Chapter Summaries

Mundo Deportivo received an anonymous leak about Su Dong’s confidential Barcelona contract and weighed whether to publish it amid the club’s election campaign. As Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup, a second letter arrived, and Laporta called Su Dong after the celebrations.

• Santi Nolla and his assistants examined an anonymous letter detailing Su Dong’s contract and suspected Barcelona’s management had leaked it to influence the election.
• Santi Nolla decided to verify the contract and wait for further developments rather than immediately inform Barcelona or publish the story.
• Su Dong scored in both legs as Barcelona beat Espanyol 4–0 on aggregate and won the Spanish Super Cup.
• A second anonymous letter reached Santi Nolla, who urgently called a management meeting after Barcelona’s victory.
• After celebrating with his teammates and returning home, Su Dong received a call from Laporta.

Su Dong faced growing fallout after Mundo Deportivo leaked his Barcelona salary and then more of his contract, while he weighed whether to leave the club. He remained determined to finish the season and pursue his title streak, but the second leak convinced him that someone had obtained the full contract.

• Su Dong learned that Mundo Deportivo had exposed his net annual salary of fifteen million euros, and Laporta told him the leak came from inside Barcelona and would be investigated after the election.
• Su Dong told Nuno Cruz that sensitive contract clauses could make him a target if they were leaked, and he worried the anonymous source knew more than his salary.
• Su Dong decided not to leave Barcelona yet because he wanted to complete his run of three consecutive titles, and he urged Nuno Cruz to hold on until the season ended.
• Ronaldinho and Puyol told Su Dong they would not blame him for his salary, and they joined him in condemning the leak as unacceptable.
• As Barcelona left for Monaco, Mundo Deportivo published Su Dong's appearance fees, bonuses, and other contract terms, leading him to conclude that the source had obtained the full contract.

The exposure of Su Dong’s contract deepened Barcelona’s dressing-room crisis and fueled a bitter presidential election dispute. Mundo Deportivo then published the contract’s anti-Catalan Independence clause and supporting video, leaving Su Dong under attack from some fans and Laporta facing condemnation.

• Mendes defended Su Dong, threatened legal action over the leaked contract, and said Su Dong was considering leaving Barcelona.
• Laporta and Rosell traded accusations over Su Dong’s contract and Barcelona’s wage structure as the presidential campaign intensified.
• Su Dong stayed away from UEFA’s awards ceremony and Barcelona’s matches; without him, Barcelona lost 3–0 to Seville and narrowly beat Vigo Celta 3–2.
• Barcelona players and prominent football figures condemned the contract leak and voiced support for Su Dong, while Rosell denied being the source.
• Mundo Deportivo published Su Dong’s original contract and video evidence that he had avoided Catalan Independence slogans and displays, provoking outrage among Barcelona fans.
• Mendes sought a court ban on further publication and filed a police report, while Laporta faced condemnation for approving the contract clause.

Su Dong endured hostility from Barcelona fans during the international break, then answered the abuse with a hat trick against Osasuna while his teammates and Wang Chuqing supported him. Barcelona won 4–0, but Su Dong left the pitch to more boos, with the rift between him and the club’s supporters still unresolved.

• Su Dong stayed home during the international break as Barcelona fans protested outside, while friends, embassy officials, and domestic supporters offered him help and encouragement.
• Wang Chuqing arrived with her luggage and moved into Su Dong’s villa, making his isolated routine more comfortable.
• Su Dong started against Osasuna at Camp Nou and scored in the opening minutes, but some Barcelona fans booed him and his celebrating teammates.
• Su Dong scored twice more before halftime, completing a hat trick as Wang Chuqing cheered him and his teammates and coaches showed their support.
• Barcelona defeated Osasuna 4–0, and Su Dong was substituted after the first half and walked off to renewed boos.

Su Dong answered the growing pressure at Barcelona with goals and assists, helping the team win several matches while refusing to address the supporters’ hostility. As Barcelona’s presidential election approached, Laporta and Rosell were neck and neck, leaving Su Dong’s future uncertain.

• Su Dong scored and assisted in all six goals as Barcelona beat Levski Sofia 6–0, then his agent Mendes announced that he was considering leaving during the Winter Break.
• Su Dong scored twice in Barcelona’s 4–0 away win over Racing Santander.
• Su Dong’s Valencia friends encouraged him before the match, and he scored twice as Barcelona came back from 2–0 down to win 3–2.
• Su Dong came off the bench to provide an assist and score the winner in Barcelona’s 2–1 comeback victory over Werder Bremen.
• Su Dong remained silent despite continued attacks from some Barcelona supporters, while Rosell caught up with Laporta ahead of the presidential election.

After Rosell narrowly defeated Laporta in Barcelona’s presidential election, Su Dong decided to sue Barcelona for leaking his confidential contract and seek a transfer during the winter break. Mendes announced both moves before Rosell’s inauguration, setting off a storm across European football.

• Soriano told Su Dong that Rosell had narrowly won the election, with Bartomeu set to become vice president.
• Wang Chuqing advised Su Dong to sue Barcelona over the leaked contract, and Su Dong agreed while discussing his departure with Mendes and Ma Dawei.
• Mendes publicly announced that Su Dong was suing Barcelona and had submitted a Written Transfer Request for the Winter Break.
• Su Dong said he would continue fighting for Barcelona professionally until his transfer, while media and football figures rallied behind him.

After Barcelona’s election, Soo Dong submitted a Written Transfer Request and sued the club over the leak of his contract, leaving new chairman Rosell scrambling to contain the crisis. Soo Dong skipped Rosell’s inauguration, and the chapter ended with Rosell publicly hoping he would stay while wondering where he planned to go.

• Rosell learned that Soo Dong had filed a Written Transfer Request, and he and Bartomeu worried he might be heading to Real Madrid.
• Bartomeu told Rosell that Soo Dong had also sued Barcelona over the leak of his contract, prompting Rosell to urge him to find out Soo Dong’s intentions.
• Soo Dong did not attend Rosell’s inauguration, while Rijkaard, Ronaldinho, and Puyol publicly expressed support or understanding for him.
• Reporters pressed Rosell about Soo Dong after the ceremony, and Rosell said Barcelona would not respond to the request immediately but hoped Soo Dong would stay.

Su Dong continued to demand a transfer from Barcelona while his goals repeatedly rescued the team on the pitch. After Barcelona drew with Chelsea, a court announced the hearing date for Su Dong's lawsuit against the club.

• Su Dong faced protests and abuse from Barcelona fans, but refused to apologize and was left out of the starting lineup against Athletic Bilbao.
• Rijkaard sent Su Dong on against Athletic Bilbao, and he scored a seventeen-minute hat trick to lead Barcelona to a 3–1 comeback win.
• Rosell rejected Su Dong's Written Transfer Request, but Mendes submitted another request and announced that Su Dong would leave during the Winter Break.
• Su Dong scored against Seville despite being booed, while Messi publicly celebrated with him.
• Su Dong scored Barcelona's only goal in a 1–1 Champions League draw with Chelsea, and a court announced the hearing date for his lawsuit against Barcelona.

Su Dong scored a hat trick against Real Madrid to rescue Barcelona a 3–3 draw at the Bernabéu. His late equalizer earned applause from Real Madrid fans and drew his Barcelona teammates together, while Rosell and Bartomeu watched with displeasure.

• Raul scored twice from Real Madrid counterattacks to give the hosts a 2–0 lead.
• Su Dong finished Messi’s cross, then volleyed in Ronaldinho’s headed layoff to bring Barcelona level at 2–2.
• Van Nistelrooy capitalized on Valdes’s failed claim to put Real Madrid ahead 3–2, and Capello’s team defended their lead as Barcelona attacked.
• In stoppage time, Su Dong dribbled between Real Madrid defenders and struck a powerful shot to complete his hat trick and make it 3–3.
• Real Madrid supporters applauded Su Dong, and Messi, Iniesta, Marcos Senna, Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi, and Puyol joined him to celebrate.
• Calderon praised Su Dong and mocked Barcelona’s inability to accommodate him, while Rosell and Bartomeu looked on angrily.

After Su Dong’s three-goal El Clásico performance intensified pressure on Barcelona, he continued to refuse direct talks with Rosell and Bartomeu while considering a private settlement. He told Mendes that his aim was simply to leave Barcelona, but his calm handling of the dispute left Mendes unsure what else he had planned.

• Spanish newspapers praised Su Dong’s three goals at the Bernabéu, and De la Morena reported that Calderon had asked Rosell about signing him.
• Rosell and Bartomeu tried to meet Su Dong, but he refused to speak with them and directed them to Mendes.
• Mendes told Su Dong that several clubs were interested but the transfer fee remained an obstacle because Barcelona insisted Su Dong was not for sale.
• Su Dong told Mendes to offer Barcelona a private settlement if they paid compensation he found satisfactory, without naming a figure.
• Su Dong explained that he was trying to leave Barcelona, while Mendes suspected he was pressuring Rosell and Bartomeu into accepting difficult terms.
• Wang Chuqing teased Su Dong after Mendes and the others left, and Su Dong headed to the basement gym.

