When Real Madrid won the Club World Cup in Morocco, La Liga had also completed its 17th round.
Barcelona beat Getafe 5-2 away, and Atletico Madrid defeated Levante 3-2 at home.
Real Madrid's away game against Valencia was postponed until after the winter break, but they were still top of the table.
More importantly, Real Madrid had maintained an undefeated record so far.
This was unique in European football.
Although the Club World Cup was not a title with great prestige, it was still a world-class honor. Real Madrid held a brief ceremony to place the trophy in the club's collection.
It was worth mentioning that the renovation of the Bernabéu trophy room was in full swing.
This was also in response to Gao Shen's earlier call that there was too little space for trophies and that expansion was necessary.
Florentino was the happiest man there. Facing the media, he said that the expansion of the trophy and honors room would be completed before the end of the season and would not delay the team from winning more titles.
By then, no matter how many trophies they won, there would be space for them.
After the ceremony, the squad was dismissed, and the players began their Christmas break.
But immediately after the winter break, the team would face two games in quick succession.
This was due to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which forced all leagues to shorten their schedules.
Gao Shen stayed at the Bernabéu for a meeting.
…
At the recent Real Madrid members' meeting, Florentino announced a lot of important news.
This included addressing previous reports that Microsoft and Bill Gates intended to sponsor the Bernabéu Stadium.
Florentino officially denied the rumor, and the matter was settled.
The main reason was the loud opposition from Real Madrid members.
Florentino also mentioned that the Real Madrid board did plan to renovate or rebuild the Bernabéu.
But this was not something that could be done overnight. It was a long-term project.
The main obstacles were the Bernabéu's location and Real Madrid's influence in Spain.
If nothing else, the plan would need the Madrid City Government's approval and support.
There was also the issue of funding.
And where would Real Madrid play their home matches during construction?
All of these were problems.
But Florentino's meeting with Gao Shen was not about these things. It was to address outside rumors and reassure him that there were no financial problems at the club.
Gao Shen believed that the most important task for Real Madrid now was not signing new players, but renewing contracts to stabilize team morale.
"The young players we have now are very talented and full of potential. We must sign new contracts with them as soon as possible to secure their future at Real Madrid."
Florentino, Valdano, José Sánchez, and others all agreed with Gao Shen.
Real Madrid players were in very high demand.
For example, in L'Équipe's list of the top ten future stars, Real Madrid had five names, taking up half the spots.
And that list did not even include players like Illarramendi, who had already made a name for himself.
Among the five listed, four had been signed during Gao Shen's tenure. Varane had been strongly recommended by Zidane. Together with Casemiro, Morata, Jesé, and others, Gao Shen's transformation of Real Madrid had been successful and far-reaching.
The current age structure of the squad was ideal for success.
Among the veterans were Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa, and other reliable players. The backbone featured Ronaldo, Benzema, Modric, and others in their prime.
Among the young players, there were already established stars like Toni Kroos, as well as rising talents like Pogba and Isco.
There were also promising players such as Casemiro, Carvajal, and Morata.
After two years of restructuring, Real Madrid's age balance was excellent.
Maintaining this hard-earned stability was what the management needed to do.
Starting around this time last year, Gao Shen had been pushing for contract renewals, but priorities had to be set.
For example, Di María had already renewed last summer. Even if he performed well, Gao Shen could not justify renewing again so soon. Otherwise, he would face accusations of favoritism.
Besides, given Di María's age, renewing too frequently would put him close to Ronaldo's salary.
Real Madrid would never allow that.
There was also Marcelo. His salary had risen from 2.3 million euros to 4 million euros after renewal, but Gao Shen still could not justify another raise. The reason was the same as Di María's.
The ones who really needed renewals were the younger players like Carvajal, Nacho, Morata, Varane, and Casemiro. Their salaries were simply too low.
For example, Morata was not included in the first round of renewals and still earned 800,000 euros net. Yet he had no complaints.
Nacho, Jesé, Casemiro, and Varane all earned just 1.2 million euros.
"Our rotation mechanism has proven effective after adjustments in the first half of the season," Gao Shen explained to Florentino and the board members.
