As 2017 began, Chelsea found themselves in exceptional form, maintaining an unbeaten record across all competitions. They had just achieved a remarkable 21-game winning streak in the Premier League by defeating the previous champions, Leicester City.
Next up was Hull City in the 22nd round of the Premier League. Within the same week, Chelsea would face Hull City again in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final.
Despite the tough schedule, Chelsea seemed unfazed. Hull City, on the other hand, had been on a high, having reached the top four of the League Cup and closing in on the top ten in the Premier League. However, with Chelsea as their next challenge, it felt like they were up against an immovable mountain.
Hull City's hopes rose slightly when they heard that Chelsea was fielding a substitute squad. Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, and others were starting, while key players like Kante, Hazard, Rudiger, and Lukaku were absent. But the bad news soon followed—Su Luo was in the lineup.
Hull City's players and fans were disheartened. How could they hope to win if Su Luo was on the field? Su Luo had proven to be a relentless force since his debut, his consistency leaving opponents in despair. Over the past two seasons, his stamina had become legendary—he could sprint the length of the field from the defensive box to the opponent's penalty area even in the final minutes.
Sure enough, Su Luo alone was more than enough to deal with Hull City. He formed a front three with Mount and Pedro, constantly dropping deep to orchestrate attacks and leaving Hull City's defense in disarray. If they focused on him, he would effortlessly set up his teammates. If they didn't, they would soon regret it.
Just seven minutes into the first half, Chelsea opened the scoring. Su Luo received a long pass from Chelsea's backline, expertly controlling the ball and, with a clever heel flick, slipped it through Hull City's backline. Mount, perfectly onside, raced into the box and calmly slotted the ball into the net.
1-0! Effortless and precise.
Hull City had no choice but to keep pressing forward, but in the 30th minute, Su Luo struck again. After receiving a pass near the center circle, he pulled off a dazzling Cruyff turn to shake off a defender, then threaded another perfectly timed through ball. This time, Pedro made the run, and with a cool finish, made it 2-0.
Despite focusing their defense on Su Luo, Hull City couldn't prevent him from creating two assists. With their attention on him, Pedro and Mount found themselves free to roam.
In the second half, Hull City tried to adapt by tightening the defense around the flanks to prevent Chelsea from exploiting space behind them. However, this left gaps elsewhere, and Su Luo was quick to exploit them.
In the 71st minute, after building momentum, Su Luo found himself with the ball outside the penalty area. Ignoring the defenders crowding around him, he unleashed a thunderous shot from 30 meters out. The ball curled around four defenders, squeezed between the legs of the last Hull City center-back, and struck the inside of the post before nestling in the net.
The goalkeeper had no chance—his view was completely obscured, and by the time he saw the ball, it was too late.
3-0! A comprehensive victory.
With the score settled, Hull City had no hope of a comeback at Stamford Bridge.
"The game is over! Thanks to Su Luo, Chelsea have secured their 22nd consecutive league victory!"
"They've tied Real Madrid's record for the longest winning streak! With one more win, Chelsea will set a new record!"
Su Luo dominated the match with two assists and a goal.
Three days later, in the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, Hull City's fans groaned when they saw Su Luo in the starting lineup again.
"Doesn't he ever rest? Is he made of iron?"
"Is Chelsea pushing Su Luo too hard? They spent €155 million on him just to run him into the ground?"
"Shouldn't Su Luo be resting? Isn't Conte worried about him getting injured?"
Hull City's players complained about Chelsea's lineup, but in truth, they were simply afraid of Su Luo.
Sure enough, the second leg was as one-sided as the first. In the first half, Moses sent in a cross from the right, and Su Luo, using his uncanny positional awareness, scored with a sliding shot.
1-0!
Just five minutes later, Su Luo dribbled past two defenders outside the box. His ball control was so flawless it seemed as if the defenders weren't even there. Faced with the goalkeeper, he calmly slotted the ball into the net.
2-0!
In the second half, Hull City fouled Su Luo just outside the box. His free kick was unstoppable, curling perfectly into the top corner. Su Luo had now become Chelsea's go-to free-kick taker, with accuracy comparable to penalty kicks.
With Su Luo's hat trick, Hull City had no answer. Over two legs, they conceded seven goals and saw their League Cup dreams end as Chelsea advanced to the final.
On the other side of the bracket, Liverpool defeated Southampton with ease. The League Cup final would be a showdown between Chelsea and Liverpool—a red vs. blue battle!
Following the League Cup semi-final, Chelsea turned their attention to the FA Cup. They continued their strong form, easily defeating Brentford 4-0 to advance to the 5th round.
Chelsea, fielding a mostly second-string lineup, gave their opponents no chance. Conte had still chosen to start Su Luo, and he delivered spectacularly. In the second half, Su Luo recorded two assists, showcasing his playmaking skills with a dazzling array of passes.
He executed a perfectly timed pass to Lukaku's head, delivered a back-heeled pass to Cesc Fabregas, threaded a ball through to Mount, and made an arc-like cross that bypassed the entire defense to find Moses. Except for the last curved pass, which was particularly challenging, Su Luo demonstrated his unique passing style.
He observed his teammates' positions, relying on his instinctive sense of the ball. Against a mediocre team, Su Luo's abilities were already outstanding. He estimated his true strength to be close to 90%. Even if he were to lose his exceptional skills overnight, he was confident he could still make a significant impact in the Premier League and become a key player for Chelsea.
After the game, Su Luo was trending on social media, with countless emojis and memes circulating. The most popular one, which had over 10 million likes, featured Su Luo smiling enigmatically while feeding pie to his Chelsea teammates.
"Want to score a goal? Get into position and here's a goal for you..."
Su Luo's assist count had surpassed 50 for the season. What does 50 assists in a single season mean? Even top assist leaders like De Bruyne, Modric, and Thomas Muller hadn't reached that number. Adding to his impressive stats, Su Luo had also scored over 60 goals, and the season wasn't even half over.
European media were abuzz, debating whether Su Luo had surpassed Messi and Ronaldo. Major publications like Germany's Kicker, Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport, and France's L'Équipe were analyzing Su Luo's performance from all angles, declaring him the top player in the world.
However, Real Madrid's Marca and Barcelona's Mundo Deportivo disagreed. They argued that without a Champions League or World Cup title, Su Luo couldn't yet match the achievements of Ronaldo and Messi.
Online discussions were heated, with Messi and Ronaldo fans debating fiercely. Su Luo's supporters pointed to his statistics, which overshadowed both Messi and Ronaldo. His contributions on the field were undeniably substantial, making a strong case for him being the world's top player.
This debate reached the ears of the three players involved. The 2016 Ballon d'Or awards were just around the corner.
Messi commented:
"Su Luo is certainly one of the best players in the world. It's hard to say who's better between him and us. I hope to have the chance to face him directly this season. The better player will prove it on the field."
Ronaldo was less impressed:
"I've just won the European Cup and have two Champions League titles along with numerous league trophies. Su Luo has only won two league titles so far. If he wants to surpass me, he'll need to wait a few more years. This year's Ballon d'Or is mine."
Ronaldo was confident the Ballon d'Or was already his.
At the height of the global debate over the world's best player, the Golden Globe Awards, which had been postponed, finally took place at the end of January. Originally scheduled for December, the awards had been delayed due to issues with vote counting and the split between French Football and FIFA's World Player of the Year award.
The Golden Globes were postponed to 2017. With only four days until Chelsea's match against Liverpool, Su Luo still attended the awards ceremony. A total of 30 players were shortlisted, with the top three candidates announced in advance. The captain and head coach of national teams had forfeited their voting rights, leaving the selection entirely in the hands of professional media reporters to ensure both professionalism and suspense.
Predictions suggested the top three would be Messi, Ronaldo, and Su Luo. Ronaldo's previous win seemed assured due to his Champions League and European Cup victories. However, Su Luo's strong performance had made the selection more competitive. Despite Ronaldo's past successes, Su Luo's exceptional stats and achievements had added a layer of suspense.
CCTV sent a film crew to Paris for the awards ceremony, marking a historic moment for Chinese football fans. It was a moment of glory for China!
The night of the Golden Globe Awards was filled with anticipation, and the answer was about to be revealed.
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