Starting With Real Madrid Chapter 606: The World Has Changed

"Have you had your eye on Gareth Bale for a while?"

After the match, in one of the eting rooms at Old Trafford, Ferguson specifically invited Gao Shen for a drink.

He opened a box of Chilean wine that Gao Shen had gifted him and poured himself a glass. He also brought out a few bottles of water for Gao Shen, knowing he didn't drink alcohol.

What a boring man!

The match ended in an 0-8 blowout.

It was the worst defeat of Ferguson's managerial career and it happened at Manchester United's ho ground.

And the man responsible for this humiliating loss was none other than Gao Shen.

His most devastating weapon that night was Gareth Bale.

But what Ferguson really wanted to know was, how was Gao Shen so confident that Gareth Bale would perform at such a high level?

After all, it was only this sumr that Gao Shen had spent 15 million euros to bring Gareth Bale in.

Looking back now, Ferguson was sure there was more to Gao Shen's insight than simple intuition.

Gao Shen picked up a bottle of water, took a sip, and started thinking quickly.

He obviously couldn't just tell Ferguson: I ca here from the year 2021.

"Sir, you've never played Football Manager, have you?" Gao Shen said with a faint smile.

"What?"

"Football Manager, a football simulation ga," Gao Shen replied as if he'd expected the reaction.

"A ga?" Ferguson looked surprised.

"It's a ga developed by the British, known for its detailed statistics. There are a lot of promising young players in it. My favorite part of the ga is collecting young talents and slowly developing them into stars. For , that's the greatest joy."

Thinking about Football Manager made Gao Shen nostalgic.

Before traveling back in ti, he played it all the ti, he knew all the promising talents like the back of his hand.

Ferguson looked puzzled. "I'm asking about Gareth Bale. What does that have to do with you playing so ga?"

"He's been a well-known wonderkid in the ga for years," Gao Shen replied.

Ferguson was clearly taken aback, staring at Gao Shen as if trying to confirm: Are you serious? Because this sounds absurd.

"So you're saying you used data from a ga to identify a young talent and decided this Tottenham Hotspur 'disaster' could beco a star?" Ferguson asked in a displeased tone.

He thought Gao Shen was just pulling his leg.

Gao Shen clicked his tongue. "See? You don't believe . I told you, the ga's data is very detailed. In fact, a lot of clubs actually use it to help scout players. And I didn't rely on it entirely, I had my scouts investigate him thoroughly."

Ferguson stared at him for a long mont, as if trying to read sothing from his face. But Gao Shen t his gaze head-on, as if to say: This is the truth!

In the end, the Manchester United manager could only accept defeat.

Just like what happened on the pitch, he had been thoroughly beaten.

And at this point, obsessing over how Gao Shen discovered Gareth Bale was pointless.

The reality was that the Welshman was the standout star of the night, with a hat trick of both goals and assists. He was undoubtedly the brightest player in this Manchester derby and would dominate the headlines across the country, maybe even worldwide.

It was clear that, after a performance like this, Gareth Bale's future at Manchester City was going to be even more promising.

Especially the pace and explosiveness he showed.

Professional football is brutally pragmatic.

When Bale was just a misfit at Tottenham, he had no influence, no voice. But now? In a massive ga like the Manchester derby, he helped City crush United 8-0 and recorded a double hat trick. With a performance like that, there's no way City wouldn't prioritize him going forward.

It was entirely predictable—tomorrow, the dia and fans across Britain, Europe, and the world would be stunned by Gareth Bale's display.

With this 0-8 victory, Gao Shen ensured Manchester City remained top of the Premier League table.

And really, what's more convincing than crushing your biggest rival in a head-to-head showdown?

"To be honest, based on your current form, I don't think there's a team in the Premier League this season that can suppress you," Ferguson said, his tone both amused and complex.

This wasn't sothing he'd ever say in public. Even in private, Gao Shen couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Are you flattering ?" Gao Shen asked with a smile.

Ferguson's expression froze, then turned sour with frustration.

Damn it, do I really co across as that untrustworthy?

But judging by Gao Shen's grin, it was clear he ant every word.

"I'm done talking to you. I need to head back and see if Lineker really drops his pants tonight."

In the end, Gao Shen couldn't hold back his laughter.

Of course, he didn't actually believe Lineker would strip—that was impossible.

The key now was figuring out how to steer the narrative back on track.

Riding the wave of publicity was fun but riding it for too long might co back to bite you.

It was all in good fun for now, but the backlash could leave so bruises.

