The hunt against Lamine Yamal has begun in the media of the capital. These are the same people who applauded Mourinho's finger in Tito Vilanova's eye and drooled over Cristiano Ronaldo's arrogance and pride. The same ones who allow Vinícius everything.
Lamine Yamal just turned 18 and has them all scared. Especially after a year with four clásicos, four defeats for Real Madrid, and his starring role, with goals and assists.
Let reality not ruin a good headline against Lamine Yamal
Now it stings that he's competing for the Ballon d'Or with Dembélé and they've started a campaign to exaggerate his flaws in an absurd attempt to make him appear undesirable.
In every match he's played this season, he's either scored or provided goal assists to his teammates. What matters is that he missed a sitter in Türkiye.
Arda Güler pushed him twice while he was standing in front of the ball in something as old as delaying a free kick to give his teammates time to get into position.
Well, in Madrid they're not willing to let reality ruin their best negative headline against Lamine. As if the audience lacked understanding, in the end, the one who pushed was Lamine, never Arda Güler.
If they have to resort to lies, they do. If Lamine laughs at Arda Güler's reaction, he's an arrogant provocateur.
This is how the propaganda narrative is written, just like in Pep Guardiola's era. If he acted humble, it was false modesty. If he acted confident, he was arrogant and overbearing.
"Lamine pushes Güler to take a free kick (?)"
Whatever he did, it was wrong. At Radio Marca, they're clear: "Lamine is a bad example for children."
He hasn't sent anyone to Segunda, he's heard racist insults at Bernabéu without flinching. He doesn't confront referees or his rivals.
It's enough for that to happen once and that's enough to make him an example children shouldn't look up to.
Last night, on El Desmarque de Madrugada, Nacho Peña, from Florentino Pérez's praetorian guard, made it clear. "I think Lamine Yamal is the most protected footballer on the field that exists," he said.
More: "If he dives, nobody says he's a diver, if he confronts the stands, nobody calls him a provocateur."
"If he pushes Arda Güler to take a free kick (?), everyone thinks it's perfect and nothing happens here."
It's clear, if the image of Arda Güler pushing Lamine twice doesn't suit us, we change it.
We tell it the other way around. Like the penalties in Barça's and Real Madrid's box, it's nothing new.
We look at him favorably because he's the golden boy of Spanish soccer, but let's not say he's Mother Teresa, because he's not." Has anyone said Lamine is Mother Teresa? What is certain is that he's not another Vinícius.
The finishing touch goes to the ineffable Juanma Rodríguez for his intervention last night on El Chiringuito. Lamine Yamal must have really hurt Madridism when they attack him so viciously over any nonsense.
"Güler pushes him... 'logically'"
Fortunately, he hasn't called Spain racist for the insults he received at Bernabéu. Fortunately, because the noisy claque wouldn't have allowed it. Only Vinícius can say that.
This is how one of Florentino Pérez's useful pawns expressed himself on El Chiringuito:
"Fair play doesn't adorn Leo Messi's successor, Lamine Yamal, either. Spain was winning 6-0, Arda Güler was about to take the free kick and he stands in the middle of the ball.
What are you looking for, kid? What are you looking for? The other one pushes him, logically. Spain was winning 0-6, with no goals from Lamine Yamal (or any Real Madrid player), because he doesn't score them.
"Without penalties he doesn't get anywhere"
That's why Jorge Mendes had to put in the contract that he takes penalties at Barça. Because otherwise, he doesn't get anywhere."
Like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappé, who without penalties, neither Pichichi nor Ballon d'Or. That's what Juanma Rodríguez must think, used to surviving on penalties.
That "logically" recalls the logic once blessed by the media cave. It was with that banner displayed at Bernabéu glorifying violence: "Mou, your finger shows us the way."
We haven't made progress since then. That's the state of the media landscape in Madrid. They're very nervous, this has only just begun and will go on for a long time.
They'll have to resurrect Negreira or Villarato, but they'll have to do something.