The All-Around Center Forward

"Barcelona 3:0 Sporting Gijón in the first round, Messi scores twice and dominates the match!"

A reporter at the Catalonia Daily was satisfied as he reviewed the article he had just written.

In the first leg, Messi scored two goals and was the shining star of the game.

Especially for him, a lifelong Barcelona fan, Messi's performance was incredibly inspiring.

That silky dribbling and outstanding technique greatly boosted Barcelona's momentum.

During the match, Barcelona showed excellent form.

Not just Messi, but also Xavi, Iniesta, and the newly signed Ibrahimović seemed to be stepping toward a more glorious future.

"Hey! Sandro, have you heard?"

Someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

He turned around, curious: "What's up?"

Before the person could speak, another suddenly burst into the office shouting:

"Big news! Big news! In the just-finished La Liga opener, Real Madrid crushed Deportivo La Coruña 4:1, Suker scored a hat-trick on his debut!"

Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!

The entire newsroom turned in shock toward the man, then everyone immediately stood up and crowded around him.

"A hat-trick? Really?"

"Oh my God! A debut hat-trick? How did Suker do it?"

"Is Deportivo really that easy to play against?"

Everyone gathered around to look at the match report in his hand.

Sandro pushed through the crowd, took the report, and examined it carefully.

"Two goals in ten minutes?"

Sandro exclaimed.

Messi also scored two goals, but across the whole match; Suker did it in ten minutes?

What kind of scoring efficiency was this!

"It's true!"

"Two goals in ten minutes, one more in the second half; Real Madrid's firepower is fully unleashed."

"My God! This season's Real Madrid cannot be underestimated!"

"A hundred million wasn't an unreasonable price!"

The reporters discussed excitedly, crowded around the match details.

Sandro frowned at his own article draft. With this news, it would be hard to get much attention.

Sure enough, that evening, all of Spain was buzzing with news about Suker:

"Hat-trick on debut! Croatian super striker unleashes crazy firepower!""Activating Real Madrid's attack line, Suker is vital!""Crazy performance, Real Madrid powerfully defeats Deportivo La Coruña!""Florentino's Galactic Team 2.0!""Suker leads the Galactic Team's new voyage!"

The entire Spain and Europe were flooded with Suker's news.

This rapid spread of information soon reached Barcelona's training ground.

After finishing his post-match training, Messi entered the locker room.

Everyone looked at Messi with somewhat strange expressions.

"What's wrong?" Messi asked, touching his cheek.

Xavi showed him the news:"Have you seen this? Real Madrid crushed Deportivo La Coruña 4:1 in the first round."

Messi showed a faint surprise, but nodded:"That's normal. Real Madrid's strength in La Liga is still solid."

"The key is Suker's hat-trick!" Iniesta added."He stole your spotlight."

In the new season opener, Messi scored twice, gaining a lot of attention.

But now, Suker had stolen Messi's thunder.

Messi was stunned for a moment but soon turned away, taking his toiletries bag from his locker and silently heading to the shower.

Everyone watched Messi's back, though no one said anything, they were probably feeling a bit unwilling inside.

Xavi shrugged at Iniesta:"Do you think Leo will be crushed?"

Iniesta replied:"I think this will fuel his fighting spirit."

In the shower, Messi stood under the spray of hot water.

He closed his eyes, recalling his first meeting with Suker.

When he saw Suker then, Messi had a strong sense of alertness.

Though it was just a feeling, it was very strong.

It was as if this man would put immense pressure on him in the future.

It was pure intuition, so Messi didn't think much of it.

But now, looking back, the situation and feeling both made sense.

In fact, deep down, Messi already regarded Suker as a serious rival.

Yes!

Messi was shy by nature.

But as a professional player, he had a strong desire to win and compete.

That was built from climbing through youth teams.

All along, Messi was the best.

In youth teams, and in the first team, it was the same.

Who else could push Ronaldinho from the core position in just two years, even making the club send Ronaldinho away to support himself?

From this perspective, Messi's desire to win was very strong.

So when he heard about Suker's debut hat-trick, Messi felt no frustration.

Instead, it sparked his fighting spirit.

A rival!A lifelong nemesis had arrived in Spain.

He would compete directly in the same league.

Pressure was there, but also a hidden excitement.

Pressure is motivation.

As long as he wasn't crushed, he could grow.

Messi slowly opened his eyes, turned off the water, and approached the foggy mirror.

His voice was low:

"Next game, I will score three goals too!"

At Florentino Pérez's mansion.

He looked at the reports in his hands and laughed loudly.

Last night, Florentino was so excited he barely slept.

Anyone who watched the game felt the same.

Just one match, and many were captivated by Suker.

Even Florentino felt the urge to play a match himself.

Of course, that was just a thought—he probably couldn't last ten minutes now.

Florentino looked at various newspapers praising Suker.

A debut hat-trick like that was truly amazing.

So, Suker really lived up to his name!

"Let the media department speed up Suker's publicity plan, and have Marca rush the printing of these news reports. Develop related promotional content for Suker."

Florentino instructed his secretary.

The secretary lowered his head, taking notes on the laptop.

Florentino paused, then asked:

"Has Manuel mentioned any transfer plans?"

The secretary nodded:"Yes! Mr. Pellegrini said we invested too much in the summer window and the club needs to recover funds, so there are no current transfer plans or targets. Also, he believes the current squad is enough."

"Enough?" Florentino frowned."Did he really say that?"

The secretary nodded again:"Yes, that's Mr. Pellegrini's opinion. He is considerate toward the club."

"Considerate? Hmph!"

Florentino snorted.

He wasn't happy with Pellegrini's approach.

Whether the club had money was the club's concern.

How to recover and use funds was also the club's business.

The coach's job was to strengthen the squad as much as possible, keep submitting transfer requests, and send scouts to watch all kinds of players.

Florentino believed a top coach not only masters tactics but also has sharp insight.

A coach who doesn't spend money isn't a good coach.

Most champions were made with money.

Florentino was willing to spend as long as it strengthened the squad, just like he pushed hard for Suker's transfer.

Suker's move further promoted the money-driven football trend, making the transfer market more volatile.

Player prices hadn't soared ridiculously yet, but they would in the future.

Early investment was necessary.

"Have Pellegrini prepare a winter transfer plan," Florentino said."I'm willing to spend if it brings championships!"

"A winter transfer plan?"

Pellegrini, sitting at his desk, put his files aside and waved his hand:"There is no concrete plan yet. I want to focus on players' conditions first. This is also a process to build confidence. No need to pressure players with transfers—just let them perform fully."

He paused, then added:"However, I have a good suggestion. If we have the money, we can invest in youth training. That is the foundation of the team. Youth training will become our strong backup, continuously supplying fresh blood. How much can you invest?"

Seeing Pellegrini's eyes shining, the secretary sighed:"Sir, it seems you don't fully understand Mr. Pérez's meaning."

Pellegrini was puzzled:"I don't think my approach is wrong."

The secretary said:"I think you need to reconsider. You should pay attention to Real Madrid's current direction. Let me give you some information—we need trophies, very much need trophies!"

Pellegrini was stunned for a moment.

He had coached for many years and quickly understood the secretary's meaning.

Want results?

How to achieve results in the short term?

Easy—buy, buy, buy!

Keep bringing in strong players to strengthen the squad quickly.

That was the basic reality for big clubs.

But Barcelona's youth training blossomed, La Masia producing talents like Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Busquets, Bojan, and others.

Who could refuse that temptation?

If Pellegrini's plan succeeded, he could nurture a huge youth base at Real Madrid, enough to benefit the club for a decade or more.

Pellegrini's ambition was huge.

He came to Real Madrid not just to be a coach.

The secretary stared at Pellegrini for a long time, then slowly sighed:

"Looks like I didn't make myself clear."

Pellegrini asked:"Make clear about what?"

The secretary sighed again:

"No offense, but I must convey Mr. Pérez's viewpoint—we need championships, need trophies, and stronger players. For this, the club will not hesitate to invest heavily in the transfer market. This is the club's current major policy."

"As for youth training, just enough to maintain it. We have no plans to invest heavily or wait ten years for young players to mature."

