Chapter 634: Old and New
As Ra��l galloped across the Bernab��u Stadium, a group of former Real Madrid players were present to watch the game. Guti was naturally among them. Besides cheering for his old friends, he was also preparing to serve as the assistant coach for the U12 youth team of the White Galactic team.
Real Madrid's youth training camp was flourishing, with Santiago Solari serving as the head coach of the U15 youth team, while De la Red coached the Cadet B team (14-15 age group), achieving remarkable results. Last season, they even won three championship titles.
Morente was the coach of the Juvenil B team (16-18 age group), and under his leadership, the team bravely won the Madrid regional league championship.
Next, Guti would complete the formal coaching course and obtain his coaching certificate, gradually moving from the youth team to the first team.
With the old veterans finding their roles and new signings all in place, after the first round of matches, Real Madrid officially announced the signing of Bale, who joined the team for his first training session.
As the team captain, Wang Feng expressed his welcome to the Welshman outside the training camp. The two shook hands with smiles on their faces, and Bale's first impression of the Chinese superstar was shy but serious.
Although his words were few, Bale had managed to grasp a fair amount of Spanish through diligent study in a short period. He could greet his teammates, indicating his efforts to integrate into the new environment, which was not easy.
In fact, from his debut until now, Bale had remained quite pure, with only his family and football in his life. He wasn't good at socializing and even less so at dealing with the media, somewhat similar to Wang Feng in some respects. However, the Chinese superstar was more outgoing than him, not shying away from or fearing standing in front of the public.
Bale, on the other hand, was different. Last season, when he won the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award in the Premier League, he requested to cancel his personal speech at the awards ceremony and instead opted for a question-and-answer format.
This wasn't about showing off but rather because Bale felt extremely nervous and awkward giving speeches in public. Even interviews weren't easy for him. A columnist from "The Times" said, "@Gareth, you need a brave heart, confident like Beckham."
Coming to Madrid, he had to get used to the life of one of the most prestigious clubs in Spain and even the world. These were the prices to pay for becoming an internationally renowned football star, but fortunately, he had a guide.
"Don't worry, everyone here is very nice. I believe you will soon fall in love with this place. If you have any questions, feel free to talk to me anytime," Wang Feng said in English.
Bale nodded, feeling slightly nervous but more excited. Unlike Tottenham's empty trophy room, Real Madrid's numerous honors meant that he wouldn't lack for trophies in the future!
Moreover, the person in front of him was a football deity! Stars who grew up around the 1990s like him were all admirers of Wang Feng because they had personally experienced the Chinese superstar's legendary journey, his strength and invincible figure deeply engraved in everyone's mind.
During the subsequent regular training session, Bale's performance was average, but the most obvious impression he left on his teammates was his speed and explosive power. However, Wang Feng noticed that there seemed to be something awkward about the way he exerted force with his legs, which could potentially lead to injury.
"Hey Gareth, did you feel any muscle soreness in your legs when you sprinted just now?" Wang Feng approached and asked. Bale was taken aback, "Yeah, how did you know? It's an old problem from a previous injury. Do you feel the same?"
The Chinese superstar shook his head, "This kind of injury usually doesn't leave any roots after healing. It's because your muscles are still being strained, so you feel soreness."
"Try exerting force like this." Wang Feng explained while demonstrating. After trying it out, Bale indeed felt much better. "Oh my God, you seem more reliable than my professional trainer!"
After that, he consciously changed his exertion technique, but it would be a long process, as muscle memory was not easy to eliminate.
After the training session, the Chinese superstar hosted a dinner for all the players and coaching staff. During the gathering, amidst the clinking of glasses, Bale felt uncomfortable in such social situations and preferred to enjoy himself alone in a corner.
Wang Feng approached him with a glass of wine, "Don't really like these gatherings? That's okay, we can go play golf together another day."
Talking about golf piqued Bale's interest. The Chinese superstar admitted that he wasn't good at it and had only occasionally played with Zanetti back in the day. "I know, the great Inter Milan dynasty! My football buddies used to talk about you all the time since then."
The Welsh star said he was an amateur golfer too, enjoying the open space and the feeling of swinging freely. He definitely wanted to play a few rounds with Wang Feng when he had the chance.
The handshake between Wang Feng and Bale was dubbed the most expensive handshake in history by the media, the �100 million man and the �91 million man. Their combined value could even buy a small club, but of course, Wang Feng's value was far beyond that now.
When Cristiano Ronaldo set the record for the highest transfer fee in history at �117 million, German Transfer predicted Wang Feng's market value at this time. Without considering the factor of being unsellable, based solely on his strength and achievements, the 30-year-old Chinese superstar still had a market value of around �300 million, and he would undoubtedly attract the pursuit of many top clubs.
On August 26th, in the second round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Granada away.
Just 11 minutes into the game, Di Maria broke through on the right and crossed into the penalty area. Higua��n nodded the ball forward, and Wang Feng, with his back to the goal, volleyed with his left foot and scored with an acrobatic shot, giving the away team the lead.
Bale, who was on the bench, looked eager to play. With such passionate attacks and brilliant goals, he was already eager to integrate into the new environment.
In the 29th minute, Alonso launched a long pass over the top from midfield. Wang Feng wandered to the left, timed his run to avoid offside, and volleyed the ball with his left foot after receiving it, chipping it over goalkeeper Roberto to further extend Real Madrid's lead.
In the second half, in the 60th minute, Bale, who was almost the summer's transfer market king, finally made his debut for his new club, while Morata, who was substituted, felt a bit lonely. As a regular starter who had already won the highest honors with the team, perhaps he should consider pursuing a higher status and salary now?
After coming on, Bale appeared very proactive. Just one minute later, he and Wang Feng completed a give-and-go near the penalty area, dribbled into the box, and attempted a shot from a tight angle, which went just wide of the post. He then tried a powerful shot from outside the box, which was saved by Roberto.
Isco, also in good form, made a forward run down the wing after a pass from Arbeloa. Wang Feng intentionally let the ball go past him, and the onrushing Spanish midfielder, although somewhat awkward in his approach, accidentally kicked the ball in a strange position, completely catching Granada's goalkeeper off guard and easily scoring.
Granada pulled one back through Piti, but in the 84th minute, the moment Bale had been eagerly awaiting finally arrived: his first goal for his new club. Wang Feng and Di Maria exchanged positions on the wing.
Bale controlled the ball inside the penalty area, sidestepped Diakit��, and then unleashed a shot from 11 meters out, which hit the near post and deflected into the net.
After scoring, the Welshman immediately found Wang Feng, embraced him in celebration, and was congratulated by his teammates. Following Isco, another player scored on his league debut, showcasing the strength of the Real Madrid squad!
The final score was locked at 4-1, with the Galacticos securing all three points against their opponents.
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