Florentino stood in front of the window of the president's office, looking at the street outside. He could still see many Real Madrid fans gathered. They were scattered in groups of three or five, but from time to time, they would shout slogans in unison.
Just like the crowd of fans gathered outside the Bernabéu Stadium.
How many days had it been?
Florentino reached out and twisted the rod on the windowsill blinds.
With a swish, the blinds closed.
The office remained brightly lit.
At that moment, José Sánchez, Butragueño, Tapias, and others were seated inside, discussing a matter not suitable for outsiders.
"News from the Bernabéu says that fans are still gathering. And in the UK, I heard another fan club has organized dozens of people to head over this weekend. This time, they're going straight to Cheshire," José Sánchez reported.
For the first time, Florentino felt that transportation within Europe, especially the EU, was annoyingly convenient.
A round-trip ticket from Madrid to Manchester costs just over 100 euros. Can you believe it?
Even cheaper if it's a budget airline.
If the price were a few times higher, or if you added a zero to the end, there wouldn't be so much trouble.
"What's the situation outside now?" Florentino asked, adjusting his glasses with a sigh.
"Not great. The fans' response is still very strong. They're very unhappy with the current state of the team."
Butragueño, the club's public relations director responsible for media control, replied, "The team's performance has been too good in recent years, which makes the gap now all the more unbearable."
Florentino glanced at Butragueño, then sighed helplessly.
It wasn't just the fans. Even he, the club president, couldn't tolerate the current state of the team. But there was no good solution.
From Benítez to Lopetegui to Solari, Real Madrid's situation had only deteriorated, and the core problem was internal.
There was no issue with the strength of the squad. But players were either injured, out of form, or mentally off. On top of that, after Ronaldo's departure, the team's attacking power dropped significantly.
What made it worse was that Gao Shen, the successful and celebrated manager, had also left.
A combination of factors had led to Real Madrid's current crisis.
But fans don't care about those details.
For a club like Real Madrid, winning is expected. Losing is a crime.
The biggest difference between Real Madrid and Manchester United is that Real Madrid is a membership club. The president is elected by votes from the members. So even if Manchester United underperforms, as long as Sandes has the Glazers' backing, his position is secure.
But Florentino didn't have that luxury.
Now that the team was struggling, the fans were furious, and the opposition had seized the opportunity to rise up.
Even the protests at the Bernabéu, Valdebebas, and even in England—could they truly be said to have no connection to the opposition?
"What's Gao Shen doing now?" Florentino asked Butragueño.
Everyone knew that the Real Madrid vice president had a close relationship with Gao Shen. They were practically old friends.
"Nothing much. He's staying home and hardly going out. Said he's been hooked on a mobile game recently."
Everyone in the room wore complex expressions. Some didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Brother, there's chaos outside, and you're playing mobile games?
"But I've heard people from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have contacted him."
Florentino frowned immediately. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. But we don't know the details of their conversation."
"Who did he meet with?"
"PSG was Nasser, and for Bayern, it was Rummenigge. They had a meal together."
After a pause, Butragueño added, "Germany's Kicker magazine said Rummenigge also discussed Kimmich's transfer with Gao Shen, but the specifics aren't clear."
Kimmich had been performing very well for Leeds United this season and was also highly valued in the German national team. It was no surprise Bayern had their eye on him.
But for Real Madrid, this was definitely bad news.
No one in the world understood Gao Shen's coaching capabilities better than the people in this office.
If he really took over at Bayern or PSG, it would spell trouble for Real Madrid, who aim to win titles every season, especially now while in crisis.
"If you ask me, we should just invite him back," Tapias said impatiently.
José Sánchez and Butragueño immediately looked at Real Madrid's first vice president and fell silent again.
Because this matter was extremely sensitive.
Florentino had always aspired to become one of the greatest presidents in Real Madrid's history, comparable to Santiago Bernabéu and Ramón Mendoza.
He was currently leading the massive renovation of the Bernabéu Stadium, clearly aiming to compete with those legendary predecessors.
