Chapter 343: The Battle of the Gods
"I don't understand, why do I have to prove myself in front of the Real Madrid superstar to be eligible for the Ballon d'Or?"
In the gym in the basement of the villa, Su Dong was doing bench presses panting. Messi was sitting beside him with a towel in his hand, and asked in a very unconvinced tone.
Nuno Cruz and Vito Scala were watching Su Dong's training carefully on the side.
The Portuguese player smiled as he recorded the information and data he observed, saying: "That's normal. Just look at which media outlet it is. AS, of course, speaks for Real Madrid."
"Double standards!" Messi cursed angrily, "When those Real Madrid superstars won the Ballon d'Or, why didn't they get their stamp in the El Clasico? Why should the Soviet Union get its stamp in the El Clasico if they want to compete now?"
Looking at him, it seemed that the person who was going to compete for the World Footballer of the Year and the Ballon d'Or was not Su Dong, but him.
"Haha, Leo, you have to get used to it. When Barcelona succeeds in the future and the Dream Team II really dominates La Liga and European football, the Catalan media can also ask Real Madrid's stars to come to the national derby to stamp their name."
To put it bluntly, this is a question of who has the right to speak.
Messi is quite dull in front of outsiders, but after getting to know him, you will find that he is not actually silent.
The so-called silence is only towards strangers, or simply put, people are not interested in chatting with you.
Su Dong finished his last set of bench presses, roared, and sat up from the chair, his whole body already covered in sweat.
As soon as he sat up, Su Dong reached out and scratched Messi's head.
"Don't think too much, Leo. When your opponent starts to argue with you about these trivial things and makes you feel bored, it just proves that he is no longer capable. Because ruthless people never talk too much nonsense and always get straight to the point!"
What Su Dong said was very much to Messi's liking, and he kept nodding his head.
Yes, just start doing it and kill them!
After taking the towel and wiping the sweat from his head and face, Su Dong watched today's training evaluation with Nuno Cruz and Vito Scala, especially the assessment of physical and muscle strength.
"Sufficient preparation time is still necessary. Today is Friday, and my muscle strength has basically reached the optimal level. If I rest and recover well tomorrow, my condition will definitely be good the day after tomorrow!" Nuno Cruz said confidently.
They have already figured out a whole set of rules.
Having followed Sudong for three years, Nuno Cruz understands Sudong's body far better than he knows his own.
…
After completing strength training, Su Dong began to relax with a foam roller under the accompaniment of physical therapist Grant Downing.
Although it is relaxation training, it is still quite difficult.
For example, the plank exercise that Su Dong is currently doing uses a foam roller to relax the muscles on the front, inner and outer sides of the thighs. This is done by exerting force on the shoulder joints to move the body up and down.
During the whole process, Su Dong performed very steadily without any shaking, which proved that his sense of balance and stability were quite outstanding. Messi could not find a second person in the Barcelona team who could reach Su Dong's level in terms of power confrontation and speed burst and maintain such a good sense of balance.
Puyol and Ronaldinho had both tried before, but both failed.
But don't underestimate this training. Although it is just a training, it can reflect Su Dong's physical condition. It can be concluded that he can perform many technical moves on the court that ordinary people cannot do.
For example, the Ronaldinho commercial where he changed direction and dribbled past the opponent, which caused a lot of applause from the audience.
You know, this kind of sudden stop and turn during a breakthrough places very high physical demands on the players, especially for a giant like Su Dong who is 1.95 meters tall, the requirements are even higher.
It can be said that with Messi's understanding of Su Dong, he would not be surprised no matter what technical moves Su Dong makes on the court that outsiders find incomprehensible.
After completing the foam roller training, Su Dong performed recovery training and muscle massage accompanied by Grant Downing.
Finally, today's training is completed.
At this time, in the kitchen, the chef had prepared dinner for him tonight based on Professor Paul Lacasco's recipe, and Messi also received the same treatment.
In recent times, Messi has been following Su Dong for training, food and accommodation, and Su Dong even did not charge him any fees.
It feels great to get something for free, but that may not be the case for Su Dong.
He is so hardworking and self-disciplined! …
"how are you feeling?"
After the meal, Su Dong stuffed the cut apple into his mouth with relish and asked Messi with concern.
In recent times, due to injuries and other reasons, Messi has been included in the roster in almost every game, and his performance among the young players in the team is quite good and remarkable.
Although Giuly has returned, Su Dong speculates that Rijkaard will still include Messi in the roster.
As for whether he can play, it depends on the situation at the game.
