Starting With Real Madrid

Gao Shen returned to Madrid to oversee the afternoon training session and received a call from Buenaventura when he got home that night.

The future fitness master said he accepted the invitations from Gao Shen and Real Madrid. Cadiz had convinced him to resign, but Real Madrid needed to pay a small compensation.

Gao Shen was fine with this and immediately agreed on behalf of Real Madrid.

Buenaventura said he would prepare a training plan overnight and fly to Madrid early the next morning. After signing the contract at Valdebebas, he could start working immediately.

Buenaventura's style is indeed efficient.

After hanging up, Gao Shen first called Butragueno to report the progress.

Gao Shen had informed Butragueno about poaching Buenaventura before going to Cadiz. Vulture had heard of this person, and seeing Gao Shen's determination and concern, he immediately had no objections.

Now that Gao Shen had negotiated with Buenaventura, Butragueno confirmed he would call the management of Cadiz and draft a contract overnight so Buenaventura could start work the next day.

After hanging up with Butragueno, Gao Shen called Carlo again to share the good news.

Then he called Raul, Guti, Zidane, Beckham, and others to inform them one by one.

This was not about showing weakness but showing respect.

These players are the backbone of the team and the core of Real Madrid's combat effectiveness. They are the cornerstones of a stable locker room. Gao Shen needed to keep them informed about the appointment of Buenaventura, preparing them mentally.

Gao Shen had already told them about hiring a fitness coach before, so now they expressed their full cooperation.

Training would definitely be harder than before, but the team had won three consecutive victories, and with Barcelona losing away, Real Madrid had successfully narrowed the points gap, giving everyone hope.

Where there is hope, there is motivation.

Next, Gao Shen asked Fernando Lucas to pick him up at the airport the next morning.

Finally, after some thought, he called Maqueda and informed him of the decision.

Gao Shen had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the team's low level of daily training in the coaching staff meetings. He had asked the coaching staff to come up with a plan, but no one wanted to offend others.

Afterward, Gao Shen said he would hire someone from outside, but no one responded. After all, it was already March, and finding a fitness coach who could come to Real Madrid and had the capability was not easy.

Who would have thought that Gao Shen would actually find someone.

Cadiz is a newly promoted team and not well-known in La Liga. They are favorites for relegation this season. Buenaventura is somewhat known in Spanish coaching circles, mainly through coaching training courses.

Overall, Buenaventura is not well-known and does not seem like the type of coach who could solve Real Madrid's physical issues quickly. He might just be looking to polish his resume at Real Madrid.

Initially, Maqueda thought the same, not caring much as it would just be another subordinate.

But when Gao Shen mentioned that the team's physical training, targeted player training, and aspects like injury recovery and diet would be handed over to Buenaventura, Maqueda panicked.

The Real Madrid assistant coach's first reaction was that Gao Shen was cutting his power.

Why? Because he had opposed Gao Shen before, and now it was time for payback.

But Gao Shen didn't give him time to react and hung up after speaking.

Gao Shen's tone from start to finish was a notification, not a consultation or negotiation, essentially telling Maqueda that whether he agreed or not, the decision was made, and he could either accept it or leave.

Without Buenaventura, Gao Shen might have hesitated, but now he didn't care if Maqueda stayed or left.

In fact, Gao Shen believed Maqueda would not resign.

If Maqueda were going to resign, he would have done so after their previous fallout, not now.

…

Most of the Real Madrid players, especially the Brazilian group led by Ronaldo and Carlos, learned about the club hiring a fitness coach before training.

The name wasn't well-known, coming from Cadiz and teaching Spanish coaching courses.

This made Ronaldo and Carlos extremely annoyed.

They hadn't been notified beforehand. Meanwhile, Raul, Beckham, and others knew who the new coach was in advance.

Everyone knew the Brazilian group had fallen out of favor in the Real Madrid locker room. Ronaldo and Carlos had been marginalized and couldn't stir trouble anymore.

