Real Madrid held two new player signing conferences on two consecutive days.

The first was the signing of local midfielder Illarramendi.

Illarramendi's contract is for six years, and he will wear the number 24 jersey.

Since his medical was completed the day before, after meeting Gao Shen at Valdebebas that morning, Gao Shen personally took him to the Bernabéu, which drew the attention of many media reporters.

Florentino personally gave him a model of the Bernabéu, a watch, a pen, and a No. 24 jersey with Illarramendi's name and joining date printed on it.

The Real Madrid president expressed his expectations for Illarramendi, hoping that the local midfielder could perform at his best level for Real Madrid and defend the club's honor with his actions.

Illarramendi said that Real Madrid is a great club and assured everyone that he would fight for the badge on his chest. He also thanked Real Sociedad for their training and support.

The new Real Madrid signing also specially thanked head coach Gao Shen, saying that he had been very nervous at first, but after talking with the head coach, he felt much more relaxed.

"I can't wait to start my Real Madrid career."

This won him warm applause from the audience.

The day after Illarramendi joined, French midfielder Paul Pogba also arrived at the Bernabéu.

But unlike the Spanish midfielder, Pogba arrived in Madrid on the same night Illarramendi signed.

Zidane went to the airport to pick him up, sent him to the hotel, and then took him directly to Gao Shen's home for dinner together.

Pogba played for Leeds United for two years and is quite familiar with Su Qing.

Gao Shen has no doubts about Pogba's ability and never doubts his talent, but he hopes that Pogba can calm down and compete with the current players in the Real Madrid squad.

"I can tell you with certainty that Toni Kroos and Modric are both world-class midfielders. Verratti also has the potential to become a world-class midfielder. And you, I never doubt it."

Gao Shen outlined a bright blueprint for Pogba, which is that Real Madrid will dominate European football.

For this season, Real Madrid's goal is to win the treble.

This requires every player in the team to give their all, and no one will lack playing opportunities. The key is to show their strength and improve as quickly as possible.

"At Leeds United you played with Coutinho, Kurzawa, and Icardi, but now at Real Madrid you will try to play with world-class players like Ronaldo, Marcelo, and Benzema."

Pogba said he would give his best and would not let Gao Shen down.

Pogba today is very different from his previous life because his experiences have changed.

In his previous life, Pogba changed agents many times in order to leave Manchester United, and finally it was Raiola. With the Italian's help, he left Manchester United and joined Juventus.

But Pogba is not like that now. He did not encounter Raiola. After transferring to Leeds United, he was carefully cultivated and his strength improved by leaps and bounds.

Gao Shen has no doubt that Pogba already has the ability to stand on his own.

The only shortcoming for Real Madrid today is that they failed to sign Alaba for the left side. Otherwise, Real Madrid's entire lineup would be stronger.

Real Madrid actually contacted Bayern, but Bayern refused to negotiate with Real Madrid.

There was nothing else they could do.

It is worth mentioning that Gao Shen also attended Pogba's signing ceremony.

Two days after Pogba signed, Real Madrid held another signing press conference to announce the arrival of Bosnian center Dzeko.

Dzeko will take up the last foreign player spot at Real Madrid.

Gao Shen also met with Dzeko before the press conference and talked about some matters within the team.

Unlike Illarramendi and Pogba, Dzeko is more mature. He knows his position at Real Madrid very well, and he also guaranteed that he would do his best to cooperate with the head coach's tactics.

During his time at Tottenham in the Premier League, Dzeko's physical confrontation ability improved a lot.

After all, defenders in the Premier League are not easy to deal with.

Gao Shen said that he would give Dzeko more game time during the training camp and try to help him integrate into the team as soon as possible.

But Dzeko is also under a lot of pressure.

There is no need to say much about Benzema's status as a starter, and Morata is also very competitive.

After one season under Gao Shen, Morata's strength has improved significantly.

Gao Shen also jokingly reminded Dzeko that it would not be easy to get more playing opportunities.

With the arrival of three players, Real Madrid also announced the completion of their transfer business.

However, what followed was a series of contract renewals announced by the club, including a four-year extension for young player Nacho. Other players such as Morata and Jese also received new deals.

This drew the attention of the Spanish media.

Some even grouped Illarramendi, Carvajal, Isco, Morata, and Jese as Real Madrid's Five Eagles of the new century.

As we all know, the Five Eagles era at Real Madrid was glorious. Now everyone expects this group of young Spaniards to succeed at Real Madrid and create more glory.

