Starting With Real Madrid

Pep Guardiola stood at the entrance of the training center in Castel Volturno. He never imagined that Napoli's training base would be tucked away inside a golf course, and the area seemed surprisingly small for a professional football club.

The security guard at the gate, upon hearing that Guardiola was from Spain, was particularly friendly to him.

After all, the entire coaching staff of Napoli had a strong Spanish connection, although their head coach was Chinese. This gave the club a unique affinity with Spain.

Guardiola mused for a moment. Perhaps this Spanish connection could make him the next coach of Napoli.

He had spent the last two years in Italy, playing for Brescia and Roma, and was familiar enough with Italian to engage in basic conversation. In his halting Italian, he chatted with the security guard, asking casual questions like how the team was doing and what changes the young head coach had brought.

The security guard, slightly cautious, avoided giving too much away. "You'll see for yourself once you join us here in Napoli."

Guardiola chuckled, realizing the guard must have mistaken him for someone seeking a job at the club.

After a few more light-hearted exchanges, the security guard, still under strict orders to be discreet, explained that their head coach had instructed them to be particularly wary of outsiders trying to gather information about the team's tactics or strategies. "Too many people outside trying to spy," the guard said seriously.

Guardiola couldn't help but smile. "Why does this feel like preparing for war?"

Still, he had to admit that he respected the attention to detail and secrecy.

When Guardiola shifted the conversation to how Napoli fans viewed their head coach, the guard's expression changed instantly pride and excitement spread across his face, as if he himself were Napoli's head coach.

"Do you know Maradona?"

"Of course," Guardiola nodded.

"Well, let me tell you something: what Mr. Gao is doing in Naples now is similar to what Maradona did here years ago. You can imagine what that means to the fans."

Guardiola understood immediately. Gao Shen's style of football aggressive, high-energy, and passionate perfectly matched the character of Naples and its fans.

They continued chatting, touching on topics like the security situation in Naples.

The guard, assuming Guardiola might be worried about safety, quickly reassured him. "Do you know the Mafia? On Mr. Gao's first day coaching Napoli, all the local gangs made it clear no one is to bother Mr. Gao. They're his first line of protection."

The security guard leaned in closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "One of the local gangs even promised that Mr. Gao could leave his door wide open, and no one would dare step foot inside."

Guardiola was taken aback by this. Was this really the mafia or just an overly protective fanbase?

"In Naples, football is everything," the guard said proudly. "It's what unites us."

This passion for football was why the security guard remained dedicated to working for Napoli, even though his salary wasn't the highest. His pride in the club trumped all else.

As their conversation continued, Guardiola noticed someone approaching from the training center it was Lorenzo Buenaventura.

"Pep! You should've let me pick you up! Why come by yourself?" Buenaventura asked, hurrying over.

Guardiola stood up, smiling as he shook Buenaventura's hand and embraced him. "I didn't want to bother you. I know you've been busy lately, so I just grabbed a taxi."

Buenaventura shook his head, clearly frustrated but amused at Guardiola's independent nature.

"My student from the coaching course always like this. Never wants to trouble anyone."

"Come on, let's head inside and meet the boss," Buenaventura said, grabbing Guardiola's suitcase.

As they walked together, Guardiola couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

Gao Shen, the head coach of Napoli, was only twenty-five years old. Buenaventura, who wasn't much younger, referred to him as "the boss" without any hesitation. This simple detail spoke volumes Buenaventura, a highly respected figure, was completely won over by this young coach.

Guardiola knew his own teacher's capabilities well. For Buenaventura to be so thoroughly impressed by someone younger must mean that Gao Shen truly had something special.

"I've already told him all about you," Buenaventura said as they walked. "He didn't even hesitate he immediately welcomed you to observe and learn. He even asked if he should pay you a salary!" Buenaventura laughed.

Guardiola, slightly embarrassed, said nothing. Here he was, a 35-year-old man, coming to a 25-year-old to learn. It felt a bit awkward.

...

Gao Shen had first heard about Guardiola through Buenaventura about a week ago.

He knew Guardiola's story well: a legendary player for Barcelona, who had played for Brescia and Roma in Italy, then moved on to Al Ahli in Qatar. There, he earned €4 million over two years a relatively easy gig that gave him time to plan for life after football, including obtaining his coaching badges.

