Football career: From winning the championship to becoming a legend

On November 11, Ronaldinho returned to the club with the Golden Ball trophy and was warmly welcomed by the club from top to bottom. Ronaldinho also hugged every teammate and coach who congratulated him...

Of course, our protagonist Ricardo Richie is also included. Then Ricardo relied on his shameless flattery - things like admiration is like a surging river, endless, and like the flooding of the Yellow River, unstoppable - to trick Ronaldinho's father into agreeing to sign 100 autographed photos for Ricardo.

The whole team is in high spirits and is actively preparing for next weekend's league.

……

However, everything will turn to the opposite extreme, happiness will turn to sadness, water will overflow when it is full, and the moon will wane when it waxes. Just when Barcelona's morale was high and ready to continue to advance, unfortunate news suddenly came from the team...

This happened on the evening of December 2005, 12, during a team training session at Barcelona. It was supposed to be a normal training session at the training base; but it was cloudy that day, with a light rain, and the temperature was cold and humid...

During the confrontation training, Xavi dribbled the ball and prepared to break through Edmilson's defense.

Harvey made an emergency stop and turn, which he had done countless times before, but at the moment of turning, the coaches and players around Harvey clearly heard a crisp sound, and then Harvey fell to the ground in pain and was unable to stand up again.

(Ricardo, who was watching the whole process not far away, thought: It’s over, it’s broken… It’s definitely broken…)

(Like other players, Ricardo couldn’t help but feel the same way, and his heart ached, as if this would happen to him sooner or later. It looked painful… He must do less sudden stops and turns in the future…)

Captain Puyol immediately called for physiotherapist Moore to come in and check...

Although Xavi's action of limping off the field did not seem serious, the team doctor quickly confirmed that his right knee anterior cruciate ligament was completely ruptured, and the club's medical team sent Xavi directly to the hospital agreed with Acepe.

Xavi then explained to the doctor how he got injured: when he was about to turn around, the nail of his right shoe got stuck in the grass, and when he exerted force, there was a crisp sound behind him...

After an MRI, doctors confirmed that Xavi's cruciate ligament was completely ruptured and recommended immediate surgery.

The operation was immediately scheduled for 11: am the next day. Barcelona's medical director Jordi Aldwall and the hospital's doctor Ramon Cugat will jointly perform the operation on Xavi.

Aldwall said that during the operation, replacement tissue that can replace the function of the ligament will be implanted to help Xavi recover better and faster.

The cruciate ligament seems to have become Barcelona's "Achilles' heel" again, but Aldwall denied that Xavi's injury was the same as the four seriously injured players of Barcelona last year. "What we are facing and solving now is another issue," he said. "We have already provided guidance to the whole team on how to prevent sports injuries. Xavi's injury was just an accident."

……

Can such a terrible thing be solved by saying it was an accident? Or if those empty counseling were useful, there wouldn't be so many players injured!

It was so scary that little Ricardo quickly got into the arms of big sister Chiara, who came as promised, and sought comfort in her broad chest muscles, oh no, in her broad chest...

Tonight, I used the excuse of being too scary and trying to calm her down to coax Chiara into doing many positions or postures that she was too shy to try before...

(The specific content and process of several thousand words have been omitted for the sake of social harmony...)

……

The next day, Saturday at around 11: noon, Barcelona midfielder Xavi was about to undergo surgery to repair the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

The entire Barcelona team, including countless fans, silently offered their blessings, hoping that the operation would go smoothly.

But many people may not have entered the state of praying, Harvey's operation was successfully completed in less than an hour.

After all, it is not a particularly complicated operation, and Barcelona's sports medicine treatment level is also good worldwide.

However, the surgery is only the first step in Xavi's long recovery process: Xavi will be discharged from the hospital three days later, and then immediately start physical therapy and rehabilitation. After two or three months, Xavi will be able to return to the football field for restorative training... The entire recovery process is expected to take about 6 months.

After the operation, some anxious fans (most likely the alias of Spanish national team coach Aragones) asked whether Xavi could participate in the World Cup in Germany next summer?

But even the Barcelona famous doctor Cugat, who performed the operation, did not dare to jump to conclusions: "The whole recovery process is subject to many factors. It is too early to calculate the football recovery date. Fortunately, he is full of confidence, which is the most important thing."

