It is a mighty burden to bear on an injured shoulder but Zinedine Zidane returns for Real Madrid tonight a week earlier than anticipated, with special strapping to prevent his shoulder from popping out again and an even more special mission: to save the struggling galácticos from failure against Roma.
That is the excitable message screaming out from the covers of the capital's sports press. It is also the intention of Real's caretaker manager Mariano García Remón, longing for signs of a recovery, as tonight his side host arguably the only club in Europe plunged deeper into crisis than his own.
Like Madrid, Roma have just watched their manager, Rudi Völler, walk out the door, lamenting a failure to connect
with dressing-room heavyweights. Like Madrid, they have been defeated three times already this season and, like Madrid, crisis and concern hang heavy in the air.
After opening-week Champions League defeats, both García Remón and Roma's caretaker manager Ezio Sella talked yesterday of attitude. Sella insisted that "attitude is more important than systems", García Remón that while confidence is at a low
ebb "no one can question our professionalism".
But they can and they have, and tonight far more is at stake than anyone expected at this stage of the season. For one of these troubled sides, tonight could shed light, providing vital points and a kick-start; for the other defeat would be a terrible blow.
For Madrid hopes reside in the returning Zidane. While García Remón did not go so far
as to scream "Zizou, save us!", as the cover of the sports daily Marca claimed, he might as well have. Having quietly expressed his pleasure at David Beckham's recovery from illness his tone and temperament lifted as he turned to the Frenchman.
No surprise there, perhaps; after all, Zidane will provide the creativity that Madrid currently lack. They have scored only four goals this season, two of those Beckham free-kicks, and have gone seven games without scoring more than once. They desperately need inspiration and Zidane most readily provides it.
García Remón said: "Zidane is looking forward to playing. He knows it's going to be a tough game, maybe even a final, because if we don't win it's going to be very difficult to get through, which is why he
has stepped forward and said that he wants to play. We're working hard to regain confidence on the ball, to get a couple of good results - starting with Roma".
For a Madrid team in crisis beating Roma would not just be a good place to start their season but a vital one; a good result is equally important for a manager whose position remains unclear. José Antonio Camacho walked after two defeats, one in the league and one in Europe. García Remón has already lost in La Liga and so knows how important tonight is - as, it appears, does Zidane.
Despite rumours suggesting Vicente del Bosque may replace García Remón, the former Real Madrid coach is staying on at Besiktas, according to the club's board, despite a dismal start to the season for the 2003 champions of Turkey.
