Times have ged!

  These four words carried profound and plex meaning.

  Valdano was someone who enjoyed p such ideas. He often revisited versations he had with Gao Shen, and many of Gao Shen's words left a deep impression on him. Among them, "times have ged" was the one he reflected on the most.

  After tless specutions, Valdano believed he uood the essence of what Gao She.

  But now, hearing these same words again, he realized he hadn't fully grasped it after all.

  Or perhaps, he had only touched the surface.

  …

  Gao Shen didn't immediately eborate. He waited patiently, watg as Valdano pted his words. Only when Valdano raised his head to meet his gaze did Gao Shen smile and speak.

  "Let me guess your pn."

  Zidane, sitting nearby, was taken aback.

  Gao Shen's calm statement caught him off guard.

  In his previous life, Zidane had lived in Madrid, deeply involved in Florentino's Gacticos project. He was well aware of all the details of the sed phase. But now, as Gao Shen's assistant, his life revolved around Napoli, with only the occasional trip baadrid during holidays. He was no longer privy to Florentino's inner circle.

  At best, Zidane was being groomed as a future part of the Gacticos project.

  Valdano, oher hand, was genuinely shocked. He was certain Gao Shen had no direowledge of their pn.

  Could he really guess it?

  "The media cims you're pnning t iop stars from the four major leagues: Cristiano Ronaldo from the Premier League, Benzema from Ligue 1, Kaka from Serie A, and Ribery from the Bundesliga. These pyers have different styles, but it's not impossible for them to coexist."

  From a purely teical perspective, Kaka thrived in terattacks. His strengths y in exploiting open spaces with his high-speed dribbling. In a slower, more structured game like positional py, Kaka wasn't iive, but he couldn't perform at the level of a true superstar.

  In the 2006-2007 season, Ai's Christmas Tree formation maximized Kaka's strengths. The entire A offense revolved around him, and Kaka delivered by single-handedly leading the team to Champions League glory.

  That was Kaka's god-like season.

  Cristiano Ronaldo, simirly, was most dangerous during quick terattacks. He was also a threat in positional py, but his impact was less pronounced pared to terattacks. However, Ronaldo was far more versatile than Kaka.

  To maximize both Ronaldo's and Kaka's strengths, a team would o adopt a reactive, terattag style of py to create space.

  In such a setup, Benzema would act as the ter forward, Ronaldo as the left winger, Kaka as the tral pymaker, and Ribery as the right winger. Depending on their adaptability, Ronaldo and Ribery could even switks.

  But the problem was obvious.

  "I want to ask," Gao Shen tinued, "if y in all four superstars, how do you ensure defeability in midfield? Ronaldo, Ribery, and Kaka are not known for their defensive tributions. Do you pn to rely on just two defensive midfielders to cover for them?"

  The pointed question caused both Valdano and Zidao fall into deep thought.

  Valdano had to admit that Gao Shen's analysis was armingly accurate, it was almost exactly as they had pnned.

  And the issue Gao Shen raised roblem Real Madrid would iably fa the future.

  "Why did the first Gacticos colpse? Everyone bmes Makelele's departure for the ck of baween attad defense, but that's only the surface issue. The real problem was that the superstars didn't tribute to defending."

  Gao Shen's tone was measured, especially with Zidating right o him.

  The truth was harsher: not only did the superstars defense, but they were often unwilling to run. Some of them seemed to think they could win matches by just standing around waiting for the ball.

  you scoals by lying down?

  Why? Because you're a superstar?

  What's the point of being a superstar if your team is still being outcssed by mid-table sides and even lower-league teams?

  The Gacticos experiment proved that simply piling up superstars doesn't work.

  It's fio have superstars, every position have o there must be a cohesive pn.

  "I'll be blunt," Gao Shen said. "In modern football tactics, whether it's offense or defehe emphasis is on cohesion. From the front lio midfield to the back line, even including the goalkeeper, every pyer must be ied. Look at Napoli, we attad defend as a unit. Look at Bara, they do the same."

  If Real Madrid signed all four superstars, Benzema might work out, but the other three would barely tribute defensively. That would be a fatal fw.

  One non-defending pyer is manageable. Two is risky. Three?

  "Tell me how you want to die," Gao Shen said ftly.

  Valdano was left speechless. Gao Shen's analysis ainfully accurate.

  I years, defeacti football had evolved signifitly.

  Years ago, Ronaldo (Brazilian) could dribble past multiple defenders during his time at Bara. But now? Even Messi, with his unparalleled dribbling, could only weave through defenses when the opposition's positioning faltered.

  Getafe's then-coach Schuster had famously berated his pyers for their defensive pses after Messi scored his iic solo goal against them.

  That moment wasn't proof of Messi's invincibility but rather an indit of Getafe's poor positioning. Against a disciplined defense, even Messi couldn't dribble past multiple pyers.

  Defensive precision had bee the hallmark of modern football.

  "And there's more," Gao Shen tinued after a pause, waiting for Valdano to process everything.

  "For years, Real Madrid has been obsessed with the en role—Zidane, Guti, Sneijder, Van der Vaart. And now, you want to add Kaka to that list?"

  Gao Shen leaned forward slightly.

  "Have you ever wondered why Real Madrid has struggled for defeability sihe Gacticos era? Even when Makelele was still there, the defense was fragile. The most stable periods came under Capello a all other times—2002 included—the defense was a stant ."

  "Why?" Valdano didn't ask, but Zidane did.

  "Sacchi described it best: you're treating team-building like solving a puzzle. You slot one superstar here, ahere. This one doesn't defend? Fine, let's assign someone else to cover for him."

  "But what you've overlooked is that this approach doesn't yield synergy. One plus one doesn't equal two, it's oftehan two. The mismatched pieces create hidden weakhat undermihe eructure."

  Gao Shen poio ret trends. "Look at modern football—Biglia and Rakitic at Napoli, Ia and Xavi at Bara. Even our more attack-minded pyers like Hamsik are actively involved in defense."

  "But pyers like Sneijder, Van der Vaart, and Kaka? They don't defend. Their focus is anizing, passing, and creating ces."

  "Ahe area in front of the penalty box is the most crowded and difficult to break through. If you build your team around a en who doesn't defend, I guarantee failure."

  Gao Shen cited examples from his past life. When did Real Madrid finally succeed?

  Under Ai.

  But how?

  In the summer of 2013, Real Madrid sold ?zil to Arsenal and allowed Kaka to return to A.

  Was this a ce?

  Absolutely not.

  That summer, the two primary en pyers left Real Madrid. Their departure marked the beginning of a tactical transformation.

  Ai implemented a three-midfielder system, a figuration that served Real Madrid for years.

  …

  The en role wasirely obsolete. It could still thrive in smaller teams or under specific circumstances.

  But if Real Madrid wao domihe Champions League, they couldn't afford the defensive liabilities that came with such a role.

  Gao Shen admired Kaka, even believing he was a more perfect idol than Beckham.

  But as a coach, Gao Shen had to prioritize team success.

  "Signing Kaka at a sky-high price might satisfy the fans, ma, and locker room, but when the results don't e, who takes the bme?"

  This, Gao Shen cluded, was why signing Kaka was destio fail.

  It wasn't about Kaka himself but about the fwed philosophy underpinning his recruitment.