Chapter 395: Messi, A Feeling of Being Outdone!
In one of the VIP boxes at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, Barcelona's acting president, Bartomeu, was discussing the upcoming summer's presidential election with his confidant, Masferrer.
Last year, due to the Neymar transfer scandal, Rosell had to resign early. As the first vice president, Bartomeu temporarily took over as Barcelona's 40th president. After experiencing the role, Bartomeu developed ambitions; he didn't want to be just a temporary president with a two-year term. He decided to formally run for president in this summer's election, aiming to remove the "acting" title and become Barcelona's 41st president officially. His main rival was former president Laporta, the architect of the Dream Team era. Laporta was highly esteemed by Barcelona fans and, given his connections and reputation, was the frontrunner for the next presidency.
Compared to Laporta, Bartomeu had little experience and few achievements to boast of. Competing against Laporta under normal circumstances, Bartomeu's chances of winning were slim. However, Bartomeu had an advantage Laporta lacked: as the acting president, he could utilize most of Barcelona's resources for his benefit. By accumulating enough credentials and achievements before the election and gaining the fans' approval, his chances of winning would significantly increase.
To achieve this, Bartomeu appointed Enrique as head coach and brought in key players like Suárez, Rakitic, Bravo, and Ter Stegen, aiming for Barcelona's fifth Champions League trophy and their second treble. Thanks to the excellent performance of the MSN trio, Barcelona had already secured the league title and the Copa del Rey this season. Now, they were just one trophy away from their second treble, with the highly coveted Champions League title in their sights. Thinking about this, Bartomeu couldn't help but feel excited. A year and a half of planning was finally about to pay off.
"Haha, Enrique indeed has some skills. Our front line is getting more and more aggressive. Manchester City probably can't hold on much longer," said Masferrer, equally excited. As Bartomeu's confidant, Masferrer knew that Bartomeu's success would also mean his own rise. Running such a large club involved transactions worth hundreds of millions of euros, providing plenty of opportunities for profit. Rosell's grey income alone was close to ten million euros, and the undisclosed amounts were likely much higher.
"Yes, Messi's performance in the second half is getting better. I have a feeling he's about to score," Bartomeu said with a confident smile, exuding a sense of control over everything. Masferrer looked at him with admiration; the future president was indeed becoming more and more like the real deal. However, just as Bartomeu finished speaking, there was indeed a new goal – but it was not for Barcelona.
In the 58th minute of the second half, Lin received a brilliant pass from De Bruyne and scored, completing his second goal of the match and changing the score to 2-1! Manchester City had turned the game around and taken the lead against Barcelona.
Seeing Lin's second goal, Bartomeu's smile froze. It was as if he heard the sound of his dreams of becoming the president of Barcelona shattering.
In another VIP box, Laporta, who was also running for president this summer, was initially furious seeing Lin score the second goal for Manchester City. After cursing Enrique and Bartomeu in his mind, he realized something and a smile crept onto his face.
"Haha, wasn't Bartomeu counting on this trophy to compete with me? Now that the trophy is uncertain, the presidency will be mine," he thought. "Indeed, the new era will be established under my leadership. I should thank Bartomeu for bringing in Suárez and Neymar; they were worth it."
On the field, Lin didn't care about the political struggles between the two Barcelona presidential candidates. After seeing the ball roll into Barcelona's net, he put his hand to his ear and ran toward the stands. The stadium erupted in deafening cheers! Manchester City fans, thrilled and ecstatic, shouted praises to their hero.
"Did you see that? This is our pride, our real number 10!" they boasted, eager to show off Lin to the whole world.
"Yes, Lin is indeed amazing. Manchester City got a real gem!" "I noticed his potential back when he was in the Bundesliga. I don't understand why the German clubs didn't keep him." "I heard Bayern approached him, but for some reason, they didn't finalize the deal. I wonder if Bayern regrets it now."
In another VIP box, Bayern's chairman Rummenigge and manager Hoeness looked grim. Back then, they chose Götze over Lin because Götze was a local player. In hindsight, that decision seemed foolish. Götze, though talented, couldn't compare to Lin, whose value had soared to 250 million euros. Götze wasn't even worthy of tying Lin's shoes; the two were on completely different levels.
They had a genius right in front of them and didn't cherish him. Now, all they felt was deep regret. If they could turn back time, they would tell that player three words: "Join Bayern!" And if they had to put a time limit on the contract, it would be "forever."
