April 14th, La Liga Round 30.
Real Madrid traveled away to face Racing Santander.
This time, they suffered an unexpected defeat.
Capello stood on the touchline, unable to force a smile.
They had originally had a chance to climb to second place in La Liga this round, yet somehow failed to capitalize.
Fortunately for them, Barcelona—also fighting for second—had equally bad luck and lost their match as well.
Fans believed the transfer shortlist Capello had submitted had seriously affected the team.
Capello had his grievances, but nowhere to voice them.
Calderón told him to submit the list—did he really have a choice?
Why didn't they blame Calderón instead?
What the public didn't know was that this entire shift in public opinion was being steered by Calderón himself.
Some things have to be done, but some consequences must also be borne.
If you don't want to bear them, then you'd better have a scapegoat ready.
Meanwhile, Su Hang's agent team had already approached Real Madrid, formally expressing their dissatisfaction with Capello.
Su Hang hadn't blamed Capello for kicking him while he was down.
But likewise, Capello could no longer expect Su Hang to treat him with courtesy.
Su Hang didn't want to come back only to find an irreparable mess waiting for him.
For a time, all kinds of "messages" began circulating.
London Evening Standard: "Real Madrid lack confidence in Capello's future and are attempting to contact Coach of the Year Simon!"
Marca: "Could Simon return to Real Madrid? The Madridistas show strong support!"
AS: "The petty Capello is unfit to coach Real Madrid—bring Simon back now!"
Kicker: "Don't forget—Real Madrid's Champions League treble last season was delivered by Simon!"
Bild: "Firefighter Simon may once again take charge at Real Madrid—he is the world's undisputed best crisis manager!"
That same day, Simon packed his bags after finishing national team duties.
When Su calls, I will come—no matter how far.
Offend Su Hang, and retribution will follow—even across vast distances.
When the media released photos of Simon appearing in Madrid, Capello was struck by sheer panic.
He never imagined Su Hang's retaliation would come so quickly.
And so viciously.
Would Real Madrid's board really sacrifice the head coach for Su Hang—a retired player who was already finished?
It made no sense.
In stark contrast to Capello's despair, Calderón couldn't have been happier.
With Capello taken down, Su Hang's resentment would dissipate. As long as Calderón extended a ladder, Su Hang would surely climb down gracefully.
And so the retirement ceremony in early May would be secured.
Fans, having vented their anger by driving Capello out, would also calm down. Calderón would then face far less resistance when bringing in new signings.
Capello was the perfect sacrificial coach.
Any future blame could be dumped on him as well.
Capello: Thanks—thanks to your whole family.
...
April 18th, Real Madrid faced the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
This was never going to be an easy match.
Their opponents were Sevilla, a team trading places with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Sevilla's fans had already proclaimed their grand ambition of winning the "double" this season.
Capello knew all too well how much influence Su Hang held in the squad. He feared that Zidane, Beckham, Raúl, Guti, Ramos, Kompany, and others might band together to get rid of him.
So, under the excuse of "preparing for the Champions League," he rested all of them.
Instead, he deliberately selected players who either weren't particularly close to Su Hang—or were outright at odds with him—to play this match. Openly and covertly, he told them that as long as they played well, wealth and glory would be theirs in the future.
Thus, his starting lineup was:
Raúl, Higuaín
Robinho, Cassano, Modrić
Gago
Marcelo, Cannavaro, Pavón, Salgado
Casillas
=
Basically, anyone who could be rotated out was rotated out.
In this setup, Modrić and Gago were tasked with carrying much of the team's organizational burden.
After seeing this lineup, many media outlets concluded that Real Madrid had effectively given up on the Copa del Rey.
But only Capello knew how badly this lineup was being underestimated.
The veterans and famous names aside—
These younger players were anything but ordinary.
Anyone scouted by Real Madrid was usually gifted with both talent and ability.
After nearly a full season of training and integration, they had absorbed Real Madrid's style through constant exposure. What they lacked wasn't quality, but a chance in real competition.
With Su Hang around, many of them never even had the opportunity to get minutes.
Now that the "Su tyrant" was gone, it was time for this gold to finally shine.
Especially Modrić.
Before leaving the locker room, Capello deliberately pulled Modrić aside.
"Luka, I know you've suffered inhuman treatment for a long time," Capello said.
"For many reasons, I couldn't step in and stand up for you before."
"But now—it's time for people to see the truth."
"Go all out. This is a match that belongs to you."
Seeing Capello so emotional, Modrić hesitated. "Um… Mr. Capello, actually Captain Su Hang and I don't have any deep personal grudge…"
Capello covered Modrić's mouth. "Don't say that. Some things—you know, I know—there's no need to spell them out."
"Just play well. This match may decide whether you can become Real Madrid's midfield core."
"The better you play, the more I can help you escape the team's bullying."
"I watched your training two weeks ago. At that moment, I swear I saw a twenty-two-year-old Zidane."
Modrić's eyes instantly reddened.
A true confidant!
I really am strong.
I just never had the chance to show it.
He nodded heavily. "I'll play well! I won't let you down, sir!"
Capello smiled like a benevolent father. "Go. I've told everyone—you're the core today. They're all to give the ball to you."
"Tonight, the god of football will wear Croatia's jersey."
Modrić was overwhelmed with emotion.
Soon, the whistle blew and the match began.
And without a doubt, Modrić became the absolute focus of the game.
"Oh! Tonight, the Grim Reaper is wearing Croatia's jersey! Modrić loses the ball again!"
"He's the player who's lost possession the most in this match!"
"His dribbling reminds me of Ronaldinho, Messi, and Iniesta—except those three always beat their man. Modrić never does!"
"His passing is atrocious! Two crosses straight out of play! That chipped ball to the far post was so high even Van Nistelrooy with wings couldn't reach it!"
"Yellow card! That was far too rough! That wasn't a foul—that was attempted murder! Such a clean-looking kid, yet he plays so dirty!"
"This is unbelievable! Van Nistelrooy laid it off to what was basically an open goal, and Modrić blasted it wide! Even Shaquille O'Neal's grandmother would've hit the target!"
"I can't believe my eyes—his first touch sent the ball flying five meters away!"
"I remember he was this bad at the start of the season. He really hasn't improved at all!"