"Croatia 4:0 Georgia! A Dominant Performance!"

"Šuker in Scorching Form! Hat-Trick Seals the Match!"

"Meaningless Defensive Formation! Georgia Needs Tactical Optimization!"

The European Championship qualifier on June 4th concluded, marking Croatia's seventh consecutive victory in the qualifiers.

So far, only three teams have achieved this impressive record in the entire qualifiers.

They are Spain, Germany, and Croatia!

These three teams have garnered widespread attention and are currently predicted to have the highest chances of winning the European Cup.

At Šuker's estate.

The weather was exceptionally hot.

On a patch of lawn, Šuker and Modrić were juggling a ball.

Both wore loose beach shorts and were bare-chested.

Šuker's skin had a slightly bronze tint, and his streamlined muscles hinted at powerful explosiveness.

Modrić's build was leaner, with less defined muscle, but his leg muscles were particularly well-developed.

Modrić, barefoot, juggled the ball on the grass and said casually, "As soon as the match ended, those guys couldn't wait to go on vacation."

Modrić passed the ball to Šuker.

Šuker controlled the ball effortlessly with his thigh, letting it roll down to his foot. After a brief pause, he began juggling slowly and rhythmically.

"After all, they've been tired for a whole season. If they don't rest now, when will they get the chance?"

Modri looked up at the sky: "Yes! Every season is so busy. It's rare to have some free time."

He paused, then turned to Šuker: "It's been a long time since we've spent time alone like this, right?"

Šuker shrugged and kicked the ball over.

"Everyone's busy with their own things. Speaking of which, don't you have any thoughts about transferring? How many championships have you lost at Manchester United? What kind of potion has Ferguson been feeding you!"

Šuker sighed.

Modrić smiled: "I really don't have any thoughts about leaving. What? Is Real Madrid willing to make an offer for me?"

Šuker glanced at Modrić; "Would you come?"

Modrić smiled but didn't answer.

Šuker shook his head; "So, what exactly has Ferguson been feeding you? If I'd known it would be like this, I shouldn't have sent you to Manchester United back then!"

"What do you mean, 'sent'!" Modrić said discontentedly; "I earned it myself!"

"Fine, fine!"

Šuker waved his hand dismissively, lay down on a lounge chair by the pool, took a sip of the iced juice nearby, and immediately felt much cooler.

Modrić also controlled the ball and came over.

"I heard Tottenham's Bale is going to Real Madrid?"

Modrić said.

After the summer transfer window opened, Real Madrid made an offer to Tottenham. Unlike Tottenham's previous stance, this time it was very straightforward.

After just two rounds of offers, both sides reached an agreement on the transfer.

Finally, Bale decided to join Real Madrid in July 2011.

"Right!" Šuker nodded.

He hadn't expected the transfer to progress so smoothly.

Although previously, Real Madrid had seized some leverage to promote the transfer's advancement.

But clearly, Florentino is not a man who likes trouble.

Facing the greedy Levy, Florentino made a quite decent offer.

The meaning of this offer was to give Levy a choice.

Either accept this offer and quickly send Bale to Real Madrid.

Or both sides would use their own methods.

Based on the previous issue of concealing transfer offers, a trust crisis had already emerged between Levy and Bale, and this time, Bale was actively seeking a transfer.

With only one year left on his contract, Levy had no choice but to accept.

Real Madrid wasn't in a hurry; they could afford to wait, and besides, they had already shown sincerity.

If Tottenham didn't accept, they would only widen the rift with Bale.

If Bale really got angry and started causing trouble, eventually choosing to endure for a year and leave on a free transfer, Tottenham would lose big time.

Therefore, Levy had to accept this 'relatively good' offer!

"That Welshman is going to Real Madrid. Won't he threaten your position?" Modrić asked.

Šuker looked at Modrić: "Why is everyone asking this question?"

Modrić shrugged: "Because your styles are too similar. When you were around twenty, that's how you played."

Šuker was taken aback, displeased: "My technique was that poor when I was twenty?"

Modrić stroked his chin: "Hmm... relatively better than Bale's, but compared to now, there's still a big gap!"

Modrić believed that after winning the European Championship, Šuker's overall form began to soar, developing into an all-round player.

"You'll have to take some risks eventually!" Šuker waved his hand; "Don't worry about me. I'll handle it myself!"

Modrić shook his head: "Forget it. I should go too. You focus on your work!"

Upon hearing this, Šuker couldn't help but grimace.

This damn vacation!

After seeing Modrić off, Šuker's agent, Zoranić, came over.

"Next stop, London!"

Zoranić said succinctly.

Šuker couldn't help but sigh; "Just announcing the work schedule directly?"

Zoranić smiled and shrugged; "You've already signed the contract. Now isn't the time to slack off. Hang in there for another month, and you'll have your vacation!"

Šuker let out a breath, pushed himself up from his knees, and said, "Let's go! The sooner we finish, the better!"

"Finally done!"

