The referee checked his watch. Right on time, exactly on time. A whistle blew, and the globally anticipated El Clasico began.
"Hello, everyone. This is Tencent Sports, bringing you La Liga's 34th-round match: Real Madrid hosting FC Barcelona in the Century Derby."
"As everyone knows, Barcelona are in blazing form right now. The rise of Chinese-born youngster Li Mingyu has galvanized the entire Barcelona attack."
"Real Madrid's form has also improved recently. In their last match, Karim Benzema scored a goal to secure a last-minute win at home against visiting Elche."
"However, Real Madrid will face Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finals in the middle of next week, and that match will affect their performance today to some extent."
"All right, both teams are taking the field. Let me introduce today's starting lineups."
"Real Madrid are sticking with their familiar 4-3-3. Courtois wears number one in goal. Marcelo has made a remarkable return to the back line, and it seems his injury hasn't affected him much. Varane and Ramos are the two center-backs, with Vazquez at right-back. The midfield is made up of Isco, Casemiro, and Valverde. Up front, they've fielded Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, and Vinicius."
"Barcelona are also going with an aggressive 4-3-3. Ter Stegen, number one, is in goal. Lenglet and Pique are in the middle of the back line, with Umtiti and Alba at full-back. The midfield consists of Busquets, Pedri, and De Jong. Li Mingyu is starting up front once again. It seems his performances over these past few games have completely won over head coach Koeman and the Barcelona team. The other two are the familiar faces of Griezmann and Messi."
The referee blew his whistle, and Messi kicked the ball back to De Jong. The Century Derby was officially underway.
[Congratulations, host. You successfully signed in at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and received Real Madrid legend Zidane's Absolute Ball Control talent.]
Attacking Ability: 88 (93)–90 (95)
Shooting: 88 (92)–90 (94)
Heading: 85 (90)–87 (92)
Ball Control: 84 (88)–90 (99)
Dribbling: 83 (93)–86 (99)
Passing: 84 (89)–86 (93)
Explosiveness: 84 (88)–86 (90)
Physicality: 78 (90)–80 (92)
Strength: 80 (90)–81 (91)
Stamina: 80 (90)–81 (91)
The all-around improvement was astounding. Zidane's Absolute Ball Control talent had pushed every one of Li Mingyu's potential ratings to the level of an elite player.
As long as he kept training, it was no dream for Li Mingyu to become a superstar like Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Li Mingyu couldn't help glancing at the home team's bench on the sidelines. A gleaming bald head was turned toward an assistant coach as they discussed something.
In midfield, Li Mingyu received De Jong's pass. Valverde charged straight at him, trying to stop his advance.
No team could afford to underestimate Li Mingyu now.
In Real Madrid's tactical plans, he was already considered just as threatening as Messi.
The two teams' managers had only announced their starting lineups two hours before kickoff. Li Mingyu's inclusion had caught Zidane somewhat off guard.
After so many matches, everyone knew Li Mingyu's weakness was his limited stamina. Against an attacking team like Real Madrid, he would likely tire even faster.
So when Zidane drew up his lineup, he had still expected Dembele to start as Barcelona's left winger.
But when he learned that Li Mingyu was starting, Zidane quickly adjusted his tactics. In the first half, Real Madrid would relentlessly attack down Barcelona's left flank, where Li Mingyu was playing. If Li Mingyu still refused to help defend, they would tear through that side. If he did track back, that would suit Zidane just fine.
As for Li Mingyu's speed, Zidane wasn't too concerned. After all, when Bale had been on the team, Real Madrid's players had been tormented by him plenty of times. They knew how to handle a speedy winger.
But Real Madrid's scouting report was out of date. Li Mingyu was no longer the reckless rookie who relied on speed alone. Especially after receiving Zidane's Absolute Ball Control talent, Li Mingyu felt like his legs could play the violin.
In midfield, Li Mingyu took De Jong's pass and saw Valverde rushing in to steal the ball. With a deft pull, he spun a hundred and eighty degrees and slipped right past Valverde.
The fans inside Santiago Bernabeu Stadium erupted in boos.
The noise made Zidane, who had been discussing something with his assistant coach, raise his head in confusion. Had someone really scored that quickly?
But when he saw the ball was still in midfield, he blinked. What was going on? The fans were acting strange today!
The Marseille Turn!
Li Mingyu had just used one of Zidane's signature moves: the Marseille Turn. Leaning against Valverde, he deftly rolled the ball underfoot and glided past him.
He did it without the slightest hint of fuss.
Like an artist.
If Li Mingyu had been wearing a white shirt, everyone might have mistaken him for Zidane!
Of course, that would only happen if Li Mingyu agreed to shave his head!
After getting past Valverde, Li Mingyu accelerated and tore down the wing.
Valverde had only felt Li Mingyu dance an elegant routine right in front of him before slipping past. Once he realized what had happened, he hurriedly turned and chased after him.
Right-back Vazquez quickly moved across to block Li Mingyu's run.
But Li Mingyu didn't give him a second thought. He simply kicked the ball forward, passing it to himself three seconds later.
Vazquez had no choice. Cursing under his breath, he reached out and grabbed Li Mingyu's jersey.
Li Mingyu's speed, explosiveness, physicality, and strength were no longer what they had been before.
Vazquez had hold of Li Mingyu's jersey, but Li Mingyu twisted his waist and sent him stumbling to the ground.
Sitting on the turf with a piece of jersey in his hand, Vazquez felt as if everything he believed in had come crashing down.
Barcelona's jerseys were world-class in quality. He had tugged once and ripped the shirt clean apart, yet he still hadn't managed to stop Li Mingyu.
What a monster!
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