"Kaká!! What a brilliant through pass!!! A surgical through pass!!!"
"What an amazing move! My God! Kaká can play like this too?"
González was so shocked his jaw almost dropped.
In the past, Kaká was the "Son of the Wind," rushing forward like a hurricane, winning over countless fans with his relentless attacking runs.
But now, Kaká's style had changed — he was more like an elegant commander, orchestrating from a distance, winning the battle before it even began!
From the very first pass, he had been dismantling Sevilla's defense step by step, drawing them out little by little, loosening up their packed half, and creating space for Suker's forward run.
You could say that all the previous wing play, the switches from side to side — they were all preparations for this one through ball!
And finally, a perfect through ball tore Sevilla's defense apart and sealed the move.
For González, there was only one word for this attacking sequence: perfect!
No flaws at all, full of deception.
It looked like a wing attack, but it targeted the central axis!The interplay between real and fake!
The true intent was hidden under layers of feints.
You could say Kaká's performance had amplified Suker's finishing ability to the maximum.
In fact, compared to Xabi Alonso, Kaká almost seemed more suited—
González froze. Why was he thinking like this?
But he had to admit, Kaká's performance as a defensive midfielder was outstanding!
"You're dirty! So dirty!"
Suker laughed loudly while ruffling Kaká's hair.
Kaká turned his head. "You're praising me, right?"
"Hey! You tricked everyone!" Srna ran over excitedly.
Di María also said in amazement, "Right up to the end, I thought Kaká was going to pass to me, but he actually slipped it through!"
"Dirty! Tactical minds are dirty!"
Suker teased, but he couldn't hide his grin.
No doubt about it!His super-assist partner was now trained up!
Kaká looked at Suker. "I learned from you!"
"Me?" Suker pointed at himself.
Kaká nodded. "Yeah. Back in the day, you and Pippo used to link up like this, didn't you?"
Suker paused.
When he first joined AC Milan, using the [Inzaghi's Awareness] skill, he had indeed played like this!
"I figured if you and Pippo could pull it off, then you and I should be able to as well." Kaká smiled. "And I was right!"
Suker grinned.
Of course you were right — you think I grinded [Kaká's Awareness] for nothing?
"Exactly!"
On the sideline, Mourinho showed a faint smile.
Faria, beside him, turned and marveled. "That attacking move was brilliant!"
Mourinho nodded. "I noticed this before, which is why I got the idea to redeploy Kaká. If the two of them can link up so well in attack, why wouldn't that work if Kaká dropped back to midfield?"
"But they make a great pair up front too," Faria said.
"They do," Mourinho replied. "But remember, without service from midfield, they can't attack at all."
"To be honest, we don't counterattack that often — the reason our stats look so good is because we're incredibly clinical when we do."
"Suker and Kaká together up front supercharge our attack — two world-class threats constantly pressuring the opponent's defense — but that still doesn't fully unleash their potential."
"Instead of a balanced left-right setup, one in front and one behind suits them best!"
"In attack, Suker has that relentless pressure on the defense and incredible finishing ability!"
"In midfield, Kaká has superb vision, passing, and distribution — this attack just proved it perfectly!"
"And with their chemistry, once this link is established, no one can shake our central axis!"
Frankly, Mourinho still believed Suker should play center forward.
Other positions diluted his impact and unique strengths.
Of course, Suker could also be a swing player — center forward, winger, wide midfielder.
Same with Kaká.
Winger, wide midfielder, central midfielder, defensive midfielder — all possible!
That made Real Madrid's lineup extremely versatile.
Still, the core tactic for the future would be relying on the Suker + Kaká central axis for deadly counterattacks.
But against different opponents, they could tweak the tactics for targeted suppression.
This was a lineup full of endless possibilities.
And it was all built on Kaká's transformation.
Hearing Mourinho's words, Faria couldn't help asking quietly, "So you're changing Kaká's role… not just to weaken the Spanish core?"
"That's part of it, but more importantly, it's to increase the team's competitiveness," Mourinho said firmly. "I'm not the type to harm others without benefiting myself."
Real Madrid's second goal effectively broke Sevilla's spirit.
Soon, the 90 minutes were over.
2010/2011 La Liga, Round 12 — Real Madrid 2–1 Sevilla.
Real Madrid kept their winning streak alive.
"I thought my long-range goal was crazy enough, but your adjustment at the end was even crazier!"
Rakitić shook his head.
Who the hell would have thought Kaká could play defensive midfield — and play it so well?
Suker and Srna exchanged smiles.
In truth, they hadn't expected it either.
For Suker, Kaká's performance at DM had always been a mystery.
Back in Milan training, Kaká had tried the role, but his transition hadn't succeeded yet, and Suker hadn't unlocked [Kaká's Awareness], so it hadn't gone well.
Now, with everything in place, it had all come together naturally.
All that was left was fine-tuning.
If Kaká kept this level up, Xabi Alonso might find himself stuck on the bench.
That night, they took the team bus back to the training base.
The bus was quiet.
Suker was sound asleep.
Kaká was still replaying the game in his head.
Casillas looked a bit dazed — feeling like he was doing the right thing, but also feeling guilty toward Alonso.
Alonso's expression was heavy.
That surgical through ball from Kaká hadn't just split Sevilla's defense — it had stabbed straight into Alonso's heart.
He felt a great sense of competition and urgency.
Even Alonso had to admit that Kaká's decision-making had been outstanding.
And most importantly, the Suker–Kaká chemistry was something Alonso didn't have.
"We're home! We're home!"
Suker stretched lazily.
Still drowsy, he let Di María drive instead.
Back at his place, Suker didn't even shower — just collapsed into bed.
Under the hazy night sky, news about Real Madrid suddenly began flooding in.
The most shocking was Casillas's reporter girlfriend publicly voicing dissatisfaction with the club in an interview.
"Iker is the captain, but they've given him no captain's authority at all, even forcing him to compromise again and again. Iker is very hurt — he's told me so much that breaks my heart — and I've realized maybe Real Madrid doesn't truly love him!"
An interview with Casillas's girlfriend Sara set off an explosion in Spain.
This threw the soaring Real Madrid into a huge public opinion crisis.
The media began hyping up all kinds of theories:Conflict narratives!Conspiracy theories!Talk of discord between coach and players — endless speculation.
The next morning, Suker watched the news on TV, a piece of toast in his mouth, shaking his head. "That big-mouthed girlfriend of Casillas has really caused trouble this time!"
As the saying goes, big clubs attract big drama.
Any topic could ferment into a media storm.
And Sara's comments — though framed as her own words — clearly showed Casillas had complained to her.
And Sara was naturally loose-tongued.
In the original timeline, Mourinho had moved to weaken the Spanish core of the team. As a result, Casillas and Mourinho's relationship had never been great, though they kept it professional for the sake of results.
But with Casillas frequently leaking tactics and pre-match plans to his girlfriend, and Sara using this to gain media attention, Mourinho was eventually enraged, leading to a major blow-up.
Of course, there were many points of friction — this was just the breaking point.
Still, Sara was indeed unlikeable.
Who would like someone constantly leaking information and badmouthing her boyfriend's "workplace"?
"Morning!"
When Suker entered the locker room, it was extremely quiet.
Everyone sat on the benches without speaking, but their eyes darted around.
Casillas wasn't there — likely called away urgently.
After all, with something this big, he couldn't just ignore it.
Suker said irritably, "Your eyes are about to pop out — why not just talk?"
The players looked embarrassed.
Ramos looked at Suker. "What do you think?"
"Think about what?" Suke asked.
"About Sara's comments!" Ramos scratched his head. "She must have exaggerated the captain's meaning."
Though Sara hadn't directly attacked Suker, she had hinted at things.
Suker shrugged. "Doesn't bother me."
Ramos sighed in relief.
He'd feared Casillas's foolish girlfriend might have angered Suker.
Truth was, Suker was a little annoyed — but he'd already expected worse from her in the future.
"The captain got called to the club first thing," Ramos said gravely. "And I saw Mr. Pérez's car in the garage."
Even Florentino had been alerted.
Suker thought for a moment and understood.
Pérez liked publicity, but not bad publicity.
Sara's attack and talk of "lack of trust" had dragged Pérez into it as well.
"Why care so much? The club will handle it." Suker put on his training gear and clapped his hands. "Everyone get changed and warm up. This has nothing to do with us."
The others exchanged glances, then got up and headed out together.
In the meeting room at the training base's office building, Pérez and other board members gathered.
Pérez sat at the head of the table, silent.
