Chapter 44 The Wind Has Changed
Although it was past midnight when we returned to Madrid, there were still many Real Madrid fans coming to the airport to pick us up.
Before the team left for London, everyone had lost confidence in the game, but precisely because of this, after the team's reversal, Real Madrid fans were particularly excited, even crazy.
When the team landed on a chartered plane, more than 3,000 Real Madrid fans had gathered at Madrid Capital Airport, and more and more fans were pouring into the airport from all directions.
Tonight, the whole city of Madrid is in carnival!
When Gao Shen and the Real Madrid team appeared at the Madrid airport, there was a huge commotion at the scene. All the fans swarmed up and surrounded the triumphant players, making it impossible to get through, which shows how warm the atmosphere was.
"Well done, Real Madrid warriors, you have demonstrated the tenacious will of Real Madrid!"
"That was a great performance, I'm so proud of you guys!"
"Come on! We must continue to advance and strive to win another Champions League title!"
As the team's head coach, Gao Shen walked at the front of the team as per convention.
This was also the first time for many Real Madrid fans to see their head coach face to face. They were all surprised and conflicted.
The surprise was because Gao Shen was so young.
Even standing among the players, Gao Shen looked very young.
Not to mention compared with veterans like Zidane, even compared with Real Madrid youngsters like Ramos, Negredo and De La Red, Gao Shen looks exceptionally young.
This is not because of their age, but because these young players of Real Madrid all have stubble. Ramos has long Argentine hair that looks elegant but is actually very messy, plus a white headband, which makes him look several years older than normal.
On the other hand, Gao Shen has a clean face, is handsome, and has a slightly bookish air. He looks like a student who has just graduated from campus. Although he is only 25 years old, when standing next to the 19-year-old Ramos, he looks even younger.
Can such a person be the head coach of Real Madrid?
This is also the main reason why Real Madrid fans have been bombarding Gao Shen in the past ten days.
But it was Gao Shen who, under impossible circumstances, led the team to a reversal against Arsenal away from home and into the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Even Wenger, in the post-match press conference, praised Gao Shen's deployment of troops and his courage and determination at Highbury.
This makes Real Madrid fans very conflicted.
Gao Shen is a meritorious player, and logically they should support him. However, he is so young and doesn't look like a head coach who can be entrusted with important tasks. How do they make a choice?
Amid the contradiction, Real Madrid fans gave more praise to Real Madrid players.
This is also the first time in such a long time that a Real Madrid player has been treated and praised so highly by Real Madrid fans.
You know, from 2004 to now, a full two years have passed, and Real Madrid fans have rarely given the team such high-level treatment.
And now, they finally feel the enthusiasm of Real Madrid fans and their support for the team again.
This made many players feel more calm.
Local fans are the team's rear support, this statement is really true.
The support of local fans is crucial for a team.
Even the biggest clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United can never do without the support of their local fans. This is not only for the home stadium attendance on match days, but also an emotional bond, commonly known as "roots".
Gao Shen’s understanding of this is like a man working hard to build his career outside. If there is a woman waiting for him at home, he will be more motivated, have direction, and have roots. If there is no one waiting for him at home, he will be like a rootless prodigal son.
…
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"I didn't expect it. I really didn't expect it!"
In a luxurious villa in the suburbs of Madrid, Florentino said to his assistant Redondo with a smile.
Real Madrid wins! Martin wins!
But he didn't look sad or lost at all. Instead, he seemed very happy.
This was obviously not a laugh of anger, but a genuine laugh of happiness, just like those fans who came to pick him up at the airport.
Perhaps, many people think that these things will anger him and slap him in the face, but in Florentino's eyes, they are not worth mentioning at all.
"Who could have thought that Martin would be so lucky this time, that he could point out such a talent with just a casual touch." Florentino smiled, as if this talent was pointed out by Martin.
"Who says it's not true? Before the game, under , he actually led the team to beat Arsenal."
After a pause, Redondo continued: "I got the news that tomorrow, Spanish, European, and even some mainstream newspapers in the world will report on this game, and public opinion will reverse, especially in Spain. Many media outlets have scolded him before, but now they are said to be worried about how to change their tone."
"Haha." Florentino couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was obvious that he was really happy.
Making these uncrowned kings change their tone is something he has been trying to do in the past two years, but has not been able to do so.
Unexpectedly, it was done by a 25-year-old kid.
