The All-Around Center Forward

A fervent atmosphere permeated Spain.

This added an explosive element to the upcoming seventh round of La Liga, which was also the Spanish National Derby.

This season, both Barcelona and Real Madrid had been somewhat unstable at the start of the season.

Their records were not as brilliant as before, and there were some mistakes and problems in their matches.

This led many media outlets to speculate whether Real Madrid and Barcelona were entering a period of decline.

No team remains at its peak indefinitely; problems of one kind or another are bound to arise over time.

So-called giants utilize ample funds and a rational club structure to continuously inject fresh blood into the club, thereby keeping it active in top-tier competitions.

For example, after the 'Champions League Round of 16' era, Real Madrid spent huge sums to acquire players like Suker, Kaka, Srna, Alonso, Di Maria, Benzema, and Bale.

They practically replaced their entire first team!

And under this reorganization, the club gained a new, stronger vitality.

Two consecutive Champions League titles!

The insane Sextuple were all achieved on this foundation!

Barcelona was also the same; they each had their own foundations, long-term prosperity measures, and methods.

And now, both clubs had entered a period of instability, which could be seen from their records and match performances.

Because of this, many people were curious about how these two clubs would reorganize!

Of course, so far, neither club had made any response in this regard.

Barcelona, Camp Nou stadium.

If one were to name the most unpopular person in Barcelona, it would probably be Real Madrid.

If specifically pointing to one person, it would be Suker!

There was no way around it!

For Barcelona, Real Madrid was the biggest obstacle in their way, and Suker was Real Madrid's number one star.

If Suker were not a Real Madrid player, they might appreciate him.

But under the prefix of Real Madrid, they simply couldn't bring themselves to like him.

Boo~~~~~!!!

A storm of boos surged!

The boos from 100,000 fans at Camp Nou were not easily digested.

The earth-shattering boos made it feel suffocating to be there in person.

As the hottest top-tier Derby at this stage!

The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid naturally attracted the attention of countless fans, and even some opposing teams in the Champions League would cross divisions to watch this game.

Knowing oneself and one's enemy leads to victory in every battle; for them, this pivotal match was key to finding the problems of these two teams.

For example, teams like Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City were crossing divisions to watch this match on television.

On the field, Suker was warming up.

He was already used to the intense boos from the crowd.

Having played in La Liga for three seasons, they had faced Barcelona too many times, but based on the good foundation they had laid previously, they didn't believe they would lose to Barcelona.

Moreover, for Suker, suppressing Barcelona was key!

At the very least, while he was still playing in La Liga, Barcelona shouldn't even think about raising their heads.

The warm-up session ended, and both teams' players returned to the locker rooms for final preparations.

"I don't think I need to say much; you all know this match won't be a gentle one!"

Mourinho no longer emphasized the so-called hostile relationship.

Perhaps it was Guardiola's departure!

Or perhaps it was Real Madrid's continuous suppression of Barcelona!

More likely, Mourinho had already decided to leave and didn't want to provoke the fans any further.

Suker was unsure of Mourinho's psychological journey, but this was a good thing.

At the very least, it would make things less difficult for Spanish internationals like Ramos!

Of course, the match would still be intense!

Confrontation was always present; after all, it was El Clásico, and without a few yellow cards and fierce clashes, it couldn't be called a Derby.

Finally, Mourinho once again emphasized general discipline before letting the players head towards the player tunnel.

Ramos, wearing the captain's armband, stood at the very front.

For Barcelona, it was Xavi!

When Suker first joined Real Madrid, Raul and Puyol were the captains for both sides.

Now, three years had passed, and things had long since changed.

Even Casillas might be purged.

Suker stood at the end of the line, ready.

Beside him was Messi.

But the two had no interaction whatsoever; besides other aspects, their professional positions alone indicated that it would be difficult for them to become friends.

At this moment, the teams began to move, and both sets of players felt a surge of excitement.

The match was about to begin!

The starting lineups for both teams were as follows:

Barcelona (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Valdes.

Defenders: Alves, Mascherano, Adriano, Alba.

Midfielders: Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta.

Forwards: Pedro, Messi, Fabregas.

Real Madrid (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Adán.

Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Carvalho, Carvajal.

Midfielders: Di Maria, Casemiro, Kroos.

Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.

"Real Madrid's lineup has undergone significant changes; the young Carvajal appears at left-back, but I remember him playing on the right, and the midfield has undergone a large-scale rotation. Last season, Real Madrid's midfield was still the combination of Khedira, Alonso, and Kaka, but now it's a complete reorganization, of course, this is also due to Kaka's injury."

"There are no changes in the frontline: Bale, Benzema, and Suker, which is also Real Madrid's best attacking combination."

González continued: "Let's look at Barcelona's lineup!"

"The defensive line has almost no major differences. With Pique's injury not fully healed, Mascherano and Adriano serve as the two center-backs. Facing a strong opponent like Real Madrid, they dare not use the risky three-center-back tactic; the formation is relatively stable!"

