Capítulo 145: Legend
Real Madrid won the Champions League, and Gao Shen's resignation quickly dominated the headlines of major media outlets worldwide.
The news shocked many, but those familiar with Real Madrid and football in general found it unsurprising.
Even when Gao Shen led Real Madrid to a series of consecutive victories, the Real Madrid president and the presidential candidates were still in close contact with other world-renowned coaches. From Capello to Ancelotti to Eriksen, almost every famous coach was courted.
Even after the team reversed Barcelona and won the La Liga championship, President Martin continued his dealings with Eriksen.
This made it seem like a miracle that Gao Shen had stayed in his position at Real Madrid for as long as he had.
The French newspaper *L'Equipe* ran the headline "The First Person to Fire Real Madrid" in their report on Gao Shen's resignation.
The authoritative media outlet noted that Real Madrid had always been a prestigious destination for famous coaches and superstars worldwide. They were known for firing head coaches, but never had a head coach willingly resigned from Real Madrid, especially during the Galácticos era. The allure of coaching Real Madrid had always been irresistible.
But now, after leading the team to win both La Liga and the Champions League, Gao Shen decisively "fired" Real Madrid.
"Compared to Real Madrid President Martin's harsh criticism of Gao Shen in the media, Gao Shen seems far more dignified. He declined all interviews at the Stade de France, refusing to discuss anything related to Real Madrid, and he didn't even join the team on their return to Madrid for the championship parade," wrote *L'Equipe*.
The paper pointed out that Gao Shen's departure seemed well-planned, not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"Since Gao Shen took over as Real Madrid coach, he has been surrounded by intense controversy. From initial doubts about his qualifications to later criticisms of his ability, he used his achievements to prove himself step by step. Despite gaining full support from the locker room, he could never win over the management and the Real Madrid board."
*L'Equipe* reviewed past reports, including the many rumors that linked several Real Madrid presidential candidates with famous coaches, all of which indicated that the rift between Gao Shen and Real Madrid had deep roots.
"Leaving Real Madrid after securing the double crown is not a bad decision for Gao Shen."
The newspaper revealed that by announcing his departure on the night of winning the Champions League, Gao Shen immediately made it known to the world that he was available. This opened up a new option for any European club considering a coaching change.
"Leading Real Madrid to win the double, identifying and nurturing many young talents, and guiding the team through the Champions League have all proven that Gao Shen's coaching abilities are trustworthy."
"More importantly, Gao Shen's coaching philosophy has been recognized by many famous coaches."
The paper noted that after Gao Shen announced his resignation, many prominent figures quickly expressed their support for him.
Di Stefano, the honorary president of Real Madrid, said that Gao Shen had not received enough respect at the club, which led him to "fire" Real Madrid. "His coaching ability and the team's performance should have been more appreciated and recognized," he said.
Former Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque agreed with Di Stefano and remarked that this was simply the tradition at Real Madrid.
"Now it's Gao Shen, in the past it was me, and many others. Coaches have never been respected at Real Madrid."
Former Real Madrid technical director Arrigo Sacchi also said in an interview with Italian media on the night of the Champions League final that Gao Shen was the biggest surprise in European football this past season. "Whether it's his age or his coaching style, he reminds me of myself back in the day, but he's younger and more talented."
Sacchi believed that Gao Shen would continue to be successful in European football.
Sacchi's predecessor, former Real Madrid technical director Jorge Valdano, said that Gao Shen's departure from Real Madrid was not surprising. "I predicted he would do this early on. He is a very assertive and brave person. I look forward to seeing him continue to succeed, and I'm sure he will."
Ancelotti, Capello, Wenger, and even Rijkaard, many of whom were defeated by Gao Shen, expressed regret when discussing his resignation. They believed Gao Shen should have received more recognition and attention.
Among them, Capello spoke with the most empathy.
"I've coached Real Madrid, so I know it's a love-hate team where the manager never gets enough attention, but it's hard to refuse. This is what I admire most about Gao Shen; his decision is very brave."
Not only famous coaches but even the Spanish media rallied behind Gao Shen.
Real Madrid had a history of firing coaches who had won titles, such as Capello, who won the league, Heynckes, who won the Champions League, and Del Bosque, who won La Liga.
But this time, Gao Shen had won the double, La Liga, and the Champions League—the most prestigious double crown.
In the last 50 years, no Real Madrid coach had managed to achieve this honor, but Gao Shen did.
What more could this mean?
Alfredo, a prominent sports columnist, wrote that Gao Shen should have stayed with the team.
"I never doubted what Gao Shen said. He could have led Real Madrid to even greater success if he had stayed because, based on his lineup and team plan this season, he had a long-term vision for this team. He laid a solid foundation for Real Madrid's future."
"As a Real Madrid fan for decades, I can't understand why the management would allow such a coach to leave. This is a crime!"
Alfredo also condemned Martin, stating that his treatment of Gao Shen was disgraceful.
"I saw the post-game interview. Gao Shen was not at fault. He was provoked by Martin's words and actions. He didn't want to be a pawn in someone else's campaign, so he chose to resign. But why did Martin use such disgraceful words and actions to attack and humiliate the hero who led the team to win the double crown?"
"Doesn't this prove that Gao Shen's decision to leave Real Madrid was correct?"
Dela Morena, the renowned host of Searle Radio, revealed on his show that before Real Madrid's La Liga victory over Barcelona, President Martin had reached an agreement with Eriksen. However, after the team's success in La Liga, Gao Shen's popularity soared, and Martin tried to use Gao Shen for his campaign, offering him a ridiculous contract.
"He wanted Gao Shen to take over Castilla!"
Dela Morena stated that Martin's treatment of Gao Shen was nothing short of insulting.
Whether it was attacking Gao Shen outside the locker room in front of everyone or offering him a contract to coach the second team after winning La Liga, it was the ultimate humiliation for Gao Shen, further solidifying his decision to leave Real Madrid.
Dela Morena also revealed that, according to feedback from the Real Madrid locker room, apart from Carlos, all Real Madrid players and staff wanted Gao Shen to stay, except for Martin.
"We noticed that no Real Madrid player has spoken out except for Zidane. The real reason is that Martin, in the Stade de France locker room, strictly prohibited everyone from discussing Gao Shen, threatening them with their contracts."
"Zidane has decided to retire, so after leaving the Stade de France, he accepted a phone interview with French media, stating that everyone in the locker room regretted the decision and were grateful to Gao Shen for his help and support. He believed that Real Madrid made a very wrong, even foolish decision."
Dela Morena emphasized that Gao Shen's ability to garner the support of many stars already demonstrated his influence and role within the Real Madrid team. For the team to win the double and have their meritorious coach resign on the same night, it indicated a significant issue within the club.
As the mouthpiece of Real Madrid, *Marca* also believed that Gao Shen had been forced out by Martin.
"From the day Martin threatened to fire Gao Shen outside the locker room, Gao Shen's departure was inevitable."
"No one can tolerate such humiliation!"
...
No one anticipated that the day after Real Madrid won the Champions League, the news of Gao Shen's resignation would have such a tremendous impact.
Had he merely resigned, it might have been less dramatic. But with Real Madrid President Martin's aggressive criticism of Gao Shen in the media, the rift between the two sides became glaringly obvious.
Meanwhile, Gao Shen received widespread support from many football legends, including Di Stefano, Valdano, Sacchi, and the players in the locker room. The media and fans also rallied behind him. The situation spoke volumes.
During Real Madrid's double crown parade in Madrid, some fans held up banners and chanted slogans.
"Stay Gao Shen, Martin out!"
"Support Gao Shen, not Martin!"
"You're the one who should go, Martin!"
"You're the enemy of Real Madrid, get out of the Bernabeu, Martin!"
No one, not even Martin himself, could have predicted such a one-sided situation.
He couldn't understand why so many people supported Gao Shen, yet no one supported him.
Weren't they all opposed to Gao Shen before?
Even Vice-President Butragueno expressed his regret in the media, saying he respected Gao Shen's decision.
What was even more alarming was that many Real Madrid presidential candidates, including Calderon, came forward to accuse Martin of driving away the hero of the double crown.
Two or three of the candidates even announced that if elected, their first action would be to rehire Gao Shen.
The entire city of Madrid, the whole of Spain, and even European football were in an uproar.
No one expected that Gao Shen's resignation would share the front page headlines with Real Madrid's double crown victory, and his reputation soared to new heights because of it.
However, compared with Martin's aggressive attack on Gao Shen in the media, after his public resignation at the Stade de France, Gao Shen never appeared in front of the media, neither participated in Real Madrid's championship parade, nor at the Bernabeu or Valdebebas. noodle.
There were even media reporters squatting in the Odalesa district, but they didn't wait for the tall figure.
He seemed to have disappeared out of thin air.
It's just that the European football world is still hyping up his legend.
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