Another Hat Trick

Like magic, the ball was hooked by Li Mingyu from the right back over to the left.

Sanchez's center of gravity had already begun to shift to his left, but upon seeing the ball change direction, his muscle memory demanded a defensive reaction that his body couldn't keep up with. The result...

Sanchez crashed hard onto the ground.

However, with this move from Li Mingyu, the ball had already reached a spot not far from the byline.

The center-back Garcia had already closed in.

The scene of Sanchez being shaken off just moments ago had left Garcia feeling a jolt of alarm.

Although his view had been obstructed, he had still caught a glimpse of the clues behind that beautiful flip-flap.

Garcia knew Li Mingyu had a slender build, so he prepared to use his body to lean into him first; this way, whether Li Mingyu tried to dribble or accelerate, his efforts would be rendered useless.

However, since they were in the penalty area, Garcia didn't dare use too much force, fearing that Li Mingyu might try to draw a foul.

Garcia knew he absolutely could not let Li Mingyu cut inside, as that would give him too many options for both shooting and passing.

Therefore, Garcia forced Li Mingyu to stick to the byline; even if it meant conceding a corner, he could not let him break through further.

Garcia leaned his body in, not daring to stick a foot out to challenge for the ball for fear of an accident.

Li Mingyu feinted a move to cut inside, causing Garcia's body to sway, but to his surprise, Li Mingyu used his right foot to pull the ball back, still intending to head for the byline.

Garcia wore a smug smile, as Li Mingyu was now extremely close to the byline; he figured that with this pull-back, the ball would likely go out of play.

Garcia's focus wavered.

But Li Mingyu's next move sent a chill through Garcia's entire body.

Li Mingyu executed a beautiful La Croqueta.

As his right foot pulled the ball, his left foot appeared in the path of the ball, catching it just as it was about to cross the byline and keeping it in play.

Because Garcia had already slowed down, Li Mingyu accelerated and charged into the six-yard box.

At this moment, the Osasuna defensive line fell into complete disarray, and the goalkeeper had no choice but to come out, attempting to narrow Li Mingyu's shooting angle.

Li Mingyu wasn't greedy for the goal, mainly because the angle was too tight now that he was at the byline.

He swept a glance toward the center and found that Messi, Griezmann, and De Jong had all charged into the penalty area, throwing the opposing defense into chaos.

The moment the goalkeeper lunged at him, Li Mingyu flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, sending a beautiful cut-back pass that sailed right over the goalkeeper's toes toward the center.

The goalkeeper turned his head in despair to see the striker Griezmann dart out from the crowd and tap the ball into the net.

3:1.

Barca had regained a two-goal lead.

Moreover, this goal completely shattered the spirit of the Osasuna team.

A single Li Mingyu had toyed with their entire defensive line.

Just like the omnipotent Messi of years past, his stroll-like breakthrough left all the Osasuna players standing there like wooden chickens.

Too strong.

Was this the foundation of Barca?

Standing on the sidelines, the Osasuna head coach Arrasate also revealed a bitter smile.

Sigh! Why won't the sky of La Liga brighten up!

He had originally thought that with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Serie A and Messi in poor form, La Liga could usher in a brand new era.

Who would have thought that Barca would suddenly produce such a monster, exactly like the Messi of old.

The match restarted.

Under the deafening roar of the crowd at Camp Nou, the Osasuna team completely collapsed.

In the 65th minute, Li Mingyu received a through ball from Messi, dribbled past the defender, used his signature pendulum move to shake the goalkeeper, and tapped into an empty net.

4:1.

In the 75th minute, De Jong took a corner kick, and Li Mingyu rose above the opposing defender, burying a powerful header past the goalkeeper's defenses.

5:1.

In the 83rd minute, taking advantage of the opponent pushing forward, Busquets intercepted the ball in midfield and played a through ball. Li Mingyu put on a burst of speed, leaving all the defenders behind. After a 50-meter sprint, he chipped the ball over the rushing goalkeeper, forcing him to kneel in surrender.

6:1.

In the 90th minute, Li Mingyu sprinted down the right flank and pulled the ball back from the byline. Messi arrived in a flash and hammered a powerful left-footed strike into the top corner of the net.

7:1.

The final whistle blew.

Camp Nou erupted into a frenzy of celebration.

The Osasuna players hung their heads and quickly ducked into the away team's locker room.

Head coach Arrasate shook hands with Koeman with a frosty expression before turning and leaving this place of sorrow.

Messi led all the players on a lap around the pitch to thank the home fans for their support and soak in their cheers.

Another hat-trick.

Three matches, two hat-tricks, and one four-goal haul.

Since official records began, no player in the top five European leagues has ever achieved such a feat immediately upon joining a first team.

Unprecedented, and likely never to be repeated.

Three matches, ten goals, two assists.

This scoring efficiency had Koeman grinning from ear to ear on the sidelines.

He finally had a trump card of his own.

At the post-match press conference, Koeman chose to protect Li Mingyu by leaving him behind and bringing Messi instead.

As a result, the reporters in attendance were thoroughly displeased, firing off questions exclusively about Li Mingyu, leaving Barca's darling, Messi, with a wry smile on his face.

Since when did I, Messi, become a supporting character?

However, Messi was also genuinely happy deep down.

The sheer scale of Li Mingyu's progress left him stunned.

It was as if this young man possessed an inexhaustible treasure trove of talent.

The speed of a cheetah.

Ronaldo's pendulum dribble.

Iniesta's La Croqueta.

Ronaldinho's flip-flap.

And, on top of that, excellent heading ability.

To possess such skills at only 19 years old—he was truly a treasure of a boy.

#Chinese-heritage Li scores three and assists two, shining once again at the Camp Nou#

#Chinese-heritage Li breaks into the La Liga top ten scorers list in just three matches#

Indeed, Li Mingyu now sat in eighth place on the La Liga scoring charts with ten goals.

His terrifying scoring efficiency had made Li Mingyu the focal point of every major club in Europe.

Inside the Barca manager's office.

"Yes, President, I will follow up on this immediately!"

Barca manager Braida hung up the phone with a grave expression, rubbing his aching temples.

Just after the match ended, he had received inquiries from various major clubs testing the waters regarding Li Mingyu's price tag.

However, since it was not currently a transfer window, these major clubs were merely testing the waters for now.