On the night of November 25, in Donetsk, Ukraine.
In the fifth round of the Champions League Group Stage, Group A, Real Madrid visited Shakhtar Donetsk.
Having already won four straight matches and essentially secured first place in the group ahead of time, Yang Yang and Zidane unanimously agreed that Real Madrid should rotate heavily, saving more energy for the demands of competing on multiple fronts and for the battles ahead.
After the extensive rotation, the Captain Armband ended up on center-back Vermaelen's arm. That was certainly something new.
However, as Real Madrid's squad had continued to evolve in recent years, fewer and fewer players who had joined the club before the summer of 2009 remained. Now, only Yang Yang, Ramos, Vermaelen, Marcelo, and Mascherano were left.
If veteran Mascherano couldn't remain with the team next summer, only four would be left.
Since Mascherano had joined the team later than Vermaelen, with Yang Yang, Ramos, and Marcelo all absent, the Captain Armband naturally fell to Vermaelen. It was also the Belgian's first time wearing Real Madrid's Captain Armband.
Although they were playing away, Zidane and Yang Yang still hoped to use Shakhtar Donetsk to hone the team. As a result, they lined up in a 4-3-3 Formation, with Mascherano sitting deep in midfield alongside Isco and De Bruyne.
It was a very unusual combination. Isco excelled at dribbling, while De Bruyne excelled at passing. Both players had received plenty of opportunities this season, so starting this match was also a test for them.
Just ninety-six seconds after kickoff, Isco drove forward with the ball and launched an attack before laying it off to De Bruyne. With one touch, the latter sent the ball straight into the box, and Suarez's low shot went just over.
But in the eighteenth minute, another