Chapter 1 Preparing for Battle

Three days before the match, Real Madrid finally remembered they should pay attention to their opponents.

Pellegrini spent a day collecting information on Napoli, then did some light sorting before telling his players.

He didn't delve deeply into Napoli as a whole; he focused mainly on Napoli's more famous players, those considered to be the team's stars. He felt that if he could contain these star players, it would be enough to contain Napoli. After all, Napoli's overall strength was much weaker than Real Madrid's.

Among the threatening Napoli players he listed, Arshavin, Cassano, Hamsik, and Chen Hero from the attacking lineup were the top priorities. The others were a notch below them.

Napoli was a typical offense-heavy team, and these four were the reason for it. If he could prevent these four from performing, he could greatly reduce Napoli's attack…

Of course, this match was at the Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid's home ground.

On such a field, no team could gain an advantage, except for teams like Barcelona, which could bring some trouble to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu…

Pellegrini felt that he was already taking Napoli very seriously by studying the team like this.

Playing at home first and away second wasn't ideal, but for Real Madrid, it was a good schedule because they could secure victory in the first leg at home, completely killing the suspense.

A big win at home would render the second leg meaningless. No matter what Napoli did at home, they wouldn't be able to turn the tide.

"So we must win the first game, and win big…" he told his players at the tactical meeting, conveying his plan.

But clearly, his players weren't listening to him very attentively.

To these superstars, Napoli was simply too easy to deal with. As long as they performed normally, they could end the match early at home.

"Of course, sir! We will definitely win big!" Cristiano Ronaldo said, raising his hand. "Our goal is the Champions League title!" He shouted to his teammates, "Isn't that right, everyone!"

"That's right!"

"Chris is right!" Marcelo, Pepe, and others echoed.

"I think we should be careful. Napoli isn't a pushover…" Xabi Alonso, the team's defensive midfielder, frowned and reminded his obviously over-optimistic teammates.

"They're definitely good, but they're no match for us!" Ronaldo shook his head and shrugged, saying dismissively.

"Kaká, what do you think? You played against them when you were at AC Milan, right?" Sergio Ramos turned to Kaká, who hadn't said a word.

This sentence drew everyone's attention to Kaká.

The Brazilian saw that everyone was looking at him, and he couldn't remain silent. He had always kept a low profile in the Real Madrid locker room, but now everyone needed his experience.

But what made it difficult for him was that his good friend Cristiano Ronaldo was optimistic and thought Napoli wasn't a threat, while the team's core player, Alonso, thought they should be careful. How could he say something that would satisfy everyone?

"Uh… Napoli is a strong team. They gave us a headache in Serie A…" he carefully considered his words, trying to make them sound objective and fair. "They have some very good players. I think we should pay attention to them… especially that Hero, he's a strong scorer and physically strong… But I also think that as long as we stick to our style of play and perform at our normal level, it shouldn't be a problem to beat them at home…"

He didn't embarrass Ronaldo too much, nor did he deny Alonso's opinion.

Although he had only been with the team for a little over half a season, he already knew what the locker room was like. It wasn't surprising. Many wealthy teams had internal factions. When he was at AC Milan, the team was also divided into groups, and he himself was a player with a lot of influence. If the leaders of those team locker rooms didn't like a certain player, they even had the power to incite the club's management to sell the player for a pittance.

The same was true at Real Madrid. Although Cristiano Ronaldo had just transferred to the team, his status as the world's most expensive player gave him almost immediate influence upon arriving at Real Madrid. In addition, he was cheerful and outgoing, very good at making friends, and quickly formed a bond with the Portuguese-speaking players in the team, forming a "Portuguese-speaking gang."

And the Spanish player Alonso? Although he wasn't expensive and wasn't the team's captain, he was a Spanish player, and behind him were Spanish players like Captain Raúl, Guti, and Ramos. They were the local gang.

The Spanish gang and the Portuguese-speaking gang were somewhat like well water and river water, meaning they didn't interfere with each other. Their relationship wasn't very good.

In addition, there were the "Dutch gang" consisting of the three Dutch players, Van der Vaart, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Drenthe; the Argentine gang consisting of Gago, Higuaín, and Garay; and the two French players, Lass Diarra and Benzema, who spent a lot of time together and didn't have particularly good or bad relationships with anyone…

Kaká was the one calling the shots at AC Milan, how could he not understand the complex relationships here? After coming to Real Madrid, he quickly figured out the specific situation, and the clever him immediately chose to keep a low profile. Although he was assigned to the Portuguese-speaking gang because he spoke Portuguese and had a good relationship with Marcelo, Pepe, and Ronaldo, he also made sure to maintain friendship with Spanish bigwigs like Raúl. He had an advantage in that his image was good. The Kaká in the public eye was almost perfect. Friendliness and smiles were his trademarks, so he didn't encounter any difficulties in the Real Madrid locker room.

After Kaká finished speaking, Raúl stood up. "Alright, guys. I don't think we should be careless, nor should we be overly cautious. Please remember, we are Real Madrid, we are the greatest team on this planet! We have no reason to fear any team at home, not even Barcelona. But at the same time, we are Real Madrid, so we can't be arrogant and underestimate our opponents. Respecting our opponents is our consistent principle."

The captain had spoken, and all the disputes subsided.

Raúl made a concluding remark from a high vantage point. Even Ronaldo didn't dare to say anything more. Although he gave the impression of liking to be in the limelight, he wasn't stupid. The reason he had reached such a high level was largely due to his ability to handle people. At Real Madrid, he knew very well that it wasn't his turn to be the leader of the locker room yet. The real leader was Raúl González.

So if his opinion differed from Raúl's, he would immediately choose to stand on the captain's side. He even did so during the game. This season, Raúl's position at Real Madrid had been threatened. He had been a substitute for three consecutive games, which he had never experienced in his previous ten years or so at Real Madrid, unless he was injured. Otherwise, he was a guaranteed starter. Even the "Alien" couldn't take his place.

Despite his insecure position on the field, he was still the old brother in the locker room, so in order to please the old brother, Cristiano Ronaldo would give up his own shooting opportunities in the game and pass the ball to Raúl. Even if Raúl didn't score in the end, Ronaldo would still get a good reputation and leave Raúl with the impression that "this kid is sensible."

The Portuguese was very smart. He knew that if the current trend continued, Raúl's days at Real Madrid were basically numbered. Whether he was a substitute or retired early, the leader of the Real Madrid locker room would have to be replaced sooner or later. Casillas was senior, but he lacked Raúl's temperament. Raúl's ten years of experience, coupled with the media's long-term publicity, had long made him a living banner in the eyes of all Real Madrid fans.

Casillas was too young, he should be able to compete with him…

With these thoughts in mind, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't directly clash with Raúl and the Spanish gang. He was waiting for the moment when he could become the number one leader in the Real Madrid locker room…

These big-name players each had their own plans. Some wanted to keep a low profile, some wanted to become the new king, and the old king? Was doing his best to maintain his already declining position and influence… The Bernabéu's locker room was as exciting as ever.

But no matter how wonderful their performances were, they had all forgotten one thing…

Pellegrini looked at the group of superstars discussing enthusiastically, but ignoring him, and sighed helplessly.

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"Real Madrid is ready."

Below this headline was a large photo of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Another newspaper read: "Raúl: The Quarter-Finals are Not a Curse, We Have Confidence."

Careful observers might have already seen some clues in the layout of these newspapers - this century-old giant, having experienced countless storms, was brewing yet another change of dynasty. New and old forces were clashing fiercely again and again, but these clashes were invisible and without bloodshed.

"What a big city!" The Napoli players were sitting on the bus from the airport to the hotel, looking at the street scene outside. Compared to the chaotic layout and roadside garbage piles of Naples, Madrid's clean and tidy streets and towering buildings did make Naples look like a rural area…

"The Bernabéu!" Someone exclaimed, pointing to the left window.

Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the sound. The white giant stood quietly across the street. At this close range, even if you looked up, you couldn't see the top.

Champions League flags hung on both sides of the street outside the Bernabéu, and the team flags of Napoli and Real Madrid also hung on the outer walls of the Bernabéu Stadium.

The atmosphere of the Champions League round of 16 was palpable.

But the Napoli players quickly returned to their seats, not giving the Bernabéu Stadium too many admiring glances.

Because Chen Hero was right:

"Ladies and gentlemen, what you just saw was the famous tourist attraction, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium."

He stood at the front of the bus, holding a microphone and speaking to everyone, looking every bit the dedicated tour guide…

Everyone on the bus laughed.

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