.
• Wang Chuqing worked for five days researching Su Dong’s contract and brought a proposal to Barcelona.
• Mendes’s legal team praised Wang Chuqing’s proposal for resolving a key disagreement while protecting Su Dong’s interests.
• Wang Chuqing asked Su Dong how he would thank her, then shyly lowered her head when he promised she would find out later.

Su Dong finalized a lucrative five-year contract renewal with Barcelona and rewarded Wang Chuqing for her help before returning to China to prepare for the season. As Europe’s transfer market heated up, Real Madrid pursued major signings while cash-strapped Barcelona focused on free agent Van Bommel, and Su Dong soon received an invitation that sent him back to Europe.

• Barcelona accepted Su Dong’s contract terms, including a five-year deal, a €200 million buyout clause, and his right to refuse sensitive events.
• Su Dong gave Wang Chuqing a BMW X5 and asked her to review future contracts, while arranging driving lessons and covering the car’s expenses.
• Su Dong returned to China with his parents and coaching team and moved into his new home in Shanghai.
• Real Madrid began rebuilding its squad by pursuing Robinho, Baptista, Sergio Ramos, and other players as members of the Galácticos prepared to leave.
• Barcelona, short on funds, agreed to sign Van Bommel on a free transfer while its center-back options remained limited.
• Su Dong received an invitation in mid-June and set off back to Europe a few days later.

Su Dong visited the Netherlands, watched the National Youth Team and his friends compete in the Youth World Cup, and asked Mendes to help talented Chinese players find European clubs. He ended the tournament alongside Barcelona Technical Director Begiristain, who confirmed the club planned to renew Messi’s contract and give him more opportunities.

• Yang Yang picked Su Dong up at Amsterdam Airport and drove him to Utrecht, where Su Dong checked into a hotel and learned about the National Youth Team’s tournament.
• Su Dong watched China face Germany in the round of sixteen, was impressed by Chen Tao, Feng Xiaoting, Gao Lin, Zhou Haibin, and Hao Junmin, and asked Mendes to find European clubs for them.
• Su Dong watched David Silva and Messi play for Spain and Argentina, then met both friends privately during his stay in the Netherlands.
• Messi helped Argentina beat Spain and Brazil before scoring twice in the final against Nigeria to win the Youth World Cup.
• Begiristain told Su Dong that Barcelona planned to renew Messi’s contract through 2010 and give him more first-team opportunities.

Su Dong offered Messi and Iniesta financial help to buy homes near his, while Barcelona prepared for the new season amid strong profits, a renewed contract with Su Dong, and investments in training and injury prevention. The chapter ended with Barcelona’s lineup taking shape and several players facing competition for starting places.

• Su Dong offered to advance Messi and Iniesta money to buy homes near his villa, and Messi silently treasured the gesture.
• Laporta announced Barcelona’s seventy-million-euro profit, celebrated Su Dong’s commercial impact, and confirmed Su Dong’s contract through 2010.
• Laporta promoted the club’s 2010 Project and sought to delay the presidential election until 2007.
• Barcelona began its preseason at the new Camp Nou training base and invested in medical equipment and staff training with help from Su Dong’s coaching team.
• Barcelona’s likely lineup was established, with Van Bommel, Marcos, Iniesta, and Messi facing competition for starting roles.

Barcelona won four preseason matches as Rijkaard tested lineups, while Su Dong became the focus of the club’s Asian tour. After Barcelona beat Pengcheng Team 10–0, Su Dong angrily rebuked a reporter who accused him of humiliating a domestic club, and the dispute sparked a public debate.

• Barcelona beat East Jutland Team 4–0 in their first warm-up match, with Su Dong scoring twice, while Esquerro and Motta suffered injuries.
• Barcelona defeated Aarhus 4–0, then beat Yokohama F. Marinos 3–1 as Su Dong scored twice and received a rapturous welcome from Japanese fans and media.
• Barcelona crushed Pengcheng Team 10–0 in Macau, with Su Dong scoring a hat trick after coming on as a substitute.
• Su Dong learned that Li Yi was the player nicknamed Li Dadi and accepted Li Yi’s explanation about his earlier comments on Su Dong’s ball protection.
• At a commercial event, Su Dong condemned a reporter for calling the 10–0 win cruel, blamed media figures for sensationalism, and left angrily.
• After Barcelona returned to Spain, the confrontation spread through Chinese public opinion, with the reporter widely criticized and many fans supporting Su Dong.

Barcelona won the Carranza Trophy semifinal and final before taking a 3–0 lead over Real Betis in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. Su Dong became determined to master direct Free Kicks after Ronaldinho repeatedly scored them while his own practice stalled.

