Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Li Ang had successfully grossed Messi out.

Even though his defensive moves were fairly clean—

No dirty tackles, no extra fouls meant to injure—at most, just some of the typical tricks a defensive midfielder might use.

That’s why Messi didn’t even bother complaining to the referee in the end.

Compared to all the sliding tackles and fouls he regularly faced in La Liga, Li Ang’s shirt-pulling and tugging were practically gentle.

But right now, Messi almost wished Li Ang would commit a foul and get carded.

Because he had never faced such an annoying opponent—someone this shameless, this talkative, this slippery in defense!

Messi hadn’t played a match this frustrating in a long time.

The worst part? He couldn’t even ask Guardiola or his teammates to switch matchups.

Say he couldn’t handle Li Ang’s big mouth and slippery defending?

If that got out and Li Ang found out, Messi didn’t even want to imagine how smug the guy would be next time they met!

Sigh...

Annoyed, Messi gritted his teeth. If he didn’t beat Li Ang cleanly at least once today, he’d be seriously pissed off!

Three minutes later, Barça regained possession. After some passing in midfield, Keita slotted a diagonal through ball to a forward-charging Thiago.

Seeing all three forwards already moving into position, Thiago instinctively passed to Messi.

Li Ang saw Messi charging straight at him with that aggressive look and didn’t dare take it lightly.

He immediately signaled Dragon Bro to double up on Messi with him!

”@#%%!...”

Seeing Li Ang and Alonso close in without hesitation, Messi cursed Li Ang in his mind for calling reinforcements, then passed the ball to Villa, who had a better angle.

Li Ang didn’t feel even a hint of shame.

”Fair one-on-one”? That doesn’t exist in real football. If you can outnumber the opponent in a small area, do it.

Sure, calling Dragon Bro over gave Villa an open chance on the weak side, but forcing Messi to give up his run? Totally worth it.

Besides—

He could always track back!

”Villa one-on-one with Carvalho! This is a great chance for Barça! Villa... creates space for a shot!!”

He Wei saw Villa burst past the aging Carvalho with a quick step and tensed up.

Even though Villa hadn’t scored as prolifically since joining Barça from Valencia, he was still clinical when it came to chances like this.

Villa confidently wound up for a shot, aiming for the far top corner of Real Madrid’s goal.

But just as he pulled the trigger, Li Ang flew in with an outstretched leg to block the shot!

He practically launched himself, raising his right leg high in the air—putting his full body on the line.

Before he even hit the ground, Li Ang felt a sharp pain in his thigh and then crashed hard onto the grass. The sight made He Wei’s voice almost crack!

The ball ricocheted off his thigh and bounced out of the box. Kaka, sprinting back on defense, immediately cleared it out of bounds and then rushed toward Li Ang, concern written all over his face.

But the next second, Li Ang—who had caused gasps from Real fans—suddenly rolled over, stood up while rubbing his thigh, and grinned through the pain.

”What the hell were you thinking?! Are you hurt anywhere? Back? Waist?”

Alonso had rushed over first, holding back curses and trying to check Li Ang’s condition with forced patience.

Kaka was inspecting his back and waist as well.

Li Ang had basically thrown himself into the air and landed almost flat on his side. If he’d really hurt his back, it wouldn’t be minor.

”Huh? Just got the wind knocked out of me a little... and my thigh stings from the ball, but I’m fine. See? I’m already standing!”

Seeing Alonso’s serious expression, Li Ang quickly explained.

If he’d really hurt his back, he wouldn’t even be able to roll over—let alone get up.

Villa came over too, concerned, and patted his arm in relief after hearing Li Ang was okay.

He’d been scared too. Even though it was a pity the shot got blocked, safety always comes first.

Seeing Li Ang get back up so quickly, the Real Madrid fans’ shock turned into roaring applause and cheers.

But Mourinho wasn’t nearly as impressed.

