This moment at the Santiago Bernabéu brought tears to our eyes.
First, Dani Carvajal—the last survivor of Real Madrid’s golden era—left the pitch to a standing ovation from everyone.
Dani handed the captain’s armband to Fede Valverde, the man who became Toni Kroos’s successor. Early in his career, he was unknown to everyone, and now he has become Real Madrid’s captain.
Then, Fede passed the armband to Vinícius, who carries the heaviest number at Real Madrid on his back, but a few years ago he was mocked by everyone. He turned those laughs into applause.
And finally, Vinícius gave the captain’s armband to Lunin, a man who has been waiting for his moment for more than 8 years and always shows up in the big moments—wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in his career.
They never gave up, they fought harder than anyone, and now they are living the dream of their lives.
📸 @igscoreofficial
🚨🗣️ Thierry Henry: “I’ve been in this situation before, Viní has been in this before, so many players have been in it before.
It is 2026 and we have to talk about this, and not the brilliant goal he scored.”
I want to share this from a very personal place, based on what my family and I went through when my mother was recently hospitalized.
When I looked at my mom’s statement of account from Makati Medical Center, it showed something very specific.
🗣️ Xabi Alonso: “Coaching idol? Well when it comes to man-management, the maestro is Ancelotti. And he'll always be the maestro. How he convinces players, how he gets them to have a great relationship with him and with each other, he's really the maestro.”