After waking up in the morning and washing up, Gao Shen went to the bedroom next door to visit his wife, who was still in confinement.
In fact, according to European customs, women do not need to stay in confinement after giving birth, but the elders on both sides insisted, saying the European way did not apply to Chinese people.
In the end, Su Qing stayed at home for a month.
The thing she had worried about during pregnancy happened during her confinement.
Eating supplements every day really did make her gain weight.
Every time she saw Gao Shen, she would often ask, "Have I gained weight again?"
Gao Shen always had to comfort her with a few intimate words to ease her concerns.
"Look, I've gained weight recently and even have some white hair." Gao Shen pointed to his belly and temples.
Su Qing looked carefully and actually found two or three strands of white hair.
It was all caused by stress and overwork.
Newborns grow so fast. Every time Gao Shen returned from an away match, he felt the baby had grown noticeably.
The tiny face was no longer wrinkled and ugly like when he was first born. Now, his features were delicate and rather cute.
Everyone said the child had inherited the best features of both Gao Shen and Su Qing, and would definitely grow up handsome.
But for some reason, the baby did not seem close to Gao Shen, crying every time he held him.
"It seems I can only play the role of a strict father from now on," Gao Shen said helplessly.
He had originally planned to be like a brother to his son, but now that seemed impossible.
"He's still so young. How could he understand these things?" Su Qing said coquettishly.
Gao Shen then told her that he had asked Buenaventura and Pintus to make time to tailor a fitness plan for the couple. The main goal was to lose weight first and then build strength.
Of course, the most important thing was not to overwork.
Those two were ruthless when training players, and Gao Shen did not want to go through their methods himself.
It was best to find something easier but still effective.
For example, swimming, jogging, and so on.
In this regard, Gao Shen was quite an outlier in the professional football world. He could not play football at all, and his physical fitness was not great either.
"Don't worry, those two are the best fitness trainers. Besides, I've also signed you up for a yoga class. If you want to play tennis, I'll find time to invite Nadal over, and we can play against the King of Clay together!"
Gao Shen spoke in an exaggerated manner, which made Su Qing giggle.
She had been recuperating at home after childbirth, feeling bored every day, with the baby crying constantly. Only when Gao Shen came home and coaxed her did she feel truly happy.
"Don't say I'm bragging. If you don't believe me, I'll call Nadal right now." Gao Shen picked up his phone seriously, as if to dial.
He really did have Nadal's number.
The reason was simple. Nadal was a die-hard Real Madrid fan, one of the most devoted. He knew Real Madrid inside and out, and naturally had become very familiar with Gao Shen.
As for tennis, that was because the sports center in Gao Shen's residential community had four tennis courts, six basketball courts, and a football pitch, all available for residents.
In the end, Su Qing smiled and said she believed him.
But her expression clearly showed she didn't believe it at all.
…
After the baby was born, Gao Jianguo and Su Zhijun returned home first, while Gao Shen's mother and mother-in-law stayed behind to take care of Su Qing. The family also specially hired housekeepers, chefs, nannies, a professional confinement nanny, and nurses to provide home care, making sure everything went smoothly.
Fortunately, Gao Shen had bought this large detached villa early on, which saved him a lot of trouble.
After finishing his family matters, Gao Shen set off for Valdebebas.
Although Gao Shen was once known for riding a bicycle to work when he first coached Real Madrid, he could no longer do that now.
Real Madrid's car sponsor Audi had given him two cars, one an Audi R8, the model from the movie "Iron Man," and the other an Audi Q7.
In addition, Audi recently planned to gift Gao Shen the latest RS7 to enrich his garage.
With Real Madrid's help, Gao Shen also signed a sponsorship contract with Audi.
The German brand wanted to use Gao Shen's influence to further expand into Asia, and paid him 5 million euros annually in sponsorship fees.
This was also the value of Gao Shen's current endorsement deals.
But as a result of his higher profile in public and private life, he could no longer cycle the 4 kilometers to work as he did before.
Driving did have its advantage, though. With license plate registration, he could enter directly.
According to regulations, Real Madrid opened one training session to the public after every match, but Spanish fans generally woke up late, so these were scheduled for the afternoon.
When Gao Shen arrived at Valdebebas in the morning, there were no fans at the gates.
When he entered his office, a stack of documents had already been placed on his desk.
The top one was the players' physical report, jointly prepared by the team doctor, Buenaventura, and Pintus.
This was also what Gao Shen valued most.
After reading it, he could clearly see the injury situation and general physical condition of the squad.
