I AM the Football Star

Camp Nou.

Gudiola finally pulled out his own hair in despair.

Barcelona goalkeeper Matt Kahn lay outside the goal, unwilling to get up for a long time.

He wept with his face in his hands.

Ramon Berna, the young Barça player who replaced Moreira today, was stunned, watching the Real Madrid players celebrating enthusiastically, his mouth murmuring.

Barça’s central forward, the Great British Imperial Star Mancini, stared blankly, lost in thought.

Three of the four pillars of the Spain National Team’s midfield, the Barça brain Esia Hernandez, the white lightning Valle Ortiz, and the artistic midfielder Levi Burgos, looked at each other.

They simultaneously turned to Mateo.

And the Argentinian king who had just taken over Barça exchanged a glance with the three, then covered his head with his jersey.

At this moment, they all knew Barça couldn’t do without Moreira.

Not because Moreira was irreplaceable in any such way.

But because... after this match, they realized that facing high-standard opponents, Mateo’s super efficiency must rely on another superstar player distracting the defense to be effective.

Hadn’t everyone previously complained about Moreira’s standstill play?

In today’s match, even if there had been a statuary player at Moreira’s level, Real Madrid wouldn’t have dared to double-team Mateo so recklessly, rendering Mateo’s super-efficient play super-inefficient, even zero efficiency!

Young Barça center-back Sacha Mebarak, who had grown a full beard, looked at Gudiola.

His gaze told Gudiola: We need Moreira, he can’t go.

He was the son of a prestigious family, and from a young age, had studied the politics-level deceit or rather cleverness, making him the first in the team to call for Moreira’s departure.

This was partly due to the issues Moreira brought to the team, but also because Mebarak realized that Moreira’s presence affected his possibilities of getting the captain’s armband and becoming the locker room leader.

But with Mateo’s rise, this wouldn’t be a problem.

Because Mateo focused solely on football.

While Moreira also enjoyed making friends.

And more friends naturally formed a faction, something not shifted by Moreira’s will.

Barça had been dominated by the Brazilian and South American gangs for too long, and it was time to return to the hands of the Spanish gang.

But now, Mebarak was also the first willing to ask Moreira to stay.

Because he knew that if Moreira left, Barça would truly fall into an abyss.

At least for the next three years, they’d struggle to make a comeback.

And these three years coincided with the time the Spanish gang held power, wouldn’t this only further prove that the Spanish gang wasn’t viable in Barça?

But Gudiola shook his head despairingly.

It’s too late!

Nothing could change it now!

They didn’t even let Moreira into the squad, Barça’s top brass went too far this time.

Success meant great rewards, a direct transition, with Moreira taking all the blame.

But now they’ve failed.

The consequences they must bear are severe.

Moreira wasn’t a scheming person.

If he were Zidane, he might stay, because Zidane was smart enough; of course, Zidane would never let things get this far.

But Moreira, like his football, moved with his heart.

Barça broke his heart, and he would inevitably leave this summer without a proper farewell, leaving in such a manner.

At this moment, Gudiola knew his coaching stint in Barcelona was nearing its end.

In the upcoming Barça, they might perform beautifully in ordinary matches, and Mateo could win countless fans.

But they’d struggle to earn major championships because they couldn’t solve the dilemma when facing strong opponents.

Mateo could perform godly, but he couldn’t have godly performances every time against strong teams.

The team lacked a second attacking-class superstar, and the results were severe.

Gudiola didn’t value average victories; he aimed for all kinds of championship honors, to become a head coach deemed era-defining in both tactics and honors.

But now his hand-trained Barça couldn’t achieve this.

It pained him deeply.

After so much effort to finally bloom fruit, a storm of change destroyed everything.

To put it simply, too many people eyed Barça’s transition node, all wanting to secure profits prematurely without considering whether Moreira could leave or whether a Moreira-less Barça and Mateo could stand on their own.

Now that Moreira was leaving, Barça looked to the market and realized Moreira was already the superstar most suited to their style.

Because Barça’s extreme control tactics were unprecedented, there were no players of this type in circulation on the market.

Like Izalelt, coming to Barça would never have Moreira’s impact.

Zidane?

Lima?

Madeira?

Carrel?

Perrotta?

Gutierrez?

Mike Loring?

None of them!

The problem wasn’t Moreira, but Barça’s tactics were too unique.

Without recruiting stars more efficient and adaptable than Moreira, Barça would never win championships before Mateo evolved again; this was Gudiola’s conclusion for the current Barça!

Therefore, he had to leave.

The entire Camp Nou stadium was filled with endless boos.

The Barça players on the field were dejected, and the Real Madrid players were roaring wildly.

The scoreboard, flashing a bright red five to zero, agitated every Barça supporter.