Suker recommended a player?
Florentino was squatting on the ground, tending to his grape trellis, and when he heard the report over the phone, a strange look appeared on his face, but he quickly regained his composure.
It's not uncommon for players to recommend other players to the club.
Especially some star players with influence, they also hope to gather players they are familiar with or have good chemistry with to play together.
Of course, most of these are not cheap players, so the club also needs to discuss and make a judgment.
"Who does he want?"
Florentino asked directly.
Sanchez: "A young player at Juventus, Mateo Kovacic!"
Upon hearing this, Florentino smiled: "That young Croatian player?"
He was not unfamiliar with Kovacic; although he had never met him in person, the hype surrounding Zorancic at the time was widespread, and Real Madrid indirectly gained a lot of attention, so he had a good impression.
Moreover, it seemed that Kovacic's performance at Juventus was also quite good.
The most crucial point was that the player Suker recommended was not that expensive.
"Then make contact!"
Florentino said casually.
If he's not expensive and can meet Suker's requirements, why not?
What's more, Kovacic is indeed a good prospect; if he succeeds, that's best, and if not, it still counts as placating Suker.
Furthermore, Florentino was confident that this transaction would not result in a loss, and might even be profitable.
This is not a big deal!
"Then I'll arrange it that way!" Sanchez said.
Despite being a major figure in Real Madrid with control over transfers, he still had to be careful and cautious when it came to matters involving Suker and Florentino.
One was Real Madrid's currently surging 'King'.
The other was Real Madrid's true boss.
He certainly couldn't mess up the task!
On the other side, as soon as Suker returned home, Zorancic came looking for him.
"How is it?"
Suker turned his head; "How else could it be? Do you think they'll give me an answer right away? They definitely need to contact Juventus first, after all, it involves a transfer, and there are still many uncertain factors here."
Zorancic immediately nodded: "You're right, I was a bit impatient, but since you've spoken, it's pretty much a done deal!"
Suker laughed; "You overestimate my influence at Real Madrid!"
No sooner had he spoken than Suker's phone rang.
Suker waved his hand and answered the call.
"Yes, okay! Then I'll trouble you!"
Suker's face clearly showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly nodded knowingly, said a polite word, and hung up the phone.
"Who called?" Zorancic asked.
Suker shrugged; "Real Madrid General Manager Sanchez."
"Didn't you just talk? Is there already news?" Zorancic asked in surprise.
Suker; "It's not news, just a statement, I guess he's already communicated with Florentino, and they will fully operate Kovacic's transfer!"
Of course, "fully" here refers to what Real Madrid considers a reasonable scope.
If Juventus demanded an exorbitant price, they would be helpless, but their actions were already considered an explanation to Suker.
"Let him wait for the summer window!" Suker said casually, then walked straight to the living room, sat down, and turned on the TV to play a recording of Arsenal's match.
There was still some time until the next Champions League match, but Suker had already started studying Real Madrid's match recordings in advance.
The last match was played very comfortably, all the rhythm points were captured.
They must maintain this feeling!
Of course, facing stronger opponents, he couldn't guarantee he could achieve this, but trying to capture key rhythm points was very important.
And all of this had to come from repeated adjustments and chemistry.
Training was one part, and studying recordings was another.
So he wanted to watch his own match recordings, watching his teammates' movements and his own movements.
In that relatively perfect match, he wanted to extract more important nodes, to figure out what exactly made them play so comfortably, and which part was loose.
Although Mourinho had left, some of his positive influences on Suker still remained.
That was to scrutinize details!
Only by understanding the details thoroughly could true sublimation be achieved.
Those ambiguous, glossed-over matches were essentially the same as not summarizing at all.
Ancelotti's post-match summaries gave Suker this feeling.
It wasn't that he didn't scrutinize details, but that he didn't scrutinize them to such an extreme.
Compared to these, Ancelotti paid more attention to the players' feelings, so he wouldn't do too many things that would make them unhappy.
Once he kept them too long or scrutinized too finely, negative emotions were bound to arise, so basically, once the summary was more or less done, they would disperse.
But Suker would use some of his leisure time to summarize and conclude.
Suker watched the match video intently, occasionally writing down some key points on the paper on the coffee table.
He watched very seriously, and Zorancic didn't disturb Suker, quietly walking upstairs.
Thinking of Suker's serious demeanor, Zorancic couldn't help but admire him from the bottom of his heart.
In fact, many players, once they reach Suker's level, pretty much slack off and start enjoying life.
Five Ballons d'Or, Champions League all-time top scorer, Real Madrid's 'King'.
Which of these isn't something players dream of? Achieving even one of these conditions would gradually lead to complacency, but Suker, on the contrary, was still pushing himself.
Sometimes, Zorancic even found it amusing.
The media that constantly referred to Suker as a 'genius' saw Suker's unparalleled talent, but overlooked the effort Suker put in.
