Chapter 415: Real Madrid and Barcelona Presidents Arrive!
Real Madrid has strong connections in Spain. They quickly discovered that Manchester City's chairman had recently visited Barcelona, so they immediately guessed that he had come to visit Lin Quan.
"Lin Quan should be at home. After Al Mubarak returned to Manchester City, their attitude immediately hardened. This suggests they must have contacted the player and received some form of promise or commitment," Florentino Pérez said to his assistant on the flight to Barcelona.
"But if that's the case, can we still convince him now?" the assistant asked, feeling anxious after hearing Pérez's analysis.
"No worries, it's worth trying. Even if we don't succeed this time, there's always next time," Pérez replied nonchalantly.
Initially, Pérez planned to send someone to visit Lin Quan, not intending to go himself. However, upon learning that Manchester City's chairman had personally visited, he changed his mind. If Manchester City's chairman could make the trip, sending someone else would seem disrespectful and insincere.
Real Madrid had already made this mistake once two years ago and couldn't afford to make it again. In 2013, Real Madrid had also contacted Lin Quan. However, at the time, they were pursuing Gareth Bale and doubted the young Lin Quan's future potential since he hadn't yet proven himself in other leagues. Due to these doubts and the lengthy negotiations with Bale, they didn't prioritize Lin Quan. After Manchester City's owner, Sheikh Mansour, personally intervened, Lin Quan chose to join Manchester City instead of Real Madrid.
Pérez regretted this for many years. 2013 was the best time for Real Madrid to sign Lin Quan. Missing that golden opportunity made it much harder to win him over later.
Therefore, to make up for the lack of respect shown back then, Pérez decided to visit Lin Quan personally. While Al Mubarak might be Manchester City's chairman, he still had Sheikh Mansour above him. Pérez, on the other hand, was the true head of Real Madrid, making him of a higher rank. Additionally, his years in the football world had earned him much more respect and prestige compared to Al Mubarak, who had entered the football scene midway.
By visiting personally, Pérez aimed to demonstrate Real Madrid's utmost sincerity. Whether or not this would impress Lin Quan was uncertain. Based on the information they had, Lin Quan didn't seem to have plans to leave Manchester City, at least not for several years. It was unlikely he would join Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, or PSG anytime soon. Still, Pérez believed it was worth trying. Meeting Lin Quan in person might reveal new opportunities or, at the very least, allow him to apologize for Real Madrid's previous treatment.
While focusing on inviting Lin Quan, Pérez also had to keep an eye on Real Madrid's other superstar.
"How is the situation with Cristiano Ronaldo?" Pérez asked.
"Mendes has been visiting several top clubs recently, seemingly to find a new team for Ronaldo," the assistant replied.
"Which clubs has he visited?" Pérez inquired.
"Mendes has gone to Bayern, Juventus, Manchester United, and PSG."
"Well, those are likely the only clubs that can afford Ronaldo," Pérez said with a nod.
The football world is vast, but not many clubs can afford a superstar. Although Ronaldo, now 30 and past his peak, wasn't as hot a commodity as Lin Quan, he was still one of the top three superstars in football. His transfer market value hadn't plummeted, especially not in 2022. If it weren't for Lin Quan, there would undoubtedly be many clubs vying for Ronaldo.
In 2018, Juventus was willing to pay 100 million euros for a 33-year-old Ronaldo. If Ronaldo were three years younger, the price would certainly be higher. Real Madrid could potentially sell him for one to two billion euros. Pérez's ideal scenario was to use the money from selling Ronaldo to buy Lin Quan. A middle-ground scenario was not securing Lin Quan but keeping Ronaldo. The worst-case scenario was selling Ronaldo without securing Lin Quan, leaving the team without a superstar.
However, even if Ronaldo stayed, Real Madrid's chances of winning the Champions League in the short term were slim. With Manchester City in such a dominant position and Barcelona's formidable MSN trio, plus Bayern's resurgence under Heynckes, the football world had entered a four-way struggle for supremacy. Despite Real Madrid's strong lineup, they had no certainty of defeating these three teams. To win the Champions League, Real Madrid would likely have to eliminate at least two of these teams, possibly all three, in successive knockout rounds. Achieving this would be extremely difficult.
Last year, Ancelotti had done an excellent job, but it wasn't enough. Now, with the team led by the rookie Zidane, the chances of winning were even slimmer. So, whether Ronaldo stayed or left wasn't highly significant. Since keeping him wouldn't likely lead to a Champions League victory, it might be better to sell him while he was still valuable.
Having convinced himself, Pérez closed his eyes, preparing his arguments for convincing Lin Quan to join Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, close to Barcelona, Barcelona's newly elected president Laporta was also rushing to visit Lin Quan. Laporta knew Lin Quan had a poor impression of Barcelona due to previous issues. He planned to leverage the La Masia youth academy connection, hoping to play the emotional card.
