"We've just received intelligence from Barcelona. Messi has started individual training."
The two-week National Team match day had only just begun. At the Valdebebas Training Base on the northeastern outskirts of Madrid, Zidane and Yang Yang were meeting with the Real Madrid First Team coaching staff to discuss the news from Barcelona.
From ancient times to the present, intelligence had always been the most important thing in war, and football was no exception.
Scouting an opponent before every match had long been commonplace among European clubs. Real Madrid had dedicated scouts handling such work. For example, David Bettoni, the Assistant Coach currently in charge of Real Madrid's intelligence and match analysis, had previously been an employee specifically responsible for gathering intelligence for the club.
For a century-old rivalry like Real Madrid versus Barcelona, intelligence on Barcelona was treated with even greater importance. A week earlier, Real Madrid's scouts had already begun collecting and investigating every detail about Barcelona, then conducting targeted analysis.
Yang Yang and Zidane were not surprised in the slightest when they heard the news from David Bettoni. They had expected Messi to return, because the Argentine superstar was one of Barcelona's most important sources of strength.
Messi had been sidelined ever since suffering a serious injury two months earlier, working hard to recover so that he could make the match at the Bernabéu. Now, it seemed he would probably make it.
There were still two weeks left. At his current rate of recovery, he had plenty of time.
Of course, making the match did not mean he would necessarily be able to regain his form. After all, he had been out for two months.
"Is it only Messi?" Zidane asked with concern.
"There's also Rakitić. The Croatian seems to be progressing faster and has already begun rehabilitation