But everyone knew Real Madrid had an unwritten rule. The head coach was never the protagonist. The players were, and so was the president—especially presidents like Bernabéu and Mendoza, who were the true decision-makers at Real Madrid.
When Real Madrid won five consecutive European Cups, coaches changed, but the president remained the same.
During the Quinta del Buitre era, head coaches came and went, but Mendoza stayed.
In Florentino's first Galácticos era, coaches were replaced frequently, but the end result was disappointing, and Florentino himself was ousted.
In the second Galácticos era, Florentino appointed Pellegrini and Mourinho, but both ultimately failed.
It wasn't until the Gao Shen era that Real Madrid truly reached the peak of its glory.
Six consecutive Champions League titles. Five straight La Liga titles. Who else in the world could match that?
Even Florentino's own reputation was eclipsed.
At that time, Real Madrid belonged to Gao Shen, not Florentino. Many said Gao Shen would become Real Madrid's Ferguson.
But the truth was, a "Ferguson" could exist at any club in the world—except Real Madrid.
Because this club, above all, devalues its head coach.
In fact, for many reasons, Gao Shen almost left in 2017.
But he didn't.
The situation at the time didn't allow it. Even Florentino was doing everything he could to keep him.
Everyone knew that the ideal moment for Florentino to move on was mid-2018/19, when the team's performance was shaky and Gao Shen's influence was slightly declining. If Gao Shen had left then, the impact would have been minimal for both Florentino and the club.
But Gao Shen insisted that he would never resign, leaving no one bold enough to sack him.
And then, against all odds, he led the team to a historic La Liga and Champions League double, clinching an unprecedented sixth consecutive Champions League title and fifth straight league title, pushing Real Madrid to the pinnacle of its history.
In truth, today's outcome was sealed the moment Gao Shen left.
At the time, no one—not even brilliant minds like Zidane or Ancelotti—was willing to take over Real Madrid.
Just like when Ferguson retired. No top manager dared to touch Manchester United.
Now, everyone in the room understood one thing clearly.
Gao Shen's departure looked like a retreat, but it was a warning to Florentino and the club's leadership.
If Real Madrid could remain dominant without him, then it would prove he wasn't irreplaceable, and the success of the second Galácticos era would be credited to Florentino.
But if the club faltered and they had to beg him to return, and he succeeded again, then Gao Shen's position in Real Madrid would become unprecedentedly powerful—even greater than that of the president.
And that has never happened in Real Madrid's history.
At that point, Real Madrid would become Gao Shen's Real Madrid. Not Florentino's. Not the president's.
This was why neither José Sánchez nor Butragueño dared to suggest bringing him back so casually.
Only Tapias, Florentino's childhood friend and longtime supporter, dared to speak so directly.
"If we invite Gao Shen back, it won't just be for the head coach position," Florentino said calmly.
Gao Shen had only been head coach before. Although he earned considerable influence due to his fame and success, he was still, officially, just the manager.
Above him were football director Valdano and CEO José Sánchez. Valdano was his direct superior.
After Valdano's departure, José Sánchez took over football operations.
José Sánchez made a massive mistake by appointing Benítez, so it was understandable to curtail some of his power.
But now, if Gao Shen were to return, would it be just as head coach?
Impossible.
That would mean giving him full control over all football-related decisions at Real Madrid.
He would essentially join the club's core leadership and become a genuine senior executive.
If that happened, Gao Shen would be a true football manager. His authority at Real Madrid would far exceed what Ferguson had at Manchester United.
But if they didn't give him that, how could they convince him to come back?
What would be the point of making him manager, only to sack him again if results didn't go well?
From a career development standpoint, who would accept that?
After all, it was Real Madrid that needed Gao Shen now, not the other way around.
As soon as Florentino said this, the room fell silent.
Everyone knew that if they truly took this step, it would upend Real Madrid's 100-year-old management structure and cause a seismic shift in the world's greatest football club.
(To be continued.)
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