Messi gradually realized that after winning the Champions League, the atmosphere at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper had changed noticeably.
Last summer, Henk ten Cate chose to leave the club and return to the Netherlands to pursue a head coaching role on his own. At the time, the majority of the squad held a very poor impression of him. Many players even applauded his departure, and no one stepped forward to ask him to stay—not even Rijkaard. Yet as the season wore on, a growing sense of regret quietly took hold.
Sometimes people fail to cherish what they have. It is only after losing it that they come to recognize its value.
Most within the club believed that Barcelona's past glory had been built purely on a collection of exceptional superstars, on overwhelming squad strength, and on Rijkaard's ability to guide the team toward beautiful, attacking football. Ten Cate, in contrast, had always been seen as an irritating presence, someone who deliberately played an unpleasant role.
He would ask questions provocatively, such as, "Do you know why we were able to win this match?"
And when players challenged him, he could be brutally dismissive. "Before asking questions," he would say coldly, "you'd better go home, watch the match video carefully, and then come back to discuss it with me."
He had even dared to put Ronaldinho in a training bib reserved for substitutes for an entire week. On the eve of a match, he persuaded Rijkaard to leave the Brazilian out of the squad entirely, using fatigue as his justification.
What kind of excuse was that?
No one was foolish enough to believe it. Everyone in the team knew the truth: Ten Cate disliked Ronaldinho. The Brazilian repeatedly ignored the rules Ten Cate had laid down, skipping training to attend parties, and that infuriated him. Even though Ten Cate knew full well that Ronaldinho could score goals and decide matches on his own, he still insisted on excluding him.
The squad found this unbelievable, and few players liked him because of it.
Messi included.
Ten Cate had constantly forced Messi into the gym for additional strength training, which happened to be the type of work Messi disliked most.
That summer, the "tyrant" who had caused so many grievances finally left. The dressing room celebrated his departure, convinced that without Ten Cate, the peak dynasty of Barcelona's so-called Dream Team would continue to flourish.
On the surface, the facts seemed to support that belief. More than halfway through the league season, Barcelona still sat atop the La Liga table.
Yet that lead was a fragile one—only a single point.
After twenty-one rounds, Barcelona had recorded just twelve wins, seven draws, and two defeats, edging Sevilla by the narrowest of margins. In the previous two seasons, Barcelona had accumulated 51 and 52 points at the same stage—eight to nine points more than they had now.
Even more troubling signs began to emerge. Deco started missing training sessions with increasing frequency, always citing various reasons to return to Brazil. Sometimes he did not even wait for approval from the coaching staff, informing them only after he had already left, calling back once he was there.
Ronaldinho, meanwhile, became entangled in a steady stream of tabloid stories. One report linked him to a young woman he had met at a nightclub, another claimed he was involved with a well-known Catalan actress.
Gradually—no one could say exactly when—it began to happen. Factions quietly formed inside Barcelona's dressing room.
Many players grew dissatisfied with the behavior of Ronaldinho and Deco, believing that several of the Brazilian players lacked the professionalism and self-discipline expected at Barcelona. At first, a few individuals dared to voice their criticism openly, figures such as Eto'o and Puyol.
Over time, players aligned with Eto'o and the Catalan core began to coalesce into an openly anti-Brazilian faction. Several Dutch players in the squad soon joined them as well, and the divisions within the dressing room became sharper and more pronounced.
During the winter break, several players, including Larsson, chose to leave the club.
It was only at that moment that many within Barcelona suddenly realized how important Ten Cate had truly been. Rijkaard's policy of gentleness and accommodation alone was no longer enough to keep the dressing room under control.
...
At the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Messi walked toward the net football pitch located near the players' rest area.
This had once been a favorite gathering place for Barcelona's players. After every training session, there were always people lingering here, laughing and playing small-sided net football matches on this court. Back then, Ronaldinho had looked after him like an older brother. The Brazilian would pat him on the shoulder and say with a grin, "Relax. I'll pass you the ball, help you get a goal, and put you on tomorrow's front page. Let them compare you with Yang Yang."
