Since Steven Gerrard had left Liverpool for Los Angeles Galaxy in January 2015, he had gradually faded from the view of Europe's top leagues, and fans seemed to be slowly forgetting the legendary Liverpool captain.
It was not until November 24 that Gerrard officially announced his retirement on Twitter, finally prompting widespread media and fan coverage. At the time, Yang Yang had even interacted with Gerrard on Twitter.
A week later, Gerrard appeared in a sharp suit in the famous BT Sport studio, providing commentary for British viewers on this globally anticipated El Clásico. Joining him was Manchester United's legendary center-back, Rio Ferdinand.
During the match, the two former superstars were repeatedly left in awe by what they saw, especially Yang Yang's four-goal performance.
"I've noticed that, perhaps because of Yang Yang's performances over the past few years, many fans have raised their standards very high. As a result, they may not truly understand what scoring four goals means on a world-class stage like El Clásico. I can say that every newspaper in the world will be reporting on it like crazy tomorrow morning."
Gerrard gave his close friend Yang Yang's performance extremely high praise. He believed Yang Yang's showings in the Madrid derby and El Clásico, two crucial matches, were enough to let him win the European Golden Ball Award and World Footballer of the Year without suspense.
"In the face of such a phenomenal performance, no award could possibly refuse Yang Yang."
Rio Ferdinand strongly agreed with Gerrard. He believed Yang Yang's emergence had dramatically raised the ceiling for footballers. "His arrival made us realize that human beings could actually reach such a level."
Ferdinand had once fought Yang Yang directly as a center-back. He considered Yang Yang the most terrifying killer he had ever seen, as well