"Tsk! Listen to what you're saying. If I can't even protect you, why would I be the head coach?"
Gao Shen raised his voice.
Casillas suddenly looked up, stunned and in disbelief as he stared at Gao Shen.
"I told Florentino in Cheshire that once I took over Real Madrid, you would remain the team captain. That's non-negotiable."
Gao Shen's words filled Casillas with gratitude.
But then, Gao Shen softened his tone and changed the subject.
"Of all the people we once fought alongside, how many are left now? Raúl and Guti are gone. Can I really let you follow in Raúl's footsteps too?"
Gao Shen's words were sincere, and Casillas was deeply moved. "Boss, I..."
"Simple as this—have your girlfriend quit her job and come work in Real Madrid's PR department. Her salary won't be less than what she earns at the newspaper or TV station. Can you do that?"
Casillas's face darkened. He opened his mouth but couldn't get the words out.
In fact, Real Madrid had made this offer before, but his girlfriend turned it down.
"No? Then have her switch jobs and stop covering Real Madrid. Is that okay?" Gao Shen offered an alternative.
But Casillas still looked torn. It was clear he didn't know how to deal with his girlfriend.
Maybe he was simply too infatuated to draw a hard line.
"You won't do this, and you won't do that. So what, you want to be the boss now and tell me what to do?" Gao Shen spread his hands in frustration. "Because honestly, I'm at a loss."
"Boss, I swear, I promise! What happened last season will never happen again!"
Gao Shen pointed at Casillas, so angry he couldn't speak for a moment.
"Shit, it's like you're possessed!" he finally snapped.
But in his mind, he was thinking: you probably never imagined that after going through all this for this woman, in a few years you'd fall for someone younger and prettier.
Men. Always the same!
After finally calming down, Gao Shen pointed at him again.
"Remember, this is your promise to me. If it happens again, I'll throw you to the B team and sell you!"
Casillas was overjoyed and immediately pledged that he'd stick to it.
"And the board and management..."
"I'll handle it!" Gao Shen waved his hand with conviction.
"Courtois is here now, and that's done. You had a break last season, and now this happened. I can't act like nothing's wrong. So at the start of the new season, you'll have to start from scratch and compete with Courtois."
"My initial thought is: the two of you will rotate. One plays in the league, the other in the cup. But it won't be rigid. You'll compete. Whoever is in better form and performs better will play."
Gao Shen sighed again. "And because of this situation, I'll have to talk to Courtois. The club promised him the starting spot when they signed him, which is how we beat out Bayern and PSG."
Casillas understood. A fair competition was already a good outcome.
He was the best goalkeeper at the European Championship. Was he supposed to be afraid of a rookie?
Bring it on.
Hearing Gao Shen's words, Casillas knew the matter was basically settled. He was visibly relieved.
Honestly, the result wasn't bad.
At least he kept the Real Madrid captain's armband.
As long as he beat Courtois fairly, he could still be the starting goalkeeper.
"Also, when training camp starts, you'll need to take on your duties as captain. Look after the new players, build good relationships with your teammates. I'll have Ramos assist you. The two of you will manage the dressing room together. Be united. No more problems, understood?"
Of course, Casillas nodded quickly.
This was his job as captain.
Having Ramos assist was logical. He was vice-captain and the on-field captain last season.
Even if everyone knew the club supported Ramos—so what?
Real Madrid's captaincy has always followed a clear line of succession, and everyone understood it.
"Alright then. I need to figure out how I'll explain all this to Florentino."
As soon as Gao Shen said that, Casillas knew it was time to leave.
Before he left, the Real Madrid goalkeeper repeatedly assured him that he'd keep his girlfriend in check and give his best next season to repay Gao Shen for his trust and support.
…
After seeing Casillas off, Gao Shen got up and stretched.
Handling all the mess in the dressing room was exhausting. It was stressful and often thankless. Sometimes it made you want to just sell someone and be done with it.
But when you're managing a top club, things can't be handled that simply or crudely.
Take Mourinho, for example. That approach only created more friction and enemies.
