Chapter 600 – The True Real Madrid
The impromptu field meeting quickly ended, and everyone dispersed to get ready for kickoff.
At that moment, Real Madrid made a substitution. The fourth official raised the board: No. 11, Gareth Bale, came on for Isco.
Clearly, this was a signal to strengthen the attack.
As Real Madrid made their change, Cristiano Ronaldo—about to take the kickoff—heard Luka Modrić call out to him, "Cristiano."
Ronaldo turned his head toward Modrić.
"Is Bruno that hard to deal with?" Modrić asked.
Ronaldo had already failed several times to get past Bruno. Every time he got the ball and saw Bruno in front of him, he chose to pass rather than dribble.
Ronaldo nodded. "He seems to always read my mind. Going one-on-one against him is really difficult..."
Even he was astonished. He hadn't expected that his national teammate—known for his dazzling offensive power—would also be so formidable defensively. It was almost unbelievable.
......
Modrić confirmed his suspicion. He had been observing the duel between Ronaldo and Bruno all game long and noticed how exceptional Bruno was at one-on-one defense. Apart from the first two exchanges, Ronaldo had completely failed to shake him off.
Though age had changed Ronaldo's style—he no longer relied on dribbling to threaten defenses and acted more as a finisher—his dribbling remained one of Real Madrid's deadliest weapons. He was still among their best in taking players on. Yet now, against Bruno, he was powerless. That alone spoke volumes about Bruno's defensive strength.
Ronaldo was undoubtedly the core of Real Madrid's attack. Whether as striker or winger, he constantly threatened defenses through dribbling, movement, shooting, and heading ability.
With their attacking core neutralized, Real Madrid's trailing on the scoreboard was only natural.
Having confirmed his theory, Modrić reflected. Over the past two seasons, Ronaldo's form had been so incredible that the team had grown dependent on him—believing that as long as they gave him the ball, everything would be fine.
Whenever the attack stalled, teammates instinctively passed to Ronaldo, trusting him to create something.
But that approach relied on one premise: *Ronaldo is the world's best one-on-one player—no one can stop him.*
Now, that very "best one-on-one player in the world" had met his match. They could no longer rely solely on him.
......
Modrić made a gesture toward Ronaldo, signaling him to come closer. "You're too far from me. Move up a bit—we'll work around him with passing."
Ronaldo nodded.
Modrić then called to Toni Kroos, "You come closer too."
Mourinho's tactic against Ronaldo was simple—cut off his connection with Modrić and Kroos, forcing distance between them.
Without midfield support, Ronaldo was left to fight alone. It was an effective defensive strategy—so much so that in fourteen matches against Mourinho's teams, Ronaldo had scored only once.
For a player like Ronaldo, scoring just once in fourteen games against a single coach was almost unbelievable.
A man who could net over fifty goals in a season, yet barely score against Mourinho's teams—it was nothing short of a miracle.
As long as Ronaldo could stay within proper distance of Modrić and Kroos, his threat would multiply.
That's why Modrić wanted them closer together—to reestablish their passing rhythm.
What made Real Madrid formidable wasn't one man's dribbling, but their devastating combination play. Once they got their passing game going, unless you parked a bus in front of the goal, they would always find gaps and exploit them.
That's why Manchester United's second goal had shocked Real Madrid fans so much—it had come in the very style their team was famous for!
......
Play resumed, and Real Madrid kicked off.
Fans and viewers immediately noticed the difference, and so did the commentators.
"Real Madrid have intensified their attack... and the players are positioned much closer to each other—this will help Modrić's passing..."
As soon as the distances shrank, Real Madrid's attack became threatening again.
Barely a minute after restarting, they organized a smooth move. Modrić passed to Kroos, Kroos played it across to Ronaldo.
Since the three were close, their passing was accurate, leaving Manchester United's players struggling to intercept.
Even Bruno couldn't do much—he might be able to stop Ronaldo one-on-one, but not three players working in sync.
