Football: Messi, I am your wallbreaker!

Chapter 17 The World's Most Li Jing Fans

After a brief period of getting used to the pitch, all the Atlético Madrid players returned to their own fields to rest.

A star-rated hotel in the Middle East.

Li Jing leaned back on the single sofa in the suite, holding the match day schedule that the sponsor had just sent him.

He put down the paper and picked up his phone from the table.

The screen lights up, and the notification bar is filled with messages from social media.

Facebook and Twitter are now filled with all sorts of Spanish and Argentinian slang; if you click on any post, you'll see all sorts of utterly shameless greetings.

"They really know how to make a racket." Li Jing curled his lip.

However, he's already used to it.

They've just switched sides.

I used to criticize others as a Messi fan.

Now they're being attacked by Messi's fans.

Then Li Jing made the right choice.

What is cyberbullying, and how can it be prevented?

That means disconnecting the internet!

Without any hesitation, he long-pressed the Twitter icon and clicked delete.

Next came Facebook and Instagram, which were completely cleaned up.

He was never afraid of trouble, nor did he care about being criticized.

But the setbacks he suffered in the domestic football scene in his previous life had already given him a thorough understanding of the rules of the internet.

You can never convince a biased, fanatical fan that watching these foul words will only slow down their ability to draw their sword on the field.

As a professional player, it is extremely foolish to bring unnecessary emotions into reality.

Li Jing locked her phone and tossed it onto the bed.

He stood up, walked to the full-length mirror, and zipped up his Atlético Madrid black sports jacket.

The battlefield is only on the grass; kicking away doubts is the simplest way to close the loop.

Then Li Jing lay down on the bed.

I'm fast asleep!

……

The next day.

One hour before the game, in the stadium locker room.

The atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Because of the change of opponent at the last minute, they had to face Real Madrid's full-strength squad head-on, plus the long journey.

The Atlético Madrid players' faces were etched with fatigue and tension.

"Bang!"

The wooden door to the locker room was kicked open with a loud thud.

Simone strode in, carrying a tactical board.

Li Jing mentally grumbled about this monotonous entrance.

Attention also turned to Simeone.

He didn't go through the motions; he walked straight to the center of the room and slammed the tactical board onto the tactical table, making a loud noise.

Everyone's nerves trembled.

"I've seen Real Madrid's submitted starting lineup!"

Simone's voice was extremely loud, booming throughout the enclosed room.

"Mourinho brought their best eleven! Their full-strength squad! They're using you as guinea pigs to test their new tactics!"

Simone pointed to the formation diagram on the wall:

"So, our tactics are still the same damn flat defense we used in the first half of the season! Collapse, strangle, cut off their passing lanes! We're going to turn this friendly into a quagmire!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and then directly named the general:

"Captain Gabi, you're in charge of marking Özil closely. And—for the other starting position in defensive midfield, Li Jing, you'll replace Pizzi!"

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the locker room froze.

Although everyone was mentally prepared, the moment Simeone actually announced it was still a surprise.

You can still feel a bit stiffness in the locker room.

Salvio gritted his teeth, just about to stand up and protest, but was firmly suppressed by Simone's extremely aggressive, mad dog-like aura.

Simone stared at him, as if waiting for someone to step forward and take the lead.

No one dared to speak.

……

In China, it's prime time at 8 PM.

Inside a large sports live broadcast room, the screen is filled with rapidly refreshing bullet comments.

Commentator Zhang held the freshly printed starting lineup in his hand, his eyes wide open, his voice cracking:

"Ladies and gentlemen! The starting lineup is in! It's unbelievable news! For Atletico Madrid, the other starting defensive midfielder, besides captain Gabi, is none other than the young Chinese player Li Jing, who's currently at the center of a media storm!"

The chat room exploded with comments.

"Holy crap? Did I hear that right? This kid crippled his own teammate, offended half of Messi's fans in the football world, and he still managed to get into the starting lineup?"

"It must have been Atlético Madrid's sponsors who bribed them; it's confirmed they got the team with their own money!"

"Has Simeone gone mad? Sending an Asian kid to defend against Real Madrid's second Galácticos? I'm just waiting for Li Jing to get ripped apart by Ronaldo and Özil!"

"We've really embarrassed ourselves internationally tonight. Everyone get ready to take screenshots and laugh at us!"

7:50 p.m. local time.

Middle East Stadium, players' tunnel.

Atletico Madrid's players have already lined up on the left side of the tunnel.

Li Jing stood at the back of the line, his hands behind his back, quietly watching the lights at the end of the passage.

A series of rapid cleats striking the ground came from the right.

Real Madrid players have appeared.

Casillas was walking at the front, adjusting his captain's armband;

Ramos tossed his hair and joked loudly with Pepe beside him;

Xabi Alonso chewed his gum expressionlessly, while Özil lightly jumped in place to warm up;

Di Maria was constantly adjusting his socks.

Walking at the very back was Cristiano Ronaldo, with his jersey collar turned up and his eyes piercingly sharp.

These names represent the pinnacle of football today.

Even if they were just standing there laughing and joking, the arrogance and composure rooted in the family's elite status weighed heavily on the hearts of the Atlético Madrid players like an invisible mountain.

Gabi stood at the front of the line, clearly taking several deep breaths.

This is the oppressive feeling of a top-tier wealthy family.

Li Jing watched all of this with a cold eye.

His heartbeat was steady, and he slowly adjusted his breathing rhythm.

The referee team gave a signal.

He gestured for the players on both sides to follow their captains out.

Li Jing strode forward, following the main group toward the blinding lights ahead.

At the same time, mentally prepare for the first game.

This is not a club training session.

It's not a stadium that attracts thousands of viewers.

He knew very well that he had insulted the number one player in football today, and he would inevitably face a chorus of boos during the match.

He was even mentally prepared to be booed by tens of thousands of people at the same time.

The moment he stepped onto the grass, the on-site director keenly captured the news figure, projecting a close-up of Li Jing's face directly onto the two huge electronic screens on site.

However, the expected overwhelming boos did not materialize.

What followed was a brief silence, after which tens of thousands of die-hard Middle Eastern fans in pure white Real Madrid jerseys suddenly erupted in deafening cheers!

"LI! LI! LI!"

A massive roar, like a tsunami, swept through the entire stadium. Fans in the front rows even took off their jerseys and waved them wildly, clapping enthusiastically at Li Jing.

Li Jing stopped and looked at the stands in surprise.

Even Gabi was stunned, and turned to look at Li Jing:

Do you have relatives here?

Even Li Jing didn't expect his debut to go so smoothly.

Because he was insulting Lionel Messi!

And they are the white Real Madrid fans!

There is no place in the world where Li Jing would like to berate Messi like this more than Real Madrid fans!

"Sewage rats ~ hormone-fueled dwarfs ~ a beautiful pair!"

"~"

The entire stadium sang lyrics from Li Jing's quotes, written by Real Madrid.

……