Su Hang had a pretty good idea of what this meant.
It seemed the crown prince was finally about to take the throne—
and Raúl, the "King of Rings," wasn't just ready, he was practically looking forward to stepping aside.
"Can't I just be the next Zidane, huh?" Su Hang teased.
Zidane shook his head repeatedly. "When you get to my age, I doubt you'll be playing as well as I am."
"But even at your current age, you've already got more leadership in you than I ever had."
"Sometimes I really do envy you."
"Your goal-scoring luck is unbelievable! In every big game, you've handled the pressure and pulled off the most incredible moments."
"And off the pitch, you're so mature—you know when to hold back so you can fight better, and when to fight so you won't have to later. That's rare in this game."
Zidane's voice was full of genuine admiration.
If he'd had Su Hang's mindset in his younger days, Zidane thought, maybe the king of Real Madrid would already have been him.
More league titles, more Champions Leagues—maybe even retiring in a couple of years, crowned as football's king.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride. But I can only take you as far as the city center. Right now, I can't be seen meeting with the local group." Zidane started toward his car.
"You're still a coward, Zizou," Su Hang muttered as they walked. In truth, what leadership skills did he really have?
It was mostly about keeping a good mindset—and not pushing to get on the pitch.
If you're not fighting for minutes, you naturally become more popular in the dressing room.
That might be true in theory, but as a player—who doesn't want to play?
Bale: "What did you just say?"
Hazard: "You sure about that?"
Zidane: "I'm not letting the local group use me as a pawn."
Su Hang: "Be brave, be yourself—don't care what others think!"
Zidane: "Get lost."
...
No one—not even Zidane—knew what Raúl and Guti said to Su Hang later.
But the next day, Real Madrid's senior management issued a serious ruling on the training ground brawl.
Roberto Carlos publicly apologized to Simon and Su Hang in front of the entire squad.
He accepted a fine and a two-match suspension.
No doubt about it—Carlos was the biggest loser this time.
And then… Real Madrid's official website posted the punishment for the world to see, making sure it would spread to every corner of the football world.
It was a heavy blow to Carlos.
Rumor had it Real Madrid hadn't originally planned to punish him so harshly. After all, Simon was only an interim coach—a placeholder.
The club's preferred choice was almost certainly Luxemburgo, then coaching in Brazil.
But Raúl, the captain, went straight to Florentino in person.
Some outlets even printed what Raúl supposedly said.
AS: "Raúl backs Su Hang! Demands heavy punishment for Roberto Carlos!"
Marca: "Raúl didn't want to fall out with Carlos, but since the matter involved Su Hang, letting Carlos off would make it seem Su Hang was in the wrong—and Su Hang is Raúl's chosen successor, so…"
Diario Sport: "Explosion in the Real Madrid dressing room! Carlos forced to apologize to junior Su Hang—humiliation! Could seek a winter transfer!"
Mundo Deportivo: "Factional tensions at Real Madrid grow as the Spanish clique is accused of hostility toward Latin American players!"
Sky Sports: "True justice or false sympathy? Su Hang announces he'll serve the suspension alongside Roberto Carlos!"
Ahem… as if Su Hang would ever pass up a chance to take it easy for a few games.
Of course he took it—and pocketed another wave of goodwill in the process.
Germany's Bild even ran a deep analysis:
"Raúl may have just made the biggest mistake of his career.
"It started when Carlos challenged Simon's authority. Su Hang, as fourth captain, stepped in to stop things from escalating—and Carlos punched him.
"Su Hang hit back… Morally, he was in the right.
"But why would Carlos show Simon such blatant disrespect? He's no fool—he must have known something beforehand.
"Our bold prediction: in the winter transfer window, Luxemburgo will take over Real Madrid.
"And Su Hang—who sided with Simon—along with Raúl, Guti, and the whole Spanish clique who stood up for him, will pay the price.
"That will give Luxemburgo the perfect chance to strike at the local group. The dominant force at Real Madrid could shift from the Spanish clique to the Brazilian clique.
"Real Madrid is on the brink of a power shift!
"And any player who picked the wrong side could see their career take a hit."
The Bild report was soon confirmed by Brazilian media.
According to a leading Brazilian outlet, Luxemburgo had already told his current club he wouldn't continue for the second half of the season.
The news sparked heated debate among Madrid fans.
Many felt for Raúl:
"Raúl's always put the team first, sacrificing for harmony. The one time he makes a stand, he backs the wrong side."
"Poor Raúl—finally flexes his captain's authority and ends up crossing the next coach and his right-hand man."
"He did the right thing. Su Hang's one of us, and he stood up for what's right."
"Su Hang's still too young. Heard he literally grabbed Carlos by the collar and dragged him to apologize to Simon—took several teammates to pull him off. That's how you make an enemy for life."
"Of course they couldn't stop him. Even Barcelona's 'Seven Freaks' couldn't take Su Hang down one-on-one."
"Su Hang's loyal—Simon knew the sacrifice he made and put him in the starting XI, which ticked Carlos off. Su Hang, in turn, stood up for Simon."
"Too bad Simon's too weak in the role—he won't hold on as Real Madrid manager. Su Hang's effort will go to waste."
Most fans understood both Su Hang's and Raúl's actions—but they also knew it would only bring trouble for both in the future.
When Luxemburgo arrived…
Carlos would be the locker room leader.
Su Hang would be the first target.
Raúl… captain in name only.
Only a handful thought things might play out differently.
Zidane was one of them.
At the very least, Zidane wanted Su Hang to succeed—because once the Brazilian clique finished with the locals, the international players would be next.
Rumors were already swirling that if Luxemburgo took charge, he'd target strong wingers and add steel to the midfield.
Several Brazilian wingers were already high on the shortlist.
And Brazil had no shortage of tough midfielders.
If they joined, it would inevitably squeeze out players like Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Guti, and others.
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser