The entire city of Madrid was boiling with excitement.
No sooner had Atlético Madrid secured their spot in the Champions League, than Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich, setting up the first-ever city derby in Champions League Final history.
It could be said that this moment was a witness to history.
Especially for the fans of both teams, this moment was incredibly important.
Real Madrid is a perennial winner of the Champions League, even referred to as the 'King of the Champions League'.
Atlético Madrid, though a newcomer, has shown visibly excellent performance.
Especially under Simeone's guidance, the entire Atlético Madrid team is an iron-blooded strong army.
Although historically they have had few victories against Real Madrid, they will surely give their all in such an important match.
On the night the Champions League Semi-Final ended, the entire Europe and even the world was filled with news about the Champions League.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, these two teams became the focus of the world.
With the World Cup approaching, football was already receiving immense attention.
The first-ever city derby in Champions League history was even more eagerly anticipated.
Suker once again became a talking point.
The German magazine Kicker evaluated Suker's performance as follows:
'An insurmountable mountain!'
Since his time in Milan, Suker seemed to be Bayern Munich's most unyielding obstacle.
It can be said that Bayern Munich's most dismal and awkward moments were almost all created by Suker.
Twice slaughtered in the Champions League!
After joining Real Madrid, they only won once last season, and this season, as Real Madrid recovered, it seemed like nothing had changed.
Suker once again delivered a hat-trick performance in their match!
A hat-trick, scoring three goals in one match, is a very difficult feat in football.
Even many top players cannot consistently achieve such explosive goal-scoring efficiency like Suker.
But Suker is that special one!
It can be said that Suker's explosive form in the second half was particularly crucial for Real Madrid's victory over Bayern Munich.
It even made Guardiola exclaim after the match:
'We couldn't stop Suker, so we lost the match!'
Bayern Munich's defense is not weak even in all of Europe!
But they still couldn't defend against Suker, especially Suker in the second half, who almost delivered a fatal blow to them.
Under a barrage of attacks, their defense quickly collapsed, ultimately showing a defeated posture.
The Champions League Semi-Final concluded, and the Champions League Final will be held at the end of May!
During this time, the League has also entered its final stage.
Besides the Champions League, Real Madrid also has two other fronts to conclude.
One is the League, and the other is the Copa del Rey.
And the opponents for both of these matches are Barcelona!
Copa del Rey matches are usually scheduled before the Champions League.
On May 5th, the Copa del Rey will be the first to arrive.
Real Madrid against Barcelona!
Barcelona's performance in these past few seasons has been very unsatisfactory, with not many overall changes. Compared to their glorious period, Barcelona is currently more in a period of adjustment.
And they couldn't quickly overcome problems like Real Madrid, which also caused their adjustment to take some time.
Currently, Barcelona has still not fully adjusted, and facing a Real Madrid in peak form, their chances of winning have become even smaller.
This gap could be seen in this Copa del Rey.
Although the match was full of tension, and the confrontation between the two sides was very intense.
But Barcelona's offense always felt a bit sluggish, while Real Madrid's offensive efficiency was better. In the first half, relying on the link-up play between Suker and Benzema, the latter scored a goal, and the subsequent offensive rhythm was also continuous.
"Ever since defeating Bayern Munich, Real Madrid's form seems to have risen another level!"
González couldn't help but exclaim.
Compared to the Semi-Finals, Real Madrid now gives a more rigorous impression.
This rigor is reflected in the match rhythm, where everything is interconnected, without any sloppiness, and the connections between various positions are extremely delicate, always producing some eye-catching combinations.
And facing such offensive tactics, Barcelona cannot be said to be completely defenseless, but they are in an extremely passive situation.
The adjustments in the second half were their last chance.
But this adjustment was still targeted by Ancelotti!
Barcelona wanted Messi to drop back more, taking on some vertical breakthrough duties.
In other words, they hoped Messi could link up Barcelona's attacks.
And what Ancelotti did was rely on pressing in the midfield, constantly putting pressure on Messi. From the start to the end of the match, Messi never had a one-on-one situation.
Whenever Messi had the ball, it was a 2-3 man double-team, giving him no chance to play easily.
And in this situation, Messi's performance was subpar, and Barcelona's offense couldn't get going.
The most critical thing was that Neymar suffered a foul in the second half, seemingly injured, and had to be substituted.
Besides Messi, another key player also lost his effectiveness in the match, making it even harder for Barcelona to play.
And Real Madrid didn't give them a chance. In the 71st minute, Suker received a cross from Bale. Facing a ball with a relatively close landing point, Suker chose to move horizontally, then, facing the ball, without stopping, directly volleyed it.
The shot was well-struck, and the ball went straight into the corner, Real Madrid once again extended their lead.
And Suker's goal also demonstrated Real Madrid's and his own red-hot match form.