After each match, the team doctor and coaching staff monitored the players' condition in detail. If any irregularities appeared, they were recorded in the report.
After carefully reading it, Gao Shen had a clear picture of the team's physical state.
After surviving the grueling schedule, most of the news was positive.
For example, Marcelo had been cleared to play.
The coaching staff now planned to gradually get Marcelo back into rhythm, starting by using him as a substitute and letting him adjust slowly.
He had been out injured for several months, so it was impossible to throw him into a full match right away. A phased return was best.
Gao Shen checked the schedule again and frowned.
The Round of 16 knockout stage had eight groups and would be played over two weeks. Barcelona would start a week later than Real Madrid and finish on March 13.
The 28th round of La Liga was scheduled for March 17, with Real Madrid playing on the 16th. After this round, there would be two weeks of international fixtures.
Then came the 29th round and the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Gao Shen now faced a problem. If Real Madrid carefully managed Marcelo's recovery, only for the Brazilian national team to swoop in, it would be frustrating.
If he got injured again on national duty, Gao Shen would be devastated.
Thinking of this, he hurried to the analysis room next door, found Carlos Vargas, and asked him to check Brazil's schedule.
Sure enough, Brazil had arranged two friendlies during the international break.
One against Italy in Geneva, Switzerland, and another against Russia at Stamford Bridge in London.
Just as he had expected.
Real Madrid treated Marcelo like a treasure. Even after his recovery, they still refused to rush him, taking the utmost care to ensure he was fully fit and didn't relapse.
But the national team would not be so cautious.
As Wenger once said, the national team was like driving a Ferrari as if it were a tractor.
"It seems I'll have to talk to Marcelo and call Scolari in advance. After all, it's only friendlies. It's best if he isn't called up," Gao Shen frowned.
He had some friendship with Scolari and had always cooperated well with him. If Gao Shen spoke up, Scolari should give him face. After all, these were just warm-ups, and Marcelo had only just returned from injury.
The key was Marcelo himself.
At Real Madrid, Marcelo faced little competition. As long as he returned to form, he was almost guaranteed to start. But in the Brazilian national team, it was different. Filipe Luís was waiting in the wings. Even while Marcelo was injured, the Manchester City left-back had been starting.
Gao Shen could not guarantee Marcelo would listen to him.
This was where it became tricky.
It was only natural for players to want to represent their country.
Why did Kompany leave Hamburg for Manchester City?
Because Hamburg refused to let him play in the Olympic tournament.
There had always been conflicts caused by international duty.
…
Besides Marcelo, several other Real Madrid players were carrying knocks.
For example, Di Maria reported a slight muscle strain after the Manchester United match, but it was not serious.
According to Buenaventura, it was mainly due to fatigue and would be fine with rest.
Other players also had minor issues, but as long as they did not affect matches, it was not a big problem.
Back in his office, Gao Shen received a call from Valdano.
It was about Kaka.
The Brazilian had made a decision. Through his agent, he reached an agreement with Real Madrid's top management to leave this summer. Real Madrid, in turn, took an amicable stance, allowing him to leave on a free transfer.
This was no surprise to Gao Shen, as it was also how Kaka had left in his previous life.
But unlike before, Kaka's agent specifically asked Valdano to convey Kaka's gratitude to Gao Shen, and promised that until he left, Kaka would fully cooperate with Gao Shen's work.
At present, this news was confidential and would not be made public until after the season.
Still, Gao Shen felt complicated about it.
It was sad to see a superstar like Kaka leave Real Madrid in such a way.
As head coach, there was little Gao Shen could do. He had his own performance pressures and could not sacrifice the whole team's efforts for one player.
Now, the only thing he could do was to lead the team to the best possible results while giving Kaka more opportunities, letting him shine at Real Madrid as much as possible and reduce the loss.
Beyond that, he could not help much.
But Gao Shen also told Valdano that after Kaka's departure, the team would definitely need to reinforce the midfield.
Valdano then informed him that Real Madrid was considering signing Illarramendi.
The Real Sociedad midfielder had been outstanding this season, to the point where he might even surpass Xabi Alonso and Busquets to win La Liga's best defensive midfielder award.
That showed just how well he had performed.
Under such circumstances, Gao Shen had no reason to oppose the signing.
Real Madrid had to continue its dual path of localization and internationalization, and Xabi Alonso needed a successor.
Gao Shen could not possibly tell Florentino that Illarramendi would not adapt to Real Madrid.
Besides, just because he failed to adapt in his previous life did not mean he could not do so now.
Times had changed, and Gao Shen wanted to give it a try.
(To be continued.)