Marca: "The Supercopa de España is no longer in doubt—Su Hang transforms into a star-destroying cannon, netting five goals!"
AS: "Su Hang's five-goal haul proves he's worthy of the 'Su Hang the Emperor' title. Zidane's three assists in one half—call me 'Zidane the King'?"
Sport: "Are warm-up goals worth bragging about? Does the Supercopa de España even count as a trophy?"
Mundo Deportivo: "The league reveals true strength, the Champions League decides supremacy! Until the final whistle, no one can claim Real Madrid is stronger than Barcelona!"
Bild: "Emerson's underwhelming performance casts doubt on his role as Real Madrid's midfield anchor. Zidane's return has made his transfer options look increasingly poor!"
Kicker: "Behind Zidane's brilliance lies Emerson's bitter struggle to compete with Diarra for a starting spot!"
Sky Sports: "Beckham is past his prime. After being exiled from the national team, he now faces the prospect of being sidelined at club level too!"
BBC: "Capello dislikes Beckham. His use of the player is heavily influenced by personal bias—that's unfair!"
Manchester Evening News: "Van Nistelrooy failed to score on his Bernabeu debut. Why is he willing to play second fiddle at Real Madrid but refuses to support Ronaldo at United?"
France Football: "Another title is already in the bag! Zidane has proved every football outlet wrong with results! He truly deserves the title of King of Football!"
Corriere dello Sport: " Zidane remains red-hot, while Ronaldo's move to AC Milan cost them the title!"
Gazzetta dello Sport: "If Zidane can still cut it at this age, the four-years-younger Ronaldo will surely return as king after his recovery!"
La Nación: "Since when does the Supercopa de España decide who's the world's best? South America's crown must never fall into French hands!"
The Dunlun Global News: "It's time to discuss whether Su Hang is the world's top striker! Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Henry, Eto'o, Van Nistelrooy, Adriano, Drogba... Not a single one can match him?"
A single Supercopa de España has captured the hearts of all Europe.
Real Madrid remains forever at the center of global football discourse.
Some fans even hail them as the "Su-Zi duo"!
Of course, Raúl still commands immense respect locally in Madrid. As a key figure in the Galácticos era, he represents the concession made by the local group to international superstars.
His career trajectory mirrors the rise of La Liga and the gradual retreat of domestic players.
Thus, local media often include Raúl when lavishing praise on Su-Hang and Zidane.
Hence the moniker "Su-Zi-Ra"!
Yet while the press lavished praise on Su Hang and Zidane—a trend impossible to suppress—
they simultaneously poured cold water on Real Madrid.
They argued the club hadn't yet found its true path.
Relying solely on the individual brilliance of Su Hang and Zidane wouldn't secure sustained victories for Real Madrid.
This starkly contrasts with basketball.
Even the most elite soccer players cannot consistently dictate the outcome of every match.
But basketball players can.
While tactics, rules, and teamwork aren't entirely meaningless in basketball, the presence of a dominant superstar often seals the game's outcome before it begins.
Furthermore, the integration of players like Emerson, Raúl, Diarra, and Cannavaro appears incomplete.
In short, fans expect to see a better Real Madrid.
The club is indeed experimenting with more player combinations.
Capello announced early on that players like Su Hang, Zidane, Beckham, Raúl, Sergio Ramos, and Roberto Carlos would not feature in the squad for the second leg of the Supercopa de España.
Having competed in three competitions last season and played in the World Cup over the summer, they need every opportunity to rest.
Su Hang, Zidane, Sergio Ramos, and Roberto Carlos naturally had no objections, as they are undoubtedly Real Madrid's core starters for the new season.
However, Raúl and Beckham were understandably less pleased.
Their starting positions were not yet fully secured.
By resting them at this stage, Capello clearly intended to give their competitors more playing time.
This move speaks volumes about Capello's personnel decisions.
...
On August 20th, the second leg of the Supercopa de España commenced.
Real Madrid's starting lineup featured:
Robinho, Van Nistelrooy, Cassano
Emerson, Diarra, Guti
Helguera, Cannavaro, Kompany, Salgado
Casillas
—
Valero, Modrić, and Raúl Bravo were given the opportunity to come off the bench.
The outcome, however, proved disappointing.
Media predictions proved accurate. Despite Robinho delivering two assists to set up goals by Van Nistelrooy and Cassano, Real Madrid ultimately drew 2-2 with Espanyol.
Their midfielder Emerson remained virtually invisible throughout the match.
Ironically, Guti—who had consistently failed to carry Real Madrid—was named Man of the Match.
Substitute Luka Modrić delivered a disastrous performance: miscontrolling the ball three meters away, tripping over it while dribbling, lacking physicality, failing to pass when he should have, and missing shots when he should have taken them—utterly chaotic.
To be fair, Modrić was somewhat unlucky.
He had just entered the preparatory phase before strength training, resulting in noticeable weight gain and subtle changes in his power and ball feel.
Combined with nerves from his Real Madrid debut, his performance suffered.
But if he'd played to his Croatian league standards, he wouldn't have been much worse than Guti.
At the very least, he wouldn't have been worse than Valero.
Valero: ...
Another youngster singled out by Su Hang, Kompany, had been solid throughout the match until a costly mistake in the second half gifted Espanyol a goal, leaving fans with a poor impression.
Thus, despite Real Madrid lifting the Supercopa de España, many struggled to muster a smile.
Including Capello and Calderón.
Without the backbone of the Galácticos, this current Real Madrid squad is nothing!
After all, that was a Treble!
No, wait!
It was actually a quadruple!
If the Supercopa de España counted as just one title, it would be a quintuple.
But Real Madrid still has a shot at that fifth trophy.
Because before La Liga kicks off, they have one more cup to play for... the UEFA Super Cup!
Win that, and Real Madrid will be the genuine article: a five-time champion!
To date, treble winners are rare in football, let alone five-time champions.
Both the treble and quintuple refer to honors including the Champions League and league titles.
The last Treble was achieved by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in the 1998-99 season.
The last quintuple was won by Johan Cruyff's Ajax in 1972!
Had the Dutch Super Cup existed then, they would have become the first team in history to win six trophies!
Suddenly, everyone is eagerly anticipating the UEFA Super Cup.
They can't wait to witness another five-title king emerge after thirty-four years!
...
Happy New Year to all my readers!
Wishing you good health, peace of mind, and a year filled with positive energy and strength.