Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

”The players have taken the field! Oh, look who our live broadcast camera just locked onto—it’s Li Ang!

This young man had a great season with Real Betis last year. He played a key role in helping them finish third in the Segunda División, securing automatic promotion to La Liga.

This summer, Li Ang was recalled by his parent club, Real Madrid, to participate in preseason training, and he ultimately made the cut for the first team.

Today, he’ll be starting for Real Madrid in their opening match of the new season. What an achievement! Let’s hope this nineteen-year-old has a stroke of luck tonight!”

The Movistar Sports commentator rattled off his pre-prepared script with enthusiasm, voice filled with anticipation.

Ever since Real Madrid announced their starting eleven the previous day, sports channels across Spain had scrambled to dig up every shred of background information and stats on Li Ang.

Nineteen years old, from East Asia—specifically China, which was often referred to as a football wasteland.

A Real Madrid academy product, one of the most low-profile members of Castilla’s post-1990 generation, and a key contributor to Real Betis’s promotion last season.

When all these factors came together, the media couldn’t resist. Li Ang suddenly became a buzzword.

Not because he was outrageously talented or was generating nationwide debate among Spanish football fans.

It was because his résumé was, quite frankly, too ”ordinary.”

For a player with such a low-key profile to start for Real Madrid in the opening match of the La Liga season—it was borderline unbelievable.

Many Barcelona fans were already sharpening their claws, just waiting for Real Madrid to stumble.

Starting a no-name kid next to Alonso, and in such a crucial position as defensive midfield?

Come on. Barça fans were already drafting the memes.

Even among Real Madrid supporters, opinions were split.

Sure, Li Ang was a homegrown player, but his underwhelming performances and very young age made it hard for most fans to fully trust him.

Many preferred the safer ”Gago + Alonso” pairing in midfield.

Some were even willing to roll the dice on an ultra-offensive setup, with Alonso playing solo as a holding midfielder and Granero and Canales together in the center, just to avoid seeing Li Ang start.

Preseason matches? They didn’t mean much.

And Li Ang’s two starts in those friendlies were just ”solid” at best.

If you wanted to be kind, you could say he was composed and steady. If you were being blunt, he was just ”mediocre.”

Real Madrid demanded talent, flair, and the very best young stars and world-class players.

And Li Ang? He didn’t seem to fit the bill in any of those categories.

So it wasn’t surprising that, even though fans outwardly supported him to maintain unity, many privately questioned whether he should be starting.

And yet, out on the pitch, Li Ang was doing stretches and warming up, completely unaware of how divided the Real Madrid fanbase had become over his starting role.

Did he care about the criticism?

Sure. But not that much.

Li Ang may have been a transmigrator with a cheat system, but he was still a normal human being.

And humans—well, they want to be liked. They want to be praised and acknowledged, not doubted and dismissed.

Of course he’d rather be trusted and celebrated.

But he also understood something far more important.

In professional football, respect is earned with your feet—not with words.

He didn’t expect to change public opinion in one or two matches.

But he believed he could start proving himself with one or two solid performances.

If Mourinho chose to start Li Ang alongside Alonso, then dammit, he had his reasons.

August 29, 2010 — 9:00 PM

With the referee’s whistle, the 2010–2011 La Liga season officially kicked off. Real Madrid began their campaign with an away match against Real Mallorca.

Mourinho lined up his squad in a 4-3-3 formation.

But unlike many teams’ 4-3-3s, Madrid’s trio in midfield consisted of two holding players—Li Ang and Xabi Alonso—and only one more advanced midfielder: Sergio Canales.

Up front, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuaín, and Ángel Di María led the line.

In defense, though, Madrid were a bit of a mess.

First-choice center-back Pepe was injured. So was Raúl Albiol. And fifth-choice Garay? Also out.

That left Sergio Ramos—usually a right-back—as the next man up to fill in at center-back.

So Arbeloa had to slot in at right-back, while Ricardo Carvalho partnered Ramos in the middle. Marcelo, with his attacking prowess, held down the left.

And in goal stood the ever-reliable Iker Casillas.

Looking at the lineup, it was clear Madrid had a few issues. But against Mallorca? Most fans weren’t too worried.

From the outset, Mourinho made it clear—he wanted Madrid to press high and dominate the game’s tempo.

So Real Madrid came out aggressively.

Canales joined the attacking trio to press up to the edge of Mallorca’s defensive third. To maintain fluency, Alonso had to step up his position to stay connected to Canales.

Li Ang pushed forward too—not to join the attack, but to maintain pressure and control the midfield space.

He didn’t see much of the ball, though. The attacks weren’t flowing through him.

Instead, he focused on observing Mallorca’s setup, studying their attacking patterns. He positioned himself just slightly behind and to the side of Alonso, acting as a shadow and safety net.

With Alonso fully committing to directing the offense, Madrid’s rhythm began to flow.

His signature long balls—beautiful, sweeping diagonals—sent Ronaldo and Di María sprinting down the flanks time and again, exploiting their speed and one-on-one ability.

Mallorca’s wide defensive setup was getting pulled apart.

Add Canales into the mix, darting through the middle and picking clever passes, and it was only a matter of time.

Fifteen minutes in, Real Madrid tore Mallorca’s backline wide open.

Alonso fired a long pass to Ronaldo, who broke into the final third with Higuaín charging alongside him.

Ronaldo, drawing two defenders, slipped the ball into the space behind them.

Higuaín timed his run to perfection, slipping past the offside trap.

He was through.

But then… he hesitated.

Just for a moment, maybe trying to pick his spot too carefully.

And that moment of hesitation was all Mallorca needed to close the angle and force a poor finish.

He wanted to dribble past Mallorca’s goalkeeper, but for some reason his footing slipped. His touch was too heavy, and he ended up pushing the ball ridiculously out over the byline.

