Queiroz had to come up with something on the spot.
"Uh, that... that... 4-2-3-1. Su Hang as the striker, then..."
"Alright!" Florentino cut him off. "You can go now."
Clearly, Florentino had gotten the answer he wanted.
Queiroz wasn't completely clueless.
After he left, Florentino turned to Zidane.
Zidane shook his head. "He's incredibly hardworking. He trains hard every single day. But it's very focused—he only works on the areas he's already good at."
"It's odd, because most people train their weaknesses—unless he's deliberately hiding something. He doesn't want to reveal too much."
"He never shows off his dribbling in training matches, but one time, while interacting with young fans, he casually pulled off a Marseille turn just to amuse them."
"You know, his understanding of the Marseille turn is incredibly deep. I know that move, which is why I found it unbelievable!"
"But one thing you don't need to worry about—he's not the type to abuse power or stir up drama. That interview with Clara was probably a misunderstanding. I think she got the wrong idea."
"Su signs autographs for fans outside the training ground every single day—not just for one or two, but for everyone. And he's done it ever since he arrived."
"He shows respect to every player, even those like Portillo who are openly hostile toward him. He even tried giving Portillo advice on how to better use his strengths. Too bad Portillo wouldn't listen."
"Su can clearly identify each player's strengths and suggest ways to improve. And honestly, I think he's right. He's helping everyone on this team—even when he's not on the pitch."
"My conclusion is... you can trust him."
Zidane had said more than usual.
He rarely spoke so highly of anyone.
Florentino nodded. "So, what did he say about you? How does he think you should improve?"
Zidane gave a slight smile. "He said I'm just a bit hot-headed. If I didn't pick up so many red cards, I wouldn't just be the King of French Football."
"Hahaha!" Florentino burst into laughter. "Interesting. What about me? What does he think of me?"
Zidane replied, "The greatest Real Madrid president since Santiago Bernabeu."
Florentino's eyes lit up. "That's high praise."
Zidane added, "But he only mentioned Santiago out of respect for a departed predecessor."
In other words, the words "since Santiago" could be dropped.
Florentino paused for a moment.
He had the ambition.
But he wasn't sure he could live up to it.
Su Hang, however... seemed to have full confidence in him.
"This kid!" Florentino was clearly pleased. "I hope he performs well in the derby! Just being kind, loving Real Madrid, and respecting our predecessors isn't enough to be Real Madrid's crown prince!"
**Crown prince!**
Zidane's eyes narrowed—he felt sorry for Raúl.
It seemed that the Golden Boy of Real Madrid still hadn't earned Florentino's recognition.
But all those traits?
They described Raúl perfectly.
...
**April 25, Morning.**
Real Madrid released the preliminary squad list for tonight's Spanish derby:
Su Hang
Zidane, Raúl, Figo
Beckham, Cambiasso
Roberto Carlos, Bravo, Helguera, Salgado
Casillas
Cambiasso replaced Guti because he offered slightly better defensive capabilities.
It was clear Queiroz still feared Barcelona's attack—especially their football wizard, Ronaldinho!
Reporters kept bombarding Queiroz with questions about Su Hang:
"Are you playing Su Hang because of external pressure?"
"Have you been mentally controlling Su Hang?"
"Is it for personal reasons that you've kept Su Hang off the field?"
"Some claim that by refusing to play Su Hang, you overused Ronaldo, which led to his injury. How do you respond?"
Queiroz rejected all interviews and sat alone in his car.
He regretted coming to Spain.
This place was his personal hell.
Now he wanted to see just how Su Hang would perform in this match.
Based on what he'd seen in training, Real Madrid was doomed!
Su Hang's level didn't even meet the minimum standard for a starter in any of the top five leagues.
Queiroz was willing to stake his decades of coaching experience on that!
...
**Evening.**
The Santiago Bernabéu was packed.
A top-of-the-table clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona!
The Spanish National Derby!
A showdown between Zidane and Ronaldinho—two generations of midfield legends!
A duel between Casillas and Valdés—the homegrown goalkeeping prodigies!
Also, a battle between Barcelona's young signings like Saviola and Overmars, and Su Hang, Real Madrid's own academy-grown forward.
Eighty thousand fans filled the Bernabéu. Not a single empty seat.
All you could see was a sea of white, dazzling as snow.
Even the Copa del Rey final couldn't match this atmosphere.
It was also Su Hang's first time playing in such a high-profile match.
**Barcelona's starting XI:**
Ronaldinho, Saviola, Overmars
Xavi, Cocu, Davids
Van Bronckhorst, Puyol, Oleguer, Reiziger
Valdés
In terms of flair, Real Madrid clearly outshone Barcelona.
But on the league table, Barcelona held the lead.
Even in the players' tunnel, tension was already thick in the air.
This was a clash of bitter rivals.
From the kickoff, both sides clashed with intense physicality!
The game was brutal.
And the referee allowed it to be.
He knew this wouldn't be a clean match.
This level of intensity made things tough for Su Hang.
His dribbling, control, and passing weren't up to par under such high pressure.
**9th minute.**
Su Hang dropped back to receive a pass from Beckham but was shoulder-checked from behind by Oleguer and lost possession.
Barcelona countered immediately.
Ronaldinho unleashed the first threatening shot of the game from 25 meters out.
Thankfully, Casillas pulled off a stunning save.
**12th minute.**
Su Hang redeemed himself.
With a perfect diagonal through ball from Zidane, he didn't stop to trap it—instead, he spun past Puyol with a Marseille turn and took the shot.
Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it down.
The ball soared into the stands.
A shooting stat in the 70s might be solid in practice, but it's not enough at this level of intensity, speed, and physicality.
**15th minute.**
Ronaldinho faced off one-on-one against Cambiasso.
With a "bull's tail" feint, he shook Cambiasso off and breezed past him.
Cambiasso dragged him down and earned a yellow card.
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