Both Barcelona and Manchester United reached the Champions League final, which this year was held at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
So, Gao Shen encountered something quite interesting.
He actually received four invitations and tickets to the final at the same time.
Guardiola sent him tickets, saying he hoped Gao Shen could come to the stadium to watch his final.
"Last season was an accident. We won't lose again this season!" Guardiola said confidently over the phone.
His next-door neighbor Ferguson also sent an invitation, saying that since he had bought tickets from Gao Shen last season, he just wanted to return the favor this time. The old Scot even said proudly, "Hey, I made it to the Champions League final again."
Gao Shen curled his lips, secretly criticizing the old man's boasting, thinking he was already acting like he'd won his third Champions League.
He really wanted to say: You can't beat Barcelona.
But in the end, Gao Shen held back.
The other two invitations came from Real Madrid President Florentino and UEFA.
UEFA's invitation was expected. As a popular coach in world football today, it was only natural for Gao Shen to receive one. Whether he accepted it or not was up to him.
As for Florentino, since the final was at the Bernabéu, it was normal for him to invite Gao Shen as well.
Moreover, for safety reasons, Florentino had arranged a place for him in his private box.
It had to be said that Florentino was still quite sincere.
Previously, Gao Shen had already turned him down once through Zidane and Valdano, but this time the invitation wasn't for business, it was out of personal friendship. If Gao Shen rejected it again, it would be a bit too much.
If he really did that, he and Florentino might no longer be friends.
With that in mind, Gao Shen had already made up his mind.
…
After finishing up in Manchester, Gao Shen gathered the coaching staff and even called Mubarak and the others to ask if they wanted to head south to Madrid to watch the match.
But Mubarak politely declined.
"If we reach the Champions League final one day, I'll definitely go!"
"Not just me, Mr. Mansour said he'll be there in person too."
Gao Shen didn't force them. After all, he invited the club's top brass just to show his stance.
He was simply accepting a friend's invitation to watch the Champions League final.
In the end, it was Gao Shen who took the coaching staff, along with Brian Kidd and Brian Marwood, and traveled from Manchester down to Madrid.
Their first stop in Madrid, Gao Shen led everyone in a mighty procession straight to Juan's House Barbecue Restaurant.
There was no helping it. He had been away for too long and really missed the barbecue there.
Not just him, even Carlo, Lucas, and the others all missed it dearly.
Brian Kidd and Marwood, who were tasting it for the first time, also enjoyed it thoroughly and had a great time.
Since they arrived in Madrid a day early, Gao Shen and his group had booked a hotel in advance.
But for Carlo, Lucas, and the others who had lived in Madrid, that wasn't necessary.
That evening, Valdano, Zidane, and Butragueño came to visit them at the hotel and brought Florentino's greetings.
At the same time, they mentioned Real Madrid's current predicament.
"This season has been a joke."
There was no one else around besides Gao Shen, but he wasn't considered an outsider, so Butragueño didn't hold back in sharing his thoughts.
One of the main reasons Real Madrid brought in so many big stars last summer was because the Champions League final was being held at the Bernabéu.
Florentino wanted to win another Champions League during his term, so he did everything possible to build a superstar squad, but ended up failing miserably.
Not only did Real Madrid lose to Barcelona twice in the league, they were also knocked out by a lower-league team in the Copa del Rey, and eliminated in the Champions League Round of 16. It was an incredibly embarrassing season for the club.
Even worse, both teams in this Champions League final posed an awkward situation for Real Madrid. Barcelona was their biggest rival, and Manchester United's star Sneijder was a player Real Madrid had discarded. The Dutch midfielder had publicly stated he wanted to prove himself at the Bernabéu.
Clearly, he was still upset about how he was treated at Real Madrid.
In short, no matter who won the title, it would be an embarrassing outcome for Real Madrid.
Gao Shen could only smile bitterly.
In his previous life, the Champions League final had been between Robben's Bayern Munich and Sneijder's Inter Milan. But now, Robben was playing for Manchester City, and Bayern failed to reach the final.
Sneijder did make it to the final, but not with Inter Milan. He was now at Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, who failed to reach the final last season due to Inter Milan's run, had once again made it to the final this year after falling short last time and adjusting their signings.
If the final in his previous life had been a painful insult to Real Madrid, then this year's final was both painful and humiliating.
