"Not even Zidane would dare make such a bold move! Su Hang has gone mad—completely mad!"
"See that, Italians? This is Su Hang, the brightest star of Real Madrid!"
"This is Su Hang, the man who strikes fear into Barcelona! The man who brought Real Madrid two championship trophies in just ten games!"
"This is Real Madrid's fourth captain! Look at the armband on his arm—this is the strength of Real Madrid!"
"What a daring choice! No one could have imagined Su Hang would do this!"
"So confident! This is the mark of a true genius!"
"To those who call Real Madrid conservative, who say Su Hang is timid—when he was directing his teammates into defensive positions, did you really think he was planning to defend?"
"He was telling them one thing: to beat Roma, all they needed was him!"
On the pitch, halfway through his run, Su Hang suddenly stumbled and fell.
The cheers from the Real Madrid fans fell silent.
Awkward…
But in the very next moment, Su Hang rolled over, sprang to his feet, and charged toward the corner flag.
He wagged a finger, then leapt into the air.
A midair 180 revealed the number 24 and the name "Su Hang" on his back for the whole world to see.
There weren't many Real Madrid fans in Rome, but every single one knew exactly what to do.
They joined Su Hang as he landed, unleashing the signature roar:
"Siuuuuuu!"
In seconds, Real Madrid players poured toward him, surrounding him in celebration.
The atmosphere was electric.
...
Madrid, President's Office at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Florentino Pérez broke into a wide grin. "Brilliant! I knew it!"
"Su! I knew you'd never let me down!"
He pumped his fist in celebration, as if the shattered teacup on the floor wasn't his doing at all.
His assistant, alarmed by the sudden burst of excitement, hurriedly reached for fast-acting heart medication—just in case.
Figer's eyes narrowed.
Watching the broadcast, he firmly etched Su Hang into his memory.
During Luxemburgo's tenure at Real Madrid, this Su Hang… could be crucial.
The young man clearly had influence within the team, and in the eyes of the club hierarchy—especially the president—he seemed to hold a special place.
And luck? Su Hang had plenty.
Even outrageous goals like this seemed to find their way into the net for him.
...
Back at the Stadio Olimpico, Real Madrid's players and substitutes crowded around the corner flag in wild celebration.
But soon, those at the center began pushing their way out.
Zidane, in particular, forced his way through and urgently waved to the medical staff.
"Doc! Over here—quick!"
The players stepped aside.
At the center sat Su Hang, clutching his right leg with a pained expression.
The team doctor rushed over.
"Oh! What's happened here?"
"Real Madrid's goalscorer Su Hang is on the ground—looks like an injury to his right leg!"
"Was it caused by that long-range free kick, or from the earlier collision with De Rossi?"
"They're checking him now… and their expressions aren't encouraging."
"No wonder he stumbled on his way to the corner flag. I thought he'd tripped, but it must have been the leg bothering him already."
"That's bad. A leg injury that makes a player collapse mid-run is never minor!"
"And considering he still jumped and landed during the celebration…"
Moments later, the cameras caught the team doctor shaking his head.
Su Hang couldn't continue.
A stretcher was brought onto the pitch, and the medical staff quickly carried him away.
Su Hang: Carried? Couldn't they have picked a luckier word?
The festive mood in the Real Madrid camp vanished instantly.
Still, they held on for the final minute.
Three sharp blasts from the referee's whistle ended the match.
Roma's attempt to stop Real Madrid had failed.
Los Blancos advanced to the Champions League knockout stage as group runners-up.
...
But after the match, none of that news could overshadow the buzz around Su Hang.
His stunning strike had captured the hearts of all Italy.
With one goal and one assist, he was named Man of the Match.
Totti spoke afterward, visibly downcast:
"It's unbelievable. We played well—even contained Ronaldo and Zidane.
But no one could have predicted Su Hang would shine like this.
"I'd read plenty about him in the media, and I knew Manchester United's Queiroz rated him highly, but…
Today, I finally saw his true strength.
"He has a composure rare for his age. If some of our players had that mentality, we could achieve great things in the league."
Totti and Cassano had once been close—Cassano had even called him his idol.
But with this season's reports of Real Madrid's interest in signing either Totti or Cassano, their relationship seemed to cool.
Roma's stance on renewing the contracts of the two players had also shifted.
Cassano's camp learned the club intended to keep Totti on a massive salary.
Which meant there would be no room to meet Cassano's own demands.
Totti and Cassano were now caught in an irreconcilable conflict of interests.
Cassano also spoke after the match:
"It's nothing special. I can score goals like that too. It was just an unexpected decision, that's all.
If we played again, I'm confident I'd do better than Su Hang.
In many ways, he's not as good as me."
Stubborn as ever.
But while Su Hang hadn't won Cassano over, he had conquered Italian football.
...
The Italian press raved about his spectacular free kick.
Tuttosport: "Real Madrid's number 24—Su Hang! Remember this name. He's the Ronaldo born from Real Madrid's youth academy!"
La Gazzetta dello Sport: "A true White-clad God of Death! Su Hang scores and assists to take Man of the Match, sealing Roma's fate with a 36-meter free kick!"
La Repubblica: "The young captain slays Roma! The sound of La Liga echoes across Italy!"
Even Roma's own Corriere dello Sport admitted: "Su Hang lives up to his reputation and deserves the captain's armband! Cassano should learn from Su Hang's composure!"
It was, of course, a jab—implying Cassano should be more reasonable in his salary demands.
After all, what is Totti's status?
How long has he served Roma?
Even when Manchester United came calling, he stayed. A top salary is only fair.
But Cassano wanting more than Totti?
Unjustifiable—he'd have to prove himself first.
Cassano was furious.
Damn it! Do they think I'm an idiot?
No top salary? Then nothing they say matters!
Otherwise… believe it or not, I might just be wearing a Real Madrid shirt next season!
...
Get early access (35 chapters ahead) plus other series available only on P@treon
[email protected]/GhostParser