Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"Ore~ Ore ore ore ore!"

On the way back from Rome, the Real Madrid team was filled with laughter and merriment. Several lively players, including Ramos, even sang and danced on the team bus.

Lin Feng was listening to music with his headphones on and texting Liu Yifei, who was thousands of miles away, when he suddenly noticed someone had stopped beside him.

He put down his phone, looked up, and saw it was Captain Raul.

"Is there something you need, Captain?"

"Lin, we're having a barbecue party this weekend and would like to invite you. Do you have time?"

A barbecue party?

That sounds pretty good; Spanish barbecue is a very famous dish.

So Lin Feng nodded in agreement without hesitation: "Okay, I'm free this weekend, I'll definitely be there on time!"

Seeing Lin Feng nod in agreement, Raul breathed a sigh of relief. On his way back, he nodded slightly to Casillas, who, upon receiving the signal, immediately stopped Ramos and the others from their antics. He pulled Ramos and the others aside and gave them some instructions, as if he were giving them some instructions.

Barbecue is a popular way to socialize and gather with family in Spain. By hosting parties, families and friends can come together to enjoy delicious food and happiness while strengthening relationships.

Raul's initiative in inviting Lin Feng to this party shows that he has completely let go of his hostility towards him and has begun to accept him, wanting to be friends with him.

Real Madrid's performance in both the league and the Champions League is very good right now, and Raul knows that all of this is due to the changes brought about by the powerful foreign player Lin Feng.

Real Madrid wasn't this strong last season.

Although Raul was known as a football hog by outsiders, his feelings for Real Madrid were very pure.

He is the one who most wants to see Real Madrid achieve better results and win more honors.

His previous rejection and hostility towards Lin Feng stemmed from his lack of understanding of Lin Feng's abilities and his belief that Real Madrid had wasted 100 million euros on the transfer fee. He also felt that Lin Feng's arrival threatened his position within the team, leading to his instinctive resistance and rejection.

But now, having witnessed Lin Feng's strength and his important role on the field for Real Madrid, Raul has been completely impressed by Lin Feng.

Therefore, it became his responsibility as captain to maintain a good relationship with Lin Feng, resolve the conflict between the two, and make the team more united.

Lin Feng arrived on time over the weekend.

Raul's villa is not far from Lin Feng's newly purchased villa. After all, there are only so many good locations in Madrid, and even fewer that are close to both the stadium and the training base.

Since it was his first time visiting, Lin Feng brought a gift.

After the doorbell was rang, a tall, voluptuous, and beautiful woman with a perfect figure opened the door.

The woman was around thirty years old, with eyes that seemed to speak volumes and exuded charm. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin Feng outside the door.
"You must be Lin Feng! I often hear Blanco mention you. He praises you as a rare talent in the football world. Come on in!"

"Thank you for your praise, Mrs. Blanco. Captain Raul is the real genius. I still have a lot to learn from him!"

"Heh, he only has a little bit of talent, he's far from a true genius. Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, and now you are all more like geniuses than him!"

The woman seemed to be pointing out Raul's shortcomings, but her eyes were full of pride as she spoke, clearly showing that she approved of her husband.

Lin Feng had heard people say that Raul kissed the ring to express his love for his wife, but he didn't believe it before. Now he does.

With someone from a prestigious family, a former Miss Spain, whose father was the wife of the former president of Real Madrid, who loves her wholeheartedly and even idolizes her like a hero, what more could a man ask for?

Upon hearing that Lin Feng had arrived, Raul rushed over from the backyard without even taking off his apron.

"Lin, you're too early. The barbecue isn't ready yet. Why don't you go sit in the backyard for a while? Cassie and Ramos are already here. You can chat with them for a bit!"

Lin Feng was a bit shocked by Raul's appearance. On Raul's two shoulders sat a little boy of about two years old, and behind him was a little guy of about five years old, who timidly hid behind him and only peeked at Lin Feng with his head sticking out.

Combined with the greasy apron Raul was wearing, he looked exactly like a stay-at-home dad.

This is quite different from the image of a top assassin on the field, dressed in flowing white robes and capable of killing with a single blow!

But Raul's family has so many children! Besides the twin brothers and that five-year-old kid, I heard he also has a seven-year-old daughter.

Raul has only been married for a few years and already has four children...

Lin Feng tried to imagine himself in that situation, what if he also had four children...

