Chapter 182: Championship Night! If You Want to Keep Climbing, You Need to Learn to Be More Selfish
The CCTV-5 broadcast crew was once again busy preparing to fly out to Spain.
Witnessing Leon and Real Madrid defend their La Liga crown live was a big deal — not just historically, but ratings-wise.
This time, Duan Xuan couldn't make the trip, so He Wei and Xu Yang led the production team onto the plane bound for Madrid.
Back in China, before the state broadcaster even rolled out its official campaign, Leon's domestic PR team had already thrown money at every available media outlet to fire up the hype machine.
Some Chinese media groups, who Mendes had long cultivated for these moments, were now putting their full weight behind the narrative.
They knew the tastes of the Chinese audience intimately.
Their headlines?
Ridiculously over-the-top — but extremely effective.
"Leon Claims His 10th Career Title! Ten Titles at Just 22 Years Old!"
"Third Major League Title in Three Years — Leon's Rise Mirrors Madrid's Rebirth!"
"From Near Discard to Bernabéu Darling"
"The Asian Miracle Marches On!"
When Leon saw these headlines and their growing buzz index on his phone, he was amused — and just a little embarrassed.
Okay, fine. Technically, none of the headlines were incorrect.
But come on, the wording was a bit much.
That "discard to darling" one especially — what nonsense. Back when he was loaned to Milan, Mourinho had made it clear he would never sell him permanently.
How was he ever a "discard"?
Shaking his head, Leon put down his phone.
After finishing breakfast, he grabbed his car keys, gave a quick heads-up to the assistant working at his house, and headed for the garage.
Today wasn't for extra training. He was due at the training center for regular recovery work.
Mourinho had wanted to give both Leon and Ronaldo one more day off, but the tight schedule for the rescheduled match left no room.
And after that nerve-wracking close call in Round 34, Mourinho decided it was better to lock in the title now — then relax later.
Neither Leon nor Ronaldo had any objections. Their fitness levels were fine, and the rest of the squad was in good shape too.
So even on what should've been a quiet post-match morning, Valdebebas was full of noise and energy.
Players who had featured in the match were going through medical checks, while others were already warming up.
At that moment, Karanka walked beside Mourinho, visibly hesitant, conflicted about saying something.
But after a pause, he covered his mouth and leaned in to relay a "request" from club CEO Sánchez.
"Leon's not in a rush to renew?"
Mourinho turned to him with an odd expression.
If Leon wasn't in a rush, then either he didn't like the contract duration or he wasn't happy with the salary. Simple. Let the club keep negotiating.
Why was this his problem? He wasn't about to be the club's messenger boy, trying to talk Leon into signing an extension.
"Jorge Mendes keeps putting off meeting the negotiations team. Leon said he's delegated everything to Mendes. So Sánchez is hoping you could schedule a meeting with Mendes. He wants to talk face-to-face."
Karanka explained further.
Mourinho understood — but he still didn't immediately agree, even though Mendes was both a friend and a key partner.
Karanka didn't press. He had done his part by delivering the message. Whether Mourinho helped or not was now a matter of personal discretion.
"By the way, can I know a little about the club's proposal? Just what you think is okay to share."
Before moving on, Mourinho's curiosity got the better of him. He threw an arm over Karanka's shoulder.
Karanka didn't hold back. It wasn't classified info, and Mourinho would learn all the details from Mendes soon enough anyway.
"The offer is a five-year deal. Image rights can stay as is. Salary doubled. But they want to set a €150 million release clause."
Mourinho nodded, thoughtful, then dropped the topic with unspoken understanding.
Later that day, after training ended, Leon walked into his living room to find Jorge Mendes already waiting.
Leon wasn't surprised — Mendes had called him during the drive home.
"Jorge."
"Little Lion, good work today. Come sit. I've got the renewal proposal right here."
Straight to business.
Leon didn't waste time either. He took Mendes' phone and began reading.
"I haven't agreed to meet with Sánchez yet," Mendes explained, loosening his tie. "You know the deal. Nothing's final, and we still have room to negotiate. But this offer shows they're serious."
Leon read through the terms in silence.
Then the two of them shared a look — and both laughed.
"This deal? Not gonna work."
Hearing the answer he'd hoped for, Mendes let out a sigh of relief.
"Which part — the duration, salary, or release clause?"
