After signing with AC Milan, I will be the king of football!

Real Madrid 4-3-3 with a single defensive midfielder:

Goalkeeper: Casillas,

Defenders: Heinze, Cannavaro, Pepe, Miguel Torres,

Midfielders: De Jong, Guti, Gago,

Forwards: Huang Kaiwen, Raul, Cassano.

Atletico Madrid 4-4-2 with double defensive midfielders:

Goalkeeper: Leo Franco,

Defenders: Mario Peña, Antonio Lopez, Luis Pereira, Yukas Sotirios,

Midfielders: Simão, Raúl García, Maniche, Maxi Rodríguez,

Forwards: Aguero, Fran.

”Both sides’ lineups basically continued the main framework of last season, with Real Madrid’s starting eleven only including Heinze, who transferred from Manchester United. The two expensive new signings, Robben and Sneijder, both sat on the bench. They had just reported to Real Madrid not long ago and should still be in the integration period,”

”Yes, as for Atletico Madrid’s starting eleven, only Simão and Fran had transferred over in the summer. It’s normal for teams to go through a regeneration process and it’s not possible to replace half the team’s starting eleven all at once. They all need some time to gel,”

The coaches followed the players out.

Javier Aguirre took the initiative and reached out to Capello, saying, ”I hope today will be a wonderful game.”

”Heh, it will be if you can focus on football,”

Capello said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Aguirre’s heart skipped a beat. Had Capello discovered something?

He replied with a forced laugh, ”I am a football coach, naturally my focus is on football.”

”That’s best!”

Capello said, and after a light handshake, he turned his head and walked towards the coach’s bench.

Aguirre tucked his hands in his pockets, feeling the item given to him by the South Korean.

Whether Capello had noticed or not, there was no turning back now.

In his homeland Mexico, there were many wizards. To prepare for the La Liga opener, Aguirre had tried enlisting the help of wizards, but unfortunately, he hadn’t found a very good one.

When the South Korean approached him, it solved his urgent problem.

Superstition has always had a market in football, especially in recent years. Aguirre didn’t know if the South Korean could help, but their claims seemed quite impressive.

If they could indeed restrain Huang Kaiwen and Cassano, it would be a great boon for him and Atletico Madrid.

Aguirre looked towards the field.

The team captains went to toss the coin, while Huang Kaiwen was busy chatting with his protégé Aguero.

He had felt some guilt before, but now it had vanished.

The whole football world knew about Huang Kaiwen’s habit of inviting other players to transfer, didn’t they?

It was said that Huang Kaiwen’s invitation played a decisive role in Torres’s transfer to AC Milan. Having lost Torres, Aguirre didn’t want to lose Aguero as well!

At 7 p.m. Madrid time, the referee blew the whistle to start the game.

Fran passed the ball sideways, and Aguero quickly passed it to the new teammate Simão.

”Simão made his debut at Sporting Lisbon and had previously joined Barça, albeit that period at the top club wasn’t very successful. Later, he returned to Portugal where he played for Benfica for six seasons before transferring to Atletico Madrid for a high fee this summer,”

”Yes, this player missed the 2002 World Cup due to injury and has always been a substitute for the Portuguese golden generation, but his strength is very strong. Whoa, he’s just blown past using speed, Miguel Torres was directly beaten... Cross in, that cross seemed intended for a teammate, but it was too close to goal and turned into a shot.”

”Just after kickoff, Atletico Madrid has earned themselves a corner. Simão takes the corner on the right side, oh, Raúl García has flicked it on at the near post, Cannavaro has missed it, Aguero!!!”

”In the first minute of opening, Aguero has given Atletico Madrid the lead. After Torres transferred, this superstar newcomer has become a new hope for Atletico fans.”

”That was a goal that should not have been conceded, Pepe was caught off guard, Cannavaro missed the jump, leaving Aguero at the far post to successfully head the ball into the net.”

An excited Aguero rushed towards the corner flag area.

The Meringues in the stands widened their eyes as they watched the opposition celebrate.

Real Madrid had been reaping championships since the end of last season, winning friendly matches and the Spanish Super Cup without much effort. How could things go wrong as soon as the new season began?

Today’s match was not only the opening game but also the Madrid Derby.

The rivalry between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid was intense; a loss was simply unacceptable to them.

Many fans turned their gaze toward number 10.

”Kevin, score a goal!”

”Kevin, score a goal!”

”Kevin, score a goal!”

Some anxious fans had already started chanting that name.

On the bench, Robben turned his head and asked, ”The match has just started and we’ve conceded a goal, are Real Madrid fans shouting for us to score?”

He could understand simple Spanish.

”I’m not too sure either, I just transferred to Real Madrid a few days before you did,” Sneijder shook his head.

”They mean for Kevin to score a goal, right? Do they think just by shouting for Kevin, he will score?” Robben said with a sneer.

He had watched some of Huang Kaiwen’s match videos and knew of Huang Kaiwen’s strength.

But today’s opponent, Rodri, and Maniche were practically clinging to Huang Kaiwen. Robben, having played as a winger himself, thought it was a very difficult situation to handle.

The two players from Atletico Madrid were very clever in defense.

Maniche was in charge of close marking, with Rodriguez, more familiar with the tactics of attacking players, lurking near Huang Kaiwen. As soon as Huang Kaiwen handled the ball, he would predict his thought process and find an opportunity to reach out a foot.

If it were him, he wouldn’t have had any good solutions either.

Unable to find an opening, Huang Kaiwen chose to pass back, just as Robben had thought.

Playing on the wings requires space to accelerate; such close marking is the most troublesome.

Seeing this, Robben didn’t think Huang Kaiwen was much better than him.

Robben noticed that Huang Kaiwen had moved to the middle, where Guti sent a through ball. Huang Kaiwen, with his back to the goal, used heel flick to pass then turn around, shaking off Raul Garcia who was rushing up, and rapidly drove the ball towards the opponent’s penalty area.

Raúl García and Maniche frantically chased after him.

Maniche, closer to Huang Kaiwen, decisively stepped on his heel. Caught off guard, Huang Kaiwen fell heavily onto the turf.

What followed was a scene Robben would never forget.

He saw Real Madrid players rushing from all directions toward the foul spot. They displayed a speed even quicker than during the offense. Atletico Madrid’s players simply couldn’t protect Maniche.

Raul García shielded Maniche behind him, using his body to block defensive players like De Jong and Pepe, but Cassano took advantage of the referee’s attempt to calm the Real Madrid defenders to give Maniche’s calf a fierce kick.

The scream from Maniche drew the referee’s attention. Pepe, swinging his arms, charged forward; De Jong pretended to hold back Pepe but conveniently stepped on Maniche’s arm with his cleats as he retreated; another howl echoed from Maniche.

Robben clearly saw De Jong glanced at Maniche’s lower body, even hoping to step back further, but was pushed away by Luis Pereira.

If not pushed aside, one of Maniche’s legs would not have been usable for a good while.

Robben shivered.

He had previously felt that his teammates at Real Madrid were quite friendly, but now he realized just how ruthless they were.

No wonder Kevin gave him an iron rod for protection; was it actually meant to guard against his own teammates?

A question suddenly crossed Robben’s mind.

With Real Madrid players receiving several yellow cards in succession, the coach must not be happy.

Looking toward the coach’s bench, he saw that ever-stern coach beaming with smiles. Robben felt that his previous understanding of Real Madrid had been too superficial!