The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

Chapter 100 Courtois's Warning!

Strolling through the Prado, inheriting the spirit of Goya: Atlético Madrid welcomes their €9000 million artwork in the most romantic way.

—【Dude, you're in trouble. You have a beautiful girlfriend, and she plays midfield, playing alongside Courtois!】

—【Haha, Caroline is warning!!!】

—【He can't even play well in a warm-up match, what a complete flop!!】

—【Can you please have a little patience?】

—【The Chinese market has huge potential! This guy just cashed in on the hype for signing fees!】

—【One year of playing time is equivalent to ten years of playing time for an average star player. Even I wouldn't work that hard, considering this is a signing bonus of 3000 million euros!】

—【His 13 Champions League goals are undeniable, and I still have high hopes for Mario's future~】

Amidst netizens' teasing and anticipation, the 2013-14 La Liga season has resumed.

Although Atletico Madrid won the Copa del Rey last season and signed the rising star Mario in this summer transfer window, the La Liga landscape remains clear in the match previews of various media outlets.

This is reflected in the odds for winning the title, with Barcelona at 1.67 and Real Madrid at 2.20, seemingly still the main theme of La Liga.

Especially after defending champions Barcelona's 7-0 victory over Levante, showcasing their formidable attacking prowess!

Facing Barcelona, ​​who set a new La Liga record for the first round of the season, not to mention Atletico Madrid, even Real Madrid might be squeezed out of the title race.

After all, they had a tough time against Betis and only managed to turn the game around thanks to a last-minute goal from the young star.

Mario, sitting on the team bus heading to Seville, glanced at the match report on his phone.

Messi scores twice, Neymar makes his debut, Barcelona thrash a record-breaking 7-0 victory.

Cristiano Ronaldo hits the crossbar, young star scores the winning goal, Ancelotti's first match against Real Madrid ends in a 2-1 comeback victory.

In the first game of the new season, Atletico Madrid will definitely not fall behind, and they will strive to surpass Messi and crush Ronaldo on an individual level!

Atletico Madrid's first match is an away game against Sevilla.

Seville, the largest city in southern Spain, experiences very hot summers.

The long and rich history was completely uninteresting; all I wanted to do was avoid the scorching sun. Fortunately, one characteristic of La Liga matches is that they start very late.

Four hours before the match, Simeone sat in front of the microphone in the press conference room of the Pizjuán Stadium, his expression very stern.

"I know how the outside world sees us; in their eyes, Atletico Madrid has gone mad!"

"After Falcao left, they lost the Tiger, and then spent 90 million to bring in a 19-year-old midfielder from Porto to bolster the team's firepower."

"But I believe they will soon change their minds!"

The Spanish journalists in the audience exchanged meaningful glances.

This summer, Real Madrid only spent 91 million euros on Bale.

Atletico Madrid, a team that relies on selling star players, actually spent a transfer fee comparable to Real Madrid's Galácticos just to take away a Portuguese teenager who had never proven himself in the top five leagues.

Judging from the performance of the €90 million man in just a few warm-up matches, he has a very high chance of becoming the next Quaresma.

Soon, the area outside the Pizjuán Stadium was packed with Seville fans wearing red and white striped shirts.

A group of young people held up a homemade banner that read: "Welcome to La Liga, you 90 million Portuguese flops!"

Amidst the noise, the stadium's public address system began adjusting the sound effects.

This stadium, known for its fervor, is brewing a storm that will belong to Andalusia.

"Viewers, welcome to Sky Sports. You are now watching a key match in the first round of the 2013-2014 La Liga season."

"Sevilla will host last season's Copa del Rey champions, Atletico Madrid, at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium!"

The narration travels through the airwaves, reaching the living rooms of countless homes and the bedrooms with their screens lit up late at night.

"The transfer market across the Iberian Peninsula has been in turmoil this summer."

"Real Madrid completed their blockbuster acquisition of Bale, while Barcelona signed Neymar."