"The midfield has undergone significant changes. Ever since Barcelona promoted Fabregas, Xavi and Iniesta have rarely played together, and Fabregas has also been playing in the midfield, at least for the previous six rounds."

"But facing Real Madrid, Barcelona has brought out all their combat power, and Fabregas has once again appeared on the left wing!"

Under the camera, Fabregas's expression wasn't very good.

Of course, he could understand the Head Coach's decision, and he had talked to him about it.

But in such a crucial match, shouldn't he be trusted more?

Fabregas believed his performance in the previous six rounds wasn't bad!

But when it came to a crucial match, he was put in the attacking line, which made him feel unwilling.

Furthermore, putting him in the midfield and pushing Iniesta's position forward would also work!

But none of that happened!

To put it bluntly, Barcelona and the new Head Coach still trusted the Xavi + Iniesta combination more.

This made Fabregas feel unwilling, but there was nothing he could do.

Fabregas looked at Kroos, with a hint of envy in his eyes.

As soon as this guy joined Real Madrid, Kaka got injured, forcing the club to rely on him.

But he was very frustrated; Xavi wasn't injured!

Although his form had slightly declined, it wasn't enough to fully threaten the other's position.

On Real Madrid's half of the field, Kroos took deep breaths continuously.

This was the first time he faced a huge challenge as a starter since joining Real Madrid.

This was El Clásico, and performing well in this match would definitely be a huge bonus.

Kroos was nervous; he clenched his fists.

Opposite him were world-class midfielders like Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, and Fabregas.

And he was about to step onto the world stage here!

"Don't be nervous!"

Suker's voice rang out.

Kroos looked up and saw Suker's calm expression: "In these three seasons, we haven't lost to Barcelona!"

Kroos blinked.

Suker smiled; "The ones who should be nervous are on the other side!"

Kroos was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but grin.

Although that was said, this was still Barcelona, whose tiki-taka style swept the world!

It was impossible not to be nervous!

Of course, perhaps only a player like Suker could be so calm.

After all, Kroos also noticed that several Barcelona players were looking at Suker.

These members of what was once called the 'Dream Team' had a faint hint of fear in their eyes when they looked at Suker.

This is the intimidation Suker has shot out with every goal!

This is the contemporary alien!

Beep!

The sharp whistle ignited the passion of the entire stadium.

Amidst the cheers of over 100,000 fans, the match officially began.

Real Madrid kicked off first, and after Suker and Benzema kicked off, they immediately ran forward.

But Suker did not run to the sideline position; instead, he tucked in, ready to receive the ball at any time.

In this match, the left-back position was filled by Carvajal.

Carvajal was not loaned out as in the original timeline; instead, he had always served as a substitute at Real Madrid.

Based on the attention from the higher-ups and his own diligent performance, he gained many opportunities to play, and in these opportunities, he also developed his left foot, becoming more adept at attacking.

This match was also a trial for Carvajal.

He had delivered many excellent crosses before, and in this match, whether he could break through under pressure was also a focus for Real Madrid's coaching staff.

Suker intentionally left the wing open, so Carvajal could make a surprise attack down the flank.

Of course, this also benefited Suker in controlling the ball in the central and half-space areas.

However, Real Madrid's ball distribution was not very smooth.

Especially after Kaka suffered an injury, the team had to adapt to Kroos's rhythm.

Even with Di Maria's assistance, it was not an easy task.

Kroos tried his best to pass the ball steadily; he needed to adapt to the rhythm of this match first.

There's a saying: if you don't play football in Spain, you don't know what 'short and fast' means.

Kroos had a clear understanding of this!

He thought Bayern Munich's passing frequency and rhythm were already fast, but in matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the passing rhythm was even faster.

The opponent's pressing was very quick, which required him to release the ball rapidly.

Any slight hesitation or observation would cause him to miss an opportunity, and in worse cases, he might even lose the ball.

But Kroos was still experienced.

He observed enough in advance, and before receiving the ball, he already had a general understanding of the situation, making his ball distribution more stable.

However, he also needed to adapt to this style of play, so he only passed safe balls!

"Good performance!"

Mourinho looked at Kroos and nodded.

Many people feel lost when facing such a match.

Under the rapid rhythm, it's impossible to think.

Kroos couldn't fully do it yet, but he was constantly adapting and quickly adjusting his state.

This was already commendable!

Moreover, he was the passing hub of this match; the ball would frequently be passed to him, which increased the pressure.

Facing such pressure, being able to remain stable was already very good.

Bang!

Kroos passed the ball to Di Maria with one kick.

Immediately, he ran forward, pointing to his feet, signaling for a pass.

Di Maria immediately connected with the pass, and just as Kroos was about to receive the ball, Pedro and Messi quickly swarmed over, intending to press.

The situation suddenly became dangerous.

Once Kroos stopped the ball, he would face pressing from two players, and his passing channels would also be cut off.

