Original subtitles

-How are you? -Good.

-Are you up for this? -Sure.

My passion for soccer started when I was a child.

My mother always tells the story about how I never asked for a bike or toys.

All I ever wanted was a ball and cleats.

Since then,

my passion for soccer has only intensified.

This profession demands effort,

sacrifice

and takes me away from my family for days.

But in the end, it's all worth it.

Pass it, don't hog the ball!

I'm sorry!

Very good!

There you go! Shoot it.

SERGIO RAMOS' HEART

EPISODE TWO SOCCER

SIX DAYS BEFORE EL CLÁSICO

VALDEBEBAS REAL MADRID TRAINING FACILITY

We're not doing well.

We're not doing well at all.

What a bad losing streak.

We’ve never experienced anything like this since I’ve been here.

I've never seen anything like it either.

People want to see the team win...

RENÉ RAMOS BROTHER AND AGENT

...and when we lose two or three games,

it creates bad energy that...

The critics, the press, everyone...

We know how it is.

We can't go out.

We go from Valdebebas straight home, and back to Valdebebas...

With these results, we can't even take our kids to the park.

Just stay focused on the next game, El Clásico.

I think Julen will give it everything he's got.

He realizes this could be his last game.

The game against Barça is a great opportunity.

If we lose, I don't expect him to stay on

because with this team,

even if you're a great coach,

it all comes down to results.

Results determine your rank and position.

I mean, hopefully he stays.

At the end of the day,

switching coaches is disruptive

-and new changes are hard on all of us. -It raises doubts.

-How are you? -Good.

I came by to try to lift your spirits a bit.

This is a good training surface.

BERNARDO REQUENA TRAINER

Let's warm up a bit.

Come on, let's go.

After nine games, we're seventh in the standings.

There's nothing pleasant about being in seventh position.

We have to change a lot of things

in order to turn the season around and try to win the league title.

That's the goal.

Real Madrid hasn't been in this position for a very long time.

In my 14 years here, it's the first time I've seen this.

We all know it is a very delicate situation

and it's unpleasant for everyone.

Of course, we're going to do everything we can to catch up to the leader

which, in this case, is Barcelona.

Avocado?

THE RAMOS HOUSE

I'm going to add in a bit of everything. I'm hungry.

How about some nuts?

Hang on.

What do you want to drink?

Well, I'd have a beer. I like beer. But not today.

PILAR RUBIO SERGIO'S WIFE

How's the team feeling?

How is everyone?

A little bummed by this whole situation.

But I think the fans at Bernabéu have a lot of faith in you.

In the end, it's a good thing

-the fans at Bernabéu are like that. -All things considered,

sometimes the psychological component is the most important part.

Yes, that's for sure.

But people really go crazy over El Clásico.

True.

The other day I heard that El Clásico is the most watched game of the year.

It's as popular as the Champions League final.

Even people who aren’t fans of Barcelona or Madrid watch it. Right?

-Yes, it's true. -Man.

Do you think there's more pressure on your opponents when they play in Bernabéu

or for you guys when you play in Camp Nou?

Camp Nou is a bigger stadium.

You don't feel like you're in a pressure cooker like in Bernabéu.

No, it's the opposite.

It's pretty even.

It's one of the most imposing stadiums,

even though it's not as enclosed as Bernabéu.

It's pretty wide and tall.

I think it has a larger seat capacity than Bernabéu.

It's just that...

At any rate,

if they are down a player,

-that always... -Yes, of course.

-That always helps. -If "el pequeñito" isn't playing.

I think it will depend on the first 15 to 20 minutes.

If things go according to plan,

we can do a lot of damage.

We'll see if things go well.

Honestly, the team really deserves a win.

FOUR DAYS BEFORE EL CLÁSICO

FILMING THE WEB SERIES "CAPTAINS' CHAT"

The armband isn't just handed to you.

You have to earn it.

That's especially true with Real Madrid.

The captain is the strongest team representative.