With their tight spacing, quick passes, and flexible movement, defending against them became incredibly difficult.
Ronaldo received the ball and feinted diagonally as if to dribble; Bruno stepped up to block, but Ronaldo flicked the ball backheel to Modrić.
Modrić immediately switched it wide—to the overlapping Kroos.
Kroos didn't cross high. Instead, he sent a low pass into the box, where the newly substituted Gareth Bale made a sharp diagonal run to meet it!
"Beautiful!" shouted the Spanish commentator, thrilled.
Real Madrid had driven the ball right into United's penalty area—they were close to scoring, no wonder he was excited.
......
Bale spun and swept the ball toward the center. Karim Benzema and Virgil van Dijk both charged in, colliding in front of goal.
Neither touched it—the ball dropped to the far post!
"Cristiano Ronaldo—!!" shouted nearly every commentator.
But He Wei screamed a different name: "Bruno!!"
Ronaldo struck directly from the far post, but instead of flying into the net, the ball was deflected midair by Bruno's thigh.
In Real Madrid's rapid attack, Bruno couldn't always contain Ronaldo, but he knew the ball would eventually find its way to the goalmouth—so he stayed there.
Yet he didn't feel happy about blocking the shot. If Benzema had poked it in earlier, saving at the far post would have meant nothing.
Real Madrid didn't rely on Ronaldo alone.
Bruno felt no pride from the successful block. Instead, sweat beaded on his forehead—not from exhaustion, but from fear. Real Madrid's power forced them to defend with absolute caution every single time. Thirty minutes remained, and this defensive pressure had to continue.
Their relentless attack weighed on Manchester United's back line—every defender worried about conceding.
Bruno didn't know how long his teammates could hold out. All he could do was give everything in each defensive play and refuse to let them succeed.
......
Ronaldo didn't sulk after missing. He pointed toward the corner flag, signaling for the corner kick.
That was what terrified Bruno—their composure. This team hadn't lost its fighting spirit or calm.
This was the true, complete form of Real Madrid.
Was the match only beginning now?
Cliché as it sounded, that was exactly what Bruno felt deep down.
For Real Madrid fans, the real final had just begun.
They were witnessing *that* Real Madrid again—the invincible one, the Real Madrid that could decide a game within thirty minutes once they hit their rhythm.
That was the source of their unshakable confidence.
No one worried anymore. The match might be full of twists, but in the end, Real Madrid would surely win.
"Manchester United are truly an excellent opponent. I really like them!"
"They deserve our respect. Beating a team like this makes the title even more valuable!"
"What a spectacular final! Fantastic! United gave us real trouble, but I'm sure we'll still be the ones celebrating!"
...
They all praised United with the tone of victors—as if doing so confirmed their superiority.
......
Three minutes after falling behind for the second time, Real Madrid equalized again.
It was a magnificent goal—they practically passed the ball into the net!
Ronaldo, Modrić, Kroos, Carvajal—and finally, Gareth Bale, who had just come off the bench, finished the dazzling sequence with a bicycle kick straight into Manchester United's goal!
"Real Madrid! A brilliant goal! This is the Real Madrid we know!"
"Gareth Bale! He's scored! He's leveled the game!"
"Manchester United only enjoyed their lead for three minutes—the mighty Real Madrid have bared their fangs once more!"
"Gareth Bale—the true Son of the Dragon! Just 122 seconds after coming on, he's equalized for the team!"
"This is Real Madrid! This is the *real* Real Madrid!!"
"United's second goal was indeed superb, but slightly overcomplicated, and even failed once before succeeding the second time. Real Madrid's goal, by contrast, was pure flow and purpose—just one intent: to score. The difference is clear!"
"What a stunning goal! The passing was exquisite, and Bale's bicycle kick—absolutely sensational!"
...
Amid roaring cheers, Real Madrid's players embraced tightly, as if they had already won.
(End of Chapter)
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