Clap, clap, clap!
Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Raúl, and the rest of the Real Madrid stars erupted into applause.
"Real!" Su Hang raised the microphone to the sky.
"Madrid!" the Real Madrid players roared back in unison.
And it wasn't just them.
Many stars who disagreed with this year's Ballon d'Or result also joined the chant.
Lampard, Gerrard, Henry, Shevchenko… and of course, Cristiano Ronaldo standing just behind Su Hang!
That night, Ronaldinho stood atop the Ballon d'Or podium.
That night, Su Hang stood above Ronaldinho!
...
Sky Sports: "The Ballon d'Or has become a watered-down award! Ronaldinho's win sparks controversy as the entire hall chants Madrid!"
The Times: "Lampard, Zidane, Gerrard, and Figo fully deserved their places at two, three, four, and five. Ronaldinho at the top is far from convincing!"
Liverpool Echo: "England's twin towers, Real Madrid's two veterans, Milan's best and brightest… who here is really worse than Ronaldinho?"
BBC: "Premier League champions, La Liga champions, Champions League champions—and yet all inferior to Barcelona's empty-handed Ronaldinho? We admit Ronaldinho is brilliant, but if trophies don't count, then what's the point of competition?"
Manchester Evening News: "Ronaldinho conquers football. Su Hang conquers Ronaldinho! Queiroz's vision was sharp—Manchester United nearly had Siu in their ranks!"
The English media were fuming.
They felt Premier League players had long been treated unfairly in the Ballon d'Or voting.
And this year only reinforced that belief.
When they won team honors, critics insisted on looking at individual stats.
When they produced stats, the focus shifted to technique and flair.
When they had technique and flair, the talk returned to team honors.
It was a never-ending loop!
But not every English outlet focused on the squabble. Some went straight for entertainment headlines.
The Sun: "Ballon d'Or ceremony or Hollywood gala? Real Madrid captain Su Hang's date Jennifer stole the spotlight, crowned the ceremony's most beautiful woman!"
The Sun: "Forget Clara—Su Hang's second rumored girlfriend emerges. Young actress Jennifer Lawrence, a future Hollywood star?"
The Sun: "36D captures Real Madrid's captain! What's Jennifer Lawrence's secret for charming Su Hang over all those glamorous models?"
Unbelievable.
The biggest winners of the Ballon d'Or night weren't Ronaldinho or Barcelona at all—but Su Hang and Jennifer.
Jennifer's agency nearly lost their minds.
Just a week ago, they had begrudgingly sent her to "a humiliating gig" as someone else's date, basically a human prop.
Now, advertising deals, endorsement offers, interview requests, and TV drama roles were flooding in.
Four or five film projects from major studios were already lining up for her.
Jennifer became famous before even acting in a major role—an even fiercer start than those who rose purely through connections.
Was Su Hang's influence really that powerful?
Her agency immediately raised her profile, shifting Jennifer from "rookie actress" to "rising star," essentially treating her like a B-list celebrity.
Of course, if her momentum fizzled out in a few months, they would demote her again.
But in the meantime, the agency reminded her repeatedly—stay close to Su Hang. He was her golden ticket, and she should "make the most of it."
Yes… that verb.
Jennifer was conflicted, but in the end, she ignored their suggestion.
She would always remember Su Hang's kindness, but she wanted to be a true actress, not just a bedmate.
Because once you crossed that line, there would always be a second time, then a third…
...
Madrid.
Ding!
"You have suppressed the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldinho over the past year. As the loser, Ronaldinho has passed on his signature move, the Elastico, to you."
"Ronaldinho's Elastico: Superstar-level skill. Left-right-left-right, right-left-right-left—unpredictable, dazzling. This is Ronaldinho! This is his Elastico!"
"Your ball control, dribbling, and agility have increased."
"Your dribbles are now more likely to draw yellow cards from defenders."
"Chance to trigger 'Ankle-Breaker Dribble.'
666!
This award ceremony was definitely worth it.
Thanks to this skill, Su Hang's stats soared:
Ball control jumped from 77 to 79.
Dribbling from 72 to 77—a massive leap.
Agility from 70 to 73.
This might be the single skill that boosted his attributes the most.
Its uniqueness was obvious.
Like "Youth's Chain Stepover" it also had a chance of triggering the special effect "Ankle-Breaker Dribble."
But while the Stepovers only had a small chance, Ronaldinho's Elastico had a real chance.
Who was stronger? The answer was obvious.
After all, Ronaldinho and Robinho weren't even in the same league.
Robinho: Damn it!
This skill was especially valuable for Su Hang.
Most of his abilities so far had been passive—relying on others to give him the ball before he could make an impact.
Or they were target-man skills.
Recently he'd gained some breakthrough techniques, but all of them were "hit-or-miss."
Stepovers, knee juggling—they were all gambles.
Guess left or guess right—if the defender guessed wrong, you'd get past him.
If he guessed right, you could only try to rely on pace and explosiveness to muscle through.
That's why most young players loved those moves. They liked gambling, and they had the speed to back it up.
But veteran midfielders preferred certainty. They went for moves with control.
The Elastico stood apart from those gambling skills.
With it, the ball always stayed under the dribbler's control. He would push it to the left, then—before it had even rolled away—swing his foot around and flick it to the right.
To the defender, the ball looked like it was going one way, but in a flash it went the opposite.
The contrast was impossible to counter.
...
December 2nd, La Liga Round 14.
Real Madrid at home against Getafe.
Luxemburgo's lineup choices raised eyebrows.
He paired Baptista with Su Hang up front, with Raúl playing behind them as the attacking midfielder.
Figo, just returning from injury, was benched due to fitness concerns.
But Baptista clearly struggled in this role.
His traits made him look perfect for a striker, and his goal numbers in past seasons rivaled top forwards.
Yet he just couldn't play as a true number nine.
It wasn't a question of ability either.
Even in Pro Evolution Soccer, his attributes as an attacking midfielder rated 85.
As a midfielder, 84.
As a defensive midfielder, 86.
As a striker, 86.
It came down to football IQ, instincts, and habits.
In other words… you couldn't fix it!
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser