"26 golden days": Real Madrid's train crushes everyone after the international break
A radical transformation for the royal team
Real Madrid earned glowing praise from a press report on Thursday, with one newspaper declaring that the Royal club had just "lived through 26 golden days".
"Marca" put it simply: "Win, win, win, win, win, win, win. This is Real Madrid's perfect record since their return to competition after the latest international break".
The report went on: "26 golden days in which Mourinho's side shone unbeatably, giving them a huge boost. They became a winning machine. Four wins in La Liga and three in the Champions League is their outstanding current record".
That flawless league run, including the victory at the Camp Nou, has dragged them back into the title race. The three European wins have all but booked a knockout place and left them a step from reaching the top eight for the first time. Seven straight victories made it all possible.
A radical transformation for Real Madrid
One month has changed everything. This is a different Real Madrid to the one that limped into the last international break.
Back then, a second derby defeat of the season had left them drained. Those weeks of decline now feel like a distant memory, and Madrid are back to their best in both competitions.
Only the Mestalla trip to Valencia remains to complete a perfect run between the two breaks. Eight wins out of eight was the target, a clean sweep to silence any lingering doubts, and Mourinho's men stand just one game away from it.
Winning runs of this length had been a rarity for Madrid. Not any more.
Valverde summed up the mood: "You work under less pressure, and you enjoy it because things are going well, and tomorrow we return to training".
He added: "I congratulate our team on coming back strongly twice. This means we are full of vitality and energy. We knew they defended excellently in their own area, leaving us spaces outside the box to shoot... and today the ball went into the net, which does not always happen".
Named man of the match, Bellingham reflected on a side brimming with confidence.
"We made a big effort to achieve this win, we had possession of the ball, we created chances, and we played as we have been playing in the Champions League recently", he said.