"In other words," the secretary looked Pellegrini in the eye, "You will not become an Arsène Wenger, and Real Madrid will not have a 'Ferguson'!"

One sentence left Pellegrini stunned.

His face turned sour, but he had to suppress his anger.

After a moment, he waved his hand:

"I understand. I will prepare a winter transfer list."

The secretary nodded with satisfaction:

"I hope my blunt words didn't offend you. I apologize again."

Watching the secretary leave, Pellegrini's expression fluctuated.

Finally, he sat down and sighed deeply.

He seemed drained.

It was the feeling of a dream being stripped away.

When he first arrived at Real Madrid, he was confident and hopeful.

With strong players like Suker arriving, he thought he could fulfill his ambitions.

No one in football didn't envy Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager.

Pellegrini also wanted to be such a coach.

He joined a big club with star players, but when trying to express his views, he was rejected.

Pellegrini felt frustrated.

He got up and left the office, going to the training ground to watch the players, hoping to regain some energy.

"Pellegrini doesn't look very happy!" Pepe suddenly said.

"Did my red card piss him off?" Pepe joked.

Suker was nearby stretching and complained:"Was that red card really necessary? Control your temper."

"I did it on purpose!" Pepe said unexpectedly.

Suker looked at him in surprise.

Really on purpose?

Pepe looked at Suker and said:

"I was born in Brazil but took Portuguese nationality, playing for Portugal's national team. My entire career was spent living in a foreign country. I had no friends, no family, no support.

Early in my career, I faced lots of bullying.

They mocked me, picked on me, even when I didn't provoke them.

Until I took down their leader, those people never dared to bother me again."

Pepe raised his fist:

"That's the way!"

"If you don't want to be bullied, fight back. Be fierce. When I first joined Real Madrid, Barboza, the American, mocked my English, and others just watched."

Suker: "So you beat him up?"

Pepe shook his head:

"My temper is hot, but not stupid. I had just joined Real Madrid less than a week, so I held back. After three months, I secured a starting spot. Then I looked for a chance to provoke him in training. Sure enough, that American fell for it, and I beat him badly."

Suker blinked:

"The club called it a fight."

"Right, but it was me beating him unilaterally," Pepe said proudly."That guy was no match."

"You weren't punished. At worst, a verbal warning. Barboza was sent away because you were a starter and he was an unimportant substitute."

Suker grinned.

This guy wasn't as impulsive as he seemed.

Sure, he had his moments, but he controlled himself during daily life.

If Pepe was just a hothead, he wouldn't have lasted 11 years as a Real Madrid regular.

Pepe's story reminded Suker of his former teammate Boame at Mostar Zalinskii.

But Boame never fought back or had Pepe's courage.

If not for Suker, Boame would've been done for.

Sometimes, fighting back is necessary.

"But getting red cards is a bit too much," Suker complained."Luckily we're ahead. If you get sent off in a key match, and we're down a man, the game will get harder."

"I'm not stupid!" Pepe said."We were leading, and I wanted to build a bad guy image to boost my defensive intensity. In key games, I'd be more restrained."

Bullshit!Suker didn't buy it.

A guy who could get red cards in World Cup knockouts had no right to say that.

But Suker understood one thing:

Pepe was hot-tempered, but could control himself—at least before fully losing it.

This gave Suker hope that Pepe might become calmer.

If Pepe could fix his impulsiveness, with his skill and "villain" image, he could be the second Nesta.

August 30—national team match day.

The European World Cup qualifiers would continue.

Suker immediately returned to Croatia to prepare for a home match against Belarus.

After this match, the Champions League would follow.

Short-term competition intensity was high.

League, Champions League, European qualifiers, and King's Cup.

Suker would have to manage all.

But his recent form was good, and his scoring enthusiasm high.

Perhaps transferring to Real Madrid gave him new goals, boosting his fighting spirit.

The European qualifiers would be on September 6.

Suker would train with the national team for a week of preparation.

As European champions, Croatia was currently second in their group.

England was still undefeated.

Croatia's goal in these qualifiers was first place, which guaranteed direct World Cup qualification.

Behind in points, they could not afford to lose any matches.