Before training, Gao Shen brought Buenaventura to the locker room to meet all the players.

Maqueda and the coaching staff were present, serving as a platform for Buenaventura.

This formal introduction indicated to everyone that the decision was final.

Raul, Guti, and Beckham had all agreed with Gao Shen and welcomed Buenaventura on the spot. Gao Shen also welcomed the new coach on behalf of Zidane.

In other words, the locker room leaders had known and agreed in advance.

Ronaldo and Carlos were surprised and powerless, and even Buenaventura was taken aback.

He initially thought he'd face some obstacles and resistance from players.

But Gao Shen had paved the way for him, eliminating the biggest hurdles.

This made Buenaventura reassess Gao Shen's influence in the Real Madrid locker room.

After all, it had only been 12 days since Gao Shen took office!

In front of everyone, Gao Shen gave Buenaventura enough respect and authority. But on the way back to the coach's office, Gao Shen warned him.

"Our players are special. They are older and have high prestige in world football. When dealing with them, we need to consider methods and the actual situation."

Gao Shen had mentioned this to Buenaventura on the phone last night.

Real Madrid now had many aging players, like Zidane, Salgado, Carlos, and Ronaldo.

Training plans needed to improve training levels while considering their actual conditions.

Especially for players like Ronaldo and Woodgate, adjustments must be made.

"Don't worry, I'll develop a preliminary training plan based on our schedule. I'll then create targeted plans for each player, considering their roles and tactics."

Buenaventura's training would consider the entire team, individual players' conditions, and regional cooperation on the field, but these would take time to implement.

"The Champions League quarter-finals are about to be drawn. We have about half a month until the first leg. Starting this weekend, we'll have three league games in a week, which are crucial. Your task is very important."

Buenaventura, in his forties, was not used to accepting a young leader. But Gao Shen seemed very mature and composed.

This strange feeling made it hard for him to recall the situation.

But standing in Valdebebas, he longed for his future.

Apart from coaching the Argentine national team, his career had always been with Cadiz. This season was his first in La Liga, and now he was moving to a giant like Real Madrid. He cherished this opportunity.

More importantly, Gao Shen's heartfelt trust made him want to prove himself.

…

The media only briefly mentioned Buenaventura joining Real Madrid's coaching staff.

No one focused on the potential changes he would bring to Real Madrid.

People were more concerned about the superstars and the narrowing gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the La Liga standings.

And the Champions League quarter-final draw at UEFA headquarters on Thursday.

On Wednesday, after all the Champions League round of 16 matches, the top eight teams were announced.

Three La Liga teams reached the quarter-finals: Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Villarreal. Three Serie A teams also advanced: Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan. The remaining teams were Benfica from the Portuguese Super League and Lyon from Ligue 1.

According to the quarter-final draw rules, all teams were randomly paired, potentially leading to same-country matchups or even a final preview.

Real Madrid's luck in draws hadn't been great. Last season, they faced the formidable Juventus in the round of 16 and this season, Arsenal.

Now, after reversing Arsenal to reach the quarter-finals, they avoided the weaker Benfica but drew Juventus, led by Capello.

Last season, Real Madrid lost to Juventus in the round of 16.

Today's Juventus is even stronger than last season.

How strong are they?

Aside from coach Capello, their team includes stars like Buffon, Cannavaro, Zebina, Thuram, Chiellini, Robert Kovac, Zambrotta, Blasi, Vieira, Emerson, Tacchinardi, Camoranesi, Nedved, Marchisio, Trezeguet, Del Piero, Ibrahimovic, Mutu, Miccoli, and Zalayeta.

Just count how powerful this lineup is.

So much so that when the draw results were announced, the world sang a sad tune for Real Madrid.

The betting odds for Real Madrid to win plummeted, falling to the bottom among the quarter-finalists.

The media and fans agreed: Real Madrid was done!