Last season, Makaay made 45 appearances for Bayern Munich, scoring 20 goals and providing 7 assists.
Compared to the season before that, it was a clear drop in form.
In that earlier campaign, he had played 48 matches for Bayern, scoring 34 goals and delivering 17 assists.
Yet despite being such an outstanding forward, he was left out of last year's World Cup squad.
The reason was that the Netherlands' newly appointed head coach, Van Basten, strongly favored younger players.
It has to be said—this was rather unfair to Makaay.
Aside from Makaay, Bayern still had plenty of top-tier players. Recently, the one drawing the most attention was the Peruvian star striker Pizarro.
That was because his contract renewal with Bayern had hit a deadlock.
Although the conflict hadn't been made public, Pizarro's desire for a top-level salary was no secret.
And Bayern clearly had no intention of offering him such a deal.
As a result, the forward was very likely to leave on a free transfer this summer.
As kickoff approached, Bayern announced their starting lineup:
Makaay, Lukas Podolski
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Martín Demichelis, Owen Hargreaves, Mark van Bommel
Lahm, Lucio, Van Buyten, Sagnol
Kahn
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It had to be said—every one of these players carried serious name recognition.
Podolski, one of the hottest stars of the German World Cup.
Schweinsteiger and Lahm, Bayern academy products and rising stars of the future.
Demichelis, the hard-nosed Argentine midfield enforcer.
Hargreaves, a starting-caliber England midfielder who earned his place despite competition from Lampard and Gerrard.
Van Bommel, a well-known Dutch midfielder who had faced Real Madrid last season while playing for Barcelona.
Lucio, one of Brazil's representative defenders, combining ferocious defensive ability with remarkable speed.
Van Buyten, Belgium's aerial pillar at the back—physically imposing, dominant in the air, low-key in personality, and rock solid.
This center-back pairing would be crucial to Bayern's plan to lock down Su Hang.
Sagnol, France's starting right-back, who had been torn apart by Su Hang at the World Cup.
And finally, the Lion King Kahn—a legendary goalkeeper. Even at the twilight of his career, his abilities were not to be underestimated.
On Real Madrid's side, Emerson—who had performed poorly in the previous match—failed to make the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, Diarra, who was originally set to start, caught a cold just half a day before kickoff.
With his body weak and sore, he was unable to play.
As a result, "Redondo II," Gago, earned a starting spot:
Su Hang, Van Nistelrooy
Robinho, Raúl, Guti
Gago
Bravó, Cannavaro, Kompany, Sergio Ramos
Casillas
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From a pure star-power perspective, the Galácticos of Real Madrid were clearly overshadowed by Hollywood-style Bayern Munich.
As the referee's whistle blew, the Bernabéu erupted.
Eighty thousand fans in white waited eagerly to cash in on their home advantage.
This was a clash between two elite sides.
In the fourth minute, Sergio Ramos surged forward with the ball, catching Bayern off guard.
Bayern's preparations for Ramos focused mainly on defense, but in truth, Ramos's attacking ability was nothing to scoff at.
Especially under Su Hang's guidance, Ramos had begun refining his heading technique, striving to combine defense, attack, and goal-scoring into one.
Ramos seized the moment and passed ahead to Guti. Guti took the ball and immediately whipped in a cross—the Demon Knife unleashed.
Unfortunately, facing Van Buyten, Van Nistelrooy had little room to adjust and could only barely head the ball out over the byline.
In the eighth minute, Bayern launched a series of attacks, with Podolski's shot sliding just wide of the post.
In the tenth minute, Bayern shifted their attacking focus through patient buildup from the back.
Su Hang, Robinho, Raúl, and Van Nistelrooy initiated a coordinated press.
This was a small tactical setup Real Madrid had used this season.
It was proposed by Su Hang, with the aim of applying pressure on the opponent's defense and midfield.
This kind of high pressing severely tested the opponent's composure at the back—once panic set in, chances would follow.
Of course, considering Real Madrid's stamina, this kind of pressing wouldn't be used too often in a single match.
It was different from Barcelona, who treated high pressing as a standard weapon.
Bayern continued to circulate the ball, trying to defuse Real Madrid's press.
A long clearance would have solved the problem, but in a clash between two top teams, choosing to hoof it clear meant conceding the initiative.
You'd lose first move in attack and be forced into counterattacking play.
Bayern, long accustomed to bullying teams in the Bundesliga, had no intention of doing that.
"Alright, Bayern are still passing—Demichelis receives the ball."
"Oh no! Su Hang has read Sagnol's pass in advance—he's charging toward Demichelis!"
"Demichelis turns with the ball and retreats toward the right side of his own penalty area. He can't pass back to the goalkeeper—Van Nistelrooy has completely cut off the lane!"
"Su Hang is coming!"
A brief exchange.
Rough but crafty, Demichelis pulled out a Marseille turn.
But this move actually had its own special name—the Demichelis Big Turn.
The only difference between it and a normal Marseille turn was this:
after a Marseille turn, the ball ends up at your own feet.
After the Demichelis Big Turn, the ball ends up at the opponent's feet!
Su Hang won the ball cleanly!
After spinning around, Demichelis not only lost possession—he couldn't even locate Su Hang in time to recover.
Su Hang burst into the box from the side, clean through on goal!
Eto'o's "Hunting Moment" effect activated.
Su Hang made a slight adjustment, then unleashed a fierce shot.
Van Buyten turned and lunged into a chasing slide.
Too slow.
The ball slipped past the tip of his boot.
Kahn reacted instantly and dove, but Su Hang's shot stayed about thirty centimeters off the ground, threading perfectly between Kahn's right hand and right foot and flying into the near corner.
"GOAL!"
"It has to be Su!"
"One–nil!"
"Who still dares say Real Madrid can't do it?"
"This team—no matter who's missing—as long as Su Hang can play to his level, victory is never far away!"
The commentator's words seemed to wake up Bayern's coaching staff.
They immediately clarified their defensive assignments for Su Hang.
When Su Hang dropped deeper, Demichelis stuck to him tightly.
When Su Hang pushed back up front, Lucio took over with close marking.
As a result, Su Hang barely touched the ball for the next stretch of play.
In the seventeenth minute, Lahm received a pass from Schweinsteiger, overlapped down the flank, and muscled past Sergio Ramos.
Small in stature, but anything but soft—Lahm managed to suppress Ramos, another rising star among fullbacks.
Bang!
Lahm whipped in a cross.
Podolski rose at the far post and headed the ball toward goal.
Casillas reacted in a flash, slapping the ball away.
But the danger wasn't over—the ball stayed inside the penalty area.
Makaay fired a follow-up shot.
Cannavaro stood in front of the open net and stretched out a leg to block it away.
Makaay clutched his head in disbelief.
Even the goalkeeper had been beaten.
And yet…
"Cannavaro's reaction was lightning-fast—that's the advantage of a compact center-back."
"In the same situation, Kompany didn't react at all. Whether it's covering or decision-making in critical moments, he's far behind Cannavaro."
"If not for Cannavaro, Real Madrid would already have been pegged back!"
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
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