A single word 'genius' could negate all of Suker's efforts!
But was Suker a genius?
Yes!
But he was also a hardworking genius, a player with excellent talent who was also so diligent; he deserved to receive these honors.
On March 1st, Real Madrid welcomed the 26th round of La Liga.
This was a key match.
They would face the currently surging Atletico Madrid away from home.
After an entire first half of the League season and gradually proving themselves in the Champions League, Atletico Madrid had now risen; they were no longer the mortal enemy that Real Madrid could trample upon at will.
The entire 90 minutes of the match were also full of ups and downs.
Atletico Madrid displayed a desperate fighting spirit in this match, with an intense level of offense and defense.
Even Real Madrid felt a bit overwhelmed.
Throughout the entire 90 minutes, there were a total of six goals.
Ultimately, Atletico Madrid drew 3:3 with Real Madrid at home!
"This was an intense match; facing Real Madrid's attacking prowess, Atletico Madrid's defense not only held up, but they also organized multiple counterattacks, successfully drawing with Real Madrid at home!"
That's right!
For Atletico Madrid now, a draw was already very good news.
The road must be walked step by step, and victory is also a gradual process.
First, a draw, getting rid of their 'Real Madrid phobia', and then seeking victory.
In this match, they also felt they played very well, overcoming their own psychological issues.
In contrast, Real Madrid was a bit depressed.
It couldn't be said that they played badly, but it wasn't as good as expected.
Many rhythm points were not seized, and instead, Atletico Madrid exploited them.
Especially Costa's target man style of play in the penalty area, back-to-goal one-on-one, made Pepe miserable and almost led to a fight.
They say evil finds its match, but when both are evil, it's about who is dirtier.
But in this match, Costa was in better form and nearly shattered Pepe's mentality.
After all, facing a behemoth in the penalty area, unable to push or hold him, only able to hang onto him but unable to stop him from shooting, anyone's mentality would be affected.
Pepe was furious!
So much so that as he walked into the player tunnel, he angrily threw his shoe on the ground.
The sole bounced off the ground, flying high.
The studs just brushed against Suker's eyebrow.
But Suker didn't say much; he just brushed it off and walked into the player tunnel.
As soon as he entered the locker room, Suker was stopped by the team doctor.
"Suker! Why are you bleeding?"
Suker was stunned for a moment; he did feel something wet around his eye, but he thought it was sweat and didn't pay much attention, but now that the team doctor mentioned it, he felt a burning sensation.
The teammates also turned their heads.
"Was it Pepe's stud just now?"
Ramos asked with a frown.
At this moment, Pepe also looked up; he opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, then turned his head away.
Suker looked at Pepe, waved his hand, and said, "It's nothing serious. I'll wear a hat later so the media doesn't catch me!"
Soon, the team doctor bandaged Suker's wound.
Simple hemostasis measures quickly took effect.
Moreover, the wound was not large, just a graze.
A draw away from home usually doesn't warrant such anger.
But with their high standards, they truly couldn't tolerate making so many mistakes in one game.
In fact,
the most upset was Pepe!
He almost became the breakthrough point in this match, and his anger was understandable; he wasn't angry at his teammates, but at himself.
Because of this, Suker didn't say anything even though he was injured.
He knew Pepe didn't do it on purpose; he was just in a fit of pique and couldn't save face at the moment.
Ancelotti was also trying his best to calm the players' emotions. He liked to see players hold themselves to high standards, but he didn't want them to be too affected by it.
But fortunately, the players' emotions quickly shifted. Although the game was a bit heated, on second thought, an away draw wasn't unacceptable.
The next day, when Suker arrived at the locker room, Pepe stuck to him.
"Good morning!"
With that, he took out a plastic-wrapped item from his bag: "This is tea from Portugal; try it, it's quite good!"
What good tea does Portugal have?
And does Pepe even drink tea?
But Suker still took the tea and said thank you.
Seeing Suker accept the tea, Pepe also breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and said, "I was still angry yesterday, some things weren't intentional!"
Suker nodded, "I understand!"
"That's good. How about we go for French food tonight? My treat!"
Every sentence didn't say "I'm sorry," but every sentence was an apology.
Suker turned and smiled, "It's fine, I really didn't take it to heart. I know you were upset and angry at the time. It was just a graze, nothing serious."
Pepe then chuckled, nodded, "Really not eating?"
Suker waved his hand, "You eat more, and increase your strength training. Being able to withstand Costa is more useful than all of this!"
Hearing that, Pepe's eyes changed.
"I've already reported to the coaching staff. I really need to do some strength training. The coaching staff also supports me gaining a bit of weight to strengthen my ability in physical confrontations."
"Damn it! That guy was like a bear pushing me. I was practically on top of him, and I still couldn't stop his shot."
