Josep Guardiola looked at Chang Sheng in front of him with some doubts, and then looked at his agent Olowitgue, as if asking with his eyes why he should let himself meet a Valencia head coach.
Haven't you already been in contact with Italy before?
Orlovitgue just smiled and nodded, indicating to Guardiola to listen to what the Chinese said.
Chang Sheng looked at Guardiola in front of him. He is only thirty years old now.
It stands to reason that a 30-year-old midfielder is still in the prime, or even the peak, of his career, and there is absolutely no reason for him to go hang out with a small team like Brescia in Italy.
In other words, if his residual value has not been squeezed out, how can he think about retirement?
Thirty-year-old Guardiola has thick hair on the top of his head, which is different from his hair that gradually became thinner when he became the head coach.
Now he has thick eyebrows and big eyes, full of heroic spirit.
Seeing that Guardiola finally withdrew his eyes from his agent and turned to him, Chang Sheng smiled slightly and began to persuade Guardiola.
"Pep, I'm here to give you a career plan..." he said.
"Career plan?" When Guardiola heard this sentence, he couldn't help laughing, and his laughter also interrupted Chang Sheng's words.
Although this was a bit rude, Guardiola felt that this Chinese was really... I don't know how to describe it, so he wanted to laugh.
Chang Sheng saw the disdain in Guardiola's laughter, and his expression became solemn after being interrupted. He did not continue speaking, but just looked at Guardiola and let him laugh.
Guardiola also saw Chang Sheng's reaction, so he stopped laughing. But the smile on his face was still there.
"Is it funny, Pep?" Chang Sheng asked, staring at Guardiola.
"Isn't it?" Guardiola shrugged and spread his hands. As he spoke, he turned and glanced at his agent. But what surprised him was that his agent Olowitger, who had always been in step with him, did not smile.
, but looked at Chang Sheng thoughtfully.
Guardiola didn't know how Chang Sheng came to the capital of Olowitgue. In fact, what Chang Sheng said to him was the first thing he said to Olowitgue.
A career plan.
Guardiola didn't even know that when Olowitgue heard this sentence, he laughed as much as he did.
But now he comes to see Guardiola with a winning streak, and he is obviously convinced.
So can Guardiola be convinced?
Olovich had to admit that what Chang Sheng said to him at first was very tempting.
As a player's agent, when a player retires, he has nothing to do with him. He will not transfer, and he will no longer have high wages. He will not be able to extract a share of the transfer fee and salary income. Therefore, many agents
The contractual relationship with the player is automatically terminated after the player retires.
But Olowitgue is different. He has known Guardiola for many years and has always been Guardiola's agent.
In addition, what agent doesn’t hope that he can continue to make money from players?
What Chang Winning brings is something that allows him to continue to make money from Guardiola. A career plan.
Olowitgue came to his senses and saw how Chang Sheng would convince Guardiola.
※ ※ ※
"Isn't it?" Guardiola said with a smile and a shrug, "I am already thirty years old and I plan to leave my favorite team. Until now I don't know where to go, but there are teams that seem to be interested in me.
Not much. The media said that my career has started to go downhill. Isn’t it funny that you talk about career planning to a person like me? If I were twenty years old and you talked about career planning to me, maybe I would still be interested.
"
Chang Sheng said: "You are only thirty years old, but you look old-fashioned. I will also turn thirty in the second half of this year, but I feel that my career has just started. Who told you that career planning is planned by professional players?
As you said, your career seems to be on the decline, so have you thought about what you would do if you retired?"
Hearing Chang Sheng ask this, Guardiola was stunned for a moment.
He is only thirty years old. Why is he considering retiring?
The media said that his career was on the decline, but he disagreed. He believed that he could maintain a high level for several more seasons.
This is why he has been hesitant. He doesn't want to randomly choose a team to retire to, because he really hasn't reached retirement age yet. But those wealthy teams seem to have a lack of interest in him.
Just a season ago, he was on the verge of winning a treble like Manchester United.
But now, the olive branches of wealthy families have withdrawn.
He himself also withdrew from the national team. Maybe the next step is to announce his retirement?
I didn't expect that the head coach of Valencia would see it that way.
Guardiola frowned.
He suddenly felt that this man was deliberately retaliating for his previous smile.
"Retirement is still far away from me. I am not thinking about retirement now." Guardiola replied in a not so good tone, and looked at his agent Olowitgue for the second time.
However, Olowitger just smiled and nodded to him, and had no intention of issuing an eviction order.
He felt something was wrong today.
Could it be that Oroviteg was bribed by this Chinese?
This is impossible. Maria and I have been working together for many years. He has never deceived me. He always does good for me...
Thinking of this, he patiently looked at Chang Sheng again, intending to hear what kind of ivory could come out of Chang Sheng's mouth.
※ ※ ※
He has always won but knows very well the future career trajectory of Guardiola.
