Chapter 25: Good News—The New Coach Doesn't Like Su Hang
This summer's transfer market was buzzing with activity.
Last summer, Chelsea—recently acquired by Russian oligarch Abramovich—had dominated the scene. The total transfer fees for their squad exceeded the combined spending of the other 19 Premier League teams.
This year, they were still among the biggest spenders.
They paid €38.5 million to bring in striker Didier Drogba from Marseille, making him the most expensive signing of the summer.
The €30 million spent on Ricardo Carvalho from Porto made it the third-highest transfer fee of the window.
€20 million brought in Paulo Ferreira, also from Porto.
€18 million secured Arjen Robben from PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
Hot on their heels were Italian giants Juventus.
They paid €28 million to sign Emerson from Roma—this summer's fourth-biggest deal.
€16 million secured Zlatan Ibrahimović from Ajax.
And €10 million landed them Fabio Cannavaro from Inter Milan.
Meanwhile, after a trophyless season, Barcelona had to make moves to appease their fans.
They spent €27 million to sign Samuel Eto'o from Real Mallorca.
Before joining Mallorca, Eto'o was once a Real Madrid player—abandoned by the very club he would come back to haunt.
In one of Real Madrid's four consecutive defeats at the end of last season, it was Eto'o who scored the match-winning goal for Mallorca—a moment of personal triumph.
In addition to Eto'o, Barcelona spent €21 million to bring in Deco, the new core midfielder of the Portuguese national team, from Porto.
Lastly, they paid €8 million to sign Ludovic Giuly from Monaco—yes, the same Giuly who, alongside Morientes, knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League last season.
Barcelona's transfers were clearly targeted.
If Real Madrid's signings signaled their ambition to become the best club in the world...
Then Barcelona's objective was simple—beat Real Madrid.
Liverpool also made substantial moves this summer.
They spent €20 million to sign Djibril Cissé from Auxerre.
They spent €16 million to bring in Real Sociedad's midfield core Xabi Alonso.
They spent €9 million to sign Luis García from Barcelona.
It was Xabi Alonso, Real Sociedad's absolute centerpiece, who had led the charge in tearing Real Madrid apart in their final game of last season.
...
In the world of football, matches are the visible storyline—but transfers are the hidden plot.
Many outcomes are already decided during the summer, long before the season kicks off.
Last season, Real Madrid's campaign could only be described as disastrous.
Though they managed to win the Copa del Rey with Su Hang's help, their failures in both the Champions League and La Liga left fans bitter and angry.
It also marked the collapse of Florentino Pérez's "Zidane + Pavón" policy.
That's why bringing in reliable, high-profile defenders became an urgent priority.
But in order to preserve Florentino's image, Real Madrid also had to continue signing flashy attacking stars—fulfilling his "one galáctico per year" promise.
Otherwise, his political rivals would use it against him.
In the end, Real Madrid struck a deal for Michael Owen, the speedy winger with only one year left on his Liverpool contract, for just €12 million plus Nunez.
The deal left countless Liverpool fans fuming.
At the same time, Morientes returned from his loan spell at Monaco.
Real Madrid also spent €25 million to buy world-class center-back Walter Samuel—nicknamed "The Rock"—from Roma.
And €18.3 million brought in Jonathan Woodgate, one of the "New Four Great English Center Backs," from Newcastle United.
On paper, Real Madrid's lineup was almost perfect.
Almost.
Because while they had bolstered the defense, it takes both a solid center-back and a quality defensive midfielder to truly strengthen a backline.
And Real Madrid hadn't addressed the midfield anchor position.
They merely brought back Albert Celades, who had been on loan at Bordeaux.
But anyone with eyes could see—Celades wasn't capable of filling the gaping hole left by Makelele.
And so, Real Madrid's squad for the new season was basically finalized:
Forwards: Ronaldo, Raúl, Owen, Morientes, Su Hang, Portillo, Soldado...
Midfielders: Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Solari, Guti, Celades, Borja...
Defenders: Roberto Carlos, Samuel, Woodgate, Salgado, Helguera, Pavón, Bravo, Juanfran...
Goalkeepers: Casillas, Sánchez, Diego López.
Listed in order of hierarchy.
With a squad this powerful, Real Madrid fans had every reason to dream big for the new season.
Champions League title!
La Liga championship!
Copa del Rey glory!
They wanted it all.
But then, a piece of surprising news broke—Real Madrid's new manager, Camacho, wasn't happy with the roster.
Camacho had been a club legend in the 70s and 80s. After retiring, he went into coaching, but outside of leading Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol to promotion, his managerial résumé was far from impressive.
His two-year stint in charge of the Spanish national team had been disastrous, shaming Spanish football on the international stage.
Now, this marked his second time at the helm of Real Madrid.
The first? He lasted 22 days, the shortest tenure of any head coach in club history.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Camacho was unhappy with Real Madrid's summer signings.
He had requested a top-class defensive midfielder. Instead, Florentino handed him Michael Owen.
The same article also dug up photos from Su Hang's social media, showcasing his summer dining habits, and didn't hold back in their critique:
"Su Hang likes Chinese cuisine—especially greasy, spicy Sichuan food."
"This is terrible for a professional athlete's physique."
"His conditioning is deeply concerning."
"He should be eating clean salads every day! Camacho will never like an undisciplined player like him!"
"According to Su Hang's own update, he gained 15 jin this summer—around 7.5 kg or 16.5 pounds!"
That news garnered even more attention than Camacho's gripes about the transfer window.
After all, in the world of football, few stories are more captivating than a meteoric rise—or a spectacular fall.
Was Su Hang already on the verge of burning out?
Speculation flew from every direction.
"Tch, Su Hang's family is loaded. He's just playing football for fun. Of course he's not disciplined."
"Looks like he spent the whole summer traveling. From his social media, he's been to at least five different countries."
"Now that he's famous, he's lost that hunger."
"Some people are calling him Real Madrid's Crown Prince, but I don't buy it. Portillo is the one who climbed his way up through years of hard work."
"Don't hype up Portillo too much. Sure, he's solid. But Su? Su is supposed to form the Rolls-Royce Trident with Ronaldo and Raúl! Even Morientes can't compare!"
---
For more chapters and to support the series, follow me on Ptreon (35+ Chapters Ahead!)
p-atreon.com/GhostParser (remove the dash in "p-atreon" to access the site)