A new soccer season is about to begin and, as usual, certain voices of televised Madridism have already started up the machinery.
Edu Aguirre, star panelist of El Chiringuito and loyal supporter of Florentino Pérez, is once again betting on an unstoppable Real Madrid. The excessive optimism has arrived even before the first whistle.
The journalist not only sees Los Blancos winning every title, as he already predicted without success last year. He has also made a prediction that has sparked controversy on social media:
"Kylian Mbappé will score 60 goals this season." A figure that, no matter how much one wants, sounds more like a video game than reality since Messi left Barça.
A déjà vu for the fans
This isn't the first time Aguirre has gotten carried away by euphoria. Last season, he started the campaign convinced that Real Madrid would lift every trophy at stake.
The outcome, however, was far from his script. Some titles slipped away early and the promises of absolute dominance were forgotten.
Edu Aguirre predicted that Madrid would finish more than 20 points ahead of Barça's youngsters. Anything less than a 4-0 win over Barça in El Clásico would be a failure.
This year, the script is repeating itself. Before the ball even rolls, a scenario of white hegemony and historic goal-scoring numbers is already being drawn.
The problem is that soccer rarely follows pre-written scripts. Experience calls for caution, although it doesn't seem that word is in the dictionary of certain panelists.
The manual of the perfect spokesperson
Among the most critical fans, there's a perception that voices like Aguirre's play a very specific role:
To excite the white fanbase without considering the real viability of their messages.
The same formula is repeated: promises of titles, players in top form, and campaigns in which no rival is capable of overshadowing Real Madrid.
When reality imposes its own rules and the first setbacks appear, the focus shifts direction.
That's when old ghosts resurface, such as the "Negreira case," the supposed refereeing advantages for Barça, or complaints about the schedule.
Mbappé, absolute protagonist
Mbappé's arrival has raised the media temperature. Edu Aguirre, a great admirer of the French striker, hasn't hesitated to present him as a box predator capable of smashing any record.
His "60 goals" for this season have caused all kinds of comments. Some Madridists see it as a realistic goal given the player's quality. Others, however, consider it an expectation bordering on science fiction.
The truth is that time will tell. For now, the media-driven Madridism has already set the bar at a height (2 ft. 7.5 in.[0.8 m]) that few players have reached in the modern history of soccer.
Meanwhile, the rival fanbase is taking note and preparing to recall these words if the season doesn't follow the script dreamed of by the panelist.