Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

As the smoke of battle finally settled, Bayern fans, hearts shattered, began the painful process of accepting reality.

Real Madrid faced a disastrous end to a season that had started with so much hope and expectation—an outcome few could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, their city rivals were roaring forward, launching yet another fierce assault on what would be the club’s first-ever Champions League title.

Likewise, Chelsea, who had exacted revenge on Bayern in emphatic fashion, now openly displayed their naked ambition to claim their own first Champions League crown.

Two teams, both known for their hardened, blood-and-iron playing styles, were set to clash in what promised to be the most brutal and intense confrontation of the season on June 6th.

While in terms of fame and global appeal, Chelsea and Atlético might not yet match the stature of Bayern and Real Madrid, the sheer ferocity of their upcoming battle was more than enough to ignite fan interest.

And of course, the renewed showdown between the two madmen on the sidelines—Mourinho and Simeone—offered an extra layer of drama.

With Li Ang playing a starring role, the viewership numbers for this final were guaranteed to be high.

UEFA’s top brass had no doubt about that. Chelsea’s steadily climbing international viewership numbers over the past two seasons gave them every reason to be confident.

After Li Ang led his team past Bayern and into the Champions League final, his name exploded across the football world.

On the night the semifinals concluded, headlines about Li Ang leading Chelsea to the final were trending at the top of the news rankings in countless countries across Europe and Asia.

At this point, it was no exaggeration to say that the entire football world was waiting—waiting to see if Li Ang, as the undisputed core of this Chelsea squad, could take them to the summit of European football.

Whether fans loved him or hated him, everyone had to admit one thing:

Li Ang had brought back the old blood-and-iron spirit that once made Chelsea a name to be feared.

Two seasons ago, when Li Ang decided to leave Real Madrid for Chelsea, plenty of people mocked him for overestimating himself.

But now, Li Ang had proven—without relying on Real Madrid—he could fight his way to the grand stage of the Champions League final.

And Real Madrid? Without him, their midfield defensive structure and control had visibly declined.

With only a Copa del Rey trophy to show for the past two seasons, and having lost their dominance in both La Liga and the Champions League, the contrast was stark.

That night at the Allianz Arena, many reporters tried to bait Li Ang, asking him to comment on Real Madrid’s current struggles.

Naturally, Li Ang wasn’t going to fall for such traps. But neither did he dodge the topic entirely.

His response was honest, even protective of his former club—leaving journalists with nothing to twist or criticize.

”I don’t understand why some of you define a team that has reached the Champions League semifinals two years in a row as a ’failure.’

If Real Madrid counts as a failure, then only Atlético qualifies as a success these last two years—because they’re the only ones to break through to the final twice.

Maybe you’ve forgotten that just two years ago, we (Real Madrid) lifted the Champions League trophy at Wembley and successfully defended our title.

Sure, Real Madrid might be going through some problems right now, but their competitiveness in Europe remains at the very highest level.

They deserve respect—especially in this competition.

Year after year, clubs come and go, champions rise and fall, but Real Madrid always finds a way to climb back to the top. They never stay down for long…”

This firm and respectful stance from Li Ang quickly defused the animosity that had started to build between Real Madrid fans and his own supporters—fuelled, of course, by provocative media narratives.

Many neutral fans praised him online, calling him loyal and righteous.

For Li Ang, though, there was no need to deliberately shape a public image. His feelings toward Real were exactly as he’d expressed them.

Even the greatest teams have a limited window of dominance. Compared to 2013, the current Real Madrid had undergone major tactical shifts and lineup changes. They were still in the process of rebuilding.

Expecting them to win the Champions League again under those conditions? That was just unrealistic.

And even so, their record wasn’t bad—two straight Champions League semifinal appearances, and only a few points shy of winning La Liga.

Sure, the club had its issues, but nowhere near the crisis some media were making it out to be.

Those trying to bait him into criticizing Real Madrid were doomed to fail.

Whatever disagreements he may have had with Florentino Pérez over the team’s core direction, Li Ang’s parting with Real Madrid had been peaceful.

That club had been his launchpad into superstardom. He would always be grateful and respectful toward them.

After that one interview, Li Ang declined all other media requests. One response was enough.

