"The True God Returns, Real Madrid Revives—A Six-Goal Rout Over Super Depor Lays the Groundwork for Beating Inter Milan!"
"Zidane, the True King of Football! He is Real Madrid's Undisputed Core!"
"Zidane's Return Reignites Su Hang—Real Madrid's Midfield and Attack Can Now Shatter Any Defense!"
"Champions League Preview! Real Madrid vs. Inter Milan Could Be This Round's Most Thrilling Match! Stay tuned to CCTV-5 for full coverage!"
The momentum was back!
After nearly a month of slumping form, Real Madrid's morale was finally soaring again.
This season had been nothing short of a rollercoaster—filled with turmoil and setbacks they should never have faced.
But as the saying goes in football: the more a team stumbles and struggles, the greater its potential to shock the world.
So, many die-hard gamblers placed heavy bets on the Inter Milan vs. Real Madrid clash, ready to cash in and celebrate big.
Yet there was one group even more invested in this match than the gamblers or fans of either side—
the media and fans in Catalonia.
Sport: "Cambiasso has become Inter's field general—don't underestimate him! Real Madrid must give their all to take control of the game!"
Mundo Deportivo: "Inter Milan are strong and well-equipped, while Real Madrid are plagued by injuries. But Los Blancos have a higher ceiling—their stars can decide the match at any moment."
Heartwarming, isn't it?
Barcelona's mouthpieces actually cheering for Real Madrid—it left the Merengues faithful completely stunned.
But a quick glance at the La Liga fixture list made everything clear.
Between the two legs of Real Madrid's Champions League tie with Inter Milan, there was one domestic match—
El Clásico.
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona.
In their first Clásico of the season, Barcelona had been thoroughly punished by Real Madrid.
Even with Ronaldinho winning both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, Barcelona fans still couldn't out-brag their Madrid rivals.
Barcelona: We have a Ballon d'Or winner!
Real Madrid: We have three—no, four, to be precise! Ronaldo has two of them!
Barcelona: We have a FIFA World Player of the Year!
Real Madrid: We have three—actually, seven in total! Ronaldo and Zidane have three each!
Barcelona: We have a player who's won both awards!
Real Madrid: We have three—Ronaldo, Zidane, and Figo.
Barcelona: We have a player who won both in the same year!
Real Madrid: We have two—and three times in total, since Ronaldo did it twice!
Barcelona: Our Ronaldinho was the best in the world last year!
Real Madrid: But he lost to Su Hang! In titles, in head-to-heads, in stats, in performances!
No amount of European glory could erase that.
Barcelona fans desperately wanted their team to beat Real Madrid—no, to beat Su Hang—just once.
Just once would be enough!
So they kept fanning the flames, urging Real Madrid to go all out against Inter.
Even if it meant flattering them or pretending to want them to win—it was worth it.
They were biding their time, sharpening their claws.
When El Clásico came, Barcelona would show Real Madrid what cruelty truly meant.
...
Soon after, Italy responded to the growing media storm.
Spanish outlets had claimed that Inter Milan were no match for Real Madrid, that Zidane's return would see Los Blancos crush the Nerazzurri.
Could Inter just let that slide?
Of course not.
Even though the comments came from Barcelona-leaning media like Sport and Mundo Deportivo, Inter's camp was furious.
Inter's midfield tank, Dejan Stanković, voiced his frustration through the press.
Back in his Lazio days, he'd been hailed as the "new Matthäus"—a true all-rounder, fast and powerful, capable of doing everything.
He'd been one of Inter's most consistent midfielders for years, and had even represented three different national teams: Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Serbia.
Stanković: "Real Madrid are, of course, an excellent team. But Inter Milan are just as good—maybe even better. We're confident. We'll beat Real Madrid at the San Siro! Serie A's status as the world's top league isn't something La Liga or the Premier League can buy with money!"
At that time, Serie A still reigned as the world's number one league—the so-called "Mini World Cup."
Then Victoria Beckham spoke up for her husband's team.
"Real Madrid aren't just excellent—they're the best. So what if they spend money? Didn't Inter spend too? Don't forget, they even signed Samuel from Real Madrid this season. Samuel is now Inter's brightest star in defense—doesn't that prove how strong Real Madrid are? Real Madrid players are the best wherever they go."
That stirred things up immediately.
Inter's stars couldn't hold back any longer.
Inter defender Samuel: "I wasn't happy at Real Madrid. I couldn't find my true self there or perform to my potential. But at Inter, I feel myself growing stronger. I'm confident I can stop players I've faced before."
That "players I've faced before" clearly referred to Real Madrid.
Still, perhaps out of respect—or pressure—from Su Hang, he didn't name names.
Inter's defensive midfielder Cambiasso added: "Let's stop talking nonsense. The truth is simple—Inter Milan are stronger than Real Madrid! Because we don't have any injuries!"
That line hit like a bomb!
Real Madrid fans were speechless.
After all, Figo and Ronaldo still hadn't fully recovered.
But Real Madrid took the match extremely seriously.
They refused to let their morale drop before kickoff—especially since the first leg was at the San Siro.
A lack of confidence could easily affect their performance.
So, after a meeting between the club's management and coaching staff, Real Madrid made an announcement on their official website:
"Ronaldo has recovered and will travel with the team to the San Siro!"
Boom!
A trump card revealed!
Even if the world had forgotten Ronaldo's greatness, Inter Milan certainly hadn't.
It was here, in Milan, that he had first become the best player in the world.
So while Real Madrid's statement was brief, its impact was devastating.
Inter fans fell silent.
At most, they whispered among themselves: "We already have our new king—Adriano."
Ronaldo was back!
Real Madrid's big and little devils were both ready to strike!
Zidane: So...
Ronaldo: Who's the little devil?
Obviously, it's the coolest one here!