Starting With Real Madrid Chapter 990: King of Freeloaders

"Look at this calf, it's really strong. Looks like it was made for football."

"Exactly. I think this little guy will definitely be a football genius in the future."

"Oh, just look at the sole of his foot, and those muscles… tsk tsk…"

In the coaches' office at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training base, a group of people were crowded around a photo of Gao Shen's son, chatting and praising him non-stop, while Gao Shen, sitting next to them, felt increasingly embarrassed.

Dododo!

Gao Shen could not stand it any longer. He banged on the table. "Alright, that's enough. Stop bragging, you're giving goosebumps. Do you all have this much free ti?"

Zidane, Hierro, and the others burst out laughing.

"We're not bragging, we're telling the truth," Hierro said, clearly excited.

"Let tell you, Gao, I've played football for half my life, and your son's legs are made for it. He's guaranteed to make the national team in the future."

Gao Shen froze for a mont, feeling dissatisfied.

What kind of curse was that supposed to be?

"I can also promise you my godson is going to be a football genius. Leave him to to train, I'll make sure he turns out great." Zidane patted his chest confidently.

Gao Shen looked at the shaless French bald man in confusion. "When did I agree for my son to call you godfather? Why are you clinging to like this?"

"I…" Zidane pointed to himself, looking aggrieved. "Can't I be his godfather?"

"Of course not. You played under and were a bit lower in seniority than . Now you want to be my son's godfather? Are you trying to be on equal footing with ?" Gao Shen counted it out on his fingers, bringing up the matter of seniority.

Zidane was left speechless.

"Honestly, why don't you understand what's good for you?" Zidane muttered, walking off in annoyance.

"Alright, alright, you've been sitting here bragging since early this morning, embarrassing . You just want to treat you to a al, right? No problem!" Gao Shen waved his hand in agreent.

Everyone instantly perked up.

"That's the way!"

"If you'd said that earlier, we wouldn't have had all this fuss."

"I told you, Gao is the most generous."

Gao Shen was speechless.

"You guys… luckily there are no outsiders here. If anyone else heard this, I don't know where you'd put your faces. Forr superstars, forr Real Madrid captains…" He shook his head at these freeloaders.

But it was clear this al was unavoidable.

Once he agreed, all the awkward small talk stopped instantly.

Sure enough, these guys were kings of freeloading.

When it ca to eating for free, no one could match them.

Then, another topic ca up.

"I heard yesterday Ramos started sothing in the locker room." Zidane looked at Gao Shen with a smirk.

Gao Shen imdiately felt sothing was off.

"They got soone to make special T-shirts to wear under the match shirts. The design is that barefoot photo we just saw. They said they'll use it to celebrate if they score against Manchester United, to congratulate you on becoming a father."

"That's it?" Gao Shen was incredulous.

From his impression, Ramos was not exactly the sentintal type.

"Of course it's not that simple," Zidane grinned.

Gao Shen thought to himself, "As expected."

If Ramos suddenly acted sweet and considerate, even the most naïve would suspect sothing.

"They also said sothing about adding a Chinese slogan."

Hierro and the others burst out laughing.

It was a great idea.

During a match watched by hundreds of millions worldwide, pulling up the shirt to show a slogan like that would have quite the effect.

"When it cos to freeloading, the young players are the best. They've got ideas, energy, and enthusiasm!" Hierro said, almost wishing he were younger so he could join in.

"Bullshit!" Gao Shen was nearly fuming.

It was one thing to freeload, but to do it in front of the whole world?

That was freeloading on a whole new level.

"I've got a question. What if we don't score?" Carlo asked.

Zidane and Hierro exchanged glances, then said together, "Impossible!"

The atmosphere in Real Madrid's dressing room was excellent right now.

Especially after advancing from the group of death. Even though they went through as group runners-up and drew Manchester United, the players were highly motivated. Everyone wanted to make a statent.

After years of being called the Royal Circus, who could bear the insult?