But both Gao Shen and Real Madrid declined to comment.

…

On July 8, Real Madrid's pre-season training camp officially opened.

As usual, Real Madrid opened training to the public on the first day.

But what surprised everyone was that the biggest draw for the media and fans on the first day was not the stars returning from vacation, because they found that these stars all looked in good condition.

Even Marcelo, who usually gains weight, maintained a good figure this summer. When reporters asked him, he lifted his shirt to reveal his muscles, and he still looked strong.

The Brazilian also said, quite pleased with himself, that he had always paid close attention.

What really surprised everyone was the message on the big blackboard at the locker room door.

Everyone familiar with Real Madrid knows that the team has always had the habit of team dinners.

Whenever there is a dinner, the host writes the time and place on the blackboard, and everyone goes after seeing it.

The dinner would be held today at Juan's House BBQ Restaurant in the city center.

But the initiator was surprising.

It was the new signing Illarramendi.

"How does this kid know our team's traditions?"

"Did someone tell him?"

Everyone gathered around the big blackboard, talking a lot. Everyone looked at Casillas and Ramos, especially Ramos.

This guy has no other skills, but he is very good at trickery, at fooling around, and at eating and drinking for free.

"Don't look at us like that. It has nothing to do with us. Do we look like the unscrupulous captains who bully newcomers?" Ramos asked righteously.

But his aura did not last more than three seconds.

"Is there anything to doubt?" Toni Kroos asked calmly.

Everyone burst out laughing.

So embarrassing.

Toni Kroos is well known as a deadpan joker at Real Madrid.

"It really wasn't me!" Ramos protested.

Am I so untrustworthy?

Casillas also smiled and nodded, pointing toward the head coach's office.

Everyone immediately understood.

"The boss said our little classmate is a bit nervous, so we need to help him relax and integrate into our united, friendly family as quickly as possible."

As soon as Ramos said this, everyone dispersed.

The Real Madrid vice-captain did not mind and chased after them, shouting and making a fuss.

…

Illarramendi treating the whole team to a meal was an instruction from higher up.

Originally, Gao Shen meant for the three newcomers to treat the team, which is also a Real Madrid tradition.

But Illarramendi thought it would not cost much, so he took the initiative, saying that if Pogba and Dzeko were interested, they could host too.

This undoubtedly helped him get closer to his teammates in the dressing room.

Gao Shen also actively encourages new players to integrate into the team as soon as possible and strongly supports this Real Madrid tradition.

It is like certain newcomer initiation movies from a certain country. Gao Shen has not seen them, but it proves that this approach is still useful.

Pogba and Dzeko were not stingy either, and immediately said they would find time to treat everyone.

With Gao Shen's support, the Real Madrid players naturally gave him face and said they would arrive on time.

The morning physicals began in this lively atmosphere.

Afterward, Gao Shen introduced the three new players to the squad and also criticized several players who did not meet physical standards.

Marcelo was secretly delighted.

He had been very disciplined this summer, and he played in the Confederations Cup in Brazil, so he maintained good physical condition.

He had only indulged a bit during the recent vacation days.

This is the trouble with professional players. If they relax a little, they gain weight easily.

Unfortunately, his secret joy did not last long and was noticed by Gao Shen.

So the Brazilian sadly heard the head coach ask Buenaventura and Pintus to pay special attention to "taking care" of him, which immediately put a look of despair on his face.

He was traumatized by last summer's training camp.

When the players saw Marcelo's despair, they laughed without restraint.

But Gao Shen also said that the intensity of this summer's training would be much higher than in the past, so they should all be mentally prepared.

Those familiar with Gao Shen know that he says this almost every year.

But most of the Real Madrid players are not familiar with Gao Shen. They only heard him say this last year and again this year, which gave them the impression that the training intensity this year would be much higher than last year.

Seeing the players' gloomy faces, the coaching staff were all smiling happily.

Every summer training camp, the coaching team uses various methods to "torture" the players, which has become a regular program for Gao Shen's staff.

But it has to be admitted that this kind of "abuse" is effective.

Last season, Real Madrid were the fastest running team in European football. Gao Shen has set higher expectations for this season, hoping the team can perform even better.

Several injured players in the team will go to the hospital for detailed examinations so that the coaching staff can tailor training plans for them.

However, both the media reporters and the fans present seemed to hear the wailing above Valdebebas.

On the first day of training, Gao Shen received another piece of good news.

(To be continued.)