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May 2009 and Spanish giants Real Madrid had slipped to one of the lowest ebbs in their long and celebrated history. A 6-2 home defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Barcelona confirmed to even the most loyal Madridista that their club was in dire need of a radical reform: from the President, to the manager, and finally to the players themselves.
Whilst Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were busy lighting up La Liga and the Champions League with some of the most spectacular team performances ever seen in Spain; Madrid had looked like a team bereft of ideas, passion and most worryingly of all, talent.
The 6-2 hammering at the Bernabeu, along with the embarrassing 4-0 Champions League defeat at Anfield two months earlier, left little doubt that major changes would follow this summer.
The first change was the most crucial, with temporary President Vicente Boluda making way for Florentino Perez, the Spanish billionaire responsible for securing the big-name signings of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Robinho during his first tenure as President of the club.
Back in 2000, Figo was approaching the peak of his career and plying his trade at the Camp Nou. The chances of anyone but Perez pulling off this deal were practically non-existent. Yet, the entrepreneurial Spaniard made it his statement of intent when running for the presidency.
"If you get me elected, I'll bring you the number one player and at the same time humiliate Barcelona," read his brash mission statement.
Perez remained true to his word and captured the services of the Portuguese winger. And in the months and years afterwards, built a team worthy of the 'Galacticos' label with the long list of star-studded players gracing the Bernabeu each week.
And now, nine years on from his first spell at the helm, Perez is using the same technique to ensure Madrid are more than well equipped to not only compete with Barca in the Premera Liga, but the whole of Europe in the Champions League.
Ramon Calderon had promised the fans Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas and Arjen Robben if elected. But only Robben would eventually turn out in the famous white strip of Los Blancos under his tenure. The Madrid fans expected more and had to endure a series of false-hopes and empty promises.
Just weeks into his second spell as President of Real Madrid and Perez has already made a typically gutsy impact by signing Kaka for a world record £56m from AC Milan and then, even more sensationally, plucking Cristiano Ronaldo from under the nose of Sir Alex Ferguson in a deal worth a "vulgar" - in the words of Sir Bobby Charlton - £80m.
And with former Villarreal manager Manuel Pelligrini now in charge of the team, it seems that Perez will stop at no length to ensure Madrid win the title next season - as well as the Champions League.
Barcelona may well have been humiliated back in 2000 with Luis Figo's departure, but last season a series of truly embarrassing and humbling moments were inflicted on Madrid.
And like a wounded animal, they'll be out to inflict revenge and make amends for last season's failings - starting with their adversaries, Barcelona.
But off the back of an historic season for the Catalan club and boasting several of the best players on the planet including Lionel Messi and Andreas Iniesta - both of whom not even Perez would dream of attempting to land his hands on - Guardiola will be confident in his own team's ability to mount a serious challenge on all fronts again this season.
Whether or not Real Madrid will immediately achieve success remains unclear, however, one certainty is that the two biggest teams in Spain will be more competitive than ever before, and that can only be a good thing for La Liga and the millions worldwide that follow it.
"Ronaldo is a good player but he is certainly not the best.
"For me, Ibrahimovic is the best.''
High praise indeed from José Mourinho, the coach of Inter Milan and the manager of one of European football's greatest enigmas, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The 27-year-old Swedish international can at least be relied on to do one thing - divide opinion better than any other striker. Described as 'half ballerina, half gangster' by one Italian journalist, little doubt can be cast that Ibrahimovic is one of the most technically gifted players of the current generation.
His goalscoring exploits in Serie A this season have alerted both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as the Spanish rivals battle to claim the signature of the Italian league's top scorer and the highest paid football in the world.
But for all Ibrahimovic's talents and the exuberant manner in which he plays the game, fierce criticism over his work ethic and failure to produce when it really matters remain, particularly amongst those here in England.
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill famously claimed Ibra was "the most overrated player in the world" whilst working as a pundit for the BBC during the last World Cup - an opinion that seems to have become widespread in this country ever since.
But whilst people continue to doubt the talent of the Inter forward, he's been busy putting in another series of sensational performances for his club, guiding the Nerazzurri to back-to-back league titles.
