Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Benzema had spent quite a bit of time training with Li Ang lately, so Cristiano Ronaldo’s comment about the young midfielder didn’t surprise him.

Because honestly, Benzema had a similar opinion of Li Ang.

What the average fan might consider bland or unremarkable traits were, in the eyes of seasoned professionals, incredibly valuable.

Young players who truly understood their roles on the field were rare enough. But young players who not only understood their roles but were also willing to keep a low profile and do the dirty work on the defensive end? Practically unicorns.

For superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema—naturally gifted, attack-minded players who demanded the ball—it was even more important to have a midfielder behind them who wasn’t ball-hungry, who would defend relentlessly and help them regain control of the game.

As for Li Ang’s lack of offensive flair?

They honestly didn’t care.

Because at Real Madrid, offensive talent had never been in short supply.

Just look at their current midfield.

Granero, Canales, Pedro León, Van der Vaart… and one more, who might as well be forgotten.

That midfield unit was overflowing with creativity and attacking flair.

But when it came to midfielders who could offer consistent defensive coverage in the holding role, the only reliable names were Xabi Alonso and, until recently, Lassana Diarra.

Fernando Gago could barely count as half a solution—but previous managers had reshaped him so much, he’d become neither here nor there.

He was supposed to be the deep-lying orchestrator, the hub of midfield. But to get more minutes, he’d been forced to play as a defensive midfielder.

Problem was, his physique wasn’t quite up to it. At least not by José Mourinho’s standards. Gago wasn’t strong enough to shield Xabi Alonso effectively.

He wasn’t at the point of being discarded yet—but he was close.

Xabi Alonso himself could still do the dirty work, but he was also expected to organize and dictate play from deep.

If you forced ”Dragon” Alonso to shoulder both responsibilities every game, even an iron body would wear out.

So Diarra’s unexpected injury had completely thrown off Mourinho’s preseason plans. Under these circumstances, he absolutely could not let Li Ang go to Real Betis.

Even though Sami Khedira was about to report in and looked like the logical solution for the defensive midfield role, Mourinho wasn’t convinced.

Khedira had a known tendency to push forward—a trait that had defined his Bundesliga career.

Maybe Mourinho hoped to mold the German international into something else, but right now—with holding midfielders in short supply and no guarantee that Diarra would return healthy in two months—he didn’t trust Gago.

Which meant he had no choice but to put his faith in Li Ang, the player who had quietly won his favor.

”I like this kid!” Marcelo declared, tousling his fluffy, shoulder-length curls before jogging cheerfully over to Li Ang.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema exchanged a look.

”Should we go say hi?”

”Together?”

”Together!”

After a brief moment of eye contact, the two stars followed Marcelo over.

Benzema already knew Li Ang decently well from their two weeks of preseason training together. He was mostly tagging along with Ronaldo, who—let’s be real—wouldn’t have made the move on his own.

He was proud like that.

From the sidelines, Mourinho watched the scene with his arms crossed, a bit surprised.

Perhaps he was surprised that Cristiano Ronaldo was more willing to engage with new teammates than he’d expected.

Or maybe it was the fact that Li Ang, after just two sessions with the first team, was already earning some level of acceptance from the club’s superstars.

Either way, Mourinho saw it as a very good sign.

He was more than happy to see this kind of chemistry developing.

Over the next few days of training, Li Ang continued to deliver consistent performances—ones that Mourinho and his star-studded squad were quietly pleased with.

Not that Li Ang had blown anyone away or dominated the sessions. But his steadiness gave Real Madrid a reliable backup option at the defensive midfield position.

That kind of reliability, in a team full of volatile egos and ever-changing tactics, was worth its weight in gold.

The atmosphere in camp was calm and focused. No egos clashing. No media drama.

Li Ang, beyond just hanging out with his closest friend Nacho, was now able to casually chat with several of the team’s senior players.

With Xabi Alonso still on his break and not yet reporting to training, Mourinho began experimenting with different midfield combinations.

On August 4th, in a friendly against Club América from Mexico, Mourinho tried a variety of formations—switching from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, and even to a 4-4-2.

He made sure every available midfielder got some match fitness.

Esteban Granero stood out with a lively performance. He assisted Cristiano Ronaldo’s opening goal in the first half and looked very much in form.

Li Ang’s performance, by contrast, didn’t make headlines.

He came on in the second half, played 27 minutes, made one crucial interception, won two aerial duels, and completed a recovery run down the flank.

