Li Mingyu sat on the team bus, gazing out the window.
A little girl of just five sat on her father's shoulders, lifting a red-and-blue Barca scarf with her tiny hands and waving it wildly at the bus.
Her father held up his phone to film while loudly singing Barca's team anthem.
The Barca fans around them gathered beside the bus as if on a pilgrimage, showing the players inside their respect and support.
Seeing Li Mingyu's excitement, Messi, seated beside him, gave a faint smile.
They reached the away team's locker room.
Li Mingyu found the narrow, cramped space and its bare-bones facilities rather amusing.
It seemed to have become an unwritten tradition: no matter how great a team was, its away locker room was always this shabby.
That was football.
Football in its purest form.
There was a U-shaped row of benches, just like the ones at a bus stop. The players' boots and other gear could be stored underneath, while their kits were laid out on top.
A row of coat hooks hung on the wall. The place wasn't even as well-equipped as a public bathhouse!
Nothing to be done about it. They were playing away, after all!
Li Mingyu changed into his training kit and followed his teammates onto the pitch to get a feel for the surface.
It had rained a little that morning, so the pitch might be slippery.
Li Mingyu stepped into the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The sight of the magnificent ground sent his heart surging.
What a dream it was to represent Barcelona at the Bernabeu and play against Real Madrid!
It was the greatest wish in the heart of every Barca fan.
Buzzing with excitement, Li Mingyu walked onto the pitch.
Messi strolled around with the ball, searching for his feel for the game.
Griezmann juggled the ball on the pitch to loosen up.
The Barca players warmed up at an easy pace in their own half.
But nearly all the pre-match cameras were trained on the 19-year-old Chinese-born youngster, Li Mingyu.
With the ball at his feet, Li Mingyu sprinted from one side of the pitch to the other. His astonishing speed drew one gasp after another from the crowd.
Watching Li Mingyu race across the pitch, Real Madrid fans couldn't help thinking of the once-dominant man in their squad, Gareth Bale—a forward who struck like thunder and moved like lightning.
But Bale had been loaned back to Tottenham Hotspur the year before.
Since returning to Tottenham, Bale had been in good form, with 10 goals and 3 assists. Tottenham currently sat seventh in the table and still had a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
After a couple of runs up and down the pitch, Li Mingyu felt his body buzzing with energy. He could hardly wait for the match to begin.
In the previous match, Dembele had shown disrespect to head coach Koeman. Koeman hadn't gone easy on him, dropping him from the starting lineup and warning him in front of the whole team that if he didn't follow instructions from then on, there would be no place for him in the squad for the rest of the season.
Dembele was scared straight. Who would turn down money?
If he really got suspended by the team and stopped playing, would he still be able to maintain his form? And if Barca didn't renew his contract, would he still be able to command a good price?
So Dembele hurried to apologize to Koeman and promised to do as he was told.
Eight matches earlier, Koeman wouldn't have had the confidence to speak so firmly to one of his own star wingers.
Success gave him courage. The exhilarating eight-match winning streak had Koeman standing tall, carrying himself like a top-class manager.
After warming up, the Barca players returned to the away locker room in small groups.
The head coach didn't say much. Barca had spent the whole week preparing for this match, and they were ready.
Koeman swept his hand through the air and said, "Gentlemen, the eyes of the whole world are on us. Beat Real Madrid and bring home the three points!"
"We are Barca!"
"We are Barca!"
"We are Barca!"
The Barca players roared again and again, their morale soaring.
Eight straight wins, many of them by wide margins, had sent the players' confidence through the roof.
In the first El Clasico of the season, Barca had lost to Real Madrid at home.
But as they watched Li Mingyu bounce around with excitement, the players exchanged reassured smiles.
We have Li now. Real Madrid, you'd better watch out!
Courtois, be careful. Don't let our Li leave you in the dust.
In the players' tunnel, the two teams waited to walk out, each holding the hand of a young mascot.
Li Mingyu studied the Real Madrid players.
Several of them were watching him just as intently.
Valverde, Vazquez, and Varane.
The three of them were responsible for Real Madrid's defense and attack down the right flank—the very area Li Mingyu would be targeting.
Looking at Li Mingyu's somewhat slender build, they wore curious expressions.
The players walked out.
To the deafening roar of the crowd, both teams stepped onto the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium pitch.
The instant they emerged from the tunnel, it felt as if they had entered another world.
The fans in the stands on either side roared at the Barca players, with no concern for frightening the young mascots.
The referee led the way onto the pitch, carrying the match ball.
The two teams lined up in a long row.
Then the players shook hands.
The players dispersed to their respective halves, leaving only the four officials and the two captains at the center.
Barcelona's captain, Messi.
Real Madrid's captain, Ramos.
They had both made more appearances in El Clasico than anyone else on their respective teams.
This match would bring Messi's total to 44, while Ramos had one more, with 45.
Forty-five was also the record for the most appearances by a player in El Clasico history.
This was Li Mingyu's first El Clasico. The moment he stepped onto the pitch, he felt his hands and feet trembling slightly.
It wasn't fear. He was excited, and couldn't wait to tear across the Bernabeu pitch.
Once the coin toss was done, the officials took their positions.
Only then did the two head coaches emerge from the tunnel, chatting as they walked.
Zidane, Real Madrid's current head coach, was also a legendary player and manager for the club. His time at Real Madrid had been the stuff of legend.
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