He's the one who has to always lead by example,

both on and off the field.

-How's my captain? -How are you?

From one captain to another. How are you? Good?

Very good, all is well.

When the results aren't there,

the bottomline is, in a way,

I carry a large part of the blame.

How are you?

I'm glad to see you. How are you?

Me too.

-How are you? -Good. Here we are.

I had this idea to do a sports show,

a conversation between former Real Madrid captains.

For me, there are captains and there are captains.

Each one has his own style and personality

and his own way of managing the locker room.

I always try to continue learning every day.

I think you can always learn something more, something new.

Just like I never get tired of winning, I never get tired of learning.

First of all,

we all know what it means to play for Real Madrid.

Obviously, any detail, whether it's good or bad, gets magnified, right?

And after spending so many years with the club,

I wanted to talk to some of the team's former great captains.

I'd like to know how you fulfilled your role as captain,

which is now mine to proudly carry.

Real Madrid is...

This club is very special. It's very demanding every day.

As part of the Real Madrid team, you have to win.

Anything less is unacceptable.

Winning is the only option.

If you win the Champions League or the title of La Liga,

and then you don't win anything the next year,

that's it, you start from zero.

-It's like a blackboard. -Yes, without a doubt.

You wipe the slate clean and restart,

and every year it's the same.

And that's why you have to be mentally strong.

The stadium fills up, right,

and you have 60,000 or 70,000 fans. Why?

Well, because it's the best team in the world.

As a winning team, you have to meet expectations.

Did you ever face a situation,

in your five years with the team as a player,

what has been your most trying moment?

Did you ever experience

getting heckled at Bernabéu?

No, we never got boos.

But you can't confront the fans and say, "What do you want?"

-Right, you can't confront them. -You can't.

If you can reconcile the responsibility of wearing the armband with your daily life,

you'll be fine. If not, it will consume you.

Otherwise, it will eat away at you and you'll end up saying,

"Every day there is a problem."

But it's also a source of pride, isn't it?

On that topic, Fer, I also have to say,

it's not just about the pride in wearing it and what it represents.

I think being captain helps you not just in your profession,

but also on a personal level,

when you have a problem with your family,

your brother, your wife, or whoever, right?

It's about how you handle things.

The responsibility is greater.

But in the end,

wearing an armband doesn't mean that it all rests on your shoulders alone.

You can lean on your teammates.

And then the most important thing was our group of players.

I remember when you arrived here, so young,

with that energy and insatiable desire to conquer the world.

And after all these years, you did it. You reached the top.

Well, Rulo, in the end, you never know if you're ready when the time comes.

I was fourth captain.

After you, Guti, and Iker,

then it was my turn, but your role was different.

It's a bit different now.

But you're learning, right?

Yes, you learn and you absorb things.

You take the best from each player,

and from each captain.

Honestly, for me, when I look in the mirror,

I always wanted to emulate your best behavior as a captain role model,

based on how you used to do it.

A captain always needs to,

especially in complicated situations like

what we're experiencing right now, in Real Madrid,

he has to step up when things don't go well.

He's the first one who needs to stand up.

As soon as things start to go bad,

people say, "Where is the captain? He has to face the consequences."

-And you know that. -Yes.

That comes with the territory.

One bad game and the captain has to answer for it.

It's really hard to win like Real Madrid,

and to maintain that level of success the following year.

Either you keep winning,

or whether you like it or not, naturally, there's a slight drop in performance.

I think that's what's happening in the team now.

You can't always be outperforming others because,

if you win the next Euro Cup, everyone else will retire.

Yes.

Others will say, "What about us?"

Yes, to win four out of five years isn't normal. I know.

Throughout my career, I've learned from many people.

At the end of the day, a captain needs to overcome really difficult situations.

It's especially true for a captain,

as a leader and a role model in the locker room.

Not everyone is capable of overcoming challenges like that.

It's true that the captain is a leader, after all.

He's someone who, in theory, helps his coach.

