The All-Around Center Forward

"The pace is too fast!"

Casemiro plopped down onto the ground.

He didn't know what was going on, but from that day onwards, the pace suddenly accelerated.

It wasn't just the passing tempo; the overall offensive and defensive rhythm was very fast.

This made Casemiro, who had been playing in the B team, extremely unaccustomed.

Many times, he would receive the ball, and just as he was about to look for someone, the opponent would already be rushing over.

"Pass decisively! Observe in advance!"

Kroos said with concise words.

The two were currently communicating in Spanish, but since they didn't speak it very well, they tried to keep it as simple as possible.

Although they both had translators provided by the club, they wouldn't speak unless absolutely necessary.

After all, language is something that requires a lot of practice and speaking!

"Today… you had a lot of playing time!"

Casemiro said to Kroos.

He meant that Kroos's playing time in the first team had increased.

Yesterday, he could only play for one period and had to wait several rotations, but starting today, his treatment was almost the same as Casemiro's.

Kroos also clearly felt this, but he didn't think it was an issue with his own performance, or that Mourinho had suddenly taken a liking to him.

It was more likely that Suker had proactively spoken to Mourinho about something.

Kroos believed he had underestimated Suker's influence at Real Madrid.

Players communicate with the Head Coach, but their influence is not very significant.

After all, in a healthy team, the Head Coach has absolute authority, and players only need to play well; everything else must follow the Head Coach's arrangements.

However, Real Madrid is a giant club, and it's special here!

The complex situation in Real Madrid's locker room is even more pronounced compared to Bayern Munich.

However, Kroos had chosen the right side this time, and thus reaped a dividend.

A week of training had ended, and starting tomorrow, they would prepare for warm-up matches.

As the two were chatting simply, Suker walked over from behind.

"Party at my place at 7 PM tonight!"

Since Suker arrived, Real Madrid has always had pre-season gatherings.

It was considered an early communication and morale boost.

Of course, these gatherings weren't particularly strict, nor were they a tradition. For instance, at this time, Casillas probably wouldn't come.

Suker had invited him, but Casillas merely brushed him off.

This was similar to the situation last season. However, Suker didn't mind.

"Alright! We got it!"

Kroos nodded towards Suker.

Suker had helped him so much, even encouraging and motivating him when he wasn't valued.

Therefore, he wouldn't refuse Suker's invitation!

Casemiro, needless to say, was even more agreeable.

Although strictly speaking, he was considered Mourinho's man.

But currently, Casemiro couldn't even figure out the internal situation of the club, let alone offend a big shot like Suker.

Last season's pre-season gathering was almost an event for Suker's internal group.

But this time, apart from Casillas and Carvalho, all other Real Madrid players, including starters and substitutes, arrived in full.

This situation surprised Suker as well.

"So many people came!"

Suker exclaimed in surprise.

He hadn't prepared enough tables!

Kaka took out his keys: "Let the bodyguards move them from my house!"

Soon, a group of bodyguards set off.

Kaka said to Suker: "Recently, due to the conflict between Mourinho and Casillas, the locker room has been in turmoil. They are uneasy and naturally want to find some support!"

Suker nodded: "Actually, many people are resistant to this kind of confrontation."

"No choice!" Kaka sighed. "So, they chose you, feeling that your side is a safe haven!"

These players weren't Suker; they didn't have much influence. Sometimes, they were very passive.

If no one protected them, they might be implicated in this incident.

They also understood that the direction of this incident was not right.

The outcome was uncertain!

Therefore, they just wanted to find a safe haven where they could live peacefully, not wanting to be drawn into this struggle.

Soon, the food was brought over.

Ramos took the lead, volunteering to start grilling meat.

Pepe assisted him nearby.

Some people were playing games, others were chatting.

Kroos and Casemiro were new, so they found the most approachable Kaka and followed him around.

Kaka was, after all, a veteran at Real Madrid, and also a midfield partner, and most importantly, he had a good personality.

"How are you adapting lately?"

Casemiro held his head and sighed, "It's hard to adapt! The pace feels too fast!"

The three were communicating in English, so Kroos could also understand.

Kaka nodded, "Now is the adjustment period. In fact, Real Madrid used to play at Alonso's pace, but now it's my pace, so there will be a period of adjustment. I'm also trying to adapt to the team!"

Kaka spoke very humbly, and because of this, Kroos and Casemiro had an even better impression of Kaka.

Moreover, Kaka's face, at first glance, didn't look like a villain, naturally giving people a sense of friendliness.

"Why did Alonso leave?" Casemiro asked, puzzled. "He achieved great success here; wouldn't it be better to stay?"

Upon hearing this, Kaka paused slightly.

How should he explain this?

"It's complicated!"

Kaka could only say that.

Alonso's departure had three main factors.

First: He himself enjoyed challenging different Leagues!

Second: He was fed up with Mourinho!

Third: He knew that Real Madrid could not let him retire there, so it was better to leave gracefully than be forced out.

Kaka continued to add: "Real Madrid is different from the clubs you've been at before. There are some things you can only slowly adapt to."

