Gao Shen did not attend the UEFA award ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't go either, as he wasn't among the top three finalists.
The top three this year were Messi and Iniesta from Barcelona, and David Silva from Manchester City.
This result genuinely surprised Gao Shen, especially David Silva's inclusion.
But thinking about it, it wasn't that unexpected. David Silva had performed exceptionally well in the European Championship.
Iniesta and David Silva not only shined at their clubs but also helped Spain win a historic European Championship. Their contributions were obvious to all.
What made Gao Shen feel the most unfair was Messi's inclusion.
It wasn't that Messi lacked ability, but Manchester City's overall performance last season was outstanding. Based on that, players like Robben, Suárez, Van Persie, and even Gareth Bale deserved to be shortlisted.
Yet in the end, it was Messi who was selected.
It wasn't hard to see that UEFA or the mainstream European media still had certain biases against Manchester City.
They favored traditional giants.
But in the end, the winner was David Silva.
A seven-time champion, defending Champions League winner, European Championship winner — that combination of honors made David Silva the rightful winner of this award.
Even though Gao Shen was watching on television, he could still feel David Silva's excitement.
When Silva accepted the award on stage, he thanked everyone, including Messi and Iniesta, and said he wanted to share the honor with both the Spanish national team and his Manchester City teammates.
"Without them, I wouldn't have had the chance to win this big prize!"
The Spaniard also emotionally mentioned Gao Shen.
He said it was Gao Shen who trained him from a young midfielder into the player he is today. "He is the most important mentor in my life. If I hadn't met him, I definitely wouldn't have this opportunity."
"I know he didn't come today, but he must be watching the live broadcast. I want to take this chance to say a few words to him."
"Boss, thank you so much for everything you've done for me over the years. Thank you for always encouraging and guiding me. I won this award today, and I want to tell you, I'll continue to work hard. Thank you, Boss!"
With tears in his eyes, David Silva raised the trophy high and bowed deeply.
The scene erupted in thunderous applause.
Not just for David Silva, but also for Gao Shen, who wasn't even there.
Sitting in front of the television, Gao Shen watched the moment with deep emotion. Listening to the applause from the venue, he was filled with complex feelings.
Before he knew it, he was no longer alone.
He now had a family, friends, partners, colleagues, and a group of people who respected and cared for him.
"If I remember correctly, he should be the first player you've coached to win a continental award, right?" Zidane asked suddenly.
Gao Shen nodded. "The first."
When he previously coached Real Madrid, Zidane had a good chance, but he lost to Cannavaro.
Later at Napoli, although results were excellent, none of the players received major accolades.
While coaching Manchester City, Suárez finished second last year but ultimately lost out to Messi. There was nothing he could do.
Just like this year — Messi still made it into the top three.
After all, playing for a traditional powerhouse has its advantages.
Gao Shen thought of many players, including Suárez and Gareth Bale, but he never expected David Silva would be the first to win a continental honor.
In a way, he had to thank Del Bosque and the Spanish national team.
"Don't worry. We'll see more scenes like that in the future," Hierro encouraged with a smile.
Zidane nodded in agreement.
With Real Madrid's influence, as long as the team performs well, there will be little suspense when it comes to Ronaldo winning major individual honors.
That's a different story.
At Real Madrid, Ronaldo is the clear superstar. As long as both the team and he perform, the club will back him completely in the pursuit of individual awards.
Sometimes that even ends up in the contract terms.
David Silva winning the European Player of the Year made Gao Shen genuinely happy for him, even though he missed out on the European Coach of the Year award. That might have had something to do with him skipping the Monaco ceremony.
But who really knows?
Del Bosque won the award thanks to Spain's historic European Championship victory, and Gao Shen had no complaints about that.
He even tweeted a message of congratulations to Del Bosque after the awards.
David Silva's win also prompted Gao Shen to send out three consecutive tweets.
But the mood changed during the Champions League draw.
…
As the media joked, thanks to Gao Shen, Real Madrid had the honor of landing in the third pot of the Champions League group stage.
With a coefficient of 61.420, even though they were the strongest team in Pot 3, they were still in Pot 3.
This was likely the first time in history that Real Madrid had fallen to the third tier in the Champions League.
Also in Pot 3 with Real Madrid were teams like Ajax, Paris Saint-Germain, and Lille — all strong sides.