"Suker! His form is still so explosive. In the Champions League Semi-Final, Bayern Munich seemed to have flipped a switch, causing Suker's offensive desire to be rampant now!"
Compared to before, Suker is indeed in a period of rampant offensive desire in terms of both offense and statistics.
Many times, he directly chose to shoot, rather than making adjustments or passing the ball.
And such a Suker also put a lot of psychological pressure on the opponent's defense.
Of course, this does not mean that Bayern Munich opened the switch for Suker's explosion, but rather that Ancelotti wanted Suker to explode.
Previously, Ancelotti had restrained Suker, hoping that at a critical moment, their super weapon would play its part.
And now, that time has come, and there is no need to overly suppress himself.
The exploding Suker's overall efficiency and offensive ability are astonishing.
Facing an out-of-form Barcelona, Suker once again delivered a dominant performance.
The entire match, 90 minutes, passed.
Ultimately, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-0, winning the 2013/2014 Copa del Rey.
This was their first title of the season!
But Real Madrid had almost no time to celebrate. On May 11th, they faced their 37th round match in La Liga.
This was also the second to last match of the season!
This match was crucial because Real Madrid had a 5-point lead over second-placed Atlético Madrid.
Conversely, Real Madrid would secure the La Liga title one round early.
Facing such an important match, not only Barcelona, but also Atlético Madrid was incredibly attentive.
Even Atlético Madrid, unprecedentedly, hoped Barcelona would win and cheered them on.
After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Real Madrid now truly feels like a La Liga behemoth, requiring many teams to unite against them.
The wish was beautiful, but the reality was also cruel!
Real Madrid was in red-hot form, while Barcelona had not yet adjusted.
Although there was an intense first half, as time wore on and the second half began, with Suker's explosion, Barcelona once again collapsed.
In a mere 20 minutes in the second half, Barcelona conceded two goals.
The score, which was 1-1, was pulled to 3-1 in those 20 minutes.
"His form is too insane, isn't it?"
In Atlético Madrid's tactics room, the Atlético Madrid players who had watched this round's match all sighed, and Costa looked even more troubled.
He is Atlético Madrid's striker, a direct comparison to Suker.
And watching Suker's performance in this match, it would be false to say he wasn't feeling apprehensive!
Suker's performance was too outstanding.
So outstanding that they had no idea how to mark him!
They used to think they understood Suker well enough, but Suker in this explosive state in this match was completely different from the data they had collected before.
This means they would have to invest more energy in defense.
And this, in turn, meant that their offense would inevitably be curtailed.
"Anyway, we are not a purely offensive team; we are better at finding opportunities for counterattacks!" Koke said with a shrug. "There are still opportunities, but it depends on whether we can seize them!"
The others also nodded in agreement.
They had once again led Atlético Madrid to the Champions League, and it could be said that they carried the expectations of many fans.
Atlético Madrid fans dreamed of breaking through that barrier and bringing a Champions League trophy to their team.
As players, they naturally wanted to win this supreme League trophy.
Although it would not be easy, and their opponents were strong, they had to try.
With Real Madrid defeating Barcelona twice, all competitions except for the Champions League were considered to have concluded.
Although there was still one round left in the League, Real Madrid had secured the championship one round early, which effectively brought the League to an early close.
The last round of the League would likely involve rotations, with the starters just needing to find their rhythm.
Ancelotti's first season coaching Real Madrid was an unprecedented success.
He had not only won two titles but was now pushing for the Champions League.
This was the rhythm of replicating a treble.
And facing such a formidable Real Madrid, other teams also felt a sharp increase in pressure.
Real Madrid's performance, it could be said, constantly spurred them on.
If they did not adjust well in the next season, they could very likely be crushed by this Galácticos team!
They did not want to see this happen, so they needed more thorough preparations.
The Champions League would be held on May 25th.
This was also the last major event before the World Cup.
Many National Team players whose Leagues had ended early had already returned to their National Team to report, preparing for the World Cup.
Croatia, as a favorite to win this World Cup, also received a lot of attention.
However, so far, Croatia had not been able to gather its full starting lineup.
After all, Suker and Srna both played for Real Madrid, and they still had a Champions League to play.
A football atmosphere was surging throughout the world.
Various football elements began to appear in streets and alleys.
Taking Madrid as an example, the streets were filled with World Cup promotional slogans, and many Spain fans were parading with their self-made World Cup trophies.
This World Cup, Spain was still full of confidence.
After all, as the previous World Cup champions, although there were some personnel changes, their strength had not diminished much.
As for the so-called champion's curse, they did not feel it was a problem.
They believed that Spain would definitely be an exception.
How could they not even get past the group stage?
They were the Matadors!
In addition, there was Germany.
Germany's main players were composed of members from two domestic clubs, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Among them, Bayern Munich had a larger proportion.
And Bayern players had just been eliminated from the Champions League, so they naturally placed more of their expectations on the World Cup.