When Messi was feeling low, Ronaldinho would also comfort him. "Trust me," he would say, "you'll be the greatest player in world football one day."
Those words still echoed in Messi's ears, yet everything around them had changed with time.
The net football pitch had been deserted for a long while. A thin layer of dust covered the ground, and the net hung loosely, sagging onto the surface. It had become one of the most neglected corners of the training base, with debris piling up along the edges.
Messi stood outside the pitch, his gaze filled with quiet emotion.
He missed the happiness of those days. He missed the laughter and ease they once shared. But deep down, he understood that those moments seemed impossible to recover, as if they belonged to a past that would never return.
...
On November 12, in the tenth round of La Liga, Barcelona hosted Zaragoza at the Camp Nou. Messi was on the pitch for just twenty-two minutes before disaster struck. During a challenge, he suffered an accident that resulted in a fracture to the fifth metatarsal of his left foot. The injury sidelined him for two and a half months.
It was only recently that he had finally returned to full training with the team.
During those two and a half months of absence, Barcelona played eleven league matches. They lost one, drew five, and the overall results were chaotic and unconvincing. In the UEFA Champions League, matters were even worse. Barcelona finished second in their group, falling behind Chelsea, which led to an unfortunate draw against Liverpool in the subsequent round of sixteen.
Everyone knew what that meant. Benítez's team was famous for being a cup specialist, exceptionally strong in knockout competitions and meticulous in preparing targeted tactical plans.
What made the situation even more daunting was the schedule. Before facing Liverpool, Barcelona would also have to play Valencia, another brutal and exhausting encounter.
Messi stared blankly at the deserted net football pitch, his expression heavy with worry.
He did not notice when Rijkaard walked up beside him. The Dutchman looked far more aged than before. After Ten Cate's departure, he no longer carried the calm, gentlemanly air he once had.
"Some things, once they've passed, can never be brought back," Rijkaard said with a long sigh.
Messi sensed the regret behind those words. Rijkaard must have realized now that letting Ten Cate go had been a mistake, and that indulging players like Ronaldinho and Deco had ultimately allowed the dressing room to fracture.
"Leo," Rijkaard continued, "the future of this team belongs to you. From now on, you must make yourself stronger and more courageous, because there will be no one left to protect you."
The weight of those words pressed heavily on Messi's chest.
"Yang Yang has taken on the responsibility at Ajax and now at Liverpool. Cristiano Ronaldo has shouldered the burden at Manchester United this season. Kaká has done the same at AC Milan," Rijkaard said slowly. "And the only one who can carry Barcelona forward… is you."
His voice was calm, but every word landed with undeniable force. Messi did not know how to respond.
"We are all waiting for you to come back," Rijkaard said at last.
After speaking, he gently patted Messi on the shoulder and turned away.
From beginning to end, he never asked Messi whether he was ready.
Because sometimes, there are moments in football—and in life—that give no time for preparation at all.
…
…
Because the decision to head south had been made in haste, Liverpool's preparations were far from ideal.
The club had booked the hotel online, choosing a resort located in the Algarve region, the southernmost resort area in Portugal. During the journey, club staff repeatedly told the players that it was one of the best resorts in the country. It supposedly featured private swimming pools for each unit, comprehensive training facilities, top-tier golf courses, and an excellent living environment.
Naturally, the price was said to be high.
However, after the team endured a long trip to reach the resort, they quickly discovered that the reality was very different. The hotel rooms were noticeably damp, and the turf conditions were not suitable for high-intensity training. The so-called private swimming pools did exist, but the water quality was far from clean.
On top of that, the internet signal at the resort was poor, which gave Yang Yang a persistent headache. He needed to stay in daily contact with Su Ye, who had recently joined Chen Kexin's costume drama production. Yang Yang was genuinely concerned about how his "village aunt" would look on screen.
The only truly satisfying aspect was the climate. The weather was excellent, the air was fresh, and compared to rainy Liverpool, this alone managed to offset many of the shortcomings.
