Capítulo 54: Physical Training Master
Lorenzo Buenaventura has long hair parted 3:7 and is a handsome middle-aged man who maintains a fairly good physique. At first glance, his temperament is quite scholarly and refined, not like a muscular fitness trainer at all. This somewhat subverts Gao Shen's previous impression of him.
At forty-three years old, he has experienced the ups and downs of his career, looking quite mature but a little unsmiling. In fact, he is not from Cadiz but from Seville, just north of Cadiz, and is a fellow from Ramos's hometown.
Gao Shen and Carlo flew over from Madrid specifically to meet him, and he happened to be on vacation and came from Seville specially. They met, got to know each other, exchanged pleasantries, ordered food, and started chatting.
"In two days, I also have a class to go to Madrid. I originally planned to meet at that time, but I didn't expect you to come here," Buenaventura said lightly, with a bit of joy in his tone, looking at Gao Shen and Carlo.
Buenaventura had learned about Gao Shen's situation from the newspapers. Frankly speaking, when he received a call from Carlo, his first reaction was to refuse, because he, like everyone else, felt that Gao Shen wouldn't last long at Real Madrid. Unlike other professions, coaches are not very interested in taking part-time jobs. After all, he now has a long-term contract with Cadiz.
But Carlo told him that he was being recruited not by Gao Shen, but by Real Madrid, which piqued Buenaventura's interest. After all, he has always been eager to work for a big team. This is a rare golden opportunity, hence the meeting.
Gao Shen had been observing Buenaventura. On the way, Carlo had already told him that Buenaventura was actually a teacher in the Spanish Football Association's coaching class, specializing in physical fitness and physiotherapy, which was considered a part-time job. Gao Shen was also wondering if Guardiola, who had participated in coaching training in recent years, knew Buenaventura from the training class.
After some conversation, Gao Shen subtly probed and found out that it was true. Buenaventura had indeed taught Guardiola. Of course, the content was the physical training and physiotherapy that Buenaventura was best at, but he also had a good impression of Guardiola. This connected various profound memories, and it was likely that Guardiola admired Buenaventura's abilities very much, which is why he recruited this physical training master when he coached Barcelona.
But now, Gao Shen intended to get there first.
"Lorenzo, you must have some understanding of our team's current situation," Gao Shen said, getting straight to the point.
Buenaventura nodded. "I have watched several recent Real Madrid games in the past few days, including against Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, and Valencia. The performances on the pitch reflect many problems in training, including physical training and conditioning, as well as physiotherapy and rehabilitation issues."
"With all due respect, the training level of Real Madrid is probably lower than that of our Cadiz, which leads to Real Madrid's players always suffering in games, especially against strong opponents like Arsenal."
"Yes," Gao Shen admitted. "So, Carlo and I came here."
"Frankly speaking, this job at Real Madrid is not easy," Buenaventura smiled wryly.
Anyone in the professional football circle knows how serious the internal problems of Real Madrid are. In the locker room, the conflict between the local team and the Brazilian team is irreconcilable, and there are also conflicts within both teams. Additionally, there are significant issues between the superstars and other players, not to mention the aging player structure.
Today's Real Madrid can really be described as a house with leaks everywhere. Who knows when a tornado will blow it up?
Gao Shen smiled, understanding that Buenaventura was telling the truth. But since they could sit down and talk, it proved that Buenaventura must be interested. Otherwise, why would he come all this way?
So, why even mention it? This is a negotiating technique, either for salary or for power.
"You must also know my situation. The locker room situation is basically stable now. Some players have been suppressed by me, and most of the remaining players are actively cooperating. I believe the problem won't be a big issue."
Gao Shen said this lightly, which surprised Buenaventura somewhat. At twenty-five, a coach responsible for Real Madrid could control the situation so quickly?
This made him look at Gao Shen seriously for the first time, as if trying to find out what made him different.
