For a time, Beckham found himself under pressure from all sides.
Yet with Su Hang's support, Beckham remained firm, refusing to make any concessions in his negotiations with LA Galaxy.
This, in turn, sparked complaints from the American media.
Sports Illustrated published an article titled:
"We Refuse to Be Used as Bargaining Chips Between Beckham and Real Madrid! If He Isn't Serious About Joining MLS, Then We Won't Respect Him Either!"
The article stirred strong reactions among some American fans.
They demanded that Beckham make a decision during the winter break.
Either he would submit a transfer request to Real Madrid during the break, allowing LA Galaxy to symbolically sign him for a few million euros—
Or he would reach a prior agreement with LA Galaxy and complete the move in the summer.
In short, the situation could not be dragged out beyond the winter break.
The Americans' attitude even frightened Victoria.
She went so far as to urge Beckham to compromise and reach a deal with LA Galaxy.
At worst, the three of them could split that single franchise slot.
There was no need to insist on building three separate teams.
Yet Beckham held firm under the pressure and refused to give in to the Americans.
That very night, Jennifer flew to Victoria's home to relay Su Hang's message.
Su Hang assured Beckham that the second half of the season would not become worse.
Beckham would still receive a proper farewell from the fans at the end of the season.
He had his ways.
Beckham chose to believe him.
From his own perspective, he also did not want to leave in such a miserable manner.
That would be a massive blow to his commercial image.
He wanted to arrive in MLS as a victor—to uplift American soccer.
Not as someone being taken in by it.
As for why Su Hang did not call personally, the reason was simple: this was not a time for loose ends.
Neither Real Madrid nor MLS could be allowed to discover that Su Hang and Beckham were on the same side.
Otherwise, more trouble would inevitably arise.
...
By late December, Real Madrid announced their first winter signing.
They spent €20 million to bring in Argentine defensive midfielder Fernando Gago from Boca Juniors.
As a fellow Argentine, Gago naturally reminded fans of Real Madrid's former midfield prodigy, Fernando Redondo.
As a result, fans began calling Gago "Redondo II," hoping he would become another pillar in Real Madrid's defensive midfield.
This signing was clearly targeted at Beckham.
Over the past year, Beckham had spent nearly half of his playing time at Real Madrid as a defensive midfielder, occasionally filling in on the right side of midfield.
Ironically, he rarely played in his true role as a right winger.
Bringing in Gago served two purposes.
On one hand, he provided a promising backup for Diarra, the team's orthodox defensive midfielder.
On the other, he freed Emerson to operate in right midfield—or even as a right winger—allowing him to fully replace Beckham.
With Guti also available as a substitute, Real Madrid's midfield no longer had any need for Beckham.
However, Real Madrid's recruitment did not stop there.
Reports suggested the club was still pursuing another Argentine player.
...
On January 1st, while there was no news from Argentina, Brazil delivered a breakthrough first.
Real Madrid spent €6.5 million to sign left-back Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior from Fluminense.
Simply known as Marcelo.
The nineteen-year-old was thrilled to join Real Madrid.
Considering Roberto Carlos's age, it was clear that Real Madrid intended for Marcelo to develop over several years before eventually inheriting the left-back position.
Naturally, fans began calling him "Roberto Carlos II."
And it had to be said—Marcelo's ultra-short haircut at the time closely resembled Roberto Carlos's shaved head.
He was essentially a taller, slimmer version of Roberto Carlos.
...
On January 7th, Real Madrid finalized their Argentine deal.
For €13 million, they signed Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín—nicknamed "El Pipa"—from River Plate.
Not yet twenty years old, Higuaín was a center forward.
His arrival seemed to signal an impending youth revolution in Real Madrid's attack.
After all, both Su Hang and Robinho were extremely young.
On the surface, Higuaín's signing appeared to reflect Cassano's failure to meet expectations.
In reality, it was a proactive response to the aging of the Van Nistelrooy and Raúl generation—players already in their thirties.
Calderón's generational transition plan was progressing steadily.
As team captain, Su Hang immediately welcomed the three new signings on social media.
Gago and Marcelo both replied.
Only Higuaín remained silent.
Of course, Higuaín had seen the message.
But he viewed Su Hang as a direct rival and had no intention of bowing his head.
Van Nistelrooy and Raúl were getting older—Higuaín was confident he could push them to the bench within two years.
But Su Hang…
They played the same position.
Age-wise, Higuaín was only one year younger.
If Su Hang could succeed at Real Madrid, why couldn't he?
He had been a star at River Plate, after all.
Su Hang didn't think much of it.
But the King's Guardian, Ramos, took note of Higuaín.
The King's authority was not to be questioned.
Modrić also noticed Higuaín.
Using an account with a beautiful woman's profile picture, he added Higuaín to express his confidence in him.
He even shared some of Real Madrid's internal tactical details in advance, helping Higuaín integrate more quickly.
That way, once Higuaín got his chance, he could explode onto the scene—replicating Su Hang's rise and making Su Hang seem less unique.
Don't ask why.
The answer is simple:
"Venus's Revenge."
...
On January 7th, La Liga's winter break ended.
Real Madrid officially announced that Beckham had been demoted to the reserve team for violating club discipline by failing to return on time.
The decision even earned applause from many MLS fans.
After all, Beckham had failed to reach an agreement with LA Galaxy during the break.
That meant he could still move to another league after the season—especially the lucrative Turkish Super League.
That afternoon, Real Madrid faced Deportivo La Coruña away from home.
Fernando Gago was given a starting opportunity.
Zidane, delayed by charity commitments, had yet to return to the squad—but faced no punishment.
Two hours later, Real Madrid opened the second half of the La Liga season with a loss.
Despite Su Hang scoring twice, Deportivo La Coruña found the net three times.
Gago received the lowest match rating, leaving fans deeply disappointed.
...
January 11th, Copa del Rey Round of 16.
Real Madrid finally reached a true testing ground for squad depth.
Their opponent: Real Betis.
Capello's lineup for the match was:
Higuaín, Negredo
Reyes
Modrić, Gago, Juan Mata
Bravo, Pavón, Helguera, Salgado
López