On the sidelines, Guardiola jumped with excitement and passion as Lin scored. After celebrating, he gestured for the crowd to give more applause to Lin.
"Wow, Guardiola is asking for applause for Lin? Did I see that right?" "The last person who got this treatment was Messi, right?" "Haha, Lin's performance in this match is on par with peak Messi. Considering he's Guardiola's protégé, it's not surprising."
"Damn, Guardiola, tone it down. Your smile is about to split your face!"
On the other side of the field, Messi couldn't help but feel a bit bitter as he watched. Guardiola used to do this only for him. Back then, Messi was Guardiola's one and only choice. But now...
It felt like someone he cared deeply about had suddenly found someone new.
On the Barcelona bench, Enrique was visibly frustrated after conceding the goal. The defense had a major lapse. Why didn't anyone intercept De Bruyne? If someone had just blocked De Bruyne a little, preventing that deadly pass, they wouldn't have conceded this goal.
He called Rakitic over and sternly instructed him to relay a message to the team: they needed to focus and step up their game. From scoring first to now trailing, they had let City score twice. If their offense didn't improve soon, they were in danger of losing this match.
Spurred by Enrique's words, Barcelona's players were now on high alert. They had underestimated City after their early lead, but now, having paid the price, they were trailing. If they didn't want to lose their shot at the treble, they had to give everything in the remaining match time.
Soon, after City's celebration ended, the match resumed. Barcelona immediately launched a fierce counterattack.
In the 67th minute, Rakitic carried the ball past midfield but didn't pass it to Messi. Instead, he continued forward, drawing the defense before passing to Iniesta. Iniesta broke forward, bypassing Kroos, forcing Kante to retreat and defend. Realizing he couldn't dribble past Kante, Iniesta quickly passed to Messi. Despite Kante rushing to intercept, it was too late. Messi drove forward and soon found himself in the center, with Suárez and Neymar both making runs.
City's defense was stretched thin by these movements, leaving them unable to allocate enough players to mark Messi. Van Dijk had to step up alone. Previously, he had managed to contain Messi by retreating and limiting his space, allowing Kante to intercept. This time, Messi wouldn't give him that chance. Accelerating, Messi used two quick direction changes to bypass the less experienced Van Dijk.
Tall center-backs like Van Dijk are strong in face-to-face defense, but they generally struggle with quick turns. As Messi broke into the box, he had a clear shot opportunity. Knowing the threat Messi posed, Kompany immediately left Suárez and rushed towards Messi. Regardless, he had to stop Messi from shooting. Suárez was left for a teammate to cover.
Kolarov stepped up to cover but was slightly late. A top-tier striker like Suárez wouldn't miss such an opportunity. As Suárez made his move, Messi passed. Suárez aimed and volleyed. Navas made a stunning save, denying the close-range shot. But before City fans could breathe, a small figure darted in and completed the rebound.
The Olympic Stadium erupted with deafening applause and cheers as Barça fans went wild, celebrating their hero's crucial goal. The score was now tied at 2-2, putting both teams back on level terms. This goal showcased Messi's incredible individual skill and the threat posed by the MSN trio. With at least 20 minutes remaining, whichever team scored next would likely win. If neither team scored, the match would go into extra time.
At this point, both teams were all in, having used their last cards and giving it their all. Guardiola, on the sidelines, shouted instructions, reminding his players to maintain their positions and shape. His team hadn't fully adapted to his system yet, and he had to ensure they defended effectively. Enrique, on the other hand, frowned, irritated by Guardiola's frequent shouting. Did Guardiola really think changing positions would stop Barça's attack?
Enrique was confident, believing that no defense, not even Italy's famed defenses, could withstand Barcelona's powerful attack. Compared to top Italian defenses, City's defense was weaker, and Enrique was sure they couldn't hold out.
But as the match went past 70 minutes and players' stamina waned, Enrique was shocked to see Barcelona's offensive threat diminish rapidly. They passed around in City's half but couldn't create dangerous forward passes, resorting to sideways and backward passes instead. Meanwhile, City's counterattacks were highly effective, consistently threatening Barça's goal. If not for Ter Stegen's heroics, saving shots from Lin and Agüero, City would have already regained the lead.
What was going on? Why was this happening? Enrique couldn't figure it out.