Seeing this, GM Valdano cleared his throat. "Based on Iker's girlfriend Sara's remarks, the club is now caught in a massive media storm. We all share responsibility — we failed to communicate in advance."
He glanced at Casillas. "I hope we can resolve this internally rather than through the media."
This was telling Casillas: don't cross the line.
Casillas pursed his lips — he understood the message.
"As for Sara's smearing of the club, we will publicly demand an apology. If she refuses, we will take legal—"
"Do we really have to go that far?" Casillas interrupted, frowning.
The interruption displeased Valdano. "Iker, this can be resolved through dialogue — we don't want to escalate. But given the damage to our image, we must insist on a public apology and clarification."
"But she didn't lie!"
Casillas was still defending his new girlfriend.
Clearly, they were in the honeymoon stage.
He believed that as Real Madrid's captain, he had the right to speak.
Valdano glanced at Pérez, who sat calmly, tapping the table with his finger, saying nothing.
Valdano continued. "We have no choice — we must protect our image."
"In a few days, this will blow over," Casillas said quickly. "Once they're tired of talking, it'll stop."
"And in the future?" Valdano said seriously. "If we don't act now, we'll only encourage worse behavior — the media climate will get uglier."
"It won't, as long as we do well enough," Casillas insisted.
"You sure?"
With that big-mouthed girlfriend?
Sara was a famous Spanish journalist — beautiful, yes, but also driven to chase hot topics by nature.
And her boyfriend was Iker Casillas — captain of both Spain's national team and Real Madrid!
Valdano doubted she'd let things go — she needed a lesson.
"I promise!" Casillas said quickly.
The meeting room fell silent.
As captain, they couldn't push him too hard — and they hadn't expected him to defend her so stubbornly.
Then a voice rang out.
"Iker."
Gulp.
Casillas swallowed and turned.
Pérez was staring at him coldly.
"You must take responsibility for your words. Valdano is right — we have to hold her accountable."
"But—" Casillas began.
Pérez's tone hardened. "Iker! You are Madrid's son — from the youth academy to the first team — you've always belonged here. This is your home. And someone is smearing your family."
"We gave you the captain's armband because we trust your performance. The captain of Real Madrid should be wise, brave, kind, and strong! He doesn't complain, does he, Iker?"
Casillas opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"So," Pérez continued, "this wasn't your opinion, and you never complained. It was all Sara's own speculation, right?"
"I… I…"
"Iker!" Pérez's voice suddenly boomed, echoing in the room.
"We are going to make that woman shut up! Understand? I'm protecting you, you fool!"
Pérez rarely lost his temper, but this hit his most sensitive spot.
His carefully crafted image was being torn apart — how could he not be furious?
Most infuriating of all, the big mouth causing the damage was the captain's girlfriend!
Such nonsense shouldn't happen at Real Madrid — but it had, and in such an ugly way.
Sara's fate didn't matter to him —but he had to protect Real Madrid's image,his own image,and the image of Casillas as captain.
So everything had to be painted as Sara's "own speculation."
Casillas was to be removed from the equation entirely.
"What should I do?" Casillas asked quietly.
Now Pérez nodded in satisfaction and looked at Valdano.
Valdano cleared his throat.
"First, the club will issue a statement to clarify matters and publicly demand an apology from Sara."
"Second, we'll contact the media to suppress the story and stop it from spreading."
"Third, we'll draft a post in Iker's name for his social media."
"In this process, all departments must coordinate, and the first team must strictly control comments. For now—" Valdano glanced at Pérez, sighed, and said, "no interviews, no commercial activities."
Pérez's cheek twitched and his fist clenched slightly.
Damn fool!
Later, Suker arrived at the meeting room — now only Pérez was inside.
"Sit down."
Suke did so.
"On behalf of Casillas, I apologize to you," Pérez said.
After all, the incident had also affected Suker — Sara's hints had drawn him into the gossip too.
Suker blinked without speaking.
When you can leverage the situation, it's best to stay quiet and see what they offer.
After a long pause, with Suker saying nothing, Pérez sighed. "You sly one… The club will give you some compensation."
"First, your loyalty bonus will be paid a year early."
Suker nodded — that was nice.
"Second, Diarra's No. 10 shirt will be given to Kaká."
Suker was surprised — he hadn't expected that.
He blinked. "What about the No. 8?"
Giving Kaká's current No. 8 to Di María wouldn't be bad either.
Pérez snorted. "Forget about the No. 8!"