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Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

Chapter 161: Triple-Front War or Cautious Double-Line Focus? · Nov 11, 2026

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Chapter List (401)

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151 Chapter 151: You Were Given the Chance, and You Blew It! 2026-11-11
152 Chapter 152: Dortmund Should Be Thanking Us, and Ajax Owes Man City a Bow Next Match 2026-11-11
153 Chapter 153: So I Heard Atlético Wants to Rise Up? 2026-11-11
154 Chapter 154: Good Thing These Two Aren’t on the Same Team—La Liga Would Be a Nightmare 2026-11-11
155 Chapter 155: With Pintus on Our Side, Attrition Battles Are Real Madrid’s Home Turf 2026-11-11
156 Chapter 156: The Champions League Round of 16 Is Set—Real Madrid Sets Sights on a Sixth Title 2026-11-11
157 Chapter 157: “Light of Asia” Sparks Idol Frenzy in East Asia 2026-11-11
158 Chapter 158: Guardiola in Meltdown—Is Barça in Trouble? 2026-11-11
159 Chapter 159: Kid, If You Go to Barça, I’ll Just Keep Beating You 2026-11-11
160 Chapter 160: Alright, I Admit It—Li Ang Does Want the Ballon d’Or 2026-11-11
161 Chapter 161: Triple-Front War or Cautious Double-Line Focus? 2026-11-11
162 Chapter 162: One Path Up Mount Hua—All In for a Double Title Defense 2026-11-11
163 Chapter 163: You Mock Arsenal for Their Top-Four Obsession, but They’re Really Not That Weak 2026-11-11
164 Chapter 164: Wenger: Who Wouldn’t Want to Sign Li Ang? 2026-11-11
165 Chapter 165: Playing Against Technical Teams? That’s What We Do Best 2026-11-11
166 Chapter 166: Their Will Is Shattered—Arsenal’s Dao Heart Has Collapsed! 2026-11-11
167 Chapter 167 - 189: Offensive Talent Skyrockets — The Giants Are Drooling Over Leon 2026-11-11
168 Chapter 168 - 167: A Burned-Out Barça Falls in the Second Half of the Season 2026-11-11
169 Chapter 169 - 168: El Clásico IV—A Slumping Barça Meets a Red-Hot Madrid 2026-11-11
170 Chapter 170 - 169: Farewell, Barça! Madrid’s Real Target—Wipe Out the Premier League! 2026-11-11
171 Chapter 171 - 170: We Said We’d Crush Your Midfield—and We Meant It 2026-11-11
172 Chapter 172 - 171: Three Champions League Games—Li Ang Proves His Worth Completely 2026-11-11
173 Chapter 173 - 172: Time to Calculate When Madrid Can Clinch the Title Early 2026-11-11
174 Chapter 174 - 173: All-In—Madrid Is Going All-In for the Title! 2026-11-11
175 Chapter 175 - 174: Fat Tiger’s First Appearance for Madrid, Li Ang: “That’s My Brother.” 2026-11-11
176 Chapter 176 - 175: Dortmund’s Twin Engines Useless Before Li Ang 2026-11-11
177 Chapter 177 - 175: Dortmund’s Twin Engines Don’t Work Against Li Ang 2026-11-11
178 Chapter 178 - 175: Dortmund’s Twin Engines Are Useless Against Li Ang 2026-11-11
179 Chapter 179 - 176: A Midfielder Can’t Just Drift with the Game — Total Domination in Attack and Defense, That’s the Core Shield! 2026-11-11
180 Chapter 180 - 177: Shameless but Effective Tactics — Real Madrid’s All-Out Bombardment Squad 2026-11-11
181 Chapter 181 - 178: Give Me Leon, and Real Madrid Loses 2026-11-11
182 Chapter 182 - 180: The First All-German Derby in a Champions League Final 2026-11-11
183 Chapter 183 - 181: After This Makeup Match, We’re Having Our Championship Celebration Banquet 2026-11-11
184 Chapter 184 - 182: Championship Night! If You Want to Keep Climbing, You Need to Learn to Be More Selfish 2026-11-11
185 Chapter 185 - 183: Before We Drift Apart, Let’s Build the Mourinho-Era Madrid Dynasty 2026-11-11
186 Chapter 186 - 184: The Most Star-Studded Champions League Final in Nearly Two Decades 2026-11-11
187 Chapter 187 - 185: Can You Guess If I’m a Bluff or the Trump Card? 2026-11-11
188 Chapter 188 - 186: Robbery + Müller + a Classic Target Man — This Is Peak Bayern 2026-11-11
189 Chapter 189 - 187: We Are the Legend — Long Live Mourinho’s Real Madrid! 2026-11-11
190 Chapter 190 - 188: I Don’t Want Money, Sir — I Want to Be the Leader 2026-11-11
191 Chapter 191 - 189: Offensive Talent Skyrockets — The Giants Are Drooling Over Leon 2026-11-11
192 Chapter 192 - 190: The End of Mourinho’s Madrid — Leon and the Battle of Six Giants 2026-11-11
193 Chapter 193 - 191: We Are Chelsea Now—The New Kings of London! 2026-11-11
194 Chapter 194 - 192: Huge Potential, Plenty of Questions—But Mourinho’s Ready to Unleash a Youth Storm! 2026-11-11
195 Chapter 195 - 193: A Brother’s Call and Zlatan Lands at the Bridge! 2026-11-11
196 Chapter 196 - 194: A System? Leon Is the System, Offense and Defense Alike 2026-11-11
197 Chapter 197 - 195: The Calm Little Lion and the Beast Zlatan 2026-11-11
198 Chapter 198 - 196: Guardiola vs. Mourinho Returns to the Premier League! Matić Closes the Summer Transfer Window 2026-11-11
199 Chapter 199 - 197: Creating a Goal from Kickoff—Little Lion, Are You Actually Going All-In?! 2026-11-11
200 Chapter 200 - 198: From Unpredictable Enigma to Super-Sub? Watch My Belgian Mini-Tank Explode! 2026-11-11

