Today was the 15th round of La Liga, with Real Madrid playing away against Málaga.
After taking charge, Simon immediately set things straight.
Su Hang, Raúl
Zidane, Figo, Beckham
García
Roberto Carlos, Helguera, Sergio Ramos, Cicinho
Casillas
=
Only three players remained from the "South American clique."
The "Spanish clique" had four players.
The "international superstars" had three.
And Ramos? He was stuck in between—or so everyone believed.
With Luxemburgo gone, many thought Jonathan Woodgate would soon push Ramos out of the starting lineup.
But Ramos wasn't worried.
Because he was… a spy within a spy!
His true role inside Luxemburgo's camp was to quietly open the door for Zidane, Figo, and Su Hang, ensuring they stayed in the starting eleven.
At the same time, he increased the pressure on "his own people," like Robinho and Baptista.
Without Ramos, Luxemburgo would have leaned on the South American clique much earlier and much more often, which would have meant even more defeats for Real Madrid.
That would have completely undermined Su Hang's objectives for the season.
This season, they were determined to finally make last year's vision a reality—competing for both La Liga and the Champions League.
Ninety minutes later.
Two-nil!
Real Madrid won with ease.
Figo, Zidane, Beckham, and Raúl all made the stats sheet.
The four superstars had played a perfect game.
...
On December 14th, Su Hang flew to Turin, Italy.
He had been invited to attend Tuttosport's award ceremony.
The award was the Golden Boy.
The inaugural winner was Rafael van der Vaart, once dubbed "Cruyff's successor."
The gifted midfielder had transferred from Ajax to Hamburg this season, even winning Bundesliga Player of the Month in September.
Unfortunately, just ten days ago, he fractured his left ankle and was expected to miss three months.
Still, his future looked bright.
Real Madrid had made a move for him in the summer.
But considering competition and squad roles, Van der Vaart chose not to go to the Bernabéu.
In interviews, he said: "No footballer doesn't want to join Real Madrid, but not everyone is suited for it."
The meaning was clear: when the time was right, he would go.
Last year's Golden Boy went to Wayne Rooney.
Thanks to his breakout at the European Championship, Rooney didn't just win the award—he also finished tenth in the FIFA World Player of the Year and eighth in the Ballon d'Or.
And he was only nineteen at the time!
That achievement was even more shocking than Su Hang becoming Real Madrid's captain at nineteen.
This year, Rooney only managed third place, taking the Bronze Boy award.
Since he'd already won last year, many argued the award should come with a rule—once you've won it, you're no longer eligible.
Otherwise, should a player win it twice?
If yes, it feels like a monopoly.
If no, then the previous year's champion just becomes a stepping stone.
Lukas Podolski, the "Prince of Cologne," finished fourth, just missing out.
Meanwhile, from La Liga... Lionel Messi took second place, winning the Silver Boy award.
It should have been a proud moment.
But Barça fans kept quiet about it—because Messi only received three votes.
Rooney received just one.
And Real Madrid's captain, Su Hang, swept the award with an overwhelming 90%+ of the vote.
When Su Hang took the podium, seeing the longing in Messi's eyes, he said generously: "Don't worry, you'll get yours too."
"Maybe even next year."
Messi, his long hair flowing, nodded without a word in front of the star.
After all, Su Hang was a megastar rivaling Ronaldinho in popularity.
While Messi was still just a rookie at Barça.
There was no comparison.
But while I, Su Hang, was riding high on the stage of fame and glory, I stumbled badly on the actual battlefield.
...
December 18th, La Liga Round 16.
Real Madrid drew at home against Osasuna.
They led in the first half, but Osasuna equalized in the second.
December 21st, La Liga Round 17.
Real Madrid hosted Racing Santander.
Su Hang scored the opener.
But Racing stunned them, scoring in the 80th and 86th minutes to snatch the win.
Real Madrid closed the first half of the season in a disappointing fifth place.
Calls for Simon's dismissal grew louder.
But this was mostly a mess left behind by Luxemburgo.
Real Madrid had to keep adjusting!
...
"After winning FIFA World Player of the Year, Zidane and Figo's form has clearly dropped! Without the motivation of awards, the veterans look sluggish!"
"Passing accuracy down! Zidane's running distance hits a season low!"
"Breakthrough success rate plummets, key errors cost the team victory! Has Figo's tank finally run dry?"
"Robinho's confidence shattered—he comes on, does stepovers, but beats no one, offering nothing tactically!"
"The Beast lost at the Bernabéu! Baptista runs around like a headless chicken, unable to find his place!"
"Raúl invisible again! This is why he'll never match Ronaldo!"
"Ronaldo invisible again! From the sickbed, his contributions are still worse than Raúl's!"
"Su Hang can do it all—dribble, pass, shoot, hold up play—but masters none, making him Real Madrid's biggest black hole up front!"
Negative coverage of Real Madrid grew worse during the winter transfer window.
Things escalated further when Corriere dello Sport blasted the club.
Because Roma had lost their future.
Italian bad boy Antonio Cassano had transferred from Roma to Real Madrid.
Why were Romans so furious?
Because Cassano was only 23—young, talented, and capable of producing flashes of brilliance.
He was easily worth €30 million or more, even with just one year left on his Roma contract.
Yet Real Madrid got him for only €5.5 million.
That deal hit Roma fans hard.
Cassano's camp, however, voiced their dissatisfaction with Roma.
Six months ago, Roma had given Il Capitano the top salary to keep him.
That decision stopped Il Capitano from joining Real Madrid.
But from that moment, Cassano felt like Roma's forgotten child.
With Roma's financial struggles, they couldn't possibly offer Cassano the same salary.
So Cassano saw Roma as the "unfaithful lover."
And by accepting that deal, Totti had let him down too.
Both sides argued bitterly, neither backing down.
Still, Romans predicted Real Madrid would regret it.
Because this kid had a foul temper—and wherever he went, chaos followed.