"I think Real Madrid still has a long way to go before they can beat us. I hope I'm not wrong, but I trust in this team and the mentality with which we play these games," were the words of Barcelona superstar Aitana Bonmati, just days before Real Madrid Femenino beat Barcelona 3-1 in their own backyard.
This has been a huge week for Real Madrid. Just days after beating Arsenal 2-0 on a bad, muddy pitch at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Las Blancas have just picked up the first win over Barcelona in their short history - a 3-1 triumph at the Monzuik - after 19 attempts.
There are so many positives to choose from. There are so many brilliant sub-plots to think about that make this win even greater than it is.
Real Madrid Femenino's first win vs Barcelona in 19 attempts comes at the perfect time
Real Madrid have been trailing in Clasicos for a while - this was their first time leading a Clasico since March 2022 - and all of this was achieved while their best players were rested for the second leg against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium this Wednesday.
Signe Bruun, Caroline Weir, Linda Caicedo were all on the bench to start the game, and they only came on once Alberto Toril realised this could be an upset in the making. Alba Redondo gave Real Madrid hope, and Weir was able to seal it perfectly with a brace off the bench, and solidifed her place in Real Madrid's history even more prophetically than before.
Everyone had the expectation before her first season that Weir will end up in Real Madrid's history books. Now, everyone knows that she already has. Not only that, but she will also be in nearly every chapter.
Real Madrid had seen no improvement in 18 attempts. All of them were scrubby losses one after the other that gave every single fan eternal pain.
Every time Real Madrid gained some consistency, Barcelona came and took it out of them. It was something painful to experience - all those 5-0 losses in these last few years have hurt every fan in existence - but this one win has now given them eternal hope. “We have suffered in silence. Today is a big day for Real Madrid fans,” said coach Alberto Toril after the match.
This has probably been the best week in Real Madrid Femenino's history. A win over Arsenal will definitely make it that. The job is not finished - nowhere near - but these four days have shown that even the once-unthinkable tasks; the impossible tasks, are achievable.
Real Madrid, as an institution, have always been a very big advocate of doing the unthinkable, battling till the end, and even though countless people have been rightfully vocal about the mismanagement of the women's team, the players' attitude is one thing you just cannot ignore.
The passion and will for the club is instilled in you once you put the shirt on, and even though there is work to do, Las Blancas have just shown that the team's potential knows no boundaries.