Free Web NovelChapter 491: Chapter 100: The Fourth Title! A New Era in Football
But who would have thought he would unearth a superstar!
Forget everything else—this alone was enough for him to boast about for the rest of his life!
"Wang Shuo’s form this season is truly excellent. He’s improved even more since last season. This kid is just full of surprises," Buvac exclaimed repeatedly in amazement.
"How does he compare to Ronaldo and Messi?" Klopp asked, setting a little trap.
After asking, he grinned slyly.
But to his surprise, even Klopp was taken aback by Buvac’s assessment.
"It’s hard to say."
"Hard to say?"
Klopp had complete faith in Buvac’s judgment and abilities, but he never imagined Buvac would rate Wang Shuo so highly.
’Is he already almost on par with Ronaldo and Messi?’
"In terms of pure individual ability, Wang Shuo is actually still slightly inferior to Ronaldo and Messi, and maybe even a fully fit Kaka. The main reason is he still has some shortcomings."
Hearing this, Klopp couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
For example, his physical strength in duels wasn’t quite there yet.
Ronaldo was one thing, but take Messi for example.
Despite the Argentine’s small stature, his ability to handle physical challenges was actually quite impressive.
Although Wang Shuo had improved tremendously, he was still a little bit behind in that area.
In other areas, like headers, Wang Shuo was also slightly lacking.
"But you must have seen it too—Wang Shuo is just too well-rounded. Unbelievably so. His left foot is almost as good as his right, which is just ridiculous!"
"On top of that, he has incredible stamina. He possesses Messi’s footwork and creativity, as well as Ronaldo’s speed and attacking power."
"So, in a match setting, Wang Shuo’s current ability isn’t inferior to Ronaldo’s or Messi’s."
Klopp had no way to refute Buvac’s words.
At the same time, it hinted at another meaning.
If Wang Shuo continued to shore up his weaknesses, he would definitely become stronger than Ronaldo and Messi!
This filled Klopp with anticipation!
...
When the match at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco ended, Ronaldo was in his villa in La Finca, an affluent suburb west of Madrid. Watching the screen as Kuba carried Wang Shuo in celebration, he couldn’t help but sigh.
"This guy is on an absolute tear this season!"
"Tell me about it. Good thing this was the UEFA Super Cup and not a Bundesliga match, or he’d be at 10 goals."
His agent, Mendes, shook his head with a wry smile.
Since the UEFA Super Cup was on a Friday, Wang Shuo had, strictly speaking, scored 10 goals in three matches over seven days.
That kind of scoring efficiency was simply insane!
Across the entire football world, only Ronaldo and Messi had ever achieved something like that.
"The controversy stirred up by this bet is getting bigger and bigger. Our team has assessed it, and the benefits for us are obvious. So, we still recommend you take this seriously."
Mendes couldn’t help but laugh as he said this. "I’m considering whether we should post an update on Twitter every time you score from now on."
Ronaldo smiled but remained noncommittal.
Initially, he had only wanted to make a bet with Messi and never intended to drag Wang Shuo into it.
But unexpectedly, after Wang Shuo joined the fray, he had brought such a huge surprise.
Ronaldo’s Twitter follower count was now almost catching up to Kaka’s, ranking him third in the football world.
Wang Shuo was the biggest beneficiary; he had already surpassed Kaka and was even closing in on O’Neal.
"Don’t worry, I will absolutely not lose!" Ronaldo said with great determination.
Mendes nodded. "Of course I believe in you, but you need to manage your mentality. Don’t get anxious; the season is still long."
As his agent, Mendes knew Ronaldo all too well.
Ronaldo was the type to get anxious easily, and once he did, his game could become erratic.
But on the other hand, this was also a manifestation of Ronaldo’s intense desire to win.
It could only be said that every star at their level had his own unique traits.
And Ronaldo was not someone who was easily persuaded.
So, after listening to Mendes, he showed no reaction, continuing to stare stubbornly at Wang Shuo on the television screen, his eyes glinting with a sharp, competitive edge.
From now on, besides Messi, there was one more name on his list of rivals.
...
In a western suburb of Barcelona, Messi was also watching the live broadcast of the UEFA Super Cup in his own mansion.
The 4-0 result and Wang Shuo’s hat trick made Messi’s father, Jorge Messi, who was sitting next to him, feel restless and even a little anxious.
"He pulled off another hat trick. How does he do it?" Jorge Messi was baffled.
"Inter Milan’s defensive line played terribly tonight," Messi assessed.
"But if he keeps scoring like this, what are we going to do?"
As he said this, Jorge Messi suddenly turned to his son. "How about I go talk to Guardiola?"
Messi looked at his father and shook his head. "There’s no need. I already have enough license to shoot."
After a pause, he changed the subject. "Dad, I think we also need to hire a few professional social media managers."
"Weren’t you strongly against that before? I brought it up a few times, and you always refused."
Jorge Messi was quite surprised.
As Messi’s agent, the amount of information he had access to was far beyond what anyone could imagine.
For example, online platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter had all approached them before, but Messi hadn’t been very interested.
This had prevented Jorge Messi from moving forward on many fronts.