"Last season's Champions League Golden Boot winner didn't join one of those so-called big clubs; he chose Atlético Rojiblancos to start a new challenge in his career!"

"What's even more surprising is that, according to the starting lineup we've received, this kid will be partnering with Diego Costa as a strike duo tonight."

"What exactly is Simeone up to? Let's wait and see!"

"In terms of starting lineup, Atletico Madrid will deploy a 4-4-2 formation."

"Courtois guards the goal, and the defense is made up of Godin, Filipe, Miranda and Juanfran forming an ironclad defensive line."

"Gabi and Koke anchor the midfield, while Turan and Suarez occupy the wings."

"The forward line is paired with Costa, a true Super Mario with stunning good looks!"

"The home team, Sevilla, uses a classic 4-2-3-1 formation."

"Beto guards the goal, Fazio and Pareja lead the central defense, and Koke and Moreno occupy the flanks."

"Iborra and Rakitic form the double pivot in midfield, Marin, Vitolo, and Perotti form the attacking line, and Bacca leads the front!"

— [Mario's grown fast! He's grown half a head taller in just one summer!]

—【Do all excellent attackers move to the front of the field?】

—[After watching the previous airport warm-up match, he and Costa were basically positioned side-by-side, but his range of movement was significantly larger. Simeone is probably using Mario as a free-roaming player.]

—【9000 million down the drain, Atletico Madrid is going to cry!!】

— [IG team fans, come and support Mario! We even have the same boss, haha~]

—【Haha, you guys were terrible at TI3! Try harder next year!】

A flurry of comments scrolled by, and soon the referee, Marienko, blew his whistle, officially starting the match.

In the first ten minutes, Sevilla took advantage of their home field to apply intense pressure.

Rakitic orchestrated the attack from midfield, while Marco Marin, like a cannonball, repeatedly assaulted Atletico Madrid's defense.

The German Messi, on loan from Chelsea, has excellent footwork. He dribbled past Filipe Luis with a croquet move and continued his relentless attack.

Unfortunately, their skillful maneuvering and pulling were still not enough to break through Godin and Miranda's steel fortress!

After failing to break through on the right, the home team switched to the left. Rakitic made a diagonal pass from the middle, Perotti crossed from the byline, Bacca flicked it on at the near post, and Vitolo followed up at the far post with a diving shot!

Sevilla's first shot was absolutely beautiful!

Unfortunately, the home team's shot was in vain against Courtois, who is tall, long-legged, and quick-reacting.

As a huge sigh erupted from the stands, Atletico Madrid's attack quietly began.

Although Mario didn't touch the ball much in the first fifteen minutes of the game, he was constantly observing.

Observe the position of the Seville defense line.

Observe the positions of Fazio and Pareja.

Observe goalkeeper Beto's positioning.

Then, the opportunity arose.

Courtois threw the ball to Juanfran, who, having switched from winger to full-back, immediately launched an attack, passing the ball forward to Koke.

As the latter turned around, he saw Mario retreating.

Atletico Madrid's new number 10 is running back from the edge of Sevilla's penalty area to the center circle to receive the pass.

Fazio stood on the edge of the penalty area and watched Mario run away without following too closely.

He's a center-back; his job is to protect the penalty area, not to chase after a guy who used to play midfield all the way to the center circle.

Pareja kept a close eye on Diego Costa; the Brazilian had too many dirty tricks and played too slickly!

Without hesitation, Koke passed the ball to Mario and then made a run forward himself.

Ivora noticed his opponent's movements and chose to fight and retreat.

Mario received the ball and turned with almost no interference.

Looking up, Seville's goal stood quietly forty meters away.

Beto is standing near the penalty spot, slightly forward, ready to come out or block the angle at any time.

Fazio was far away, while Pareja was standing inside the penalty area.

No one came up within two meters.

With a light touch of the outside of his right foot, Mario adjusted his position while mentally reviewing the positions of the Sevilla defenders.

Then, using the left foot as a pivot, swing the right foot backward, spread the arms wide, and fully stretch the whole body!