"I already feel it," Casemiro sighed. "It's not united at all here!"

Kaka froze for a moment.

Kroos, who was beside him, also turned to look at Casemiro, thinking, 'You really dare to speak your mind.'

Casemiro paid no heed and continued, "Whether in Brazil or in the B team, we were very united. Our thoughts and beliefs were consistent. We enjoyed football and strived for the League Championship, but here... it feels like there's something else besides striving for the League Championship."

Kaka didn't speak, instead, Kroos said:

"Different platforms mean different values!"

Kroos continued, "Just like when you played in Brazil, the team had limited funds, and the gap between low and high salaries wasn't too big, so everyone naturally didn't think about those things."

"But at Real Madrid, think about your salary, then look at Suker's salary!"

Casemiro grinned.

There's no comparison!

Kroos added, "And salary is the smallest part of Suker's income; his commercial earnings are the most significant."

Kaka nodded; he agreed with Kroos's words.

"Money is one aspect, what about honor?" Kroos directly pointed out: "Honors you couldn't strive for due to platform limitations before, you can achieve here: League Championship, cup titles, and even Champions League, golden boot award, silver boot award, best player, annual best eleven, etc. Aren't you envious?"

Casemiro pursed his lips.

He was envious!

"But in contending for these, besides other teams, your teammates beside you are also opponents! If you want a better life, if you want more honors, you must constantly compete. If you lose once, many things will be taken away."

Kroos sighed, "To put it bluntly, a giant club and an ordinary team are two completely different things!"

"So complicated!" Casemiro felt his brain capacity wasn't enough.

Kaka laughed, "Don't think too much, just play well and perform excellently. If anything happens, others will help you solve it, just like Suker!"

Kroos glanced at Kaka; he felt Kaka was being too simplistic.

He didn't think Kaka was naive, but some things were indeed better left unsaid.

For example, Suker, was he really like the rumors said?

Kroos admired Suker!

But what he admired was not the rumored Suker, but his ability on the field.

Like Kaka's statement, that if you perform well, someone will help solve problems, this situation has a prerequisite: you must reach Suker's status and influence.

"It's grilled!"

At this moment, Suker raised his hand and shouted, "Dig in!"

Everyone cheered, then lined up one by one with their plates to get meat.

Before long, the distribution was complete, and they each came to the table to sit together, chatting and eating meat.

There was wine, of course, but they couldn't drink too much; this was also part of the rules.

Of course, every time someone would get drunk and secretly sneak out for another drink, but that was no longer Suker's concern.

If they weren't self-disciplined, he wouldn't lend a hand.

Suker was wearing a loose T-shirt, casually paired with soccer shorts, and slippers on his feet, dressed very comfortably.

Ramos sat on his left, and Kaka on his right.

Suker ate meat and said, "The warm-up matches are coming soon, everyone perform well."

"Who are our opponents for the warm-up matches?"

Everyone looked at each other, Mourinho hadn't said yet.

Suker said casually, "Currently, I only know two teams: one is Bayer Leverkusen from the Bundesliga, and the other is Paris Saint-Germain from Ligue 1!"

The former was chosen by Mourinho.

The latter was arranged by the club.

It's likely that Paris Saint-Germain paid money; otherwise, Real Madrid wouldn't bother playing warm-up matches with Paris Saint-Germain.

Warm-up matches are always targeted.

For example, choosing Bayer Leverkusen is to adapt to the Bundesliga rhythm in advance.

After all, this season, anyone can see that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are very strong!

"Paris Saint-Germain, that nouveau riche from Ligue 1?" Benzema said.

Suker nodded, "This season, they've again thrown a lot of money around."

Currently, Paris Saint-Germain hasn't made much of a name for itself in football, let alone the so-called 'Big Paris' title.

It wasn't until Neymar's transfer, creating a sky-high transfer contract, that they truly made a name for themselves.

However, even with huge investments, Paris Saint-Germain remains in a lukewarm state.

Nevertheless, this season, they have indeed unearthed many useful players.

First, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thiago Silva transferred from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain, strengthening both offense and defense.

Secondly, midfielders like Verratti, Matuidi, and Sissoko, who joined in previous seasons, have been performing strongly.

Their overall strength has improved further.

Therefore, Paris Saint-Germain wants to thoroughly test their combat effectiveness, especially under high pressure.

And when it comes to high pressure, currently only Real Madrid in Europe can give them such intense pressure.

Of course, Bayern Munich can too!

However, Bayern Munich doesn't care about them; these guys are almost red-eyed with desire for the Champions League, and they will arrange warm-up matches carefully, which is not something Paris Saint-Germain can solve by spending a couple of bucks.

On the other hand, Real Madrid is different!

They indeed need to find an opponent that is neither too strong nor too weak to fine-tune their lineup.

Bayer Leverkusen is such an opponent!

Paris Saint-Germain is also such an opponent!

And they can earn some extra money, why not?

As they chatted, the topic of their conversation also shifted from football to beautiful models.

As Real Madrid's top male model, Benzema had a lot of say.