Anyone who works hard in their profession and claims to have no ambition—well, that’s probably just nonsense.

And Li Ang, a tireless workhorse reborn in youth with a ”grind mode” mentality, was certainly not short on ambition.

In today’s football world, who could truly claim they trained harder than Li Ang?

No one.

No player would dare say that out loud.

Li Ang’s relentless training ethic was already recognized by teammates, media, and fans alike as the gold standard—he was known as the hardest-working active player in the game.

So does he have ambition?

Of course he does!

From the outside, Li Ang already looked like the perfect package: 21 years old, a chest full of honors, considered one of the top five in his position worldwide. What more could he possibly want?

But after winning the treble with Real Madrid last season, Li Ang had already stopped aiming to be just the best in his position.

Now, he had the confidence to reach even higher.

Of course, he wasn’t naive enough to announce those lofty goals publicly.

But inside, he knew—his ambition was burning hot.

He and Cristiano Ronaldo were more than teammates—they were brothers-in-arms, each willing to give 100% for the other on the pitch.

Seeing Cristiano tear up at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Li Ang was genuinely moved and happy for his friend.

But that didn’t stop him from longing—deeply—for that golden trophy.

Not just him.

Sitting nearby were Neymar, Iniesta, Falcao—all with the same desire in their eyes.

At an award show like this, how could they not feel that way?

Still, Li Ang’s rational side eventually won out.

This night belonged to Ronaldo. Maybe next January in Zurich would too.

He didn’t want a single snapshot of a misplaced expression to spark rumors about jealousy or tension between him and Ronaldo.

As clarity returned to his eyes, a small smile crept onto Li Ang’s lips.

When Ronaldo finished his speech, thunderous applause followed—and Li Ang’s clapping hands were right there in the front row.

The rest of the event was less interesting for him.

Fortunately, the ceremony ran smoothly and didn’t drag on.

As soon as it ended, Li Ang and Neymar, both restless, slipped outside for some fresh air.

”I really envy you, Li Ang,” Neymar admitted without hesitation. ”We’re the same age, but you’ve already won everything in Europe. I’m still stuck in the Brazilian league.”

Li Ang chuckled and casually extended an invitation.

”Then come to Madrid. You’ll fill up an entire trophy shelf in no time.”

Neymar laughed heartily at the joke.

”We’ll see… The summer window is still far away. Anything could happen.

But after tonight, I need some time to reflect.”

”Why’s that?”

”Cristiano was just… unstoppable last year. Like a hungry beast still obsessed with winning everything.

But I want the Ballon d’Or too. And if I come to Madrid, I don’t think I’ll stand out for at least three or four years.”