• Barcelona beat Sevilla 3–1 in the Carranza Trophy semifinal, with Su Dong scoring twice and Silvinho and Edmílson adding goals.
• Barcelona defeated Cadiz in the Carranza Trophy final after Su Dong equalized and Ronaldinho scored twice from direct Free Kicks.
• Su Dong practiced Albertini's Knuckleball technique but kept sending his Free Kicks over the crossbar, while Iniesta and Albertini suggested he lacked practice or instinct.
• Barcelona took a 3–0 lead over Real Betis in the Spanish Super Cup first leg through goals from Giuly, Su Dong, and Ronaldinho.
• After Ronaldinho scored another direct Free Kick, Su Dong resolved to become a Free-Kick master.

Su Dong studied Free Kick abilities and chose Juninho’s [Hidden Strength] Star Ability Card to improve his own technique. Barcelona then beat Real Betis 2–1 in the Spanish Super Cup second leg, winning 5–1 on aggregate and turning its attention to the European Super Cup.

• Su Dong compared Free Kick specialists’ abilities and learned how their skills differed between scoring and assisting.
• Su Dong chose Juninho’s direct Free Kick Star Ability Card, [Hidden Strength], and successfully redeemed it.
• On August 20, Su Dong scored after dispossessing Melli and running past Contreras in Barcelona’s match against Real Betis.
• Ronaldinho scored directly from a Free Kick, extending his streak to three consecutive matches, before Real Betis pulled one back after Silvinho’s error.
• Barcelona defeated Real Betis 2–1 to win the Spanish Super Cup 5–1 on aggregate, then shifted its focus to the European Super Cup.

Barcelona traveled to Monaco for the Champions League draw, where they avoided the toughest opponents and learned their group-stage rivals. Su Dong won the season’s major UEFA awards and declared Barcelona could pursue the treble, prompting debate about the team’s chances and a warning from Cruyff to protect the dressing room and rotate key players.

• Barcelona arrived in Monaco as the Champions League’s top seed, while bookmakers ranked them among the favorites behind Chelsea.
• Barcelona drew Porto, Werder Bremen, and Udinese, while Real Madrid received a more favorable group with Lyon, Olympiacos, and Rosenborg.
• Rijkaard and Gazayev received the Champion Coach Award, while Čech, Maldini, and Kaka won the goalkeeper, defender, and midfielder awards.
• Su Dong won the Best Forward and Best Player awards, thanked his teammates and coaches, and said Barcelona could compete for greater honors in the new season.
• AS and British media questioned Barcelona’s chances of winning the treble, citing defensive weaknesses and Chelsea’s strength.
• Cruyff backed Su Dong and Rijkaard, urged Barcelona’s management to preserve a stable dressing room, and advised Rijkaard to rotate key players.

Su Dong scored twice and set up Ronaldinho in Barcelona’s 3–1 European Super Cup victory over Moscow Central Army, then joined his teammates ahead of Barcelona’s league opener against Alavés as they discussed Real Madrid’s heavily hyped Robinho. Barcelona’s players urged Su Dong to score another brace and put pressure on their rivals.

• Su Dong opened the scoring against Moscow Central Army with a volley, and Ronaldinho added Barcelona’s second from Su Dong’s cross.
• Su Dong scored again just before halftime after a defender’s failed clearance, giving Barcelona a 3–0 lead.
• Moscow Central Army scored once in the second half after Valdes rushed out and left Barcelona’s goal exposed, but Barcelona won the European Super Cup.
• Real Madrid coach Luxemburgo praised Robinho as a future best player in the world, prompting rival media to compare him with Su Dong.
• At Alavés’ stadium before Barcelona’s league opener, Su Dong’s teammates discussed Robinho’s hype and urged Su Dong to score a brace.

Florentino watched Barcelona overwhelm Alavés as Su Dong scored a hat trick in a 4–0 away victory, intensifying the pressure on Real Madrid’s heavily hyped new signing, Robinho. Florentino considered leaving Robinho out of Real Madrid’s first-round match, but doing so after announcing the squad would be difficult.

• Bonano made several difficult saves to keep Barcelona scoreless through the first half, while Florentino hoped the match would end in a draw.
• Su Dong scored from Ronaldinho’s low cross shortly after halftime to give Barcelona the lead.
• Su Dong capitalized on Bonano’s weak back pass to make it 2–0, then scored from long range to complete his hat trick.
• Ronaldinho scored a late direct free kick as Barcelona beat Alavés 4–0 away from home.
• Manuel Redondo suggested leaving Robinho out of Real Madrid’s opening match, but Florentino hesitated because the squad had already been announced.

Barcelona beat Cadiz 2–1 as Robinho impressed on his debut, but the media debate over him and Su Dong soon gave way to Ronaldinho’s contract renewal. Mendes warned Su Dong that Barcelona’s financial pressures and political ambitions could eventually turn the club against even its biggest stars.