"Very good." Messi nodded.
He has been training with Su Dong and is quite satisfied with his condition.
"Is this game really that important?" Messi suddenly asked.
In terms of points, even if Barcelona really loses the national derby, they are still in the lead.
But football is ultimately a game dominated by people, so the human factor is very important.
"When I was in Valencia, I heard a saying that the La Liga championship often depends on the victory or defeat of the national derby."
Su Dong’s understanding of this statement is not just the six points from the two games, but the environment reflected behind the points.
For example, which team is in better shape, which team is stronger, which team's locker room is more united...
It is unrealistic to say that the rumor of internal strife suddenly broke out before the game was an accidental incident.
Professional football is no longer just a game, it is a war centered around a football game.
All-out war!
Barcelona cannot shirk its own problems, and it deserves the opportunity to take advantage of others, especially those things happening within the management team, which have been well-known even before Su Dong joined the team.
But which top teams don’t have these problems? If professional football is a place of fame and fortune, then top teams are undoubtedly the focus of everyone’s attention.
Whenever someone is at the center of attention, there will inevitably be struggles for power and profit; this is inevitable.
The only difference is whose problem is more acute and harder to cover up.
Su Dong reached out his hand, touched Messi's head vigorously, and smiled slightly: "You will slowly understand many things in the future. Now you just need to work hard to play well. These things have nothing to do with you for the time being."
Messi seemed to understand something.
He vaguely felt that at his level, he was not yet able to access these things.
…………
…………
With the national derby approaching, the media on both sides have started a war of words before the game.
Barcelona is at the top of the La Liga table with a clear lead. Naturally, the Catalan media are not polite about Real Madrid's visit, believing that Barcelona will teach Real Madrid a lesson at home.
But the media supporting Real Madrid were not to be outdone, believing that Barcelona had suffered two consecutive defeats in the last two rounds and their morale was low. In contrast, Real Madrid had won consecutive games, especially the 6-1 victory over Albacete, showing an amazing form.
"In the past three seasons, Real Madrid has remained unbeaten at the Camp Nou!" AS is full of confidence in Real Madrid's away trip this time, believing that the Galacticos will be able to continue their outstanding performance of the past three years.
This is true, but in the past three national derbies held at Camp Nou, Real Madrid's record is one win and two draws. Last season, they won 2-1 away from home, which was also a dangerous victory.
If the time is expanded to four years, the national derby record in the past four years is one win, two draws and one loss.
But AS is obviously playing word games to cheer for Real Madrid.
…
Last season at Camp Nou, Ronaldo's goal helped Real Madrid take all three points.
This time, the Brazilian superstar is still the most watched focus in Real Madrid.
In an interview with the media, he said that he was able to win last season and it is the same now because Real Madrid has adjusted its form and will definitely not disappoint the fans.
Regarding the game, Ronaldo believes that Barcelona, playing at home and suffering two consecutive defeats, is under greater pressure than Real Madrid.
Ronaldo spoke highly of the players of Barcelona, but he believed that the most threatening player in the Barcelona team was not his compatriot Ronaldinho, but Su Dong.
"It's hard for me to imagine that he has already scored 15 goals in just 11 games this season. This is absolutely incredible. I believe it will be difficult to be surpassed by anyone, whether in the past or in the future."
"Su Dong's performance this season is almost crazy!"
“It’s clear that he has fought hard to get the highest honor!”
Ronaldo believes that Sudong is surrounded by a group of outstanding passers, such as Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta, etc., who are all very good assist players. They have created enough one-on-one opportunities for Sudong.
"Su Dong once said that if he pulled the defenders away, he could beat any defender in a one-on-one situation. He used 15 goals to prove his strength and value. He is the most irreplaceable player in Barcelona!"
Ronaldo believes that the biggest test for Real Madrid in the national derby is how to freeze Su Dong in defense.
“He didn’t score a goal last round?”
"Believe me, this is even more terrifying because I am also a dangerous striker, so I know that Su Dong is the most terrifying and the most hungry at this moment."
"If we want to win at Camp Nou, we must do everything we can to freeze Su Dong."
…
Not only Ronaldo, but also Marca, AS, El País... and even major media around the world, when analyzing the upcoming national derby, all mentioned Su Dong.
If Barcelona wants to win, they must create an environment for Su Dong to display his strength.
If Real Madrid wants to win, they must freeze Su Dong! Real Madrid coach Raymond said confidently that Real Madrid is ready.
"In the last four games, we only conceded one goal. I believe the defensive problem has been solved!"
(End of this chapter)
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