This short defender delivered an outstanding performance at the World Cup.
He was selected for the tournament's Best 23 squad.
If not for Su Hang, he might have lifted the World Cup trophy that summer and then swept both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards by year's end—becoming the first and only defender in football history to win both honors.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid spent sixteen million euros to bring in Brazilian Defensive Midfielder Emerson.
After that, Real Madrid and Arsenal arranged a mutual loan deal.
Real Madrid brought in Arsenal's young prodigy Reyes, who had just helped Spain win the World Cup.
Arsenal, in return, took Baptista, who had only joined Real Madrid the previous season.
In truth, "The Beast" Baptista was still extremely capable, with the crucial advantage of being able to fill multiple roles. If Su Hang had been the one making decisions in the summer window, he would never have allowed Baptista to leave.
But clearing out the remnants of the Brazilian clique was the main agenda this window, and there was no chance Calderón would target the Spanish clique, whose morale was soaring.
On top of that, Baptista himself wanted the chance to become a top striker or even a focal point of a team—something he simply couldn't see happening at Real Madrid.
As a striker, his profile overlapped with Su Hang's.
As a core player, Real Madrid had already spent a year proving that Baptista was only ever going to be a supporting piece here.
At twenty-five, it was time for him to become a team's leader. He couldn't afford to waste any more years in Madrid. His departure was inevitable.
On the surface, the deal looked ideal.
Real Madrid gained a future star for both the frontline and the wings.
Arsenal gained a versatile all-around core capable of operating from back to front.
But in truth, it was a lose-lose transaction.
Reyes had lost his warrior's heart and was already a shell of his former self.
Baptista looked like Vieira, but aside from physique, he shared none of Vieira's qualities.
Even if Baptista could play up front, Arsenal already had better options in nearly every position.
This was Arsenal—a Premier League giant.
Fans who play football games know the awkwardness of such all-rounders.
For a small club, a versatile player is a godsend who can fill every position.
For a big club, a versatile player is someone who doesn't specialize in any one spot, because at every position someone else is better—so he ends up on the bench.
Where players come in, others must go out.
With two new Defensive Midfielders arriving back-to-back, Thomas Gravesen naturally became unnecessary. He moved to Scottish giants Celtic.
Even Pablo García, who had only joined last season, was loaned out to Celta.
Young left-back Diogo was loaned to Zaragoza.
He was one of the two lottery tickets Real Madrid scratched last season—Cicinho on the right hit the jackpot, Diogo didn't. Not a bad success rate, really.
Academy defender Juanfran transferred to Osasuna. As he left, Su Hang sent him a message wishing him well, saying he believed Juanfran would become a key player at Osasuna and then return to Madrid in triumph!
Atlético Madrid: Yes, that would be us!
Another academy forward, Soldado, was also loaned to Osasuna.
But the most bittersweet case was Portillo, once billed as "Raúl's successor."
First he ran into the galáctico policy—his competition up front grew more and more famous, even Morientes was pushed out. What could he do?
He could only rely on his youth, sitting on the bench waiting for chances, buying opportunity with time.
When Ronaldo's frequent injuries finally offered him a window, he was overtaken by the meteoric rise of Su Hang.
Now Su Hang had become a World Cup legend, his momentum chasing Ronaldo's prime.
Portillo, however, ended up transferring to a Segunda División side.
This move confirmed that his three years of sitting on Real Madrid's bench had been utterly wasted.
Those years—from 21 to 24—are a player's prime for breaking through, fighting upward, and proving their ceiling. His limit had already visibly dropped.
This was the price of losing a gamble at a top club.
Finally, Jonathan Woodgate, whom Real Madrid had bought for a high fee from the Premier League, was loaned back to Middlesbrough.
It was Real Madrid's most regrettable signing in years.
Woodgate was simply too injury-prone.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan added their strongest reinforcement yet to an already near-perfect squad.
They announced the signing of Portuguese superstar Luís Figo on a top-tier contract!
His signing bonus matched Su Hang's—five million euros!
In fact, this deal had already been finalized before last season ended.
It simply hadn't been announced so as not to disrupt Portugal's World Cup campaign.
But Figo continued to perform like a true midfield general at the tournament, coming within touching distance of the World Cup trophy. With Zidane announcing his retirement, Real Madrid had even considered keeping Figo for one more year.
Then Real Madrid, preoccupied with the issues surrounding Su Hang, began to sideline Figo.
At the same time, Inter were freely spending while securing Juventus stars on free transfers, giving Figo all the leverage he needed.
His salary jumped from €4.5 million to €7 million.
He also pocketed a €5 million signing bonus.
If Juventus and Milan hadn't suffered their problems that year, allowing Inter to snap up bargains and save funds, Inter would never have spent so much on a veteran like Figo.
As a result, Real Madrid's star power dimmed noticeably compared to last season.
Zidane and Figo were gone, Ronaldo was rumored to be leaving, and Baptista had departed. Van Nistelrooy, Cannavaro, and Emerson joined instead.
Was this really the treatment a Treble winner deserved?
And that's not even counting Calderón's campaign promises.
Where is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Where is Kaká?
Real Madrid fans were furious.
They believed Calderón had deceived them and demanded an explanation.
Yet Calderón stayed silent, instead pursuing two seemingly minor transfers.
A few days later, new transfer news broke from Real Madrid.
Marca: "Four million euros! Croatia's scapegoat midfielder Luka Modrić joins Real Madrid! His parent club demands four million—pure greed!"
AS: "Modrić's World Cup was a disaster. He's nowhere near worth four million—his true value is a tenth of that!"
Sport: " Luka? Real Madrid signs another flop. Not every young midfielder can become a Xavi or an Iniesta!"
Mundo Deportivo: "Croatian Footballer of the Year candidate? Modrić's title is worth one million at most!"
Transfermarkt: "Real Madrid swoops in! Snatches Hamburg's target for €8 million, signing Belgian Center Back Vincent Kompany!"
Sky Sports: "Kompany's physical gifts are good, but at this stage he may only be suited for the Bundesliga. La Liga will be tough—and the Premier League impossible!"
...
Get early access (35 chapters ahead) plus other series available only on P@treon
[email protected]/GhostParser