• Barcelona beat Alavés 4–0 in the opening round, with Su Dong scoring a hat trick, while Real Madrid later edged Cadiz 2–1 after Robinho came on as a substitute.
• Robinho impressed in his debut, but the Catalan and Madrid media argued over comparisons between him and Su Dong before Butragueño and Luxemburgo rejected the comparison.
• Barcelona completed Ronaldinho’s renewal at eight million euros after tax per year and returned his image rights to him.
• Mendes explained to Su Dong that Barcelona’s history of losing superstars was tied to troubled renewals, rising salaries, and the club’s financial pressures.
• Mendes warned Su Dong that Laporta might use him as a political asset and that Barcelona could eventually turn public opinion against him before selling him.

During the international break, Su Dong met former Barcelona manager Louis Van Gaal at the airport and discussed Barcelona’s tactics and Van Gaal’s new team, Alkmaar. Su Dong then learned that Japanese prodigy Okubo Yoshito would start for Mallorca against Barcelona, drawing a wave of Japanese media and fans to Camp Nou.

• Su Dong traveled to Munich for a Hugo Boss event, where Wang Chuqing interpreted for him and teased him about not having a driver's license.
• Su Dong encountered Louis Van Gaal at the airport, and the two sat down to talk about football and Van Gaal's work at Alkmaar.
• Van Gaal praised Su Dong but argued Barcelona's slow attacking transitions and right-sided play were limiting his speed and explosive power.
• After Van Gaal departed, Su Dong told Iniesta and Messi that he believed Van Gaal would prove himself again with Alkmaar.
• Before Barcelona's next league match, Su Dong learned that Okubo Yoshito would start up front for Mallorca against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

Su Dong scored a hat trick as Barcelona beat Real Mallorca 3–0, extending his tally to six goals in two matches. Real Madrid lost at home to Vigo Celta, and its players reacted to the news of Su Dong’s latest performance with disbelief before Ronaldo turned the tension into jokes about making him buy them a meal.

• Okubo Yoshito and Eto'o threatened Barcelona early, but Su Dong headed in Van Bronckhorst’s cross to give Barcelona the lead.
• Su Dong tapped in a rebound after Moya parried Giuly’s shot, putting Barcelona two goals ahead.
• Su Dong headed in Ronaldinho’s chip for his second consecutive hat trick before being substituted, sealing Barcelona’s 3–0 victory.
• Real Madrid lost 2–3 at home to Vigo Celta despite Baptista scoring twice, while Robinho finished without a goal or assist.
• Real Madrid’s dressing room learned that Su Dong had scored six goals in two matches, and Ronaldo joked that he would make him treat the team to a meal.

Real Madrid lost 3–0 away to Lyon, intensifying criticism of Luxemburgo, while Barcelona beat Werder Bremen 3–0 after adapting to the rain-soaked pitch. Messi won a penalty but watched Ronaldinho score it, as Barcelona ended the Champions League opening round in far better shape than their rivals.

• Real Madrid lost 3–0 to Lyon with Luxemburgo’s crowded formation exposing the team’s weakness on the flanks, prompting Spanish media to question his leadership.
• Barcelona adjusted from possession play to direct passing in the rain, and Deco scored after combining with Ronaldinho and Su Dong.
• Su Dong scored Barcelona’s second with a run onto Xavi’s through ball, giving the visitors a two-goal lead.
• Messi came on and missed an early shot, then won a penalty after Schulz pushed him down in the box.
• Ronaldinho converted the penalty to make it 3–0, and Barcelona held on to win away against Werder Bremen.
• The Spanish media and fans contrasted Barcelona’s victory with Real Madrid’s defeat and acknowledged that the teams were no longer in the same tier.

Su Dong and Ronaldinho traveled to London for the inaugural International Professional Footballers' Association awards, where Su Dong was nominated for Annual Best Player. After Cristiano Ronaldo reported that Rooney would win Best Newcomer, Pele arrived to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award and confidently predicted Su Dong would win.

• Barcelona drew 2–2 with Atlético Madrid as Su Dong scored and earned Pablo Ibanez a red card, while Real Madrid fell to fifteenth after three straight defeats.
• Van Gaal's Alkmaar beat Ajax 4–2 to extend its winning start to five matches, and Van Gaal praised Su Dong while criticizing Real Madrid's recruitment.
• Su Dong and Ronaldinho flew to London for the awards ceremony, where the Best XI included both Barcelona players and Cristiano Ronaldo had won the public-vote Special Newcomer Award.
• Cristiano Ronaldo told Su Dong that Rooney would win Best Newcomer and said he expected Su Dong to take Annual Best Player.
• Pele arrived to collect the Lifetime Achievement Award and predicted Su Dong would win, prompting Su Dong to worry that Pele's jinx would cost him the award.