If not for the presence of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the FC Barcelena squad that visited Beijing last week would look almost-totally .unfamiliar. Why Because the majority of its normal starting lineup didn’t even bother to con. Thus, Barca’s Asian tour proved to be another example of dollar profiteering by the European soccer powers. Back in 2003, I paid 180 yuan to watch a game featuring Raul, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Luis Figo in Beijing Workers’ stadium. But now, in 2010, my 1, 280-yuan ticket merely let me see Messi and Ibrahimovic for only 45 minutes each. Most of the 50,000 fans didn’t even know the name of the players kicking the ball around. Only on a few occasions did people cheer, and that was because Messi had the ball. Every summer around this time, soccer fever reaches its climax in Asian countries, where big-shot clubs take turns playing commercial games. Very often, those games are criticized for their lame performances or absence of stars. But the question is. Will the situation ever change for the better I don’t think so. Think of it from the players’ perspective. You need some rest badly after working hard for months; and your club asks you to travel around Asia on your vacation time and play still more soccer matches. When you are doing a job only for money and not out of true passion, would you do it with all of your heart Probably not. We have seen fans in South Korea protesting because Messi only played there for 15 minutes. We have heard the protests of Chinese reporters complaining that players are not Cooperating in press conferences. In return, we heard Barca coach Pep Guardiola repeatedly complaining about the pitch quality at the Bird’s Nest. We witnessed the stars jogging, instead of sprinting, on the grass. Besides their desultory performances, they didn’t even smile. Chinese fans should abandon the belief that a star will respond to fans with the same passion fans have for him. It’s all about demand and supply, with money being the key driving force. So I left my seat 15 minutes early to go out and take some pictures--as this was my first time to visit the Bird’s Nest. I will only remember the spectacular stadium. As for the game, there is really nothing worth remembering, except perhaps for the 1,280-yuan ticket that was being sold for 280 yuan just before the game started. According to the author, what’s the key to driving the game