Man, today’s post is all about that big match coming up, Manchester City versus Real Madrid. I’ve been buzzing about this game for weeks, so I wanted to share how I actually put together my watchlist. Just sat down yesterday morning with my cold brew and decided: let’s figure out who really matters here.
First thing, I grabbed my laptop and pulled up both squads side-by-side. Wanted to do this proper, no shortcuts. For City, the names jumped out immediately: Haaland, De Bruyne, Rodri. Had to include Bernardo Silva too because he’s clutch in these big games. Typed ’em all into my draft with quick notes like “Haaland – aerial beast” and “KDB – pass radar.”
Then flipped over to Madrid’s side. Obviously Vinícius Júnior was top of mind after watching him roast defenders last month. Wrote down “speed demon” and “1v1 nightmare” next to his name. Added Bellingham – dude’s everywhere this season – then the old guard like Modrić and Kroos. Almost forgot Carvajal ’til I rewatched their quarterfinal highlights. Noticed he shuts down wings like a garage door.
Started comparing head-to-head battles: Vinícius vs Walker, Haaland vs Rüdiger. My coffee went cold doing this part. Scribbled matchups on sticky notes and stuck ’em on my monitor like some detective board. Probably looked crazy, but hey, it works.
Then came the surprise picks. Remembered how Gvardiol scored that rocket against Madrid last time? Yeah, threw him in as “secret weapon.” For Madrid, added Brahim Díaz after seeing him nutmeg guys for fun lately. These wildcards always show up when you least expect ’em.
My final list boiled down to:
- Erling Haaland (duh)
- Kevin De Bruyne (obvious)
- Rodri (glue guy)
- Vinícius Jr (gamebreaker)
- Jude Bellingham (mad energy)
- Dani Carvajal (underrated)
- Plus the two wildcards: Gvardiol & Brahim
Spent two hours yesterday trimming the list – originally had like 15 names. Felt impossible to cut but knew nobody’d remember if I threw everybody in there. Last step: triple-checked stats to make sure I wasn’t talking nonsense. Rodri’s 98% pass accuracy against big teams? Still blows my mind.
Honestly, I only got this deep because last year I missed watching Camavinga’s breakout UCL performance while taking a bathroom break. Never again. Lesson learned: prep your watchlist BEFORE kickoff.
