"Su Hang was the player who created the most goals across Europe's top five leagues last season."
"Whether it was Serie A's Golden Boot winner Luca Toni, the Premier League's Thierry Henry, Bundesliga's Miroslav Klose, Ligue 1's Pauleta, Eredivisie's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and so on…"
"In my eyes, Su Hang is the most dangerous striker out there."
"But Su told me to keep trusting Torres. He said the team's momentum shouldn't be broken and that Torres just needed more time."
"And as everyone saw, he was right."
"At that crucial moment, he was even calmer than I was!"
Reporter: "Then why was Joaquín chosen as the third substitute instead of Su Hang?"
Aragonés: "That's exactly what makes Su Hang so remarkable. He always puts the team and the match situation first. He doesn't care whether a substitution might cause misunderstandings or affect his own image."
"He felt that the situation at the time suited a player like Joaquín better."
"I'd heard stories about him at Real Madrid, but I wasn't sure if they were true. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I have no choice but to believe them."
What Aragonés didn't mention was that Su Hang had also been considerate of Joaquín's fragile pride.
Most young players have delicate self-esteem.
People often mistake "strong self-esteem" for being confrontational or unable to accept setbacks.
True strength is the ability to accept things that might bruise your pride without being consumed by them.
Only those who are truly strong can endure that kind of emotional wear without falling apart.
Ironically, what many call "strong self-esteem" is often just a sign of weak self-esteem.
...
Spain's Group H was the last to play in this World Cup. Their second-round match marked the start of the final group-stage round.
Teams like Spain had already secured advancement.
Others faced do-or-die matches—especially France, who had drawn both of their first two games.
With two points, they trailed behind Switzerland and South Korea, both sitting on four.
Some teams could now afford to rotate their squads, giving playing time to backup players who hadn't featured much.
Others had no choice but to keep fighting, even if their star players were already 34 years old.
On June 20th, Germany defeated Ecuador 3–0 in Group A, making it three wins out of three—a dominant showing from the hosts.
Ecuador, however, hadn't been too motivated to win, as both teams had already qualified in the previous round.
Poland and Costa Rica had simply been too weak to compete.
Similarly, in Group B, England and Sweden played out a 2–2 draw.
Both teams had already advanced after the second round.
The difference was that Sweden used the match to rotate players.
Star striker Ibrahimović didn't even make an appearance.
England, however, fielded their full-strength lineup, still testing new formations and combinations.
That alone showed how different England was from other teams.
Other sides had already settled on their systems and used extra matches for rotation.
England, meanwhile, still hadn't decided on a main formation or their core lineup.
That uncertainty created major problems for their role players.
As supporting players, they only needed to master one system.
But now, they were expected to adapt to several different tactical setups depending on who was leading the attack.
Honestly—if role players could adjust to so many styles, would they still be called role players?
They'd be the stars themselves!
It's precisely because their skills, versatility, or football IQ are limited that they remain in those roles.
...
On June 21st, Group C saw the Netherlands and Argentina play out a goalless draw.
Argentina's young stars Messi and Tevez both started, and Inter Milan's powerful striker Julio Cruz came on as a substitute.
In Group D, Portugal defeated Mexico 2–1, finishing the group stage with three wins out of three to top the table.
Simão, once dubbed "Figo's successor," put in an impressive performance with a goal and an assist.
Unfortunately for him, Portugal was also rotating players in this match.
Simão's playing time this tournament had been slightly less than that of his former protégé, Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Angola had a chance to overtake Mexico for second place in the group, but they failed spectacularly—losing to the group's weakest team, Iran.
...
On June 22nd, Group E saw Italy beat the Czech Republic 2–0, while Ghana defeated the United States 2–1.
That match broke many hearts.
Led by Ballon d'Or winner Nedvěd, the Czech Republic's golden generation came to an end.
With stars like Poborský, Baroš, Jan Koller, Rosický, Kováč, and Čech, they still finished third in the group, ending their World Cup run early.
It's unlikely the Czech Republic will ever again assemble such a brilliant lineup.
But in the stands that day, sharp-eyed fans spotted someone who shouldn't have been there—
Su Hang!
The captain of Spain's national team!
He was watching the game?
Wasn't he supposed to be training with the team?
Or was he scouting future opponents?
No, that couldn't be it—scouting wasn't a player's job.
So what was going on?
Soon, the media uncovered an even bigger scoop.
Ever since Spain had secured early qualification, Su Hang had been attending other teams' matches… in person!
Whenever schedules didn't clash, he'd be there in the stands—like a diehard fan soaking in the World Cup atmosphere.
Su Hang: "Of course I'm watching! This is the twilight of the gods! Every match could be the last time we see these legends—Ronaldo, Beckham, Figo, Nedvěd… even Trezeguet, Owen, Riquelme, Crespo, Ballack, Shevchenko…"
"For many of them, this is their final major tournament—or their last time shining on the world stage. How could I miss it?"
...
Later that day, Group F kicked off.
Brazil thrashed Japan 4–1—a far cry from their pre-World Cup friendly, where Japan had held them to a draw.
Though Japan struck first in this match, Brazil quickly took control once they got serious.
Ronaldo scored twice, Juninho and Gilberto Silva added one each, and Ronaldinho along with Cicinho provided the assists.
During the broadcast, the cameras often cut to the stands, but Real Madrid star Su Hang was nowhere to be found.
Fans were puzzled.
Hadn't he been following nearly every match live?
Why skip this Brazil game?
At that same moment, inside Stuttgart's Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium, another broadcast director suddenly made a discovery.