In both his past life and this one, Gao Shen always felt that Di María was an underrated star.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was born at the wrong time.
Many fans remember Di María as a winger.
Indeed, his first impression on the global stage was as a traditional wide player.
Some described him as a typical Latin American forward—quick, skillful, and an excellent dribbler.
But European football had entered the era of big center-forwards. For South American forwards like Saviola, survival in Europe became increasingly difficult unless they adapted or developed slowly.
So Di María naturally shifted out to the wing.
Whether this shift was the right move is debatable, but one thing is clear—Di María has always been underestimated.
A winger?
His speed, technique, and dribbling are indeed very dangerous out wide. His most unique trait is the distinctive rhythm in his dribbling, a flair commonly seen in South American players.
Luis Suárez, for example, shows this in a different way.
But is that all there is to Di María?
In Gao Shen's previous life, during the Ancelotti era, Di María played as the left central midfielder in a 4-3-3. The Argentine excelled in the role, offering both attacking and defensive contributions, and even earned MVP honors in the Champions League final.
Playing as a left midfielder showcased the tireless stamina hidden in his lean frame, along with his true two-way ability. His defensive work was not just perfunctory—he genuinely defended with commitment.
And yet, that still doesn't capture the full picture.
After coaching Di María for three years, Gao Shen had watched the Argentine improve continuously. Ever since arriving at Real Madrid, his development had never stalled, even though some of his traits remained consistent.
One of them was his ability to carry the ball forward under high pressure.
This was especially apparent in the Champions League final in Gao Shen's past life. Under Atlético Madrid's relentless pressing, Di María was one of the few players on the team who could reliably dribble forward and relieve pressure.
That alone would be impressive. But even more valuable was his creativity and passing vision after breaking the press—qualities rooted in his South American style. This made him exceptionally dangerous.
How many players have such a complete skill set?
Modrić comes to mind.
But the Croatian is different. He doesn't have Di María's speed. Whether in short bursts or long sprints, he's clearly slower. And surprisingly, Modrić's defensive work is inferior to Di María's.
Yes, Di María excels on both ends and willingly contributes defensively. Even in attack, his tracking and pressing are commendable. But that doesn't mean he can match Modrić in defensive awareness or positioning in central midfield.
There's still a clear difference—in particular, passing consistency.
How to explain it?
Di María is a South American-style player—clever and instinctive, but not always consistent.
Modrić, as a European player, is less flamboyant but much more reliable.
This is even more pronounced with Toni Kroos, another midfielder at Real Madrid.
Among the three, Kroos always maintains a pass completion rate above 90%, the highest on the team. Modrić hovers around 86–87%, while Di María is closer to 80%.
This reflects their different styles and roles.
Di María's wide-ranging qualities allow him to fulfill many tactical functions.
Being an inverted winger is just part of the picture. He can drop deeper and perform numerous other tasks.
Gao Shen once experimented by switching Di María's position with Arbeloa's. The idea was to use the full-back to pull defenders wide, then have Di María attack from behind, leveraging his short-distance explosiveness.
But Arbeloa's overlapping attacking play wasn't strong enough. Since Carvajal couldn't yet displace him, Gao Shen took a different approach.
He began coordinating Di María and Modrić to operate together across the right midfield, right channel, and right wing.
Just like in the 24th minute.
…
Benzema suddenly dropped into the right half-space just outside the 30-meter area to receive the ball.
Di María drifted centrally, completing a positional swap with Benzema.
The French striker received the ball with his back to goal, closely marked, and was forced to take two steps back. Just then, Modrić surged diagonally past him from midfield, making a run into the right side of the penalty area, crossing paths with Benzema.
This brief movement confused the defense and gave Benzema the space to turn. He immediately drove forward and passed to Di María, who had moved into the open central space.
After releasing the ball, Benzema made a run from the top right corner of the box toward the penalty spot, pulling defenders with him. They feared Di María might send a direct through ball to him, creating a shooting chance.
But that opened up the right edge of the penalty area for Modrić.
Di María feinted a pass to Benzema but then lifted a delicate lob over the defense.
The ball floated past the defenders and dropped right into Modrić's path.