Not that Gao Shen cared, he wasn't the one who had to deal with it.

He even planned to tweet later, encouraging fans and netizens worldwide to tune in and watch Lineker "drop his pants." A livestream would be ideal—it'd go viral instantly.

After Gao Shen left, Ferguson kept staring at the door for a long ti before finally looking away.

He poured himself another glass of wine. The more he drank, the more bitter it tasted. The more bitter it tasted, the more he wanted to drink.

The weather in Manchester has changed!

The sky over the Premier League has changed too!

Ferguson had been ntally prepared for this, as he was the person in Europe who understood Gao Shen's strength the best.

But even then, he didn't expect Manchester City under Gao Shen to rise so quickly and beco this strong.

On second thought, it actually made perfect sense.

Back when Gao Shen was at Napoli, he built a treble-winning team with just over 10 million euros. Now that he's co to Manchester City and has more than 200 million euros at his disposal, how could he not be able to imdiately build a top-tier squad?

Not to ntion that with such advanced tools and support, Ferguson believed even he could do it.

Many might wonder, if that's the case, why couldn't Mark Hughes succeed, even though he spent so much money?

That's the difference in managerial ability.

Gao Shen has a very mature and stable tactical frawork, and he brings in top-level players based on the needs of each position within that system. That's why Manchester City was able to beco so competitive so quickly and deliver outstanding performances.

It seems simple on the surface, but in reality, it requires strong financial backing, a coach's personal ability, his authority within the club... there are so many factors involved, and none of them can be missing.

Many tis, when a well-known coach hits a rough patch in their career, it's not necessarily a problem with their own coaching ability but more often due to internal club conflicts.

So might ask, why would a famous manager take on a job knowing there are so many internal issues?

That's part of what it ans to be a professional football manager.

It's a job.

And as with any job, it mainly cos down to two things: fa and fortune.

Once you consider those two factors, the reasons beco clear.

To achieve both fa and fortune while still delivering results, a coach needs not just ability, but also reputation and status—plus the full support of the club.

And right now, Gao Shen has all of that!

Ferguson had felt a strong sense of foreboding from the mont Gao Shen took over Manchester City.

This season in the Premier League, Manchester City would be the overwhelming title favorite.

And now, it seed that prediction was spot on.

…

"I heard soone's taking off his pants live on air today. Sit back and enjoy the show!"

Gao Shen's tweet quickly caused a massive stir online.

They had just destroyed Manchester United 8-0 at Old Trafford, and imdiately afterward, he tagged Match of the Day and Gary Lineker in a tweet, saying he was looking forward to the show that night.

The studio of Match of the Day fell into complete silence when Gao Shen's tweet ca through.

Gary Lineker sat there, grief-stricken and expressionless.

It was obvious he was heartbroken.

Manchester City's goals had felt like one slap after another.

Eight to zero!

Eight to zero!

When had Manchester United ever lost by such a huge margin?

The real problem now was—what about that bet he'd made for publicity?

If he actually followed through, would the BBC even allow it?

If he didn't, would fans and netizens forgive him?

"What should we do?" Lineker asked weakly.

Everyone in the studio looked up at him, but quickly lowered their heads again.

If he did take them off, the station definitely wouldn't approve. So the only option would be to wear underwear and cover it with a mosaic.

But the problem was, what if the mosaic failed?

If he didn't do it, his popularity in the UK would plumt. He'd be mocked everywhere he went, and he might even lose his hosting job.

"Gary, at this point, I'm afraid there's no other way," producer Ian Finch said helplessly as he walked over.

"Mosaic it!"

Lineker was about to say sothing else when his colleague Stephen Turnbull chid in.

"Public opinion is really heating up. If we play it right, we could use this to generate a viral mont, sothing fans will rember forever, like when Hansen mocked Ferguson back in the day. But if we back out now, all the montum we've built will backfire."

Ian Finch nodded. "Then let's go with the mosaic. You can wear flesh-colored underwear, and once the mosaic's applied, no one will be able to tell."

Really no one will know?

Lineker thought to himself.

Maybe years from now, soone from this studio would write a book or reveal in an interview what really happened today.

That Lineker didn't actually take off his pants.

But those were worries for the future. Right now, with the mosaic applied, even if he didn't fully take them off, it would still look like he had.

For money—uh, no—for the job, sacrificing a bit of dignity isn't that shaful!

With that, Lineker forced himself to buck up and said through gritted teeth, "Then hurry up and get it ready. I'll take them off!"

(To be continued.)