Rosell and Bartomeu agreed to negotiate Su Dong’s release by claiming he would buy out his contract, while secretly arranging the accounts. Su Dong refused to pay the proposed fee and left them to face the problem of how to proceed.

• Rosell and Bartomeu realized Su Dong’s lawsuit could expose their misconduct and discussed negotiating his contract buyout instead of letting the case go to court.
• Rosell decided to arrange a private deal for Su Dong to buy out his contract for a concealed amount and to use a confidentiality agreement.
• Su Dong scored a hat trick against Huelva, bringing his league total to seventeen goals in eight matches, while Camp Nou gave him no applause.
• Mendes told Su Dong that Barcelona had agreed to negotiate a buyout for fifty million euros, though it would report the amount internally as one hundred million euros.
• Su Dong warned that he and his associates must avoid being implicated in Barcelona’s accounting scheme and asked Wang Chuqing to consult their lawyers.
• Su Dong told Mendes to say that his parents had spent all his money on property, so he could not afford the buyout fee.

Su Dong scored a hat trick against Chelsea and helped Barcelona win, then rescued a draw against Deportivo La Coruña before receiving the World Players' Association's Best Player award. With the court hearing approaching, Rosell finally agreed to Mendes's demands to let Su Dong leave, but he feared the political fallout and the threat to his position.

• Su Dong scored three goals in Barcelona's 3–2 Champions League win over Chelsea, while Lampard and Drogba scored for the visitors.
• Su Dong came on against Deportivo La Coruña and scored from a rebound after Iniesta's run to earn Barcelona a 1–1 draw.
• The World Players' Association named Su Dong its Best Player and selected him for the Best XI, while Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo shared Best Newcomer.
• With the hearing two days away, Bartomeu urged Rosell to settle with Su Dong, warning that he seemed ready to take the case to court.
• Rosell agreed to negotiate and sign an agreement with Mendes, insisting on an Anti-Real Madrid Clause and a confidentiality agreement.
• After Bartomeu left, Rosell worried about Su Dong's departure, the need to find a striker, and the growing threats to his chairmanship.

Su Dong settled his contract dispute with Barcelona and announced he would leave during the Winter Break, while continuing to score and assist in the matches that remained. After leading Barcelona to a 2–1 win over Atlético Madrid, he said goodbye to his teammates, coaches, and fans, ending his Barcelona career.

• Rosell announced that Su Dong had withdrawn his lawsuit and agreed to become a free agent on January 1, 2007, while the release fee remained confidential.
• Mendes said Su Dong had paid the release fee himself and regretted leaving Barcelona, and Su Dong told Rijkaard and his teammates that he would give his all until his departure.
• Su Dong scored and assisted in Barcelona's 3–1 win over Zaragoza, then scored twice against Real Mallorca and Levski Sofia as Barcelona qualified for the Champions League knockout stage.
• Su Dong finished second to Cannavaro in the Ballon d'Or voting as Barcelona's form declined, though he continued scoring and assisting in league and European matches.
• Su Dong scored twice against Atlético Madrid to secure a 2–1 win in his final Barcelona match, then bowed to the fans and said goodbye to his teammates and coaches before leaving through the tunnel.

Su Dong’s departure from Barcelona triggered a global reaction, exposing the club’s lost popularity and influence as it lost the Club World Cup final. At Bayern Munich, Beckenbauer refused to accept Dessler’s retirement request and offered him indefinite leave, before the meeting turned to Su Dong.

• Su Dong’s Barcelona departure drew worldwide attention, and Spanish media criticized the club for failing to find a replacement for his goals and influence.
• Barcelona received a cold welcome in Japan, lost commercial support, and lost 0–1 to Internacional in the Club World Cup final.
• Real Madrid coach Capello said Su Dong’s departure had revived Real Madrid’s hopes of challenging for the league title.
• Hoeness told Bayern Munich’s leadership that Dessler had requested retirement, prompting Beckenbauer and the others to express their regret.
• Beckenbauer ordered Bayern to suspend Dessler’s contract and give him indefinite leave, telling him he could return whenever he wanted.
• Hoeness moved the meeting on to discuss Su Dong.

Bayern’s executives planned a major squad rebuild around signing free agent Su Dong and debated which manager could lead the club’s Champions League revival. Unable to agree on a coach, Beckenbauer decided to invite Su Dong to dinner and discuss the club’s plans with him.

• Hoeness reported that Su Dong wanted an ambitious club willing to invest, and Bayern believed his arrival could strengthen its attack.
• Hoeness outlined Bayern’s planned departures and targets, including Frank Ribery, Klose, and Luka Modrić.
• Hoeness compared Hitzfeld, Van Gaal, Heynckes, and Klinsmann as candidates to replace Magath, but the executives did not choose one.
• Beckenbauer asked the club to arrange dinner with Su Dong and his agent so they could discuss Bayern’s plans.

