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"No way!! I surrender! I surrender!!"
Málaga defender Angeleri was almost in tears.
85th minute of the match. Home team Málaga 0, away team Atlético Madrid 5!
At least this is our Málaga home stadium, please give us some face!
From Lance's smile before the match, Angeleri had a premonition of ill omen.
Sure enough, in the 1st minute of the match, Lance directly became inhuman.
At 1 minute and 2 seconds into the opening, Lance received a pass from Griezmann in the middle, dribbled past a defensive midfielder with a step-over, and then unleashed a powerful shot!
With immense power and a ball speed difficult to judge with the naked eye, it suddenly rocketed into the goal!
0-1!
Atlético Madrid had a dream start!
In the 12th minute, it was Lance again, stopping the ball with his knee at the edge of the box, then subtly flicking it with his ankle to get past a defender's interception, before unleashing a volley with his right foot from the edge of the penalty area!
0-2!
In the 14th minute, Lance and Griezmann swapped positions, Lance performed a series of step-overs on the wing to beat two defenders, then fired a low shot from a tight angle!
0-3!
A hat-trick in less than 15 minutes!
The Málaga players were stunned; they had just woken up and hadn't even brushed their teeth, and three goals had already been slammed in?
Even the commentator's eyes were almost popping out.
"Previously, some Spanish media questioned Lance's 'invisibility' in the match against Barcelona. Today, Lance once again used facts to hit back at those media. Within 15 minutes, Lance had already led the team to effectively end the match. With this kind of influence and dominance on the pitch, who can still say he's 'invisible'?"
After that, Atlético Madrid's three-goal lead was so large that they played a bit more relaxed.
In the second half, there were also some rotation adjustments. All the main players except Lance were substituted for a rest.
As a result, after the 80th minute, Lance once again exploited Málaga's fatigue and created two more goals!
In the 82nd minute, he made a long run from his own half, dribbling past three players, then burst past the goalkeeper at the edge of the box and tapped the ball into an empty net.
A four-goal haul!
In the 84th minute, Lance delivered an exceptional curved pass with the outside of his foot from the attacking third.
Torres, ever sharp, calmly slotted it in.
0-5!
Atlético Madrid were merciless away from home, slaughtering Málaga.
Lance was the undisputed Man of the Match, securing a 9.8 rating with his four-goal haul and one assist.
"This is Lance's first four-goal haul in La Liga!"
"24 goals in 16 matches! He's once again widened the gap with Messi! This year's La Liga top scorer race has lost its suspense early!"
...
"...According to FIFA official sources, the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony will be held on January 12, 2016, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The top three players in the current voting are Messi, Lance, and Cristiano Ronaldo...
Since the merger of the European Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2010, the FIFA Ballon d'Or selection rules involve votes from managers and captains of FIFA member national teams, as well as votes from a media panel led by 'France Football'. The results are determined by a comprehensive weighted calculation.
Due to Juventus captain Buffon, the Champions League winner, not being amongst the top three for the Ballon d'Or, no Juventus members made it into the top five. Barcelona failed to reach the Champions League Final. Real Madrid failed to reach the Champions League semi-finals and did not win any championship trophies.
Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi being selected as the top three for the Ballon d'Or has sparked considerable controversy amongst media and fans.
The least controversial is former Bayer Leverkusen core Lance. He led his team as a dark horse, defeating Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, successfully reaching the Champions League Final after 12 years. And he led Bayer Leverkusen to clinch a Bundesliga double.
Lance's inclusion in the top three for the Ballon d'Or has been widely praised by public opinion and has not been embroiled in the Ballon d'Or controversy..."
After the four-goal haul against Málaga, on the bus back to Madrid, everyone had already started talking about the Christmas holiday.
A one-week break for Christmas, with matches resuming on December 30th.
Griezmann was refreshing the news on his phone, and when he saw this report about the Ballon d'Or, he was full of envy.
"Lance, you could be the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history."
"Yeah, Lance is already the youngest Golden Boy award winner. This year's Ballon d'Or should be a sure thing, your achievements are the best."
"Oh oh oh!!! We're about to witness the birth of a Ballon d'Or winner!"