Since joining from Juventus in 2006, the Swede has scored 57 times in just 88 league matches. A prolific goalscoring record by anyones standards.
However, for Ibrahimovic to truly do justice to the huge amount of talent he possess, he's fully aware that he must shine in the Champions League.
Last season, he was presented with the perfect opportunity to silence his doubters when Inter Milan were paired up with Manchester United in the first knockout round of the competition, one year after he failed to make an impact against Liverpool at the same stage of the tournament.
Barring a few nice touches and mere glimpses of his footballing genius, Ibrahimovic's critics walked away from Old Trafford, left with no reason to change their opinion of the Inter number 8.
With no UK coverage of Serie A available this season, it's easy to forgive those who believe the Swedish international to be an overrated showpony. But with a move to La Liga now heavily rumoured, those opinions may soon set to be changed as his performances reach a wider audience.
And whether it's the royal white of Real Madrid or the famous colours of Barca, Ibra could well be wearing next season, the whole of Europe may finally regard the striker exactly as he should be - as one of the best in the business.
Here's a selection of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's career defining moments:
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgqsaDnsEq8 : A YouTube classic and not without good reason. Ibrahmovic beats the entire NAC Breda defence several times before finally taking pity and slotting it into the back of the net.
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T4D43j9RUY: A fantastic strike in the famous Juventus shirt - building his growing reputation as one of the deadliest forwards in Italy.
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3DGEC79ms4 : A wonderfully inventive goal against Italy in Euro 2004.
4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMbLaH1Q-e4 : Inter needed a win against Parma on the final day of the season to guarantee the Serie A title. Into the second half and tied at 0-0, the Swede was thrown on to win the match and the league title. He didn't disappoint.
5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDr71KzFy9c : Voted goal of the season in Italy last season, Ibra puts his taekwondo to good use, by turning in Adriano's cross in typically audacious fashion.
And finally...
The most unorthodox pass which no other player in the world could even hope of pulling off : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eraTrQ90FE
Wolfsburg will compete in next season's UEFA Champions League campaign for the first time in their 64-year history after claiming the Bundesliga title last month.
It's been a meteoric rise to success for the German side who, 12 months ago, were celebrating a fifth place finish in the Bundesliga - their best finish until this season.
So how exactly did Wolfsburg achieve such a feat?
First of all, full credit must go to Felix Magath, the former Bayern Munich coach who, rather surprisingly, will take charge of Schalke from next month.
Magath was the man who managed to bring in the two key components of Wolfsburg success on the pitch, in the form of 30-year-old Brazilian Grafite and 23-year-old attacking midfielder Edin Dzeko. And it's the highly-talented Bosnian star who we focus our attention on here.
Off the back of a hugely influential season, Dzeko was yesterday named Germany's Footballer of the Year.
His partnership with Grafite led to an incredible 54 league goals being shared amongst the two strikers - making them the most successful strike duo in Bundesliga history. You may recognise Grafite because of his wondergoal scored earlier this season against Bayern Munich (which can be viewed here) but because of his age, it's Dzeko who's set to have the biggest impact in the months and years to come.
With Kaká looking increasingly likely to leave Milan for Madrid to kick-start a second 'Galaticos' Real Madrid era under star-chasing Florentino Perez, the Rossoneri will turn their attention to the Bosnian 23-year-old to step in the shoes of the 2007 World Football of the Year.
Dzeko netted 26 goals in Germany this season, including two hat-tricks against Hoffenheim and Hannover 96 last month to fire the Wolves to their first ever title and tranform his reputation as rising star, to one of the hottest properties in European football.
At 6'3", Dzeko isn't just a threat from set pieces with his aerial prowess. His ability to pick out the top corner from outside the box was displayed on more than a few occasions last season, along with his coolness in front of goal inside the 18-yard box.
His impressive performances have also reportedly caught the eye of several English clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea, as speculations mounts that his future lies away from the Bundesliga.
But whatever happens over the summer and wherever his future may lie, Edin Dzeko is certainly a name to keep tabs on and a player set to make an impact during the 2009/10 Champions League campaign.
