Kashinath Bhattacharjee

It felt like one of those old flicks they show on Saturday afternoons in which the gang successfully gets together for one final, big heist. Except, even without Mbappe, you suspect this won't be their last -- not when there's a guy like Ancelotti, one of the few men who can pull off the cardigan-cigar-shades combination and lead a team in transition to a league and cup double. Not with young guns - Vinicius, Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo - already with the "big one" under their belt. Not with Courtois, in the prime of his career, staking a claim as the world's No. 1 between the posts and getting a few things off his chest. ("We showed again who is the King of Europe.")