After walking into the player tunnel, Ashley Young jogged up, laughing.
"Do you believe it or not? In half an hour, your words will be spread everywhere on Twitter, and you'll be criticized by millions of their fans for arrogance."
"Millions?" Ling curled his lip in amusement.
Did young players' idols always have to be Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?
He truly didn't want to get involved in evaluating the two players.
As for why he chose himself? Because of pure ambition.
That pair of archrivals had defined a legendary era, but that era should naturally come to an end eventually.
"Besides, if we're really comparing fan numbers, Cristiano Ronaldo has over 500 million followers on social media," Ling said, not the least bit flustered.
"You can check mine when you have time."
"That's true," Ashley Young clicked his tongue.
Ever since Ling had made a global name for himself, massive contingents of Chinese fans could be seen at every Manchester United game, home and away.
Given the current situation with the Asian market, even if you combined the followings of all the other Manchester United players, they wouldn't have as many dedicated fans as Ling.
Suddenly, the entrance to the players' tunnel became chaotic.
It turned out that someone in the stands had brought a large portrait of Cristiano Ronaldo and was continuously taunting Messi with words as the Argentine walked off the pitch!
"Qué miras, bobo? Qué miras, bobo? Andá p'allá, bobo!" (What are you looking at, fool? Go over there, fool!)
Messi, already in a terrible mood after the home defeat, saw the Ronaldo portrait and heard the taunts, making him even more annoyed.
He immediately fired back angrily in Spanish.
Ling paused to watch the commotion for a moment, then smiled and returned to the locker room.
Honestly, that phrase was quite interesting and rolled off the tongue easily.
"Qué miras, bobo."
Hearing Ling muttering to himself in Spanish, Maguire looked utterly confused and asked.
"Skip, what does that mean? Why do you keep repeating it?"
"Well, Harry, let me clarify first—I'm definitely not talking about you," Ling gave a preemptive warning with a grin.
"That phrase translates to 'What are you looking at, idiot? Get lost already.'"
"Really? I feel like you're definitely talking about me right now," Maguire looked highly suspicious, crossing his arms.
The Manchester United players in the locker room burst into loud laughter at the scene, leaving Ling utterly helpless.
Maguire had such a massive head, so why did he act so foolishly sometimes?
....
Meanwhile, at the post-match press conference, Ernesto Valverde faced the hostile Catalan reporters and stated firmly.
"Our performance today wasn't good enough, but that doesn't mean we've lost hope of advancing to the semi-finals. On the contrary, I have full confidence in overturning this tie at Old Trafford."
A reporter scoffed. "Why, Ernesto?"
"Because we have Lionel Messi," Valverde said simply. "When I was his opponent as a manager, Messi gave me a lot of trouble and heartache. I know exactly how much that hurts to defend against, and now I can finally enjoy everything Messi brings to my side. In the second leg, he will lead Barcelona forward!"
...
After the press conferences ended and the stadium emptied, the Manchester United squad wasn't in a hurry to return to England, since the next game was still three days away.
Instead, they went shopping and sightseeing under David De Gea's guidance, since the keeper knew the country well.
Barcelona's nightlife is famously vibrant.
For example, the historic Gothic Quarter and the bustling beachfront clubs.
With its enchanting Mediterranean coastal scenery and historic sites rich in cultural heritage, this is a city full of personality, charm, and fantasy.
Of course, the Manchester United squad under Mourinho was mostly made up of focused professionals, and everyone wisely declined to visit any notorious late-night spots to avoid the paparazzi.
Including Pogba.
Apart from constantly perming his hair and wearing flashy clothes, the Frenchman stays strictly away from vices like heavy drinking or illicit activities.
The group simply strolled around the city center, grabbed some authentic tapas, and then returned to the team hotel early to rest.
While they were sleeping peacefully in Spain, the global media buzz around this match exploded!
A while ago, European media outlets had selected five rising stars with the potential to officially replace Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the pinnacle of the sport: Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Mohamed Salah, Eden Hazard, and Ling.
After a season and a half of absolute dominance, it was becoming increasingly clear who had the most promise to take the throne.
"Barcelona 1-2 Manchester United: Ling Scores Twice and is Named Man of the Match. With This, He Has Defeated Both Real Madrid and Barcelona—Does This Signal the True End of an Era?" — The Guardian
"Ling Believes He Is the World's Best, but I Think Young Players Should Be More Practical and Say Such Things Only After Winning More Honors!" — Marca (Madrid)
"Ling Overtakes Messi to Rise to First Place in This Year's Early Ballon d'Or Betting Odds!" — Sky Bet
"Since Real Madrid's Post-Ronaldo Slump, La Liga's European Competitiveness Has Declined. Barcelona's Flat Performance Tonight Perfectly Illustrates This Point!" — El País
"Messi Angered by Provocative Cristiano Ronaldo Fans After the Match!" — Daily Mail
"Barcelona's Historic 30-Match Unbeaten Home Streak in the Champions League—An Impressive Record of 27 Wins and 3 Draws—Broken Tonight by the Red Devils!" — The Athletic
Multiple media outlets published corresponding reports.
