Chapter 214 Mourinho: ? ? ? ...

On May 21, in the final match of the La Liga season, Real Madrid hosted Almeria, the relegated team, at the Bernabéu Stadium.

In this match, Mourinho made a very thorough rotation, even replacing the goalkeeper with Dudek, who rarely gets playing time.

The match itself was unremarkable; Real Madrid won 3-0 with ease. However, a small incident occurred during the game that left a deep impression on all the fans who watched it.

In the 78th minute, Mourinho substituted veteran Dudek with young goalkeeper Fernandez, who had been promoted from the youth academy, allowing Dudek to receive a solo round of applause and cheers from the entire stadium.

This is Dudek's farewell night. The 38-year-old Dudek will leave Real Madrid after four years of service at the end of this season.

Dudek spent most of his professional career with Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie and Liverpool in the English Premier League. His most memorable match was the famous Istanbul Night. Yes, he was the starting goalkeeper for Istanbul Night and won the penalty shootout.

His heroic performance on the night in Istanbul did not bring him good luck. That same summer, Liverpool manager Benitez signed his fellow Spaniard Reina, and Dudek was immediately relegated to the bench.

After two seasons on the bench at Liverpool, 34-year-old Dudek opted for a free transfer to Real Madrid.

In his four seasons at Real Madrid, Dudek only made 12 appearances, and this season he has only made two. Because of Casillas' presence, he can only play a role in training most of the time. However, neither the fans, his teammates, nor the club have underestimated or forgotten him.

Before the match, Florentino Pérez personally presented Dudek with a special contribution award, and now, the entire stadium chanted "Dudek" and applauded as Dudek left the field.

The Real Madrid players lined up in two rows near the sideline, while the substitutes and staff joined them on the outside of the sideline, all lining up to bid farewell to the veteran.

Dudek cried very hard, and his tears touched many people. Fino was also a little sad, and he thought of Maldini again.

Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away.

"Fortunately, Jerez was able to lift the league trophy himself today, which is a good way to say goodbye to the Bernabéu." After returning to the bench, Fino said to Kaká and Alonso, who were sitting on either side of him.

Kaka nodded silently.

Alonso then told them some incredible news: "Jerez can't lift the league trophy today because the La Liga trophy isn't awarded until the start of the next season."

Fino and Kaka exclaimed in unison, "What?"

Perhaps because Fino and Kaká's reactions were too intense, Benzema and Di Maria, who were sitting nearby, also looked over and asked them what had happened.

Fino said to the two of them, somewhat bewildered, "Xavi said that the La Liga trophy will be awarded after the start of the next season."

Benzema and Di Maria were surprised and asked why.

The news quickly spread throughout the bench. Real Madrid had undergone a major overhaul in the past two years, and few people knew about this rule. In the end, it was Casillas who confirmed the authenticity of the news.

"It's true. No one has ever explained the reason for this rule, but it just exists."

Everyone was a bit disheartened. Apart from Dudek, whose contract had expired, some other players were already preparing to transfer or seek loans in the summer because they couldn't get opportunities in the team. They simply couldn't wait for the trophy to be awarded at the beginning of next season.

Casillas then offered some words of comfort: "Take it easy. Beckham spent four years at Real Madrid and only won one major title, the 2006/07 league title. By the time the trophy was awarded the following season, he had already gone to Los Angeles, and he didn't get the chance to lift it."

Now Fino finally understood why Beckham kept emphasizing that Milan was a lucky place. It turned out that it wasn't just because he had high emotional intelligence; he actually won two trophies, Serie A and Champions League, in half a season in Milan. In contrast, in four seasons at Real Madrid, apart from a Spanish Super Cup that was just a bonus, he only won one La Liga title and didn't even get to touch the trophy.

Cassie's hilariously ridiculous attempt at comfort had absolutely no effect, leaving Fino feeling exasperated by Cassie's lack of emotional intelligence.

"It's okay, we're going to win the treble this season. In a week, we'll lift the Champions League trophy at Wembley, and the parade will be even more spectacular!"

Fino's words finally warmed up the atmosphere on the bench.

When the final whistle blew, cheers resounded throughout the Bernabéu.

Real Madrid lifted the league title trophy again after three years, and with 103 points, they broke Barcelona's record of 99 points set in the 2009/10 season, becoming the highest-scoring team in La Liga history in a single season, and the first team in the top five European leagues to break 100 points.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have maintained a perfect record in 29 home games this season, extending Mourinho's unbeaten home record to 157 games.

It was such a wonderful night, but neither the players nor the fans were immersed in the joy of winning the league title. Everyone chanted the name "Wembley" in unison, declaring their determination to win the third and most important trophy of the season.

After the league season ended, Mourinho did not give the team a break; instead, he kept all the players in the Real Madrid training center for closed training.

No one is complaining about Mourinho's decision. Having come this far, of course they should go all out to win the treble.

Real Madrid's opponent in the Champions League final is Manchester United, led by Ferguson. Ferguson is no pushover, and Manchester United is a tough nut to crack.

At the post-match press conference after Manchester United secured their place in the Champions League final, Ferguson had already begun his psychological warfare.

When Mourinho was at Chelsea, he was already used to exchanging verbal sparring with Ferguson, and he quickly followed suit after Ferguson "declared war," showing he was very adept at it.

