Next Time, I'll Wear Golden Armor onto the Pitch

In most years, the Community Shield was just the Premier League clubs' last warm-up match—a more forgettable fixture would have been hard to find.

But this season's match had made The Football Association a fortune.

Global broadcast revenue, sponsorship shares, and merchandise sales had all hit record highs.

While The Football Association counted its cash behind closed doors and drank champagne, UEFA next door was grinning too.

With England's Community Shield having set the stage, UEFA had already helped whip up excitement for the UEFA Super Cup a few days later.

Sponsors were waving cash and practically trampling UEFA's doorstep.

The reason was simple: two talking points.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first competitive match since returning to Manchester United.

Super Anno had just beaten Messi, and now he was facing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Either story alone could have kept the media busy for a month.

Put them together, and football fans around the world went wild.

Europe's major outlets tried to outdo one another with their headlines.

The Times ran this on its front page: "The sequel to Cardiff—this time at Philip II Arena."

Marca went straight to the point: "Messi fell. Can Cristiano Ronaldo do better?"

AS newspaper took a sly dig: "Real Madrid fans probably won't be interested in this match."

Bild approached it from another angle: "Two months ago in Cardiff, he beat Cristiano Ronaldo with a hat trick to win the UEFA Champions League. Can Cristiano Ronaldo get revenge two months later?"

Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport was the best at stirring things up. It published the betting odds alongside the headline: "Super Cup or super showdown?"

But what truly sent the matchup beyond football circles was a picture online.

Some fan had put it together using game CG.

In the picture, Chen Anno wore silver-white armor and held a