Xavi was not discouraged: "From now on, the countdown to my comeback begins. I will not look back, but must wait quietly and patiently for recovery."

Regardless of whether Xavi can make it to next year's World Cup, there seems to be no doubt that he will miss all of Barcelona's remaining games this season.

Barcelona medical director Aldwall said directly: "Although it is still uncertain how long Xavi will recover, the possibility of his return this season is almost zero."

Xavi has never suffered such a serious injury in his career. The longest absence before was around April 2003, when he underwent surgery on his right shoulder.

In the past five seasons, Xavi has participated in more than 5% of the team's games, missing only 90 games in total, an average of less than 23 games per season.

After Rijkaard took over as coach, Xavi became one of the most indispensable figures in the team. But no matter what, Rijkaard had to accept the fact that Barcelona's "brain" was paralyzed...

The Spanish national team coach Aragones is in the same boat, or even worse. Two weeks ago, after the Derby of the Century, he learned that Raul might miss next year's World Cup due to a knee injury. He had to accept the reality of losing Xavi: "It is difficult to find replacements for these two players. I can only pray that they recover soon."

The national team's doctor has already contacted Barcelona's medical team, hoping that a medical miracle can happen to Xavi.

……

There is no use missing Xavi now. Barcelona must find a replacement for Xavi as soon as possible.

Fortunately, Rijkaard has rotated Xavi twice this season, which also provides him with a reference for how to deal with the current situation.

In addition, Ronaldinho's recent hot and almost hot state, oh no, it's burning state has somewhat covered up the shadow of Xavi's long-term absence.

The media generally believes that Xavi's replacement will be between Iniesta and Gabriel Gabri.

Professional media reporters generally regard Iniesta as a clone of Xavi. Iniesta is slightly taller than Xavi, weighs 3 kilograms lighter, and is 4 years younger. The two have many similarities in technical and organizational abilities.

And once he is given a chance, Iniesta will never waste it: this season Iniesta has already made double-digit appearances, all of which have been very impressive.

Compared to Iniesta, Gabriel is stronger and has better defensive ability. In the training sessions after Xavi was injured, the coaching staff arranged for him to play in Xavi's position. Perhaps this is a signal that he will start in the match against Villarreal.

In fact, Barcelona's midfield is currently strong, and there are many people who can fill the vacancy left by Xavi... (Ricardo volunteered in his heart: "Yes! There is also me!")

In addition to the two players mentioned above, the versatile midfielder Motta and Van Bommel, who is about to return from injury, can also do the job.

“We have a lot more players this year than last year, and all the players are maintaining a very high level,” Edmilson said.

Giuly took the initiative to withdraw from the competition: "That's not my position. Barcelona has four or five players who can play this position."

(Seeing that neither the media nor his teammates mentioned him at all, Ricardo couldn't help but get anxious: "Hey, hey... why didn't anyone think of me... I'm also a midfielder!")

……

However, Murphy's Law seems to have found the recently popular Barcelona team, or we can also say that it is a blessing in disguise: Rijkaard contracted pneumonia before the game and could not travel with the team. Only assistant coach Ten Cate could lead the team to the Estadio della Madrigal to challenge Villarreal away...

Villarreal CF, nicknamed the Yellow Submarine, is located in Villarreal, Castellón Province, Valencia Community, Spain. It is located in the central part of Spain, bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

As for why Villarreal is nicknamed the Yellow Submarine (El Submarino Amarillo, Yellow Submarine in English)?

This can be explained from two aspects: on the one hand, the team uniform is the most unique and eye-catching all-yellow in La Liga - well, it is brighter and more beautiful than shit yellow, yes, it is like the fresh poop of a child...

On the other hand, the club's core fan union took the lead in singing a popular song of the same name by the Beatles to celebrate the team's promotion from the fourth level to the third level in 1967.

Villarreal's home stadium is the El Madrigal Stadium, located in Plaza Labrador. It was built in 1923 and was last renovated in 1999. It can accommodate 22,000 spectators. The beautiful Mediterranean Sea is just 5 kilometers away from the stadium, and the altitude of the El Madrigal Stadium is 50 meters above sea level.

In this poetic stadium, Barcelona has suffered three consecutive defeats. Whether Barcelona can get through this time depends on the deployment of the team's interim coach Ten Cate!

