They were on a rampage.
Real Madrid's two superstar kings had completely lost themselves in the moment.
Their attacking power was simply off the charts.
Three matches, two trophies—Real Madrid looked unstoppable.
The rest of the squad's numbers weren't bad either.
Across these three games, Real Madrid scored twelve goals and conceded just three.
Aside from the explosive Su Hang and Zidane, Robinho delivered three assists in three matches—highly efficient.
Van Nistelrooy contributed a goal and two assists, also solid.
But while some rejoiced, others worried.
Beckham was in poor form—not only did he put up no numbers, he was being subbed off frequently.
Raúl shared Beckham's fate, both falling out of Capello's plans.
Emerson still hadn't integrated into Real Madrid.
Diarra performed well defensively, but Emerson's problems limited his minutes, hurting his prospects.
Sport ran a headline criticizing Real Madrid: "Real Madrid Suffers from Su Hang and Zidane Dependency!"
"Without Su Hang and Zidane, this Real Madrid is nothing! Their brilliance only hides the team's many internal issues."
"Anyone could've scored or assisted like Van Nistelrooy and Robinho."
"The starting lineup is still unsettled, which will inevitably impact team form and morale."
"If a dressing room crisis breaks out, Real Madrid could lose all title competitiveness!"
To be fair, the article was well-crafted.
If Real Madrid lost its edge in the title race, wouldn't La Liga automatically fall to Barcelona?
Barcelona had spent the whole summer preparing for a breakout season. They never expected Real Madrid to generate such overwhelming heat, stealing the entire spotlight before kickoff.
Forget Barcelona—people hadn't even mentioned Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern, Juventus, AC Milan, or Inter in weeks.
Then Mundo Deportivo dropped another bomb:
"Su Hang's Star Destroyer Cannon Falls Silent! Sources say he injured his ankle against Sevilla and will likely miss the La Liga opener!"
Suddenly, fans began to worry.
"Oh my god, Su Hang is injured again?"
"What do you mean again? Do you know how many matches he's played since last season?"
"Injured in the Champions League final, injured in the World Cup final, and now this—Su Hang really gets injured a lot!"
"At this rate, will Su Hang become the next Ronaldo? Ridiculously strong, but constantly hurt!"
"No way. Su Hang's style is nothing like Ronaldo's. It doesn't put heavy strain on his knees and ankles."
"I'm not so sure. His style means constant physical collisions—that's also injury-prone. Extreme speed and extreme power both carry risks."
"His real problem is workload. Including the World Cup, he played over fifty games last season, almost all full 90s."
"Overuse for one or two seasons can ruin a player! Real Madrid must manage Su Hang carefully!"
"Exactly! He just turned twenty. Overusing him now could destroy his future! Look at Owen—clear example!"
"I remember hearing that Su Hang never had great physical durability to begin with? That Bayern miracle doctor said so back then."
Debate about Su Hang's injury flared rapidly.
People even pulled up Dr. Wohlfahrt's old evaluation:
"It's difficult for Asian players to become football superstars; their physique isn't naturally suited for the sport.
To this day, no Asian player has reached true global superstardom.
Su Hang is the closest, but if he burns out, the so-called 'Asian curse' will continue to haunt world football."
Soon after, Real Madrid officially confirmed that Su Hang would miss La Liga's first round.
Capello stated plainly:
"Su Hang's injury is minor; outside concerns are unnecessary. But given his recent heavy workload, we want him to return in optimal condition.
So he will be rested for the next match.
We remain confident Real Madrid can win.
Besides Su Hang and Zidane, we have many outstanding players.
Please continue supporting Real Madrid—this season, we have huge potential!"
Capello's confidence reassured the fans.
During his rest, Su Hang filmed two more commercials.
After all, trophies may come every year, but a club winning five titles and a player winning six is exceptionally rare.
That kind of uniqueness meant Su Hang's earnings this year could exceed even the boldest predictions.
The media's estimate of over €40 million was no longer enough—
He might even double Ronaldinho's income this year.
That's… €60 million!
So yes—those peak years of making money are just that, a few years.
You may struggle for a long time just to support yourself.
But once you rise, a few years can earn you everything you were meant to earn in a lifetime.
So don't burn out before your moment arrives. Stay calm; don't panic.
But once opportunity comes, seize it, work relentlessly, and don't waste a second.
Because no one knows how long that window will stay open.
That fantasy of "steady, endlessly increasing income"?
It almost never happens.
...
August 27th.
The 2006–2007 La Liga season officially kicked off.
Real Madrid hosted Villarreal at the Bernabéu.
It was a headline matchup—the Yellow Submarine had long been one of La Liga's toughest sides.
For this match, Robinho replaced Su Hang in the starting eleven.
Van Nistelrooy led the line, with Raúl again on the right wing.
In midfield, Zidane and Emerson took the left and right, with Diarra as Defensive Midfielder.
Beckham sat on the bench wearing a gloomy expression—Capello had essentially declared he preferred Emerson over him.
Robinho drove the attack down the left, Emerson down the right.
The rest of the team supported them.
Real Madrid controlled the first half.
But it was all thunder, no rain.
Emerson and Robinho were completely different types of players, yet their first-half performances were identical:
They looked impressive but weren't efficient.
On a ten-tier scale for chance quality, most of their chances were level six or below.
Level seven was rare.
Anything above seven simply didn't exist.
That put enormous pressure on Van Nistelrooy and Raúl.
The former never received the ball in the six-yard box; the latter was stuck with weak, incomplete passes on the outside.
How were they supposed to finish?
So the first half ended without goals from either side.
In the 57th minute of the second half, Capello made another change.
Cassano replaced Raúl.