Club staff immediately contacted the hotel, hoping that adjustments could be made as soon as possible. It quickly became clear, however, that Liverpool carried little weight here. The hotel's response was perfunctory at best, showing no real intention of addressing the issues.
Liverpool did not dwell on it.
For the team, training and preparation were what truly mattered.
As the first leg at Camp Nou approached, the outside world grew increasingly concerned for Liverpool. Barcelona were stacked with star players and would be playing at home, a daunting challenge for any opponent.
Benítez did not hide his intentions for the match. His objective was clear: return to England with a result that kept the tie alive.
"Of course, I hope for a draw," Benítez said. "But even a narrow defeat is acceptable, as long as we can go back to Anfield with hope. Then we still have a chance, because at Anfield, no team finds it easy to beat us."
His words reflected strong self-confidence and deeply influenced the entire squad. Even newcomers like Yang Yang, who had only joined during the season, admired Benítez's tactical acumen. He always seemed capable of surprising people with his plans.
More importantly, Mohamed Sissoko had finally recovered. Judging from his performances in training, the Malian midfielder still looked sharp, though his long absence was evident.
Mascherano and Arbeloa, both winter signings, had yet to make their debuts for Liverpool. No one knew how Benítez intended to use them.
Yang Yang enjoyed thinking things through, but even he could not fully anticipate Benítez's ideas. He felt that if he ever reached the point where he could predict Benítez accurately, he might as well consider becoming a head coach after retiring.
At the same time, Benítez was already deep into preparations, meticulously arranging tactical details aimed at Barcelona, with particular emphasis on Messi.
...
While Liverpool were training quietly in Portugal in preparation for Camp Nou, Barcelona played two La Liga matches in the meantime.
The first was a home fixture against Racing Santander. Ronaldinho scored twice, while Deco contributed an assist. The two Brazilian players performed impressively and received unanimous praise. Messi came on in the sixty-eighth minute to replace Saviola, marking his first appearance for Barcelona after a two-and-a-half-month absence. The entire Camp Nou responded with warm applause and cheers.
After Messi entered the match, Eto'o—who had also been sidelined for three months due to injury—appeared on the touchline to warm up. This immediately lifted the mood inside the stadium even further. With Messi and Eto'o returning, and Ronaldinho rediscovering his scoring form with a brace, optimism surged among Barcelona supporters.
However, when the match reached the eighty-seventh minute and Rijkaard prepared to use his final substitution, an unexpected incident occurred. His original plan was to replace Belletti with Eto'o, giving the Cameroonian striker a brief run to regain match rhythm. Eto'o refused to come on.
Soon after, Rijkaard used Oleguer to replace Belletti instead.
At the post-match press conference, Catalan media questioned why Eto'o had not been brought on. Rijkaard responded directly, stating that it had been the player's own decision.
"He didn't want to play. I don't know why. He didn't tell me beforehand," Rijkaard said. "This makes me very unhappy and disappointed, because in my view, every minute on the pitch is important."
During the same press conference, Rijkaard also addressed questions about Valdés and Oleguer. The goalkeeper had performed well in the match, saving a penalty and easing concerns over his recent dip in confidence. Rijkaard made it clear that the club had no intention of selling Valdés, emphasizing that he remained an important part of the team.
As for Oleguer, who had previously attracted controversy by publishing articles criticizing the Spanish judicial system—leading to the early termination of a sponsorship contract and turning him into a political figure—Rijkaard explained that he was unconcerned with politics. For him, only football mattered, which was why Oleguer had still been used as a substitute.
Ronaldinho, buoyed by his two goals, was in a good mood when speaking to the media. He said that he understood Eto'o's decision to refuse a late substitute appearance, but his comments also carried a subtle note of criticism.
"Before doing anything, you have to look at the player and the specific situation," Ronaldinho said. "But the most important thing is always to think about what is best for the team."
After the match, Catalan media uncovered the underlying reason for Eto'o's refusal. Before the game, Rijkaard had promised him around half an hour of playing time, but in reality, he was only going to receive about five minutes. Eto'o was dissatisfied, especially since Rijkaard's first substitution had been given to French winger Giuly.
Once the press conference ended, the story quickly spread through media outlets around the world, and the situation escalated rapidly. From the club's chairman down to individual players, voices emerged expressing hope that Rijkaard and Eto'o could resolve their differences ahead of the crucial clash at Camp Nou.
Unexpectedly, Eto'o soon held his own press conference. He publicly criticized Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, accusing them of ignoring the facts and deeply hurting him. He went so far as to label their behavior disgraceful.
Eto'o also claimed that Barcelona was fractured from top to bottom. He pointed to divisions within the club's management, citing tensions between the faction led by Laporta and another led by vice-chairman Rosell. Within the dressing room, he argued, certain behaviors by Brazilian players—Ronaldinho included—were unacceptable to many.
"Publicly saying at a press conference that I refused to play is villainous behavior," Eto'o said bluntly. "It's shameful. Every minute on the pitch is important to me."
As for Ronaldinho, Eto'o added, "If a teammate tells me to think about the team, then I believe he is the one who should think about the team even more. His actions have always caused problems in the dressing room, and many people find them hard to accept."
Eto'o's press conference immediately caused an uproar worldwide. The Cameroonian striker ruthlessly exposed Barcelona's internal conflicts, laying them bare for everyone to see.
The following day, Mundo Deportivo ran a front-page headline portraying Eto'o as stabbing Barcelona in the back, arguing that his remarks had stripped Rijkaard of authority and severely undermined his standing as head coach.
That same day, however, Rijkaard and Laporta were seen meeting privately at a restaurant.
The next day, Barcelona officially announced that Eto'o had reached a settlement with Rijkaard and Ronaldinho.
...
A week later, Barcelona traveled away to face Valencia. Eto'o was not included in the matchday squad.
From the opening whistle, the game was played at a fierce intensity. Both sides pressed aggressively, challenges flew in, and neither team was willing to concede control. It was not until the fifty-third minute that the deadlock was finally broken. David Villa received the ball on the left side of the penalty area and slipped a pass across goal, where Vicente Angulo arrived to finish.
Just two minutes later, Valencia struck again. This time, Angulo delivered a cross from the right side of the box, and David Silva timed his run perfectly, pushing the ball into the net to double the home side's lead.
Two goals down, Barcelona began to lose their composure.
In the sixty-first minute, Messi, who had just come on to replace Guðjohnsen, was brought down by a hard sliding tackle from Valencia midfielder David Albelda. Almost immediately, Deco reacted by launching a retaliatory challenge, scything Albelda to the ground. Tempers flared, and players from both teams rushed in, surrounding the referee as shoving and heated exchanges broke out.
After restoring order, the referee produced two red cards, sending off both Albelda and Deco.
Despite the setback, Barcelona continued to push forward. Ronaldinho finally found the net in the ninety-second minute, converting a direct free kick to pull one goal back. However, it proved too little, too late.
Barcelona ultimately suffered a 1–2 defeat away from home.
Although they dominated possession with an overwhelming 72 percent of the ball, they never managed to unlock Valencia's defensive structure or create enough clear chances. The lack of penetration was evident throughout the match.
As a result, concern spread rapidly among the media and supporters alike. With just three days remaining before their Champions League clash with Liverpool, questions loomed large.
With their attack struggling for sharpness, how were Barcelona supposed to withstand Liverpool—and Yang Yang—at Camp Nou?
…
…
As a haze gradually settled over the city of Barcelona, Liverpool continued their preparations in the Algarve region of Portugal. Everything unfolding in Spain was being relayed to them almost in real time.
The club's chief scouts, Edu Aldo Marcia and Frank McPallan, closely monitored Barcelona's matches, continuously sending video footage and analytical reports back to the camp. Benítez and his coaching staff—particularly tactical analyst Duff McDonov—reviewed the information immediately, dissecting Barcelona's situation at the first opportunity and forming preliminary judgments that were quickly translated into targeted adjustments on the training ground.
