You sat among the Barcelona fans in the stands, watching the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid players stretch.

On the left were the Real Madrid players—goalkeeper López, the defenders Carvajal, Varane, and Ramos, the center-backs Pepe, Marcelo, and Khedira, and the forwards Modrić, Bale, Di María, and Ronaldo. The entire group stood in a circle, chatting. And on the right were the Barcelona players Valdés, Alves, and Piqué, chatting among themselves. Mascherano was already in goal, stretching. Adriano, Busquets, and Xavi were on the flanks, passing the ball back and forth. Messi and Fabregas, meanwhile, were chatting with Neymar.

The game was about to start in a few minutes, and the crowd was growing.