"Hey Gao, wele home!"

  About half an hour before the game started, Florentino's private car delivered Gao Shen and his party directly to the VIP entrance of the Beradium. Real Madrid's vice president, Emilio Butrague?o, and Florentino's personal assistant, Redondo, were waiting to greet him personally.

  This entrance, reserved exclusively for VIPs with private box access, included a dedicated parking lot, allowing direct access to the box without the risk of being seen or photographed.

  Gao Shen smiled as he shook hands and hugged Butrague?o and Redondo, feeling the warmth of reuniting with old friends after so long.

  This was the pce where his dream began. He felt a special e to the stadium and these people.

  "e o's head inside," Butrague?o led the way.

  Initially, Gao Shen had only called to request three tickets to the game, intending to scout Roma's current form. Lately, Spalletti had grown increasingly adept at fiuning Roma's 4-2-3-1 system, and their ret results were impressive, including a anding 4-0 victory over Parma in their st match.

  While Roma's current momentum didn't surpass Gao Shen's ow successes, it was still notable.

  Havied Real Madrid 2-1 at home, Roma now faced them at the Bernabeu, and Gao Shen was keen to assess their performance firsthand.

  When Butrague?o received Gao Shen's call, he immediately informed Florentino, who decided without hesitation to ao Shen his private box for the match. He even arranged for his personal driver to pick Gao Shen up at the airport.

  And so, here they were.

  ---

  When Gao Shen arrived at Florentino's private box, however, the first person he entered wasn't Florentino.

  It was her than King Juan Carlos I of Spain.

  The door to the king's box en, and upon seeing Gao Shen approach, the king immediately stopped him.

  "Gao, wele back to the Bernabeu!" The king greeted him warmly, shaking his hand and pulling him into a hug.

  "I, along with all Real Madrid fans, miss you deeply. You know, after being away for so long, it's time to e home. We're all waiting for your return!"

  Gao Shen smiled but didn't reply immediately.

  From Butrague?o to King Juan Carlos, everyone seemed i on framing his return to the Bernabeu as a kind of homeing. This only highlighted their dissatisfa with Real Madrid's current state and their reition of Gao Shen's achievements since leaving.

  It also firmed to Gao Shen that his decision to leave Real Madrid back then had been the right one.

  If he had failed elsewhere, these same people would still have weled him warmly but definitely not like this.

  "It's easy for me to e back," Gao Shen joked. "All you o do is fulfill your inal promise."

  Back then, Juan Carlos I had jokingly promised Gao Shehrone.

  The king chuckled at Gao Shen's response. "You still remember that?"

  "I wouldn't dare fet something so important."

  With that, the topic was left there. The king quickly ged the subject, asking about Gao Shen's personal life, such as whether he had a girlfriend.

  Known for his romantic escapades, the King of Spain even urged Gao Shen to find a girlfriend soon. "Our Spanish women are wonderful you should seriously sider it."

  Gao Shen could only ugh helplessly.

  A king who could double as a matchmaker, what a missed calling.

  ---

  Florentino's private box was not g in paher.

  Zidane and Valdano, who had just met Gao Shen in wo days earlier, were there, along with several of Florentino's vice presidents from his time as Real Madrid's president. Except for Martin, the entire old team resent.

  Clearly, these were Florentino's closest allies.

  The atmosphere was friendly and familiar, with everyone greeting Gao Shen warmly. Even Real Madrid's current president, Ramón Calderón, and general manager, Predrag Mijatovi?, made an appearance clearly due to Gao Shen's presence.

  Such was the weight of Gao Shen's reputation as the architect of the historic double !

  From the moment Gao Shen secured the La Liga and Champions League double for Real Madrid, he had earned a perma p the club's history.

  Though his time at Real Madrid was brief, his two championships, bined with his impressive coag record since leaving, made him an iial figure ohe current Real Madrid ma couldn't afford to ignore.

  If Gao Sheo criticize Real Madrid in the media, it would create a storm of trouble for the club.

  However, Gao Shen had maintained a tactful distance from Real Madrid's internal politics since his departure.

  Despite rumors that Florentino was w to oust Calderón, the two men acted like old friends during their enter hugging warmly and exging pleasao an outsider, it might have seemed like they were the best of allies.

  Gao Shen, however, was used to this kind of political theater.

  Calderón wasn't as inpetent as the media often portrayed him, but he cked the authority to truly trol Real Madrid. As a result, he relied heavily on various fas within the club, which forced him to delegate power excessively, leading to the current state of disarray.

  After all, no one could rise to the presidency of Real Madrid without some degree of capability. The club's eles werely a haven for the weak or naive just look at certain "colorful" characters from its history.

  ---

  The same could be said for the pyers.

  As someone who came from 2021, Gao Shehat Roma midfielder Alberto Aquini would eventually be regarded as a flop a "big parallel import" in football terms. Liverpool, under Benítez, even sacrificed Xabi Alonso t in Aquini, a decision that ter proved disastrous.

  Aquini failed to adapt to the Premier League and struggled in Serie A thereafter. If that wasn't the definition of a flop, what was?

  Yet in this match at the Bernabeu, Aquini delivered a shogly strong performance.

  From midfield anization to passing, advang, and defending, he excelled in every aspect.

  Paired with De Rossi, Aquini formed a double-pivot midfield that pletely dominated Real Madrid.

  Ih minute, he even unleashed a stunning 30-yard long shot that struck the post, nearly sg.

  Roma's trol of the game in the first half owed much to Aquini's efforts.

  At this moment, Aquini looked like he had the potential to bee one of the world's best midfielders. At just 23 years old, he had Spalletti's trust and was repg Pizarro as Roma's mainstay.

  "This kid is really good!" Gao Shen couldn't help but praise.

  "You tell right away," Valdano agreed. "He has strong offensive capabilities, great ce, and attack, defend, pass, and shoot. Most importantly, he trol the tempo and serve as the brain of the team. That's exactly what Real Madrid cks right now."

  Real Madrid's coach, Schuster, had fielded Guti and Gago as midfield anizers, but together they couldn't hold a dle to Aquini's performahis spoke volumes about the quality of Roma's midfield.

  ---

  In the end, Real Madrid lost 1-2 at home to Roma.

  Raúl scored a sotion goal after Real Madrid fell 0-2 behind, but it wasn't enough to prevent elimination.

  Roma advao the Champions League quarterfinals with a 4-2 aggregate victory, while Real Madrid exited in the Round of 16 for the sed secutive year.

  The gap between the double days and the current state of Real Madrid was gring.

  As Gao Shen listeo the Bernabeu fans t his name and saw them raise banners bearing his image, he was momentarily surprised. At first, he thought it was merely reition of his presence. But then he realized it wasn't.

  "This happens almost every game now," Butrague?o sighed.

  The more Real Madrid fans missed Gao Shen, the more it reflected the club's struggles.

  In response, Gao Shen remained silent.

  ***

  Support me on patreon to read 45+ advanced chapters: patreon./Blownleaves.