As Gao Shen was shaking hands with Real Sociedad coach Barquero, he heard some surprising news.

  Real Madrid had woo zero.

  A sudden burst of thunderous cheers erupted from the stands of the Beradium, catg both coaches off guard. Upon further inquiry, they discovered that it was because Bara had drawn their match.

  "Oh my god!" Gao Shen was genuinely shocked. Sp Santander, usually a relegation team, had mao draw with Bara at home. This reaffirmed the notion that sometimes relegation teams be tougher oppos than championship tenders.

  Real Sociedad, who faced Real Madrid tonight, was alsation team, ranking 18th in La Liga with two points less than Sp Santander, and thus, pyed tenaciously. Adding to the challenge was that Barquero, Real Sociedad's head coach, had strong Bara ties. Before taking the helm at Sp Santander, he served as an assistant coader Van Gaal and Rijkaard at Bara and ter coached Maga's sed team before moving to Real Sociedad.

  As a staunch Bara supporter and a key pyer in Cruyff's dream team, Barquero had vowed to help Bara by stymieing Real Madrid. Yet, not only did Real Sociedad fail to do so, but Bara also stumbled.

  Gao Shen was eted by the news.

  It roper surprise.

  In trast, Barquero looked embarrassed, especially as Gao Shen g him with a half-smile. Uhe pretext of needing to leave, Barquero hastily departed.

  Gao Shen watched Barquero flee without rubbing salt in his wounds, relishing the ued turn of events.

  Bara's draw!

  Could this mean that Real Madrid had reversed the standings?

  However, Gao Shen quickly collected himself. No, Real Madrid was still sed iandings because of their previous 0-3 loss to Bara at the Bernabeu. La Liga rules stipute that when teams have equal points, their head-to-head record is the tiebreaker. Bara's 3-0 away victory and Real Madrid's 1-0 win in Bareant that Bara held a slight edge.

  This realization prompted a heavy sigh from Gao Shen.

  So close, yet so far!

  He evehe urge to scream out of frustration for missing that small margin.

  heless, the entire Bernabeu, including pyers and coaches on the sidelines, erupted in cheers and celebration. From trailing by ten points to catg up, Real Madrid had dohe seemingly impossible.

  Cruyff had said that no team in La Liga history had e back to win the championship after being ten points behind. Would he dare to say that now?

  Gao Shen suppressed his frustration and tried to buoy his spirits. At this critical moment, he couldn't afford to dampeeam's morale. Tying on points was a signifit achievement.

  Amid the thunderous cheers of 75,000 Real Madrid fans, some even ted his name, "Gao!"

  The pyers and coaches were jubint on the sidelines, and Gao Shen couldn't bear to throw cold water on their celebration.

  Gao Shen smiled as he walked towards the home team's coach's bench. Ramos, ecstatic, hugged him, followed by Raul and the rest, all crowding around to embrace Gao Shen, including Zidane, Beckham, and Ronaldo.

  "I told you Bara would make mistakes, didn't I?" Gao Shen shouted.

  "Yes!" the pyers responded in unison.

  "And I say, as long as we keep winning, they will keep making mistakes. Do you believe me?" Gao Shen roared again.

  "Yes!"

  "We believe it!"

  "We all believe it!"

  Holding Zidane in one hand and Raul iher, Gao Shen decred, "Trust me, we vow to win the championship this season!"

  "Champion! Champion!! Champion!!!"

  The ts were echoed by not just the pyers on the sidelines but also by the Real Madrid fans iands.

  With Bara's draw, Real Madrid was now closer to the championship.

  ...

  "It's unbelievable!"

  In the VIP box of the Bernabeu, Florentino watched the se unfold he home team's bench. The Real Madrid pyers surrounded Gao Shen, and the roars from Gao Shen, the pyers, and the fans filled him with excitement.

  Such a se at Real Madrid hadn't been seen for many years.

  Remarkably, uhe novice Gao Shen, Real Madrid had mao close a ten-point gap with Bara.

  It was simply unbelievable.

  From the box door, faint cheers from Martin could be heard, causing Florentino's expression to darken.