Casillas's matter had been settled for now, but it was just the beginning.
Next came the real competition between him and Courtois.
As far as Gao Shen was concerned, whoever performed better would start. That was best for everyone.
Both Gao Shen and Llopis had strong faith in Courtois. But he was still a newcomer, and the chance to compete with Casillas would be valuable for his development.
The next person likely to give Gao Shen a headache would be Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese star was on vacation after national team duty.
Real Madrid's training camp would begin in mid-July. By then, all players not involved in the Euros or the Olympics would return to training.
Currently, Real Madrid had only Marcelo as an overage player and Casemiro as an age-eligible player participating in the Olympics. If Isco was signed, that would make three.
It was a bit embarrassing that Real Madrid had no players selected for Spain's Olympic squad this year. It caused a stir in Spain and among local Real Madrid fans.
Many criticized the club, saying that while it claimed to be international, local culture was the foundation of Real Madrid.
If you look at every great team that dominated an era, local players were always an essential part.
But now, the Olympic team representing the future had no Real Madrid players. It was hard to ignore that fact.
In contrast, Leeds United had local full-backs Bertrand and Trippier in the Olympics, plus Salah and Mané representing Egypt and Senegal. In total, Leeds had four players in the tournament.
Fortunately, the Premier League wouldn't start until a week after the Olympic men's football final, so the impact would be minimal.
Gao Shen wasn't worried about Leeds United. He was more focused on steadily advancing his plans in Madrid.
Real Madrid seemed calm on the surface, but beneath it all, waves of tension and power struggles were surging.
Just like Casillas, who sought out Gao Shen.
Because he sensed danger.
What about Ronaldo?
No one knew.
This power struggle would be decisive. It would determine the order and distribution of authority once the season started.
Fans familiar with the sport might recall something from Gao Shen's previous life.
When Sarri replaced Allegri at Juventus, Ronaldo was still on vacation, but Sarri flew to meet him.
Everyone who saw that news had the same reaction—Ronaldo is so powerful, even the coach has to go see him.
From a coaching perspective, that meant the player's influence had already surpassed that of the manager.
So the issue wasn't who visits whom, but who blinks first and backs down.
In Gao Shen's plan, Ronaldo was crucial. But precisely because of that, he needed to "tame" the superstar. Only then could he use him properly, get him to drop the superstar posture, and truly integrate into the team.
If things stayed tense and Ronaldo refused to compromise, Gao Shen didn't rule out selling him as a last resort.
Because keeping Ronaldo in the dressing room without being able to use him would be a fatal threat to the team's stability.
From any angle, though, that would be the absolute last option.
…
After meeting with Casillas, Gao Shen spent two more days speaking with Di María, Higuaín, Kaká, Varane, Pepe, Granero, Arbeloa, Albiol, and others—some in person, others via video call. He had meaningful conversations with all of them.
For the younger players, Gao Shen made a point to reach out before officially taking charge. Even if it was just a video call, it was special. The conversations varied depending on the player.
Di María, Granero, and Arbeloa were veterans. There was plenty to talk about with them.
Higuaín, Varane, and Albiol all faced competition. Gao Shen assured them that he would treat everyone equally. Whoever best met tactical requirements and performed well would play.
For Pepe, Gao Shen reassured him that he still trusted him and believed he could continue contributing to Real Madrid. He hoped Pepe wouldn't be shaken by Mourinho's departure or the transfers of Carvalho and Coentrão.
Kaká's case was more delicate.
Gao Shen didn't go into detail with him. They simply met and exchanged greetings. He hoped to talk face-to-face in Madrid about the challenges he was currently facing.
"I sincerely hope you can trust me and my team."
"In Napoli, we dealt with Thiago Motta. In Manchester City, we handled Robben. We have experience with this kind of situation, and we're here to help you."
"Whether it's me, the management, or the entire club, we all sincerely hope you can bounce back."
Kaká sensed Gao Shen's sincerity and immediately said he would return to Madrid early to meet with him and work on a personal training plan for the new season.
Gao Shen smiled and nodded.
(To be continued.)