Thinking about the game, Pepe felt furious.
Of course, he was still angry at himself!
"I'll introduce you to some strength training exercises. This is how I used to train, but the process might be very tough because you also need to do some flexibility training. It won't show immediate results, but it can try to keep you from losing flexibility."
"Really?"
Pepe's eyes lit up. When he considered strength training, he had already prepared himself to sacrifice some flexibility.
After all, with an increase in muscle mass, body flexibility would inevitably decrease.
But Suker had a way to overcome it, so he was naturally overjoyed.
"But before that, you need to come to my house first. I'll have my personal trainer give you a physical examination. The personal trainer I got from Milan Physical Examination Center is very capable!"
To this, Pepe smiled and said, "A personal trainer you can rely on, I trust him!"
Suker's personal team, if each of them didn't have some skill, they wouldn't be earning such high salaries.
Even among professional players' personal trainers, the salaries of Suker's personal team were exceptionally generous.
But at the same time, they were also experts in their respective fields.
Pepe also had a personal trainer, but his personal trainer was part-time.
He couldn't afford to support so many people at once like Suker, and pay such high salaries.
After these discussions, Real Madrid also entered their daily training.
After playing Atletico Madrid, despite it being a draw, Real Madrid still maintained their position at the top of the League table.
The upcoming League opponents were not considered strong, so Real Madrid focused more attention on the Champions League.
The Champions League will be held in London on March 11th, with Real Madrid playing Arsenal away.
With a three-goal lead from home, they were relatively relaxed.
In the evening, at Suker's invitation, Pepe underwent a detailed physical examination at his villa.
The personal trainer from Milan Physical Examination Center was excellent. He not only provided detailed physical data and various suggestions but also detected some hidden problems.
"When you exert force with your left thigh flexor, do you feel some soreness?"
Facing the personal trainer's question, Pepe looked surprised and nodded, "That's right! But the pain isn't severe, it just comes on suddenly occasionally, but it quickly disappears."
"That's it! The surgery wasn't clean enough, and you returned to training before fully recovering. If you continue with such high-intensity matches, you might need a second surgery, and even a second surgery might not guarantee full recovery!"
Hearing this, Pepe was a bit scared.
Players are sensitive to injuries, especially major injuries that can end a career.
Suker also frowned slightly.
He vaguely remembered that Pepe had indeed undergone several surgeries on his left thigh, and old injuries would flare up from time to time.
Of course, as a professional player, who doesn't have some injuries?
But this kind of injury still greatly affects the League.
"Is there any way?" Suker asked on behalf of Pepe.
The personal trainer shook his head, "No way! You can only rest it. Don't even think about strength training for now. This season still has the League and Champions League; these matches are already intense enough. Focus on rehabilitation training first."
With that, he turned to Suker and smiled, "During this time, since you're fine, I'll go serve him?"
Hearing that, Suker smiled and shrugged; he wasn't too concerned about that.
In fact, the personal trainer also had a strong sense of crisis.
No way!
Suker paid him so much, but Suker's body wouldn't have any problems all year round, so keeping him was like keeping him for nothing.
He didn't want to lose this high-paying job, so he could only take on work himself.
Since he couldn't serve Suker, he would serve Suker's teammates, which would earn him some goodwill.
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Pepe's expression was a bit awkward.
It felt a bit out of place for Suker's personal trainer to serve him.
"Let him come, he's a professional, especially in rehabilitation training. Even Real Madrid can't compare to him. I put in a lot of effort to poach him."
"And helping you is also helping me. I'm still waiting for you to become healthier and guard our defensive line."
Hearing Suker say this, Pepe happily accepted.
He even punched Suker in the chest.
"Next time I lose my temper, you just hit me. I promise I won't fight back."
Suker rolled his eyes.
In the evening, Pepe also mooched a meal before leaving contentedly.
Although discovering the problem was a bit alarming, being able to solve it also made him relieved.
The most crucial thing was not being afraid of getting injured, but being afraid of being injured and not knowing it.
Once it became a chronic illness, constantly relapsing, it would have a huge impact on Pepe.
He was also afraid of accidents, so he was very grateful for Suker's invitation to the examination this time.
A week passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was March 9th.
The entire Real Madrid team departed a day early for London to prepare for the match.
On March 10th, they trained at a rented training center in London, preparing for the Champions League match the next day.
Arsenal was also actively preparing.
Compared to Real Madrid, they were more nervous.
There was no other way; it was their fault for playing so poorly in the first leg.
They needed to score three goals at home to get back to square one, and any goal from Real Madrid would drag them into the abyss.
They had to defend and attack!
Arsenal's pressure was immense.
But no matter how difficult, they could only grit their teeth and go for it.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid gave them some insights, but only insights. The two teams had different styles, so other arrangements were still needed.
Under such an atmosphere, a major battle was on the verge of breaking out!