Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 540: Messi Quits the National Team, Lin Quan's Secret Weapon

While the European Championship was in full swing, across the ocean in the Americas, the Copa América was also taking place. At the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Argentina, a team heavily favored by many, once again fell in the final. They played out a 0-0 draw with Chile, but lost 2-4 in a penalty shootout, with Messi once again missing out on a championship trophy.

The result not only broke the hearts of millions of Argentine fans but also completely devastated Messi. After the match, Argentina's captain, Messi, announced a shocking decision that sent waves throughout the football world—he was retiring from the Argentine national team!

"My career with the national team is over. I made this decision for myself and for the many people who wanted it. I tried very hard to win a championship with Argentina, but unfortunately, it didn't happen," Messi said, his voice choked with emotion, his eyes reddening. Clearly, the decision was incredibly difficult and painful for him.

However, Argentine fans did not sympathize with him. After the match, the internet and newspapers were flooded with Argentine fans criticizing Messi. Even though the loss wasn't solely his fault, as the captain and the most famous, talented player on the team, he naturally became the target of the fans' frustrations.

For Messi, this wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that just a few days later, Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, made it to the European Championship final. If Portugal were to win the final, the inevitable comparison between Ronaldo and Messi would resurface. With Ronaldo holding the European Championship trophy, he would surely appear more convincing than Messi, who had once again failed, intensifying the doubts surrounding Messi.

Ever since the 2010 World Cup, there had been a growing narrative that Messi was a "system player"—that his success was due to Barcelona's strong tactical system and a team full of talented, highly cohesive teammates. The idea was that once Messi left Barcelona, he would lose his magic.

Initially, this view wasn't widely accepted, but after the failures in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, and the 2011, 2015, and 2016 Copa Américas, this belief spread globally and gained more and more supporters. Argentina's squad was undeniably star-studded, yet Messi's performances for his country were far less impressive than his club performances, leading people to question his true ability.

Was Messi's talent overrated?

Another criticism, primarily from Argentine fans, was that Messi wasn't giving his all for the national team. Some speculated he was holding back to avoid injury, which might affect his lucrative club career, or that he had lost his emotional connection to Argentina after moving to Spain at such a young age. Argentine fans believed that if Messi were truly giving his best, the national team wouldn't keep losing, especially in the Copa América finals, where they had lost to Chile twice in a row, both times in penalty shootouts. Had Messi scored even a single goal, the result might have been different.

For Messi, failing to achieve success with the national team, and even deciding to retire from international football, had a significant impact on his image and commercial value. His retirement from the national team could be seen as a cowardly move, and his failure to succeed with Argentina only strengthened the belief that he was a "system player."

To prove that he wasn't dependent on Barcelona's system, Messi could simply leave Barça and succeed with another team. Thus, as he retired from the Argentine national team, Messi also began to contemplate leaving Barcelona.

...

Messi's difficult situation also affected his fans. While Messi's supporters didn't necessarily root for Argentina, seeing their idol in such distress made them feel his pain. As a result, they were desperate to avoid seeing Portugal win the European Championship.

The mere thought of Portugal winning and Ronaldo's fans celebrating made them sick. So, many of Messi's fans flocked to the internet to belittle Portugal and express their support for Spain. Compared to Ronaldo, they much preferred seeing Lin Quan's Spanish team lift the trophy.

Firstly, Lin Quan had a good personal relationship with Messi. Lin Quan came from La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy, making him something of a "little brother" to Messi. There wasn't as much animosity between their fans. Secondly, Lin Quan's playing style was similar to Messi's. The better Lin Quan performed, the more it could counter the narrative criticizing Messi.

Unaware of the fan rivalry brewing online, Lin Quan was busy practicing set-pieces, preparing to make the most of any opportunities in the next match. The French defense was tough and aggressive, so fouls were likely, especially with the French likely to target him. Practicing set-pieces could give Spain more attacking options and force France to be more cautious.

Lin Quan's teammates were supportive of his decision to practice free kicks. De Gea even volunteered to help, though he was puzzled when he saw Lin Quan carrying the ball to the center circle.

"Brother Lin, are you planning to practice ultra-long-range free kicks?" De Gea asked, estimating the distance to be over 40 meters. Who practices free kicks from that far?

"Yeah, I'm just trying to get a feel for it," Lin Quan replied. Ever since he scored a Mihajlović-style free kick in a previous match, he had been trying to recapture that feeling, but hadn't had much success.

De Gea nodded and didn't question it further. Whatever Lin Quan wanted to practice, he'd help out. However, from such a distance, the shot would require immense power, which would make it difficult to control the angle and might send the ball flying over the crossbar. If the shot wasn't powerful enough, even if it was on target, the goalkeeper would easily save it due to the lack of speed.

So, De Gea wasn't too concerned at first, thinking it would only get serious if Lin Quan moved the ball ten meters closer.

