About 6 years ago, on a slightly chilly November night, I fulfilled a long standing dream, and flew about 7,500 kilometers into Barajas airport in Madrid. Starstruck and starry eyed, I walked past immigration, picked up my bags and climbed into a cab. With my extremely limited Spanish vocab, I signaled to the driver to take me to Ciudad...Real Madrid...entrenamiento in the hope of catching a peek of the Galacticos before a huge game.

I had flown in to see Real Madrid take on Barcelona in the league. Sadly, I wasn't able to get tickets - which is just as well because Raul got injured, Barcelona stuffed us, and the Bernabeu gave Ronaldinho a standing ovation as we lost 3-0 at our own home ground. Bummer.

So it was decided that my first Real Madrid game would be a Champions League tie, against Lyon. I showed up at the stadium about 4 hours before kick off, and the atmosphere around the game was strangely upbeat, as if it hadn't sunk in what had happened to us yet.

The Ultras Sur were a-singing, fans were thronging in in hopes of a backlash from their highly paid flops, and there was an air of anticipation around the streets 0f Concha Espina. Lyon were at the height of their powers with a Juninho in rampant form, and with front row seats next to the bench, I was excited. This was also the game I believe where a teenage Benzema asked Ronaldo for a jersey, and his love affair with Real Madrid began.I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this contest

I didn't. I instantly took a dislike to that ugly French team (which at the time boasted of Abidal, Malouda, and Carew among others) and quickly exhausted my diary of expletives in the first 5 minutes, including the classic hijo de #@%$ and cabr*n. With the likes of Sergio Ramos (playing midfield!) Beckham, Robinho, and Zidane on the pitch, one would have expected Real Madrid to have  no trouble seeing off the French champions. However, Olympique were focused, organized, and resilient. A Carew backheel through the legs of Roberto Carlos on the 2nd half ensured that my first live game as a Madridista was not a win. I have hated Lyon ever since.

Over the years, Olympique Lyonnais have become a kind of symbol of the laughing stock that Real Madrid had turned to in Europe. A personification of sorts of the 'Curse of the knockout rounds'. Times would change; Zizou would make way for Kaka and Roberto Carlos for Marcelo, but we would huff and puff, and some 2-bit mediocre team like Lyon or Roma would still get that away goal to extend our humiliation by one more year.

Thankfully, under our new management that all seems to have been turned on its head. Last season was the first time we ever scored a goal at the Stade Gerland. It was also the first time we ever actually beat Olympique. In a 6 year history we may only have defeated them once, but I like to think that Real Madrid is now a European power once again, and for good. For one, we no longer have a past it, overweight striker who drops bombs on the dressing room the day before a big game; we don't have Vanderlei Luxemburgos and Lopez Caros at the helm of our club, we don't hear about our players turning up drunk to training (Can you believe that even happened at Real Madrid?). And above all, we don't lose 4-0 to teams ranked 92 places below us - and that's gotta count for something.

Here's hoping we win tomorrow.