Chapter 429: De Gea: Real Madrid, What Are You Doing?

Chapter 429: De Gea: Real Madrid, What Are You Doing?

After the fourth round of the Premier League, the FIFA international break arrived. Before the next round of the league, the Spanish national team had two official matches to play. Considering their next opponent was Slovakia, their main competitor in the group, Del Bosque called up all the key players, including Lin Quan, intending to field the strongest lineup. If they could win this match, Spain would secure their spot in the group three rounds ahead of schedule.

Although Spain was expected to qualify for the European Championship, securing early qualification would reduce the pressure on the team, allowing Del Bosque more flexibility in squad rotation. The final rounds of the qualifiers would last until mid-October, coinciding with the busy schedules of domestic leagues, cup competitions, and the Champions League group stages. Adding national team matches to the mix could increase the risk of injuries.

Spain's primary goal was to qualify for the Euro and then adjust the team's lineup and player conditions to ensure they were in the best possible shape for next year's tournament. Despite being a regional competition, the Euro is highly competitive due to the numerous strong teams in Europe. Even a powerhouse like Spain couldn't guarantee avoiding upsets in the group or knockout stages.

Del Bosque, having led Spain to a World Cup victory, had not yet defended the European Championship title. Achieving this would allow him to retire in 2018 with great satisfaction.

After arriving at the national team's training base, Lin Quan saw Morata hobbling around on crutches outside the field.

"Álvaro, what happened to your leg?" Lin Quan asked, curious about the exaggerated bandages.

Although the next match was important, the coach wouldn't call up an injured player, would he? Morata's leg looked too bad for him to play.

"Uh, it's nothing, just a minor injury!" Morata's eyes lit up upon seeing Lin Quan and hobbled over. "Boss, it was bad enough you guys knocked us out of the Champions League last year. Please go easy on us in the group stage this year!"

Morata wasn't called up by the national team; he had returned to Madrid to recover from his injury. He took the chance to visit during the national team's training camp, hoping to earn Lin Quan's sympathy and perhaps some leniency on the field.

Morata had injured his left calf muscle during a training session in early August. According to the team doctor, he would need about five weeks to recover fully. Now he was just about ready to resume training. The dramatic bandages were part of his plan to garner sympathy from Lin Quan, hoping for mercy during their Champions League encounters.

At 23, Morata had been away from Real Madrid for a year but still dreamed of returning to the Bernabéu. To achieve this, he needed to perform exceptionally well at Juventus. Although he had a decent record with Juventus, scoring 18 goals and providing 9 assists in 46 appearances last season, this wasn't enough to secure his return to Real Madrid, where competition from the BBC trio was fierce.

Rumors during the summer transfer window suggested that Real Madrid was considering activating Morata's buy-back clause. This news excited Morata, but as the transfer window closed without any offer from Real Madrid, his hopes were dashed. However, this fueled his determination to perform even better.

Morata had heard rumors of a rift between Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez. If Ronaldo were to leave, Morata believed he might have a chance to return to Madrid. Additionally, the prospect of playing alongside Lin Quan at the club level further motivated him.

Understanding Morata's concerns, Lin Quan smiled. "You worry too much. Qualification depends on your own performance. Even if we go easy, you still need to beat Sevilla and Borussia Mönchengladbach to advance."

"True, but everyone knows Manchester City is the strongest in the group. We're worried you might secure qualification early and then take it easy in the last two matches," Morata explained.

Lin Quan reassured him, "Don't worry. We won't take it easy on anyone. We always play to win."

Knowing Guardiola's competitive nature, Lin Quan was confident that Manchester City wouldn't relax, even if they qualified early. Guardiola might rotate the squad but would never tolerate a loss. Lin Quan himself was ready to step up if needed to ensure victory in all matches.

Of course, this all depends on Juventus' own performance. If Juventus plays poorly and is already out of the running for advancement by the end of the group stage, then even if Manchester City wins against the other two teams, it might not make much difference. But if Juventus performs exceptionally well and has a clear advantage, Lin Quan wouldn't mind giving them a helping hand. After all, having more top teams in the knockout stages would make things more competitive and could create more problems for their other rivals.

