The All-Around Center Forward

After two incidents, Real Madrid was completely pushed to the forefront of public opinion.

The conflict between Mourinho and Casillas had always been a subject of external speculation; although not yet confirmed, it had remained in a delicate balance.

However, Casillas's girlfriend, Sara, her comments completely triggered an internal crisis within Real Madrid.

In this incident, Mourinho, Casillas, and even Suker were dragged into the mess.

The conflict between Mourinho and Casillas became completely public, and the Real Madrid locker room was on the verge of collapse.

Countless eyes from outside were also focused on Real Madrid, closely watching how Real Madrid would react.

But no matter what the reaction, the outcome would not be good.

"Mourinho and Casillas Clash Explodes!"

"Real Madrid's Internal Conflicts Are Sharp!"

"Local Captain and Head Coach at Odds, Galácticos Feared to Crash!"

"Is Suker Selfish? Why Did Casillas Comment So?"

"A Detailed Look at the Delicate Relationship Between Suker and Casillas"

The entire Spain and even Europe were reporting on this incident, with various speculations constantly emerging, and in this trend, Real Madrid was completely cornered.

So far, Real Madrid has not taken any public relations measures.

Mainly, there was no way to do it; saying too much would only make things worse, and saying too little would lead to media embellishment.

Therefore, Real Madrid did not make any response before making a decision.

Real Madrid directly played dumb, but the media would not let them go.

As Real Madrid's mouthpiece, Marca focused more on Mourinho and Casillas, while Suker was completely cleared.

Of course, other major newspapers, except Gatalunya Newspaper, remained silent about Suker.

The most interesting thing is that Sara Carbonero was fired by the Spanish TV station!

The reason given was spreading false information, which damaged the reputation of journalists!

Of course, regardless of the reason, Sara's big mouth had ruined both herself and Casillas.

As for Sara, it's highly likely that the forces behind Suker intervened.

They didn't care about Real Madrid, nor the conflict between Mourinho and Casillas, but why drag Suker into it for no reason? This was something they tried their best to avoid.

For this, Sara paid the price for her actions, being fired by the TV station, and even her journalist's license might be at risk.

Casillas was even worse off.

After this incident, his relationship within the club became very awkward.

Sara's words directly pushed Suker and Mourinho to be against Casillas.

Although Suker avoided discussing it, such matters could never be circumvented.

However, Suker did not want to break this balance, or rather, he did not want to be dragged into it again, so he still did not participate.

Of course, while Suker remained silent, many people began to speak out for Suker.

First and foremost was Gattuso!

Gattuso was truly a friend worth having; when there was trouble, he really stepped up!

Gattuso, who was playing in the Swiss Super League, spoke out via social media:

"Suker selfish? I don't know how these comments came about? I think every Milan fans remembers that when the Telephone Gate incident broke out in 2006, and Milan was rumored to be relegated, everyone was fleeing Serie A, Suker chose to stay in Milan, and we created a great miracle together!"

"If he was a selfish person, he wouldn't have chosen to stay; it wasn't good for him, but he still stayed. Is such a person truly selfish?"

Soon, Milan's legendary captain Maldini also uncharacteristically spoke out publicly on social media.

"I hope those Milan media shut up! Don't forget what Suker brought us. Yes, he left Milan, but he left us with 100 million in funds. This was a mutual choice, not Suker's will alone!"

"I know what you're thinking, and I know you want this attention, but don't defame the hero who once brought us glory!"

At the end of his speech, Maldini called out from afar.

And in response to Maldini's comments, Suker also replied: 'You are my eternal captain!'

Gattuso and Maldini's statements quickly attracted other famous players who supported Suker.

Beckham, Ronaldo, Ancelotti, Zidane, and others also spoke out in support of Suker.

What surprised Suker was that even Real Madrid's previous captain, Raúl, publicly spoke out in his support.

For a moment, Suker was a bit bewildered.

Others aside, he had a conflict with Raúl.

Raúl's departure was arguably forced by him.

But now, Raúl actually publicly supported him?

This left Suker very confused.

The Milan people were one thing; they had no connection with Real Madrid, so supporting him was understandable.

But the statements from Beckham, Ronaldo, Zidane, and Raúl were a bit strange.

Although Suker had also been teammates with them, it wasn't for a long time.

Moreover, these words, though spoken by Sara, were Casillas's intention.

Their support for Suker, didn't it represent a criticism of Casillas?

Suker didn't think his influence was so great that it could make these people disregard years of friendship with their old teammates and turn against them.

Therefore, Suker believed that someone was secretly manipulating all of this.

And that person might be Florentino!

The incident was still escalating, and Real Madrid, caught in this storm, needed to prepare for the European Super Cup!

They would face Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup.

However, before the match began, Mourinho clearly stated that Casillas had been dropped from the starting lineup.

These words once again caused panic.

Casillas angrily threw his hands up and left the locker room; he didn't expect Mourinho to be serious.

Mourinho, on the other hand, watched the others with cold eyes; he needed to make these people understand that this was the price of resisting him, and even the captain of Real Madrid could be suppressed by him.