Fortunately, Ten Cate put Ricardo in the match squad: "You know what to do! If I'm not in the squad, the consequences will be very serious. In the previous games where I wasn't in the squad, Barcelona basically either drew or lost..."

"Stop it, why do you care whether I am on the field or not..."

"I am the mascot, okay?! Is that okay?!"

……

2005年12月4日晚上19时，西班牙足球甲级联赛第14轮展开7场争夺，比利亚雷亚尔在主场情歌球场迎接联赛领头羊巴塞罗那队的挑战。

Ten Cate followed the same rules and still deployed the regular 4-3-3 starting lineup:

The goalkeeper is No. 1 Valdés;

The back line from left to right is No. 16 Sylvinho, No. 4 Marcos, No. 5 Puyol, No. 23 Oleguer;

The iron triangle in the midfield is No. 15 Edmilson, No. 3 Motta and No. 20 Deco;

The forward trident is No. 30 Messi, No. 10 Ronaldinho and No. 9 Eto'o.

Ten Cate chose Motta to replace the injured Xavi, but the two are obviously different types of players: Xavi's characteristics are ball control, rhythm control and accurate passing, while Motta's characteristics are toughness, courage, bravery and strategy...

Many critics say that Villarreal is Riquelme's team, and keeping Roman at bay is half the battle.

Ten Cate understood this logic. He sent Motta into the field so that he and Edmilson could work together to cut off the submarine's torpedo tubes.

Before the game, the media kept hyping that this match was a peak showdown between Ronaldinho and Riquelme, the two demons of La Liga, oh no, it was a peak showdown between two magicians: this was the fifth showdown between the two football geniuses.

Previously, Riquelme and Ronaldinho had faced off against each other four times. In the 03/04 season, Riquelme led the submarine to a draw with Barcelona at Camp Nou, while Villarreal beat Barcelona 3-0 at the Estadio degli Studi, with Riquelme dominating Ronaldinho.

In the national team, Roman's Argentina defeated Ronaldinho's Brazil 3-1 in the second round of the World Cup South American qualifiers, but Ronaldinho immediately responded to Roman with a 4-1 victory in the Confederations Cup final.

But overall, Riquelme has a slight advantage in the four encounters.

So at the beginning of the game, Riquelme's Villarreal took advantage of the home court to give Ronaldinho's Barcelona a warning.

First, in the 3rd minute, Villarreal made a long pass to the left, Oleguer made a mistake in positioning, and Sorin dribbled into the penalty area. After dribbling the ball, he collided with Valdes and fell to the ground. However, the referee believed that Sorin had lost control of the ball and did not award a penalty, but a goal kick.

Then in the 8th minute, Riquelme made a casual pass to the left side of the penalty area, allowing Sorin to break into the penalty area and make a close cross. Unfortunately, Jose Mari, who was in front of the goal, shot wide.

In the 14th minute, Riquelme took three consecutive corner kicks, all of which were from the front point. The Barcelona goal was in a state of panic, and finally the attack ended with Jose Mari's volley from 12 yards on the left side of the penalty area, which went over the crossbar.

During this period, Ronaldinho's offensive was like that of Barcelona, ​​much ado about nothing.

However, 15 minutes later, I don’t know if it was the "love song" sung in the stands that completely aroused Ronaldinho’s devilish nature, Ronaldinho began to take over the game, while Riquelme gradually began to fall into confusion under the frequent care of the two midfield protectors Motta and Edmilson.

In the 19th minute, it was Ronaldinho's father's turn to make a wonderful pass on the left side of the penalty area, and the little flea Messi's lob shot from 12 yards in the penalty area was slightly higher.

In the 21st minute, it was Ronaldinho's father's turn to handle the left corner kick. Unfortunately, Marcos tried to perform the Hand of God shot at the front point, but was discovered by the referee and given a yellow card warning...

Barcelona finally took the lead in the 24th minute. Motta broke through on the left but was tackled by Venta, and Ronaldinho's father took a direct free kick from the left.

The angle of this set-piece was not good, and it was a bit far from the goal. However, Ronaldinho's direct shot from the set-piece was obviously beyond the expectations of goalkeeper Vieira, who rushed to save the ball in an obvious lack of preparation...

But the ball hit Pena's knee and bounced into the empty goal...

Barcelona was lucky to score the first goal and successfully controlled the remaining time and rhythm of the first half, maintaining the score of 1-0 until the end of the first half.

……