Florentino Pérez was in a foul mood.
Everyone at the Bernabéu could see it.
Real Madrid's summer transfer window had gone exceptionally smoothly, thanks to Florentino and his team's meticulous planning.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Benzema—Madrid had already established contact with them well in advance. The moment Florentino returned to the club, the deals were finalized. Now, it was just a matter of finding the right time to officially unveil them.
Real Madrid was preparing a grand presentation for Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká at the Bernabéu.
It would be a major event, further solidifying Madrid's return to dominance.
Everything had gone exactly according to plan.
And yet, Florentino was furious.
Only those who knew him well understood why, he had miscalculated on the most crucial piece of the puzzle.
Gao Shen.
Florentino had never expected Gao Shen to turn down the chance to coach a Real Madrid squad full of superstars and instead choose Manchester City.
What did City have?
No big-name stars.
A declining Robinho, who had failed to live up to expectations.
An empty trophy cabinet.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid had assembled a dream team—Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Benzema, Di María, Xabi Alonso…
Even beyond the players, Madrid was home to Gao Shen.
He had friends here. He knew the club. He knew the league.
But he still said no.
He chose Manchester City instead.
…
Florentino had envisioned a different reality.
If Gao Shen had taken over at Real Madrid, the club's momentum would have been unstoppable.
They had just thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League final, if Gao Shen joined Madrid, it would completely overshadow Guardiola's team.
Madrid would dominate.
But Gao Shen didn't come.
And Florentino's perfect plan fell apart.
Now, he had built the stage but the star of the show refused to perform.
How could he possibly be happy?
And more importantly could Pellegrini really handle a squad full of superstars?
…
"We've spent €307 million this summer," CEO José Ángel Sánchez reported. "The market response has been overwhelming, and global attention is at an all-time high.
"I've also met with sponsors over the past few days. They're extremely satisfied and are open to renegotiating sponsorship deals."
Sánchez had been Real Madrid's head of marketing and sales before being promoted to CEO upon Florentino's return.
Florentino had wasted no time in launching a new round of reforms at Real Madrid.
"The contract with Betfair won't be renewed after it expires," Florentino instructed. "It damages our brand image."
At the moment, Betfair was Real Madrid's main shirt sponsor, a well-known betting company.
For a club of Real Madrid's prestige to display a gambling company on their kits? An absolute disgrace.
"Understood," José Ángel Sánchez nodded.
He had originally negotiated the deal but had been powerless to stop it.
Calderón and Mijatović had pushed for it, and there was nothing he could do.
Back then, the European football market was struggling. Even for a club as big as Real Madrid, securing a lucrative shirt sponsorship was no easy task.
Back in 2002, despite signing Ronaldo, Real Madrid failed to sell their shirt sponsorship.
In 2003, after signing Beckham, they finally secured a deal with Samsung Electronics but only for three years.
By 2006, Real Madrid had signed a contract with BenQ, but the company went bankrupt after just one year.
So in 2007, desperate for a sponsor, many top clubs—including Real Madrid—were forced to accept deals with betting companies. It was a compromise.
But now, Florentino refused to compromise.
He was determined to protect Real Madrid's brand image at all costs.
…
"The excess personnel in the administrative department must be dealt with immediately," Florentino continued. "Tell Calderón that I'm already showing him mercy by not sending him and Mijatović to prison. He better tell his people to clear out, or I won't be so kind."
Just mentioning his predecessor made him furious.
What a mess Calderón had left behind.
To be played like that by his own subordinates? A disgrace to Real Madrid.
"Understood. I've already spoken to them," Sánchez replied.
As a veteran of three Real Madrid presidencies, he had seen it all.
With the CEO gone, only Zidane, Valdano, Butragueño, and general manager Manuel Redondo remained in the president's office.
These four were Florentino's most trusted confidants.
"I heard Gao Shen has been in Barcelona recently. What's he up to?" Florentino asked.
Zidane, Valdano, and Butragueño exchanged glances.
None of them had a clear answer.
"All I know is that he made a trip to Valencia," Zidane replied.
He spoke with Gao Shen often, but some things couldn't be shared either because they were private, or simply his own speculation.
