It was certain that once Van Nistelrooy left, Manchester United would build their team entirely around Ronaldo—not Rooney!
So if Ronaldo were to transfer to Real Madrid, he would inevitably have to compete with Su Hang. In his eyes, Su Hang was simply the next Rooney.
That was the path Ronaldo had chosen for his growth—unchangeable.
But could he really outshine Su Hang at Real Madrid?
Even Jorge Mendes, who had unwavering faith in Ronaldo, knew that was unrealistic.
Su Hang had toppled Queiroz before even securing his own position.
When he became captain, he forced out Camacho.
Once captain again, he swiftly ousted Luxemburgo.
Su Hang had brought down head coaches one after another—coaches who literally held the power of life and death over players.
Now, as double captain with a Treble under his belt and peak individual stats, he was essentially a stronger version of Raúl—someone who had once overshadowed superstars like Figo, Zidane, and Ronaldo when they joined the club.
A mighty dragon cannot suppress the local one. What could Ronaldo possibly use to challenge Su Hang?
At least for now, he couldn't.
That's why Mendes flatly rejected Calderón's offer and immediately contacted Ferguson, assuring him that he would handle Ronaldo's emotions.
Ferguson, meanwhile, focused on calming the fans and Rooney.
But the fans' anger still needed an outlet.
Since they couldn't vent it on Ronaldo, English supporters turned their fury toward Rooney instead.
They blamed England's World Cup exit entirely on him.
Even with ten men, England had managed to draw with Portugal—so with eleven, they surely would have won.
This anger mirrored the outrage fans had shown toward Beckham back in the 1998 World Cup.
To the English, such blame felt completely justified.
In most other countries, fans wouldn't treat a player who had contributed so much to the team in this way.
They might feel regret, sigh, or lament—but rarely would they go to such extremes to attack and boycott someone who gave everything on the pitch.
It could only be said that this was part of English football tradition.
Their expectations were simply too high; they consistently overestimated both their strength and what they could achieve.
...
On July 1st, France faced Brazil in what was practically a World Cup final-level clash.
Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho—two of the world's top attacking midfielders—went head-to-head in a brilliant duel.
In the first half, Zidane shone brighter, playing as if he had turned back the clock to his prime.
In the 25th minute, Brazil's right-back Cafu lost possession and pulled his opponent's shirt, earning a yellow card.
In the 44th minute, Zidane received the ball deep in his own half, glided past two defenders with effortless elegance, and threaded a perfect pass through the lines. Brazil's center-back Juan brought down the charging Vieira from behind and was booked.
The French players were furious—they believed it should've been a red card.
And truthfully, they were right.
France took the resulting free kick straight at goal. Ronaldo, part of Brazil's wall, deliberately blocked the ball with his arm and was shown another yellow card.
The score remained 0–0, but Brazil's weakness was showing.
Meanwhile, Kaká—who had recently joined the ranks of the world's top attacking midfielders through his stellar performances and bright image at AC Milan—was completely overshadowed by Zidane and Ronaldinho.
He was still young, still needed time to grow.
In the 53rd minute, France converted a free kick, and Henry found the net—but it was ruled offside.
Then, in the 57th minute, the decisive moment arrived.
Zidane lofted a delicate pass to Malouda on the left flank, who won a free kick.
Zidane then delivered it perfectly into the box, linking up with Henry for the goal.
It was the first—and only—goal the two ever combined for in the national team.
Notably, when Zidane took the free kick, Roberto Carlos—the defender assigned to mark Henry—was bending down to tie his shoelaces.
He offered zero pressure and completely lost track of France's deadliest striker.
For a team aiming for the championship, such a mistake was unforgivable.
Still, given everything that had happened leading up to the tournament, it was almost understandable.
Before the World Cup began, Brazil had opened their training sessions entirely to the media, even selling tickets to journalists and fans.
Most of their "training" consisted of lighthearted games.
In their final session, Kaká was even placed in defense.
Other stars did whatever they pleased, flaunting their privileges with no discipline or structure whatsoever.
The so-called "Magical Quartet," along with Brazil's other big names, had completely lost control.
Commercial interests and lingering glory from the past had disrupted Brazil's preparation.
Even Ronaldinho, who still showed flashes of brilliance, was too obsessed with dribbling and lacked cooperation with teammates.
As a result, he had yet to produce a single goal or assist.
It was a sharp contrast to Su Hang, who had already notched a hat-trick for Spain.
At first, no one had ever thought to compare Su Hang with Ronaldinho—it seemed absurd.
But now, that question was on everyone's mind:
If Ronaldinho was a Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year, then what did that make Su Hang—who had surpassed him in every statistic and honor this season?
The question left everyone shaking their heads.
Ridiculous! Impossible!
But if Su Hang's rise was "impossible," then why had Ronaldinho's been accepted so easily?
It was a question worth thinking about.
Just as many fans tended to idolize foreign players,
European football at that time carried its own bias toward South Americans—
they always seemed to become superstars with less resistance.
In the 63rd minute, Brazil substituted Adriano for Juninho in an attempt to push forward.
In the 74th, France's right-back Sagnol was booked for a foul, followed quickly by Brazil's Lucio.
In the 76th, Cafu was forced off with an injury and replaced by Real Madrid's Cicinho.
In the 79th, Real Madrid star Robinho replaced Kaká as Brazil made their final push.
But just as they were gaining momentum, Ronaldo was brought down near the top of the box by Saha and Thuram.
Ronaldinho's free kick that followed sailed over the crossbar.
The two Brazilian winners of the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year had created Brazil's best chance of the half—but luck wasn't on their side.
In the end, France defeated Brazil 1–0 and advanced to the semifinals.
Brazil's World Cup journey was over.
It was also the final World Cup appearance for legends like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu.
Ronaldo finished with 15 goals in 19 World Cup matches, surpassing Germany's Gerd Müller and becoming the all-time top scorer in tournament history.
After the match, even Ronaldinho admitted, "Zidane's performance showed the world that football knows no age limits."
Kaká added, "It's hard to believe such a powerful player will retire after this summer. He could easily play three more years—three world-class years!"
...
And now, the world's attention turned to Berlin's Olympiastadion.
In just over an hour, the last semifinalist of this World Cup would emerge.
Italy, Portugal, France...
Next up—would it be the host nation, the German War Machine?
Or the Spanish Matadors, who had shattered their "Qualifiers King" reputation?
Let's wait and see!