Starting With Real Madrid

"When did I offend him?"

Even as Gao Shen walked out of the venue, he still couldn't figure it out.

During his time as Real Madrid's head coach, he had never even interacted with Schuster. So where was this hostility coming from? Schuster acted as though they had some deep personal feud. The whole situation was baffling.

"Did you steal his girlfriend or something?" Mourinho suddenly blurted out.

The comment left Gao Shen and the others stunned.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you not learn your lesson after the beating you took at the Super Bowl?" Gao Shen shot back, glaring at Mourinho as though ready to settle things with a fight.

Ancelotti, unable to bear Mourinho's antics, stepped in. "José, what kind of nonsense is that? Schuster's what, fifty? And Gao Shen's only twenty-eight. What's he going to do with Schuster's girlfriend? Think before you speak."

Hearing that, Gao Shen nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Now that's a reasonable take."

But no one expected what came next. Ancelotti patted Gao Shen on the shoulder in a fatherly manner and added with a serious tone, "Still, Gao, next time you go out looking, stick to someone your own age. Women in their fifties aren't right for you."

Gao Shen nearly spat blood.

The others, meanwhile, were laughing so hard they were bent over, leaving nearby onlookers puzzled as to what could possibly be so funny.

Why did these Serie A coaches always seem so strange?

"Gao, did you really offend Schuster?" Guardiola asked, grinning.

Gao Shen sighed. "What offense? Some people just can't handle losing money at cards. If UEFA hadn't covered the airfare, I'd bet they'd have had to walk back to Milan."

At that, Guardiola finally pieced things together.

It wasn't surprising. If one person cleaned out the table in a card game, of course, it would stir resentment.

"You've got no room to talk. We agreed to play until morning, and then you're the one who called it quits at three!" Ancelotti said, still bitter.

For a card addict like him, it was unbearable to have the game cut short. Gao Shen's excuse had been, "Playing cards is a technical skill, but we're men, not machines. We can't guarantee you'll always have enough fun."

Listen to that. Is that something a person would say?

As the joking continued, Guardiola began to see the broader picture.

"Schuster's been under a lot of pressure at Real Madrid lately," Guardiola explained. "Even though they won the league last season, as soon as they lose a game, the media brings up your name and calls for a coaching change. And honestly, Napoli's rise last season… it was just too much."

It was true. A newly promoted team winning the Serie A title? That had never happened before. Not just in Italy, but across Europe's top four leagues since Kaiserslautern's victory in 1998. And even Kaiserslautern's achievement wasn't as remarkable as Napoli's back-to-back championships.

Gao Shen had led Napoli to consecutive titles as a newly promoted team, and at just 27 years old, he had become the youngest Serie A champion manager in history.

On top of that, he had also won league titles in two different countries, an achievement so rare it was nearly unheard of.

In today's internet age, where information spread like wildfire, Gao Shen's achievements—and Napoli's story—gained unprecedented attention. As an "internet celebrity coach," Gao Shen had become the face of football's new media landscape.

Even Guardiola had to admit: Napoli had become too popular.

"Schuster's always been like this," Ancelotti added. "Back when he was a player, he was known for being temperamental, outspoken, and difficult to deal with. That hasn't changed. And like Pep said, even though you haven't interacted with him, he's probably been jealous of you for a while."

Ancelotti smiled knowingly. "Just accept it."

Gao Shen chuckled wryly. Was this what they called being caught in the crossfire?

"In our line of work, it's impossible to make everyone happy," Mourinho chimed in. "Even if you lose every game, people will still complain it's not enough. So don't worry about offending anyone."

He spoke from experience. Mourinho had offended countless people over the years, yet here he was, still thriving, still making millions, still one of the most famous coaches in the world.

Guardiola noticed Gao Shen's sly smile and grew curious.

"What are you scheming now?" he asked.

Gao Shen feigned innocence. "Do I look like the kind of person who schemes?"

Without hesitation, Guardiola replied, "Yes."

Gao Shen didn't seem offended. He smiled and turned to Mourinho. "José, your daughter's a teenager now, right?"

"Yeah, she's eleven," Mourinho replied absentmindedly, unaware of where this was going.

