The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

As the numbers on the scoreboard at Bernabéu Stadium changed from 3-2 to 3-3, Florentino Perez sat in the Real Madrid presidential box, staring expressionlessly at the pitch.

At that very moment, an ecstatic Wang Shuo was sprinting off the pitch in celebration.

After a brief moment of silence, the entire Bernabéu erupted in a frenzy of boos.

It was impossible to tell whether they were booing the Real Madrid players or Wang Shuo, who had just completed a hat-trick of his own.

But no one noticed Florentino in the stands, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned a pale white, betraying the turmoil raging within him.

Wang Shuo’s performance was a resounding slap in the face to Real Madrid.

Especially to Florentino.

In the summer of 2009, he had swept up the top superstars from the Premier League, Serie A, and Ligue 1, building a team of unrivaled prestige.

At the time, he had even come incredibly close to signing the top star of the Bundesliga, Bayern’s own superstar, Ribery.

Back then, Wang Shuo was just beginning to make a name for himself at Mainz.

A transfer fee of 20 million euros was barely worth a mention for Florentino and Real Madrid.

So at the time, Real Madrid hadn’t paid him much mind.

But now, this once-overlooked young star had proven his worth to Real Madrid with a hat-trick at the Bernabéu!

"If we had spent that 20 million euros two years ago, perhaps tonight’s match would have been a one-sided slaughter," Florentino said with a grave expression, but he immediately corrected himself.

"Ah, no. Our opponent tonight wouldn’t be Dortmund, would it?"

The men sitting around Florentino were all core members of Real Madrid’s senior management, all his trusted confidants, yet at this moment, not a single one of them dared to speak.

Going from 3-1 to 3-3—two different scores, two different outcomes—meant that the difficulty of Real Madrid’s path to advancement had skyrocketed.

Would they have a chance in the second leg away at Westfalen Stadium?

Yes, and not a small one at that!

But it was also extremely dangerous.

"Wang Shuo’s growth at Dortmund has truly exceeded everyone’s expectations. He takes a major leap forward almost every year, and Klopp has immense trust in him. He doesn’t even play like a traditional forward anymore."

As a presidential advisor to Real Madrid, Zidane had also been involved in that decision two years prior.

At the time, he had taken note of Wang Shuo, but hadn’t thought much of it.

Real Madrid had always focused its attention exclusively on superstars.

"When they eliminated AC Milan, he went up against Nesta and Thiago Silva and held his own. When they eliminated Chelsea, he faced Terry and Ivanovic. And tonight, at the Bernabéu, he’s faced Pepe and Ramos..."

As Zidane spoke, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

"Any doubts the European football scene had about Wang Shuo should be completely erased after this season!"

What were the concerns about Wang Shuo before?

A flop!

People always said it was easier to score in the Bundesliga, that players coming out of the German league were prone to becoming flops.

Therefore, many wondered if Wang Shuo was truly worth his price tag.

But now, after undergoing the rigorous trials of the Champions League, Wang Shuo had proven his abilities.

He had practically single-handedly dragged Dortmund all the way to the semi-finals.

"Based on his current performance, if he can keep it up, he’ll definitely have a chance to contend for the 2011 Golden Ball Award."

Zidane’s words made a peculiar glint flash in Florentino’s eyes, followed by a rush of ecstasy.

Whether it was during the first or second era of his Galaxy Battleship, Florentino had an almost obsessive desire to collect winners of the Golden Ball Award and the World Footballer of the Year award.

He wanted to gather all the best players in the world to play for Real Madrid.

"I heard his buyout clause at Dortmund is 60 million euros?" Florentino asked, turning to Jose Sanchez.

Sanchez was Real Madrid’s general manager, responsible for daily operations and transfer dealings.

"Yes, and according to our intelligence, his annual salary is 8 million euros, pre-tax."

For Real Madrid, that was no problem at all.

Ronaldo and Messi were both earning annual salaries of over ten million euros.

"Right now, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all keeping an eye on him. And it’s rumored that Chelsea has recently started making moves as well."

"Chelsea?" Florentino’s brow furrowed. "Haven’t they already signed Torres?"

But as soon as he asked, Florentino knew the answer.

Everyone had seen how Torres had been performing since his transfer to Chelsea.

But Wang Shuo?

If money were no object, anyone in their right mind would choose Wang Shuo.

"Zinedine, what are your thoughts?" Florentino asked, turning to Zidane.

The French legend gave a wry smile. "Signing Wang Shuo won’t be an issue from a tactical perspective, nor will it be a problem from a transfer perspective. The real problem... is Ronaldo!"

Florentino froze.

"From a tactical standpoint, Wang Shuo is a forward who can complement Ronaldo. Together, they could undoubtedly form the most formidable attacking duo in the world. And the transfer fee and salary wouldn’t be an issue."

"But have you considered this? Given Wang Shuo’s current form, he would join Real Madrid with only one goal in mind: the Golden Ball. And what happens to Ronaldo then?"

"Mourinho already has a difficult enough time balancing the egos in the dressing room with just one Ronaldo. If you add Wang Shuo to the mix, do you think he can manage them both?"

"Ronaldo is our superstar right now, the darling of the Bernabéu. Bringing in another superstar to help him would be fine, of course. But if we bring in someone who could threaten his position and challenge his status... what do you think Ronaldo would do?"