On March 6th, Real Madrid flew to Munich.
After landing, people were surprised to see Beckham clearly among the traveling squad.
Pressed by reporters, Capello confirmed that Beckham would be included in the eighteen-man matchday squad, though he refused to reveal the starting lineup in advance.
As if his starting XI were actually that hard to guess.
Real Madrid only had so many players who could even play; anyone could more or less work it out.
On March 7th, the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 kicked off.
All 70,000 seats at the Allianz Arena were filled, not a single empty spot in sight.
According to statistics, nearly 3,000 Real Madrid fans had followed the team on this away trip.
Unfortunately, at Bayern's home ground, the white shirts were completely swallowed by red, unable to stir even the slightest wave.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to ESPN's Champions League coverage. I'm Derek Rae, joined today by my partner Tommy Smyth, as we bring you Bayern Munich versus Real Madrid."
"Tommy Smyth is one of the most respected voices in European football journalism. And tonight's absolute leader for Real Madrid, Su Hang, was a player Tommy paid close attention to long before he became a global star."
"Before kickoff, let's hear Tommy Smyth's thoughts on this match."
Tommy Smyth was all smiles.
"Hahaha, watching Su Hang's rise has been a pleasure. From the very beginning, you could see something special in him."
"He's the kind of player who thrives on big occasions, and nights like this are exactly where he belongs."
"To this day, I have tremendous admiration for Su Hang. As a commentator, I'm supposed to stay neutral."
"But when a player like Su Hang steps onto the pitch, that becomes very difficult."
"Even today, I still believe he has the ability to create a miracle and lead Real Madrid into the quarterfinals."
Derek Rae nodded.
"Yes, as commentators, neutrality is part of the job. But I think it's fair to say that any fan of football can't help but admire Su Hang."
"We've seen the numbers as well—Real Madrid's fan base has surged ahead domestically, overtaking Manchester United and continuing to widen the gap over clubs like Inter Milan and AC Milan."
"That's the influence of a true superstar."
As they spoke, the players from both sides walked onto the pitch.
Tommy Smyth said,
"Alright, Real Madrid don't have much room for adjustment in their lineup tonight."
"Su Hang, Van Nistelrooy"
"Robinho, Raúl, Guti"
"Diarra"
"Raúl Bravo, Cannavaro, Kompany, Sergio Ramos"
"Casillas"
"Apart from Diarra replacing Gago, there are basically no changes."
Derek Rae followed up,
"Bayern have also made only minor adjustments."
"Makay, Podolski"
"Schweinsteiger, Van Bommel, Hargreaves, Salihamidžić"
"Lahm, Lucio, Van Buyten, Sagnol"
"Kahn"
"Last match's impact substitute Sali starts today, while Van Bommel replaces the previously underperforming Demichelis."
"Overall, Bayern's lineup is very solid. The only position that looks a bit vulnerable is right-back Sagnol. Whether Su Hang targets that side will be one of the key storylines tonight."
"Next season, Bayern will almost certainly look to strengthen that position."
With a blast of the referee's whistle, the match officially began.
On the Bayern end, fans were organizing themselves, preparing to use sheer volume to cheer on their team and show the Real Madrid players the true power of the Allianz Arena.
Their passion was in no way inferior to that of the Bernabéu.
But what Bayern fans didn't expect was this—
Before their chants had even properly formed, the referee had already pointed to the center circle and blown his whistle.
What was this…?
"Goal stands!"
"Oh my God!"
"What just happened?"
"What was that?!"
"A lightning goal!"
"Sali breaks down the wing and sends in a cross—Makay darts in and pokes it home!"
"GOAL!"
"One–nil! Bayern hit Real Madrid with a brutal opening blow!"
"Veterans Sali and Makay combine to deal Real Madrid a fatal strike!"
"Ten seconds! Makay has scored the fastest goal in Champions League history! Incredible!"
"Bayern have practically decided the match in the opening ten seconds!"
"The aggregate score is now 4–2! Bayern also hold three away goals. That means unless Real Madrid score three goals in a row, Bayern will be the ones to advance!"
"And against a team like Bayern, scoring three goals in a single match is incredibly difficult!"
"Even though they're struggling in the league just like Real Madrid this season, they've been far more dominant in the Champions League!"
In the stands, Bayern fans erupted into wild celebration.
In the VIP box, Bayern honorary president Franz Beckenbauer also wore a relaxed smile.
The successful hosting of last year's World Cup had pushed his personal prestige to its peak.
But precisely because of that, he had expended too much energy, owed too many favors, and had certain irregularities seized upon by Platini and Blatter. As a result, he gave up the chance to run alongside Platini for the UEFA presidency.
This forced the sitting UEFA president, Johansson, to go back on his promise not to run and step forward again to face Platini—only to lose everything in the end.
Although Beckenbauer lost the opportunity to compete for the UEFA presidency, he instead entered FIFA's Executive Committee.
In Platini's words:
"Beckenbauer and I were both unique players of our era. When we appeared together, Europe felt too crowded. But on the global stage, we could coexist peacefully and contribute together to world football."
The implication seemed to be encouraging Beckenbauer to focus his ambitions on the FIFA presidency.
As a result, Beckenbauer was widely seen as the most likely candidate to replace Blatter four years later, sharing control of world football with Platini.
Unfortunately, Beckenbauer had no idea what awaited him next.
And not just him—what awaited Bayern in future Champions League campaigns would be an endless series of powerful opponents.
Every tough nut would have to be cracked.
And after one, there would always be another.
This was Platini's "thank you."
That was why Beckenbauer later said in interviews that he had even turned down the FIFA presidency.
That refusal likely wasn't referring to withdrawing from the 2011 race against Blatter.
It was far more likely pointing to this period after the 2006 World Cup.
Some opportunities, if you don't chase them when the time is right, are gone forever.
Because once the tide turns, it never flows back.
What had once been a position of second place with a chance at first ultimately became a complete loss on both fronts.
But considering the eventual fates of Platini and Blatter, Beckenbauer's failures at UEFA and FIFA may not have been entirely bad.
At the very least, while Platini and Blatter presided over the so-called "football prison league," Beckenbauer remained outside, still enjoying respect and honor.