Starting With Real Madrid

Meeting Norman Foster wasn't like a typical exchange between Party A and Party B.

It was clear the old man wasn't particularly enthusiastic about taking on the job.

It wasn't just because Leeds United had a limited budget and financial constraints. More importantly, whether it was a training base or a sports facility, the structure was relatively fixed.

Take stadiums, for example. The layout has been standardized for a long time.

In the UK, the slope of the stands cannot exceed 35 degrees.

So when Norman Foster designed Wembley Stadium, he was already well aware of the architectural limitations of such large venues. At most, he could make changes to the exterior design.

This applied even more to training grounds.

Functionality always came first in training facilities, often to the point where only function mattered and all else was ignored.

According to Norman Foster, who made a joking comment after the meeting, Gao Shen might as well design the whole thing himself.

"Is there anyone in the world who understands its functionality better than your head coach?"

But Gao Shen disagreed with that. He believed that while functionality was the foundation, architecture and design had to go beyond that.

For example, he pointed out the disconnect between the first team and the youth team.

In reality, nearly every club, including Real Madrid, separates the first team's training area from the youth setup. Many don't even share the same training building. While they may be on the same site, they function as two completely separate teams.

Some were originally connected but later divided by fences.

"I think that's inhumane!"

Gao Shen believed that in 2012, many traditional football customs were already outdated.

For instance, you won't find any young players polishing boots for senior players at Liverpool anymore.

Of course, that's because now there are dedicated staff for that.

But even if that tradition didn't exist, it shouldn't exist today.

Players are equals.

Whether it's a superstar, a squad player, or a youth academy prospect, they should all be treated the same.

Who can guarantee that a superstar won't fall? Who can say a small player today won't become a world-class star tomorrow?

In 2012, concepts already accepted across many industries were still resisted in football.

Gao Shen found that unreasonable and wanted to change it.

He believed that the first team and youth teams should have defined areas but also remain closely connected. The use of space should encourage interaction, increase communication between players, coaches, and staff.

In fact, Gao Shen strongly encouraged this kind of interaction and open communication.

"I don't want the training base to feel like a punch-clock facility. Players show up on time and leave the second training ends. That's not what I'm after."

"It should be a youthful, vibrant place where ideas and creativity clash and converge. I want Leeds United players to wake up each morning excited to be there—not thinking, 'Ugh, time to go to work again.'"

"Instead, they should look forward to it every day, always experiencing something new that makes them fall in love with the place."

Norman Foster was genuinely intrigued and curious about Gao Shen's ideas.

He had met plenty of people in football—players, coaches, club executives—but very few thought like Gao Shen.

"Can I understand this as you trying to create a team culture, and using the architecture and spatial design of the training base to reinforce that culture?"

Gao Shen nodded. "Can you do it?"

"Interesting," Norman Foster replied, clearly engaged. "What you said reminds me of your documentary."

The six-episode documentary about Leeds United's promotion to the Premier League had already finished airing. The final episode, covering the team's celebration after promotion, was particularly moving.

If you watched from the first episode through to the end, you'd find Leeds United truly was a special team.

Though the uniqueness wasn't obvious yet, it was beginning to take shape.

The documentary received good ratings, though it didn't go viral—after all, documentaries tend to attract niche audiences. But the reviews were glowing. Its quality and production level were extremely high, especially since it was directed by a well-known filmmaker.

Leeds United and the production team had agreed to film a second season focused on their battle to avoid relegation.

Norman Foster had watched the series. Combined with Gao Shen's current remarks, he could tell that Gao Shen was trying to build a unique football culture at Leeds United—one that represented youth.

This was something rarely seen in the traditional and conservative world of British football.

Arsenal had a young squad, but their club culture was still deeply traditional.

"I'll take the job!" the old man agreed on the spot.

However, his first request caught Gao Shen off guard.

He wanted to live at Leeds United's training base with his assistant for a period of time.

There was nothing wrong with that.

…

As the European Championship entered full swing, players across Europe were showing their various levels.