Lin Quan placed the ball on the pitch and took seven or eight steps back. He glanced toward the goal, took a deep breath, and started his run-up. With a loud thud, his left foot struck the ball powerfully, sending it whizzing through the air toward the goal.

De Gea was fully focused. As soon as he saw the ball's trajectory, he predicted where it would land and quickly moved in that direction. But after taking just one step, he realized something was off. The ball's trajectory was swerving unpredictably as it descended, deviating from where he had initially predicted.

As the ball neared, De Gea could clearly see that it was spinning fiercely in the air. Due to the Magnus effect, the actual flight path of the ball could be drastically different from what a goalkeeper expected.

De Gea, a seasoned goalkeeper, had seen free kicks like this before. However, he had rarely encountered one with such extreme spin, making it nearly impossible to predict the ball's path. He began to sweat, unsure which way to dive. As he hesitated, the ball swished past him and into the net.

"Great shot!" shouted the teammates watching on the sidelines, cheering loudly.

"David, were you daydreaming just now? You didn't even react!" Fabregas asked, puzzled by De Gea's lack of movement. After all, De Gea was Manchester United's main goalkeeper, nearly signed by Real Madrid. A top-level keeper shouldn't make such a basic mistake.

"Haha, were you thinking about some girl, and that's why you zoned out?" Ramos teased De Gea, clearly finding his performance uncharacteristically bad.

"Ahem, I wasn't distracted. That shot was just tough to save. I hesitated, and by the time I decided, the ball was already in," De Gea, a shy guy, blushed like a tomato after Ramos' teasing.

"Really? Is it that tricky? Casillas, you've got quick reflexes. Why don't you give it a try?" Ramos called out to Casillas, who was sitting on the sidelines resting.

Casillas shot Ramos a look as if to say, "My name's Casillas, not Kakashi." But he was also curious about whether Lin Quan's free kick was as difficult as De Gea had claimed, so he decided to give it a try.

"Alright, I'll try. David, take a break," Casillas said, putting on a fresh pair of goalkeeper gloves and stepping into the goal. He signaled to Lin Quan, letting him know he was ready.

Fabregas fetched another ball from the sidelines and kicked it over to Lin Quan, who stopped it easily with the top of his foot.

"Nice control!" his teammates cheered from the sidelines. As professional players, they could tell right away how good someone's touch was.

Lin Quan smiled and gave a little bow to his teammates, who laughed even harder, eagerly awaiting his next shot.

After catching his breath, Lin Quan placed the ball on the grass in almost the same spot as before and stepped back the same distance.

With a loud thud, the ball soared into the air.

It's coming! Casillas tensed up, keeping his eyes fixed on the ball. But as it flew higher and higher, it eventually sailed over Casillas' head and out of sight.

"..." The field fell silent as everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"What was that? Lin, have you been taking shooting lessons from Morata?" Ramos shouted. "We were all waiting for your show, and you give us that?"

Morata, hearing Ramos' comment, protested immediately: "Hey, Ramos, I don't appreciate that! I've never kicked the ball that high!"

Morata's serious expression had everyone on the field struggling to keep from laughing. This guy had a reputation for missing chances, and his teammates had lost count of how many golden opportunities they had set up for him. If he were better at finishing, he might be leading the Euro 2016 scoring charts by now!

"Sorry, I lost control there. Let me try again," Lin Quan said, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had been too focused on power, and his contact with the ball was off, resulting in a wild miss.

"No worries. It's just practice, mistakes happen," Casillas reassured Lin Quan. Young players can sometimes get self-conscious when everyone's watching, which can affect their performance.

The distance of Lin Quan's free kick was so far that hitting the target was extremely difficult. It was normal to miss, and hitting it perfectly was the exception. If Lin Quan could consistently replicate that first free kick, he'd already be dominating with his set-pieces.

Despite the miss, Casillas wasn't underestimating Lin Quan's ability. In fact, he was excited to see what Lin Quan could do. If Lin Quan could master this long-range free kick, it would be a huge asset for Spain.

In a match, one successful free kick could change the entire outcome.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Quan adjusted his mindset and went for another attempt. This time, he controlled his contact with the ball much better, avoiding another high miss. However, the spin on the ball wasn't quite right, and its flight was easy for Casillas to read. With no wall between them, Casillas caught it easily.

"Hmm, there's progress, but this shot isn't very threatening for a goalkeeper," Casillas said encouragingly. Hitting the target from such a long distance was already impressive, and the shot had plenty of power. Casillas had misjudged the ball's force when catching it and nearly fumbled it. In a match, a mistake like that could be costly.

Without saying a word, Lin Quan went for a third attempt. This time, his run-up and strike were perfect. As soon as the ball left his foot, Lin Quan had a feeling it would go in.

Sure enough, though Casillas moved to make the save, the ball's unpredictable swerve as it dipped threw him off, and he couldn't reach it.

"Wow, it really worked!" The teammates on the sidelines were stunned.

"This could become our team's secret weapon!"

(End of chapter)

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