He was really happy.
"Can they really humble themselves enough to boast about their profoundness?" Florentino knew these media too well and he was a little skeptical.
"From what I know, Alfredo, De La Morena and others all praised Gao Shen's match. I guess they will all praise him highly. Other reporters may not, but they will definitely not be like before."
Florentino nodded. Bigwigs like Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, stand at a completely different level from other media reporters. He really likes writing, and he really likes football and Real Madrid, so he always sticks to the facts.
Precisely because of this, he has so many readers, and countless fans follow his column. He has been writing without stopping for decades and has a huge influence among the fans.
When it comes to the level of Alfredo and De La Morena, they just need to stick to the facts and say what they think. Even if they are proven to be wrong later, they can just apologize and nothing will happen.
"Martin should consider giving him a contract now, right?" Florentino asked.
Redondo nodded, "I just got the news that Martin had already called Butragueno when he was still in London. It is said that he had just finished talking to Gao Shen before calling."
Florentino smiled again. He really felt that Gao Shen was becoming more and more interesting.
It's really rare to find such interesting young people these days.
"Call Butragueno and tell him to give him a better contract. I'm looking forward to seeing what Gao Shen can do with Real Madrid," Florentino ordered.
"Martin means that the contract will last until the end of this season."
"That's normal. It's almost mid-March now. Can you still give me a short-term contract? That's too petty!"
Redondo looked at his boss deeply and asked tentatively: "Boss, you seem to admire him very much."
Florentino raised his head, glanced at his assistant, and said with a chuckle: "Manuel, do you know why I never let you go out on your own even though you've been by my side for so many years?"
Redondo's expression froze, and he nodded, "I know, Boss, you told me before."
"You work hard, are careful, diligent, know how to get things done, and handle things in a comprehensive manner. You are a rare talent, but you lack some of the qualities that a leader must have, such as courage, determination, and cunning."
"Whether you are in a company or a club, to get things done, you have to be able to manage both the boss and the subordinates. Even in my position, I still have to be responsible to both the boss and the subordinates. It's not enough to not know how to do things, and it's not enough to just know how to do things. When necessary, you have to pay attention to some skills and methods, and even take risks."
"Just like Gao Shen, he did a good job this time. Even when facing Arsenal, he did not use the Brazilian gang. I guess this is what makes Martin most satisfied with him. Judging from the feedback from the team, he can also control the locker room, which proves that he is indeed a person who can do things and knows how to do things."
Redondo was silent. He had followed Florentino for many years and was loyal to him. He had seen Florentino promote many people. It was impossible for him to say that he had no thoughts in his mind, but he also knew that he had some problems that he could not change.
To put it bluntly, he is too honest. He only knows how to do things and doesn't know anything else.
On the contrary, for Gao Shen, others may not know, but Redondo knows. During this period, Gao Shen did too many things and almost killed himself several times. But in the end, he survived and led the team to defeat Arsenal and gain a firm foothold in Real Madrid.
Redondo still agrees with this point.
"Boss, how long do you think he can stay in the coaching position?" Redondo suddenly asked.
Florentino could hear some resistance and unwillingness in his assistant's tone, but he just smiled and pretended not to know.
As a leader, he doesn't mind at all, and is even happy to see his subordinates have such a competitive spirit.
"Competitive sports always rely on results. Martin can give him a contract now, but he can also fire him at any time. At most, he will have to pay him a small penalty. It's not Martin's money, so he won't feel bad."
After a pause, Florentino shook his head again and said: "From the time he took office until now, he has been pushed around and seems to be in trouble, but at least he has a clear goal and direction. But now, after defeating Arsenal and advancing to the quarterfinals, the goal has been achieved and everyone is relieved."
"Real Madrid looks prosperous now, but in fact the situation is not much better than before, because the previous crisis was visible, but the current crisis is invisible. You don't know when and where it will suddenly appear."
"Especially this group of players in the locker room, now that they have achieved their goal, what are they going to do next?"
"We are ten points behind Barcelona in the league and it is impossible for us to catch up. Although we have reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League, given Real Madrid's current situation, it is unlikely that they will win the championship or even reach the semi-finals."
“When a team suddenly loses its goal and direction, it is very scary. The test of high quality has just begun.”
Redondo listened silently. He was a little unconvinced just now, but now he suddenly felt some sympathy for Gao Shen.
Real Madrid has become so rotten, can he lead it?