In the group stage, Croatia unfortunately landed in the same group as Spain and Italy. They finished third and were eliminated.

After Croatia's elimination and the national team's disbandment, midfielder Modric flew directly from Ukraine to London. The next day, he went to Tottenham's training center and met with CEO Daniel Levy in his office.

According to The Sun, there was a heated exchange between Modric and Levy behind closed doors.

"He made it very clear. He wants to go to Real Madrid!"

Tottenham quickly issued a clarification, saying there was no argument, just some disagreements, but that both sides expressed their positions openly through proper communication.

"We are confident we can keep Modric."

But Modric's agent soon stepped forward, accusing Levy in the media of breaking his promise.

"Luka has already passed on chances from Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea."

"He's 27 now, and he wants to take his career to the next level. He doesn't want to miss this opportunity."

The agent revealed that in order to keep Modric last season, Levy had personally promised he could leave after one more year.

But now, Levy was going back on that promise.

"I can say this to the whole world on behalf of my client—he wants to go to Real Madrid!"

This declaration caused an uproar.

Many Spurs fans accused Modric of betraying the club and their support.

Some extreme fans even showed up at Modric's home and threw stones at the windows.

Fortunately, Modric and his family were away on holiday at the time and were not home, so they avoided the panic.

After the incident, Modric's agent reiterated that his client had no intention of returning to London.

It was at this point that Real Madrid submitted another bid to Tottenham.

€15 million, plus Adebayor.

Whether Levy broke his promise was now irrelevant. What mattered was that the player had made his stance crystal clear.

He had to go to Real Madrid!

Given this situation, Tottenham's options were limited.

If they kept holding out, Modric could go on strike once preseason began. In the end, Spurs would get nothing out of it.

So, after weighing the situation, Tottenham finally accepted Real Madrid's offer.

As Levy said in a media interview, it was "a price that's hard to refuse."

Reports estimated that the final transfer fee for Modric was around €35 million.

…

While Modric publicly challenged Spurs, the European Championship continued.

In the quarterfinals, Germany beat Greece 4-2, but they lost 2-1 to Italy in the semifinals.

This result left German fans bitterly disappointed.

Germany had performed brilliantly at the World Cup in South Africa, raising hopes across the country.

Before the Euros, the German team had shown real ambition. But once the tournament began, they played with a style that many fans described as "too artistic." In other words, not German enough.

In a poll conducted by Bild, the three most disappointing German players were Bayern's Gomez, Thomas Müller, and Toni Kroos.

These were players who had shined at the World Cup. But in the Euros, Müller played three group-stage matches without a single goal or assist.

In the knockout rounds, he was benched.

Toni Kroos didn't play at all in the first four games. In the semifinal against Italy, he finally started as the number ten and played the full 90 minutes.

The result? A poor performance, and he was voted the worst player on the pitch.

After the match, former national team coach Klinsmann publicly criticized the midfield, saying the lack of midfield control was the key reason Germany lost to Italy.

Many pointed the finger squarely at Toni Kroos.

Beckenbauer also commented after the game, saying he couldn't believe a team on a 14-match winning streak would perform so badly in such a crucial match.

"This really hurts. It's terrible!"

"Some players completely disappeared from the game, and now we have to wait two more years for another shot at the title."

Beckenbauer didn't name names, but he accused certain players of treating a Euro semifinal like they were just clocking in at work.

"We played really well in the first four matches, but we were a total disappointment against Italy. Especially in the first half, we completely lost control of the midfield!"

After venting his frustration, Beckenbauer still praised Khedira and Germany's No. 10.

Especially Khedira. He believed the Real Madrid midfielder was Germany's real leader and the kind of player Bayern desperately needed.

"He's a world-class player. He led the team at the Euros. At the same time, he's the kind of player who's willing to sacrifice for the team."

Bayern's new sporting director, Sammer, also praised Khedira, saying he was the kind of player who could ignite Bayern's fighting spirit.

(To be continued.)

Junkdog's Note: Only posted one chapter earlier sorry guys, I forgot xD