"Zhao Gang is the kind of player any club in the world would want.

He has proven countless times that he can make his teammates better. When he's on the attack, all his opponents feel fear and worry.

Right now, Celtic is one such victim.

It's truly hard to imagine any coach saying their team doesn't need Zhao Gang, and even harder to imagine any team manager thinking Zhao Gang isn't the star they need!" He Shiren couldn't help but speak, with a hint of sarcasm.

The fans understood the implication.

The official media was really going to go against the national team!

In the first stage of the World Cup qualifiers, they lost to South Korea and drew with Iran.

This gave the Football Association confidence.

See? If we defend well, we can force a strong team like Iran to a draw!

We don't need stars; we need a cohesive unit.

We're doing great!

If Zhao Gang disrupted the chemistry, we might have lost to Iran!

Now, the official media is taking the lead in being sarcastic.

What kind of club in the world doesn't need Zhao Gang?

Even a powerhouse like Manchester City, with a world-class coach like Guardiola, can allow Zhao Gang to roam outside the defense and take shots at any time.

What makes you think you can say that kind of thing?

Don't need stars? Zhao Gang's defense isn't good enough?

Isn't that a joke?

"He can even play as a center forward! Letting Aguero play on the wing to support him! Zhao Gang's tactical importance is the highest priority in Manchester City!"

"Yeah, he passes when he wants to pass! When he wants to score, Aguero doesn't hesitate to move to the wing and set him up!"

"The Champions League is a bit weak, not as intense as the Premier League!"

"Zhao Gang is thriving in Manchester City. Guardiola treats him like a treasure, but it's different elsewhere..."

"Stop being sarcastic and hinting at things."

"Out of all the football teams in the world, there's probably only one that thinks Zhao Gang isn't suitable. In that respect, the Dragon Country national team is also world-class!"

"It seems like they haven't called him up for the second stage either. Drawing with Iran gave them another excuse, but they better not miss out on qualifying and then blame Zhao Gang!"

"Hey? The guy upstairs must be a leader; he's thought that far ahead!"

The Dragon Country fans hadn't stayed up all night for nothing. Right at the start, Zhao Gang banged in two goals.

Manchester City fans were also cheering.

The Celtic fans who had traveled with the team were resigned.

They didn't have high expectations. Expecting Celtic to win at the Etihad was wishful thinking.

Getting a draw would be like celebrating the New Year.

If they didn't lose too badly, they'd be thankful.

Being able to show their own style would make the trip worthwhile.

But it was only three minutes!

The players hadn't warmed up, and they hadn't even seen the tactics yet when they were hit with two heavy blows, leaving them at a loss.

At this rate, two goals in three minutes, wouldn't they concede sixty in ninety minutes?

Had the gap between the Scottish Premiership and the Premier League become this big?

The Celtic coach stood on the sidelines and finally started shouting.

Shut him down!

Completely block Zhao Gang!

Losing is acceptable, but we can't let that kid score again!

Everyone else is secondary; this guy must be defended fiercely!

Goalkeeper Davico clapped his hands forcefully to cheer on his teammates.

Losing is acceptable, but we can't lose our confidence!

If a team loses its spirit, it becomes an easy target.

"Celtic can't take a beating. It seems like only Real Madrid has a chance of stopping Manchester City now." Perrin sat in the stands. He hadn't expected Zhao Gang to be in such hot form.

Beside him was his colleague, a more famous figure, the financial tycoon, Mendes.

Unlike Perrin, Mendes prioritized profit above all else. Wherever there was a chance to make money, there he was.

He believed that capital was the most important thing in football.

Any player who talked about feelings with a club would end up in a miserable state.

Even true world-class stars like Ronaldo and Messi, when the team's management's valuation of them clashed with the players' own perceived value, the players only had one option: to leave the club.

Barcelona and Messi, Real Madrid and Ronaldo, were currently in their honeymoon period, seemingly inseparable, but Mendes believed that as the players aged, they were both very likely to leave their clubs.

They might leave in glory, or they might leave feeling aggrieved.

The dismal endings of countless superstars had convinced Mendes that football was just a business.

Only the pitiful fans would be reluctant to see the team's core players leave.

"Manchester City is strong now, and they have a lot of money, but compared to the real giants, they're still far behind.

Zhao's commercial value can't be perfectly realized in Manchester City," Mendes said meaningfully.

