The Phenomenon Ronaldo scored twenty-one goals this season.
In truth, both this season and last, he showed Golden Boot-level quality.
He even had the ability to score thirty goals.
His efficiency was on that level—well above other La Liga forwards.
But injuries struck too often.
He missed many matches, and every return required time to readjust.
Naturally, his overall efficiency dropped.
The Brazilian Beast, Baptista, playing for Sevilla, scored eighteen goals, ranking fifth on the charts.
Among the top five: one Uruguayan, one Cameroonian, and three Brazilians.
It wasn't until sixth place that a Spaniard appeared.
That was Juan Román Riquelme of Villarreal—an Argentine midfielder who astonishingly scored sixteen goals this season.
Unbelievable.
Spain: "Don't underestimate Spanish players."
And wait—there was another tied for sixth place: Atlético Madrid's young captain, Fernando Torres, who also scored sixteen goals.
Back then, La Liga still made a point of naming a "Top Spanish Scorer."
And it was necessary.
Because the gap between Spanish strikers and Latin American strikers was massive—they weren't even on the same level.
Six of the top seven scorers were Latin Americans, a clear reflection of La Liga's state at the time.
Overall, La Liga was still far from being the world's top league.
It might not even have been as competitive as the Premier League.
But the Galácticos were, at that moment, the best football club in the world.
Real Madrid had raised La Liga to a height it hadn't truly earned.
As for Barcelona… at this stage, they were far from being a true powerhouse.
Even their prestige leaned heavily on Real Madrid's presence.
They didn't truly reach elite status until the Messi era.
You could say Real Madrid's spending spree lifted both La Liga and Barcelona.
Back to the scoring chart.
Su Hang made his mark this season too.
He scored ten goals and provided four assists in La Liga.
At first glance, it seems far behind Torres' sixteen.
But Torres had no assists at all.
Su Hang, with both goals and assists, contributed fourteen.
The gap wasn't nearly as wide as the raw goal count suggested.
And this season, everyone agreed: among Spanish players, Su Hang was the standout.
Whether compared to veterans like Raúl, rising strikers like Villa, or prodigies like Torres.
Why? Because Su Hang only played seven league matches!
Seven matches, ten goals, four assists—two contributions per game on average.
His efficiency was unmatched in Europe.
Meanwhile, Torres played all thirty-eight matches and scored sixteen goals.
On the surface, the numbers looked similar.
But the ceiling for the two players was completely different.
Considering Torres' age and development, he was likely to grow into a consistent Golden Boot contender, scoring over twenty goals a season.
Impressive.
But Su Hang? His potential was beyond prediction.
No one had ever put up numbers like his.
If he continued on this trajectory, Su Hang could become a phenomenon capable of thirty-five, even forty goals a season.
The last player with that kind of talent who fulfilled it? Ronaldo.
Legends like Henry, Shevchenko, and Van Nistelrooy belonged to that same bracket.
Su Hang was a phenomenon.
Real Madrid had truly struck gold.
He wasn't just a cornerstone.
He was the hope of Real Madrid's future.
The leader to carry the club forward.
A once-in-a-decade super talent.
Yet the pity was that such an outstanding Su Hang didn't make the La Liga Best XI.
Because he hadn't played enough matches.
This season's La Liga Player of the Season went to Villarreal's Juan Román Riquelme.
Originally, Barcelona's Ronaldinho had led the race.
But Real Madrid's late comeback left Ronaldinho and Barça empty-handed, allowing Riquelme to edge him out.
In truth, Su Hang had been more impactful, but his limited appearances held him back.
Still, Su Hang wasn't left without recognition.
He received the La Liga Fair Play Award.
Not a major prize, and usually given to teams.
This was the first time it went to an individual.
Where La Liga disappointed, the Champions League delivered.
On Europe's grand stage, Su Hang saved Real three times, turning the tide and carrying them to the quarterfinals.
He was selected for the Champions League Team of the Season.
And he also won the Champions League Best Young Player award.
The Champions League Best Player went to Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.
That award carried enormous weight.
Had there been a ceremony, Su Hang would have gone up alongside Gerrard to receive his trophy and pose for photos.
...
A few days later, Real Madrid held a grand title celebration.
Florentino himself felt a La Liga trophy didn't deserve such extravagance.
But every celebration drew major sponsorships and boosted the players' commercial value.
So Real Madrid went all out.
Barcelona fans mocked them: "Real's never seen a real championship. How can they throw a party over just a league title?"
And about the Supercopa de España earlier in the season… "Does that even count as a trophy?"
In response, Florentino declared publicly: "A La Liga title may not justify such extravagance—but a Su Hang absolutely does!"
That line hit hard.
Because whenever Real faced Barcelona, Su Hang seemed supercharged.
Barcelona had yet to win a single match against him.
Not even indirectly.
This league title was proof.
What was meant to be Real Madrid's private celebration ended up resonating worldwide.
Because during the ceremony, Real Madrid captain Raúl, speaking for the players, removed his armband before nearly 100,000 fans:
"In the past few years, I've served Real Madrid diligently as captain.
But in this world, effort alone doesn't guarantee everything.
I know many believe I wasn't a qualified captain—and I think so too.
But as a homegrown star, I felt obliged to carry this responsibility.
It left me struggling both on and off the pitch.
Until last season, when someone caught my eye."
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser