When Van Gaal walked out of the players' tunnel, his face was grim.
The Camp Nou, capable of holding over 100,000 people, was alive with color and energy. Flags fluttered in the breeze, and the cheering of more than 90,000 hardcore Barcelona fans filled the air. The stands were dyed in the familiar red and blue of Barcelona's home kit, creating a vibrant atmosphere that seemed to pulse with life. From any angle, it looked like a grand celebration, the weekly ritual of Barcelona fans' fervor!
Every time Van Gaal arrived at Camp Nou to coach a match, he felt a wave of pride. Nearly 100,000 fans cheered for him, and under his leadership, the opposition would crumble, falling to pieces in the face of his tactics...
Even though Barcelona didn't always win against every opponent, the frenzied atmosphere of Camp Nou made Van Gaal feel like he was the king of the world, the best coach alive.
But today, despite the usual electrifying atmosphere of the stadium, Van Gaal couldn't shake off the bad mood he was in.
It wasn't just him; even his assistant, Mourinho, who usually had a gloomy look on his face, looked even more somber than usual.
Van Gaal had only received Mallorca's starting lineup two hours before the match, at the deadline for submitting team sheets. That was when he realized that Mallorca had not held back, sending out their strongest lineup. Several seasoned players, including former Barcelona stalwart Nadal, were starting...
Clearly, he had been outwitted by José, or at least misjudged his intentions. And now, Van Gaal's mood was absolutely foul.
Mourinho, walking behind him, shared the same frustration. He agreed with Van Gaal's assessment, which meant that he, too, had been tricked by José.
In an instant, Mourinho began to dislike this young coach with the same name as him. Mourinho, who was no stranger to holding grudges, was known for not offering opportunities to players he didn't like—just look at the example of Crespo, the Argentine striker who clashed with him. When they crossed paths again at Inter Milan, Crespo barely saw the field, while another Argentine striker, Cruz, still got chances. But Crespo? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"In the future, I'll make sure you know what it's like..." Mourinho thought to himself.
Sometimes, relationships between people can easily swing from friendship to rivalry, and often it's based on some trivial reason.
José, of course, had no idea that his little trick had made him an enemy of a coach who would eventually become one of the best. But knowing José's personality, he'd probably take it as a compliment. After all, to be considered an enemy by someone like Mourinho was something to be proud of!
As José walked out of the tunnel, he immediately felt two sets of eyes fixed on him. Looking in their direction, he saw Van Gaal and Mourinho.
"Tsk, tsk, Mourinho now really looks like a rookie," José thought, unaware that compared to them, he looked even more like a young, green coach—cleaner perhaps, but still fresh-faced.
José smiled slightly at them, then walked toward his position. His smile, however, seemed to serve as another form of provocation to both Van Gaal and Mourinho.
"Such an arrogant young man!" Van Gaal thought inwardly.
"Is he trying to provoke us? Seems to work for some young coaches…" Mourinho mused.
José, however, was oblivious to their thoughts. When he reached his position, he didn't rush to sit down but instead took in the entire Camp Nou.
The four-tiered stands soared to a height of 48 meters, covering 55,000 square meters, with 100,000 seats and an excellent evacuation system. With 24 exits, the entire stadium could be cleared in under five minutes. The lighting, the fireworks—nothing compared to the grandeur of this magnificent stadium, one of the UEFA-rated five-star venues!
"This is truly a great stadium," José took a deep breath and silently vowed, "One day, I'll build a stadium just as magnificent for the fans of Mallorca!"
Before the match started, the players of Barcelona erupted into applause when they saw Nadal step onto the pitch. Although Nadal had come from Mallorca, his most glorious years were spent at Barcelona. After five seasons at Mallorca, the 25-year-old Nadal had transferred to Barcelona, where he spent eight more seasons, five of which were as a regular starter. During those years, Barcelona won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, one Champions League, and one Intercontinental Cup, making him a central figure in the legendary "Dream Team" era.
Despite not being Catalan-born, Nadal's respectful demeanor and his lack of factionalism made him beloved by Barcelona fans, who treated him with the utmost respect.
Among the starting players for Barcelona that day was also another former Mallorca player—Dani, who had replaced Figo at right wing. A Spanish forward who had once trained at Real Madrid's academy, Dani had made a big impact at Mallorca in the previous season, helping them to third place in the league and a spot in the UEFA Cup final. His successful season led to his transfer to Barcelona for over 10 million dollars, where he had continued to impress, despite being overshadowed by Kluivert in the starting lineup.
For Barcelona's players, they hadn't realized just how serious Mallorca was taking this match, unlike Van Gaal, who immediately saw the danger in Mallorca's starting lineup. Van Gaal had chosen not to warn his players, telling them to focus and play as usual, in hopes of keeping morale high. But the routine pep talk didn't give Barcelona's players the sense of urgency they needed.
As the match began, Barcelona launched their usual offensive but were surprised by the intensity of Mallorca's defense. Rivaldo's long-range shot in the 6th minute was the first attempt on goal for Barcelona, but thanks to Soler's timely interference, the shot was weak and easily saved by Franco. The goalkeeper quickly got up, throwing the ball out to start a counterattack for Mallorca.
The ball flew toward N'Gonga, who, seeing Guardiola closing in, didn't stop it but instead sent it on the first touch to Soler. Soler took the ball and passed it to Ibagasa on the right wing.
When the ball was passed out wide, it marked the beginning of Mallorca's counterattack. The difference between passing to Stankovic and Ibagasa was that Stankovic was more of a playmaker, while Ibagasa excelled in quick, individual runs. This time, the ball was intended for Ibagasa, and it was a fast break.
Ibagasa, after controlling the ball, quickly accelerated and bypassed Sergi, Barcelona's right-back. Aware of Sergi's defensive prowess, Ibagasa didn't force the issue but instead passed the ball to Tristan, who had dropped deeper to collect it. Then Ibagasa sprinted to the sideline, shaking off Sergi.
Tristan held off the pressure from Avellado and turned quickly, passing the ball toward the right wing. Ibagasa, still sprinting, was able to latch onto the pass and cut inside rather than heading for the corner flag. He powered forward toward the penalty area.
Ibagasa's speed was unmatched, but Barcelona's defenders, particularly the Dutchman Frank de Boer, were already rushing back, trying to block his path to goal.
Seeing de Boer closing in, Ibagasa took a shot from the edge of the box. The quality was excellent, but the Dutch goalkeeper, Hees, dived and deflected it out. De Boer managed to clear the ball just in time to prevent Eto'o from following up.
"Typical Dutch," José muttered, noting that all the defenders involved in the clearance were Dutch. Six Dutch players started for Barcelona, while only four Spaniards and one Brazilian were in the lineup. No wonder Van Gaal, despite leading them to back-to-back league titles, had never been particularly popular with Barcelona's Spanish fans.
Van Gaal's loyalty to his Ajax players was no secret, and his reliance on them made it clear why there was so much friction between him and Barcelona's local faction.