If Ronaldinho can win this direct showdown against Zidane and Su Hang, it would, to a certain extent, boost his chances of finishing in the top three.
After all, people are creatures of impression—the further back a performance is, the more easily it gets forgotten.
The Catalan media have already begun hyping up this Spanish Clásico.
However, to match the buzz generated by Real Madrid's two hottest players—Zidane and Su Hang—Barcelona has been heavily promoting Ronaldinho and Messi.
Perhaps in the future, this kind of approach wouldn't be an issue.
But at present, Barça is clearly using Su Hang's popularity to ride the hype for Messi.
Because at this stage, Messi and Su Hang simply aren't comparable.
The former can be considered a supernova, while the latter has already stepped firmly into superstar territory.
Compared to Barcelona's self-praise, Real Madrid was also working behind the scenes on award campaigning.
But before that, they discussed the matter together with Su Hang and Zidane.
More precisely, it was Su Hang and Zidane who went to Calderón and put forward some of their own ideas regarding the awards campaign.
Calderón's original plan was to split the resources evenly between Zidane and Su Hang.
As the widely acknowledged third-generation king of football, Zidane represented the peak of Real Madrid's international contingent.
As a result, the resources allocated to players such as Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Emerson, Roberto Carlos, and Cannavaro would have to be significantly reduced.
Su Hang, on the other hand, represented the interests of the Local group.
With him in place, the promotion of Local group players like Raúl, Casillas, and Sergio Ramos would also have to take a back seat.
Yet Zidane proactively suggested handing over all Ballon d'Or–related resources to Su Hang.
"Are you sure?" Calderón was genuinely surprised. "In fact, judging from the current direction of public opinion, you're still the most likely person to win the Ballon d'Or."
Zidane shook his head.
"This isn't something that belongs to me. I know better than anyone else that this trophy should belong to Su."
Seeing Zidane wearing such a benevolent, fatherly expression, Su Hang nearly gagged.
"Give it a rest. You only thought about stepping back from the Ballon d'Or after I was the one who first offered to hand over the FIFA World Player of the Year resources to you."
"I have to say, you were smart—otherwise, I'd be holding two major trophies this year!"
Zidane sneered coldly.
"Kid, don't get carried away. If the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were awarded purely based on championships, there wouldn't be so much controversy."
"Right now, the overall momentum is on my side. As long as I play the victim card a little, it'll be hard for me not to win both trophies. Believe it or not?"
Listening to the two of them bicker, Calderón was delighted.
Good grief!
So you two brothers have already decided how to divide up the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year?
Then what are France Football and FIFA even needed for?
You might as well just walk up and collect the trophies yourselves!
That said, since both parties were in agreement, Calderón naturally had no objections.
He didn't care who won which award—as long as both major trophies ended up at Real Madrid this year, his position at the club would be truly secured.
This would be his first major contribution to the club.
And with that, he would gain far more initiative when dealing with club affairs in the future.
As a result, Real Madrid launched an overwhelming promotional campaign centered on Su Hang.
"The Galaxy's Strongest Number 9, Su Hang, Awaits His Coronation!"
"Treble? Quintuple? No! Add the World Cup—call him the Six-Crown King, Su Hang!"
"Don't compare ordinary players to Su Hang! Over the past year, even Ronaldinho looked dim beside him!"
"The Youngest Dual Captain in History! Real Madrid's Tenth Champions League! Spain's First World Cup! He's not Su Hang—he's Emperor Su!"
"This year's Ballon d'Or holds no suspense—Su Hang is the best footballer in the world over the past year, without exception!"
"Just ten matches into the new season, Su Hang already has fifteen goals and three assists—and he's still getting stronger!"
"Zidane: When Su Hang lifted the World Cup trophy, he had already won everything!"
In an instant, Real Madrid's momentum swept across all of Europe.
Real Madrid fans went on the offensive everywhere, and most fans of other clubs had no choice but to admit that Su Hang was the most likely winner of this year's Ballon d'Or.
At the same time, some fans took the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with Ronaldinho winning last year's Ballon d'Or.
After all, Ronaldinho last year had almost no top-tier honors to his name, yet he still managed to edge out Premier League stars like Lampard, Gerrard, and Henry.
If that wasn't the result of an ingrained football hierarchy, then what was?
Barcelona fans soon found themselves under siege on social media.
Their king, Ronaldinho, was being overturned, and their new king, Messi, had already been completely forgotten.
And all of this was caused by Real Madrid!
At this moment, no one wanted the next league round to kick off sooner than the people of Barcelona.
...
October 22nd, La Liga Round Seven began.
At the Bernabéu Stadium, 80,000 fans entered early.
The entire south stand was covered by an enormous poster of Su Hang.
This was Real Madrid's hardcore supporters rallying behind Su Hang for the Ballon d'Or.
They had even prepared a chant, already roaring loud enough to shake the sky during the warm-up:
"My Emperor Su, boundless and wild! Seize the Ballon d'Or—strongest in all of Europe!"
Even Su Hang, while warming up, felt a slight wave of secondhand embarrassment.
He turned his head to look at Luka Modrić.
According to reliable anonymous sources—namely Sergio Ramos—Modrić had joined the "Su Hang Global Fan Club" some time ago and had talked his way into becoming a group admin.
This chant was his idea.
This kid really had no conscience at all!
Soon, it was time for kickoff, and both teams lined up to enter the pitch.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Derek Raei, the football poet. Today, Stewart Robson and I will be bringing you this Spanish Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona!"
"On Real Madrid's side, they're once again lining up in their usual 4-3-3 formation."
"Su Hang, Van Nistelrooy, Raúl."
"Zidane, Diarra, Emerson."
"Roberto Carlos, Cannavaro, Kompany, Sergio Ramos."
"Casillas."
"There's a slight adjustment in the back line."
"With Real Madrid's starting right back Cicinho ruled out for the season, that position has become a problem. Whether it's Salgado or Raúl Bravo, their performances over the past two matches have been disastrous."
"They've struggled even against average opponents, so Capello certainly wouldn't dare gamble against a team like Barcelona—especially with Ronaldinho attacking down that flank."
"Fortunately, Ramos has experience playing right back for both Sevilla and the national team. More importantly, this summer he lifted the World Cup trophy as Spain's starting right back alongside Su Hang."
"For those who couldn't find Ramos in the celebratory photos—the World Cup trophy was blocking him."
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser