Chapter Summaries

Barcelona defeated Arsenal 3–1 as Su Dong scored twice and assisted Messi, giving Arsenal an away goal but leaving the Gunners with a difficult task in the return leg. Xavi returned from injury late in the match, and Su Dong’s final goal restored Barcelona’s two-goal advantage.

• Su Dong scored with a powerful header from Ronaldinho’s cross, putting Barcelona ahead 1–0 and overpowering Senderos.
• Su Dong set up Messi for Barcelona’s second goal after holding off Senderos and chipping the ball into the penalty area.
• Henry scored for Arsenal on a counterattack in the sixty-fifth minute, making it 2–1.
• Xavi came on for Deco in the seventy-fifth minute, making his first appearance since recovering from injury.
• Su Dong beat Lehmann with a pendulum dribble and scored his second goal, securing Barcelona’s 3–1 lead.

After Barcelona beat Arsenal 3–1 in the Champions League semifinal first leg, Su Dong began rehabilitation and training while Xavi worked to regain his form. Su Dong insisted on playing Barcelona’s remaining La Liga matches to add to his scoring record, and his personal coaches agreed to support him as he prepared to ask Rijkaard.

• Barcelona defeated Arsenal 3–1, with Su Dong scoring twice and assisting once, while Xavi returned from injury.
• Su Dong trained at Camp Nou as Grant Downing told him that Xavi still needed time to recover and was eager to return for the Champions League and World Cup.
• Su Dong told Nuno Cruz and Vito Scala that he wanted to play in the remaining La Liga matches despite Barcelona having already won the title.
• Nuno Cruz recognized that Su Dong wanted to extend his scoring record, and Su Dong’s coaches reluctantly agreed to adjust his training around the matches.
• Su Dong left to speak with Rijkaard and the coaching staff about playing.

Su Dong scored twice against Seville, helped Barcelona reach the Champions League final with a win over Arsenal, and then scored a hat trick against Cadiz. His La Liga tally rose to forty-eight goals with three rounds remaining, leaving fifty goals within reach.

• Su Dong scored two goals in the first half against Seville, but Barcelona lost three to two after Larsson replaced him.
• Su Dong assisted Ronaldinho’s opening goal at Highbury, and Barcelona beat Arsenal one to nil to advance to the Champions League final four to one on aggregate.
• Mourinho led Chelsea past Villarreal to reach the first Champions League final in the club’s history.
• Xavi returned to Barcelona’s starting lineup against Cadiz as the Camp Nou crowd welcomed him with a standing ovation.
• Su Dong scored a hat trick against Cadiz as Barcelona won four to nil, bringing his league tally to forty-eight goals.

Barcelona celebrated winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey as Su Dong continued his record-breaking scoring run, reaching 52 league goals with a hat trick against Vigo Celta. With the Champions League final against Chelsea approaching and huge bonuses on offer, Su Dong was determined to win, though one matter still needed to be handled before the final.

• Su Dong came on as a substitute against Espanyol, scored Barcelona's opener, and assisted Iniesta in a 2–0 victory that secured the league title.
• Laporta praised Su Dong and announced that renewing his contract was a priority, while also spotlighting Messi, Iniesta, and youth prospect Bojan Krkić.
• Su Dong scored a hat trick against Vigo Celta, reaching 52 La Liga goals and surpassing the league's long-standing record, before Barcelona won 4–0.
• European media highlighted the stakes of the Champions League final, as Chelsea and Barcelona offered enormous bonuses for winning the title.
• Su Dong resolved to win the final, but recognized that he had to deal with one matter beforehand.

Su Dong met Mendes, Ma Dawei, and Wang Chuqing in Barcelona to discuss his contract renewal, after giving them tickets to the Champions League final. Barcelona offered him a higher salary but wanted to revise his bonuses, and Mendes planned to negotiate for better terms using Shevchenko’s reported Chelsea salary as a reference.

• Su Dong gave Mendes, Ma Dawei, and Wang Chuqing envelopes containing Champions League final tickets he had obtained from Soriano.
• Mendes explained that Barcelona wanted to complete Su Dong’s renewal before June and offered an annual salary of twelve million euros after tax while seeking to renegotiate his bonuses.
• Mendes revealed that Su Dong’s goal and assist bonuses alone could reach eight million euros this season, with other rewards pushing his total bonuses beyond his annual salary.
• Su Dong left the contract negotiations to Mendes, Wang Chuqing, and Ma Dawei while he focused on football.
• Mendes said Shevchenko had nearly agreed to join Chelsea for ten million euros a year and planned to use that figure to argue that Barcelona’s offer was too low.