Hearing Lin Quan's response, Morata didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Lin Quan essentially said that they would play their hardest against Juventus as well. Thinking about the two group stage matches against Manchester City, Morata felt a sense of despair. How could they possibly beat such a strong opponent?

...

When Lin Quan arrived at the training base, nearly everyone was already there except for one person. That person was none other than David de Gea, who was stuck in a limbo between being a Real Madrid or Manchester United player. As Spain's backup goalkeeper, De Gea was naturally on Del Bosque's call-up list. But while the other players had all arrived by September 1st, De Gea showed up late.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm late!" Dragging his exhausted body with dark circles under his eyes, De Gea looked like a zombie as he walked into the national team's training camp.

"David, what happened to you?"

"Were you drained by the girls in Madrid?"

"You look like you haven't slept at all!"

"Young man, you need to take it easy. This isn't good!"

Seeing De Gea in such a state, his teammates started to chime in with their advice.

"Stop it, you dirty-minded guys. I didn't hang out with any girls or stay out late!"

"Then what happened?"

His teammates exchanged puzzled looks. What could have happened to make him look like this?

De Gea, filled with indignation, said, "Damn fax machine! It really messed me up!"

"Fax machine? What does that have to do with anything?"

Everyone was bewildered and had no idea what he was talking about.

"Is it related to your transfer?"

Recalling the recent events surrounding De Gea, they began to piece things together.

This summer, one of the biggest soap operas in the transfer market was Real Madrid's pursuit of Manchester United's goalkeeper David de Gea. Starting in May, when Real Madrid expressed their interest in De Gea, the saga continued until the transfer window closed, with endless drama between the two clubs. Initially, Real Madrid offered €20 million, a price far below Manchester United's expectations. As one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, De Gea's value was seen as comparable to Neuer or Buffon.

With Iker Casillas having announced his move to Porto, leaving Real Madrid without a top goalkeeper, Manchester United felt they had the upper hand and outright rejected Real Madrid's bid. De Gea, however, wanted to join Real Madrid. He was tired of Manchester's terrible weather and disheartened by Manchester United's decline since Ferguson's retirement. He had become the standout player in a struggling team, often referred to as the "Dean" of Manchester United, a term highlighting his lonely excellence in a declining squad.

Despite this giving De Gea plenty of opportunities to shine and increasing his popularity, his hunger for trophies outweighed everything. Seeing no hope of winning silverware at Manchester United, he rejected their contract renewal offer in 2014, leaving him with just one year remaining on his contract. This situation significantly lowered his market value, which is why Real Madrid felt they could offer just €20 million.

But Manchester United couldn't accept such a low price, especially since they had paid more than that when they signed De Gea from Atletico Madrid. After years of developing him into a world-class goalkeeper, they weren't about to let Real Madrid snatch him up for less than his worth. The two clubs haggled endlessly, with Real Madrid gradually increasing their offer from €20 million to £35 million, roughly €40 million.

Although this still fell short of Manchester United's expectations, with the transfer window closing soon, they finally reached an agreement. At that point, it seemed the saga was about to end, and De Gea's move to Real Madrid was imminent. He even hosted a farewell dinner in Manchester, saying goodbye to his teammates. However, the transfer ultimately failed at the last moment.

After Manchester United submitted the transfer documents to FIFA, Real Madrid failed to follow up in time to register De Gea with the Spanish Football League. The reason? Real Madrid's fax machine broke down and didn't send the registration documents, causing the transfer to collapse.

De Gea had stayed up all night waiting for news. He had even drafted a tweet, ready to announce his move to Real Madrid, just waiting for the official word from his agent and the club. But Real Madrid's blunder ruined everything. Now, De Gea was still a Manchester United player, having already said his goodbyes. Manchester United had even signed a replacement goalkeeper.

De Gea was now at a loss. How could he return to Manchester United? Would his teammates and fans see him as a traitor? Even if they forgave him, he would feel ashamed. And with the transfer window closed, he couldn't sign with another team. De Gea felt utterly defeated.

"Real Madrid, what on earth are you doing?" he thought. "You messed up such an important transfer because of a fax machine!" Now, De Gea was stuck in an awkward position, and Real Madrid was left without their desired goalkeeper.