Su Dong assessed Bayern Munich’s finances and ambitions as he considered his next club after leaving Barcelona. At a private meeting in Lisbon, he and Bayern’s leaders agreed on a shared goal of winning the Champions League, and Su Dong pledged to pursue every title in the Bundesliga.

• Su Dong reviewed Bayern’s financial reports with Wang Chuqing and learned that depreciation reduced the club’s reported profits despite its healthy finances.
• Su Dong concluded that Bayern’s sound finances and Bundesliga environment could support his ambition to build a team capable of winning three consecutive Champions League titles.
• Su Dong met Beckenbauer, Rummenigge, Hoeness, and Hopfner privately in Lisbon, where Beckenbauer promised continued investment and a team built around him.
• Bayern presented Ribéry and Modrić as recruitment targets, and Su Dong declared that the Champions League was his World Cup.
• Beckenbauer explained the Bundesliga’s competitive difficulties and asked Su Dong to bring more attacking football to Bayern; Su Dong promised to pursue every title.

Su Dong and Bayern Munich continued negotiating his contract and the club’s plans to build a Champions League-winning team around him. Bayern’s leaders also discussed Su Dong’s tactical ideas and decided to invite Joseph to help shape the team’s plans.

• Mendes told Bayern that Su Dong wanted the club to compete for at least three consecutive Champions League titles, while leaving transfer and coaching decisions to the management.
• Bayern offered Su Dong an after-tax annual salary of twenty million euros and sought tax exemptions, but the sides disagreed over his signing bonus and contract length.
• Mendes proposed a three-year contract with annual signing bonuses and performance-based extensions, while Su Dong and Bayern agreed to cooperate on expanding their commercial markets.
• Beckenbauer explained Su Dong’s ideas about proactive defensive pressing and fast tracking back, which Bayern’s leaders discussed as a tactical approach.
• Beckenbauer decided to invite Joseph to discuss tactics with Su Dong and requested a detailed team-building plan and tactical outline.

Su Dong met with Heynckes as Bayern Munich considered him for manager, and heard his assessment of the club’s midfield and attack. They connected over their shared desire to prove themselves, leaving Heynckes and Su Dong ready to form an “Avengers Alliance.”

• Su Dong considered Heynckes’s troubled recent record and worried whether he could manage Bayern, while Hoeness and Beckenbauer defended his ability to adapt tactics to his players.
• Heynckes told Su Dong and Bayern’s executives that the team’s main problems were midfield creativity and attack, and Su Dong suggested Schweinsteiger might play deeper like Pirlo.
• Heynckes praised Barcelona’s tactics but argued German football should build on its own strengths, and the executives discussed their interest in Mainz manager Klopp.
• Heynckes said he would define himself as an Avenger and prove his ability again, and Su Dong called himself an Avenger too.
• Heynckes and Su Dong shook hands and agreed to form an Avengers Alliance.

Bayern Munich sparked widespread excitement with reports that they were pursuing Su Dong, then fired Felix Magath and appointed Josef Heynckes while confirming interest in Robben and Ribéry. Su Dong prepared to move from Barcelona to Munich, leaving Messi and Iniesta saddened by his departure.

• Bild reported that Bayern Munich had secretly met with Su Dong and reached an agreement, prompting Bayern players and German fans to welcome the prospect of his arrival.
• European media reported Bayern's ambitious rebuilding plans, including a list of star transfer targets and possible new managers.
• Hoeness announced that Bayern had terminated Magath's contract and appointed Josef Heynckes as head coach, while confirming interest in Su Dong, Robben, and Ribéry.
• Su Dong returned to his Barcelona villa with Wang Chuqing and began organizing his belongings for a move to Munich, with his private coaching team preparing to follow him.
• Messi and Iniesta visited Su Dong as he packed, and both showed how reluctant they were to see him leave Barcelona.

Su Dong chose and bought a detached villa in Grünwald, then toured Bayern Munich’s headquarters and training facilities. Hoeness welcomed him alongside another person whose identity was not revealed before the chapter ended.

• Su Dong chose a minimalist villa beside the Isar River after Wang Chuqing praised its design.
• Su Dong agreed to buy the villa and paid more than two million euros in full, leaving the real estate agent stunned.
• Su Dong offered Wang Chuqing a room in the villa and joked that she would have to pay rent.
• Su Dong toured Bayern Munich’s offices and training grounds, where Hoeness described the club’s investment in facilities and youth development.
• Su Dong learned that Hoeness was not the only person there to welcome him.