Real Madrid bullied out of Champions League and forced into rebuild by Man City
This is never how it ends. Not for Real Madrid. Not for this Real Madrid, the kings of Europe, the rulers of the Champions League.
But it did. They were beaten to a pulp. Utterly humiliated. Chewed up and spat out like they were some muck in the farmers league (or the Premier League, as it is more commonly known).
Manchester City tore Real Madrid apart on Wednesday night, prevailing 4-0 in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final to dump the reigning holders out.
Sure, they had done reasonably well to return to the semi-finals despite a poor domestic season - well done for beating Frank Lampard's Chelsea twice, I guess - and even after the first leg, their aura and mystique in this comPetition remained.
But the tables had been turned with the switching of legs from last season's meeting, one which notably ended with Man City collapsing under the weight of the Santiago Bernabeu and the 13 European Cups in the trophy cabinet at that point - it soon became 14.
Whereas you usually have to cut off Real Madrid's head to know they're well and truly dead, Man City played their Uno reverse card. It turns out Los Blancos should have buried them when they were under the cosh in Spain. They paid the price.
By half-time back at the Etihad Stadium with Man City two to the good, people were already debating whether this was the finest performance of the Pep Guardiola era. The defending champions had barely laid a glove on their challengers, Toni Kroos' speculative 30-yard drive bouncing off the woodwork the only action completed in the opposition's half.
Even when Real Madrid had the ball, they created little and couldn't keep hold of it. Legendary midfielders like Luka Modric and Kroos resembled Gary Neville in his infamous playing-day swan-song, realising that being burned by West Brom's James Morrison was the end of his career.
This demise wasn't as steep, but it was just as clear - this Real Madrid are no longer the best, incapable of relying on intangibles and inevitability anymore, needing more than just moments to outlast gauntlets. Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner who personified their 2022 run, looked brutally beaten by a season of injuries.
Carlo Ancelotti looked to have saved his job with a Copa del Rey win (no matter how unconvincing) and this year's progression to the Champions League semi-finals, but ultimately, it's hard to convince Florentino Perez you should be Real Madrid manager after losing such a high-profile Game by four goals to nil. It's almost certain his role will come under intense scrutiny.
Man City, for no matter how in-question their path to this destiny has been, are at least squeezing every last billionth penny they've spent (*cough* PSG). Pep Guardiola has found a new winning system, a team of technical players all over the pitch capable of keeping the ball as well as his old Barcelona teams did.
They are now the standard, and with their riches, it's nearly impossible to match them.
Where Real Madrid have hope is with Jude Bellingham, who looks set to snub Man City's advances and head to the capital of Spain instead. That pull remains, but if they are to conquer Europe again, they need to speed up their path of phasing out the veterans.
Kylian Mbappe has again been linked to Los Blancos. Erling Haaland, tonight on the blue side, will forever be in that same conversation. The charismatic Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich is a name back in the gossip columns.
They would all suit the lofty standards of Real Madrid. But they're going to have to spend. It may not yield immediate success, but that's fine. They'll find their way back again, they always do. But they need to come to terms with the fact this is the end of a much-loved era.
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