The top-of-the-table clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona!

The Golden Boot battle between Suker and Messi!

Amidst the frenzied goal-scoring performances, the attention on this La Liga 16th-round match was even more explosive than usual.

Barcelona was eager to prove themselves and also wanted to defeat Real Madrid at home to wipe away past shame.

Taking advantage of Messi and Barcelona's fiery form, they had to win this match.

To build momentum for this match,

Barcelona invited a series of legends to watch the game, including Dutch football and Barcelona football godfather, Cruyff.

Cruyff was now 64 years old and coaching the Catalonia national team under the Catalonia banner.

Catalonia national team is not a team under FIFA, but belongs only to the state of Catalonia.

Although they also wanted to obtain separate qualifications to participate in FIFA tournaments like the World Cup and European Championship, similar to England and Ireland, their several applications had not been approved.

Speaking of Cruyff, he absolutely played a vital role in Barcelona's revival.

He could even be called the founder of Tiki-Taka.

The Dutch football philosophy he brought helped Barcelona reshape its system, leading to the possession-based football of the Tiki-Taka model.

Cruyff's arrival would certainly further motivate Barcelona's players to take this match seriously.

Barcelona gathered legends for this match.

Real Madrid naturally would not be outdone.

Real Madrid's traditional No. 7, a key figure of the 'Vulture Squad era', legendary striker Amancio Varela, would personally attend the match to watch.

Amancio was a legendary striker for Real Madrid in the 1960s.

Donning the No. 7 jersey, Amancio played 471 official games for Real Madrid, scoring 155 goals. He was the new leader after the Di Stéfano era. He scored a goal in the 1966 Champions League final, helping Real Madrid win its sixth Champions League title. He won the La Liga title 9 times and was the La Liga top scorer twice.

Amancio's arrival also injected a boost of confidence into Real Madrid's players and fans.

At the same time, Real Madrid specially took time to meet with this old gentleman.

At Real Madrid's training ground,

Amancio, supported by Florentino, walked shakily onto the field.

The whole man appeared aged and frail, hunched over, leaning on a cane, needing to catch his breath after just a few steps.

Suker watched from afar and frown.

The old gentleman was already 72 years old. Suker was afraid he might fall and never wake up again.

Florentino supported Amancio, continuously introducing the Real Madrid players.

When pointing to Suker, Amancio turned his head and said with a not-so-fluent voice, smiling, "I know him! Our top scorer!"

Florentino nodded with a smile, then called Suker over.

"This is Mr. Amancio!" Florentino introduced with a smile.

Suker immediately nodded: "I know, he is our legend, a legendary striker! Also my role model!"

Bullshit!

Suker was just talking nonsense.

In the era Amancio was active, Suker's nominal parents probably hadn't even been born!

The era was too long ago, so Suker really couldn't imagine that time. For him, Ronaldo's era was the one with real 'role model significance'.

Even so, Suker needed to say the polite thing.

Hearing Suker's answer, Amancio seemed very happy. He pointed his finger at Suker, turned to Florentino, and said; "He... he should wear number 7!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Suker again.

"Child! Real Madrid's number 7... is the legendary striker's number!"

Suker smiled and said nothing.

Who told him he didn't really like the number seven.

Real Madrid's number 7 held very important significance.

Kopa in 1956!

Amancio in 1962!

Juanito in 1977!

Butragueño in 1984!

Raúl in 1994!

These were all inheritors of the Real Madrid number 7 legacy.

However, Suker preferred the number nine, and he believed the legacy of the number nine was not inferior either.

Davor Šuker in 1996!

Morientes in 1999!

Ronaldo in 2003!

Suker in 2009!

At Real Madrid, the number 7 symbolized the inheritance of the great, honorable Madrid spirit.

But Suker believed that it was the player who was great, not the jersey number!

He would not inherit something!

But create!

Perhaps years later, because of Suker, Real Madrid's number nine could also become a special honorary number, not inferior to the number seven.

After chatting briefly, Suker returned to the training field to continue training.

Many people looked curiously at Amancio; after all, he was very old and rarely made appearances.

Unexpectedly, for this match, Amancio, Cruyff, and others also personally came to watch.

"Damn it!" Benzema grimaced; "This is putting pressure on us!"

Others also shook their heads and sighed.

This match, with so many legends gathered together.

Whoever loses loses face!

In the future, even if they enter Real Madrid's Hall of Fame, they wouldn't be able to hold their heads up, having such a black mark on their history.

Of course, it was the same for Barcelona.

However, they were playing at home, having more home advantage.

"This match is very important, more important than any previous match." Casillas also sighed.

He also didn't expect it to cause such a huge reaction.

The competition between Suker and Messi, two monster-level scorers, and the points battle.

Clearly, the season wasn't in its final stages, nor was it a particularly crucial match (like a final), yet it still attracted so many legends and media attention.

Neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona would have it easy.

Of course, the greatest pressure undoubtedly fell on Suker and Messi.

Without a doubt, they were the absolute focus of this match.

The entire event's escalation was based on the frenzied goal-scoring performances of Suker and Messi, which created this exceptionally fiery Spanish National Derby.

Would Messi wipe away the shame at home, or would Suker continue his dominance?

These would all be answered in the La Liga 16th-round match.

There were still three days until the match started.

During this time, Real Madrid's players were doing simple training.

There were no special tactical points; the two teams had played each other many times and were very familiar with each other.

Even Mourinho and Guardiola had exhausted their tactical playbooks.

Moreover, sudden changes might not necessarily work well.

After all, both Suker and Messi were in explosive form.

Sudden changes might have the opposite effect, so they didn't plan tactical changes, at most some small tricks that wouldn't affect the overall tactical system.

This match was a head-to-head contest.

It tested the overall tactical literacy!

It tested both sides' resilience!

It tested whose 'trump card is harder'!

Suker and Messi would inevitably play very important roles in this match.

And the task for Mourinho and Guardiola was how to reduce the opponent's form.

They didn't even hope for complete restriction, but just applying some pressure, so their trump card could breach the opponent's goal.

The thinking on both sides was remarkably consistent.

In this atmosphere, the preparation period ended.

On December 11th, the Real Madrid team took a plane to Barcelona.

2011/2012 season, La Liga 16th round, Spanish National Derby, Barcelona home against Real Madrid!

On the road to the Camp Nou, helicopters hovered in the sky, conducting aerial filming.

On both sides of the road, cameras were aimed at the bus every few hundred meters.

The road to the stadium was even under temporary control, with police cars and police motorcycles leading the way.

"This scale is almost catching up to the Champions League final, right?"

Srna couldn't help but exclaim.

It was just an ordinary league match, was it necessary to be so solemn?

But there was no choice.

The heat for this match had already been hyped up.

Under the frenzied goal-scoring heat of Suker and Messi, amplified by media portrayal and hype, the popularity of this match even surpassed that of the Champions League semi-finals.

Many fans came to Barcelona just to watch the match, and even more around the world watched through TV.

Everyone was curious.

With Suker and Messi's such crazy performances, who would win the direct confrontation between the two!

With legends like Cruyff and Amancio showing up to support, it naturally pushed the heat even further.

"However, compared to Mr. Amancio, doesn't Cruyff have more influence on Barcelona?"

Kaka said.

Srna; "That depends on the aspect, but indeed it is so!"

Benzema; "Aren't there any more famous legends? Preferably someone of Mr. Bernabéu's caliber!"

Hearing this, Suker turned to look; "If Mr. Santiago Bernabéu came, are you sure you'd dare to see him?"

The old gentleman had already passed away in the 1980s.

This guy really dared to say!

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!

Suddenly, the entire space seemed to vibrate.

The players turned their heads to look out the window.

They saw, across the bridge, a large square densely packed with a massive number of fans, wearing Barcelona jerseys, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The intense cheers, applause, and other mixed sounds were like claps of thunder reverberating through every inch of space.

"How many people are here?"

Srna said somewhat stunned.

In past matches, although Camp Nou would be filled, there wouldn't be this many people outside.

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!——

Boos were everywhere.

The piercing sound seemed like it wanted to chisel through the eardrums, to the point of causing headaches.

Along with the boos from outside, the 100,000 Barcelona fans in the stadium also erupted in boos again.

For a moment, the Real Madrid players' bodies stiffened slightly.

They had seen big scenes before: Champions League finals, away life-or-death battles, etc.; they had experienced them all.

But this time, facing such intense boos, they couldn't help but stiffen.

Even Suker was briefly stunned; after regaining his composure, his expression became serious.

These Barcelona guys, this time, were truly united as one.

Consecutive losses didn't break them; instead, it ignited their passion for revenge.

The more they lost, the more fans they had? Where was the logic in that.

Under the escort of riot police, the bus safely arrived at the stadium entrance.

The Real Madrid players also entered the stadium low-key, not lingering outside.

There were too many people.

To prevent accidents, they could only quickly make this choice.

Fan riots are very dangerous.

Those who proactively provoke fans at away games are sick; once fans riot, these guys could be beaten to death for nothing, and the perpetrators couldn't even be found.

Smoothly entering the locker room, the Real Madrid players began changing into their kits and warming up.

The intense boos continued, even more piercing than usual.

Especially when Suker appeared, the entire Camp Nou seemed to be blowing whistles; the sharp boos felt like they were drilling through the eardrums into the brain.

In such a hostile environment, the Real Madrid players still had to warm up.

They also understood that this match would be extremely crucial, with greater pressure than usual.

In the VIP box, Florentino, Amancio, Zidane, and other Real Madrid legends gathered together.

In the box next to them were Barcelona's legends.

"What do you think are the chances of winning this match?" Florentino asked, pursing his lips.

His thumbs were crossed, constantly fidgeting; he was obviously very nervous inside.

Different from previous Spanish National Derbies, this match had too much attention.

Winning would bring huge positive coverage and traffic.

Losing would be truly embarrassing.

Winning so many matches, losing the most crucial one would be terrible.

Of course, Barcelona's pressure was also great.

Making such a big scene, if they lost, they would really be lose face big time.

"Not clear!"

Zidane shook his head; "Actually, the overall squad strength is comparable, and there's not much difference in coaching direction. I feel the outcome of this match will depend on the performance of both cores, namely Suker and Messi!"

"Suker will win!" Amancio said with a smile.

Everyone turned to look.

Florentino asked; "Do you have any insights?"

Amancio shook his head; "No! But my feeling is accurate. Don't underestimate a striker's feeling!"

After a pause, Amancio emphasized again; "Suker will win!"

Florentino pursed his lips; there were some words he didn't say out loud.

Amancio, this guy was no less than Pele's jinx!

Zidane also rubbed his forehead, showing a headache; clearly, he also knew about Amancio's 'this skill'.

On the other side, in Barcelona's box.

Cruyff watched the players from both sides finishing their warm-up and walking towards the player tunnel.

"Messi's performance this season is good, but it's not enough. He needs to go further!"

Cruyff said: "Key goals at critical moments!"

No matter how many icing-on-the-cake goals, they are just flashy.

They don't compare to the exhilarating effect of providing charcoal in snowy weather goals, like winners or equalizers.

Cruyff believed Messi's heart wasn't mature enough yet to bring key contributions to the team.

He believed that once Messi took this step, he could completely overtake Suker.

At this moment, in the locker rooms, both sides were giving their final talks.

Mourinho; "I believe you already understand the importance of this match. From the moment we set foot in Barcelona, everyone has been hostile towards us. They want to defeat us, they want to kill us! But we will tell them, we are the proud Real Madrid, no one can defeat us!"

"Seize every opportunity, calm yourselves down. Only calmness can cope with an intense match!"

"Gentlemen, let's conquer Camp Nou together again!"

Guardiola: "The philosophy of football lies in passing. Reasonable passes can penetrate the offense. Eyes must always look forward; forward passes are the beginning of victory!"

"We already know enough about the opponent; we have played many matches against them. I think every night, you have been in pain over those past failures, but today... we will turn everything around!"

"Today we will defeat Real Madrid! We will start the legendary story belonging to Barcelona!"

Real Madrid's locker room:

"Conquer Camp Nou!!!—"

Barcelona's locker room:

"Victory belongs to Barcelona!!!—"

The players from both sides, led by their respective captains, arrived at the player tunnel.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the entire player tunnel was extremely tense; even the main referee felt his mouth go dry.

He glanced back; the players from both sides were serious, their faces full of solemnity and gravity, without any smiles.

Some were doing pre-match prayers.

Some were bowing their heads, recalling tactical content.

Some were biting their nails, seeming somewhat anxious.

These scenes composed the pre-match picture.

"Prepare to come out!"

The main referee shouted.

Instantly, the players from both sides shuddered!

They jerked their heads up, their eyes filled with ferocious fighting spirit!

The match was about to begin!

This crucial battle was about to start!

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!——

Boooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!——

The entire Camp Nou was filled with cheers and boos.

Cheers were for Barcelona, while boos were reserved for Real Madrid.

Although the small number of away Real Madrid fans shouted at the top of their lungs, they still couldn't break through the cheers of Barcelona's 100,000 people.

Under the intense sound, the players from both sides walked out of the player tunnel one by one.

At this moment, fans in front of TVs around the world couldn't help but cheer.

Finally emerging after much anticipation!

This crucial match had finally arrived!

The Spanish National Derby!

Barcelona home against Real Madrid!

The battle for the scorer's list between Suker and Messi!

The battle for the top of the table between the two teams!

All of this told them the value and crucial nature of this match.

Even players from other leagues who considered Suker and Messi as rivals were also watching this match.

They wanted to witness firsthand what kind of performances these two guys would deliver!

Moreover, they were also very curious about who would ultimately win the match, Suker or Messi.

Finally, after a series of pre-match ceremonies, the captains did rock-paper-scissors.

Barcelona kicked off first!

Both sides went to their respective halves; the match was on the verge of starting.