...
On September 21, in the fourth round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabéu. Camacho dropped Su Hang and insisted on using his rigid 4‑4‑2 formation with a double pivot.
Lineup:
Ronaldo, Owen
Zidane, Guti, Beckham, Figo
Roberto Carlos, Samuel, Woodgate, Salgado
Casillas
Guti and Beckham were fielded as the double pivot. Neither was a traditional defensive midfielder, but together they brought some defensive stability.
In the second half, Camacho made three substitutions: Morientes replaced Ronaldo, Raúl came on for Owen, and Celades—another defensive midfielder—took Guti's place. On paper, the formation and substitutions looked ideal. But in practice... Real Madrid only scraped a 1–0 win against a weak opponent, and the performance was uninspiring.
Part of the problem was the players struggling to adapt to the new tactics—but emotions played a big role too.
First, Raúl was benched. He's the "Emperador" of Real Madrid! The captain! The symbolic ruler of the club! How could he not feel humiliated? Especially since the year he finished second in the Ballon d'Or was the same year Owen won it. Raúl could accept being benched for anyone—except Owen!
Then there was Ronaldo. As a striker, unless injured, he expects to play the full 90 minutes. Camacho gave him just 70. How could he be okay with that? He didn't even high‑five Camacho when coming off.
And Zidane. He prefers playing as an attacking midfielder or slightly deeper as the team's central playmaker. What he needs is freedom. But playing as a left midfielder restricted his creativity—he clearly wasn't comfortable.
So, despite the lineup appearing perfect, it simply didn't work. Camacho's predecessor, Queiroz, had already faced the same issue last season. It's one of the side effects of having a squad filled with superstars. Still, Camacho insisted on doing things his way.
On September 25, in round five, Real Madrid lost 2–1 away to Athletic Bilbao. On October 3, round six, they lost 1–0 at home to Deportivo La Coruña. On October 16, round seven ended in a 1–1 draw away to Real Betis. Then came a 0–3 loss to Italian giants Napoli in the Champions League group stage.
When Su Hang saw the results, he was stunned. That's it—completely over! Camacho, if you'd just taken a few of the stars out for karaoke, it wouldn't have turned out this bad.
Haven't you noticed? Ronaldo isn't even shooting. Zidane isn't pulling off those brilliant passes. Raúl isn't making his signature forward runs. The only two players actually fighting to prove themselves—Morientes and Owen—never get to play together. You always sub one for the other.
No wonder the results are a mess.
For the first time, Su Hang thought he might do a better job coaching Real Madrid himself. Is the problem the formation or playing style? No—it's morale! Win them over, and even if the stars play out of position or off-form, the results would still be better than this.
On October 17, Real Madrid returned to Madrid. As soon as the plane landed, a swarm of journalists rushed toward Camacho.
Journalist: "Camacho, did you know you've been fired by Real Madrid?"
Camacho looked utterly bewildered—he hadn't received any official notice. But now, he had. And so, in his second stint, Camacho was once again dismissed as Real Madrid's head coach.
Outside the airport, thousands of Real Madrid fans were celebrating. Many held huge banners—featuring images of Su Hang. The media captured everything:
"Su Hang isn't just a symbol of confidence for Real Madrid—he's real fighting power! Without Su Hang, the win rate is just 20%! With Su Hang, it's 80%!"
"Camacho's biggest mistake was benching Su Hang! He ignored the facts, and the facts didn't spare him!"
"Real Madrid's new coach revealed! But no matter who it is, Su Hang's return is already a done deal!"
So who would be the new head coach?
Unfortunately, at this stage of the season, few top-tier managers were available. And Real Madrid had no interest in settling for just anyone. For a while, they couldn't find a suitable replacement.
But a team can't go even a day without a coach. In the end, Real Madrid promoted Simon, the most experienced goalkeeping coach on staff, as interim head coach.
Some had confidence in Simon. Most understood the club's difficulties—but hoped a proper manager would be appointed during the winter break.
Simon believed his chance had finally arrived. But his first experience on the job was anything but smooth.
Inside the Real Madrid locker room bathroom, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Samuel, Solari, and other South American players were chatting.
Roberto Carlos said loudly, "I think the club should bring in Luxemburgo. He knows how to get the best out of Ronaldo!"
Ronaldo nodded in agreement.
Luxemburgo was a well-known figure in South American football, having led his teams to multiple miraculous campaigns—he'd won several Brazilian league titles and coached Brazil to a Copa América title in 1999.
In the private stall at the back, Su Hang felt awkward. He wasn't part of the South American clique, but he had overheard everything. It would be really awkward to come out now. So he stayed where he was.
But Su Hang also understood why Roberto Carlos was pushing for Luxemburgo. Just look at the "Four Captains" situation. For fans, being a captain doesn't mean much—it won't give you more goals or assists. But people are social creatures. Group dynamics matter.
No matter how rich, famous, or powerful you are, if the people around you are more so, you'll feel diminished—even if you're in the top 0.01%.
That's why so many wealthy people still feel unfulfilled. And why some provincial elites feel incredibly proud—even arrogant—because they're the top of their local bubble.
Captaincy is a symbol of status. As a captain, you can speak freely about internal matters, even mediate between players and management. It brings more responsibility, but also more influence.
Roberto Carlos had nothing left to chase on the field. He'd already placed second in the Ballon d'Or—he knew that was his ceiling. As a full-back, stats didn't matter much anymore. What he still cared about was his status within the team.
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