Just when Ronaldo was struggling and had called his agent and team together to discuss what to do next, Gao Shen extended a ladder to him at just the right time.
After attending the press conference, Gao Shen posted a message on Twitter, announcing to fans and followers that he would be coaching Real Madrid for the next three years:
"Looking forward to a great partnership!"
Among those tagged in the tweet was Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Real Madrid players tagged in Gao Shen's tweet all expressed their excitement to play under him.
Casillas, Ramos, Di María, Benzema...
Not only the new players, but even previous Real Madrid players responded quickly.
While in a meeting, Ronaldo stared blankly at the screen of his phone.
"From what I can gather based on current public sentiment, it's clear the media will focus on the player exchange Gao Shen mentioned. It's a hot topic. More importantly, Jorge is indeed in Manchester and has had contact with Manchester City. He's made quite a few comments before, so..."
"The key now is to ease the tension as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we'll end up even more passive, and many things will be hard to handle."
Now, it's an undeniable fact that Gao Shen controls the Real Madrid dressing room.
If Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid, fine. But if he wants to stay and continue playing under Gao Shen, the current standoff must end, and fast.
However, the biggest issue now is that if Ronaldo backs down just like that, it would clearly look like he's conceding to Gao Shen, which would be a loss of face.
The team focused on this point during the discussion.
Cristiano Ronaldo had never considered leaving Real Madrid.
What he always wanted was to maintain his core tactical role at the club, but now it seemed Gao Shen was unlikely to grant him that—and had even threatened to trade him for Gareth Bale.
Either give in or leave.
Ronaldo gathered the team to discuss it, and most of them leaned toward staying at Real Madrid. The key issue was how to preserve his dignity.
As the group debated, Ronaldo suddenly slammed his phone onto the table.
"Look at this."
Three or four people gathered around. When they saw Gao Shen's tweet, they immediately understood the situation.
This was the ladder Gao Shen had extended to Ronaldo.
"Replying doesn't just mean giving in—it also shows goodwill."
"Right, the situation is very clear now. We need to have a good talk with Gao Shen."
Ronaldo nodded. That was his true intention as well.
The question was, how?
Everyone began discussing how to respond, going over every word carefully.
Half an hour later, Ronaldo finally tweeted:
"I'm back in Madrid and ready for training! Looking forward to our upcoming meeting!"
As with every player's reply, Gao Shen followed up with a response. This time was no different.
He replied with a smiley face: "Call me anytime."
Ronaldo let out a long sigh of relief.
The matter was finally settled.
But the next meeting would be critical.
He had to be fully prepared.
…
After replying to Ronaldo's tweet, Gao Shen smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably.
He knew very well—this was Ronaldo's way of giving in.
It was possible to force the Portuguese star to admit defeat, but there was no need to.
As the head coach, Gao Shen needed to focus on the bigger picture, not fuss over small matters.
Besides, players at top clubs are all big-name stars. Who doesn't have their own little thoughts?
If you really want to be picky, then Gao Shen might as well step down as coach.
After turning off his phone, Gao Shen looked up at Courtois, who was sitting across from him.
The two were actually quite familiar with each other. Courtois had previously joined Manchester City and later moved to Leeds United.
When he went to Leeds, it was Gao Shen who personally persuaded him.
A year later, he moved to Real Madrid.
Although Gao Shen wasn't involved in the transfer, Courtois knew clearly that if he wanted to join Real Madrid, he couldn't avoid Gao Shen.
So, as soon as his vacation ended and he arrived in Madrid, he contacted Gao Shen and came straight to his home.
"Thibaut, I hope you're mentally prepared. The competition next season will be fierce."
Gao Shen set aside the Ronaldo issue for now and spoke seriously to Courtois.
"I'm sure you've seen Casillas' outstanding performance in the Euros. In the new season, you'll be competing with him. I hope you can give it your all and show your best form."
"I understand, boss. Even if I have to be a substitute temporarily, I can accept that. But I will never give up. I believe in my strength," Courtois responded confidently.
Gao Shen had always believed that a top goalkeeper should have this kind of self-confidence and mental strength.
That was true for Neuer, and also for Courtois.
"Of course I know you, Thibaut. I know your potential and your ability. I believe you can become a world-class goalkeeper, even the best in the world. But you must remember, this is Real Madrid. Here, you not only have to convince me, but everyone else as well."