Guardiola, however, had caught on. His head snapped up, and he desperately tried to stifle his laughter as he quickened his pace, distancing himself from what was about to happen.

Gao Shen gave Mourinho a serious nod. "Not bad. I'll wait a few years, then find myself a girlfriend."

With that, he hurried to catch up with Guardiola, leaving Mourinho standing there, confused.

"What does that mean?" Mourinho muttered, trying to make sense of the cryptic remark.

Spalletti, who had been quiet until now, finally lost it. "He means he's planning to wait until your daughter grows up before chasing after her!" he said, laughing so hard he nearly doubled over.

Mourinho's face darkened instantly.

"That little punk! Is he out of his mind?"

"Hey, Gao Shen! Don't you run! Get back here!"

"Oh, come on, José. Let's talk about the dowry first!" Ancelotti added, ever the instigator.

"Shut up!" Mourinho snapped at him. "She's still a child!"

---

The cost of Gao Shen's wit was spending the rest of the trip from Geneva to Milan dodging Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach's eyes were practically throwing daggers at him, as if he wanted to carve him into pieces.

After arriving in Milan, Gao Shen planned to return to Naples directly, but Ancelotti wouldn't let him go. The "card addict" dragged him off for another night of games, insisting they finish what they started.

As compensation, Ancelotti provided dinner.

It turned out, though, that while Ancelotti was cunning in many ways, his card skills left much to be desired. By the end of the night, Gao Shen, Mourinho, and Spalletti all left with small profits, while Ancelotti took the brunt of the losses.

The sight of the usually cheerful Ancelotti nearly fuming with frustration was priceless.

"Damn it! I fed you, booked your hotel rooms, and you still cleaned me out! Is there no justice in this world?" he grumbled as the others walked away laughing.

---

Back in Naples, Gao Shen went straight to Castel Volturno to oversee training.

With most of the squad off on international duty, those who remained were either not selected or had recently returned from the Olympics. This included eight players who were not currently in their national teams, giving them time to prepare for Napoli's upcoming Champions League debut.

For many players, it would be their first time competing on Europe's grandest stage.

Since returning from Nyon, Gao Shen had been unusually focused on training and preparation. So much so that he even postponed attending the Italian Football Association's coaching summit.

Despite receiving multiple invitations and even a personal request from the association's president to give a keynote speech—Gao Shen declined, citing his workload.

His sole focus now was Napoli.

When asked about his dedication, Gao Shen's response was always the same: he wanted to perform well in the Champions League, particularly in the opening match against Real Madrid.

This season, Gao Shen had implemented significant tactical upgrades.

He introduced advanced positional changes, requiring players to run more, move dynamically, and actively support one another in passing and receiving the ball. Most importantly, he emphasized speeding up transitions between offense and defense, aiming to maximize offensive efficiency with fewer passes.

When it came to Real Madrid, Gao Shen was confident there were few people in the world who understood the club better than he did.

Since Capello's time, Real Madrid had emphasized structured, cohesive football. But under Schuster, that foundation had begun to crumble. The team's overall play had become disorganized, and tactically, Schuster had shown little innovation.

This season, Real Madrid's struggles were clear. They'd lost their league opener 2-1 to Deportivo La Coruña—a shadow of its former self and still couldn't secure a win.

Schuster's pressure was understandable, but Gao Shen wasn't about to sympathize.

Handling that pressure was part of being a Real Madrid coach. Every manager in the club's history had faced relentless criticism, and Gao Shen had been no exception during his time there.

Back then, they ridiculed him mercilessly. Now, just two years later, those same people missed him.

But Schuster? He was trying to use Gao Shen as a stepping stone.

If this had happened to someone else, they might have chosen to endure it, but Gao Shen wasn't that kind of person. What made it even more critical was that Napoli's first Champions League match was against Real Madrid.

Schuster wanted to win, but Gao Shen had no intention of losing. Especially after everything that happened, Gao Shen felt the need to vent his frustration. The best way to do that was to teach Schuster a lesson, knock him down a peg, and show him he had no right to be so arrogant.

This is precisely why Gao Shen placed so much importance on the team's training and preparation.

He was determined to ensure Napoli would arrive at the Bernabéu in their best form and with their strongest lineup!

***

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