"Don't dwell on it too much," Gao Shen consoled. "With Real Madrid's current strength and squad, as long as the midfield is stabilized, I believe all the problems can be resolved. Making the Champions League Round of 16 won't be an issue."
Real Madrid had done well in the group stage but were eliminated in the knockouts by Lyon, who used a highly targeted tactical setup.
"By the way, we'll be in Pot 4 next season," Gao Shen suddenly recalled this serious issue.
When he was coaching Napoli, he had drawn Real Madrid.
Valdano, Zidane, and Butragueño exchanged glances and smiled bitterly.
If that really happened, there'd be nothing they could do.
Surely fate wouldn't keep placing Gao Shen against Real Madrid, right?
…
Gao Shen didn't pay much attention to the Champions League final.
In his eyes, Manchester United simply didn't have the strength to challenge Barcelona.
Just the midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets would make it very hard for Manchester United to cope, not to mention the attacking trident of Sánchez, Messi, and Eto'o, plus the wingbacks Alves and Vargas…
Gao Shen couldn't see how Manchester United could defend against that.
Ferguson's tactic was bold: start fast, go on the offensive early to disrupt Barcelona's game plan and rhythm. It had some effect, creating two dangerous chances.
But soon after, Barcelona used a goal from Sánchez to remind Manchester United of the gulf in class.
From then on, Barcelona completely controlled the game. Manchester United were pinned back and on the defensive.
Guardiola's team had full control of the match.
Gao Shen watched the game from Florentino's box. He was very familiar with both sides.
There was no need to mention Manchester United. As for Barcelona, Sánchez and Vargas were his former players. Thiago Motta was on the bench, and Guardiola had been his former assistant.
Speaking of which, Thiago Motta had performed well since joining Barcelona, but he was mainly used as a rotating defensive midfielder or center-back. It was clearly hard for him to take Busquets' spot.
This made Gao Shen feel a bit dissatisfied.
"What do you think? If I make an offer for Thiago Motta, would Barcelona sell him?" Gao Shen asked eagerly.
He needed a replacement or competitor for Javi Martínez.
Carlo and Lucas looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
Gao Shen still hadn't let go of Thiago Motta.
What you can't have always seems the best.
Just like Luka Modrić at Tottenham. Gao Shen had always had his eyes on him.
In fact, Rakitic was already good enough, but that didn't stop Gao Shen from pursuing Modrić.
Unfortunately, Tottenham had rejected him again.
Right now, it was truly hard to find a suitable and reliable No. 4 in Europe.
So, it was understandable that Gao Shen wanted to go after Thiago Motta.
In any club other than Barcelona, a player like Thiago Motta would have been an undisputed starter. But at Barcelona, Busquets' presence made it hard for Motta to shine.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian midfielder came up through Barcelona's youth system and had deep feelings for the club.
Guardiola actually valued Thiago Motta quite a lot. He had played in many matches this season, rotating between defensive midfielder and center-back. He and Busquets were key players in Barcelona's La Liga title and Champions League run.
"I'm afraid that's unrealistic," Lucas shook his head. "Pep still values him a lot."
After thinking it over, Gao Shen also felt the chances were slim.
…
Manchester United's opening attack didn't work. Instead, they conceded a goal to Barcelona.
After that, Guardiola's team slowly organized and built up play, gradually wearing down Manchester United's defense.
Ferguson's side really had no answers against Barcelona's possession game. All they could do was run hard and press aggressively. But Barcelona's passing was just too fast and precise, leaving United unable to win the ball back.
Messi and Iniesta each added a goal.
In the end, Manchester United lost 0-3 to Barcelona in the Champions League final.
After winning the La Liga and Copa del Rey double last season, Barcelona secured the La Liga and Champions League double this season, which was even more impressive.
Guardiola was clearly ecstatic. He had finally won the Champions League.
This was the title he had always dreamed of.
After suffering a 0-4 loss to Napoli in last season's final, he had gone through a period of doubt and confusion. But thankfully, he bounced back and showed a more mature coaching performance this season.
In a way, that heavy defeat in last year's final ended up helping Guardiola.
At the very least, it elevated his coaching level to a whole new height.
Gao Shen looked down at the excited Guardiola from the box. He was genuinely happy for his friend, but at the same time, he quietly reminded himself.
Guardiola had finally caught up!
(To be continued.)