Indeed, it is still five years before Guardiola actually retires - Guardiola announced his retirement in 2006, when he was playing for the Mexican Dorados team.
But since he decided to leave Barcelona, his career and retirement status have been almost the same.
In a small team like Brescia, I couldn't even practice in the European competition. I briefly played for Roma, but it was not satisfactory. Later, I simply went to the Saudi team Al Ahli. I completely left the mainstream European football circle and left.
people's vision.
What is the difference between this and retirement?
But he can't say it, because no one knows what the future will look like now. If he says it, people won't believe it, and they think he is cursing Guardiola. Then there is nothing to talk about.
But there is one thing that can be said.
"I know you are talking to Brescia now..."
This is no secret, it has been reported in the news. Guardiola has been waiting for an offer from the right team.
But no.
So they had no choice but to negotiate with Brescia, who was the most enthusiastic. But because they were unwilling to give in, the negotiations were very slow and seemed to be delaying.
"I don't understand why you made this decision, Pep. Going to Brescia is definitely not the right choice. Italian football doesn't suit your style, Pep. Look..." Chang Sheng almost said smoothly, "Look at Mendieta.
It was useless after I went to Lazio." Fortunately, she remembered that Mendieta was still in his team at this time, although there had been rumors that Mendieta would definitely leave...
Chang Sheng felt that he almost let it slip and quickly turned away. "Come to Valencia. You can get much more than in Valencia. We have entered the Champions League finals two years in a row..."
Guardiola interrupted Chang Sheng's words: "I know this. But I don't want to stay in Spain and play against Barcelona."
Chang Sheng slapped him: "If you don't want to, it's not a problem at all!" He was waiting for Guardiola to say this.
"As long as you transfer to Valencia, we can add this clause to your contract: the player has the right to refuse to play in the game against Barcelona, and the club cannot force the player to participate in the game."
Guardiola and Olowitgue were both stunned.
This was the first time they heard such terms.
Regarding the clause of "avoiding old club", many people believe that it was originally caused by Morientes' incident, so it is also called the "Morientes Clause". The matter was that in the 2004 Champions League match, Real Madrid was
Morientes, who was on loan to Monaco, performed well in the two rounds and personally ended his old club's Champions League run.
This incident made Real Madrid lose face, because the abandoned player they did not want scored consecutive goals in the game, eliminated the teams that looked down on him, and then followed Monaco all the way to the Champions League final.
Therefore, when Real Madrid later rented out players, it would specifically state in the loan contract that "the player shall not participate in games against Real Madrid" in order to avoid a "tragedy" like Morientes' happening.
You must know that Real Madrid has loaned out many players in the past, but they have never added such a clause.
The most famous one is Eto'o. After Eto'o was loaned to Mallorca, half of the ownership was bought out by Mallorca. He can still participate in the game against Real Madrid and scored consecutive goals in the game against Real Madrid.
, and I haven’t seen Real Madrid use any clause to avoid his old club.
Real Madrid took the lead after that, and other wealthy teams followed suit. As long as the players were loaned out, many people's contracts would have this clause "not allowed to play in games against their old clubs."
Of course, as the founder, Real Madrid himself uses it the most.
This avoidance clause is still new to Guardiola and his agent Oloviteger.
It is precisely because of this that we can reflect the sincerity of winning - you see, when I buy you, I don’t even expect you to play against Barcelona. I just want to have you!
You must know that Valencia is still a strong contender for the Spanish domestic championship. Giants like Barcelona are Valencia's direct competitors. They will never let go of any opportunity to attack Barcelona.
Buying players that the opponent does not want will obviously not have such an effect, but if the players that the opponent does not want represent Valencia and defeat Barcelona, then it will be considered a blow to the opponent.
But Chang Sheng voluntarily gave up this method, which surprised Guardiola and his agent.
Seeing the surprise in the other person's eyes, Chang Sheng felt that there was a reason for this, and then he continued.
"This is the career plan I want to talk about, Pep. Career planning is not just nonsense when you are a player, but also your plan after retirement. I think you have the talent to be a coach, and I asked you to come to Valencia.
Lencia, I am not only interested in your ability as a player, but also your talent in coaching. I think you will become a very good head coach, and I am willing to provide you with opportunities. Provide opportunities to become a coach.
.In Valencia, I am willing to let you participate in the team's training. Although it seems a bit early now. But it is always right to plan ahead and prepare in advance, isn't it?"
"I hope you can seriously consider it, Pep. Come to Valencia and start as a player-coach, so that when you decide to retire, you will also gain enough coaching experience, which will help you move forward quickly. Going into coaching. This career plan of mine is mainly for your plans after retirement. After your playing career is over, you can continue to work hard on the sidelines of the football field as a coach. What do you think?"
After Chang Sheng finished speaking, he looked at Guardiola.
He knew Guardiola would be tempted.
Because Guardiola really wants to be the head coach.