Neymar’s comment was more playful than serious, and Li Ang joined in the laughter.

The two chatted a bit longer, exchanged contact info, and went their separate ways.

After the FIFA awards night ended, most players took red-eye flights home.

The calendar was packed—regardless of who won or lost, everyone needed to shift focus for the second half of the season.

While players returned to training grounds, fans exploded with discussions online.

The eternal Messi vs. Ronaldo debate was reignited, with Ronaldo fans finally getting their moment in the spotlight.

Online chaos ensued.

Meanwhile, Jorge Mendes capitalized on the hype, going viral with a photo of himself flanked by his three biggest clients—Ronaldo, Mourinho, and Li Ang.

Fans were amazed by Mendes’ keen eye.

One was the most-discussed and arguably most dominant manager in the game.

One was a two-time Ballon d’Or winner after a six-title season.

And one was the undisputed star of the post-90s generation.

Between the present and future of football, Mendes held all the cards.

No wonder fans were fascinated.

But back in Madrid, Mendes’ clients weren’t celebrating.

They didn’t even get a few days to enjoy the fruits of their collective glory.

With only a day and a half of prep time left, Real Madrid had to face Celta Vigo in the second leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16.

These crammed domestic cup fixtures right after the holidays were a nightmare.

Not just for the players—even fans found them annoying.

During this stretch, nearly every La Liga club was forced to play both league and cup games back to back.

Lower-tier teams worried about relegation often ended up fielding B-teams in the cup, prioritizing the league instead.

Which raised the question:

Who actually wants to watch cup games filled with rotation players and academy kids?

The Copa del Rey had quantity, sure. But the quality? Often lacking.

This wasn’t a new complaint.

Clubs grumbled every year.

But nothing ever changed.

The Spanish FA insisted on stuffing four full cup rounds into the coldest month—January.

Then, like magic, they’d spread out the semifinals and final across February and May.

Mourinho ranted about it in his tactical meeting—but in the end, he still had to field his best XI at the Bernabéu.

In the first leg, Madrid had lost 1–2 with a heavily rotated squad.

Now, it was all hands on deck.

Before the match began, Ronaldo showcased his Ballon d’Or to the home crowd.

Legends like Zidane, Ronaldo Nazário, Raúl, and Beckham either showed up in person or sent in video messages.

The energy in the stadium surged—Celta Vigo’s players were visibly rattled.

South Korean journalists who had come to report on Park Chu-Young barely paid attention to him anymore, turning their cameras toward Madrid’s superstar squad.

The match kicked off.

Celta tried to bring the fight, hoping to impress in front of a massive crowd.

But Real Madrid weren’t in the mood for formalities.

In the opening minutes, two long balls from Alonso to Ronaldo had Celta’s backline retreating fast.

And Park Chu-Young?

He barely got going.

In his first possession, Matuidi knocked him off balance.

He had a few more touches, sure. But each was more awkward than the last.

Late in the first half, he tried to break forward—only to be cleanly dispossessed by Li Ang.

His final stats?

4 dribble attempts: 0 successful13 passes: 9 completed1 aerial duel: lost2 fouls committed5 possessions lost0 shots

No surprise that he was subbed off at halftime.

Celta’s current level wasn’t enough for more than survival in La Liga.

Trying to go toe-to-toe with Real Madrid at the Bernabéu?

A massacre.

6–0.

Ronaldo scored a hat trick.

Benzema added a goal and assist.

Callejón and Higuaín also found the net.

With a statement win, Madrid advanced to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

But there was no time to rest—they had to prepare immediately for Matchday 19 against Osasuna.

Even worse?

Madrid would play six more matches in the remaining 22 days of January.

Two matches per week.

Three league matches.

Three cup ties.

Originally, Mourinho had planned to rotate heavily in the cup.

But then the draw came out—

Valencia.

And not just in the cup.

Madrid would play three consecutive matches against Valencia:

Copa del Rey Quarterfinal, Leg 1La Liga Matchday 20Copa del Rey Quarterfinal, Leg 2

It was a repeat of last year’s gauntlet against Athletic Bilbao.

Back then, one of those matches was postponed.

But this time, there was no delay.

So now, a serious question loomed over the coaching staff:

Should Real Madrid keep pushing for glory on all three fronts—

or pull back and focus on two?

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