In comparison, the other three forwards—Raúl, Villa, and Torres—were clearly stealing the spotlight.
June 8th: The World Cup was just around the corner.
France played their final warm-up match against China.
But the game proved disastrous for Les Bleus.
Not only did Zidane miss a penalty, but French striker Djibril Cissé suffered a horrific leg break in a collision with Zheng Zhi, ruling him out of the World Cup—a heartbreaking blow.
It was a dark omen for France's campaign.
June 9th: The 2006 FIFA World Cup officially began.
After a grand opening ceremony, Germany and Costa Rica took to the field for the first match.
Bayern Munich star Philipp Lahm, who had returned from injury and reclaimed his starting spot in the second half of last season, scored the tournament's opening goal just five minutes and eleven seconds in—a stunning long-range strike that would later be named one of the World Cup's top ten goals.
Six minutes later, Costa Rica equalized.
But Germany struck back almost immediately—five minutes later, Bastian Schweinsteiger set up Miroslav Klose to restore the lead.
In the second half, Klose scored again to make it 3–1.
Costa Rica refused to back down, pulling one back eight minutes later to close the gap to 3–2.
But in the 87th minute, Schweinsteiger delivered another pinpoint assist for Frings, sealing a 4–2 win for the hosts.
Germany's campaign was off to a perfect start.
June 11th: The Netherlands edged Serbia 1–0 thanks to a winning goal from Premier League sensation Arjen Robben.
Portugal also defeated Angola 1–0, with Su Hang's teammate Figo assisting Pauleta for the deciding goal.
Seeing the two remaining members of Portugal's golden generation combine brought back memories of Euro 2004.
June 12th: Italy beat Ghana 2–0, with Totti assisting Pirlo to open the scoring.
June 13th: France, one of the tournament favorites, were held to a 0–0 draw by Switzerland—a frustrating start.
Meanwhile, another favorite, Brazil, beat Croatia 1–0.
Thirty-six-year-old Cafu set up AC Milan playmaker Kaká for the match's only goal.
On the bench, Croatia's young star Luka Modrić, not yet 21, sat with his head down.
But it wasn't the defeat to Brazil that upset him—after all, they were the top favorites to win the whole thing.
Modrić's frustration came from elsewhere.
He wasn't getting much attention from the coach; this World Cup call-up was mostly for experience, with little chance of seeing the pitch.
And then there was the issue with his club.
Modrić was playing for Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb.
In the 2003–04 season, he was loaned to Zrinjski Mostar in the Bosnian Premier League, where his excellent performances earned him the league's Player of the Year award.
The following season, 2004–05, he was loaned to Inter Zaprešić in the Croatian League, helping them finish second and being named Croatia's Breakthrough Star of the Year.
Last season, he finally returned to Dinamo and became a key starter.
Then, at the end of the season, the club presented him with a ten-year contract.
Ten years!
From age twenty-one to thirty-one—practically his entire career.
Once he signed, he'd lose all control over his future.
The club promised to promote him for a few years and sell him to one of Europe's top leagues eventually, but Modrić didn't want to sign.
He couldn't outright refuse either.
So he used the World Cup as an excuse to stall for time.
But deep down, even he wasn't sure what he was waiting for.
After all, asking a shepherd boy who grew up in the shadow of war to suddenly believe in light—wasn't that asking too much?
Then, after Croatia arrived in Germany, a Spaniard approached him.
He represented a newly formed Spanish player agency that wanted to sign Modrić.
At first, Modrić thought it was a scam.
But then the man pulled out a video.
"Hey, Luka... or should I call you 'The Croatian Maestro'? I think it suits you perfectly."
In the video, Su Hang appeared in casual clothes, speaking sincerely.
"I've been following your performances closely. You have world-class vision and organization."
"You combine excellent technique, stamina, and a professional attitude."
"I truly admire players like you, and I've been recommending you to my club."
"If you trust me, just wait a little longer. You might receive an offer from Real Madrid this summer."
???
Modrić was stunned.
That was… Su!
Real Madrid's superstar!
The captain of Real Madrid!
The youngest national team captain among all 32 teams at the World Cup!
He was actually paying attention to him?
And even wanted Real Madrid to sign him?
Did he really have that kind of power?
Could those rumors be true—that he had mysterious connections, that he was secretly the son of some Spanish underworld boss?
Su Hang: ???
June 14th arrived—Spain's first match against Ukraine.
Su Hang and Raúl both started on the bench.
Aragonés fielded his most trusted starting lineup.
In the 13th minute, Xavi assisted Alonso to open the scoring.
By the 17th, starting striker David Villa made it 2–0.
Early in the second half, Torres won a penalty and drew a red card from defender Vladyslav.
Villa stepped up and scored again, completing his brace.
In the 55th minute, Raúl came on for Villa.
Villa wanted to stay on—after all, with two goals, chasing a hat-trick wasn't unreasonable.
But Raúl's seniority spoke for itself, and Aragonés didn't want to risk injury either.
At the same time, Albelda replaced Alonso to strengthen the defense—essentially signaling that Spain was closing shop.
It reflected Aragonés' coaching philosophy: he wasn't obsessed with running up the score.
He prioritized control and stability.
His teams always had a high floor—but also a limited ceiling, rarely producing miracles or chaos.
In the 71st minute, Fàbregas replaced the "El Mago" Luis García.
In the 81st, Puyol assisted Torres for Spain's fourth goal.
Spain crushed Ukraine, Shevchenko and all, with a 4–0 victory—turning their "nuclear warhead" into a dud.
Su Hang spent the whole match on the bench, clapping, cheering, waving his towel—no trace of frustration at all.
He truly acted according to his role.
If his job was to sit on the bench, then he'd do that perfectly, guarding the water cooler like a true professional.
Many found it unbelievable.
Young stars like Iniesta, Reyes, and Joaquín couldn't understand.
"You didn't even play," Reyes said. "What are you so happy about?"
Su Hang smiled faintly and said nothing.
His battlefield wasn't in the group stage.
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser