It had to be said—Japanese media really knew how to make a scene.
Su Hang had merely recognized his two wives while eating, yet it somehow turned into a massive spectacle.
Out of courtesy, he could only give them match tickets.
Compared with Japan's dating-show-style coverage, the professional football press focused on the real significance of Real Madrid's trip.
Marca: "Real Madrid heads to Japan for a Club World Cup battle, launching a charge for the seventh title of the calendar year!"
AS: "Seven titles within reach! Real Madrid's true rival isn't América, but Internacional!"
The London Globe: "Seven titles in hand, brilliance beyond measure! Su Hang faces the miracle of an eighth trophy in the calendar year—whether achieved or not, it would be truly groundbreaking!"
The FIFA Club World Cup, organized by FIFA, brings together the top clubs from six continents.
Europe is represented by last season's Champions League winner—Real Madrid.
The other five teams are:
the Copa Libertadores champions Internacional of Brazil,
the CAF Champions League winners Al-Ahly of Egypt,
the CONCACAF Champions League winners América of Mexico,
the AFC Champions League winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea,
and the OFC Champions League winners Auckland City of New Zealand.
This tournament replaced the Toyota Cup and carries far greater prestige.
Naturally, powerhouses like Real Madrid and Internacional advanced straight to the semifinals.
Real Madrid's semifinal opponent, América, had already beaten Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1–0.
Internacional's opponent, Al-Ahly, had earlier defeated Auckland City 2–0.
On December 13, the Club World Cup semifinals kicked off.
Nissan Stadium was packed with 63,000 spectators.
In the VIP stand near Real Madrid's side, Satomi Ishihara and Yui Aragaki arrived early, holding hands as they cheered.
Though neither was a newcomer—they had already appeared in several films and dramas—
this level of attention was completely unprecedented.
Just the night before, their agency had already received several film offers,
and the number of scripts kept climbing.
Many of them were roles they had once wanted but could never get.
At last, they understood Jennifer's happiness.
This drove the Korean entertainment industry furious.
One Korean lawmaker even publicly lambasted the industry, saying:
"Our huge country has trained so many outstanding girl-group members solely to entertain conglomerates,
yet in the end we can't even land a single athlete!
Look at Japan—they sent two at once!
That's the difference!"
The incident forced the Korean entertainment industry into deep reflection.
They took inspiration from striptease and developed a dance style aimed primarily at attracting men, planting the seeds for a future rise.
On the pitch, the commentator began introducing both lineups.
Real Madrid's squad drew the most attention.
In pursuit of the seventh title, they fielded their strongest possible team:
Su Hang, Van Nistelrooy, Raúl
Zidane, Diarra, Emerson
Roberto Carlos, Cannavaro, Kompany, Sergio Ramos
Casillas
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América also had some familiar faces.
For example, forward Claudio López, nicknamed "The Little Worm."
He rose to fame after joining La Liga at twenty-two.
The club he played for back then was Valencia—the same team that had just handed Real Madrid a defeat.
Those years marked the peak of his career.
In 2000, López joined the Blue Eagles of Lazio for a transfer fee of $32 million.
What surprised Su Hang, though, was noticing that América's goalkeeper was a twenty-one-year-old youngster when the teams lined up.
"Hey, kid, you don't look old enough to be here," Su Hang called out jokingly.
The opposing keeper was completely caught off guard.
But since it was a greeting from a Ballon d'Or winner, he quickly smiled and replied:
"Su, hello. I'm your fan. I grew up watching you play."
Su Hang nodded, accepting the polite exchange.
In reality, the two were just trading courtesy remarks.
Then Zidane asked from behind Su Hang, "You know him?"
Su Hang shook his head slightly. "Not personally, but he's a pretty good goalkeeper."
Zidane said, "A keeper this young will have a long career. I see a bit of Casillas in him."
Su Hang replied, "Yeah, they're similar—both very capable. This guy is still active even years down the line and has won Golden Gloves in some competitions."
Ochoa made his professional debut at eighteen and became the starter due to an injury to the team's veteran keeper.
In 2006, at just twenty-one, he became Mexico's third-choice national goalkeeper and took part in that year's World Cup.
He then shone for América.
Barring surprises, he was expected to become one of the foreign nominees for European Footballer of the Year the following year.
Standing only 1.83 meters tall, he was a typical smaller-framed goalkeeper.
His fundamentals were solid, his performances steady, his reflexes lightning-fast, his dives quick, his rebound saves excellent, and his anticipation outstanding.
His biggest flaw was that he never played for a true powerhouse.
He stayed at América for far too long.
He didn't move to Ligue 1 until he was twenty-seven, joining AC Ajaccio.
At thirty, he bounced between Málaga, Standard Liège, Granada, and Salernitana,
yet never truly entered Europe's mainstream spotlight.
If he had found a way into one of the top five leagues earlier,
his achievements might not have matched Casillas, but he would at least have had a chance to compete with Joe Hart, Bernd Leno, or Hugo Lloris—
instead of having his major breakout come much later on the international stage.
With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
Japanese fans were incredibly passionate, cheering for Real Madrid from start to finish.
The stands were a sea of white shirts,
with Su Hang's number nine jersey by far the most common.
América fans: Damn!
Yet throughout the entire first half, Real Madrid failed to score.
They were unquestionably dominant,
but despite firing seventeen shots before halftime, the ball never slipped past Ochoa's ten fingers.
The twenty-one-and-a-half-year-old Ochoa pulled off one miraculous save after another, like an impenetrable wall of bronze.
He even initiated a counterattack that nearly resulted in Real Madrid conceding.
Throughout the first half, Real Madrid's players also repeatedly questioned the referee,
who was far too lenient with América's rough fouls.
The defining trait of América's style was brutality—physical battles and iron-blooded play.
That was an issue of attitude, not ability.
And that attitude was exactly what domestic football lacked most.
The national team played like a pile of crap, yet still tried to be polite.
In competitive sports, only winners have the right to be polite.
For losers, that's just showing weakness.
At halftime, Real Madrid made tactical adjustments.
But the opening minutes of the second half were still awkward.
Zidane and Su Hang hadn't fully clicked yet.
That changed in the fifty-first minute.
A foul by América injured Van Nistelrooy.
The injury wasn't serious, but Capello didn't dare keep him on, substituting Cassano in his place.
Su Hang moved to center forward, with Cassano shifting to left wing.
Unexpectedly, the moment the positions changed, Zidane and Su Hang immediately found their rhythm.
Because when feeding the striker, every pass was a percentage ball—
there was no such thing as a guaranteed, easy pass. The opposing defense simply wouldn't allow it.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser