Chapter 161: The Atmosphere of Parting

May 21 marked the final round of the 2016-17 La Liga season. Beyond the fierce two-horse race for the title between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the most anticipated storylines were the battle for the Pichichi Trophy and the race to secure third place in the league.

For this final round, Villarreal’s opponents were Valencia, a traditional powerhouse of yesteryear. Unfortunately, the Bats had endured a difficult couple of years and currently sat twelfth in the standings, safely clear of relegation yet too far behind to dream of European glory.

Before the match, local Valencia media reported that with only one round left in the league, several of the team's key players had already packed their bags, eager to dive straight into their holiday mode the moment the final whistle blew.

Consequently, Valencia possessed little motivation to pose a serious threat to the Yellow Submarine, a team with their sights firmly set on claiming third place in La Liga.

As for Tsubasa Ozora’s quest for the Golden Boot, however, he still had to fight for it himself.

In order to secure all three points, Fran Escribá played an aggressive, attacking brand of football, fielding the strongest possible starting eleven.

Before the match, Tsubasa presented custom farewell gifts to everyone in the team—including his first-team teammates, coaching staff, and medical personnel.

While not extravagantly expensive, the gifts were thoughtful: each teammate received a pair of Monster headphones, while the coaches and medical staff were each given a Tissot watch, each valued at around seven hundred euros.

Although Tsubasa claimed the gifts were tokens of gratitude for helping him chase the Golden Boot, everyone knew they were parting gifts. Next season, he would certainly no longer be part of the Villarreal family.

Everyone realized that a star with such breathtaking performances was simply too big for a small club like Villarreal to hold onto.

"Francisco, thank you for all your help this season. I will always remember it," Tsubasa said outside the locker room, handing Escribá his parting gift and enveloping him in a warm embrace.

"Tsubasa, it has been an absolute honor to work with you," Escribá replied, offering his heartfelt blessings. "I believe that no matter where you go, you will have a brilliant future. I am proud to have coached you! Go out there today and claim your Golden Boot!"

Tsubasa’s farewell gifts cast a bittersweet shadow over the Villarreal locker room before kickoff. Stirred by the moment, many players realized that several of their current teammates would undoubtedly also be leaving the Yellow Submarine next season. Yet, this shared emotion only served to unite the squad even more tightly.

Nevertheless, while Valencia had little left to play for compared to Villarreal, playing at home, they had no desire to become mere stepping stones for Villarreal's victory.

In the third minute of the match, former Manchester United player Nani collected the ball in central midfield, poking it to Dani Parejo just before Bruno could close him down. Parejo's low shot, however, was easily gathered by Sergio Asenjo.

Finishing third or fourth in La Liga might seem like a minor difference on paper—both secured qualification for the next season's UEFA Champions League—but third place granted direct entry into the group stage, while fourth place required navigating a tricky playoff. Without Tsubasa next season, Villarreal might not survive a two-legged playoff tie.

Moreover, having to play the playoffs meant Villarreal would have to cut their summer break short by at least two weeks, a prospect nobody in the squad relished. After all, nobody held a grudge against a proper holiday.

Driven by their ambition, Villarreal showed no signs of backing down. Over the next three minutes, Jonathan dos Santos and Samu Castillejo repeatedly cut inside toward the center. One ferocious strike was blocked desperately by a defender, and a subtle through ball saw Tsubasa’s delicate chip denied by the goalkeeper.

The match began at a lively pace. After the opening fifteen minutes, Valencia’s attacking momentum waned as they dropped into a defensive counter-attacking shape.

Manuel Trigueros orchestrated play brilliantly from the center of the pitch, combining with wingers Castillejo and Dos Santos to force Valencia midfielders Enzo Pérez and Mario Suárez to expend most of their energy on defensive duties. Unable to pose any significant threat going forward, Valencia’s attack was completely stifled by Villarreal.

The ball remained at the feet of Villarreal's players for the vast majority of the time. As wave after wave of Villarreal attacks washed over them, Valencia's defense cracked under the pressure. It felt as though a goal was imminent with every passing second.

Clearly, the Yellow Submarine players were eager to break the deadlock early, seal the victory, and begin their holidays.

Valencia’s backline lacked any real fighting spirit; had it not been for a stroke of good fortune, they likely would have been blown apart by Villarreal long ago.

Listening to the commentary from ESPN Spain gave a vivid glimpse into Valencia's perilous situation:

"Oh! Tsubasa Ozora, Tsubasa is surging forward again! He is unstoppable, his pace is blistering, a pass... oh, what a pity!"

"Trigueros plays the ball, Tsubasa breaks into the box, he shoots... Damn it! It clears the crossbar by a mere hair's breadth!"

Antonio Rukavina continued to operate as the team's wing-back today. With his teammates constantly stretching and pulling the opposition's defense, he was able to fully express his attacking abilities, frequently pushing up the flank to deliver crosses.

Unfortunately, either Rukavina’s deliveries lacked accuracy or Cédric Bakambu failed to connect, allowing Valencia to escape time and again.

However, Rukavina was no longer an inexperienced youngster. Drawing on his wealth of experience, he quickly adjusted his strategy, abandoning hopeful crosses into the crowded space near the box and instead focusing on the specific running lanes of Tsubasa and Bakambu.

In the 29th minute, Castillejo received a sharp central through ball from Trigueros on the left side of the penalty area, instantly bursting forward to drive toward the box.

Eliaquim Mangala and Enzo Pérez converged rapidly, sandwiching Castillejo from both flanks.

Skillfully shielding the ball, Castillejo maneuvered it delicately between the two defenders while searching for a gap to breakthrough. At that exact moment, a familiar sound echoed from behind him.

Recognizing the sound of Rukavina’s late overlapping run, Castillejo dragged the ball back with his left foot, shifted his weight, and flicked it behind him with the outside of his boot.

Like a bolt of lightning, Rukavina sprinted past Pérez, the ball arriving precisely in his path.

Controlling the pass flawlessly, Rukavina accelerated sharply, feinted to shake off the recovering Pérez, and whipped a cross into the penalty area without a moment's hesitation.

This time, however, Rukavina had learned his lesson. Instead of targeting the front area of the box where his previous crosses had been intercepted, he aimed slightly deeper toward the back.

However, Tsubasa and Rukavina were not quite on the same wavelength this time. Expecting the ball to arrive in its usual spot, Tsubasa realized he had over-run his marker by the time he tracked the trajectory of the cross.

Instantly recognizing the situation, Tsubasa slammed the brakes. In less than half a second, defying momentum, he managed to halt his forward lean mid-stride, pivoted in the opposite direction, and dashed toward the ball.

By the time Tsubasa pivoted, Valencia’s entire defensive line had scrambled into position. Pérez and Mario Suárez had entered his field of vision, while another defender, Aderlan Santos, was charging toward the ball. Lurking just behind them was midfielder Parejo, tracking back to complete a trap.

Yet Tsubasa had no intention of trapping the ball and attempting a traditional dribble and shot as they anticipated.

Because Rukavina had aimed for the edge of the box, the cross was not a low skimmer but a rising, powerful half-volley whistling across the left side of the area.

Sensing the swarming Valencia defenders closing in—and realizing that his momentum had cost him precious time, destroying any chance of taking a touch—Tsubasa made a split-second decision to shoot on sight.

Fixing his eyes on the airborne ball, he steeled himself: "No matter what! Here goes!"

On the football pitch, having too many choices and overthinking things is rarely a good thing; sometimes, a leap of faith into the unknown yields the most miraculous results!

Tsubasa swung his left leg back and planted his right foot firmly into the turf, launching himself forward. The moment his body left the ground, he soared like a striking eagle, hurtling directly toward the ball.

As the ball arrived at his side, he harnessed its kinetic energy, violently snapping his waist and core. His head, upper body, and lower limbs twisted into a terrifying, dynamic arc. His left foot and head drove toward the goal while the rest of his body propelled forward. Out of the corner of his eye, in a flash of lightning, he caught a glimpse of the goal. His cocked left leg whipped forward with ferocious speed, striking dead center of the ball to complete the breathtaking sequence in a fraction of a second.

With a thunderous crack, the ball rocketed obliquely toward the back of the net. Suspended in mid-air, Tsubasa spread his arms, landing at nearly a ninety-degree angle to the ball's flight path. Throughout the entire striking and landing motion, his form remained as stretched and graceful as a hunting falcon pouncing on its prey.

Anyone comparing this to the *Captain Tsubasa* manga would instantly notice that Tsubasa’s shooting posture was an exact replica of Tsubasa Ozora's trademark curve shot—except that while the fictional character executed it from the ground, the real-life Tsubasa delivered it suspended mid-air!

The shot traveled with blinding speed and ferocious curve, leaving Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves completely frozen without a reflex.

The ball sailed directly into the far corner of the net with an impossibly tight angle, possessing immense power and velocity. Alves could never have imagined anyone striking a ball quite like that.

"Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!"

"Tsubasa Ozora! Tsubasa! Tsubasa! Good grief, that is his 37th goal of the league season! It's utterly unbelievable!" The ESPN Spain commentator lost his mind, shouting directly into the camera, utterly unable to contain his excitement!

Moments later, the commentator added, "According to the broadcast booth, in the simultaneous match between Barcelona and Eibar, Lionel Messi has not yet scored. Tsubasa currently holds a two-goal lead over Messi in the scoring charts."

"Unless Messi pulls off a hat-trick in the remaining sixty minutes, Tsubasa has practically locked down this season's La Liga Pichichi Trophy!"

On the substitutes' bench, Escribá stared in momentary shock before his face broke into a wide, beaming smile. He grabbed the assistant coach beside him, the two of them jumping up and down in an uncontainable burst of joy, completely abandoning any pretense of managerial dignity.

Escribá realized that the probability of Villarreal securing victory in this match had just skyrocketed. And with a win, Villarreal wouldn't even need to worry about Atlético Madrid's result; victory alone would guarantee them third place in the league!

After scoring, Tsubasa did not perform his signature gun-cocking celebration, nor did he roar in defiance. Instead, he gripped the Villarreal badge on his chest, lifted it high, and lowered his head to press a gentle kiss upon it.

"I suppose I won't have the chance to kiss this crest ever again, will I?" Tsubasa felt a twinge of sadness.

Though he had already decided to leave Villarreal that summer and join a top-tier powerhouse, his affection for Villarreal would never diminish by even the slightest fraction.

The growth, honors, and joy he had experienced here over the past season and a half were the foundational building blocks of his professional career—an indelible chapter in his life’s journey.

"Brilliant job, Tsubasa!" Villarreal players rushed toward him in a wave. Club captain Bruno was the first to embrace him, followed by Trigueros, Castillejo, and Mateo Musacchio, with the rest of the squad piling on top of them in a joyous heap.

Villarreal's celebration lasted a remarkably long time. Everyone was cheering and dancing, acutely aware that moments of embracing and celebrating together like this might never come again.

Apart from Tsubasa’s guaranteed departure, players like Castillejo, Musacchio, and Dos Santos were all heavily rumored to leave that very summer.

Whether they would ever cross paths again remained entirely uncertain.

Eventually, the match referee had to intervene, urging the Villarreal players to halt their celebrations and return to the pitch.

When play resumed, Valencia’s players were thoroughly deflated. Having merely wanted to avoid becoming stepping stones for Villarreal's victory, they lost all fighting spirit once their goal was breached. Furthermore, many Valencia players were friends with the Yellow Submarine squad, giving them no reason or desire to spoil their opponents' joy when victory was already out of reach.

More importantly, the Valencia players' minds had already drifted toward planning their impending holidays.

With this mindset firmly entrenched, the home side soon found themselves facing the immediate threat of conceding yet again!

In the 42nd minute, Dos Santos drove the ball into the final third and laid it off to Tsubasa, who had successfully shaken his marker.

Trigueros immediately offered support while Castillejo surged forward, initiating a three-pronged attack whose movement instantly tore massive gaps in Valencia's defensive line.

Instead of passing to either of those two or finding Bakambu, Tsubasa displayed immense vision by switching the play behind the defense, lofting the ball with his right foot toward Mario Gaspar on the opposite flank—a player completely ignored by the defense.

Gaspar cut inside and fired a shot past the keeper, further extending Villarreal's lead.

Two to zero!

Both Escribá on the touchline and the Yellow Submarine players on the pitch knew that Villarreal had effectively secured the victory!

This meant they were about to shatter the monopoly of the traditional "Big Three" of Spanish football and capture third place in La Liga!