This match had Messi cheering with delight.
Messi couldn't remember the last time he'd played such a thrilling game.
Two hat tricks in a single match—that was a new record in La Liga history.
But once again, Messi's brilliance was overshadowed by Li Mingyu, who was only nineteen.
After the match, Li Mingyu's name once again appeared in the headlines of major newspapers.
Six matches, fourteen goals, and three assists.
Li Mingyu's talent had burst into full bloom.
Once news got out about Li Mingyu's contract with FC Barcelona, nearly every top club in Europe sprang into action like sharks who'd caught the scent of blood.
Li Mingyu's agent had become the busiest man around.
Laporta, the president of Barcelona, had given Braida a firm order: keep Li Mingyu at all costs.
There was no longer any need to evaluate Li Mingyu. With a scoring rate like his, he was arguably the best in the Top Five Leagues.
Even Lewandowski, Bayern Munich's scoring machine, hadn't scored as efficiently as Li Mingyu.
Of course, Lewandowski had played far more matches than Li Mingyu.
Six matches might not be enough to prove much, but a scoring rate like that was enough to make the top clubs drool.
After a series of heated negotiations and checking Li Mingyu's wishes, his agent, Andrew, signed a new contract with FC Barcelona.
Contract term: 5 years
Annual salary: 10 million euros
Release clause: 180 million euros
Goal bonus: 100,000 euros per goal
Assist bonus: 20,000 euros per assist
League title: 5 million euros
Copa del Rey title: 2 million euros
Spanish Super Cup title: 2 million euros
UEFA Cup title: 3 million euros
UEFA Champions League title: 10 million euros
There were also a series of smaller clauses. The contract was full of goodwill, and Andrew finally agreed to it.
Under this contract, Andrew would earn more than a million euros in commission each year. Add his cut of Li Mingyu's advertising income, and he could make three or four million euros a year.
Of course, to persuade Li Mingyu to sign, Barca had also offered Andrew a hefty sum on the side.
Andrew returned to the Li Family Restaurant.
In front of Li Mingyu's parents, he handed the weighty contract to Li Mingyu.
Seeing the pride in his parents' eyes, Li Mingyu solemnly signed his name on the contract.
If all went well, he would play for FC Barcelona for five years.
Andrew smiled and said, "Li, under the bonus terms in this contract, your previous goals and assists are included too. When your salary is paid each month, the bonuses will be deposited into your account all at once!"
Humming a Spanish country tune and swaying his head, Andrew left the Li Family Restaurant.
Sonia snatched the contract from Li Zhenfei and read it carefully. She couldn't help exclaiming, "My goodness, son! A hundred thousand euros per goal—how many goals have you scored now?"
Li Zhenfei chuckled beside her. "Fourteen goals and three assists in six matches. That comes to 1.46 million euros."
Sonia covered her mouth in amazement. "Goodness, son, you're incredible!"
With that, Sonia wrapped her arms around Li Mingyu and planted a hard kiss on his cheek.
Li Mingyu grinned. "Mom, why don't you close the restaurant? You and Dad could take a proper break and go on a trip around the world."
Sonia's eyes gleamed with excitement. She clapped her hands and said, "Great! It's settled!"
Then Sonia shook her head. "But we can't close the restaurant for good. Your father and I can take two months off and travel. We haven't left Spain since we got married. Your father is always telling me how beautiful China is, but I've never been there. This time, we'll make sure to see it properly!"
Li Zhenfei nodded. "We can't close the restaurant. It's my passion. If I shut it down, what would I do? Start my retirement already? I couldn't stand that. It's settled, then: the restaurant will close for two months while we give it a good renovation!"
And so, the decision was made.
Back at the training ground, Li Mingyu began his training.
His stats had improved a lot, but his stamina was the one area where he hadn't made much progress. He couldn't even last an entire match. Was he going to be a substitute for the rest of his life?
Li Mingyu gritted his teeth and began training like mad.
The weekend arrived in no time.
Li Mingyu's parents had already left Spain and should have arrived in France by now.
Their itinerary was to travel all over Europe first, then head to the United States, and finally visit beautiful China.
But enough about the couple off enjoying themselves.
In this match, FC Barcelona would host Getafe at Camp Nou.
Getafe was arguably the youngest team in La Liga. Founded in 1983, it was the third team from the Madrid Region to play in the top division, after Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Now just five points above the relegation zone, they were fighting to stay up.
But against a Barcelona side in such fine form, Getafe had no way to stop their attack.
Li Mingyu wasn't brought on until the seventieth minute, replacing Messi, who had already scored and assisted.
Messi had felt some discomfort during the match, so he'd asked to be substituted as a precaution.
Afterward, the team doctor examined him and found that his muscles were merely tense from overexertion. It was nothing serious.
The score was 2–0, with FC Barcelona in the lead.
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[Congratulations, host. You have successfully checked in at Camp Nou. Since you have already checked in at your home stadium three times, you have reached the limit for this season. Future home-stadium check-ins will no longer grant you a star player's talent skill. Instead, each check-in will grant you a star player's special equipment.]
[Congratulations, host. You have obtained Ronaldinho's Lucky Bracelet!]
Li Mingyu felt a blue bracelet suddenly appear on his wrist.
[Ronaldinho's Lucky Bracelet: imbued with the attribute of luck. On the pitch, it slightly affects the luck of the players.]
Li Mingyu couldn't tell what the Lucky Bracelet did. He shrugged and sprinted onto the pitch.
Barcelona's corner-kick attack.
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