He immediately stormed to the sideline and started yelling at Li Ang, pointing first at his own eyes and then at Li Ang, clearly warning:

”I’m watching you, kid! Pull another stunt like that and you’re getting it after the game!”

Feeling guilty, Li Ang scratched the back of his head. He didn’t even try to argue.

Yeah... thinking back on that tackle made even him nervous. Sure, it was an emergency—but it was definitely way too risky.

Seeing Li Ang stand there getting scolded so sincerely, Mourinho calmed down a little.

This brat hadn’t listened when he insisted on going out on loan... Then trained himself into the ground trying to build up stamina...

Now pulling dangerous tackles on the pitch—he was always a handful.

But at least the kid listened when it mattered.

Barça restarted with a throw-in as signaled by the ref.

Real Madrid pressed high as ever, maintaining their aggressive defensive rhythm.

Barça responded by speeding up their passing.

Being the best passing team in the world, they could break down Real’s defense. But it would take more time and patience than usual.

With Messi constantly being double-teamed, Villa, Sánchez, and Iniesta got plenty of chances up front.

In just ten minutes of Barça’s pressure, they fired four solid shots on goal!

That’s not a low number—every one of those shots came from decent opportunities.

In other words, Barça was breaking down Real’s defensive shape around the box.

Which was expected. Even last year’s ultra-defensive Inter Milan couldn’t stop Barça in midfield for a full 90 minutes.

The strategy was to fall back layer by layer, exhaust Barça’s players, and then defend the box with numbers.

At this point, it was about defensive luck and mental focus.

But unlike Inter, Real had one big advantage:

They had Li Ang—a defensive pest who not only disrupted Messi’s play physically but also mentally.

Barça could tell Real was harder to deal with this season.

Iniesta and Messi especially felt it.

From Chelsea, to Inter, and now to Real Madrid—Mourinho had brought his annoying tactics everywhere he went!

Back then, they thought Chelsea was hard to beat.

Last year, Inter had left a deep and painful memory.

Now, after a season of Mourinho’s influence, Real Madrid was showing the same brutal defensive DNA.

It was infuriating.

Mourinho didn’t just change teams—he followed them specifically to mess with Barça!

Guardiola rubbed his bald head and looked at Mourinho with a touch of resignation.

He could guess what Mou was planning. But since Barça was still down by one, he had no choice but to keep pushing forward.

Balance the attack and defense?

Maybe after they equalized.

The battle moved from midfield to Real’s half and even to their penalty area, but Madrid held firm and gradually pushed the line back.

After all, Barça’s forwards didn’t have infinite stamina. After a prolonged offensive surge, they needed to regroup.

During that window, Alonso almost caught Barça off guard with a precise long pass to Cristiano Ronaldo.

If not for Mascherano’s timely chase and clearance, CR7 might’ve had another one-on-one with Valdés!

The counterattack attempt sent a wave of panic through Barça fans.

Barça’s furious assault had gotten them hyped—but they’d nearly forgotten about Real’s lightning-fast counter built last season.

It was a lethal tactic, perfectly suited to Real’s roster.

Real’s quick transition nearly cost Barça dearly, prompting their defenders to tighten their marking on Ronaldo.

As the pace of the game finally slowed, Real’s defenders pushed Barça back to midfield again—despite their own exhaustion.

A few minutes later, the halftime whistle blew.

From fans to players to the coaching staff, the entire Real Madrid camp was buzzing with confidence.

They had not only taken the lead, but had survived Barça’s assault and controlled the tempo on both ends.

That was rare in recent clashes between these two.

Li Ang, who had teamed up with Angel Di Maria and Alonso to shut down Messi, received heartfelt praise and hugs from teammates.

Before the game, when Mourinho assigned Li Ang—not Alonso—to shadow Messi, the team had concerns.

Sure, Dragon Bro was a bit slow, but he had way more experience.

Li Ang had never gone head-to-head with Messi before. Could he really handle the best player in the world?