Gao Shen did not dwell too much on Buenaventura's concerns but directly talked about his thoughts. He wanted to adopt high pressing tactics in Real Madrid, believing this to be the long-term trend. He needed players to have more running ability and wanted to improve the training level to make players perform better in games. Gao Shen emphasized improving the speed of offense and defense transitions, which required accelerating the team's game rhythm and increasing players' round-trip runs, necessitating targeted training.
Whenever Gao Shen put forward his ideas, Buenaventura could provide a targeted training plan, including solutions for the aging problem. After a detailed discussion, the lunch was casually eaten, but the conversation grew more in-depth.
Buenaventura also changed his previous suspicions, realizing that Gao Shen was not just a simple young man but had real ideas and things of his own, stabilizing Real Madrid's locker room and leading the team to three consecutive victories.
Especially some of his tactical ideas were very advanced and foresighted. Gao Shen and Carlo were satisfied with Buenaventura's "interview" performance. Whether in theoretical knowledge or practical experience, he had his own set of ideas. More importantly, he was an all-round talent not only a master of physical training but also knowledgeable in injury rehabilitation and physiotherapy, even dabbling in psychology.
After over two hours of lunch, Gao Shen realized the time and still felt unfulfilled.
"Lorenzo, I believe you should have a clearer understanding of Real Madrid's current situation and me personally, whether from your previous understanding or our conversation today. I sincerely hope you can seriously consider our invitation."
Gao Shen spoke very sincerely, showing strong sincerity.
Buenaventura felt it and kept nodding. "I will seriously consider it."
"As you know, our time is very precious. Immediately after this week, there will be consecutive double matches, including the Champions League quarter-finals. There is really not much time left for us to prepare, so I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible."
"If you come to Real Madrid, I will let you take full responsibility for the development of the team's physical training, including making training plans for each player. You can also be responsible for the players' rest, diet, injury management, and psychology. We will do our best to cooperate with your plan."
As soon as Gao Shen finished speaking, both Buenaventura and Carlo were taken aback. Meeting for the first time and given such an important task? This meant Maqueda's power as the chief assistant coach was directly divided by more than half. Buenaventura even became a veritable powerhouse of Real Madrid's first-team coaching staff. What kind of trust and reuse is this?
Even in Cadiz for many years, Buenaventura had never been given such great authority and trust. And Real Madrid is one of the world's top giant teams. "Are you... joking?" Buenaventura was a little incredulous. Gao Shen was very serious and nodded solemnly. "I am serious, and I will do what I say."
Both Buenaventura and Carlo now believed that Gao Shen was not fooling. But did he really trust Buenaventura so much? Gao Shen stared at Buenaventura with a very certain look until he saw a little gratitude and emotion in his eyes, confirming that this master of physical training wouldn't run away.
In fact, there are many reasons why he made such a decision. First, Real Madrid's situation is grim, and he urgently needed talents. Second, Carlo had vouched for Buenaventura's personality and conduct. Third, as a traveler, Gao Shen knew Buenaventura's abilities better than anyone else. Can a fitness coach reused by Bielsa and Guardiola be bad? Gao Shen's decision, seen as risky by outsiders, wasn't at all to him.
Moreover, he wanted to take the opportunity to recruit this talent. Even if they couldn't continue to cooperate in the future, cooperating well during their time at Real Madrid would be worth it. Buenaventura was truly moved and personally drove them to Jerez airport. While waiting for the flight, Carlo couldn't help but ask Gao Shen if he thought he was taking a risk with Buenaventura.
"Sir, I believe in your vision and your judgment. Since you can recommend him to me, it proves you appreciate him very much. After meeting him, I also feel there is no problem, so there is no need to think too much," Gao Shen smiled. It's a favor without cost, and Gao Shen didn't mind sending another one.
Carlo was very moved, knowing how important this position was to Gao Shen. That Gao Shen could reuse Buenaventura because of his recommendation proved his weight in Gao Shen's mind. How could Carlo not be moved? Gao Shen wanted to take the opportunity to convince him to return to Valdebebas, but this couldn't be rushed. If Carlo refused, it would be embarrassing to meet in the future. Better to improve the team's training level, the players' physical fitness, and stamina, then discuss it.
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