We have to stick together

and know that if it happens here, it happens in every club.

When we run into a problem like this, and we undergo a period of poor results,

you know very well that people are going to look for someone to blame.

Everyone is talking about Lopetegui.

A crisis exacerbates rumors, doesn't it?

And Real Madrid is undergoing a crisis right now.

Is Lopetegui staying or is he going?

In my opinion, Lopetegui is a great coach.

I really like him a lot.

He was my coach both with the national team and with Real Madrid.

But there's a rumor that Real Madrid wants a new coach.

I think what you said after that last Champions league game,

or the last La Liga game here in Madrid, was exemplary.

You said, "I'm the captain and I have to take responsibility."

In the end, that's showing leadership.

-Yes, without a doubt. -A good kind of leadership.

We fully support Julen.

Ramos says he’s supporting his coach,

and half of the Real Madrid players are echoing that sentiment.

Later they’re going to prove it with a strong performance on the field

because any game between Real Madrid and Barcelona promises some surprises,

with or without Cristiano or Messi.

Without Messi and Cristiano, the focus will be on the coaches.

All eyes are on the Real Madrid coach...

LOPETEGUI COUNTDOWN

...who could be facing his final hours as part of the organization.

PHYSIOTHERAPY ROOM

Julen, man,

the poor guy is having bad luck, too.

Yes.

The results aren't doing him justice, man.

DAVID ESCRIVÁ PHYSIOTHERAPIST

No. Well, I'll be honest.

As an outsider, I see the hard work from everyone in practice,

-the players are invested. -That's what I'm saying.

But when they try to take that onto the field...

Practices are good, they're intense.

I think he's a great coach, man.

Yes, yes.

It's all going to come down to our performance in El Clásico.

A lot depends on what happens there.

Yes, yes. That's right.

Stick to a plan, and hopefully it will work out.

But as players,

we have to accept the decisions of upper management.

Yes.

People are used to seeing us win.

When we're not getting good results,

they want to see a better version of the team.

There's one thing I don't worry about,

and that is that your work as a captain makes a big difference.

As far as I'm concerned,

I'm confident you'll do your job.

Ultimately, El Clásico sets the tone for the entire season.

It's not just any game.

We have to win.

And we have the skills to do it.

Yes, yes, for sure.

Yes.

THREE DAYS BEFORE EL CLÁSICO

THE RAMOS HOUSE

Tonight,

the El Español newspaper will present Sergio Ramos

with a 2018 Los Leones award,

recognizing him as best athlete of the year.

-Ready? How are you? -I'm late, man. How are you?

Let's go.

Are we running late?

Yes, I think we'll just make it.

What time does it start?

At 8:30, I think.

I hope we don't get stuck in traffic.

How is the team?

Good, man.

Our win at Champions came at a good time.

The game was a little close, but...

Yes.

All in all, it's a big confidence boost.

Sunday, we have to win.

That would be quite an accomplishment.

I know.

After so many losses in a row,

it's a great opportunity to beat them.

Even better if we can do it on their home turf.

It's only three points, but those three points would be really significant.

It's been many years since Cris or Messi weren't playing in El Clásico.

Yes.

It will be strange to see an El Clásico game without those two.

That's true.

Barcelona always has a good team,

but we know from previous years what we need to do to hurt them.

They struggle a lot when we put the pressure on.

If you allow them to keep control of the ball,

they can strike any time.

I think that's what we’ll try to do, keep the pressure up the field,

steal the ball away from them,

and take advantage of free kicks when we can.

That's how we can hurt them.

-Even so, they have a solid team. -And with Messi out...

-Yes, yes. -...it gives us a bit of a leg up.

One less problem to worry about.

If "el chiquitito" isn't playing, that's great for our team.

But even so, they have an amazing team.

It'll be an entertaining game.

LOS LEONES DE EL ESPAÑOL PALACE HOTEL, MADRID

Good evening.