Now, with Gao Shen becoming a father, the players wanted to turn it into double celebration.

Gao Shen was already thinking he should negotiate terms with them beforehand, to avoid embarrassnt.

If they really went out "begging for food" in front of global dia and fans, what would happen to his image?

"To be fair, Ramos has a lot of influence in the dressing room now," Carlo pointed out.

This whole thing had been started by Ramos.

Since Gao Shen gave him strong backing this season, Casillas had failed to hold off Courtois in the battle for the starting spot. The dressing room was becoming more optimistic about Ramos' prospects.

Casillas' age was catching up with him. With his technical limitations and height disadvantage, his performances would inevitably decline. It was only a matter of ti before Courtois took over completely.

Once Courtois beca the main goalkeeper, Ramos would naturally be next in line for the captain's armband.

Of course, Gao Shen would manage the transition carefully.

Casillas' status at Real Madrid and among Spanish fans was still imnse.

In the national team too, De Gea's challenge to Casillas was still so way off.

At the start of the season, many thought Real Madrid's purchase of Courtois from Leeds United for a high fee was a shady deal, and so even called for UEFA to investigate.

But now Courtois' value had soared since joining, and the deal looked like a bargain.

Who could still doubt his quality or potential?

In fact, more and more dia and fans were reassessing last sumr's transfers and realising how successful they had been.

Khedira had gone to Bayern but failed to replicate his European Championship form, with his value dropping sharply.

Coentrao, after joining Chelsea, suffered constant injuries and was even reported to have been smoking while driving.

Özil had done well but not returned to his Real Madrid form, and Chelsea's season had been disappointing, stuck behind the Manchester clubs.

By contrast, the signings of Toni Kroos, Modric, and Courtois had all beco core players for Real Madrid, with their values skyrocketing.

Casemiro, Verratti, Isco, and the young Marcos Alonso had all perford well.

And the likes of Carvajal, Nacho, Jesé, Morata, Vazquez, and Varane, all discovered by Gao Shen this season, had made significant contributions.

Not just in Spain, but across Europe and worldwide, dia and fans were moving from criticising to praising Gao Shen's transfer work.

They had not spent excessively, yet the players were performing to their value, and the team's strength had increased.

The only real issue was the lack of depth on the bench.

But with young players continuing to develop, that depth would improve, and Florentino had already promised to invest more in the sumr.

As a mbership-based club, Real Madrid would rather invest in players than lose money to heavy taxes on profits.

In the midst of this locker-room camaraderie, Gao Shen could see Ramos' growing influence.

"This kid is tough. He's got a natural presence. When he's in the dressing room, it feels like it belongs to him. That's the mark of a captain," Hierro praised his junior.

Zidane agreed. "When he first ca, he dared to challenge the veterans, and not just individuals, but issues. Back then he was young and inexperienced. Many thought he'd llow with age, but in reality…"

Before he could finish, Gao Shen added casually, "He's still just as much of a rascal."

Everyone laughed.

Ramos had been hot-headed and card-prone when young, and he was still extravagant now.

Maybe it was simply his nature.

Pepe, on the other hand, had matured a lot under Gao Shen, showing signs of evolving from a fighter into a leader.

Gao Shen did not see this as a problem.

Ramos and Pepe understood each other well, and keeping a bit of Ramos' impulsiveness could be useful.

Sotis a team needed soone who was aggressive, full of energy and fighting spirit, and willing to do the hard, dirty work.

Of course, you still needed to know when to be smart.

"In that sense, Ramos is still behind you. When you have ti, teach him a few tricks," Gao Shen told Hierro.

Hierro agreed. Helping the next generation was in his own interest too.

"No, I'd better go to the locker room now and negotiate with them. These guys, if we don't deal with it quickly, who knows what they'll co up with?"

Shaking his head, Gao Shen left.

Zidane, Carlo, Hierro, and the others all laughed.

In the current Real Madrid dressing room, only Gao Shen could keep it under control.

(To be continued.)