"Villa? David Silva? Juan Mata?" Florentino asked.
"I don't know," Zidane said, shaking his head.
Florentino frowned.
"I need to have a proper talk with Llorente one of these days. Our players have transferred to Valencia plenty of times, yet they refuse to sell theirs to us. Does he really want to see another Mendieta situation happen again?"
The whole world knew Real Madrid and Valencia weren't direct rivals, yet Valencia consistently refused to sell their stars to Madrid.
The most infamous case? Gaizka Mendieta.
At the start of the millennium, when Valencia reached back-to-back Champions League finals, Mendieta was one of the most sought-after players in the world.
Real Madrid were determined to sign him, and Mendieta himself had agreed—but Valencia refused.
Instead, they sold him to Lazio for a lower fee, just to prevent him from joining Madrid.
What happened next? Mendieta flopped in Serie A, his career spiraling into decline.
This pattern repeated itself over the years from Mendieta to Vicente, and now with Villa and Silva.
Valencia wasn't afraid of strengthening Madrid.
They were afraid of their own fans' backlash.
Ever since Madrid controversially poached Mijatović in the '90s, Valencia had vowed never to sell their stars to Madrid again.
But, interestingly, they had sold Albiol to Madrid.
So ultimately, it was a matter of choice.
"It's probably David Silva," Valdano speculated.
Florentino's expression softened slightly.
Truthfully, he was more interested in Villa.
This was the striker who had replaced Raúl in the Spanish national team.
"Manchester City has also made a move for Luka Modrić," Valdano added.
"They even offered €50 million, but Tottenham rejected it outright, saying Modrić was not for sale."
Valdano sighed. "Redknapp even threatened to resign if the club sold Modrić, so…"
"Premier League clubs really are rich," Florentino chuckled.
€50 million for a midfielder who isn't even a superstar yet?
Why wouldn't Tottenham cash in?
"David Silva wouldn't cost nearly that much," Valdano pointed out. "If we want him, we should act fast—just in case."
Florentino shook his head.
"Didn't you hear what Sánchez just said? We've already spent over €300 million. Our biggest priority now is offloading players like Sneijder, Robben, and Van der Vaart. We need to recoup at least €100 million to balance the books."
"We can't move for Silva at this time."
Valdano glanced at Zidane and nodded helplessly.
David Silva was a fantastic midfielder.
And if Gao Shen wanted him, that meant he had to be good.
But unfortunately, Real Madrid already had Kaká.
…
"Tell the players' agents to start looking for buyers," Florentino instructed. "We need to raise at least €100 million by selling off the surplus players."
Spending money felt great.
But recouping it? That was the hard part.
Florentino knew he was trying to do in one summer what should have been done over multiple seasons.
Over €300 million invested, but Real Madrid didn't actually have that kind of money.
The only way to manage it? Pay transfer fees in installments, take out bank loans, and offload players quickly.
The problem? Other clubs were also paying in installments when buying from Madrid.
It was a financial balancing act and Madrid's cash flow was under immense pressure.
Robben was the most valuable asset they could sell.
Huntelaar, Sneijder, and Van der Vaart were worth around €15 million each.
Robben's value had dropped, but he was still worth at least €25 million.
That was Madrid's bottom line.
If that wasn't enough, they'd have to sell off youth players like Javi García and Miguel Torres.
One way or another—they had to balance the books.
"I understand. I'll get started right away," Valdano nodded.
Just then, Zidane's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—Gao Shen.
A grin spread across Zidane's face.
He held up his phone to Florentino and Valdano, who both looked intrigued.
Zidane answered.
"Hey, Gao, we were just talking about you with Florentino and Jorge…"
"Haha, what are you saying? We were wondering if you were in Barcelona trying to steal players…"
"Really? That'd be great—if you steal Messi, we won't have to worry anymore!"
"You want to steal players from Madrid? You've got guts!"
"What?" Zidane suddenly sat up straighter.
"You're in Madrid?"
He exchanged glances with Florentino and Valdano.
They were both stunned.
Gao Shen really was unpredictable.
(To be continued.)
***
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