"Salary and clause are negotiable. But the five-year term is too long. And more importantly, I want to talk about the image rights."
Leon's tone was firm.
This time, Mendes didn't argue — unlike a year ago, when he'd persuaded Leon to concede partial rights for the sake of long-term growth.
But now? Everything had changed.
Leon's image rights were no longer just a bargaining chip — they were a goldmine.
Even giving up 20% would hurt Mendes, let alone the 40% Leon ceded before.
Back then, Leon needed Real Madrid's global clout to build a name in the Chinese market.
But now, Mendes was already preparing to expand Leon's commercial empire during the offseason.
Back then, giving up image rights meant Leon earned more overall.
Now? Giving them up meant hemorrhaging millions.
Even if Leon didn't care, Mendes absolutely did.
Next year, when Leon turns 23, Mendes is confident he can push Leon's annual income past €100 million.
Even being selective with brand deals, he could hit that target by the end of this year.
At that point, Leon's income would dwarf every footballer on earth — including Messi and Ronaldo.
And this was only the beginning — only with a partially developed Chinese market.
The days of "co-developing Leon's brand with Real Madrid" were over.
This was the harsh truth.
One side would have to compromise. There was no way around it.
Leon's image rights were now pure gold.
Even if other players on the team didn't fight over it, Mendes was going to get every cent Leon deserved.
Think about it — Leon was only 22, and already capable of earning €100 million a year.
What about at 24 or 25, when his form peaked?
Giving in to Real Madrid's global strategy would mean losing over €100 million annually in four to five years.
There's no way Mendes would go along with that.
Leon had made up his mind — but he still left room to negotiate.
"Take your time. There's no rush to close this. But don't push the club too hard. Keep it quiet, both sides. As long as no one talks, the locker room won't get tense. It's up to them to show goodwill."
Mendes smiled. He understood. Leon didn't want to ruin relationships. His loyalty still ran deep.
"Alright. I'll have my people start informal talks with the club. We'll take it slow.
But you — keep pushing. Another league title will be amazing. And if you lift that Champions League trophy this year?
Then we'll be negotiating from an even stronger position."
The two of them, still basking in the post-victory high, imagined what it would be like to defend the Champions League title at the end of May — and once again, they burst into laughter at the same time.
If Real Madrid really did go back-to-back in the Champions League, then as a guaranteed starter, Leon's future would be limitless.
After seeing Mendes off, Leon didn't give the contract negotiations a second thought.
He still had two years left on his deal with Real Madrid. Even if the talks didn't go anywhere this time, there was no rush.
He wasn't living off his €4 million salary anymore — if they couldn't reach an agreement, well, they could just keep negotiating.
The previous €80 million release clause seemed fair to him already — bumping it up to €150 million? Was that really necessary?
Leon didn't believe any club would pay €80 million for him right now, let alone €150 million.
It's not like he was Neymar. And even if he did transfer, he wouldn't go to some oil-rich super club.
He chuckled at the thought, then pushed the distractions from his mind and headed for a shower before dinner.
Over the next day and a half, Mendes didn't send a single message about the renewal talks.
Leon also shifted his full focus to the upcoming makeup match against Espanyol.
On the evening of May 7th, under a stadium flooded with media, photographers, and lights, Real Madrid's players finally stepped onto the pitch at the Bernabéu to warm up.
He Wei and Xu Yang were already in the commentary booth running final tech checks.
As the players finished warm-ups and gathered for last-minute instructions, CCTV-5's broadcast went live right on schedule.
Tens of millions of fans across China watched as the camera panned across the players — catching Leon mid-joke with Ronaldo and Marcelo.
His sharp looks, natural confidence, and calm energy immediately won over the viewers once again.
No one doubted Real Madrid would seal the title tonight.
Everything had been building up to this moment — failing to win would've felt criminal.
Seeing Madrid's players joke and smile under such pressure earned them another round of praise from the media and neutral fans.
After the pre-match ceremonies and handshakes, the mood inside the stadium suddenly tightened.
At exactly 7:00 PM Madrid time, the referee's whistle blew — and the match that would decide the La Liga title was underway.
Madrid lined up with their full-strength 4-3-3, while Espanyol opted for a compact 4-5-1.
Leon and Modrić started as the two advanced midfielders, with Alonso sitting behind them.
