Watching the live broadcast on television, Clara and Jennifer were both very satisfied with Su Hang's answer.
Clara immediately instructed her subordinates,
"Cancel tomorrow's meeting. I'm going to brush up on the latest World of Warcraft raid so I can take Su back there for a nostalgic run."
Jennifer also called her agent,
"I can't make tomorrow's commercial event. I need to study the latest version update of Fantasy Westward Journey so I can explain it properly to Su later."
After the match, rumors spread that Satomi Ishihara and Yui Aragaki had each landed advertising deals—one for Pokémon, the other for Dynasty Warriors.
Meanwhile, in the other Club World Cup semifinal, Internacional of Brazil defeated Al Ahly of Cairo 2–0.
Jeonbuk Hyundai later faced Auckland City, with Jeonbuk claiming victory to finish fifth in this Club World Cup.
Auckland City placed sixth.
This edition of the Club World Cup featured a total of six teams.
Then came the match between Al Ahly and América.
Encouraged by Su Hang, Ochoa's form continued to rise. With a Man of the Match performance, he led América to a 2–1 comeback victory over Al Ahly, securing third place in the tournament.
After the win, an emotional Ochoa said in an interview,
"I'm very grateful for Su Hang's encouragement. It was a key reason I was able to recover so quickly from our previous defeat."
"Su Hang told me I should try to move to Europe as early as possible, to bloom at the very center of world football."
"If the opportunity comes, I'll consider it. But right now, my priority is still to help América win the championships that belong to us."
Ochoa was still young and had only just secured his spot as a regular starter.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't the time for him to talk about "wanting to see Europe."
He should have been fully devoted to América.
But from a personal career-planning perspective, staying at América long-term offered little future.
Now, the gears of fate had begun to turn.
Ochoa's performances and attitude caught the attention of several European clubs.
Over the next period of time, they would observe him closely.
If Ochoa proved to be the real deal, then within a year or two, a move to one of the top five leagues would be almost inevitable.
December 16, La Liga Round 15.
Real Madrid traveled away to face Espanyol and secured a comfortable 3–1 victory.
Su Hang and Zidane were gradually finding chemistry, both adapting to each other's elite-level vision.
December 19, Real Madrid flew to Japan once again.
This time, they were set to face Internacional in a showdown for the final FIFA-recognized major trophy of the year.
On Real Madrid's side, Van Nistelrooy wouldn't return until the next league match, so adjustments were made to the forward line.
Robinho, Su Hang, Raúl
Zidane, Diarra, Emerson
Roberto Carlos, Cannavaro, Kompany, Sergio Ramos
Casillas
=
For Internacional, the center forward was their veteran captain, Fernandão.
However, most eyes were on the players flanking him.
Internacional's right winger was Adriano!
Of course, not the "Emperor" from Inter Milan—
this was Luís Adriano.
The nineteen-year-old had already attracted the attention of Ukrainian Premier League giants Shakhtar Donetsk. Barring any surprises, he was expected to transfer there in the first half of the following year.
Shakhtar Donetsk were also one of Europe's famous "talent factories," known for producing national-team players from Eastern Europe.
Later in his career, Adriano would go on to play for Spartak Moscow, further broadening his experience in European football.
Internacional's left winger was even more impressive.
His name was Alexandre Pato.
If nothing unexpected happened, AC Milan would spend €22 million the following summer to sign this prodigy, who wasn't even eighteen yet.
He would go on to win the 2009 Golden Boy Award, beating out Jovetić, Bojan, Balotelli, Moutinho, Kjær, Marin, Santon, Paloschi, and other highly rated youngsters.
Speaking of the Golden Boy Award, the 2006 winner was announced in early December.
Arsenal's Fàbregas claimed the prize, with last year's winner Messi finishing second and Portuguese midfield talent Anderson placing third.
Fàbregas edged out Messi mainly thanks to his standout performances at the World Cup.
As for Su Hang, the Golden Boy Award should have included his name as well.
But after he won the Ballon d'Or, his name was quietly removed from the list.
Otherwise, it would have been downright self-humiliating.
Were they even worthy of presenting an award to Su Hang?
Returning to Pato—he once became the great hope of AC Milan fans.
But the player nicknamed "The Duck" indulged himself too much. After getting involved with AC Milan's heiress Barbara, he was completely drained, plagued by injuries, and his form fell off a cliff.
Later in his career, Pato returned to Brazil and had a stint with Corinthians, but his time there fell short of expectations and never truly lived up to his reputation.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Brick Radio. You're watching the FIFA Club World Cup Final, brought to you by Derek Rae and Stewart Robson!"
"This match is hugely significant for Real Madrid, as it could become their seventh title of the calendar year."
"Seven crowns—unprecedented! Can Real Madrid create history?"
"We can see Japanese fans cheering enthusiastically for Real Madrid. The two beautiful women shown on screen are Japanese actresses Satomi Ishihara and Yui Aragaki."
"Japanese entertainment media report that yesterday, Satomi Ishihara and Yui Aragaki personally hosted Su Hang. After dinner, Su Hang even accompanied them to Satomi Ishihara's residence for two hours."
"Alright, kickoff is underway!"
"Internacional launch the first attack. They're playing aggressively—this is the hallmark of South American teams. Can Real Madrid withstand the Brazilians' opening trio of blows?"
The answer was yes.
In the fourth minute, Real Madrid won possession and immediately launched a counterattack, pushing the entire formation forward.
Roberto Carlos led the charge.
After all, they were facing Brazilian players, and within Brazilian football, Roberto Carlos was a towering figure—a true boss.
Against these younger compatriots, shouldn't he give them a proper lesson?
Carlos carried the ball forward, pushing it past the halfway line before laying it off to Zidane and continuing his run.
Zidane glanced toward Carlos's movement, but with his feet, he instead delivered a perfectly weighted lofted through ball, finding Su Hang at the top of the penalty arc.
Su Hang held off Internacional's center-back to bring the ball under control, then felt the defender behind him beginning to apply force.