Chapter 2: Prime Messi
"Lucas, Lucas, did you hear what I said?" Deulofeu noticed his friend's distraction, extended his hand in front of Lucas's eyes, and asked with a puzzled expression.
"Well, I'm listening!" Lucas snapped back to reality and replied.
Deulofeu looked at him in disbelief and curiously inquired, "What were you thinking just now? I called you several times, but you didn't respond."
Noticing his friend's puzzled expression, Lucas realized that his curiosity had been piqued. He quickly came up with an excuse and said casually, "I was just thinking about how many goals Messi can score this year."
Messi was Deulofeu's idol, and the mention of his name immediately sparked his interest. "I think he could score sixty or seventy goals," he replied.
In the 2010-2011 season, Messi scored a total of 57 goals, including 53 goals for his club and 4 goals for the national team. Considering his improved performance this season, there is a high probability that he will surpass last year's total.
Upon hearing Deulofeu's response, Lucas shook his head with a smile and remarked, "Gerard, isn't Messi your idol? Why are you being so conservative in your prediction?"
"Conservative?"
Deulofeu asked, confused, "Is sixty or seventy goals still a conservative estimate?"
He was very curious to know Lucas's opinion on what would be considered unconservative.
"Then how many goals do you think Messi can score?" he inquired.
"I believe he can score 80 or even 90 goals!" Lucas replied earnestly.
"Stop joking! Do you know what the current world record is?" Deulofeu exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.
You see, the current world record stands at just 85 goals.
If Messi can score eighty or ninety goals, does that mean he has a chance to break the record?
But is breaking this world record really that easy?
Gerd Muller's record was set in 1972 and has remained unbroken for 40 years, with no one even coming close to it.
Though Messi is undoubtedly exceptional, Deulofeu cannot fathom the idea of Messi breaking this record.
"I know that the current world record is 85 goals in a calendar year, set by the German player Gerd Müller while playing for Bayern Munich in 1972," Deulofeu explained. "But Messi has already scored 46 goals in the first five months of this year, up until this game. He is now less than 40 goals away from Gerd Muller's record."
"Considering there are still several months left in this year, and judging by his current form, I don't think this record is beyond his reach!"
Deulofeu was finally convinced, and he began to calculate the probability of Messi breaking the world record with his fingers, no longer bothering Lucas.
Lucas withdrew his gaze from Deulofeu and looked back at the field.
After scoring the fourth goal, Messi and the other Barcelona players walked towards the coach's bench to find their coach, Guardiola.
"Thank you, Pep. These four goals are for you!" Messi gave Guardiola a hug and whispered into his ear.
Guardiola patted Messi on the back vigorously, his eyes slightly red and he become a little emotional.
"I also thank you, Leo. You are deserving of the cheers from the 100,000 people at Camp Nou!"
Every moment of his four-year coaching career at Camp Nou flashed before him, filling him with a sense of intersection.
Having come through Barcelona's youth training, Guardiola had spent a total of 17 years playing for Barcelona since joining at the age of 13.
It could be said that he had spent the majority of his career at Barcelona.
After retiring and transitioning into coaching, his first team to coach was Barcelona's B team.
It was precisely due to his outstanding coaching performance with the Barcelona B team that he gained the favor of Barcelona and was quickly promoted to head coach of the first team.
During his four-year coaching career with the first team, he secured 3 league titles, 2 Champions League titles, 2 Copa del Rey, 3 Spanish Super Cup titles, 2 European Super Cup titles, and 2 Club World Cup titles for Barcelona.
During his four years of coaching Barcelona, Barcelona fans referred to it as the Dream Three Dynasty. It was the best period in Barcelona's history, without a doubt.
These outstanding achievements not only earned him a revered status in the hearts of fans but also garnered the respect and love of the players.
There were numerous talented players at their peak during this period. Only a few players, during their prime, are fortunate enough to encounter a skilled coach, accomplish a series of triumphs, and secure numerous championship trophies.
A group of Barcelona players, including Messi, particularly those young players who were nurtured by Guardiola from the youth training ranks, hold a deep sense of gratitude towards him.
Had he not offloaded big-name players like Ibrahimovic and Eto'o, these young players may not have had such promising futures.
Without his possession-based tactics, Barcelona's record would not have been as remarkable.
Now, this accomplished coach, who guided their growth and led them to brilliant achievements, is departing.
Many young players are deeply unsettled, fearing that they might lose their place in the new coach's tactical system.
Thus, when they witnessed Guardiola's true emotions, they mustered the courage to persuade him once again:
"Stay, coach, Barcelona needs you!"
"Yeah, stay, boss, we still need you!"
Guardiola's mood is tinged with bitterness. He has achieved greatness at Barcelona and still has so many exceptional players under his guidance.
Given the opportunity, he genuinely does not wish to leave.
However, with the change in club leadership, with Laporta departing and Rosell taking his place, their relationship is become worse.
In particular, Rosell used the pretext of reform to eliminate dissidents and even stripped the honorary chairman title from the legendary Cruyff, who had made significant contributions to the team.
This left Guardiola extremely disgusted with Rosell. As the head coach of the club, it would be challenging for him to excel in his role if he couldn't manage his relationship with the club chairman.
There have been signs of this throughout the season, with some players led by Pique gradually slipping out of his control.
This led Guardiola to believe that it was a warning from Rosell, conveyed through the players, pushing him to leave.
Consequently, Guardiola decided to depart from Barcelona without discussing his next destination.
In order to make his stance clear, he wanted to show that he wasn't betraying Barcelona; he was merely compelled to leave.
Therefore, when faced with questions about retaining players, he could only shake his head with a wry smile and say, "Let's not talk about that, kids. The game isn't over yet. Enjoy the game and the cheers from the fans!"
Guardiola's rejection of player retention had an impact on the players' morale, resulting in Barcelona not only failing to score a goal in the following game but also accumulating fouls and receiving cards one after another.
Tello and Captain Puyol received yellow cards within five minutes, and Messi missed a clear opportunity in the 87th minute.
Under normal circumstances, Guardiola would express his dissatisfaction on the sidelines. However, this time he chose to remain seated on the coach's bench, calmly drinking water without leaving his seat.
With the score already at 4-0, and just one minute remaining in the game, including injury time, it was impossible for the opponent to make a comeback.
As long as the players avoid making elementary mistakes or receiving red cards again, nothing else matters.
"But it doesn't matter even if they get a red card because Barcelona missed out on the league championship early this season. They were surpassed by Real Madrid in the standings by 7 points. The outcome of the last game does not affect the final result in any way.
For a game with no stakes and no ambitions, it is enough for Barcelona to play casually.
Four minutes later, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.
Relying on Messi's superb performance, Barcelona defeated their city rivals, Espanyol, 4-0 at home, concluding all their home games in La Liga this season."
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