If Not for Him...

This couldn't go on!

After an attack broke down, Yang Yang raised his head and gazed at the dazzling lights of Old Trafford, his entire body drenched in sweat.

The first half was about to end, yet Real Madrid remained firmly on the back foot.

If they continued allowing Manchester United to attack like this and went into halftime two goals down, it would be extremely unfavorable for Real Madrid—not only tactically, but also in terms of the team's morale, especially the players' state of mind.

Real Madrid's players lacked confidence in the Champions League.

For the past six years, they had been eliminated in the Round of 16 every year. This was no longer merely a question of strength, but a psychological illness—much like how the China Team had failed to reach the World Cup finals for more than forty years.

Players were only human, and their emotions controlled them. When they lacked confidence in themselves and their teammates, it was difficult for them to produce convincing results, especially in professional competition.

Wenger had once said that all great professional players possessed extraordinary self-confidence.

That was the foundation of everything.

Van Gaal had also once said that the reason Saviola had fallen into decline at Barcelona, and then continued to struggle at Real Madrid and several other clubs, was largely because after arriving at Barcelona, he no longer dared to take on defenders and dribble forward as he had in the Argentine league. He lacked confidence in himself.

And once confidence was lost, getting it back was incredibly, incredibly difficult.

Real Madrid itself had an example.

Many veteran fans should remember a certain name: Javier Portillo.

This was a name from the era of the Galácticos, a genuine product of Real Madrid's youth academy. He had attracted attention from