Mourinho and Ferguson's private relationship wasn't bad. After Mourinho left the Premier League, Ferguson publicly praised him on several occasions, and Mourinho always respectfully addressed Ferguson as "Sir." Their verbal sparring was more like a job for them as team managers. Their comments weren't meant for each other, but for the media, referees, and players, with the aim of increasing their off-field media advantage and disrupting the players' mentality.

As the Champions League final draws near, the off-field battle between the two players intensifies, with even Manchester United players getting involved. Mourinho has resorted to keeping the players confined to Real Madrid's training ground under the guise of closed training to prevent the "fools" in the locker room from dragging him down.

The first team's dormitory facilities at Real Madrid's training complex are very comprehensive. Each player has their own suite, including a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and private office area. The dormitory building also has public spaces such as a restaurant, meeting rooms, lounges, spa, and gym. The accommodation conditions are quite good.

After dinner, the players spent their time in the locker room.

Casillas, Arbeloa, and others were playing cards together, Di Maria and Higuain were having a snooker match, and Ronaldo and Marcelo were having their umpteenth ping-pong battle. The other teammates were either watching or sitting on the sofa chatting and resting.

Fino watched Ronaldo and Marcelo play ping-pong for a while, then sat on the sofa to reply to messages.

His Italian friends sent him messages wishing him good luck at Wembley, and he replied to each one. He congratulated his AC Milan teammates on winning the Serie A title ahead of schedule, and as for Buffon, Marchisio, and others, he could only wish them good health, since Juventus only finished seventh in Serie A this season and didn't even qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Fino was drinking water when he saw the message from Ambrosini, and he nearly choked on it, coughing violently.

"What's wrong?" Alonso came over and patted him on the back.

Fino was conflicted, unsure whether he should tell Alonso.

Massimo sent me a link, something like, um...

"Ambrosini?" Alonso sat down on the armrest of the sofa. "What's wrong with the link?"

"I think it's better if you don't know," Fino advised. He suggested that Alonso suffer the consequences himself, rather than having to go through the same ordeal.

This only made Alonso more curious. Could it be that Fino had gotten together with some weird partner again? He needed to be on his guard.

Seeing Alonso's genuine curiosity, Fino was somewhat helpless, but still showed it to him.

Alonso was half right; it is indeed an unconventional pairing, but it's not Fino's.

It was a post from a fan, the gist of which was: The psychological warfare between Ferguson and Mourinho is so boring, it's always the same old routine, I'm tired of it. The love-hate relationship between Mourinho and Guardiola is much more interesting; the Catalan succubus and his Portuguese crazy wife, so captivating!

Alonso burst into laughter, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight. He slid off the sofa armrest and squeezed into the armchair where Fino was sitting, leaning on Fino's shoulder and laughing wildly.

Alonso's loud laughter also attracted the attention of other players. Kaká, Pepe, Benzema, and others who were not participating in the game came over to find out what was so funny.

"Are you sure you want to watch this? You might suffer psychological harm," Fino warned.

"Finnie, you're so long-winded! Let me see!" Kaka said, reaching out to snatch Finnie's phone.

Fino moved her phone aside, avoiding Kaka's hand.

You can't reason with a damn fool. Since you can't persuade him, why not have some fun?

"Since everyone wants to see it, how about we make a bet?" Fino started to play tricks.

Just as Casillas and his friends finished a game of cards, Arbeloa was immediately drawn over when he heard the word "bet".

"What kind of bet? Can I be the banker?"

Fino shook his head: "No need to be the bookmaker. I have a post from a fan here. Everyone needs to watch it with a mouthful of water in their mouth. If you can swallow the water calmly after watching it, I'll treat you to dinner. How about that? No punishment."

"We'll join in too!" The other players also gathered around. Although Fino's sly smile was obvious, it was a sure-fire deal.

Fino nodded and told everyone to drink water and get ready.

The first person in line was Kaka. After reading it, Kaka coughed violently, then laughed and repented in his heart.

Next up was Pepe, who sprayed water out and pounded on Arbeloa next to her.

As the phone was passed from one player to another, coughs rose and fell in the locker room, followed by deafening laughter. Some players with low thresholds for laughter even lay on the floor, rubbing their stomachs and rolling around.

Laughter is contagious. Some people may have stopped laughing, but as soon as they hear others laughing, they unconsciously start chuckling along.

After everyone had finally stopped laughing, Ronaldo sighed, "People really shouldn't be too greedy. I sacrificed too much of my eyes and soul just to get a meal from Finney."

Marcelo, lying on the ground, casually added, "The key is that we haven't even managed to kill them yet."

Yes, none of the players present were spared; they were all choked after watching it.

Fino was satisfied now. After everyone's minds had been corrupted, he felt that the impact on himself was not so great.

The next morning was a tactical analysis meeting. As the tactical analyst explained Manchester United's tactics on the big screen, Mourinho, sitting in the front, could always sense the players secretly glancing at him. When he looked back, they quickly looked away, pretending to listen attentively.

Mourinho: ???

Did these unlucky kids forget to take their medicine again?

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Author's note: After watching four consecutive El Clásico matches, I've seen so much material that I'm almost tempted to start a book about it. It's a very unique experience.

Thank you everyone for your support! [Thumbs up]