Barcelona and Chelsea completed their preparations for the Champions League final, while Su Dong warned that Barcelona’s nerves could be a bigger danger than tactics. On the morning of the match, he rallied Messi and his teammates to attack Chelsea’s defense, leaving them ready to face Mourinho that night.

• Barcelona delayed its trip to Paris, stayed in a secluded hotel near Versailles, and brought its own supplies and Catalan champagne.
• Mourinho claimed Chelsea could beat Barcelona if they kept all eleven players on the pitch, applying pressure on the referee before the final.
• Su Dong said he was negotiating a contract extension with Barcelona and warned that his team needed to control its anxiety about defending the Champions League title.
• Su Dong urged the press not to underestimate Messi and later encouraged him to tear apart Chelsea’s defense.
• Deco warned that Mourinho prepared meticulously, while Su Dong, Ronaldinho, and Iniesta promised to support Messi in attack.

Su Dong and Drogba traded jokes before the Champions League final, while Su Dong encouraged Messi to take on Chelsea defender Gallas. Chelsea began the match aggressively, and Messi struggled to find his rhythm as Barcelona relied on its usual possession game.

• Su Dong reunited with Drogba at training, joked about helping him against Senderos, and teased him until Drogba walked away.
• Barcelona and Chelsea named their starting lineups, with Gallas starting on the left to contain Messi and Xavi among Barcelona’s substitutes.
• Su Dong noticed Messi watching Gallas and encouraged him to trust his strength and attack the defender.
• Chelsea opened the final with an aggressive attack, as Lampard shot over after a free kick and later struck another long-range effort.
• Su Dong passed to Messi on a counterattack, but Gallas pressured Messi into a harmless long shot before Su Dong encouraged him to keep finding his rhythm.

Barcelona created several dangerous attacks against Chelsea before Su Dong scored in the twentieth minute with a quick turn and shot. Chelsea regrouped after conceding, while Barcelona kept possession and probed for more openings.

• Messi combined with Iniesta and crossed for Su Dong, whose backheel set up Ronaldinho, but Ferreira blocked the shot and Makelele cleared.
• Mourinho told Makelele to shift left and Essien to cover there after Barcelona’s attacks exposed Chelsea’s flank.
• Robben beat Belletti and crossed, but Puyol blocked the ball behind for a corner.
• Messi beat Gallas on the right and crossed low; Su Dong controlled the ball under pressure from Terry, feinted, turned, and scored past Čech.
• Su Dong urged Barcelona’s supporters to cheer louder as his teammates celebrated around him.
• Mourinho rallied Chelsea after the restart, and the team settled down while Barcelona continued to control possession.

Barcelona controlled the second half against Chelsea, and Su Dong scored with a header in the sixty-sixth minute to make it 2–0. Barcelona prepared to keep pressing, while Mourinho weighed changes to Chelsea’s attack as play resumed.

• Chelsea brought on Guðjohnsen at halftime and switched to a 4-4-2 formation, but Barcelona soon regained control of the tempo and created several chances.
• In the sixty-first minute, Terry blocked Su Dong’s close-range shot with his hand, but referee Hauge waved away Barcelona’s appeal.
• Su Dong moved to the left wing, then sprinted behind Terry to meet Ronaldinho’s lofted pass and head the ball into the far corner in the sixty-sixth minute.
• Su Dong urged his teammates to keep attacking, and Puyol led Barcelona’s players in a show of unity after their goal.
• Mourinho sent Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips to warm up as he considered replacing Duff, while Barcelona continued pressuring Chelsea after play resumed.

Barcelona defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the Champions League final to defend their title, with Su Dong’s brace securing another trophy in a season of sweeping success. Su Dong celebrated with Messi and his teammates, while Drogba promised to beat him in a future meeting.

• Chelsea brought on Joe Cole for Duff, while Messi later cut inside and hit the angle of the goal with a powerful shot.
• Rijkaard substituted Xavi for Deco, and Barcelona strengthened their control of possession as Chelsea struggled to mount a comeback.
• Barcelona defended their two-goal lead until referee Hauge ended the match, confirming their Champions League title.
• Su Dong celebrated with Messi and Iniesta as Barcelona’s players and staff rushed onto the pitch.
• Drogba congratulated Su Dong but vowed to defeat him the next time they met.

Barcelona celebrated winning the Champions League as Su Dong received widespread acclaim from fans and football legends. The chapter ended with Puyol and Ronaldinho lifting the Saint-Brice Cup, while Beckenbauer considered how Bayern might lure Su Dong to revive German football.