One conclusion was already clear to Benítez.
"There is no doubt," he said firmly, "that at Camp Nou we will be facing the best team in the world."
On the training pitch, Benítez addressed his players with rare severity.
"This is a team full of superstars," he warned. "Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi… and Eto'o may also be involved. If we want to eliminate them, you must give yourselves completely to the match. And it has to be everyone."
After a full week of training and fine-tuning, every player in the Liverpool squad looked sharp, energized, and eager for the challenge ahead. They were about to face the reigning champions of Europe, Barcelona.
Yang Yang stood in line with his teammates, his eyes filled with hunger and fighting spirit.
In last season's Champions League semi-final, Ajax had been eliminated at Camp Nou. Yang Yang had missed that match due to an accumulation of yellow cards, forced to watch from the stands as his teammates were overwhelmed by Barcelona. Powerless to intervene, he had felt nothing but frustration, pain, and self-reproach.
Now, his chance for redemption had arrived.
Liverpool this season were stronger than that Ajax side had been. And because of that, Yang Yang's confidence burned brighter than ever.
...
In Barcelona's tactical system, the two flanks carried enormous responsibility. Ronaldinho and Messi operated on opposite wings, and both were inverted wingers whose greatest threat came from cutting inside.
Ronaldinho played on the left, which meant he would be matched up against Liverpool's right-back, Steve Finnan. Benítez specifically reminded Finnan that Ronaldinho was at his most dangerous when drifting into the space between midfield and defense. He could not be allowed time or freedom. Finnan was instructed to stay tight, track Ronaldinho's movement relentlessly, and block his preferred running lanes, denying him the chance to turn and face goal.
However, committing so heavily to Ronaldinho meant conceding space on the flank. That responsibility would fall to Gianluca Zambrotta pushing forward from full-back, which in turn required Dirk Kuyt to track back diligently and suppress Zambrotta's forward runs on Liverpool's right.
On the opposite side, Messi's presence on the right wing posed an even more delicate problem. Benítez opted against using John Arne Riise or Fábio Aurélio, instead selecting Álvaro Arbeloa. The reasoning was clear. Arbeloa, naturally right-footed, would be playing at left-back, allowing him to defend Messi's dominant left foot more effectively—particularly against sudden stops, sharp cuts inside, and explosive accelerations.
Arbeloa's task was simple in principle but brutally difficult in execution: stay close, deny Messi the chance to lift his head, and prevent him from scanning the pitch.
The challenge was that Arbeloa had only just arrived at the club. This would be his first appearance for Liverpool. Because of that, Benítez and the coaching staff invested a great deal of time into specialized preparation, focusing specifically on how Arbeloa should mark Messi.
Targeted training sessions were arranged. Yang Yang was asked to play the role of Messi in repeated one-on-one drills against Arbeloa. The sessions were exhausting and punishing for the Spanish defender, but through that suffering he gradually developed a better sense of distance, timing, and positioning when dealing with a left-footed attacker who preferred to cut inside.
At the same time, Benítez issued a clear instruction regarding ball circulation. When Liverpool were in their own half or building from the back, passes to Arbeloa were to be minimized. Playing a right-footed defender on the left carried inherent risk when receiving the ball under pressure, and it could also slow down Liverpool's transitions.
Barcelona's attacking structure was unpredictable by nature. With so many players possessing exceptional individual ability, danger could emerge from anywhere. Beyond the two wings, control of the central areas was equally critical. As a result, Benítez placed great emphasis on shutting down Barcelona's midfield.
For the sake of stability, the coaching staff decided to pair Mohamed Sissoko with Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso. Although Sissoko had only just returned from injury and Javier Mascherano had recently joined the squad, Liverpool's approach for this match prioritized familiarity and tactical cohesion. In that context, the Malian midfielder was the safer choice.
Once the tactical framework was finalized, Liverpool continued their closed-door training in Portugal for two more days before flying to Barcelona on the afternoon before the match.
The first leg of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League round of sixteen was about to begin.