As the Champions League Final drew near, Munich, Germany, underwent a full-scale upgrade, and the entire city was steeped in a strong football atmosphere.
This was the annual, temple-like event representing the highest level of European professional leagues.
Fans of both participating teams flooded into this southern German city, causing Munich's hotels to become increasingly overbooked.
The Oriental Mandarin Hotel was Munich's most luxurious hotel. Located in the heart of the old city, it was surrounded by famous Munich attractions such as the National Opera House, the Hofbräuhaus, and Maximilianstrasse.
The entire Oriental Mandarin Hotel had a total of seventy-three rooms: forty-eight guest rooms and twenty-five suites. Three days before the final, the hotel had already announced that it was fully booked and would accept no further guests. Yet despite the hotel's strict confidentiality agreements, the ever-persistent reporters still dug up the identity of the tycoon who had booked the entire Oriental Mandarin Hotel.
It was Real Madrid, the top favorite to win the Champions League Final.
Seventy-three rooms were clearly not enough to meet all of Real Madrid's needs. This time, the Galácticos had traveled to Munich with not only the First Team, coaching staff, employees, and their accompanying families, but also management, Club Legends, and invited guests. The Oriental Mandarin Hotel simply could not accommodate them all.
Fortunately, the hotel was located in a bustling district, so Real Madrid had also booked an entire floor at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München across the street, specifically to accommodate club staff and important employees.
Real Madrid president Florentino personally led the team to Munich and checked into the Oriental Mandarin Hotel, taking personal charge of the Champions League Final. The declaration of victory that Real Madrid had previously made public also clearly showed the team's intense desire to win