Recently, the weather in Madrid has been exceptionally clear, with the sun hanging high, and warm sunlight pouring down, bringing spring to the earth and reviving all things.
Lush greenness began to climb the branches, no longer resembling the desolate scene of winter.
Inside the villa, the sound of the treadmill belt rolling intertwined with the sound of the television.
Suker was running on the treadmill, while Zorancic sat on the sofa watching TV.
"The 2014 Brazil World Cup is about to kick off in three months, and famous players like Pelé and Ronaldo are promoting this grand event."
The voice of the Spanish Host came from the television.
As the World Cup approaches, the entire world is about to enter a feverish prelude, and football will once again become the focus of the world.
Every World Cup, the popularity of football experiences a huge leap compared to usual; even those who do not usually pay attention to football will watch one or two matches in advance to lay the groundwork for this football feast.
Speaking of the World Cup, Suker is naturally the one who cannot be ignored.
As the most influential player in football today, Suker's every move attracts the attention of countless fans.
Especially on the eve of the World Cup, this level of attention is even higher.
Unfortunately, due to the intense European competitions, Suker did not participate in any promotional activities.
Even after the European competitions end, he will immediately return to the National Team to report and prepare for the World Cup.
Click!
Suker turned off the treadmill and wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.
"Why didn't Luka play last match?"
Suker asked suddenly.
In the last Premier League match, Modrić did not play, and Suker was very worried.
With the World Cup approaching, he was afraid that these teammates would mess up one by one.
After all, in the 2010 World Cup, Srna's injury was a problem, which led to them being very passive during the preparation phase.
Zorancic looked up at Suker and said with a smile, "Don't worry, he was suspended."
"Suspended?" Suker was stunned for a moment; "Did he fight?"
"What fight!" Zorancic shrugged; "He was suspended for a red card."
Suker shook his head; "This guy is getting more and more irritable."
"He can't help but be irritable!" Zorancic sighed; "I went to watch Manchester United's match, and the front line is truly indescribable!"
"With Rooney and Van Persie in poor form, Luka passed the ball, but no one could score, which angered him and led to several clashes with opponents." Zorancic said with a smile; "He can't vent his anger on his own teammates, can he?"
Suker nodded; "If there's no reinforcement for the front line, it will be even worse in the future!"
Speaking of the future Manchester United, Suker didn't even want to think about it.
It's hard to imagine that these once iron-blooded Red Devils would have such a soft playing style in the future.
If Modrić continues to stay, then it can only be said that he got angry too early.
It's still at an acceptable stage, after all, there are still Rooney and Van Persie holding the fort; after these two leave, who will be on Manchester United's front line in the future?
Rashford!
Lingard!
It's not that they are so bad, but compared to the Manchester United of the past, they are indeed a bit lacking.
After all, this is not the kind of Manchester United playing style that fans and the world expect.
Zorancic suddenly spoke up: "Vida's performance is pretty good."
Suker nodded. As a center-back, Vida has distinct characteristics and will perform very well in specific lineups.
In fact, Vida and Šimunić are very similar.
They both rely heavily on a good defensive midfielder to act as a buffer in front.
Once there is such a buffer, the overall performance will be enhanced.
And at Manchester United, with Modrić partnering Carrick, this is very good.
Suker is not very worried about Vida, after all, with Modrić leading him, and with his prestige at Manchester United, Vida will have a very comfortable time.
As for the other guys, they need to rely more on themselves.
"So, why isn't there a player who meets Real Madrid's standards?" Suker shook his head. If he had enough ability, he could get the most training at Real Madrid.
Once successful, there will be a leapfrog breakthrough in overall performance.
"Why not!"
Upon saying this, Zorancic immediately became energetic.
"Mateo's performance is very good now!"
"Him?"
Mateo Kovacic, once a highly hyped genius, wandered around Real Madrid and eventually joined Juventus to play alongside Pirlo.
To be honest, Suker had not paid attention to Juventus's matches, so he naturally wasn't clear about Kovacic's specific performance.
"Currently, Kovacic and Vidal rotate appearances; he is the organizing point in the attacking third, and compared to Vidal, the overall attack is smoother during his playing time."
"Vidal's position is central midfielder?" Suker asked.
Zorancic immediately nodded; "Exactly! Central midfielder, isn't Real Madrid quite in need of this position?"
Suker; "The central midfielder position overlaps with mine!"
Suker runs on both left and right sides, so Real Madrid's current midfield formation, a inverted triangle, would compress Suker's operating space if there was a central midfielder position.
Zorancic continued; "An attacking midfielder on the right side would also work, Kaka is leaving anyway, so that position will be open, and Kovacic is young, he still has a lot of potential to be unearthed, he can completely grow further at Real Madrid, and most importantly, Real Madrid has you, I believe he will definitely become better growing under your wing."
After a pause, Zorancic earnestly said: "Think about it, this World Cup is fine, but you have to look further ahead, what about 2018?"
"By then, Vukojević, Dujmović, Srna, and these guys might leave mainstream Leagues or retire, and Croatia can't rely on these old guys to charge into battle, can it? If you don't cultivate and promote young people now, there will be no preparation time later."
"Even for your own sake, you need to find a good helper, don't you?"
"Are you really just relying on Luka and Rakitić? What if they get injured? Croatia won't have any replacement players, it's better for you to cultivate one yourself. Bring Kovacic to Real Madrid, I think with your influence at Real Madrid, you can achieve this, and Kovacic has shown good talent, as long as you mention it to Mr. Perez, he really can't refuse."
"Perhaps you are wary of factional issues, but there are only a few Croatians in the entire Real Madrid, what kind of faction is there?!"
"Srna is gone, only you are left, bringing another Kovacic over is not excessive, and you can't form a Croatian faction, players from Eastern Europe will naturally gravitate towards you, but Real Madrid doesn't have many Eastern European players either!"
Listening to Zorancic's incessant chatter, Suker's head buzzed with pain, he waved his hand and said:
"Alright! Alright! I know, stop nagging."
Suker understood what Zorancic was thinking.
Currently, in his hands, Kovacic is considered a promising player among the new generation.
And he is also Croatian, so he naturally wants to allocate better resources to this guy.
When Suker went upstairs to take a shower, Zorancic took a cigarette pack, walked into the yard, sat on a lounge chair, pulled out his phone, lit a cigarette, and dialed Kovacic's number.
"Mr. Zorancic!"
Kovacic still respected Zorancic very much.
Unlike Suker and Zorancic, who treated each other like friends, for Kovacic, this big agent still had a lot of deterrent power.
"I've already said it, but no one can guess Suker's thoughts, I'm not sure if he can help you." After a pause, Zorancic said with a helpless expression; "So, why don't you ever know how to play the game?"
"Why don't you contact these 'old guys' more often to build relationships?"
"You're not a player from Suker's generation, looking up, there's no one, you can only roll up your sleeves and go for it yourself!"
"How good is your current environment? How many resources can you utilize?"
"Luka from Manchester United! Suker from Real Madrid! Bayern Munich also has Mandžukić, Vukojević and these guys, even at Barcelona, Rakitić can take care of you!"
"But Manchester United and Real Madrid are still the best."
After a pause, Zorancic shook his head and said: "Still Real Madrid! This place is the best, no one can touch you."
After saying that, he sighed; "So, be sweeter with your words usually, contact Suker more, build a good relationship, show Suker your performances and data, maybe you won't have to do anything, and he'll directly bring you to Real Madrid."
The more Zorancic thought about it, the more helpless he became.
Kovacic had so many good resources, but this guy just didn't know how to use them.
Instead, he would call Suker every other day, and during holidays, he would run to Suker's place and linger around him.
Sometimes, compared to just focusing on playing football, this kind of social interaction can actually broaden one's resources and environment.
And for Real Madrid, they are very willing to make such a deal.
Firstly, it doesn't cost much money.
Secondly, Kovacic is young, which means he has potential.
With Suker's recommendation, it's not even a question anymore; it's a sure thing.
Another point is the issue of young talents being wasted on the bench of a top club; while others might have their youth consumed, Kovacic won't.
Real Madrid has Suker, and with his influence in the first team, Kovacic will definitely get plenty of playing opportunities.
Even if Suker does nothing, Ancelotti will still give Suker this face.
Even if he truly doesn't get a chance, it's not a big deal; he can just shamelessly butter up Suker and make his presence felt—how could he not get playing opportunities then?
Zorancic sighed, "I'll definitely help you more, but you also need to make your presence felt more, understand?"
Kovacic stammered, "But I don't know what to say?"
"Then just force the conversation!" Zorancic, exasperated, hung up the phone directly.
When he returned to the room, Suker had already showered and was coming downstairs, still on the phone.
"Mhm, mhm… I know, you don't need to report these things to me. I'm not your Head Coach."
Suker was on the phone, turning to glance at Zorancic.
The latter guiltily turned his head to look at the TV.
Listening to Kovacic's rambling on the other end of the phone, Suker grew annoyed.
"You want to come to Real Madrid?"
The other end of the phone went silent.
Suker frowned, "Do you want to come or not?"
"Yes!"
Suker nodded, "Send me your stats and the videos of your recent matches!"
"I'll send them to you right now."
"You have these stats on hand?" Suker was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Zorancic, and nodded, "Send them over."
With that, Suker hung up the phone and then looked at Zorancic, saying, "Is he your illegitimate son?"
"I'll sue you for defamation!" Zorancic glared.
Suker laughed, "I've never seen you help a young player so much."
"It's different!" Zorancic waved his hand, "Helping him is also helping you, after all, you'll need a helper in the future, won't you?"
Suker rolled his eyes, "You guys are really annoying me. After training today, I'll go to the technical department."
Zorancic blinked, "Not going to see Mr. Perez?"