Sergio! You're worried about the team's crisis, aren't you?

I'll speak to you on my way out, okay?

Sergio always knows how to maintain his calm in difficult situations,

whether with his teammates or representing his club.

A photo?

As a member of Real Madrid, there's obviously pressure every day.

For you to be here, surrounded by your teammates

and the press, it's a good omen for Sunday.

Yes, yes, I think so.

He's expected to win games and titles every season.

-Good evening, Sergio. -Good evening.

How do you feel about El Español giving you an award tonight?

Well, it's very gratifying.

Soccer isn't an exact science.

It comes with tremendous pressure.

After a complicated losing streak,

the greater the challenge, the more we enjoy it.

It'll feel all that much sweeter to put this losing streak behind us.

We're on the right path.

We have to work hard, and above all, be consistent.

I think working together is the key to success.

Sergio, will you win El Clásico?

We'll see.

GAME DAY

All my life, since I was a child,

I've always dreamed big.

So, in a sense, winning is the prize for me.

Welcome, we're here today with the best league in the world.

It's the game that draws the most attention in the world.

El Clásico is still the most popular event of the season.

El Clásico is one of those games that immobilizes the entire country.

El Clásico means a lot because this is the game

that can define your entire season.

This game will once again divide the soccer world in two.

You all know, today is no ordinary day.

If you win this game,

you're going to brag about it all year

to your friends and family who are Barcelona fans.

Well, Real Madrid has been struggling,

but this is the kind of game that can pull you out of a slump.

Both rival teams come out here starting at zero.

It doesn't matter how badly we've played, or how well they've played.

On the contrary, it's a unique opportunity to turn things around and start fresh.

That's why we're going to give it everything we've got.

Julen Lopetegui's expression.

Watch out, Jordi Alba breaks away on the right side.

He's guiding the ball into the zone. Luisito is next to him asking for a pass.

Coutinho moves in.

Goal!

Luis Suárez gets knocked to the ground.

This is the first El Clásico to use video-assistant referee technology.

And after not calling anything,

Sánchez Martínez signals a penalty in favor of Barcelona.

Here comes the Uruguayan player. He shoots...

Goal!

I've never seen Real Madrid play an El Clásico game

as poorly as we've just seen in the last 30 minutes.

Madrid wants to respond.

The ball goes to Isco. This could be good.

Let's see what happens here, Barcelona tries to deflect the ball.

He shoots! Goal!

Marcelo!

This is the Madrid team Barcelona doesn't want to see.

This is the Madrid we were hoping to see from the start.

If Madrid plays like this, they can be a real danger to Barcelona.

The Frenchman passes to Sergi Roberto. We'll see what he does with it.

Luis Suárez with a header!

What a goal! What a goal! What a goal! What a goal!

They respond with a solid header!

Here comes Luis Suárez, the smooth shooter!

Goal!

Barcelona wants the game to continue, to last forever.

And Madrid just wants it to end.

Nacho challenges Dembélé. Dembélé centers the ball.

Header to the near post! Goal!

Five goals! Five goals for Barça.

Barça 5, Real Madrid 1.

Barcelona scored five goals without their biggest star.

Madrid will have to make some serious changes.

What must be going through the mind of Florentino Pérez?

I think we can all guess.

We're witnessing Lopetegui's final minutes.

You can't.

It's impossible to win throughout your entire career.

THE RAMOS HOUSE

It would be easy to crumble under all the pressure and criticism

and to hang your head in shame.

You try to smile through it, yet deep inside, you know you're screwed.

But when you hit rock bottom, there's only one way left to go.

The bitter taste of defeat teaches you to appreciate the effort required to win.

ON THE NEXT EPISODE

What's up, brother-in-law?

How are preparations for SICAB coming along?

Jagger!

SICAB is the grand competition to crown the Spanish purebred horse champion.

It's critically important to us that our horse be named world champion.

Which horses are we bringing?

Yucatán and Bandolero.

All right, perfect.

Jagger!