The Croatian entered the penalty area from the right corner, controlled the ball with his chest, took one step past Getafe's left-back Casado, and before the keeper could close him down, slid a low pass across the face of goal.
Benzema had sprinted into position at the edge of the six-yard box and tapped it into the net with ease.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"4-0!!!"
"Real Madrid have scored four goals in under 30 minutes!"
"My God! The Galácticos are absolutely erupting!"
"Anyone who questioned Real Madrid's attack before the match should be regretting it now!"
"Look at Gao Shen's team. Each goal was brilliant, especially this one, a perfect example of seamless interplay. It showcased not just technical precision, but an elite understanding of positioning and vision!"
"This is the football Real Madrid wants! Football as art!"
…
Real Madrid fans all across the stadium were roaring.
Gao Shen couldn't help but raise both arms and cheer loudly for the incredible sequence his players had just produced.
"That goal was magnificent!" Zidane exclaimed repeatedly.
"No kidding. Goosebumps! Just as I imagined it, they executed it flawlessly."
"We had only three players in that attack, and they had at least five defenders. They were completely fooled."
"What's even better is how calm and composed everyone looked. It was elegant."
"This is the football we want from Real Madrid!"
The assistant coaches behind him were full of praise, marveling at the display on the pitch.
Gao Shen was equally thrilled, though he had already envisioned this move when designing the attacking structure.
Of course, the exact execution depended on the players' creativity in the moment. Di María's lob and Modrić's low cross were their own improvisations.
On the left, there was the Marcelo–Ronaldo pairing. On the right, now it was Di María and Modrić, with Carvajal soon to follow. Gao Shen wanted both flanks to become Real Madrid's greatest threats.
…
With a four-goal lead, Real Madrid began to ease up.
That was expected.
The team had spent a lot of energy in recent matches. With the outcome all but settled, there was no reason to keep pushing at full throttle.
Even while slowing the tempo, Real Madrid still created chances. But the players became a bit too relaxed and began missing opportunities.
Di María continued to generate threat after threat.
It was clear the 24-year-old Argentine was entering his prime. Gao Shen had even higher expectations for him than in his previous life. This time, he had no intention of letting Di María leave for Manchester United at the peak of his career.
Besides, looking at European football today, could Real Madrid even find a better winger to buy?
Still, the team's relaxed attitude led to mistakes.
Early in the second half, Arbeloa played a careless back pass, giving the opposition a one-on-one opportunity. Fortunately, Courtois reacted quickly and made the save, preventing a goal.
Gao Shen immediately shouted Arbeloa's name from the sideline, telling him to stay sharp, especially when passing under pressure.
Benzema then scored again with a solo run, seemingly completing his hat trick.
But the referee called it back for offside just as he ran to celebrate.
The French striker was furious, complaining continuously and nearly earning a yellow card.
Gao Shen quickly substituted him for Higuaín.
Another player eager to score was Cristiano Ronaldo.
Soon after Higuaín came on, in the 73rd minute, he received a through ball from Modrić, broke the offside line, and charged into the right side of the penalty area. Instead of shooting, he unselfishly squared the ball across the goal for Ronaldo, who tapped it into the empty net.
5-0!
A brace for Ronaldo!
Gao Shen stood on the sideline, laughing, then instructed Jesé to get ready to come on.
In this round, Barcelona had beaten Granada 2-0 at home, but Messi didn't score. He remained on six league goals.
With these two goals, Ronaldo had now scored eight in the first five La Liga matches, once again pulling ahead in the scoring race.
As head coach, Gao Shen was excited about the goalscoring rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi. The more they scored, the more efficient Real Madrid would be at earning points.
Humans are naturally lazy. Only competition drives progress.
Superstars like Ronaldo and Messi push each other forward. That, perhaps, is the key to their decade-long dominance.
Gao Shen wondered, once the two giants aged, would Haaland and Mbappé live up to expectations and become the next era's top stars?
But he was keeping a close watch on Haaland. No matter what Mbappé did, he was determined to train Haaland.
That would be a valuable asset for Leeds United in the future!
(To be continued.)