Just then, Kroos casually looked up, stepped horizontally over the ball, and actually let the ball pass through.

Behind Kroos, Carvajal surged forward with the momentum and received the ball.

A simple pass easily resolved Barcelona's premeditated press.

"Oh~~~~"

This pass made the commentator González's eyes light up, and he couldn't help but quietly praise, "He's very calm!"

Kroos was indeed very calm; he had already seen Barcelona's movements and their defensive trap targeting him.

As a newcomer, he was easily targeted by the opponent, so he was even more cautious.

Carvajal pushed the ball forward to Suker with the momentum.

Suker received the ball with his back to goal, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carvajal rapidly surging forward along the wing, but he was quickly marked by Alves.

'As expected, it's not that easy to break through!'

Suker immediately shifted the ball horizontally to Benzema, who had dropped back into the middle; Benzema passed it back, then continued to push up against the defensive line.

And Di Maria then distributed the ball again to Bale on the right wing.

Bale, with his back to goal, feigned waiting for the ball.

This made Barcelona's full-back Alba seem to see an opportunity, and he immediately rushed towards Bale, intending to tackle.

But just as Alba approached, Bale suddenly moved his body to the left, blocking Alba's direct path, while simultaneously running two steps forward, hooking the ball with his right foot, pulling it to the outside, and then suddenly accelerating along the outside to overtake.

This was Bale's most skilled way of dribbling past opponents.

As long as you bite!

As long as your explosiveness and speed are not as good as mine, then it's a guaranteed pass!

"Oh~~ Alba was careless! He couldn't resist the temptation!"

González roared, "Bale has broken through!"

Bale surged forward at high speed along the wing, instantly leaving Alba behind him, and as he was about to reach the byline, he aimed for Suker's position and powerfully struck a cross with his right foot.

The ball flew in an arc towards the middle, crossing the central area, and dropping towards the far post.

"Damn it!"

Alves roared.

He had already seen Suker next to him jump, and he had no choice but to jump with him.

Both jumped to contest the header.

In the air, Suker had already risen to his highest point, his body stretched, arms outstretched, maintaining a fixed point as if frozen in the air.

In contrast, Alves, having jumped too early, was already starting to descend.

By the time Alves descended, the ball had just arrived.

The ball grazed Alves's scalp, causing a slight deflection; Suker quickly adjusted, barely managed to head the ball, but the ball still flew out of bounds.

"Suker's hang time!"

González shook his head in admiration.

Suker's jump clearly disrupted Alves's judgment, but the former used his hang time to wait in the air, while Alves had already begun to descend.

Fortunately, Alves grazed the ball, interfering with Suker.

Otherwise, that ball would have been dangerous.

But even so, Barcelona was still shaken.

How do you defend against that?

Suker landed, looked at the ball rolling out of bounds, and shook his head slightly.

Bale, at the far end, stretched out his hand and shouted, "I crossed it too low!"

Suker nodded, saying nothing.

It was indeed a bit low from Bale.

Suker's hitting point was very high, but Suker had to bend his waist to head the ball just now.

If Bale had crossed it just an inch higher, the problem of Alves grazing the ball wouldn't have existed.

However, it didn't matter.

This was just an attacking attempt!

Real Madrid's players quickly retreated to defend.

After Barcelona kicked off, Messi dropped back to receive the ball, breaking through along the central axis, dribbling past two players, and then immediately distributing the ball to Fabregas.

Fabregas went to the byline and made a cut-back pass.

Messi followed up with a shot!

The ball did not hit a comfortable spot, so it grazed Ramos's ankle and flew out of bounds.

Barcelona's corner kick was a tactical one.

But it was quickly cleared by Real Madrid, and just as Suker received the ball and wanted to start, seeing the situation was not good, Alves immediately slid in.

"Damn it!"

Suker rolled and flew out of bounds, cursing inwardly.

This guy's tackles are getting more and more decisive!

Before, he used to hesitate a bit before tackling, but now there's no hesitation at all.

It's as if he's already used to tackling him!

Of course, Alves also received a warning for this; if there was another time, he might get a card.

This also indicated that Alves was being watched by the Referee.

Suker got up from the ground; Real Madrid's quick counter-attack was interrupted, and they could only look for another opportunity.

After the restart, the confrontation between the two teams clearly became more intense.

It was as if tackling Suker was a catalyst, immediately followed by many unreasonable challenges.

You're unreasonable, and I'm unreasonable!

The Referee started to get a headache!

Here we go again!

Every Referee officiating El Clásico needs to be mentally prepared.

This is El Clásico.

The confrontation between two giants!

And they are caught in the middle; any decision will be questioned.

Many Referees have been warned or even lost their jobs due to wrong judgments or missed calls, and some have even received death threats.

Therefore, he also needed to be vigilant.

Fortunately, despite the confrontations, it didn't escalate to a completely out-of-control situation.