This was the first time Gao Shen had met Guardiola since the Champions League final.
When Guardiola picked him up at the airport, he looked so miserable. His expression and eyes were full of resentment, it was almost pitiful.
"Alright, I admit I was wrong, Pep," Gao Shen said solemnly, wrapping an arm around Guardiola's shoulders. "To make it up to you, I swear, if I face you in this season's Champions League again, I'll be a puppy!"
At first, Guardiola was just mildly complaining, without much of a reaction. But after hearing Gao Shen's words, he nearly lost it.
Damn it, you think you won't be competing with me?
You won't be in the Champions League? Or are you not good enough to compete?
"Gao, you have to speak with some conscience!" Guardiola said, half laughing in disbelief.
"My conscience is clear. I had the chance to coach Bayern Munich, but I chose not to just so I wouldn't have to compete with you in the Champions League. Instead, I went to Manchester City. The fans—no, the readers, are furious with me for it."
Guardiola pointed at him, speechless for a long time.
"Gao, I can see you've become even more shameless than before," Guardiola finally said, shaking his head as if he had been utterly betrayed. He walked ahead, pretending not to see him.
Gao Shen and Lucas followed behind, grinning.
They always enjoyed seeing Guardiola get flustered.
Of course, Gao Shen was only joking like this because Brian Kidd wasn't around. If Manchester City's technical director had been present, he wouldn't have made such jokes, it wouldn't have been appropriate.
Kidd had stayed in Gelsenkirchen to handle Neuer's transfer.
After Gao Shen's hour-long call with Neuer, everything was essentially settled.
Neuer believed in the plan Gao Shen had laid out for him and was very intrigued by it.
As for personal terms? That wasn't a problem at all.
Compared to Premier League wages, Bundesliga salaries were nothing.
…
The three of them got into Guardiola's car and drove out of the airport.
Since they were in Barcelona, it was only natural that Guardiola would take them out for a meal.
"Alright, tell me, what sneaky plan do you have coming to Barcelona?" Guardiola asked as he drove.
Gao Shen curled his lips. "See? You're misunderstanding me again. Do I look like that kind of person?"
Guardiola didn't respond. He just pointed at his own face, as if saying, Look at yourself.
Not just similar, it's exactly like that!
"I still remember the last time you came here, you were trying to poach our players. I'm guessing it's the same this time," Guardiola said suspiciously.
"Come on, bro, now that's unfair. You took Thiago Motta from me, and I haven't even complained yet."
"What do you mean 'yours'? You know very well that Napoli's head coach is Allegri now. What does that have to do with you?"
"Fine, you win. The rich clubs always win, right?" Gao Shen actually conceded for once.
But Guardiola wasn't buying it. "That doesn't sound like you at all."
"What do you mean?"
"You never back down."
The more Guardiola thought about it, the more suspicious he became. "Just tell me, who do you want?"
His tone suggested that if they couldn't come to an agreement, he wouldn't even treat them to dinner.
"Messi!" Gao Shen declared.
Guardiola was so startled that he slammed on the brakes.
"Are you crazy?"
"Are you crazy? Slamming the brakes in the middle of the road, do you have a death wish?" Gao Shen was shaken.
Sure enough, the traffic police were right, never distract the driver while they're driving. It's way too dangerous!
"No, seriously, you want to buy Messi?" Guardiola pulled over.
"Yeah. First offer—150 million euros. If that's not enough, we'll go higher," Gao Shen said, looking every bit like a wealthy man ready to splash cash.
Guardiola pointed at him, unable to find the words.
What was he supposed to say?
That Messi isn't for sale?
That wouldn't hold up, everything had a price.
"No way. If you have that much money, why not spend it on something else?"
Gao Shen chuckled. "But I just like Messi."
"He won't adapt to the Premier League. He's not built for physical play."
"That's fine. I'll help him train for it. You know Pintus is excellent at that."
"He wouldn't want to go to the Premier League—it's too risky."
"I've already thought about it. I'll build the entire team around him. No problem."
"But you don't even have a proper midfield. You expect Messi to play with a bunch of rough players?"
"Don't worry, I've got that covered too. Look, I already signed Rakitic. I'm in talks with Modrić from Tottenham and David Silva from Valencia. Still not enough? No problem, I'll go after Xavi and Iniesta too."
At this point, Gao Shen spread his hands nonchalantly.
"You know, to my boss, money is just numbers. He already told me, there's no upper limit on the transfer budget. I can buy whoever I want."
Gao Shen's words were half true, half exaggerated, leaving Guardiola unsure whether to believe him.
