Even the commentators were so furious they completely lost their composure.
That night, Modrić completely dominated the match.
Sevilla hammered the kids 3–0, beating Real Madrid so badly they lost all sense of direction.
Even after the referee blew the final whistle, Capello stood there in a daze, unable to believe what he had just seen.
How was this possible?
How could Modrić be this bad?
He had clearly seen Modrić's sharp, commanding presence on the training ground!
Calling him another Zidane might have been a stretch, but saying he was Croatia's Scholes was absolutely reasonable!
And yet… in this match, he played like Ramos trying to run the midfield.
Ramos: Don't lump Modrić in with me—we're not the same!
As Modrić kept his head down and tried to slip past Capello, Capello suddenly lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar.
"You devil!"
"Why did you sabotage me?!"
"I trusted you so much!"
"Why did you throw the match?!"
"You can't possibly be this bad! I know your level—why would you… why would you go undercover?!"
A bolt of lightning struck Capello's mind.
Everything suddenly made sense.
He slowly loosened his grip, his expression spiraling out of control.
Cold laughter, foolish grins, rage, despair—his face cycled through them all.
"So that's how it is… so that's how it is!" Capello collapsed onto the grass.
"Su Hang, this move of yours went far deeper than I imagined!"
"You planted a mole right inside the team!"
"I hate this!"
"I guarded against Zidane, Beckham, Raúl, Guti, Ramos—yet I never expected that Modrić, the one you bullied, was also your confidant!"
A perfect setup—one plays the villain, the other takes the hit.
"Fine."
"Very well."
"This time… I've lost."
Modrić desperately wanted to explain.
But Capello's emotions were so intense that Modrić was completely stunned.
Worse still, Capello's logic had formed a perfect closed loop—no explanation Modrić offered would make any difference now.
In the sea of people, Modrić suddenly spotted Higuaín.
Instinctively, he moved toward his friend, wanting to talk.
But Higuaín stepped back, shot him a look filled with disgust, coldness, condemnation, and hatred, then turned and walked away.
No wonder Modrić hadn't played any through balls to him during the match.
Higuaín had "figured it out."
Did Modrić lack the ability?
Absolutely not!
He had deliberately denied El Pipita any chance to shine!
And this was Su Hang's "final order" from beyond the grave!
Perhaps every forward who joined Real Madrid in the future would be sabotaged the same way.
Only then would Su Hang's status as the starting striker remain forever uncontested.
Despicable.
Absolutely despicable.
Modrić felt crushed.
He knew Higuaín had misunderstood him—but he truly couldn't explain it.
Because not long ago, he really had recovered his top form.
It was just that recently, "Su Hang the school tyrant" had thrown his strength balance into chaos again.
In this match, Modrić wanted to play well more than anyone.
If he performed well, the team would have to keep using him, and he'd have a reason to stop following Su Hang's training plan.
Yet the harder he tried, the further the team fell behind.
Every ball went through his feet—and every ball went wrong.
He single-handedly dragged this rotated Real Madrid side down by at least two levels.
...
Mundo Deportivo: "Real Madrid Collapse! Sevilla Slaughter Los Blancos 3–0!"
Sport: "This is the 'Bernabéu Messi' Madrid fans hype up? With Modrić's passing and organization, you could tell me he's a center back and I'd believe it!"
Marca: "Luka Modrić! Not the most expensive signing in Real Madrid history—but easily the worst in terms of quality!"
AS: "Super flop, Real Madrid's sinner! Strongly urge the club to permanently freeze Modrić—he doesn't deserve a place in the first team!"
One Copa del Rey match completely extinguished all of Real Madrid fans' illusions.
It's over.
This season—Real Madrid is finished.
After despair came furious attacks.
Logically speaking, Modrić should have been subjected to the most brutal fan backlash imaginable.
But one thing saved him, drawing attention away and giving fans a better target for their anger.
London Evening Standard: "Sacked! Real Madrid officially announce Capello's dismissal!"
The six-time champions change managers!
From last season to this one, the team that swept six trophies actually chose to sack their coach—
and at the most critical stage of the Champions League, the league, and the Copa del Rey!
It was unbelievable.
And yet, completely understandable.
The unbelievable part was that Real Madrid had reached the semifinals of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey and were still alive in all competitions.
They sat third in La Liga, still with a title chance.
By any standard, in any season, those results weren't bad.
What made it reasonable was that everyone knew how those results had been achieved.
They were built by Zidane and Su Hang.
First Zidane was injured. Then Su Hang.
And after Su Hang went down, Capello still tried to twist the knife.
Even if you went after Zidane, people might tolerate it.
Zidane may be a third-generation Ballon d'Or king—but Su Hang is Real Madrid's homegrown lifeline!
From youth academy to first team, from fourth captain to captain, from symbol to soul of the club!
Forget Capello—if Calderón himself dared touch Su Hang, he'd have to be ready to get chased out of office.
For a while, rumors flew everywhere.
...
Staring at the "Head Coach Recommendation List" on his desk, Calderón was seething.
Yes, he had planned to sacrifice Capello.
But not now.
He never imagined Su Hang would "manipulate the team into match-fixing," take Capello out early, and shove Simon's name straight in front of him.
Calderón had other plans for Real Madrid's head coach—but now he had no choice but to shelve them.
He swore this would be the last time he compromised in front of Su Hang.
The last time!
Su Hang: No problem. That's what everyone says to their right hand.
To stabilize morale, Real Madrid quickly accepted Su Hang's suggestion.
Marca: "Time reveals the horse's strength; time reveals Simon's heart! Riding a thousand miles to fight the fire—his third return to the palace!"
AS: "Seven-time champion coach Simon returns to the dugout—not to save everything, but to stop a total three-front collapse!"
Kicker: "Simon made a bold decision. At this moment, no other elite coach would dare accept this job!"
Bild: "Only true love could explain it! Simon's decision to step down from the national team has angered senior figures in the Spanish FA!"
Sky Sports: "Aragonés says he understands Simon's choice, calling it the right decision—and adds that if Su Hang needed him, he would also go to Real Madrid!"
The Times: "Simon responds to taking the Real Madrid job: 'This was a very difficult decision, with tremendous resistance. But when Su Hang told me he wanted me to help the team, all difficulties disappeared.'"
In an instant, Simon became football's number-one symbol of loyalty and righteousness.
Already known as "Saint Simon,"
the media now crowned him "Angel Simon."
Simon humbly admitted he was guilty.
Su Hang did say he wanted Simon to come to Real Madrid.
But his exact words were:
"I'll be back—come quickly and lie down for a free title."
Now tell me—who could possibly refuse that?