Certainly, this was not an easy task, but their own preparation and form were excellent, so they believed they could achieve good results in this World Cup.
All the National Teams were preparing intensely!
Although they had not yet departed, their influence had already begun to spread throughout the world.
And as the last major event before the World Cup, the popularity of the Champions League also remained high!
Champions League!
City Derby!
These two keywords coming together sparked even more widespread discussion and anticipation among fans.
"Over here! Over here!"
Inside Suker's villa, a recording vehicle was parked in front of the door, and several television station staff members wearing vests were setting up cameras.
Florentino personally came to supervise, warmly greeting these television station staff members.
Ever since he took over Suker's publicity affairs, he had been working non-stop.
Although he did not need to appear in person, the 'God-Making' plan always had an extraordinary charm, which made Florentino also want to participate.
The publicity before the World Cup was also very important.
For this, he specifically sought out some heavyweight media stations to film Suker's Champions League preparations.
In fact, fans were no strangers to Champions League, but the period when players prepared for the Champions League was very unfamiliar, but also very interesting.
Florentino used this as an entry point to launch his publicity plan for Suker.
Sanchez was a famous Spain sports television host.
Now 50 years old, Sanchez had experienced multiple eras in football during his 30 years in the industry.
"This filming will be entirely realistic; we will just be responsible for filming and will not interfere too much with your training and rest."
Sanchez's tone was also very excited.
After speaking, he walked to a trophy cabinet, looking at the dazzling array of trophies, with five Ballon d'Ors at the very top, his eyes full of emotion.
What other players dreamed of, Suker had as many as five.
"Why is there a missing corner?"
Sanchez pointed to the Ballon d'Or on the far right, which had a missing corner, and asked.
Compared to the other Ballon d'Ors, this one, taped up with adhesive tape, was particularly conspicuous.
Suker awkwardly explained the situation.
Hearing that Suker's son had accidentally broken it, Sanchez could not help but burst into laughter.
"Are you nervous?"
Entering the conversation stage, Sanchez asked.
To this, Suker shrugged: "I wouldn't say nervous. I've been through this kind of event too many times. Nervousness only makes my form fluctuate. Before the game starts, I can always maintain a normal state of mind, as long as I make sure to get excited as soon as the game begins."
"That's very difficult!"
"Is it difficult?" Suker smiled: "I think it's quite simple!"
Sanchez sighed, then continued to ask: "How do you evaluate your opponent?"
"Atlético Madrid?"
"Exactly!"
Suker pondered for a moment and said: "They are a very resilient team, and their style is wild. We must be careful in dealing with them. They are indeed very dangerous, but in terms of experience and game performance, I think we have the upper hand!"
"You both know each other very well. Will this affect the course of the game?"
"It will definitely have an impact." Suker: "We understand Atlético Madrid, and Atlético Madrid also understands us. Every season, we play at least two matches, and we both collect information and conduct corresponding research on each other. We understand each other very well, so compared to tactical choices, the players' performance in the game will be even more important."
"What do you think is most important to be wary of when playing Atlético Madrid?"
"Be wary of their coordinated play!" Suker stated directly: "Compared to before, Atlético Madrid has changed a lot, especially their midfield coordinated play is very good!"
"Koke, Turan, Tiago, and Gabi! These four players have an extremely strong sense of defensive cooperation and often form a siege around us."
"They are also the most powerful line of defense for the backline. To defeat Atlético Madrid, you must find a way to break down their midfield."
"But they can't stop you!" Host Sanchez said, looking at him.
Suker smiled: "Football is not a one-man sport. No matter how well I play alone, if my teammates don't play comfortably, the game cannot run smoothly."
"For example, why do you think Atlético Madrid sold Falcao?"
Falcao, at the time, was a striker in La Liga whose goal-scoring efficiency rivaled Suker and Messi, yet Atlético Madrid ultimately gave him up.
To this, Host thought for a moment and said: "Falcao relies heavily on the midfield!"
Suker showed a look of surprise; he was indeed an experienced sports Host, his insight into the problem was very accurate.
"Exactly, he relied too much on the midfield. When the old Atlético Madrid played, they had to create a favorable attacking environment for Falcao, which led them to over-commit to an offensive mode, ultimately resulting in untimely returns to defense and constantly being caught out in the back!"
"In fact, when we played Atlético Madrid back then, that was also our strategy!"
"Falcao was more like someone who dictated the system, rather than integrating into it, which was also the reason for his eventual departure."
"Costa is very effective because he can integrate into the system and has impressive goal-scoring efficiency."
Sanchez blinked: "Few people evaluate Costa this way!"
Suker also smiled.
Costa's reputation in La Liga was not good, and the reason was simple: his playing style was too rough. This was why, even though he had solidified his position as Spain's starting center forward and delivered impressive performances, Spain fans still did not buy into him.