This midfield trio had become Real Madrid's most trusted configuration throughout the second half of the season.
Espanyol tried to lock down the center early, but Leon and Modrić's alternating forward runs quickly disrupted their structure.
Benzema's intelligent drops into midfield helped redistribute the ball and allowed Madrid's wing attacks to flow freely — his sacrifice made the system work.
With the front line firing, Madrid's tempo rose fast.
Today, Marcelo replaced Coentrão in the starting lineup — and he proved once again to be Ronaldo's ideal offensive partner.
With Leon offering support and covering space behind him, Marcelo made aggressive overlapping runs without hesitation.
Espanyol's right flank was under tremendous pressure.
It was like being attacked by a top-tier winger and a world-class fullback at the same time.
Víctor Sánchez and Javi López tried to hold firm, but it was simply too much.
From the sideline, Mourinho quietly sighed.
He had once believed Coentrão was the answer — but after a series of injuries, the trust was broken.
If he couldn't provide solid cover behind Ronaldo, then at least he could offer attacking firepower.
Yes, this created some risk down the left flank.
But with Ramos able to shift over and Leon shielding expertly, it wasn't a major weakness.
Marcelo knew this was a chance to reclaim his starting spot, and he was on fire.
He overlapped, cut inside, pulled defenders — and constantly gave Ronaldo room to explode.
Behind them, Leon provided the anchor and transition link that made the whole structure work.
It was a ruthless forward press.
Espanyol's right flank — and eventually their entire right side — was getting shredded.
Outmatched and scrambling, they had to pull numbers over to plug the gaps.
That left the center and left exposed — which is exactly what Modrić was waiting for.
In the 21st minute, Marcelo once again used Ronaldo's off-ball movement as cover and sliced into the box from the left.
His cutback caused instant chaos in Espanyol's penalty area.
Modrić calmly shifted the ball to the right side of the box — drawing defenders out of position again.
And then, Di María stepped in.
With a feint of his body and a sharp glance, he sold the keeper on one move and went the other way — finishing cleanly at the near post.
1–0.
The Bernabéu erupted.
In the heart of the trembling stadium, Di María didn't even have time to celebrate — Leon and Benzema tackled him to the grass in jubilation.
With that goal, the outcome was almost sealed.
In the VIP box, Florentino Pérez rose with a huge grin and applauded. Even the president of Espanyol smiled — happy to play a part in history.
Of course, Barça fans across the world were fuming.
Then, just ten minutes later, Ronaldo buried a free kick to make it 2–0 — and countless Barça supporters simply turned off their TVs.
La Liga 2012–13 was over.
The game hadn't even reached halftime, and the title was already out of reach.
Espanyol, understandably, began to play more passively. Madrid, to their credit, didn't humiliate them — they just kept control.
In the second half, Higuaín replaced Benzema and added Madrid's third.
That would be the final goal of the night.
The referee added two minutes of stoppage time, but with a minute left, the celebrations began.
The players remained professional, holding their positions.
Only when the final whistle blew did Leon scoop up the match ball and tuck it under his shirt.
Espanyol's players, smiling, came forward to congratulate the new champions.
Leon jogged over to the bench.
"Carlos! Carlos! Come here!"
He waved Casemiro over and, once he arrived, pulled the ball out and handed it to him.
"Remember how this moment feels. You need this more than we do — keep it. Work hard, my brother."
Leon smiled and gave him a warm hug.
The broadcast captured every second.
Fans who thought Leon wanted to keep the title-winning match ball for himself now flooded social media with praise for his humility and generosity.
Casemiro, eyes red, received congratulations from teammates and coaches alike.
From across the crowd, Mourinho raised a thumb at Leon.
After exchanging a few more words of encouragement, Leon turned to look for Nacho — ready to continue celebrating.
But just then, Higuaín stepped up.
"Gonzalo?"
"Little Lion."
They shook hands, hugged.
And then Higuaín dropped the bomb.
"I'm leaving Real Madrid. It's been an honor fighting alongside you these past three years."
There was emotion in his voice, a trace of nostalgia — but more than anything, there was a sense of relief.
Leon didn't know what to say.
All he could do was open his arms and give his teammate and brother one more heartfelt hug.
"If you want to keep climbing," Higuaín whispered, "you've got to learn to be a little more selfish, Little Lion.
You're ready for bigger things now."
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