Seven-nil away demolition of Barcelona, virtually securing the La Liga title six months ahead of schedule, followed by a three-one home victory over Dortmund to advance to the Champions League round of sixteen as group winners—Real Madrid had been on an unstoppable winning streak, commanding the spotlight.
After Real Madrid defeated Dortmund and advanced to the knockout stage undefeated, media outlets around the world gave the result extensive coverage.
Suarez scored a brace and was named Man of the Match, but during his post-match interview, the Uruguayan forward smiled and said that he was grateful to his teammate Yang Yang.
"Actually, we agreed on it before the match. He wanted me to play more aggressively. He thought I should score more goals, and he wanted me to experience what it felt like to be the protagonist."
"Mhm, being the protagonist really does feel great. I like it!"
"Replace Yang Yang as the protagonist? No, no, no, that's impossible. Unless he willingly gives way to me, whenever the two of us play together, he'll definitely be the protagonist. It's not for any other reason—it's because he's simply too strong."
To receive such praise from a teammate—especially one who was a world-class superstar—showed every media outlet and fan just how important Yang Yang was within this Real Madrid side.
When analyzing the match against Dortmund, many people reached the same conclusion: Yang Yang had clearly held back.
At least judging from his performance, he had not given everything. He had spent more time creating space and setting up his teammates. His only goal had come after he made a run into open space and received a pass from a teammate. In that situation, he had no choice but to take the shot himself.
"Although this wasn't a match that belonged to Yang