In a high-end restaurant in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, Gao Shen warmly entertained the visiting Zidane and Valdano.
Accompanying him is Gao Shen's fiancée Su Qing.
When the three men sat together, the topic easily turned to football.
This is the purpose of their trip.
"When we wanted to introduce Kaka, you said that this road would not work. Now it seems that you were right and we were all wrong!" After Valdano finished speaking, he sighed with mixed emotions.
Florentino and Valdano, who are entering the palace for the second time, both want to have a career because they both have deep feelings for Real Madrid and hope to prove their ability and value through entering the palace for the second time.
Florentino wants to use his second entry into the palace to re-establish himself and secure his position as Real Madrid chairman.
But this season, Real Madrid's performance has not been satisfactory.
So far, La Liga has played 22 rounds, and Real Madrid is two points behind Barcelona. In the first match between the two sides, Real Madrid lost 0-1 at Camp Nou.
Judging from the score, this is a good result, and the process is acceptable, but Real Madrid will not be satisfied.
What really triggered Pellegrini's coaching crisis was the Copa del Rey, when they lost 0-4 to an amateur team. This was simply a huge humiliation for Real Madrid. There was even news that Florentino was going to send Pellegrini to Pellegrini on the spot.
Rini was fired.
Spending more than 300 million euros to gather four top superstars from three major leagues, only to lose to an amateur team. This is simply the funniest joke in the world.
But it happened.
Later, Florentino calmed down and did not fire Pellegrini, hoping that he could lead the team to turn around the situation, especially in the Champions League.
During Pellegrini's coaching tenure at Villarreal, his results in the Champions League were quite good.
But who would have thought that Real Madrid lost 2-0 away to Lyon in the first leg of the knockout round of the top 16.
Judging from the score, it is unlikely that the team will advance at home in the second round.
And this is why Zidane and Valdano came to Manchester.
Gao Shen had already guessed that this would be the case more than half a year ago.
At that time, he also advised Valdano, believing that the introduction of Kaka would be detrimental to Real Madrid's overall tactics.
But at that time, who believed him?
Even Zidane is probably dubious, because Zidane himself is an attacking midfielder.
But now, the results are out.
Although there are many superstars, they are still useless when the midfield is unbalanced.
…
"There is no right or wrong in this kind of thing. Everyone has different ideas and understandings, which is normal."
Gao Shen smiled and comforted that his team would not be able to play in the Champions League this season, so he was not qualified to evaluate those teams that could advance to the top 16 knockout rounds, even those that lost in the first round.
Zidane and Valdano were so "comforted" by him that they didn't know how to continue.
According to their previous plan, it should be done with emotion and reason.
They all believe that with their advanced abilities, they will be able to solve Real Madrid's current problems and lead the team out of its predicament.
Florentino, who was far away in Madrid, believed the same, so he let the two come to Manchester.
It's very simple. Since Gao Shen could see Real Madrid's problems more than half a year ago, he would definitely be able to solve them.
Thinking of this, and looking at the affectionate and inseparable relationship between Gao Shen and Su Qing, Zidane and Valdano looked at each other, and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
In the end, Zidane couldn't help but speak.
"Gao, come back!" Zidane said in a pleading tone.
"Go back? Go back to where?"
"Real Madrid, all of us are waiting for you."
"Stop joking, Zinedine, what should I do when I go back?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.
"Help him get out of trouble, just like you did four years ago. All of us believe that you will be able to do it and do it better than four years ago." Zidane said sincerely.
He has a close relationship with Gao Shen and has served as Gao Shen's assistant, so he knows Gao Shen's abilities better than anyone else.
Real Madrid's current predicament is not a problem for Gao Shen.
The real question is, will he return to Real Madrid?
After Gao Shen was silent for a few seconds, he smiled and shook his head: "Zinedine, Real Madrid now is different from Real Madrid back then, and I am different too. Manchester City now also has some troubles that I need to solve.
, you know me, I will not abandon everything at this time."
"We can wait until the end of the season." Valdano said quickly.
In terms of Gao Shen, Real Madrid's sincerity is also very high.
It can be said that apart from the superstar strategy, other things can be discussed.
Gao Shen was still smiling and shaking his head.
This made Zidane and Valdano on the opposite side feel heavy.
"Zinedine, Jorge, we have been friends for many years. I am very happy that you can come to see me, and I welcome you to stay in Manchester for a while. All your expenses and expenses will be mine, but when you come back
Let’s not mention Real Madrid again.”
Gao Shen said it very firmly and there was no room for doubt.
…
After the meal, Zidane and Valdano watched Gao Shen leave holding Su Qing's hand.