Casillas being severely suppressed by Mourinho also made Ramos and other Spanish local players extremely displeased.

Casillas represented their interests.

Moreover, if Mourinho dared to move against Casillas as captain, there was even less to say about others.

This time it was Casillas, next time it would be them.

However, with Mourinho now holding all the power, they couldn't resist and could only glare at Mourinho with suppressed anger.

Mourinho pretended not to see them, believing that with time, these guys would understand his intentions.

And in this state, on August 28th, the European Super Cup was held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

The starting lineups for both sides were as follows:

Real Madrid (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Adán.

Defenders: Srna, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo.

Midfielders: Casemiro, Khedira, Kaka.

Forwards: Bale, Benzema, Suker.

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2):

Goalkeeper: Courtois,

Defenders: Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe.

Midfielders: Koke, Tiago, Gabi, Arda Turan.

Forwards: Diego Costa, Falcao.

Looking at Real Madrid's lineup, the journalists' eyes lit up, feeling they could write extensively about it.

Although the match hadn't started and the score was undecided, they already had numerous headlines in their minds.

Neither Casillas nor Ramos made it into the starting lineup, which resulted in Real Madrid's starting eleven having no Spanish players.

Marcelo, as the third captain, wore the captain's armband and served as the on-field captain.

But Marcelo couldn't smile at all; the pressure was too immense.

Suker also sighed inwardly.

He remembered how Mourinho had personally given him the captain's armband in the locker room, and the locker room had fallen silent.

Could Suker wear the captain's armband?

Yes!

But it wasn't appropriate!

Especially at this critical juncture!

Mourinho was still setting him up; if he accepted the captain's armband, it would almost declare a complete break between Suker and the Spanish contingent.

Therefore, Suker ultimately threw the captain's armband to Marcelo.

It was fine for Marcelo to wear it!

After all, Marcelo was already the third captain!

But if Suker had worn it, that would have been a big problem.

It was already a major conflict, and Mourinho was officially beginning a comprehensive suppression of Spanish players.

Those players who had glared at Mourinho in support of Casillas were all sitting on the bench, some not even making it into the starting lineup.

This was Mourinho's message.

Those who resisted him would not fare well.

They might have backbone, but Mourinho would break it.

The Spanish commentator González also saw Real Madrid's lineup, and he knew what was happening.

He was also clear that this starting lineup certainly implied an intention to exclude dissidents.

But he ultimately did not say it, and instead began his commentary at the usual pace.

However, looking at Real Madrid's starting lineup, there was a huge uproar in Spain.

"Not a single Spaniard?"

"Is this still a La Liga team?"

"It's well known that Real Madrid is an international legion!"

"Spain should introduce a household registration policy! We should protect the rights of Spanish players!"

"What's the use of that?! Real Madrid's Spanish players are one worse than the other!"

"This is why Vicente del Bosque's National Team doesn't call up Real Madrid players, because there really aren't any!"

"Is Mourinho planning to blow things up?"

"Casillas also has problems! They shouldn't convey such emotions to the entire team!"

"This is a dereliction of duty! Forget it, Real Madrid's season is already collapsing!"

"Why isn't Ramos playing?"

Spanish fans were making all sorts of comments and exchanges below the live broadcast.

Of course, they were indignant inside.

No matter what, there couldn't be a single Spanish player; this was too infuriating.

The match began in this atmosphere.

As soon as the match started, Atletico Madrid showed intense running and challenging performances.

Just as it was said before, Atletico Madrid was no longer the Atletico Madrid of the past.

Simeone's Atletico Madrid displayed an aura like a bandit charge.

Extremely impactful and unreasonably fierce.

That momentum once made Real Madrid somewhat unable to cope.

What's more, Diego Costa was in the penalty area; this guy was like an iron tower.

Every time Carvalho challenged Costa, he had to inhale, hold his breath, and collide; only then could he withstand it.

Otherwise, he would be knocked away by Diego Costa.

But even so, he was still very difficult to contend with.

Real Madrid's midfield and defense were also a bit chaotic.

Although they wanted to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible, recent events had exhausted them, making it impossible to fully commit to the match.

Under a kind of psychological pressure, their bodies seemed somewhat stiff.

"Damn it!"

Kaka looked at the chaotic defensive scene, turned his head and shouted, "Khedira, you retreat a bit!"

With that, Kaka actively retreated.

He wanted to help the defense with ball distribution.

Currently, the defense alone, with just Srna, found it very difficult to complete the ball distribution.

Srna was also struggling; Atletico Madrid was putting a lot of pressure on him.

Carvalho was busy contending with Costa and didn't dare to pass the ball at all.

Pepe mostly shifted to the sides, Marcelo's condition was a bit off, somewhat dazed, and even less able to pass the ball.

"Srna!"

Kaka suddenly retreated to receive the ball.

Srna's eyes lit up when he saw Kaka.

A huge help!

Slap!

The ball was passed out, Kaka immediately distributed the ball to Casemiro, and at the same time, he ran forward a few steps, trying to create space to receive the ball.

But Atletico Madrid once again blocked the passing channels.

"Damn it!"

Kaka couldn't help but curse.

Casemiro watched Kaka struggling to find space and became increasingly nervous.

Just as he was about to clear the ball with a long kick, Suker's voice came from diagonally ahead.

"Pass it here!"

Casemiro was overjoyed and immediately passed the ball out.

"After Kaka retreated, Suker also retreated.

Facing Atletico Madrid's high pressing, Real Madrid became somewhat chaotic, and their inability to pass the ball forward is their problem!"

"This season, the midfield reorganization has indeed caused them some trouble!"

After commentator González finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the comments on the notebook beside him.

Comments were bubbling up like mushrooms after rain.

"Is this a problem with midfield reorganization? This is clearly chaos due to sudden personnel changes!"

"Srna is still very stable, but only Srna is stable!"

"What is Marcelo doing? Wearing the captain's armband, he can't play football anymore?"

"Kaka retreats, Suker retreats! Oh my, who's going to attack?"

"Don't worry! There's still Bale and Benzema, Suker is a mule, don't worry about his stamina!"

González feeling helpless.

He also knew these issues, but he didn't dare to say too much.

After all, the TV station had clearly told him that Real Madrid did not want too much commentary on internal conflicts.

Florentino could not let public opinion develop in an uncertain direction!

Bang!

Suker flicked the ball with his heel and changed direction, this sudden turn directly bewildered the opponent.

Kaka was sprinting forward through the middle, but Suker's side was completely empty.

Originally, Marcelo should have sprinted along the wing, forming forward runs on both sides, to provide Suker with through balls.

But now, it was Kaka running in one direction, which made Atletico Madrid's defense much easier, and they quickly blocked the passing channels.

"Damn it!"

Suker stopped the ball abruptly, turned and passed it back, while also retreating himself to help Kaka cover.

As Suker retreated, he continuously passed and controlled the ball.

Only after Kaka retreated again did he run to his own position.

"What are you doing?!"

Suker turned his head and roared.

Marcelo was clearly out of form, playing the game a bit dazed, completely unable to keep up with the game's rhythm.

A full-back's primary job is defense, but in addition to defense, Real Madrid's full-backs also have the role of overlapping.

But Marcelo didn't overlap at all.

Khedira, even more so, this guy just gave up.

As long as he doesn't run forward, he won't make mistakes.

With such thoughts, the number of Real Madrid's attacking players making forward runs was pitifully small.

"Play on the right!"

Suker shouted directly.

The left side was unplayable!

Marcelo was dazed!

Khedira was slacking off!

It even forced Kaka to charge forward, what kind of counter-attack was this?!

Everything was messed up!

The right side was relatively better, Bale was still in form, and Srna could also overlap.

Although Casemiro was a newcomer, precisely because he was a newcomer, he was very active in his running.

"Be sure to cover for me!"

Suker said to Khedira, who nodded.

He didn't expect Khedira to provide much help in attack, but when Suker ran into the middle, Khedira had to fill Suker's position on the wing.

At the very least, he had to attract defensive players.

Mourinho on the sidelines also watched the field, his brows tightly furrowed.

He was very dissatisfied with the performance of the players on the field.

Especially Khedira!

"Kroos! Go warm up!"

Mourinho shouted directly.

He needed to put some pressure on Khedira; if this guy continued to slack off like this, he wouldn't mind benching Khedira.

"It's chaos!" Assistant Coach Faria said worriedly.

The previous balance based on conflict had been completely broken.

Real Madrid was now in complete disarray.

The collapse of a dynasty often originates from within.

Real Madrid's current problem was precisely this.

Faria turned his head to look.

He saw Ramos, Casillas, and other Spanish players sitting on the bench, a few of them even with a hint of mockery in their eyes.

As if saying, 'This is what happens when you don't use us!'

Faria sighed again.

He knew Mourinho's personality very well; once he made up his mind, he was unyielding.

Suker's personality was stubborn, but at least he listened to opinions; if the tone was softer, Suker's attitude would also soften.

But Mourinho was different!

This guy wouldn't even consider these things.

And Mourinho's authoritarianism had now gradually evolved into Real Madrid's current situation.

Faria turned his head to look at the field.

He saw Suker suddenly start to make a forward run.

"Opportunity!"

Suker had already run to the edge of the penalty area and received a pass from Bale.

"Suker!"

González also roared.

The attention of the entire stadium was on Suker.

Suker feigned a shot with his right foot, causing the opposing defender to make a blocking motion.

But Suker's right foot gently flicked the ball, simultaneously pushing it to the left side, adjusting his steps again, and switching to a left-footed shot.

This shot was incredibly decisive.

With a bang, the ball hit Godin's shin, forming a parabola, and fell into the goal.

Courtois's positioning was too far forward, and he couldn't retreat in time, only able to watch helplessly as the ball went into the net.

Swish!

The ball hit the net!

In the 31st minute of the match, Suker scored the first goal with his individual ability!