He couldn't help but shudder; the scene was terrifying!

Raul's house is very big; the backyard is half the size of a football field.

When Lin Feng arrived, several Real Madrid players who had arrived earlier were playing around on the football field, while Ramos and Casillas were comfortably sunbathing on deck chairs nearby.

Spain has this advantage: sunny days and very few rainy days.

Unlike Britain, where it's constantly rainy and the sun rarely shines, creating a sense of inexplicable depression, this place is different.

"Lin, over here!"

When Ramos saw him, he waved to him warmly.

Casillas also sat up, took off his sunglasses, and nodded to Lin Feng.

As soon as Lin Feng sat down, he heard Ramos say:

"Lin, our goal this season is to win the Champions League trophy. Do you think we have a chance to achieve it?"

Lin Feng glanced at Ramos; the other man didn't seem to be joking.

"There is an opportunity, but it's difficult."

Lin Feng spoke frankly, saying that Real Madrid's current record is not as good as it seems.

But that's because they haven't encountered any truly strong teams. Due to internal and external troubles, Barcelona has lost its former competitiveness and is not a worthy opponent.

As for Roma, they are not actually a top team. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to beat Inter Milan when they were in poor form, and fall 11 points behind them in the league.

If Real Madrid had faced Inter Milan in the last round, Lin Feng felt that his old teammates would have been much tougher to deal with than Roma.

Putting everything else aside, Inter Milan's midfield strength is unmatched by Roma's. With Cambiasso, Vieira, and Stankovic, their midfield toughness is simply outrageous.

Besides Inter Milan, several Premier League teams, especially Manchester United and Chelsea, have also been incredibly strong this season.

If Real Madrid were to face them in the knockout stage, they might not necessarily advance.

"That's right, given our current state, it will be very difficult for us to win the championship."

Therefore, we not only need to strive to improve our own strength, but also to eliminate all distractions and grudges, uniting all players within the team, thinking and working together towards a common goal. Only in this way can we maximize our chances of winning!

Lin Feng sensed that Casillas' words had a hidden meaning.

Sure enough, before Casillas could finish speaking, Ramos interrupted:
"Brother Cassie is absolutely right. If we don't unite, how can we defeat a powerful enemy? Brother Lin, I want to apologize to you first. If I offended you in any way before, please forgive me and don't hold it against me!"

Ramos blushed, as if these words were extremely difficult to say.

He has a fiery temper and a impulsive personality, so making him bow down and apologize like a submissive wife was really a bit of a challenge for him. "What happened before? I don't remember anything happening before!"

Lin Feng's answer left Ramos completely baffled, and he immediately became anxious:

"So, about how I treated you badly before, and how I sided with the captain and the others to ostracize you, damn it, Brother Lin, you can't hold a grudge like that!"

Casillas, who was standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch anymore. He could have just apologized himself, but why did he have to drag everyone, including the captain, into it?

"Ahem, Ramos, he said he doesn't remember what happened before, so he's forgiven you. Don't embarrass yourself anymore."

"Oh, I see! You scared me to death! I thought he was still holding a grudge and wouldn't forgive me!"

Although Ramos's attitude was somewhat disrespectful to Lin Feng, he didn't do anything too outrageous, and Lin Feng really didn't need to hold a grudge over these things.

"Hey, Brother Raul said Lin, you're the best player on our team, so you'd better put in a lot more effort in the upcoming games!"

Ramos, who had just received Lin Feng's forgiveness, immediately changed his attitude, putting his arm around Lin Feng's shoulder as if he were an old friend he had known for ten years.

"I can't win the game by myself, even if I work myself to death. To win the final victory, everyone has to work together!"

"That's right, we need to unite as one to achieve good results!"

Raul appeared behind the group, carrying a plate of roasted meat.
"The barbecue is ready. Would you like to try my and your sister-in-law's cooking?"

Raul's skills are good, but Casillas's are even better.

His grilled meat is truly fatty yet not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; it takes at least ten years of experience to achieve this level of skill.

Lin Feng also tried it, but his cooking was so bad that everyone found it hard to swallow.

"Damn, Lin, what are you grilling? Is this even edible?"

Ramos stared at the culinary abomination in his hand, too afraid to even open his mouth.

"Haha, Lin, if you had half the talent you have for football when it comes to grilling meat, you'd definitely be a grilling master!"