But one thing was clear—when you had unlimited funds, you could do whatever you wanted.
If they were willing to spend 150 million euros on Messi, why wouldn't they pay for Xavi and Iniesta too?
"You're insane!" Guardiola finally said, realizing he had taken the whole thing too seriously.
He knew Gao Shen well. If Manchester City had convinced him to join, they must have given him complete control.
As for Messi, no one knew his potential better than Guardiola himself.
…
The car started moving again.
Soon, Gao Shen and Lucas burst into laughter, followed by Guardiola's frustrated roar.
"You two bastards, get out of my car right now!"
"Come on, bro, we're on the highway!"
"Why do I even put up with you? Do you really enjoy messing with me this much?"
"It's actually quite fun."
"Get lost! Swear to me that you won't go after Messi, Xavi, or Iniesta!"
"Relax, you act like they're priceless treasures. Do I really care that much?"
"I don't trust you! You're always up to something! How do I know what you're planning?"
"Hey, Pep, I can vouch for Gao, he's not trying to steal your players."
"What right do you have to vouch for him? You're just an accomplice! The two of you are in this together!"
"Haha, Pep, are you really scared?"
"Scared? Do you know a single top club in Europe that isn't wary of you?"
"I take that as a compliment."
"Get lost!"
…
The car entered Barcelona, and Guardiola took them straight to a five-star hotel.
He had already booked a room for Gao Shen and his companion.
And that was precisely what frustrated him the most.
He had gone out of his way to be a good host, and yet, if Gao Shen really was here to poach his players, wouldn't that be like inviting a wolf into his own home?
After checking in, Guardiola still looked uneasy.
"Be honest with me, what are you really here for?" he asked seriously.
Gao Shen could tell Guardiola was genuinely concerned and couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm here to meet a player."
"From Barça?"
"No," Gao Shen shook his head. "But he lives in Barcelona right now."
Seeing that Gao Shen wasn't joking, Guardiola felt slightly relieved but he still wasn't letting his guard down.
He had no choice. Gao Shen was too cunning.
"Is he any good?" Guardiola asked curiously.
Gao Shen thought for a moment, then nodded. "In a few years, you might have to pay as much for him as Real Madrid did for Cristiano Ronaldo."
Hearing this, Guardiola was intrigued.
Cristiano Ronaldo had cost Real Madrid nearly 100 million euros—a world-record transfer fee.
But as far as he knew, there weren't any rising stars in Barcelona worth that kind of money.
If there were, there was no way he wouldn't have heard about it.
"Who is he?" Guardiola pressed.
Gao Shen narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Do you think I'd tell you?"
"Tsk!" Guardiola waved his hand dismissively, though deep down, he had to admire Gao Shen's scouting eye.
Gao Shen studied him for a moment before suddenly asking, "How are you holding up after the Champions League final?"
Guardiola's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly shook his head. "What do you mean? We made it to the Champions League final and nearly won the treble. What else do you expect?"
Gao Shen nodded. "I just didn't understand why you switched to a three-man defense in the second half."
Guardiola sighed, then smiled faintly. "What did you think of our ball control after we switched to three at the back?"
"It was better," Gao Shen admitted.
Guardiola nodded. "Exactly."
After a brief pause, he continued. "If you analyze the game in hindsight, it's easy to say the tactical change was a mistake. But in reality, if your players' stamina had dropped even a little in the second half—if their defensive intensity had waned after taking the lead—the outcome could have been completely different."
"If we had equalized, you guys would've been the ones under pressure!" Guardiola said confidently.
Gao Shen didn't dismiss the possibility.
Of course, from his perspective, he would have made adjustments. If things had gotten out of hand, he would have even considered sitting deep, dragging the game into extra time, and relying on his team's physical advantage or even taking it to penalties.
A Champions League final was like a duel between two master tacticians.
The margin of victory was often razor-thin, sometimes just a matter of details.
The lopsided scoreline had only happened because one side executed those details better and capitalized on key moments.
Looking at it with hindsight, it was easy to analyze and pinpoint mistakes.
But in the heat of the moment, things had been far more uncertain.
And that was exactly why Guardiola believed that if Barcelona had scored first in the second half, the whole game would have flipped.
It reinforced what Gao Shen already thought about Guardiola.
He always approached the game from a possession-based, attacking perspective.
It wasn't that he ignored defense, it just wasn't his top priority.
By contrast, Gao Shen was more pragmatic.
And that was why he had always known that he wasn't suited for Barcelona.
If he were to coach a top club, his personality would be a much better fit for Real Madrid.
Maybe it was fate.
(To be continued.)
***
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