  Martin had retly been ag like a nouveau riche, funting Real Madrid's record and taking every opportunity to praise Gao Shen, whom he cimed to have discovered. This success forced all those dissatisfied with Martin to hold their tongues.

  Florentino himself had regretted not realizing the potential of Gao Shen while in charge. If only he had known about this talent within the youth team and first team coag staff, he wouldn't have o step down.

  But what-if sarios were pointless.

  ...

  "After seven rounds, catg up ten points, should it be said that Bara's performance has been g retly? Or that Real Madrid under Gao Shen is just too good?" Valdano mused, overhearing Martin's celebratio door.

  Perhaps it was both.

  Bara had just endured a grueling schedule, coupled with team injuries and the challenges of peting on two fronts, leading to their ret underwhelming performances and dropped points.

  Real Madrid's strength y in how quickly Gao Shen resolved locker room flicts and reahe team's defense. No matter how some criticized Gao Shen's servative tactics, his coag results spoke for themselves.

  After seven rounds, catg up ten points, what more could be said?

  More impressively, Gao Shen had led the team to a miraculous eback against Arsenal in the sed leg of the round of 16 and eliminated Juventus in the quarterfinals—both top-tier teams.

  Now, even the media were shifting their tone, no longer harping on Gao Shen's ck of experie fog on his servativeness and Real Madrid's overall strength. Some even argued that any coach with Real Madrid's talent pool could have achieved these results. They vely ignored why previous coaches couldn't.

  "Je, do you think there's a ce?" Florentino asked with .

  Valdano pondered for a moment before shaking his head, "I don't know. The team is brimming with fideer closing the ten-point gap, but if Bara regains their form, their remaining oppos aren't particurly strong. They could easily win six secutive games."

  If Bara did win their remaining six games, Real Madrid's ces were slim.

  The crucial blow was the 0-3 loss to Bara at the Bernabeu under Florentinn.

  Gao Shen's remarkable performance had not only increased pressure on Bara but also embarrassed many, including Florentino himself.

  Despite this, Florentino admitted, "I hope he lead the team to win the championship."

  Valdano and others were surprised by this admission.

  But Florentino was sincere.

  Great leaders don't have to be the ones in the spotlight; such magnanimity was rare in the world of football clubs.

  "I'm actually looking forward to meeting him now," Florentino ughed.

  ...

  In one of the stands at the Bernabeu, Carlo, apanied by his wife, watched the game. Seeing the post-match ses on the sidelines left a deep impression on him.

  Although he had always supported Gao Shen and helped where he could, Carlo still harbored a prideful belief in his superior experience. He thought Gao Shen's success partly came from his guidand es.

  However, as the matches progressed and Real Madrid tio surprise him, Carlo began tnize Gao Shen's exceptional ability. Tonight, seeing Gao Shehe team to tie Bara in points articurly awe-inspiring.

  Carlo knew how difficult it was to close a ten-point gap, especially leading this particur Real Madrid team to catch up with Bara. But Gao Shen had do.

  What Carlo couldn't achieve, Gao Shen did, and did it eveer.

  Watg the pyers surround Gao Shen and hearing the synized ts of the fans and pyers in the Bernabeu, Carlo had to admit—Gao Shen was indeed extraordinary.

  "They have a ce to reverse and win the championship," Carlo said, his feelings mixed.

  Mrs. Carlo, surprised, hat Carlo had never been optimistic about winning the championship before.

  "Gao Shen is truly amazing!" she praised.

  Carlo nodded heavily, "Yes, he is."

  Exhausted, Carlo felt as though he had been vanquished. Admitting inferiority, especially to a former "apprentice," was a bitter pill to swallow.

  He ime to rest and pte his future. The presidency of Real Madrid was no longer within his grasp.

  If Gao Shen could lead the team to a championship, it would boost Martin's standing in the uping presidential ele, but none of this mattered to Carlo anymore.

  Carlo took out his phone a a gratutory text to Gao Shen, encing him to keep pushing and aim to reverse Bara iandings. With a sigh, he stood up.

  "Let's go home."