Raul joked from the side, and everyone laughed along, filling the courtyard with a joyful atmosphere.

After a satisfying meal, everyone lined up and comfortably lay on deck chairs, chatting about football and various gossip from the entertainment industry.

Suddenly someone spoke up:
"Have you heard? Ronaldinho is having another conflict with the Barcelona club's management!"

"Why did the conflict arise? Was it because of poor performance on the field?"

"Not entirely, I've heard there are other reasons!"

"Even in this state, why does he still refuse to transfer to AC Milan? I heard that AC Milan's offer has already been submitted to Barcelona during the winter break. As long as Ronaldinho agrees, he can start a new challenge in Serie A!"

"Who knows? Maybe they couldn't agree on the terms. He was getting the highest salary in the team at Barcelona, ​​but he might not get that much at AC Milan."

"With Ronaldinho not focused on the game, Barcelona's chances this season are probably over!"

"That's right. In the Champions League knockout stage a few days ago, they almost lost to Celtic away from home. Now that something like this is happening within the team, I think Barcelona will only make it to the quarterfinals at best, and then stop there!"

"If that's the case, then Barcelona poses no threat to us!"

"We still can't underestimate them. Our goal this season is the championship. As long as Barcelona isn't eliminated, they will still be a threat to us!"

While everyone verbally urged each other not to let their guard down, they had already mentally excluded Barcelona from their list of competitors.

This season, the only teams that can pose a threat to Real Madrid in the Champions League are probably the two Premier League giants and the two Milan clubs.

Comparatively, Serie A, due to its decline, is perceived as less of a threat than the rising Premier League.

This season, among the Premier League's top four, Manchester United and Chelsea are the most formidable.

Real Madrid fans have a premonition that they will likely face one of these two teams in the quarterfinals or semifinals.

If this comes to fruition, it would likely be the biggest test Real Madrid will ever face.

……

Perhaps it was Raul's barbecue party that had an effect, as Real Madrid, returning from their away game, went on a winning streak in the league.

In the 25th round of La Liga, Real Madrid defeated their younger brother Getafe 1-0 at home.

Then, in the 26th round away game, they came from behind to defeat Huelva 3-1.

In the 27th round, Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-0 at home, achieving a three-game winning streak after losing to Real Betis.

On March 5, the second leg of the Champions League Round of 3 began.

Returning to their home ground, Real Madrid defeated Roma 2-0 with goals from Lin Feng and Raul, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 5-1 aggregate score.

After being eliminated in the round of 16 for three consecutive seasons, Real Madrid has finally reached the Champions League quarterfinals again after four years.

This moved many longtime Real Madrid fans to tears, who exclaimed that it was dawn!

Unlike Real Madrid's smooth progression, Barcelona's path to the next round was much more difficult.

In the first leg, Barcelona nearly suffered a defeat against Celtic away from home, but ultimately came back to win 3-2 after paying a heavy price.

I thought things would be better back at home, but Barcelona still had a tough time.

In this match, Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry, Eto'o and others all failed to score, and it was Iniesta, who came on as a substitute, who scored a goal to help Barcelona defeat their opponents 1-0 and advance to the quarterfinals with an aggregate score of 4-2.

As for Sevilla, the other La Liga team that made it to the round of 16, they weren't so lucky.

After a 5-5 draw with Fenerbahce, Sevilla were dragged into a penalty shootout, where they missed two penalties at home, thus missing the chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

Sevilla's good fortune seems to be less effective in the Champions League; the Europa League is their true home ground.

Compared to Serie A, La Liga is doing relatively well, with at least two teams advancing to the quarterfinals.

All three Serie A teams were eliminated this round, with Inter Milan suffering a 0-3 defeat to Liverpool, creating an embarrassing record of the defending champions being eliminated in the round of 16.

AC Milan were thrashed at home by Arsenal, losing 0-2 and jeopardizing the team's future.

Lyon, the last remaining team in Ligue 1, fought back against the formidable Manchester United, but ultimately fell short and were eliminated with an aggregate score of 1-2.

Manchester United became the third Premier League team to advance to the quarterfinals, following Liverpool and Arsenal.

But they weren't the last. A day later, Chelsea beat Olympiacos 3-0, securing the final ticket to the next round.

With this, all four Premier League teams have advanced to the quarterfinals, a piece of news that has shaken the entire European football world.

This season's Premier League is terrifyingly strong! (End of Chapter)