One half later, every Real player was convinced.

Mourinho’s eye for talent? Unquestionable.

Li Ang’s quick reactions and great positioning let him cut off Messi’s inside moves.

And his relentless pestering made Messi totally uncomfortable.

Thanks to Li Ang locking down Messi, Barça’s firepower dropped sharply—which was huge for Madrid.

Still, even after earning top marks from everyone, Li Ang couldn’t escape Mourinho’s halftime lecture.

After getting scolded for two straight minutes, he finally got a few words of encouragement.

During the tactical meeting, Mourinho fired up the team and told them to be ready for Barça’s transition moments in the second half.

He didn’t want to just bunker down and defend the lead.

”When they press higher and even push their defenders up, we’ll strike with long balls! Ángel, Karim—run! Shake up their backline, draw their defense, and then... Cristiano, finish it with one deadly strike!”

Mourinho had placed the final kill-shot squarely on Ronaldo’s shoulders.

And Li Ang could see the fire in CR7’s eyes—burning brighter than ever.

As the second half began, Barça indeed pushed more players forward.

Without even making a substitution, both fullbacks advanced near midfield.

Sánchez and Villa pressed into Real’s box, leaving Messi and Iniesta in charge of finding opportunities from the outside.

This time, Li Ang truly felt Messi’s peak form.

He had picked up on some of Messi’s habits in the first half, but Messi had also studied him.

Now ignoring his stamina, Messi hit him with world-class footwork and frequency.

But Li Ang’s mental fortitude caught Messi off guard.

Even when beaten, Li Ang tracked back hard, never flustered, always making the most rational choice on defense.

Of course, Messi had entered full rhythm.

A few times, he cleanly passed Li Ang and got off shots before Li Ang could recover.

But those shots were rushed and uncomfortable—just enough to threaten Casillas, but not score.

”Today I might lose to you, Leo... but the winner will be Real Madrid! And I’ll drag you with me until the very last second!”

After forcing Messi to pass yet again, Li Ang, panting, dropped the smile for the first time all game and vowed through gritted teeth.

He didn’t care about pride. If he couldn’t stop Messi, he’d cling to him.

Even if it cost him twice as much stamina, he wasn’t backing down.

And Messi, realizing Li Ang’s resolve, was truly worn down mentally.

The match had passed the 60-minute mark—and Li Ang was still glued to him.

His stamina was depleting faster than usual, and there wasn’t much left.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep pushing...

—

…strengthen the flanks and midfield coordination.

Although Xavi’s presence could indeed stabilize Barça’s midfield and provide better control, Guardiola’s substitution at this moment was more to give Messi a breather in terms of ball distribution.

At this point, Messi had clearly entered a state of overload from having to take on too many responsibilities.

Real Madrid’s players also felt the mounting pressure.

Especially Li Ang.

After continuously defending Messi for over 60 minutes, even he was starting to feel overwhelmed.

Still, he gritted his teeth and held on.

Because he knew all too well that if he couldn’t delay Messi, then Casillas would be the one suffering!

”Hold on a bit longer, just a bit longer!”

The Bernabéu crowd chanted in unison as they saw Barça’s offense becoming increasingly threatening.

And at this point, Mourinho made his second substitution.

He took off Khedira and replaced him with Lass Diarra.

This was a sign to the entire team: the defensive intensity must not drop!

Diarra’s arrival added energy and toughness to Real Madrid’s midfield, giving Li Ang a chance to finally catch his breath.

But the moment he lowered his guard, Messi broke through again!

In the 67th minute, with a classic body feint, Messi slipped between Diarra and Alonso before Li Ang could recover, and took a shot with his left foot!

Casillas made a flying save!

Even though he couldn’t hold the ball, he managed to deflect it just wide of the post!

”UNBELIEVABLE SAVE!!!”

”Casillas proves once again why he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world!”

Barça came within inches of an equalizer!

Li Ang lay on the ground for a second, panting heavily, before scrambling back up.