Manchester City, originally a Pot 3 team, had risen to Pot 2 after defending their Champions League title last season.
Even the Pot 4 teams weren't weak. Celtic, Dortmund, Malaga, and Montpellier were all strong competitors.
Not to mention Pots 1 and 2.
In short, Real Madrid was destined for the group of death.
The only question was, just how deadly?
Many people speculated that if Manchester City — now in Pot 2 — were drawn into their group, it would be a storyline too good to resist.
And UEFA loved drawing former clubs against each other.
The one silver lining? Drawing Manchester City would help Real Madrid avoid other Premier League teams in Pot 1.
After the awards, the draw officially began that evening.
UEFA General Secretary Infantino and Competition Director Marchetti presided over the draw. Former Real Madrid star Steve McManaman served as ambassador of the host city, while Manchester United legend Denis Law conducted the first draw.
There was little drama in Pot 1, with each seeded team placed into different groups.
But things got more interesting in Pot 2.
World Player of the Year George Weah drew Manchester City into Porto's group, Juventus into Manchester United's, and Schalke 04 into Arsenal's. No matter how you looked at it, the draw looked dangerous.
Commentators noted that all of these groups could potentially include Real Madrid.
Then came the highly anticipated Pot 3. Dutch legend Ruud Gullit stepped up to draw.
The iconic Dutch star, once famous for his dreadlocks, now sported neat short hair. And like his current look, his draw style was quick and direct.
He skipped the small talk and started drawing immediately.
The first name: Lille. Then Paris Saint-Germain…
Ball after ball, Gullit continued to draw. Meanwhile, the groups containing Porto and Manchester City remained suspiciously vacant, as if waiting for something.
Until Gullit opened a ball and pulled out the name: Real Madrid.
At that moment, the entire room erupted in shock.
No surprises — Real Madrid landed in Group D, the group of death.
Actually, the super group of death.
…
"I knew it. UEFA has a twisted sense of humor," Carlo said bitterly.
Drawing Manchester City was truly a nightmare.
Everyone knew that Manchester City was the strongest team in European football today, possibly even stronger than Barcelona.
What made the Blue Moon terrifying was not just their starters but their incredible squad depth and near-perfect lineup.
Goalkeeper: Neuer.
Defenders: Filipe Luís, David Luiz, Kompany, and Lichtsteiner.
Midfield: Javi Martínez anchoring the midfield, with David Silva and Rakitic supporting the attack.
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Suárez, and Robben.
Just look at that. How stacked and complete is this team?
Gao Shen spent three years carefully building this team. It could be called the strongest in world football.
Even though they failed to bring in Guardiola as head coach, was Pellegrini weak?
He had reached the Champions League semifinals and was a solid tactician.
Carlo's complaint made perfect sense. UEFA really loved this kind of drama.
Facing your old club in the group stage? It happened almost every season.
What made it worse was that Real Madrid didn't draw Pot 4 teams like Malaga, Montpellier, or Celtic. No, they got Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund.
When that happened, Gao Shen was completely dumbfounded.
He even wondered if UEFA was deliberately trying to sabotage him.
To draw Dortmund again? Seriously?
Champions of the Premier League, Portuguese league, Bundesliga, and La Liga runners-up — UEFA truly outdid themselves with this draw.
As soon as the draw results were confirmed, the group stage fixtures were also released.
Real Madrid's opening match would be away at Dortmund. Their clashes with Manchester City would come in the third and fourth rounds. Before facing Barcelona, they'd host Porto at home.
"Looking at the strength of the teams, we absolutely have to win both games against Dortmund and Porto. We can't afford to drop points in any of those four games. Only then can we stay in contention," Gao Shen analyzed.
But beating either of those sides would be no easy task.
Dortmund was a team that would go on to reach the Champions League final this season, and Porto was no pushover either. Not to mention the ever-dangerous Manchester City watching from the shadows.
Real Madrid now faced a situation where there were wolves in front and tigers behind.
The most critical issue was that Real Madrid's current squad and tactical setup weren't yet fully adjusted. The team was not in peak condition.
Forget facing Manchester City — even going up against Klopp's Dortmund was worrying.
Everyone knew the Yellow Wall was hard to break. When they went crazy, anything could happen.
"I have no other choice, so I'll just fight to the death!" Gao Shen said with a wry smile, but he quickly lightened up.
He was even a little excited.
He liked this kind of high-pressure challenge.
(To be continued.)