Champions Are Beckoning

The next morning, Madrid, Spain.

Florentino sat in the living room, absorbed in the freshly printed newspapers from that morning.

He was the only person in the empty living room. The only sound was the rustling of the newspaper as he turned the pages from time to time.

He was engrossed in it. From the page he had turned to, it was clear that he was reading Marca. The front-page headline featured a photo of Yang Yang, along with the day's top story.

There is a miracle called Yang Yang!

Marca described Yang Yang as a miracle. In the report that followed, it repeatedly emphasized that he had orchestrated five of Liverpool's six goals all by himself—one hat-trick and two assists—and had made history.

On the second page, Marca lavished praise on Yang Yang's performance in a lengthy feature, including his individual statistics from the match. He had made sixty-eight touches, second only to Xabi Alonso, Carragher, and Skrtel among Liverpool players.

On the pitch, Yang Yang had completed six successful dribbles and been fouled nine times by the opposition. He had been extremely active.

"From the very beginning of the match, Yang Yang was the focal point of Chelsea's defense and the center of Liverpool's attacks. With an epic comeback, he demonstrated that he possessed the ability to become the number-one player in world football."

Marca believed that if anyone had still questioned Yang Yang's ability before the match, then as of this season—especially after this game—such doubts should come to an end.

Florentino read the news carefully from beginning to end. After finishing the report on Yang Yang, he quickly noticed the person Marca had called Liverpool's second-biggest contributor to the victory.

Head Coach Rafael Benitez!

Florentino was not unfamiliar with Benitez. The latter was a native of