On the sidelines, Mourinho—who was already preparing to celebrate—nearly dropped to his knees in disbelief.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Di María on the far side stood frozen.

Seriously? The ball was handed to him on a silver platter and he still managed to spit it out?

That missed chance was such a waste that it undeniably impacted the team’s morale.

And Mallorca, who had been bunkered down and waiting to strike on the counter, seized their opportunity. In the 21st minute, they intercepted a pass and launched a fast break.

Alonso, who had just finished linking up in attack, immediately spun around to chase back.

But with Canales and Di María having pushed too far up, their defensive support was late, and Madrid were left undermanned on the right and through the center.

Just as Mallorca looked poised to carve out a real chance, many Madrid fans watching on TV instinctively cried out.

But in the very next second, a seemingly unremarkable figure wearing the No. 23 shirt appeared, perfectly blocking Mallorca forward Enrich’s path!

It was a textbook frontal challenge—tight marking, well-timed tackle—and both players tumbled to the ground as the ball was knocked away.

Alonso, having rushed back, cleared the ball safely to touch. Meanwhile, No. 23, Li Ang, got right back up like nothing had happened.

”Well done! You little—well done!”

Alonso broke his usual calm demeanor, roaring in celebration and slapping Li Ang hard on the back amidst the home crowd’s whistles.

Grinning through the pain, Li Ang quickly threw his arms around Alonso’s raised hand to stop the next slap.

His mentor’s strength was no joke—one more hit and he might actually be sore tomorrow. Hugging was safer!

On the sidelines, Mourinho and Karanka both exhaled in relief, breaking into applause and nods of approval toward Li Ang.

Di María, who had just scrambled back to defend the throw-in, gave Li Ang a grateful pat on the rear.

If Enrich had broken through just now, Madrid’s lack of numbers at the back would’ve turned Di María’s misplaced positioning into a much bigger problem.

As Di María felt a wave of relief, he couldn’t help but think to himself:

”Thank God the Little Lion made the stop.”

Mallorca’s throw-in was contested in the air and nodded slightly by Arbeloa. Di María, with his back to goal, received and played it square. Alonso followed up and spread the ball out wide to the left.

Marcelo, pushing forward, scanned the field and began advancing with the ball. Real Madrid’s next wave of attack was underway, while Mallorca quickly dropped back.

Li Ang didn’t push forward. He remained behind Alonso, shadowing the left side as Madrid’s build-up switched flanks.

Mallorca’s holding midfielder Martí wasn’t about to let Marcelo charge in freely. As Marcelo and fullback Nsue clashed along the touchline, Martí suddenly stepped in, cutting off the passing lane between Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, and intercepted the ball.

Without hesitation, Martí immediately launched a long ball over the top to find his striker, Castro, who had already made a well-timed run behind Madrid’s defense.

Hearts in mouths, the Madrid faithful watched as Castro brought the ball down in stride and began charging toward the penalty area.

Alonso, this time more prepared, looked to close him down from the flank.

But just as he set off, a voice behind him rang out.

”I got him!”

Before Alonso could even turn his head, a determined figure slid in from behind!

Castro, sensing the risk of injury if he tried to clash feet-first, wisely opted to leap over the challenge.

His touch had been a little loose anyway, and now all he could do was watch in frustration as Li Ang cleanly slid the ball back toward the center of the pitch.

”Another counter from Mallorca! Castro’s building momentum—OH!!! Li Ang!!!

Dear God! Within just two minutes, Li Ang has made two game-saving tackles!

Alonso didn’t even get five meters into his recovery run before Mallorca’s attack was stopped cold. What an incredible display of defensive awareness!

The Little Lion from Castilla is sending a message to everyone—there’s a reason he was called ’Little Makélélé’ by his coaches at the Real Madrid U19s!”

The Movistar commentator was bursting with excitement, lavishing praise on Li Ang’s stellar defensive display.

And that nickname—”Little Makélélé”—instantly triggered a wave of nostalgia among Real Madrid fans.

Ten years ago, the Galácticos had their own defensive anchor in Claude Makélélé.

He wasn’t flashy. He wasn’t tall. He wasn’t particularly handsome.

But his pinpoint interceptions and uncanny reading of the game secured him a permanent place in one of the most glamorous lineups in club history.

To this day, Madrid had never truly replaced Makélélé with someone quite like him.

The Frenchman only spent three years at the club, but he helped secure both league and Champions League titles—and through the test of time, he had become a legend in the hearts of Madridistas.

And now, a decade later, a familiar presence had reemerged.

Was Li Ang really like Makélélé?

At first glance, not really.

Li Ang stood 1.83 meters tall, had a strong, athletic build, and possessed a cheerful, strikingly handsome appearance.

Makélélé was the epitome of substance over style—short, compact, with a mature, no-nonsense look.

Based on appearance alone, the two couldn’t be more different.

But on the pitch, the similarities became uncanny.

Both had excellent defensive positioning, sharp anticipation, rarely made unnecessary forward runs, and passed with a minimalist, functional style.

Of course, Li Ang didn’t have Makélélé’s level of experience—especially not when the Frenchman first joined Real Madrid.

But in some ways, Li Ang was even more aggressive in his tackles and stronger in one-on-one duels.

Overall, if you had to describe him now, he was a ”budget Makélélé.”

But his future?

His potential looked far more open-ended.

With his superior physique alone, if Li Ang could develop 80% of Makélélé’s defensive instincts and combine that with his own strength and aerial ability—what kind of defensive monster could he become?

It was still just speculation, of course.

But that didn’t stop Madrid fans from beginning to rally behind him.

And on the touchline, José Mourinho’s eyes sparkled as he muttered to himself, still watching Li Ang intently.

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