"This time, you're up against Casillas. You have to win over the Real Madrid fans."
Courtois could feel Gao Shen's trust and encouragement. He nodded firmly.
"Don't worry, boss. I won't let you down."
"You've never let me down, Thibaut," Gao Shen said with a smile. "I'll have a proper conversation with Casillas and try to get you more playing time and match opportunities. But I hope you'll give your best from the pre-season training camp. Cherish and seize every opportunity to play."
"Only that way can I confidently convince others. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I do." Courtois nodded.
"A lot of people are saying you came here to be Casillas' backup. But let me be clear, Thibaut. I want you to show the determination and fighting spirit to become Real Madrid's number one. I want to see you perform like Real Madrid's first-choice goalkeeper this season. Do you understand me?"
Courtois felt the weight behind Gao Shen's words and got excited.
He had originally thought Gao Shen would ask him to be patient, but instead, Gao Shen told him to directly compete for the starting spot.
That was the starting spot at Real Madrid!
"I understand, boss!" Courtois assured in a loud voice.
"Do well. I believe in you!" Gao Shen encouraged him.
…
After sending Courtois off, Gao Shen took a short break. Soon after, Zidane drove over to pick him up from the hotel.
The two headed to Real Madrid's Valdebebas training base.
This was Gao Shen's first return to Valdebebas in six years.
To be honest, there had been some changes, mainly with the youth team facilities.
The security captain at the gate was still the same. He grinned widely when he greeted Gao Shen.
Zidane gave him a brief tour of the training complex.
Madrid was different from the UK. It rarely snowed in winter, so there was no need to build indoor training grounds like in England. However, the Valdebebas pitch had underfloor heating and an advanced drainage system.
If it ever did snow, turning on the underfloor heating ensured there would be no problems.
Before Gao Shen even arrived in Madrid, Carlo and others had already gone to Valdebebas to prepare.
Valdebebas had now been taken over by a high-level support team. From the training staff to the data analysis team, all were top-tier professionals. The club had also reorganized and hired several new analysts and coaches over the summer.
This time, Gao Shen's visit to Valdebebas was primarily to inspect how preparations were going.
According to the club's previous plan, the team would gather in Madrid for pre-season training, spending about half a month on physical preparation before heading to the United States at the end of July to play in the International Champions Cup.
This tournament was important for Real Madrid's efforts to grow their presence in the U.S. market, and the club was taking it very seriously.
As per Gao Shen's request, Real Madrid had scheduled a total of six warm-up matches during the summer training camp. The main goal was to help the team gel. Four of those matches would be played in the U.S., but the schedule was extremely tight.
The team would be flying long distances almost constantly.
So, Gao Shen's real window to implement his tactical and technical ideas would be the training camp in Madrid.
There was no way around this.
Gao Shen felt that during a rebuilding phase, the team shouldn't go to North America for training, but the club had signed the agreement last year. If they didn't go, the penalty fee would be substantial.
The opponents in the North American tour were all strong and the games had value, but the schedule was too demanding. Most of the time would be spent flying from one city to another.
That's why Gao Shen and his team placed great importance on the training period in Madrid, and Real Madrid fully supported it.
For example, Valdebebas now had a comprehensive surveillance system. Originally, there were only two cameras. Now, the entire first-team training area was covered. This allowed video analysts to watch player movements and errors from multiple angles.
Upgrading like this cost real money.
The team's logistical support had also been heavily emphasized.
Especially with the trip to the United States coming up, logistics had to be flawless.
"Florentino, Butragueño, and José Ángel Sánchez will travel with the team to the U.S. to personally oversee things," Zidane said.
Gao Shen nodded.
He then went to the training building and chatted with Carlo and the others to check if there were any issues that needed his attention, as the players were about to report back.
The physical examinations wouldn't be done at Valdebebas but at a nearby private hospital that partners with Real Madrid, where the players would undergo a comprehensive and detailed check-up.
This had been requested by Buenaventura and Pintus.
Only by getting accurate physical data could they confidently proceed with tailored training.
After the inspection, Gao Shen gathered everyone and went into the center of Madrid for dinner.
It was his first meal with the coaching staff since taking office.
They ate until midnight before everyone went home satisfied.
The next morning, Gao Shen received a call from Ronaldo.
He was back in Madrid.
(To be continued.)