"Sign an autograph for me, Lance!"
"Hold it!"
Seeing the bus descend into chaos, Lance quickly stopped the group of idiots.
"This is not the European Ballon d'Or, but the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Its prestige, those who know, know."
"This..."
At these words, the Atlético Madrid teammates indeed fell silent.
Were there not enough controversies with the FIFA Ballon d'Or in previous years?
In 2010, Sneijder and Xavi were wronged. Champions League winners, World Cup winners, did they not deserve the Ballon d'Or?
How did Messi winning the award make any sense?
Let's not even mention 2011; in 2012, Messi still won no championships but still won the Ballon d'Or back-to-back.
In 2013, Ribéry was incredibly popular, leading Bayern to a treble.
Theoretically, it should have been Ribéry, no doubt.
But then Cristiano Ronaldo emerged and won the award.
Last year it was Cristiano Ronaldo again.
Since the FIFA Ballon d'Or merged, it has all been monopolised by Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. No matter how many championships others win, it's useless.
By now, the FIFA Ballon d'Or has become a joke.
"Heh heh heh, wanna bet? It's definitely Messi this year."
Lance sneered.
Anyone with half a brain knew he would just be a runner-up.
Even if he hadn't been suspended for the final, and could have defeated Juve to win the Champions League, helping Bayer Leverkusen achieve a treble.
The Ballon d'Or would still go to Messi.
Don't ask why.
The Atlético Madrid players fell silent again.
Their gazes even held a hint of sympathy for Lance.
He was so outstanding in 2015, and he still might be a runner-up?
"Enough, let's not discuss this topic for now, don't let it affect your mindset."
Simeone stepped forward to interrupt everyone's condemnation of FIFA.
"I believe that this kind of controversial selection will soon end. The Ballon d'Or might return to its original form in the next two years."
"Lance, I have a feeling that even if you unfortunately don't win this year, you definitely can next year."
Simeone thought Lance would be quite sad. The "gangster boss" rarely showed a touch of tenderness.
"Coach, I think so too."
Lance already knew the outcome through his prophetic dreams, so he never held any expectations.
No expectations, no disappointment.
Moreover, Lance had very high standards for himself.
If he was to win an award, he had to win it without controversy, so that everyone in the world would be truly convinced!
A Ballon d'Or winner should at least win a Champions League, right?
That's the most basic requirement.
Besides that, next year is the 2016 European Cup.
If he could also win the European Cup as a core player... with two major titles, a heavyweight double, who would dare to say otherwise then?
"Sorry, Cristiano Ronaldo. Your luck is mine."
In the original timeline, the double winner of the Champions League and European Cup was Cristiano Ronaldo.
If Lance wanted to achieve his goal, he had to push aside the biggest obstacle in front of him!
"Achoo... Oh! Fuck!!"
Hundreds of kilometres away, at the Castilla training ground.
Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't help but sneeze.
Although he didn't believe in the occult, Cristiano Ronaldo felt a chill down his spine, as if someone was targeting him?
"Ronaldo, are you okay? You didn't catch a cold, did you?"
The most concerned person was Real Madrid's ambassador, the legendary figure who was about to succeed as Real Madrid's manager.
Zidane.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the core of the team, and Zidane was afraid he would catch a cold or get sick.
"Oh, I'm fine."
Cristiano Ronaldo pouted and turned to continue his workout.
A nerve in his mind was constantly taut. Lance's 24 goals on the top scorer list felt like a huge mountain, pressing down on Cristiano Ronaldo, making him breathless.
Cristiano Ronaldo wished he could train relentlessly 24 hours a day. He had to surpass this guy no matter what, damn it!!
Where did this Asian guy come from, anyway!
Zidane looked at the situation on the training ground and already had a rough idea.
Since Real Madrid was ranked 3rd and consistently unable to overtake Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, Florentino decisively fired Benítez. Zidane would take office in early January 2016!
No one knew what changes Zidane would bring to Real Madrid.
Only Lance, upon seeing the news of Zidane's appointment, subtly raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Zidane the Mystic is really here."
"The second half of the La Liga season just got interesting."