In a villa in London, Barnett put the documents in his hand on the coffee table and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

During this period, he had been constantly running to Tottenham's office building, negotiating with Levy to finalize Bale's transfer terms.

Barnett knew very well that there was no future at Tottenham.

Tottenham wasn't a team built for championships; they wouldn't invest too much funds to pursue titles.

If Bale wanted to achieve more and earn higher rewards, he had to transfer away.

Levy's actions gave them a reason to break ties, but in the end, everything went smoothly.

Florentino's generous payment of the transfer fee was also a key factor; otherwise, it would have dragged on.

"Congratulations, you're about to become a Real Madrid player!" Barnett said with a smile.

However, he noticed that Bale didn't look happy but rather weighed down.

"What's wrong?" Barnett asked.

Bale let out a sigh; "I feel a lot of pressure!"

"Because of Real Madrid?" Barnett asked.

Bale nodded: "It's a completely different place from Tottenham. Previously, Van der Vaart said that Real Madrid's personnel structure is very complex, utterly unlike a club like Tottenham. The dressing room also requires caution, especially for newcomers like me!"

Barnett nodded; "That's right. The dressing rooms of big clubs are all very complex. It involves many issues, but didn't Van der Vaart tell you what to do?"

Bale nodded; "He told me to befriend Šuker!"

Barnett nodded; "Right! Although you are in relatively competitive positions, currently, Šuker indeed holds the dominant position. It will take some time for you to truly threaten his position, but during this time, you can become his support. No one dislikes a helper who assists them in winning honors!"

Bale nodded but then looked troubled.

"But you know my personality. I don't know how to interact with Šuker."

Hearing this, Barnett was taken aback. He covered his forehead and shook his head slightly.

Right!

Bale's personality was indeed a problem.

This guy wasn't outgoing and wasn't very good at expressing his emotions.

When he first joined Tottenham, this issue caused a lot of trouble, and he almost failed to integrate into Tottenham's dressing room.

It got slightly better later, but personality is hard to change.

Moreover, this is Real Madrid we're talking about!

The competition within the team is fierce!

Aside from personal performance, the support from small groups also matters greatly.

Bale plays as a forward, and currently, within Real Madrid's faction structure, the forwards are almost all Šuker's people.

If Bale fails to build a good relationship with Šuker, no matter how outstanding his abilities are, he will suffer a lot.

"Sigh~~~~~"

Barnett sighed. He didn't know what to do either.

Just then, the phone rang.

Bale picked up the phone and saw it was Van der Vaart.

"What's up? Aren't you on vacation?"

Bale answered curiously.

He heard Van der Vaart's slightly surprised voice on the other end.

"Šuker wants to see you!"

"What?"

"Šuker seems to be in London for an event. He asked me for your phone number and wants to meet you!"

Upon hearing this, Bale was stunned.

Šuker wants to see me?

Why?

"He'll probably call you..."

Bale kept nodding, somewhat bewildered, and hung up the phone.

He had just been thinking about Šuker, and now Šuker was reaching out to him. This caught Bale completely off guard.

"Šuker wants to see me!"

Bale turned to Barnett.

Barnett also looked surprised.

"This probably isn't a bad thing~~"

Canary Wharf, a discreet private club.

This was a high-end private club operating on a membership system. Except for club members, no one else was admitted.

Bale had heard of this club but couldn't enter without a recommendation from an existing member.

He never expected that Šuker, who had never been active in the UK, would be a member here.

Arriving here, Bale felt nervous.

He really couldn't figure out why Šuker suddenly wanted to see him.

However, he couldn't refuse Šuker's invitation, so he accepted.

Led by a waiter, he arrived at a private room.

Entering the room, he saw two people.

Besides Šuker, there was also the famous British athlete David Beckham.

"Long time no see!" Šuker greeted Bale with a smile: "Come, have a seat!"

Facing Šuker's outgoing personality, Bale seemed somewhat at a loss.

"H...Hello!"

Beckham also glanced at Bale, and the two greeted each other with smiles.

After all, he was Šuker's guest, so he didn't cold-shoulder him excessively.

"Have you had dinner?" Šuker asked.

Bale nodded; "Yes!"

He hadn't eaten at all. Thinking about Šuker's invitation, how could he have an appetite?

Šuker blinked; "You eat quite early. It's only 5 o'clock. Well, I haven't had dinner. If you're hungry, have a bite too!"

Bale touched his stomach and nodded.

With that, Šuker ordered some main course food.

The three of them ate while chatting.

"Today isn't any special event. I came to London for an activity and happened to think that you're also in London. After all, we'll be teammates soon. It's good to meet up and get familiar in advance, right?"

Šuker said.

Bale nodded silently.

"This is delicious!"

Šuker passed the duck meat nearby.

"Th...Thank you!"

Šuker glanced at Bale and smiled inwardly.

He indeed came to London for an event, but he also intentionally sought out Bale.

There was no other way. This guy's personality was too unique; he was prone to doing some foolish things.

During his time at Real Madrid, he managed to offend all the coaches, one after another.