As early as the player days, Guardiola was Barcelona's "field coach". The captain of Barcelona who experienced the glory of the "Dream Team". In addition to playing the role of "general commander" in organizing and arranging offense and defense on the court, he also corrects his teammates. They even gave instructions to change the formation, just like a real head coach.
Judging from his subsequent performance in leading the team, he is indeed very talented as a head coach.
This may be the characteristic of Barcelona's traditional No. 4 player.
They were known for their strong outlook on the overall situation when they were players. They were good at thinking, and the transition from player to coach was naturally smooth.
Chang Sheng firmly believes that Guardiola must like to be a coach.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come back the next year after retiring and became the head coach of Barcelona's b team.
Moreover, he had already entered the Spanish Football Association coaching training class in 2005 before retiring, and obtained a coaching certificate in 2006. He had not retired at that time. It can be said that he had already thought about what he would do after retirement. , becoming the head coach of the Barcelona B team in 2007 was definitely not a whim.
Sure enough, after Chang Sheng said this, Guardiola fell into a long silence.
Chang Sheng was not in a hurry, drinking coffee quietly, looking at the bright and enthusiastic eyes and street view of Barcelona outside the window, patiently waiting for the result.
After a long time, Guardiola asked: "But I don't have the coaching qualifications..."
"You're not a real coach, so it doesn't matter if you don't have qualifications. Of course, if you want to take the qualification certificate now, that's no problem. I personally hope you can get the license as soon as possible."
Hearing what Chang Sheng said, Guardiola asked strangely: "Why are you so optimistic about my coaching ability?"
Chang Shengxin said, of course I know, and I also know that you won the Triple Crown for the first time when you led the first team, which is even worse than me, a time traveler.
Although many people say that with Barcelona's lineup and playing style, anyone can win the championship. But looking at the situation of this team after he left Barcelona, you may know that this is not the case.
But this cannot be said to Guardiola.
Chang Sheng looked Guardiola in the eyes and replied: "Because I believe in you, Pep."
This answer is a bit nonsensical, but it is indeed the best answer Chang Sheng can find at this time.
He can naturally analyze to Guardiola why Catalans are suitable as coaches, but these are meaningless. Maybe Guardiola himself knows it very well.
So all he could say was that he was betting that a person who had no choice but to leave his beloved club and felt confused and hesitant about his future could be moved by such a simple reason as "because I believe in you".
After Chang Sheng finished speaking, Guardiola had no reaction.
His heart skipped a beat, thinking that he might have failed.
Then Olowitger stood up and stretched out his hand to Chang Sheng: "Then let's stop here today. We need to discuss it, Chang. If there is any news, we will inform you."
Seeing this, it was probably a failure. Chang Sheng was a little reluctant, but he still maintained a good demeanor, shook hands with the two people, and then said goodbye and left.
After walking out of the cafe, standing in the bright sunshine, Chang Sheng was stunned for a while and left.
※ ※ ※
When Chang Sheng's back disappeared from the sunlight outside the window, Olowitgue withdrew his gaze and looked at Guardiola.
"What do you think, Pep? I think you seem a little moved?"
Guardiola smiled: "I have to say, he is right, I really want to be a head coach. If I want to retire, I will become a coach. I will not leave football. But... I am only three years old now."
Ten years old, is it too early to consider this issue now?"
"I think what he said makes sense, Pep. There are many players who retire and become coaches, but not many of them are successful. If you have this plan, it is better to make plans early. If you start to contact the coaching profession from now on, when you decide to retire
You must have accumulated enough experience by then. When the time comes to enter the coaching world, it may be much smoother than others." Olowitgue persuaded. He hoped that Guardiola would accept Valencia's invitation.
On the one hand, Guardiola is a free agent. He went to Valencia. Since he did not ask Valencia to pay the transfer fee, Valencia must offer a high salary, and this salary will include its own commission.
On the other hand, he not only hopes that Guardiola can become a coach, but also hopes that Guardiola can become a successful coach. Only in this way can he, as an agent, gain more benefits. And Valencia can be willing to let Guardiola
Diola came into the team as a player-coach and worked together, which he believes will be beneficial to Guardiola's future.
To be honest, when Chang Sheng came to him and told him all about the plan, Olowitger's eyes lit up.
Because he had visited many clubs before, but none of them could come up with such a thing.
Guardiola has only a few years left in his playing career, and he may not be able to earn more commissions from Guardiola.
But if Guardiola can become a successful coach, have no worries about work wherever he goes, and can earn a high salary, then Olowitgue can naturally gain more benefits.
So he is already leaning towards the option of Valencia.
And didn’t others say that too?
If Valencia and Barcelona meet, Guardiola doesn't have to play.
This is a very favorable condition...
Guardiola heard his agent say this and asked him: "Do you also think I can become a qualified coach, Maria?"
"It's not just as simple as being qualified, Pep." Olowitgue smiled and said to Guardiola, "You can become a great coach."