Many offered rational tactical analysis of Mourinho's masterclass, but many also took Ling's post-match quotes entirely out of context to generate clicks.
Naturally, this sparked heated, tribal discussions among football fans online.
@BarcaTactics: Valverde's role isn't to devise modern tactics; he just needs to lavishly praise Messi in press conferences after the match!
@EPLFanatic: Haha, being able to praise him in such an extraordinary way while losing is a skill in itself for Valverde.
@StatmanDave: By the way, regarding the longest unbeaten home record in the Champions League... Barcelona's last loss at home was way back in 2013 against Bayern, right?
@BayernUltra: Yes, and their stats during that run were terrifying, scoring a total of 93 goals, averaging 3.1 per game. Until Ling arrived.
@RedDevil_99: Why does it feel like Ling is breaking more and more historic records every single week?
@CR7Goat: Manchester United also has a historic unbeaten record against Barcelona at Old Trafford. I wonder if it will hold in six days?
Most casual fans still couldn't accept that a dominant Barcelona lost so easily at home and that Messi didn't have a particularly standout, magical performance beyond his goal.
This brings up an old, famous tactical story.
In 2006, then-Chelsea manager Mourinho, in a leaked scouting report, outlined methods to limit a young Messi, which also included analysis and evaluations of Barcelona's tactics, Ronaldinho, and Carles Puyol.
The evaluation of Messi was simple: "Use more tactical fouls to restrict him. Note: Foul outside the penalty area, this is very important, and the earlier in the build-up, the better."
Of course, it sounds simple on paper.
But to actually achieve it on the pitch requires incredible pressing aggression and elite defensive coordination.
Didn't you see how physically exhausted Ashley Young and Herrera were by the final whistle?
There was also an interesting line in that old report. "Pay attention to how Barcelona players constantly pressure the referee on the pitch. Our players should also apply reasonable, coordinated pressure on the referee to balance it out."
Now, 13 years later, Messi's abilities had improved significantly, and his technical characteristics had shifted from a pure winger to a central playmaker.
Mourinho produced a much more detailed modern report and more in-depth targeted tactics, such as using a high press to completely cut off Messi's connection with Busquets and Rakitic.
Therefore, what seemed impossible in the eyes of many fans—quieting Messi at Camp Nou—was actually carefully created by countless hours of tactical details.
Then, the fans shifted their focus again and started talking about the prestigious Ballon d'Or race.
@Messi10Fan: If Messi can win the Copa América this summer with Argentina, I think even without the Champions League, adding the La Liga title, he could still win the Ballon d'Or easily.
@SouthAmericanBall: Indeed, the Copa América still holds massive significant value for voters.
@EuroSnob: Um, looking at the Copa América schedule in recent years—held in 2015, 2016, 2019, and I heard it's also scheduled for 2020—isn't that a bit 'capricious' to just keep hosting it?
@CR7Goat: Your hint is no different from stating it outright: the Copa América will be held every year until Messi finally wins it!
@EuroSnob: So the Copa América's prestige is definitely lower than the European Championship's. Fact.
@Messi10Fan: It's different context! If Argentina can win, this would be Messi's first major senior national team title, filling the massive championship void in his international career. The narrative would be huge. His chances for the Ballon d'Or would be very high!
@RedDevil_99: So, are you saying that even if Ling wins the UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, Champions League, Premier League, and Carabao Cup, it still wouldn't be enough to beat Messi?!
@Messi10Fan: That's possible. Narrative matters! (Typical)
@NeutralFan: Don't talk nonsense, the Ballon d'Or voters still have some integrity. If a player wins a quintuple and breaks the scoring record and doesn't win the Ballon d'Or, then there's no need to hold the award anymore.
...
While netizens were heatedly arguing online, back at the Carrington Training Base in Manchester, the squad had returned.
The Manchester United players had just finished their light recovery training and were sitting by the pristine football field chatting.
Mahrez made a joke. "Ling, there's been a massive amount of talk about you lately in the Spanish press. Did the club buy more internet traffic again?"
"Definitely! Jorge Mendes probably bought a lot of bots too," Ling yawned, stretching his legs.
He wasn't really concerned about the media circus.
No matter how much the public opinion outside brewed and debated his greatness, he just needed to focus entirely on doing what he should do on the pitch.
This little media episode quickly passed, and time came to April 14th.
Premier League Round 34 kicked off! Manchester United faced West Ham United at home!