As friends, they are all happy for Gao Shen.
But as employees of Real Madrid, they are all quite disappointed.
Publicly and privately, they all hope to cooperate with Gao Shen again.
However, they also know Gao Shen very well, and once he makes a decision, he will not change it easily.
"Actually, that's fine." Valdano said this without any end.
Zidane also nodded and showed a wry smile.
The current Real Madrid locker room is not that easy to deal with, and the problems are also very big.
Raul, Guti and others are all very old and should take a back seat. But at the same time, there are too many superstars in the frontcourt. How to distribute the ball rights and functions?
And what Gao Shen said, if you want to ensure the midfield, you must adjust the superstar configuration, then who should you win?
You must know that every superstar is introduced by the team at a huge cost, and they are not bought to sit on the bench and watch the water dispenser.
Back then, Gao Shen was able to control the Real Madrid locker room because the team had been weak for many years and was forced to have no way out.
but now……
Thinking of this, Zidane took out his mobile phone, called Florentino who was waiting for news in Madrid, and briefly explained his conversation with Gao Shen in Manchester.
Florentino was silent on the other side of the phone for a long time.
As early as when Gao Shen coached Real Madrid, he was already very optimistic about Gao Shen.
Even when he was preparing to enter the palace for the second time and return to the position of chairman of Real Madrid, the head coach in his mind was only Gao Shen from beginning to end.
But who would have thought that Gao Shen would angrily coach Manchester City because of differences over the recruitment of superstars and because of his decision to act first and then play later.
Although Gao Shen has received a lot of criticism in recent times, Manchester City is still the leader of the Premier League, and their 19th consecutive victory in the half-season championship is enough to shock the world of football.
Gao Shen is still the same magical Gao Shen.
But Real Madrid is no longer the Real Madrid it was at the beginning of the season, and Florentino is not as confident as he was at the beginning of the season.
At least, the president of Real Madrid before the season refused to believe that the superstar lineup he spent more than 300 million euros to build would actually lose to an amateur team.
But according to Zidane and Valdano, Gao Shen has made up his mind, who can make him change his mind?
…
After leaving the restaurant, Gao Shen and Su Qing held hands and strolled home on the green path, enjoying the rare comfort.
"Actually, you still care about Real Madrid." Su Qing said.
She knows Gao Shen very well, and she knows that Gao Shen is a very emotional person at heart.
Gao Shen smiled at her and said nothing.
"Why didn't you agree to them?" Su Qing asked strangely.
Gao Shen let go of Su Qing's hand, reached over, and hugged her shoulders. With a little force, she pressed her whole body against Gao Shen, making her look even more intimate.
Even though the two have been in a relationship for so long, Su Qing still couldn't bear Gao Shen's sudden close contact.
But after Gao Shen arbitrarily rejected her "resistance", she could only obey her fate.
"Now is not the time."
"Why?"
Gao Shen smiled softly again, "Real Madrid is a club that is different from other teams. Ever since the first phase of Florentino's Galaxy Battleship, he has attached great importance to commercial value, and superstars are a very important component of Real Madrid's commercial value.
part."
"So, whether it is the previous Galaxy Battleship Phase 1 or the current Galaxy Battleship Phase 2, the superstars have a pivotal position and influence. They can even directly connect to the top management and even the chairman."
When Su Qing heard this, she immediately understood Gao Shen's concerns.
If Real Madrid is regarded as a company, then this kind of cross-level reporting, where the leader skips himself and interferes with the work of his subordinates, is definitely a taboo.
"Now, many of them still have illusions. They always feel that after introducing a group of superstars, the results will naturally improve. They ignore the existence of the head coach. By the same token, they also underestimate the role of the head coach.
"
Real Madrid has never respected the tradition of head coaches.
It was before, it is now, and it may still be in the future.
But as a head coach, Gao Shen has no way of working in such an environment and atmosphere. He needs the club's most heartfelt support, otherwise, he would rather not go.
And this is something that the current Real Madrid cannot provide.
If nothing else, Gao Shen only needs to ask Florentino one question: Can I put all superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká into the shadows?
Gao Shen will never take over Real Madrid before getting a definite answer.
Because if he doesn't even have the power to deal with a player, then how can he control the team in the locker room? How can he convince the crowd? How can he make everyone listen to his orders?
Some people may say that Ronaldo can be persuaded to cooperate.
But the problem is that this kind of cooperation itself is very fragile, and with Gao Shen's current identity and status, why should he take this risk? Why should he do this?
In fact, whether it is Florentino, Valdano or Zidane, they have always been very clear about where Gao Shen's bottom line is, but Real Madrid will not compromise for the time being.