After all, he was still a full-time Chelsea player—he couldn’t spend all his time talking about his former club.

Once or twice was fine, but if he went on too long, Mendes would be calling in with warnings again.

Li Ang’s calm demeanor spared him a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Four days after returning to London for recovery, Chelsea welcomed Liverpool to Stamford Bridge for their 37th Premier League match of the season.

Having just played Manchester United in the previous round, Chelsea now faced another traditional powerhouse of English football.

Had this match taken place earlier in the season, it would’ve been a mouthwatering clash for fans.

But with Chelsea having already clinched the league title, the fixture had lost much of its edge.

The only storyline still attracting attention was the Golden Boot race between Li Ang and Suárez.

Liverpool, having lost any chance of finishing in the top four the previous round, had nothing left to fight for.

Even Southampton, their main competitor for sixth place, had stumbled, leaving Liverpool’s players with no real goals.

Those who had ambition felt deflated by the missed Champions League qualification. Those who didn’t care were simply waiting for vacation.

As a result, Chelsea were facing a disinterested, half-strength Liverpool side.

And even with some of their own backups in the starting XI, Chelsea were on a different level entirely.

Mourinho didn’t demand much—just maintain the unbeaten record, and he’d be satisfied.

But the young players who started the game were itching to show what they could do.

It wasn’t just that they wanted to make the most of a rare starting opportunity.

They also wanted to help Li Ang boost his stats in these final games of the season.

Before kickoff, Lukaku, who had earned a starting role as center forward today, beat his chest in the locker room and promised Li Ang that he would help him get his 20th league assist of the season.

But that promise didn’t exactly fill Li Ang with confidence.

It felt eerily similar to a promise Daniele Bonera once made back when Li Ang was at Milan—swearing he’d shut down an opposing striker.

All Bonera did back then was pile more pressure on his teammates.

Now here was Lukaku doing the same thing—and Li Ang suddenly felt like the burden on his shoulders had just gotten heavier.

”Romelu, stop right there! I could trust you more if you didn’t say anything. But the moment you said that, I really started to doubt how well you’re going to play today…”

Li Ang’s playful jab had everyone in the locker room grinning from ear to ear.

There was no helping it—this season, Lukaku’s mouth had been just as ”magical” as Li Ang’s.

Only in the exact opposite way.

Every time he declared before a match that he’d perform well, you could count on him either botching a clear-cut chance or making some silly, avoidable mistake.

Even Mourinho had joked more than once about banning Lukaku from giving motivational speeches before matches.

Inside Chelsea’s cheerful dressing room, the ”Little Beast” rubbed his shaved head in mock frustration.

He knew his teammates were just messing around—but even so, he had made up his mind: today, he would break his streak of bad luck and finally come through on the pitch.

And once the match kicked off that afternoon, he immediately started with a burst of energy, frequently dropping deep to receive the ball and link up play.

Li Ang was supportive of Lukaku’s intent and enthusiasm to help the team gain early momentum.

In the opening minutes, Li Ang repeatedly fed him passes.

Up against Emre Can, who was filling in as a makeshift right-back, Lukaku showed no hesitation. He took him on confidently, charging forward with purpose.

Two young bulls locking horns on the flank—neither willing to back down.

But in the end, Lukaku’s sheer power and momentum gave him the edge.

He and Hazard combined to tear open Liverpool’s right-side defense.

Even the Sky Sports commentators were full of praise.

”Little Beast is having a fantastic game today! Chelsea are exploiting the left flank, and Liverpool are struggling to respond... Let’s see what comes of this!”

Right on cue, Hazard burst into the box and cut the ball back with a perfect reverse pass.

Li Ang didn’t even take a touch—he immediately threaded a pass through the defense.

Lukaku, having timed his run to perfection, shook off the offside trap, adjusted his stride, and fired off a shot!

Mignolet reacted swiftly, lunging toward the far post with cat-like reflexes.

At the last possible second, the Belgian keeper’s fingertips just barely grazed the ball, deflecting what had looked like a certain goal!

The roars of Stamford Bridge were abruptly silenced—only to be replaced moments later by a collective groan of disbelief.

Li Ang held his head in his hands. He didn’t know whether to admire Mignolet’s heroics or feel sorry for Lukaku’s cursed luck.