Currently, the rivalry between the two giants of La Liga was the most talked-about topic among fans around the world.

If Zhao Gang could join La Liga, he would definitely attract worldwide attention.

Perrin turned to look at Mendes. "I'm different from you. You think football is a business.

I know you. Ronaldo is your top client right now, but if one day there's a disagreement between you, you'll break up with Ronaldo without hesitation to protect your reputation and your business."

"Even if that day comes, Ronaldo and I will still be friends. And without the business ties, our relationship will only be better. Mixing business and friendship like you do is the biggest taboo."

Perrin scratched his head, not wanting to continue the topic. "You came to me on behalf of Florentino? If he's interested in Zhao, why doesn't he contact me himself, or go through Real Madrid? What's the point of sending you?"

"Florentino believes that Ronaldo is still the core of Real Madrid, and he doesn't want to have any unpleasantness with Ronaldo for the time being.

If Zhao really joined Real Madrid, Ronaldo would definitely have some disagreements with the Real Madrid management.

Ronaldo won't allow anyone to affect his position in the team!

So Florentino doesn't want anyone to know his thoughts on Zhao for now. That's why I'm the most suitable person."

"You're Ronaldo's agent... Sure enough, I knew that even Ronaldo could be abandoned by you." Perrin shook his head. Mendes, Florentino, sigh.

Florentino hadn't made up his mind yet. When he determined that Zhao Gang's ability and potential surpassed Ronaldo, he would act without hesitation.

Now, he was using his personal relationship to have Mendes come and test the waters, to see Zhao Gang and Perrin's attitude.

Once that day came, Florentino would need to know what price he would have to pay to take Zhao Gang away.

After all, Manchester City wasn't short of money. To take Zhao Gang away, money alone wouldn't be enough.

"Florentino's influence on the media is probably unmatched. I've heard some things about Zhao. He rejected GD and Gramana at the crucial moment of the Golden Boy Award selection. Clearly, he's lacking in dealing with the media and capital.

And Florentino is the best at handling these things.

If Zhao stays in Manchester City, he's likely to have a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future because of off-field issues.

If he's at Real Madrid, Florentino will keep all these trivial matters away from Zhao.

Zhao only needs to keep scoring goals and keep putting on his best performances. All the honors will fall on his head. No one can stop him from becoming an epoch-making superstar.

It's the best outcome for you, for him, and for Real Madrid."

"I just want to know if there's any uncertainty about Zhao's future. What kind of force would make him leave Manchester City?" Mendes looked at the figure running on the field and asked directly.

"I've never had much influence on his transfers. He has his own ideas. At the time, he gave me two choices, Manchester City or Arsenal.

Because he likes Guardiola and Wenger. I think if Real Madrid had a coach or player he liked, he might still join Real Madrid, right?" Perrin listened to Mendes' words and actually agreed in his heart.

Real Madrid and Florentino were the only ones who could truly elevate Zhao Gang's status to the highest level.

If Zhao Gang had chosen England, he wouldn't have to worry about club matters.

But he chose Dragon Country!

Without a strong club team, it would be difficult for Zhao Gang's status to break through the bottleneck and reach the level of Messi and Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid platform would definitely allow him to achieve the peak of his personal honors.

"I understand. You're open to Zhao's joining. Florentino must be very happy."

"Haha, what's your attitude towards Ronaldo joining Manchester City?" Perrin suddenly asked a very strange question.

Ronaldo had just won the European Championship and was basically guaranteed to win the Ballon d'Or. He was very happy at Real Madrid.

Mendes didn't answer the question. "I'm not optimistic about Ronaldo's future at Real Madrid. Even if Zhao doesn't join Real Madrid, Ronaldo probably won't stay for long."

Once Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or again, he would be one step closer to Messi. With his personality, he would likely ask Real Madrid for more salary and say in decisions.

He wasn't interested in the increase in salary; he was interested in status.

If Messi could get more, why couldn't he?

He had to surpass his opponent in every aspect!

Once that happened, there would definitely be a conflict between him and Florentino.

Both of them were extremely controlling people. How could Florentino allow Ronaldo to make demands that exceeded his bottom line regarding Real Madrid's control?

Therefore, it was predictable that the better Ronaldo performed, the sooner he would leave Real Madrid.

"Maybe Zhao really could join forces with Ronaldo, just not necessarily at Real Madrid," Perrin muttered.

Mendes nodded. Who knows?