He was known for rotation, and at Real Madrid, he had built a functioning system that allowed the team to compete on multiple fronts while performing well.
Of course, this also had much to do with the strength of the squad and the way players were deployed.
"Based on their performances, I believe this group of young players absolutely deserves contract extensions."
As the boss in the dressing room, Gao Shen was loved by the players, and he naturally fought for their rights.
The club had its considerations, which Gao Shen understood. But for players like Morata, Jesé, and Carvajal, their salaries were unreasonably low. Not giving them a raise would be unacceptable.
Take Carvajal as an example. Based on his current form, he could be sold for 30 to 40 million euros.
And yet at Real Madrid, his annual salary was 1.2 million?
Compared to others in his position on the national team, it was far too low.
Did the players not think about these things?
Of course, they did.
This was not unique to Real Madrid, it was the same across the football world. Clubs were often harsher on their own academy products.
For example, Arbeloa's net salary was just 2.8 million euros.
As a European Championship and World Cup winner, that was not high.
And players like Morata earning 800,000 euros was truly hard to accept.
Since Gao Shen had raised the issue, Florentino had to respond.
"Alright, the technical and administrative teams will discuss and draw up a renewal plan as soon as possible. We'll implement it quickly."
Valdano and José Sánchez both nodded.
Gao Shen then chuckled and looked at José Sánchez. "José, your commercial department needs to work overtime and sign more sponsorship deals."
Everyone was stunned.
"What do you mean?" José Sánchez asked, puzzled.
"Based on the team's current form, I estimate our wage bill will rise again soon. We'll need to stick to Florentino's wage structure. I won't be able to control it, so I can only push you to work harder."
Everyone finally understood and laughed.
This was an unwritten rule in European football.
When the team performed well, the players had to be rewarded.
Besides bonuses, salaries went up with renewals.
Since Gao Shen became Real Madrid coach, contracts had been renewed almost every six months, on a rotating basis. This brought financial pressure, especially under Florentino's strict salary cap.
Gao Shen's meaning was clear: the team's performance could not be suppressed.
With the current momentum, he believed there was a real chance of winning the treble this year, and he wanted to go for it.
And once the treble was won, wouldn't the team have to keep key players?
"I hadn't thought of it this way before, but now that you say it, I do feel the pressure," José Sánchez laughed.
The room erupted in laughter.
Florentino made the call.
"As for the team's performance, go all out. The better we do, the more contracts we'll renew, and the bonuses will be paid in full. Everyone will be happy. But the salary red line must be upheld."
Gao Shen smiled and nodded, thinking: See, this is what a leader does.
Leaders always want more… but in the end, who carries the burden? The workers.
Still, José Sánchez was indeed capable.
Gao Shen often advised Fernando Lucas to learn from him.
The growth of Real Madrid's commercial empire owed much to José Sánchez's leadership over the past decade.
That was why regardless of whether the president was Florentino, Martín, or Calderón, they all respected him.
He was the one who could truly make money.
Gao Shen sometimes chatted with him, building rapport, and even asked him to give Leeds United some advice from time to time.
After all, with more than ten years running Real Madrid's commercial department, his advice could only be valuable.
…
After the meeting, Gao Shen said nothing to the players and revealed no news. The renewals would be handled by the club's staff. If Gao Shen spoke too much, it would only cause problems.
This was his achievement, and no one could take it away. There was no need for Gao Shen to rush to do someone else's job.
Since Florentino introduced a modern management system at Real Madrid, every department had clear responsibilities.
Gao Shen was careful not to interfere. He focused on managing his area, a lesson he had carried from his business experience in his previous life, which helped him cooperate smoothly with all departments at Real Madrid.
Otherwise, why would someone as shrewd as José Sánchez have such a good relationship with him?
After finishing all matters at the Bernabéu, Gao Shen headed north with his family.
For the past two years, Gao Shen had chosen to spend Real Madrid's winter break in Cheshire, and this year was no different.
The most important reason was that Leeds United had run into trouble recently.
(To be continued.)