• Abramovich considered replacing Mourinho with Rijkaard after Chelsea lost the final, while Peter Kenyon argued the team needed experience and hoped Shevchenko would strengthen its attack.
• Barcelona’s players thanked their supporters, who cheered especially for Su Dong, prompting Platini and Beckenbauer to discuss how difficult it would be to poach him.
• Beckenbauer worried about the Bundesliga’s decline and believed Bayern Munich needed to lead German football’s recovery.
• Su Dong celebrated with his teammates and found his parents, Wang Chuqing, and Ma Dawei in the stands as his father expressed pride in his achievements.
• Chelsea’s players received their runners-up medals, then Rijkaard led Barcelona onto the podium to collect their championship medals.
• Puyol and Ronaldinho accepted and raised the Saint-Brice Cup as the stadium cheered Barcelona.

After Barcelona’s Champions League victory, Su Dong explored the gardens of Versailles with Wang Chuqing, and their conversation drew them closer. He gave her a bank card to help show his parents around Paris, leaving her touched by his trust and wondering whether he understood how much his words affected her.

• Su Dong woke early after Barcelona’s all-night celebrations and went out to visit the gardens of Versailles.
• Wang Chuqing caught up with Su Dong, and they walked through the gardens while sharing stories about life in Europe and their hopes.
• Wang Chuqing offered to guide Su Dong’s parents around Paris while he returned to Barcelona with the team.
• Su Dong gave Wang Chuqing a bank card and told her to spend freely on the trip, and she was moved by his trust.
• Wang Chuqing walked ahead, wondering whether Su Dong knew how strongly his words affected her.

After Barcelona’s treble, Su Dong renewed his contract for a record-setting salary as political tensions within the club simmered. Meanwhile, the Calciopoli scandal erupted in Italy, threatening to shake world football ahead of the Germany World Cup.

• Barcelona celebrated its treble, while Laporta and Rosell appeared unusually cordial at the banquet.
• Rosell and Bartomeu discussed Laporta’s growing influence and investigated what Su Dong had discussed in his contract negotiations.
• Barcelona agreed to pay Su Dong an annual after-tax salary of fifteen million euros, and the club announced that they had renewed his contract.
• Reports that Juventus general manager Moggi had spoken with referees expanded into the Calciopoli scandal, prompting Moggi and refereeing committee chairman Lanese to resign.

As Calciopoli destabilized Serie A and Chelsea strengthened its squad, Su Dong attended the 2006 World Cup opening ceremony and traveled around Germany to watch his friends compete. Portugal and Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals, while Spain were eliminated by France, and Su Dong headed to Gelsenkirchen to watch England face Portugal.

• Calciopoli sent Juventus and other Serie A clubs into turmoil as stars considered leaving, while Chelsea signed Shevchenko, Ballack, and Kalou.
• After renewing with Barcelona, Su Dong reunited with his family in France and traveled with them to Munich for the World Cup opening ceremony and Germany's four-to-two win over Costa Rica.
• Su Dong watched France draw with Switzerland and traveled to Frankfurt to cheer for Rony, who scored a penalty in Portugal's two-to-nil victory over Iran.
• Su Dong met Rony, Figo, Deco, and the others after the match, and told Rony that his performance had been worse than Figo's.
• Rony helped Portugal reach the quarterfinals, while Messi scored in Argentina's wins over Serbia and Montenegro and Mexico; Spain lost to France in the round of sixteen.
• Su Dong traveled to Gelsenkirchen to watch England face Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Su Dong watched Portugal beat England 1–0 after Rooney was sent off for stamping on Carvalho, then defended Rony against accusations that he had engineered the red card. His interview blamed England manager Eriksson’s tactics for the defeat and drew Su Dong into the media controversy.

• Su Dong argued with his father about England and Portugal’s lineups before the quarterfinal, predicting England would struggle.
• Portugal controlled much of the first half, but Pauleta failed to threaten and England’s Rooney, Gerrard, and Lampard struggled to make an impact.
• Rooney stamped on Carvalho during a tussle for the ball, received a straight red card, and Scolari brought on Simão while moving Rony up front.
• Rony scored the winning goal in the seventy-sixth minute, giving Portugal a 1–0 victory over England.
• British media blamed Rony for Rooney’s dismissal, while Rony denied asking the referee to send Rooney off.
• Su Dong defended Rony in an interview, criticized Rooney’s performance, and blamed Eriksson’s tactics, drawing himself into the controversy.

