Valdebebas in August had changed beyond recognition.
The usual banter and light-hearted voices of the players were no longer heard, and the cheerful atmosphere they once brought was gone.
Many players had come, and just as many had left.
In that process, Calderón was ruthless, with no regard for sentiment.
Understandably so. Modern football runs on capital.
Even those players who had pledged loyalty to the club, let alone those who had fallen out of favor, were placed on the transfer list.
Even Míchel Salgado, who had played over ten years at Real Madrid, was no exception.
There was no reason to keep a 33-year-old rotational defender on the payroll, paying him €100,000 per week.
Calderón's intent to clear out Pérez's legacy and mold Real Madrid into his own team was crystal clear.
The media described it as a "purge."
[MARCA: Calderón's Continuing Purge – Can He Escape Pérez's Shadow?]
[MARCA: Astronomical Transfer Fees Earned Under Pérez – Where Will It Go? Calderón's Negotiation Skills Are Crucial]
[MARCA: Overspending Concerns with Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso – Just How Far Will Calderón Go?]
Calderón was under immense pressure.
Since taking over as president, he had failed to secure a transfer that truly satisfied expectations.
In June, his first target was manager Fabio Capello, to instill discipline and order within the squad.
However, managing the England national team with the World Cup a year away, Capello had no intention of returning to Madrid.
The first transfer attempt ended in failure.
The second failure came with the pursuit of Cesc Fàbregas.
As Barcelona's president Laporta hesitated, Calderón offered Arsenal €80 million, seeing an opening. But that, too, ended in failure.
Though he had plenty of budget, there were few viable players available.
He sent love calls to numerous players including Zambrotta from AC Milan, Carvalho and Alex from Chelsea, Chivu from Inter, Chiellini from Juventus, and both Vidic and Anderson from Manchester United. All of them fell through.
Trying to move away from the Galáctico policy and bring in more pragmatic players, Calderón eventually had to shift his focus to A-level players and top-tier prospects.
But many of them responded lukewarmly, saying things like, "I won't get enough playing time at Real Madrid."
Which was essentially a way of asking for higher wages.
Eventually, Calderón began to overspend.
By the end of August, he had splurged around €280 million, bringing in eight additional players to complete the rebuilding.
Here were the summer transfer window signings:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, €188 million)
Xabi Alonso (Liverpool, €63 million)
Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyonnais, €60 million)
Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow, €48 million)
Raúl Albiol (Valencia CF, €31 million)
Yoann Gourcuff (AC Milan, €36 million)
Douglas Costa (São Paulo FC, €18 million)
Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, €11 million)
Álvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool, €10.5 million)
Mamadou Sakho (PSG, €8.5 million)
Total: €474 million
Calderón spent the €280 million like he was on a shopping spree, flaunting his transfer capabilities.
As a result, the once-rich coffers were emptied, and Real Madrid was now burdened with debt.
This posed a significant obstacle to the club's operations.
They had to reduce their debt by 30% by the end of the year to gain favorable outcomes in the upcoming budget review.
However, negotiations with sponsors from the Arab world were underway, so he wasn't too concerned.
And by offloading existing players, they managed to earn back €85 million, giving them some breathing room.
A total of 11 first-team players were released:
Zinedine Zidane (retired)
Jerzy Dudek (retired)
Roberto Carlos (free transfer, SC Corinthians)
Fabio Cannavaro (free transfer, Juventus)
Míchel Salgado (free transfer, Liverpool)
Florent Malouda (€25 million, Manchester City)
Wesley Sneijder (€25 million, Inter)
Rafael van der Vaart (€17 million, Hamburg SV)
José Callejón (€8 million, Espanyol)
Javier Saviola (€7 million, SL Benfica)
Miguel Torres (€3 million, Valencia CF)
In addition, several Castilla players were released to adjust the wage structure.
This was when Calderón wielded the knife.
He overhauled the club's wage system, shifting its foundation from "star power and popularity" to "actual performance."
Some players voiced their dissatisfaction, but such issues were handed over entirely to Scolari.
A week before the season opener, Douglas Costa finally joined training, and preparations for the first match began in earnest.
But even after a few days, there were no signs of improvement in team chemistry.
The biggest problem was the growing factions forming among the players.
There was the pro-Spanish group: Raúl, Guti, Casillas, Ramos, and Marcelo.
Then there was the French group, led by Karim Benzema.
They would get along while Scolari was around, but the moment he left, sides were drawn again.
There was a reason behind this.
During preseason friendlies, Benzema hadn't gotten enough chances, and his frustration boiled over, sparking tension within the team.
At the center of that tension was Ho-young.
"Hey, Sakho. You got schooled by that guy how many times?"
Benzema asked, glaring at Ho-young, who was hard at work during training.
Sakho scratched his head.
"Well... he's just that good."
"Are you serious? Ugh, pathetic."
Benzema had developed a grudge against Ho-young since preseason.
Not because of any direct clash.
Just...
Annoying punk.
Benzema had scored two goals in one friendly and should have received plenty of attention from the media.
But that day, Ho-young scored a hat-trick in the first half alone, stealing all the spotlight.
Benzema didn't even get a post-match interview.
Everyone praised Ho-young.
It annoyed him.
It was already hard enough competing with Ronaldo. Now, Ho-young was another headache.
At this rate, he felt like he'd become just another expendable asset.
A few days ago, he openly voiced his displeasure in an interview, demanding to be used in a two-striker formation.
"But are you sure that's okay? I heard Scolari is really strict."
"You don't get it. If I make enough noise, they'll have to side with me eventually. Do you know how much they paid for me? You think they'll just leave me rotting on the bench?"
Benzema was confident.