Suker turned his head, "Going to the technical department is equivalent to seeing Florentino. Do you really think he doesn't care about anything?"
Zorancic chuckled, "You do what you think is best!"
In the afternoon, Suker finished training, and the other Real Madrid players left one after another.
"Any plans for tonight?"
Srna asked.
Suker, "No plans."
"Come to my place for dinner."
Recently, Srna's wife and children came to Madrid for a short stay, making the guy incredibly happy.
Suker shook his head, "I won't disturb your family reunion, I have something to do."
"What is it?" Srna asked.
This guy has that one flaw: he has to get to the bottom of everything.
"Going to the technical department." Suker didn't hide it, saying directly, "To recommend someone."
Srna laughed, "Kovacic?"
Suker turned his head, "You know too?"
Srna shrugged, "Zorancic has been nagging me a lot too, but I don't have that much influence at Real Madrid to help him. I figured he must have gone to you."
After a pause, Srna said, "However, I think you should also help him. Actually, he has this resource himself, and his performance is indeed good. What if he really makes it big?"
"Moreover, as fellow Croatia National Team players, helping him is also helping yourself."
Suker, "Your two statements are truly identical!"
With that, Suker waved his hand and said, "I'm leaving!"
Angel Sanchez, Real Madrid's Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, holds many key responsibilities, including transfers.
He is considered one of Real Madrid's influential figures.
He is a slightly overweight man with a full beard, who smiles kindly, but no one can underestimate him.
After all, he has served as Real Madrid's Chief Executive since 2000.
Even during the transitions of power between Florentino, Calderón, and Florentino, he remained unaffected and stable.
This shows how highly he is valued!
Suker rarely interacted with Sanchez. Although Suker was nominally a player brought in by Sanchez, everyone knew it was Florentino's achievement.
At the time, Suker's groundbreaking one hundred million transfer fee was even strongly opposed by Sanchez.
Ultimately, Florentino overruled all objections and secured Suker.
This became a well-known story and an achievement Florentino used to boast about his political success.
Especially now, in a transfer period where fees often approach one hundred million, Suker's one hundred million transfer fee truly seems like a bargain.
Currently, Suker cannot be acquired for less than three hundred million, and even at this absurd price, many clubs are envious.
After all, as long as Suker successfully transfers, they are confident they can earn back his fee, or even more, in just one season.
"Would you like coffee? Or would you prefer tea?"
Looking at Suker, Sanchez appeared very enthusiastic.
This was Florentino's favorite person and Real Madrid's current top star; naturally, he had to be well-received.
Suker smiled and said, "Coffee will do!"
Sanchez smiled and nodded, then personally brewed a cup of coffee for Suker.
Only then did he sit in front of Suker and remarked, "Your performance has been really good lately, and it's made our transfer work very smooth."
When the team performs well, their transfer work goes very smoothly.
After all, players come to Real Madrid with the Champions League as their goal, and the first team's performance is crucial.
Suker took a sip of coffee and asked, "Do we have any strong reinforcements recently?"
"Not exactly strong reinforcements, as there aren't many top players entering the transfer market, but we are actively communicating," Sanchez sighed, "Srna and Kaka are leaving, and these two positions must be filled. We don't even dare to say 'strengthen,' because we simply can't find truly good candidates."
At this point, he glanced at Suker and said, "In fact, we also contacted Manchester United, hoping to discuss the transfer of Luka Modrić, but Manchester United's reaction was very strong; they have no intention of selling him."
This was a pre-emptive warning for Suker.
Suker had previously discussed Modrić's transfer, but it simply couldn't be pushed through. Real Madrid had tried more than once, but they never reached an agreement.
It seems Manchester United will not let Modrić go.
Even before Sir Alex Ferguson retired, he handed the Manchester United captaincy to Modrić.
This was equivalent to telling everyone that no one should touch him.
Manchester United wouldn't go as far as 'selling their captain.'
Sanchez was afraid Suker was pressing for this matter, so he took the initiative to explain.
Suker merely nodded, without pressing further.
The two chatted for a while longer, then Suker got to the point: "There's a good player, I wonder if you'd be interested."
Recommending a player?
Sanchez raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have the data?"
Suker nodded. He took a printed data sheet from his bag and handed it to Sanchez, while also pulling up some match videos on his phone and passing it over.
Sanchez stopped talking and began to carefully watch and compare.
This process took quite a while, almost half an hour.
Sanchez examined everything meticulously, not just looking at the data but also cross-referencing it with the match videos.
After a while, he looked up and smiled, "He is indeed a good player. We hadn't noticed him. Thank you for recommending an excellent young player to us."
Suker smiled and waved his hand, "You are the professionals; you can assess if he's suitable for us. I won't stay any longer."
Sanchez smiled as he saw Suker off. After watching Suker take the elevator downstairs, he returned to his office and immediately picked up his phone to call Florentino.
He truly didn't have the authority to make a decision regarding the player Suker recommended.
After all, this involved many issues and required Florentino's personal decision.