He shared his experiences and also discussed the new round of Spanish model auditions.

From faces to figures, from figures to peaches, these guys talked about everything.

Suker watched them with a smile.

These guys spoke so vividly that Suker's eyes suddenly noticed Casemiro was listening intently.

Suker couldn't help but laugh dumbfounded.

"Look at this guy!"

Hearing this, everyone followed Suker's gaze.

They all saw Casemiro's lecherous look and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Even Kaka couldn't help but laugh.

This is normal; professional players are never short of beautiful models.

Benzema could casually hook up with them, while they would practically throw themselves at Suker.

And all of this had a great impact on Casemiro.

Of course, the impact wasn't about these things, but about the details within!

Benzema smiled and raised an eyebrow at Casemiro, "I'll take you with me if I get a chance."

"No, no, no!" Casemiro shook his head, "I have a girlfriend!"

"Then why do you look so interested?" Benzema asked.

Casemiro: "I've heard about these things, but what you guys are saying is too detailed, it's a bit shocking to my perception."

Suker smiled as he looked at Casemiro.

In every way, Casemiro is a good man.

He is very disciplined!

Aside from his bad habit of chugging Yakult, he has almost no other problems.

In the original timeline, as a world-class football player, he had no scandals, almost a straight line from football to family.

This is a man willing to return to his family!

The dinner ended, and everyone dispersed.

This dinner made their somewhat anxious hearts feel a little more at ease.

It was strange, compared to the boisterous Mourinho and Casillas, being with Suker made them feel relaxed.

This feeling was even very obvious for Ramos.

"Suker has the talent to be a captain; when I can no longer play, he will be the captain of Croatia!" Srna said.

Kaka turned and smiled, "Do you know who Suker is learning from?"

"Learning?" Srna asked, confused.

Kaka nodded.

Currently, Suker's demeanor reminds him a lot of one person.

Although the details are different, the overall feeling is the same.

That is Paolo Maldini!

Two days later, Real Madrid set off for their first warm-up match.

They were heading to Paris, France, to face Paris Saint-Germain.

Strangely, even Florentino went along this time.

But no one thought much of it; they probably assumed Florentino had some business interests in Paris.

They wouldn't pay too much attention to the boss's affairs.

Real Madrid's arrival in Paris naturally caused a sensation in the city.

Especially Suker's fans, who came to the airport to welcome him.

Suker's popularity had reached its peak.

He was about to win his fifth Ballon d'Or, an achievement that propelled him to the pinnacle of influence.

It could be said that once Suker lifted his fifth Ballon d'Or, he would have already entered the ranks of historical football players.

"Where are you going?"

As soon as Kaka returned to the room, he saw Suker dressed neatly, as if he was going out.

Suker pointed outside: "I have a National Team teammate; I'm going to meet him."

Kaka nodded in understanding.

But after Suker left, he found it strange; was there anyone from Croatia still playing in Ligue 1?

Also, Suker went out alone to meet a National Team teammate, why didn't he take Srna with him?

He was a bit puzzled, but Suker had already left the hotel.

Suker went directly to the hotel's basement parking garage and got into a commercial van.

Inside the commercial van, including the driver, there were only three people.

Suker and Florentino sat in the back row.

"Mr. Ancelotti and I have already arranged it," Florentino said.

Suker nodded, "I understand!"

This time, Florentino came to Paris primarily to meet Ancelotti.

However, he wasn't confident he could persuade Ancelotti, so he called Suker over as well, preparing to play the emotional card.

The commercial van weaved through the streets of Paris and soon arrived at a private club.

Led by a waiter, they went directly to a private room, where Ancelotti had not yet arrived.

"I won't drink; there's a warm-up match tomorrow!"

Suker said.

Florentino nodded and smiled, "I didn't intend for you to drink, but I like your discipline!"

Suker secretly rolled his eyes.

You like the way I make money, don't you!

The two chatted for a while, and soon, the private room door was pushed open, and Ancelotti entered.

Ancelotti took off his coat and smiled, "Sorry, I'm late... Suker?"

Ancelotti looked at Suker in surprise.

Suker had a brilliant smile on his face: "Boss! Long time no see!"

Ancelotti also smiled: "Long time no see!"

"We haven't seen each other since you went to the Premier League to drive that small broken boat!"

"Cough, cough! Chelsea is not a small broken boat!"

"Small broken car?"

"You're still so mischievous!"

Ancelotti sat down next to Suker, finding it more comfortable there than next to Florentino.

Florentino didn't mind; he felt he had made a good choice by bringing Suker along.

As the three of them chatted, there was another knock at the door.

Suker and Ancelotti exchanged glances.

Besides them, was someone else coming?

Soon, someone pushed the door open.

A middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, wearing a suit vest and a white shirt, walked in.

He held a bottle of foreign liquor with no visible brand in one hand and a glass in the other.

"I saw Mr. Ancelotti at the club, so I followed him. Wow! What a surprise!"

This was an Arab!

The Executive Chairman of the Ligue 1 team, Paris Saint-Germain.

His name was Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Poaching Coach, and he ended up poaching the owner!