This approach had some effect. Lin Quan had fond memories of La Masia, having spent nine years there, making it his second home.
"Hehe, Lin, you might not know this. Since you became famous, La Masia has attracted many talented youngsters from around the world. They call themselves the Brazilian Lin Quan, Japanese Lin Quan, and Korean Lin Quan, idolizing you. They dream of making a name for themselves in football and becoming the next you!"
"Hehe, is that so? Back when we were in the youth academy, everyone dreamed of becoming their country's Messi, Xavi, or Iniesta," Lin Quan said with a smile. He hadn't expected that one day he would become an idol for so many, someone they aspired to be like.
"Indeed, there are still many players from Latin America who dream of being the next Messi. However, in Asia and even many kids from various European countries now dream of becoming the next you," Laporta said, genuinely. This wasn't just flattery; it was a reflection of Lin Quan's rising star.
While Messi remained immensely popular and had built a vast fan base over the years, Lin Quan had recently outshined everyone in terms of achievements. Two Champions League titles, a World Cup, a Confederations Cup, a Ballon d'Or, two European Golden Shoes, and the Best Player in Europe award... Lin Quan had amassed countless accolades in the past few years.
Even Messi had to acknowledge Lin Quan's superior record. In both the Champions League and the World Cup, Messi's teams had fallen to Lin Quan's. These head-to-head defeats significantly boosted Lin Quan's popularity, particularly among newer football fans. Though veteran fans still revered Messi, many had witnessed Lin Quan's rise and became his loyal supporters.
Sensing that the atmosphere was just right, Laporta seized the moment to extend an invitation: "Lin, this weekend we are hosting an event at La Masia. We're inviting former players to return and mentor our current youth trainees. Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, and Messi are among those invited. Johan Cruyff, who greatly admires you, will also be there. He is very eager to meet you. I wonder if you would have time to join us?"
Had Laporta invited Lin Quan to visit Barcelona, he would have likely received a straightforward refusal. But inviting him to La Masia, where Lin Quan had spent formative years, made it difficult for him to decline.
"Sure, I'll be there this weekend," Lin Quan agreed. Many of the invited stars were his national team teammates, and he got along well with them. Additionally, with Cruyff's presence, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
Lin Quan was particularly concerned about Cruyff's health, knowing that the legendary coach would be diagnosed with lung cancer in October and would pass away the following March. It was July now, and Lin Quan thought that encouraging Cruyff to get a thorough check-up might help with early detection and treatment.
...
Laporta's visit went smoother than Lin Quan had anticipated. He had expected the Barcelona president to push for his return to the club but was relieved when that topic wasn't broached. Declining such a request now would have made his upcoming visit to La Masia awkward.
On his way back, a satisfied Laporta unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance—Florentino Pérez. Both recognized each other immediately. Laporta had his driver stop the car to exchange a few words with his rival.
Pérez knew that Laporta's courtesy was just for show. Given the fierce rivalry between their clubs, it was a miracle they weren't outright hostile. Laporta's real motive was to flaunt that Barcelona had already contacted Lin Quan, thus putting pressure on Real Madrid.
"Hehe, old man, you're too late!" Laporta said provocatively.
Pérez's heart sank momentarily. Could it be that Barcelona had really secured Lin Quan? But he quickly reassured himself that Laporta was likely bluffing.
"Hehe, not too late. The main act always arrives last, doesn't it?" Pérez retorted with confidence. He wasn't easily outmaneuvered, especially in a battle of wits.
Laporta didn't seem bothered. Instead, he smiled broadly and said, "This time, you really are late. Lin will be with us this weekend!"
He watched Pérez intently, looking for any reaction. Pérez tried hard to maintain his composure, but the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily. Had Barcelona truly secured Lin Quan? Laporta seemed sincere because this was something that could be easily verified over the weekend.
If this were true, was there any point in visiting Lin Quan now? Yet, having come this far, turning back would be a waste. Moreover, Pérez didn't want to give Laporta the satisfaction of seeing him retreat.
"Is that so? I heard Barcelona is deeply in debt. How do you have the money to buy Lin Quan? Unless the rumors are true, and you've sold Neymar?"
Pérez watched Laporta closely, attempting to gauge his reaction. Real Madrid had heard that PSG was making a move for a Latin American player in Barcelona, offering a huge salary and the promise of being the team's star. The likely candidate wasn't Messi, as he was already Barcelona's star player. It wasn't likely to be Suárez, who had just joined. That left Neymar.
Laporta was taken aback. What? Neymar wants to leave? How come I, the club president, don't know about this? No, this must be false information, a trap set by this old fox, much like my own deception.
Chapter End
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