He didn’t even have time to scold himself for reacting half a step late—there was no time!

Mourinho waved from the sidelines, shouting hoarsely: ”FOCUS! STAY FOCUSED!”

Every Real Madrid player clenched their fists tighter.

The pressure from Barça was now fully unleashed, and every moment without conceding was a victory in itself.

Li Ang ran back beside Alonso and patted him on the back, saying with a bitter smile, ”This guy’s terrifying… but we can’t let him score!”

Alonso nodded, giving him a grim look of agreement.

As the clock ticked into the 70th minute, the battle of attrition truly began.

As the clock ticked into the 70th minute, the battle of attrition truly began.

Barça’s attacking formation was already quite stretched, and although their passing remained smooth, the Real Madrid players were like a tightly wound spring—always ready to press fiercely at the right moment.

Li Ang even began to abandon his strict man-marking of Messi and instead focused on intercepting passes and assisting the defenders at the back.

He knew that Messi was no longer simply charging forward himself—he was linking up more with teammates.

In this situation, defending required more collective effort.

In the 73rd minute, Messi passed to Xavi, who immediately sent a through ball to Pedro!

Pepe lunged and barely managed to get a foot on the ball!

A millisecond late and Pedro would’ve been in a one-on-one!

Cold sweat dripped from everyone on the pitch.

Real Madrid wasn’t playing football anymore—they were enduring!

But this was the Champions League final!

No one wanted to give in, no matter how tired they were!

By the 78th minute, even Guardiola couldn’t sit still anymore.

He personally called Villa over and gave instructions right at the touchline.

”Press high! Don’t wait at the edge of the box!”

”We need to force a mistake!”

Barça began a high press, and Real Madrid’s backline started to feel immense pressure.

Li Ang dropped even deeper to support Ramos and Pepe.

And it was in the 81st minute that the most critical moment of the match arrived!

Messi, receiving the ball in the middle, suddenly accelerated and passed through between Alonso and Diarra.

Li Ang was caught a step behind!

He turned to chase, but Messi had already entered the final third!

Only Pepe stood in front of him!

Messi feinted to the right and then cut left!

Pepe fell for it—he was beaten!

Messi entered the box and was about to shoot—

Li Ang caught up just in time!

With a perfectly timed sliding tackle, he poked the ball off Messi’s foot!

The ball deflected and rolled toward the wing!

The Bernabéu erupted!

”LI ANG!!! WHAT A TACKLE!!!”

”This kid just saved Real Madrid!!!”

Commentators screamed!

Even Mourinho couldn’t help but roar with clenched fists on the sidelines!

That tackle could be remembered for years to come!

Messi looked back in disbelief—he had done everything right, but in the end, was stopped by that tireless number 27!

Li Ang didn’t even have time to celebrate. He got up and shouted at his teammates, ”Mark up! Stay with your men!”

The final minutes were pure chaos.

Barça threw everything forward, and Real Madrid pulled everyone back except for Ronaldo and Di María.

The entire stadium was trembling from the tension.

The 90th minute.

The 91st.

The 92nd...

The fourth official raised the board: 4 minutes of stoppage time!

Guardiola held his head in both hands.

Mourinho paced like a lion behind the technical area.

And Li Ang, heart pounding, felt like his legs were filled with lead.

But he gritted his teeth—just a few more minutes!

93rd minute.

Barça’s last corner kick.

Xavi whipped it in—Piqué jumped!

Casillas punched it out!

The rebound fell to Iniesta!

Volley from outside the box!

Li Ang threw himself forward—BLOCKED!

The ball bounced again.

The whistle blew.

FULL TIME!

Real Madrid 1 - 0 Barcelona!

They had done it!

The crowd roared like a volcano!

Players rushed the pitch!

Li Ang collapsed onto the grass, staring at the sky, not from exhaustion—but from sheer disbelief.

They were champions.

Champions of Europe!