One particularly interesting detail was Guardiola's brief stint at Manchester City, where he went on trial to prove his fitness. After impressing the City staff, he was offered a six-month contract, which he turned down, wanting a longer deal. Guardiola couldn't have known then that he would one day become one of City's greatest managers.

After that, Guardiola joined his friend Juanma Lillo in Mexico, playing for Dorados de Sinaloa. Lillo was somewhat of a legend in Spain, having started coaching at 20 and leading teams like Salamanca and Tenerife in La Liga by the age of 29. He was regarded as one of Spain's brightest tactical minds.

During Guardiola's time in Mexico, he and Lillo spent countless hours discussing football. It was there that Guardiola first heard about Gao Shen's rise leading Real Madrid to an improbable La Liga and Champions League double. Lillo told Guardiola that many of Gao Shen's ideas closely aligned with his own.

When Guardiola returned to Spain, he turned down several coaching offers from La Liga clubs, opting instead to travel to Argentina to meet with Marcelo Bielsa, who was another major influence on his footballing philosophy.

Bielsa spoke highly of Napoli, and more specifically, of Gao Shen.

"This is the team that has excited me the most in the past ten years. Maybe even longer!" Bielsa had said.

He told Guardiola that Napoli, under Gao Shen, played football like a predator a team full of energy and aggression, constantly hunting for the ball.

Inspired by this, Guardiola reached out to Buenaventura, and after receiving a warm invitation from Gao Shen, he made the journey to Naples.

...

When Guardiola finally met Gao Shen, he felt no particular awe he had seen countless photos of the young coach during his rise at Real Madrid. The man before him looked much like he had expected: calm, composed, and confident, with only slight traces of youth in his appearance.

Despite the massive accomplishments Gao Shen had already achieved, he seemed approachable, almost as if they were equals.

To be honest, Gao Shen had seen plenty of pictures of Guardiola from his playing days as well. The future world-class coach looked much the same as he would a decade later, aside from a few more gray hairs and a more distinguished beard.

Gao Shen had anticipated meeting Guardiola. He knew of Guardiola's journey through football and his growing interest in coaching. But to have him come to learn from him it was an extraordinary feeling.

It wasn't lost on Gao Shen how remarkable this was. The future number one manager in the world had come to *him* to learn.

Though he played it cool on the outside, internally, Gao Shen was ecstatic. He wanted to call Su Qing right away and tell her: The future number one manager in the world is here to learn from me!

It was the kind of thing that could make him wake up laughing from a dream.

But no matter how giddy he felt on the inside, Gao Shen kept his composure on the outside. He had to maintain the dignity of a seasoned manager, after all.

However, he did treat Guardiola like a close friend. He asked about his journey, how long he planned to stay, and whether he had found a place to live yet.

When Guardiola mentioned that he hadn't secured a place yet, Gao Shen immediately invited him to stay at his own home. "We can chat more, even late into the night. We could have in-depth discussions about football every evening!"

Guardiola hadn't expected such hospitality from someone so successful. He immediately accepted, feeling incredibly grateful.

After all, he was here to learn. To have such open access to Gao Shen and the Napoli team was a rare opportunity.

Gao Shen even told Guardiola that he could come and go freely at Napoli's training facilities, participate in staff meetings, and attend training sessions. He'd have no restrictions he would be treated as if he were part of the coaching staff.

Guardiola was deeply moved by this level of generosity.

Buenaventura, who had facilitated the introduction, was even more grateful. He had vouched for Guardiola, and now, seeing Gao Shen treat him with such kindness and respect, he felt immense gratitude.

This kind of hospitality wasn't something you could fake. Buenaventura knew Gao Shen was genuinely interested in helping Guardiola.

After all, Gao Shen was from Real Madrid, and Guardiola was a Barcelona man they were supposed to be rivals.

But Gao Shen's openness and willingness to help showed Buenaventura just how great of a man his boss truly was.

Of course, Gao Shen had his own thoughts. He was already thinking about how to let the world know that Guardiola had come to learn from him. Years later, when people discussed Guardiola's achievements, they will think of his mentor, Gao Shen. It's inevitable.

Reflecting on it, Gao Shen felt that this was an excellent outcome!

As for the fear of Guardiola stealing his techniques, there was no need to worry.