His passing accuracy was 85%, but he didn’t make any threatening passes. Once again, ”unremarkable” was the word.

So much so that many North American fans in attendance wondered if Real Madrid had signed this young East Asian player purely to appeal to the Asian market.

They didn’t care which East Asian country he was from, didn’t care about his youth training background, and certainly didn’t care why Mourinho had brought him on this preseason tour.

They were there to see Real Madrid’s stars perform. They wanted Ronaldo. Benzema. Marcelo.

So it wasn’t surprising that misunderstandings occurred.

But in Mourinho’s eyes, that 27-minute display alongside Gago was a revelation.

Why hadn’t he rated Gago before?

Because Gago was a poor fit as a defensive midfielder—too fragile, easily injured, not strong in tackles, and lacking the ability to shield the ball or resist pressure when playing deeper.

But with Li Ang beside him—providing solid support, making timely coverage runs, and excelling in aerial duels—that problem was solved.

Suddenly, Gago’s lack of defensive bite was no longer an issue.

On defense, Li Ang’s positioning was excellent, holding down key areas, while Gago covered more ground with his mobility. Together, they balanced each other out perfectly.

That unexpected synergy left Mourinho both surprised and delighted.

Then, on August 7th, in another friendly against the LA Galaxy, Mourinho shocked everyone by starting Li Ang and Gago together in the second half.

The first half had ended 2-2, but in the second, Real Madrid stabilized completely. No goals conceded.

Cristiano Ronaldo eventually scored the winner, and Madrid picked up their second straight win on the U.S. tour.

The 3-2 scoreline wasn’t dazzling, and the attack lost some bite due to constant substitutions.

But the backline and midfield were visibly more stable.

Maybe not spectacularly so—but it was undeniable.

After that match, Real Madrid wrapped up their week-long U.S. tour and flew back to Madrid the next day.

At Valdebebas, Li Ang finally saw the rest of Real Madrid’s star-studded roster return to training.

Khedira had completed his fitness tests and officially joined first-team training.

Gago, who had seemed to regain some confidence over the past few days, now looked deflated again.

Li Ang, however, didn’t feel any sense of loss.

After all, Khedira had been hand-picked by Mourinho, and his arrival was no secret after the World Cup ended.

Rather than worry about how Khedira might reduce his playing time, Li Ang was more focused on whether he could still secure a loan move during the winter window.

And, more immediately, on the golden talent fragment card he was finally ready to draw!

The evening of August 10th.

After training, Li Ang got short audio blessings from Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema—just as he had requested.

He rushed home, rubbing his hands together eagerly as he dropped into his sofa.

Then, in the ”Road to Football King” system, he spent the 500 points he had spent six years accumulating.

His phone, sitting on the table nearby, played a hilariously awkward recording in broken Chinese: ”European god, descend! Misfortune, begone!”—the voices unmistakably those of Ronaldo and Benzema.

Suddenly, a flash of golden light erupted in front of Li Ang.

Before he could even shout ”Golden Legend!”, a virtual card appeared—showing a middle-aged player in a blue and white kit, with medium-length hair and a slightly melancholy expression.

Li Ang froze.

First came surprise.

Then came a mix of joy, conflict, and even a hint of disappointment… then joy again… then more conflict.

Two or three full minutes passed before he recovered and forced himself to accept reality.

”Valerón 2011–2012 Short Passing Talent Fragment

Talent Rating: 93 (Max: 100)

Current Host Short Passing Skill: 78

Bonus Insight: Principles of Orchestrating Play”

Was this a good draw?

Actually… yes. Very good.

Even though it was a late-career fragment, it was a technical fragment—one focusing on Valerón’s signature skill: short passing.

Li Ang’s short passing stat was only 78 at full grind. Now, with the cap raised to 93, he had months’ worth of training potential unlocked.

Even more valuable was the added bonus—the insights and experience from Valerón himself on how to act as a midfield orchestrator.

Li Ang still remembered how much he’d gained from the defensive positioning insight that came with his full Makélélé talent card.

Even now, he hadn’t fully mastered it—it continued to inform his play every single day.

So this new insight from Valerón would no doubt take him a long time to digest as well.

Still, what Li Ang really wanted was a defensive boost. Something to take him to the next level on that front.

For him, maxing out one skill set was the most efficient way to progress.

But since the card was already drawn, he’d just have to change his personal training plan.

August 11th, Valdebebas Training Facility.

After practice, Xabi Alonso raised an eyebrow in surprise as Li Ang approached him with a humble request.

”You want to learn how to organize a team from me?”

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