October 14th marked the start of Round 6 of La Liga.
Real Madrid traveled away to face Getafe.
Salgado started at right back.
However, he had not convinced Capello or his teammates in training. His inclusion was simply because Raúl Bravo was more or less on the same level.
Raúl Bravo: "If we're basically the same, why is he starting instead of me? I'm a full six years younger than Salgado!"
Salgado: "Ahem… I may not be talented, but I do happen to be the son-in-law of former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz. In football circles, they call me the Royal Madrid Prince Consort!"
A genuine royal in-law!
Unfortunately, Salgado was dreadful throughout the match, committing mistake after mistake.
One of them directly led to Real Madrid conceding.
Capello promptly substituted Salgado with Raúl Bravo.
But Bravo apparently felt the need to be polite—he returned the favor by making a low-level error of his own, gifting Getafe another goal.
It was as if both players were desperately trying to avoid the starting right-back position. Whoever played better lost?
In the end, Real Madrid pulled one back from a corner. Sergio Ramos flicked on a header, and Van Nistelrooy finished amid the chaos.
One–two!
Real Madrid lost away from home.
"The straightforward duo was no longer magical."
Catalan media erupted in celebration.
Daily Sport: "Su Hang silenced! Real Madrid's top scorer suffers a 180-minute goal drought!"
Mundo Deportivo: "No.9 powerless, No.10 invisible! Su Hang and Zidane fail to live up to their reputations!"
Marca: "Real Madrid's attempt to move away from Su Hang fails—just three shots all match, and scoring becomes a nightmare!"
AS: "Van Nistelrooy, Raúl, Robinho waste chances! Salgado and Raúl Bravo are twin disasters! Is the Galácticos project collapsing before launch?"
Sky Sports: "Two straight matches with Su Hang near the bottom in touches and shots—Is this football, or is he serving time?"
Kicker: "A superstar striker without team support—Su Hang becomes a prison striker!"
Bild: "Su Hang's winger conversion declared a failure! Five points dropped in two rounds as Real Madrid fall from first to fourth!"
After six rounds of La Liga, the gap among the leading pack had not widened.
The difference between first and fifth place was still within three points.
That meant every team had its own problems.
Internally, Real Madrid had been mentally prepared for this.
This was an unavoidable stage of the club's strategic transformation.
However, time was running out for Capello and the squad to adapt.
Fifth place was the absolute limit the club and fans could tolerate. Lose again, and the supporters would erupt.
Capello received clear instructions from the board.
The exact words were: "Even if you have to use Beckham, you must win the next match!"
As the team flew to Romania, Capello publicly addressed the media's focus on Beckham:
"I have no personal issues with Beckham."
"He didn't play earlier because others were performing better, but I've always been willing to give David chances."
"In the upcoming match, David will get playing time. He can prove himself on the pitch."
"I hope David, the fans, and the media stop listening to people who have nothing to do with football!"
Capello's words were sharp beneath the surface.
This was a clear jab at the incident where Victoria had complained about Capello at a gathering.
Facing the controversy, Beckham responded calmly:
"I treat every match seriously—there's no question about that. That's my professionalism."
"My form is very good. Su Hang, Zidane, Raúl, Casillas, and Carlos all know it."
"I don't know if there's any conflict between me and Capello. From my side, there isn't."
Beckham made his position clear: his benching was Capello's decision, not his own.
Both sides stated their positions without fully tearing into each other.
...
October 17th, the third round of the Champions League kicked off.
Real Madrid traveled away to face Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest.
Real Madrid's starting lineup was:
Su Hang, Van Nistelrooy, Raúl
Zidane, Diarra, Emerson
Carlos, Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos, Raúl Bravo
Casillas
=
Yes, Capello was willing to give Bravo another chance, hoping this hardworking utility player could finally secure the position.
With the referee's whistle, the match began.
Given the clear gap in quality, Real Madrid seized control immediately.
Right after kickoff, Zidane used two consecutive technical moves to shake off pressure, then used Emerson and Cannavaro to draw defenders away.
When the opposition swarmed in and realized they couldn't even touch the ball, they stopped pressing altogether.
Players who can truly hold possession like this are the core of any strong team.
Without them, no matter how good the rest of your lineup is, you're doomed to counterattacks only.
In the future, teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, and even Real Madrid for long stretches would severely lack such players.
Elite dribblers like Messi and Neymar; elite distributors like De Bruyne, Modrić, and De Jong; elite physical players like Pogba—all fall into this category.
Their methods differ, but they all control possession.
Zidane was one of the rare players who could do so in all three ways.
His physical strength had always been underestimated.
Classic attacking midfielders of his era needed real physicality—they had to create chances under pressure.
Those who truly lacked it had no choice but to drop deeper.
Pirlo: ???
Pirlo: Who are you calling weak?
In the 8th minute, Su Hang was stopped on the wing, earning a throw-in near the attacking third.
Carlos threw the ball to Van Nistelrooy.
Van Nistelrooy laid it off first time to Zidane.
Zidane, also without a touch, clipped a through ball over the top.
Hovering along the offside line, Su Hang executed a reverse run to beat the trap and exploded forward.
He received the ball, cut inside, pinned the recovering right back behind him, and surged into the penalty area.
The opposing right center-back and defensive midfielder closed in from two directions.
With the right back joining them, three defenders surrounded him in the box.
This successfully triggered Su Hang's signature "Power Turn."
The defenders hesitated, afraid of conceding a penalty, and failed to take the ball from him.
After spinning twice, Su Hang created a pocket of space.
"Here!"
Van Nistelrooy raised his hand near the six-yard line, holding off the center-back.
If the ball reached him, the chance of a finish was extremely high.