Real Madrid - Real Sociedad
On Wednesday, August 26, I left home around 7:30 AM and headed towards Brussels Airport to catch my flight to Madrid. After just under two hours of driving, I arrived, parked my car and took the shuttle bus, which got me to the airport within 10 minutes.
My flight was scheduled for 12:05 PM, so I had some time to kill and walked around the departure halls. It’s still a great airport — spacious, with plenty of places to sit or grab something to eat. Much better than Amsterdam Schiphol, if you ask me. In the end, my Iberia Airlines flight departed at 12:35 PM.
The plane was mainly filled with Spanish passengers. During the roughly two-hour flight, I watched some content on RM Play. I always find the training footage particularly interesting. For me, Diomande’s footwork and the way he moves are especially impressive. I’m expecting a lot from him this season.
After landing, I luckily didn’t have to wait at the baggage carousel. I recently bought a new backpack that fits perfectly within the hand luggage dimensions, which saves me quite a bit of time. I took the metro to my hotel and was checked in again within about 40 minutes. As far as I’m concerned, the Madrid Metro remains one of the best ways to get around the city.
I rested in my room for a while, unpacked my backpack and headed out for something to eat around 5:00 PM. I stopped by Domino’s for a quick pizza. Not the most culinary experience, but I mainly wanted to get to the Bernabéu as quickly as possible afterwards. I wanted to soak up the atmosphere, walk past all the stalls and take plenty of photos for my website, which will be going live soon.
An hour later, I arrived at the stadium. It was already getting pretty busy. Fans were buying scarves from the stalls or finding a spot to watch the team bus arrive. The bus arrived 90 minutes before kick-off, and shortly afterwards, the stadium gates opened.
I headed inside straight away. I was sitting in section 118, directly behind the goal. Incredible seats — every time I think about them, I get goosebumps. The stadium looks even better than it did last season. There are more screens, additional lights and even fireworks when the starting lineup is announced.
And then it was time for the match.
The first 20 minutes were strong once again, but after that, the intensity dropped a little. We created a few good chances through Mbappé and Vini, and just before half-time, we finally got the breakthrough. A beautiful finish from Mbappé made it 1-0. Unfortunately, Sociedad equalised just a few minutes later.
After the break, we saw a completely different Madrid. The intensity was much higher and the ball was moved around quickly, resulting in some beautiful combinations. Mbappé’s two goals and Vini’s goal were perfect examples of that.
A special mention once again for Jude. Despite only having had a few days of preparation, he has already found his monster mode again. What a player!
We won the game 4-1 and the Bernabéu was absolutely ecstatic. In Madrid, winning is obviously what matters most, but when the football is also enjoyable to watch, it gives you an incredible amount of extra energy.
I had one more beer outside the stadium before walking back to my hotel.
A fantastic start to the season at the Bernabéu. Hopefully, we can keep this upward trend going.
