Yang Yang's comeback match saw him score a hat-trick!
The news had sparked celebrations among media and fans around the world. Messi had already heard about it when he returned to Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper after playing Almería the night before, and he was stunned.
But the moment he thought of Yang Yang, he felt relieved.
Over the past few years, if there was anyone in European Football who could continually bring Messi "surprises," it was undoubtedly Yang Yang. This opponent, whom Messi regarded as his [Enemy of a Lifetime], had always been so outstanding and eye-catching.
Ronaldo had scored braces in his comeback matches several times. Who would have thought that his loyal fan Yang Yang would come up with a hat-trick?
If Messi had still been in a fairly good mood last night, then today, when he returned to Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper and saw the morning papers, his mood was far less pleasant. At the very least, the smile had vanished from his face.
Yang Yang was declaring war on him!
In the current La Liga scoring charts, Messi stood head and shoulders above the rest, far in the lead. He had scored fifteen goals in total, the best record of his career at this stage of a season, showing just how excellent his form was.
Yang Yang, meanwhile, had scored only three goals so far. Since emerging from Ajax, this was his worst season apart from his debut campaign.
Of course, those were only the surface statistics, because strictly speaking, Yang Yang had played just over twenty minutes this season.
A man who had missed more than two months through injury, then returned and scored a hat-trick in just over twenty minutes, had actually declared war on him. Messi felt both excited and uneasy.
Looking back