Back at Lyon, this kind of approach had worked.
Back at Lyon, everyone jumped at my word.
He thought it would be the same here.
August 29 – Opening Day
Real Madrid hosted Deportivo at home.
Since the opponent was a mid-to-lower-tier team, the atmosphere in the home locker room was relatively relaxed.
But it didn't last long.
"Casillas, Marcelo, Pepe, Mertesacker, Ramos, Mahamadou Diarra, Xabi Alonso, Ronaldo, Ho-young, Robben, Raúl. Get ready."
Scolari walked in and announced the starting lineup.
A few eyes widened.
Benzema's name wasn't on the list.
The most shocked of all was Benzema himself.
What the hell? He's still sticking with a 4-2-3-1? Then what about my position? Why'd they even sign me?
As long as Scolari stuck to a single-striker system, Benzema couldn't secure a starting spot.
At this rate, he wouldn't even get 30 matches this season.
His gaze turned toward one player.
The team's number 10.
The one embodying the winning mentality.
Benzema gritted his teeth, eyes locked on Ho-young.
It's all because of that guy.
Not playing a two-striker formation meant Ho-young was being used as the attacking midfielder.
Benzema's eyes blazed with fury.
All he could do now was hope that Ho-young would mess up.
As the match began, Benzema clasped his hands together on the bench, practically praying.
But contrary to his hopes, Real Madrid dominated from the start.
Right at the center of it all was Ho-young.
[Real Madrid is deploying a wide formation with their 4-2-3-1 setup.]
[Ho-young, positioned centrally, scans both flanks.]
[A key pass to Ronaldo!]
Ronaldo received the through ball, cut inside after shaking off the defender, and fired a shot from his preferred zone.
It didn't go in, but it was only the beginning.
Ho-young's playmaking continued to shine as chances kept emerging.
Alonso, Ronaldo, Robben, and Raúl all played well, but the commentators focused their praise on Ho-young.
[Zidane's absence isn't even noticeable. It feels like we're watching a new kind of football.]
[Agreed. Ho-young keeps creating opportunities from different angles. If he keeps this up, something huge could happen this season.]
Ho-young didn't limit himself to a single position, freely expressing his unique style.
Passing, dribbling, ball retention.
He utilized all his talents to craft an original game.
He was like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
24th minute, first half.
Thud.
Ho-young received a pass from Alonso.
Whoosh!
[Ho-young flicks the ball backward with his toe!]
Receiving the ball, Ho-young immediately flicked it behind him with his toes.
But that wasn't all.
He instantly turned his body, shaking off the pressure from defensive midfielder Juan Rodríguez.
"Close the space!"
"He's breaking through! Focus on Ho-young!"
Knowing how dangerous Ho-young was, Deportivo players shouted frantically.
They moved according to their training, forming a defensive block.
But.
Tap. Thud!
Two quick directional changes cut through them in a zigzag.
[It's Ho-young's signature move! He slices past Juca in the second line and charges forward!]
[Ho-young is surging ahead! The space in front is wide open! Will he shoot?]
Ho-young had too many tools at his disposal.
Stopping all of them wasn't something you could simply train for.
Deportivo's defensive structure crumbled right there.
Now, Ho-young had a wide range of options.
Pass, mid-range shot, or dribble followed by a shot.
The choice was entirely his.
As the crowd roared—
[Ho-young attempts a direct run into the box!]
[Alberto Lopo closes in!]
[Ho-young, with a sudden long-range shooooot—]
"...Argh!"
Alberto Lopo threw his body at the shooting motion.
But the shot never came.
[It's another one! Ho-young's signature shot fake!]
The trademark move that fools defenders even when they expect it.
A shot feint.
Ho-young added one more touch, then flicked the ball left.
As if waiting for it, Cristiano Ronaldo made a lightning-quick run.
Boom!
Receiving the lofted pass, Ronaldo curled the shot first-time without any need for a trap.
The pass timing was so perfect, a touch wasn't necessary.
Naturally, it was a goal.
Thump!
[Goooooal!]
[Ronaldo scores on his La Liga debut! What a brilliant sequence. And what an assist from Ho-young.]
[Exactly. If anyone embodies the term 'playmaker,' it's Ho-young. That was a work of art.]
Ronaldo, having just scored his debut goal, didn't celebrate solo.
Instead, he walked straight to Ho-young and held out both hands.
With an assist like that, it would've been shameless to celebrate alone.
Clap!
They high-fived, celebrating the goal together.
They were still rivals, but now there seemed to be some mutual trust.
Watching it all unfold from the bench, Benzema groaned.
"Ugh..."
Seeing Ronaldo and Ho-young play like that in a real match was overwhelming.
He couldn't see a place for himself between them.
Damn it. Then why pay so much money to sign me?
Benzema felt like he had been reduced to nothing more than a jersey salesman.
Just then.
"Karim Benzema."
Scolari's voice came from the other side.
"Get ready. I'll sub you in near the end of the first half."
"Me?"
"Yes. Go out there and link up with Ho-young. You'll feel something completely different than you did during training."
"What did you just say?"
"You'll understand when you experience the flow of the game he creates. Why I use him as my playmaker."
"So you're telling me to follow that kid's lead?"
"No. I'm telling you that you won't be able to do anything else. Because it's the right way."
"Huh?"
"You'll understand once you're out there. Why I said what I said."
Later, Benzema would become known for having the "worst attitude," and he stood up now, full of irritation.
Unbelievable. You'd think Ho-young was Zidane or something.
Benzema, who had always admired Zidane, had long been annoyed by Ho-young being called "Zidane's successor."
And now.
Let's see it for myself. Just how great is he, really?
Benzema stood up and began warming up.
(To be continued.)