Su Dong’s World Cup attention gave way to the fallout from Zidane’s headbutt and the European transfer market. As Real Madrid and Barcelona rebuilt their squads, Cristiano Ronaldo hid out at Su Dong’s Barcelona villa while rumors linked him to Real Madrid.

• Su Dong watched Zidane headbutt Materazzi in the World Cup final, after which Zidane was sent off and France lost to Italy on penalties.
• Calderon became Real Madrid’s president, and Capello led the club’s recruitment of former Juventus players, including Cannavaro and Emerson, as well as Van Nistelrooy.
• Barcelona signed Guðjohnsen, Thuram, and Zambrotta, while Ten Cate left for Ajax and Neeskens joined Rijkaard’s staff.
• After his World Cup clash with Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo faced intense British media criticism and transfer rumors, while Ferguson insisted Manchester United would not sell him.
• Cristiano Ronaldo avoided public appearances and stayed at Su Dong’s villa in Barcelona, where he relaxed at Su Dong’s expense.

Su Dong urged Rony to reconsider Manchester United after Ferguson called to ask for a meeting, while explaining that the club had failed to protect him during the backlash over the World Cup red card. Rony remained uncertain about his future, and the chapter ended with him teasing Su Dong about Wang Chuqing.

• Ferguson called Su Dong because he could not reach Rony and asked Su Dong to pass on his wish to talk.
• Su Dong told Ferguson that Manchester United had not done enough to protect Rony, and Ferguson promised to address the problem.
• Wang Chuqing told Su Dong that Rony was in the garden, where Su Dong found him tearing petals from a camellia.
• Su Dong told Rony about Ferguson's call and advised him to meet Ferguson, while discussing the limited clubs Rony could join.
• Rony joked that Su Dong wanted him to leave so he could pursue Wang Chuqing, and Su Dong denied that she was his girlfriend.

Su Dong helped Rony reconcile with Manchester United and advised him to return to the team without staging a media appearance with Rooney. After Rony left for Manchester, Wang Chuqing struggled to understand Su Dong’s romantic hesitation, while Su Dong tried to hide how flustered she made him.

• The Times reported that British fans had turned Su Dong and Rony into targets of public anger, and Shearer apologized for his earlier comments.
• Su Dong arranged a meeting in Barcelona where Ferguson and David Gill reassured Rony that Manchester United supported him and would protect him.
• Su Dong advised Rony to return to Manchester and let his actions on the pitch answer the fans rather than appear in a joint interview with Rooney.
• Ferguson praised Rony’s improved physique after learning that he trained daily with Su Dong’s coaching team.
• Rony returned to Manchester after thanking Su Dong and teasing Wang Chuqing about her feelings for him.
• Wang Chuqing wondered why Su Dong remained oblivious to her hints, while Su Dong struggled to focus on training because he was thinking about her.

Barcelona began preseason training in Denmark while Laporta faced a court-ordered presidential election after opposition directors challenged his authority. Though polls favored him, a new lawsuit exposed the risk that further challenges could threaten his candidacy.

• Su Dong impressed Barcelona’s new signings with his discipline and the best physical results in the medical examinations.
• Rijkaard took on more training and player-management duties after Ten Cate’s departure, while Neeskens and Eusébio struggled to replace him.
• Opposition directors challenged Laporta’s continued presidency, and a Barcelona court ruled that the club had to hold new elections because his term had ended on June 30.
• Laporta’s management chose not to appeal and began preparing for an election scheduled for the end of September, buoyed by polls showing strong supporter backing.
• A Barcelona member sued to have Laporta barred from running, and the court rejected the case, but the lawsuit left Laporta’s team worried that more challenges could follow.

Barcelona’s North American tour brought sellout crowds, major commercial deals, and a record sponsorship contract for Su Dong. After the team returned to Spain amid uncertainty over the club’s presidential election, Santi Nolla received an anonymous letter that left him stunned.

• Barcelona defeated Tigres 3–0, Guadalajara 2–0, Club América 4–1, and the New York Red Bulls 4–0 during their North American tour, with Su Dong scoring repeatedly.
• Su Dong and Kobe Bryant met at a Los Angeles sponsor event, competed in soccer and basketball, and exchanged phone numbers after discussing athletic training.
• Barcelona drew packed stadiums across North America and pursued a jersey-sponsorship renewal as the club prepared for a presidential election between Laporta and Rosell.
• Su Dong signed a five-year, twenty-million-euro-per-year boot sponsorship contract after rival offers drove up the price.
• After Barcelona returned to Spain, Santi Nolla received an anonymous letter and was left speechless by its contents.