After defeating Sevilla, Real Madrid did not immediately go on holiday.
After returning to Madrid from the away game that night, the players still had to report to Valdebebas the next morning for recovery training. According to Ancelotti and the coaching staff, this was crucial to the players' physical recovery.
When everyone arrived in the dressing room, they saw a sentence clearly written on the blackboard.
"Tonight, Juan's Home Barbecue Restaurant."
Every Real Madrid player saw it and exchanged an understanding smile and nod.
Real Madrid's schedule had been rather packed this year. The club had never been able to find time to arrange a Christmas banquet, so it had only given every player and their family a generous gift and the FIFA Club World Cup championship bonus in return.
Now, with Christmas approaching, they had finally organized a group dinner.
The Real Madrid players were already used to this. Almost every month, they would organize a similar gathering at least once. The players would attend on their own, and if anyone could not make it, they would always inform the organizer in advance.
To prepare for this Christmas banquet, Real Madrid had booked out the entire Juan's Home Barbecue Restaurant, which naturally attracted the attention of the media.
That afternoon, quite a few media outlets gathered outside the restaurant and waited. As they watched the Real Madrid players, coaching staff, and employees arrive one after another, they all maintained an unspoken understanding: they would not go up and disturb them.
This was a private gathering. The reporters would take photographs outside, but they would not enter or conduct interviews.
Yang Yang was always punctual and had arrived fairly early. He was accompanied by his wife, Su Ye, and their infant son, little Yang Guang.
Their three-month-old son was making