Hazard gave Lukaku a sympathetic pat on the backside and jogged off to take the corner.

On the sideline, Mourinho scratched the back of his head and sighed.

”This poor kid...”

It seemed like Lukaku’s unlucky streak was destined to continue.

But even so, Chelsea had clearly broken open Liverpool’s defense.

One missed chance wasn’t going to affect team morale.

Li Ang and Kroos continued to dominate the midfield, refusing to let Liverpool establish any rhythm.

Hazard maintained relentless pressure, forcing Liverpool’s back line to increasingly shift to the right to compensate.

In the 23rd minute, Kroos received a cross-field pass from Li Ang and immediately launched a long ball to the right flank, where Salah was making a late run.

Henderson failed to track back in time and could only watch as Salah blazed past Glen Johnson with brute speed.

After cutting inside, Salah fired a low shot—catching everyone off guard!

This time, Mignolet couldn’t replicate his earlier save.

The ball zipped into the near corner of the net.

It was Salah’s 10th goal of the season, and he raced to the corner flag, celebrating in front of the jubilant home fans.

Li Ang quickly caught up and ruffled Salah’s hair, offering his heartfelt congratulations.

In his first full season with Chelsea, Salah had scored across four different competitions, totaling 10 goals and 7 assists.

As of this Premier League round, he’d tallied 5 goals and 4 assists in the league—a very solid return for a Premier League newcomer.

Especially considering that Sterling, Liverpool’s starter, had posted similar numbers, yet was being hyped by English media as the next national treasure.

If Salah held a UK passport, the British press would probably already be calling him ”England’s Next Golden Boy.”

Chelsea’s squad rotation had been lethal this season, and Salah was a major reason why.

At this point, there were no more questions about whether the Egyptian winger could cut it at Chelsea or adapt to the Premier League’s pace.

Watching him celebrate at the byline with his teammates, journalists at the side of the pitch couldn’t help but marvel:

Chelsea’s youth development had become insanely effective in just two seasons!

De Bruyne, Lukaku, Salah, Maguire, Kalas, Van Ginkel, Aké…

Most of them were still bench players, but if Chelsea ever decided to sell, Premier League rivals would be scrambling to buy them.

Their reserve talent pool was strong enough to make top clubs across Europe envious.

Of course, Li Ang himself, though still young, was no longer categorized among the ”up-and-coming” players.

He was already one of the biggest global superstars in the game.

Perhaps it was that very example—his high standard, his discipline, his success—that had kept Chelsea’s youth from going astray.

For any young player serious about their career, seeing someone like Li Ang winning major titles at such a young age only inspired them to raise their own standards.

After Salah broke the deadlock, the rest of the Chelsea squad shifted their focus to helping Li Ang get another assist.

Li Ang hadn’t planned to force it. He played as he always did—flowing with the game, creating when the opportunity arose.

But once Liverpool went a goal down, they started opening up and went toe-to-toe with Chelsea in a wide-open, end-to-end contest.

With the tempo rising, it became hard not to create chances.

In the 36th minute, during a swift counterattack, Li Ang lofted a perfect through ball over the defense.

Hazard made a diagonal run into the box and found himself in a one-on-one situation.

From his favorite zone on the left side of the box, he took a quick touch to set himself before curling a shot toward the far post.

He placed it perfectly—just beyond Mignolet’s outstretched fingers and into the net!

Hazard’s 20th goal of the season also delivered Li Ang his 20th league assist.

With that, Li Ang surpassed the legendary Thierry Henry’s record.

27 goals and 20 assists in a single Premier League season!

For a midfielder, this was a statistical miracle—one that future generations would struggle to replicate.

The entire Chelsea squad celebrated this individual milestone.

Meanwhile, a few Liverpool players wore resigned smiles amidst the joy of Stamford Bridge.

The second half became a glorified training match for both sides.

Mourinho and Rodgers used the opportunity to rotate, giving their stars a chance to pad their stats.

But neither Li Ang nor Suárez managed another goal or assist before the final whistle.

The score remained 2–0.

After the match, during the friendly post-game interactions, Li Ang once again stirred Suárez’s emotions with a simple line:

”You’ve already given everything for Liverpool, Luis. Now bring your talent to London…”

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