Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

The summer of 2001 will forever be remembered by all football fans.

This summer, the completion of a groundbreaking deal officially announced that the center of world football is shifting from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Serie A remains the world's top league, but it is no longer the only place that top players aspire to.

Starting from that year, all the top players who made their names in Serie A went on to leave for La Liga and the Premier League. Serie A eventually became a short-term stepping stone and a star-making factory for one superstar after another.

On July 9, 2001, Real Madrid announced the signing of Zinedine Zidane for a record-breaking world transfer fee of 7 million euros.

During this period, two of Europe's top midfielders, Figo and Zidane, joined forces at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid's superstar policy has been confirmed, and the Galácticos are beginning to take shape.

This transfer news instantly set the entire world of football ablaze.

Major media outlets exclaimed in alarm, "The wolf is coming!"

However, in Zidane's brilliance, few people noticed that Real Madrid promoted young player Pavón from their own youth academy to the first team.

Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez won the support of fans with his "superstar policy," announcing that a superstar would be signed every year.

But he was also aware of the drawbacks of doing so.

It's impossible for every player on a team to be a superstar.

A luxurious midfield and forward line must be supported by "ordinary" players in the backfield.

Once Pavón emerges, the superstar policy will be perfected into the "Zidane + Pavón" policy.

At that time, Real Madrid will enter its golden age, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it will be the cornerstone of a century-old legacy.

Real Madrid has become the best in the world, and if their arch-rivals Barcelona don't take action soon, they really won't be able to quell the anger of their fans.

Especially after Barcelona had a season without winning any major trophies.

……

Barcelona have set a €15 million price tag on Simão, and everyone knows it's an impossible deal!

Simão publicly stated his unwillingness to play for Barcelona, ​​and while vacationing in Madeira, he announced he would never set foot in the Barcelona area again!

Sky Sports: "Simão's agent reveals that his next destination may be the Premier League, with the player personally preferring a move to Manchester United!"

Diario Sport: "What is Barcelona waiting for? Selling Simão at a low price was indeed a loss, but if they don't strengthen their squad quickly, are they going to suffer another trophyless season?"

Mundo Deportivo: "Clubs that are stingy with money can't accomplish great things. Real Madrid broke the world's record for the most expensive transfer, while we're still hesitating over a few million in price differences!"

The media and fans criticized Barcelona's attitude.

In response, Barcelona's official statement expressed their grievance: "Barcelona is in talks with several important targets for transfers. This will be a season with significant investment, and the slow pace is because we don't want any mistakes."

"We also have excellent youth players; we don't necessarily have to buy young talents from other countries. La Masia's level is world-class!"

After the statement, Barcelona promoted several young players from their youth academy to the first team, and they played a coordinated move.

The team includes 18-year-old prodigy midfielder Thiago Motta, 20-year-old Barcelona midfield future star Mikel Arteta, and 22-year-old Barcelona youth academy winger Luis Garcia, among others.

However, the fans did not buy it.

"Not every player is worthy of being compared to Quaresma!"

"Motta may still have a future, but Garcia and Arteta are unlikely to become world-class stars!"

"I'm optimistic about Motta, as for Arteta... Iniesta from the youth academy has a much higher ceiling!"

"Arteta only made it into the first team because Guardiola thought highly of him, but Guardiola hasn't renewed his contract with the team, so I think he might be leaving!"

"They're envious of Sporting Lisbon's successive development of wingers like Figo, Simão, Quaresma, and Ronaldo, so they promoted their own Garcia. I'm not against developing our own players, but they have to be the right talent."

"If the team can't sign excellent wingers like Quaresma, I won't buy a season ticket for Barcelona next season, because I have no reason to watch games we're sure to lose!"

"These lousy sports officials are completely wasting Rivaldo's prime!"

Barcelona's actions have clearly backfired, and the fans' reaction has far exceeded their expectations.

If this continues, there is a high probability of changes in management.

In order to prevent an accident from happening in time, Barcelona had no choice but to respond quickly.

They decisively loaned out Luis Garcia and Arteta, keeping only Motta, letting fans know they wouldn't compromise on quality.

However, Quaresma has yet to arrive because Sporting Lisbon... has raised the price!

Last summer, Barcelona offered seven million euros.

Sporting Lisbon's asking price is ten million euros.

This summer, Barcelona offered 20 million euros.

Sporting Lisbon has stated outright that this item is not for sale.

Barcelona subsequently raised their offer by 22 million euros.

Then Sporting Lisbon showed Barcelona offers from Premier League and Serie A teams, and Barcelona immediately fell silent.

Arsenal and Manchester United offered the same price.

Lazio and Roma offered 25 million euros.

These teams are all more competitive than Barcelona, ​​and they offer more money. Quaresma and Sporting Lisbon must have lost their minds to choose Barcelona.

With negotiations at an impasse, Barcelona intends to put pressure on Sporting Lisbon in other ways.

If you don't sell me the Wing, I'll go find other Wings.

Barcelona then announced their other signings for the season.

"French defender Philippe Cristanval joins Barcelona for €17 million! He will be the final piece of Barcelona's defensive puzzle!"

"The 1.9-meter-tall center-back Cristanvar is a type of center-back Barcelona hasn't seen in recent years!"

Cristanvar wasn't entirely a good fit for Barcelona; the biggest reason Barcelona bought him was Dunkay!

"UEFA Cup All-Time Best Player, Duncan, Terrifies Barcelona! His Header Hat-Trick Forces Barcelona to Spend Nearly €20 Million More to Strengthen Their Aerial Defense!"

Monaco made a great deal; Christian Valéry's value is nowhere near €17 million!

Yes, in order to solve the problem of height in the defense, Barcelona suffered a bit and brought in a tall center-back.

They had high hopes for this player, but sometimes you really shouldn't buy things that aren't suitable, because it's better not to buy them at all.

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The center-back taught Barcelona a lesson the following season with a nightmarish display of error.

The Brazilian contingent has secured another victory! Barcelona have signed attacking midfielder Giovanni from Cruzeiro for €20 million!

"A replacement for Quaresma? Giovanni was originally a winger, capable of orchestrating attacks and dribbling past defenders on the flanks!"

Barcelona let Quaresma go? Did Sporting Lisbon overcharge and mess things up?

"Absolutely not! Barcelona fans gather at the club to protest, holding Quaresma jerseys!"

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.