Even the usually mild-tempered Ancelotti was provoked by Bale's antics and specifically went on a rant in his autobiography.

In that autobiography, Ancelotti's evaluation of any player was objective and positive, except when it came to Bale, where it carried strong subjective characteristics.

Clearly, the things Bale did had really pissed off Ancelotti.

This was also due to Bale's personality issues: straightforward, childish, and not understanding how to be tactful.

Coupled with his agent egging him on, Bale eventually became isolated and unsupported at Real Madrid.

Šuker had no intention of changing anything.

But the current Real Madrid was in a sensitive period.

The dressing room had a three-way standoff.

Mourinho might stir up dressing room conflicts. After winning the treble, it would be strange if he didn't make a move.

As for Bale, Šuker just needed to ensure he wasn't drawn into the impending dressing room conflicts.

Steadily score goals for him and play his designated role well.

Moreover, this guy's personality was really too unreliable. They needed to establish contact in advance to stabilize the situation. Otherwise, during this sensitive period, Bale might give Mourinho some ideas to exploit, shifting from suppressing the Spanish local faction to confronting Šuker.

Šuker didn't want to get involved in this dressing room conflict!

He also didn't want to challenge Mourinho.

If such a situation arose, it would force Šuker and Casillas to join forces to drive Mourinho out.

What a hassle!

Šuker scratched his head.

Beckham looked at Šuker and smiled: "So, the big club dressing room isn't that easy, is it?"

"A bunch of troublesome things!" Šuker grimaced; "And there's a troublemaker!"

Šuker's analogy was quite apt.

Bale ate while watching the two, not understanding what they were talking about.

"By the way, Gareth, have you found a place to stay?" Šuker asked.

Bale was taken aback.

He and Šuker weren't particularly familiar, yet this guy directly called him by his first name.

However, it didn't feel too bad.

This outgoing personality and well-arranged matters made Bale feel quite comfortable.

He liked this feeling!

"No!" Bale shook his head: "But Mr. Barnett should help me arrange it in advance."

"No need to arrange. Real Madrid has a villa area. You can move in directly then. We all live there!"

Šuker waved his hand.

Bale thought for a moment and nodded.

He intended to build a good relationship with Šuker, so living closer wouldn't be bad.

Beckham looked at Šuker.

Šuker was intentionally guiding the conversation. It had to be said, this guy had a natural talent for 'leadership' and charm.

They continued chatting, and during this process, Bale gradually relaxed.

This was just a very ordinary gathering without any利害关系 (stakes involved).

Of course, this was only his own judgment.

After relaxing, Bale became slightly more talkative.

"I watched that Champions League final. Your performance in the second half was really amazing!" Bale looked at Šuker; "Especially you. How did you do it? It feels like you never get tired."

Hearing this, Šuker smiled: "You'll understand when you participate in the club's training camp. Here's a tip: never eat breakfast; you'll throw up."

"I heard the Real Madrid dressing room isn't very stable right now?" Beckham asked.

Šuker glanced at him: "Where did you hear that? We just won the treble. Morale is high, and the players get along very well."

"What about with the coach?" Beckham pressed.

Šuker let out a sigh: "There are some things I won't talk about."

He wasn't a blabbermouth; these issues couldn't be disclosed casually.

Even if there was dissatisfaction, it couldn't be spoken about freely.

After all, who knew who Beckham sided with? Although he had a cooperative relationship with Šuker, it wasn't that close.

After eating for a while, Beckham, being very perceptive, found an excuse and left.

After Beckham left, only Šuker and Bale remained in the private room.

"Let's talk about some serious matters!" Šuker suddenly said.

This made Bale become严肃 (serious).

"David was here earlier, so there were some things I couldn't say much about. Now that he's gone, and you're also a Real Madrid player, you should know some things. Let me briefly explain the dressing room situation to you!"

Šuker began explaining the dressing room situation, and Bale listened attentively.

This was information from the core circle, so he naturally didn't want to miss it.

"...That's how it is... The current dressing room situation is very delicate, barely maintaining a balance, but your arrival might break this balance."

Šuker initiatively poured a glass of wine for Bale.

"I'm not saying you must choose me, but at the very least, I can give you more help. And I don't mind that you and I are in a competitive relationship!"

"I—"

Bale was about to speak.

Šuker waved his hand: "Don't deny it. Every player who comes to Real Madrid has this mentality. No one wants to be supporting role. Whether you are sincere or just pretending, I don't care about that. I only need the team's results to drive my personal honors."

Bale looked at Šuker and couldn't help but swallow.

He felt that this guy was somewhat intimidating!

On the field, Šuker had unparalleled performance.

But in his usual state, this guy also had enough ability to lead the team.

Moreover, some of the things Šuker mentioned were things Bale had never even thought about.

Real Madridvlived up to being a big club; the relationships were intricate and complex.

It was so tangled that he couldn't even sort it out, but Šuker broke it down and laid it out clearly before him.

But precisely because of this, he understood the tense relations even more.