A Year With Real Madrid

Chapter 9

Alice's P.O.V.

On 16th December we boarded the plane to Abu Dhabi. The atmosphere was electric as the team was determined to bag their third consecutive Club World Cup. It always surprises me when I think of the history that this squad had made. 

Winning the Club world cup 3 times with 2 consecutive wins. Winning the Champions league 4 times, with three consecutive wins. They had the longest unbeaten run with 40 matches in all leagues and so many other records that I couldn't even remember. This team truly was the best and I could see why.

They lived and breathed in football.  They played with their hearts and always gave their 100 per cent whether it be a win or a loss. I was so amazed at their passion and determination to be the best. It was inspiring and I knew that with this attitude we'd get the fourth club world cup and if we didn't, well then we'll try harder next time.

The journey was kinda awesome because the team's private plane is huge and luxurious af! Like damn dude! I felt like I entered into some fancy hotel! It was wow!

Mike told to interview the boys for the show asking them about their feelings, training and stuff. I did that with Marcelo, Sergio, Luka and Gareth. They answered my questions, we joked around, took pictures, ate, drank and it was all good fun. 

We were taken to the hotel when we landed and it was obviously grand. Everything went hectic from there. They gave us the rooms and our schedules which was full of training, interviews and press conferences.

It was chaos overall but it was a good kind of chaos. I went to training with the boys and we were always together for all the meals. I did one-on-one interviews with some of them and they turned out pretty good.

Then came the game day. The semi-final with Kashima Antlers.

Real Madrid got the breakthrough just before half-time. After Toni went close with a strike from the edge of the penalty area, a marvellous flick from Marcelo found Gareth inside the danger area and he unleashed a low left-footed strike which flew past Kwoun Suntae. I cheered with Isco, Marco and Dani at our first goal.

Then half-time came and along with it came an inspiring speech from the Boss himself. After the break, Shuto Yamamoto was involved in our second when he attempted to play the ball back to goal only for Gareth Bale to sneak in and get the better of centre-back Jung Seunghyun before finding the net.

Gareth then completed his hat-trick on 55 minutes by firing into the top corner after being played into the box once again by Marcelo.

The Kashima Antlers still continued to battle and they saw success on the 78th minute through Shoma Doi. But we still won which made us focus on our next target: Al-Ain.

That was a night of celebration for everyone but after that, all the team did was work hard. The boys were very busy and while they trained, I got a chance to explore the city.  

And with the blink of an eye, the grand finale was here. Real Madrid vs Al-Ain.

It was an exciting game with Real Madrid having 70 per cent of possession in the first half, taking advantage of Al-Ain's defensive lapses to produce 11 shots. After a saved chance from Al-Ain's Hussein El Shahat, Luka opened the scoring for us in the 14th minute with a left-footed shot. Caio attempted to equalize a minute later but was found to be offside. The half ended with a 1–0 lead for us, with several later shots saved by Al-Ain goalkeeper. 

I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was so stressful. Every pass, every save, every miss and every tackle had my blood pumping faster. I could only imagine what the boys felt. Just sitting on the bench gave me so many emotions, playing out there has to be the best yet most stressful feeling ever.

Real Madrid opened the second half with another series of attacks while retaining possession of the ball, finding its second goal in the 60th minute on a long-distance strike by Marcos. Sergio scored in the 79th minute, a header on a corner kick taken by Luka after a counter-attack. It gave us a three-goal lead.

Six minutes later, a free kick taken by Caio found left-back Tsukasa Shiotani, who scored Al-Ain's only goal of the match. In stoppage time, an own goal was scored by Al-Ain's Yahya Nader and it was our final goal to extend our lead to 4–1.

The final whistle sounded and we all ran off to the pitch to celebrate. I hugged all the guys and congratulated them on their hard work. It was a magical moment with everyone celebrating on the pitch. The fans were screaming, cheering and the boys were goofing around.

Suddenly Marcelo grabbed me and started dragging me somewhere, "Where are we going, Marcy?" I asked curiously.

He grinned mischievously, "You're gonna help me with a very important job."

"Is it bad that I'm a little scared right now?" I asked nervously as his grin widened. This boy..

Turns out, the 'important job' was cutting off the net from the goalpost. I did the honour of helping him out and soon were all were circling around the pitch with the net proudly resting in Marcelo's hand.

The stage was set, Hala Madrid Y Nada Mas was playing on the speakers and the boys had received their medals one by one. Now came the moment everyone was waiting for. Sergio was handed the trophy and he carried it off to the team. The moment he lifted it, confetti burst out and the crowd was deafening! I joined in on the cheering and screaming. It was such an incredible moment and my heart was so full watching them. I teared up at the sight. I remembered how I was celebrating in my living room last year when they won. I was literally crying happy tears wishing that I could be with them and here I was. Living the dream I never thought would come true.

This was my dream. This team was my dream. This team was my Real Madrid and I couldn't be more proud of them.

*~*~*~*~*

Important Question: Since I started this in 2017 or something, it has Cristiano, Theo and Zidane in the starting chapters. I'm thinking of following the matches of this season but still keeping the old players. Is that okay??

Update: Since I am utterly lost as to which season I was going to follow and what it had to do with the storyline, I'm just gonna make my own stuff up so it can suit the storyline. I apologise since I told you guys that I would strictly follow the ongoing seasons. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out.

Thank you for reading.

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