Northwest of Madrid, inside the president's office at Real Madrid headquarters.
Florentino Pérez had been in a good mood all season.
After last season's chaos and frequent managerial changes, Real Madrid had finally stabilized under a capable coach, and their on-field performances reflected that progress.
Especially in the 10th round of La Liga, when Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 away at Camp Nou with two goals from Mbappé, the victory felt like redemption for the humiliation of the previous season.
After 14 rounds, Real Madrid had lost only once and drawn twice, sitting six points clear at the top over second-placed Barcelona.
Mbappé was comfortably leading the scoring charts, netting goals at an incredible pace.
Meanwhile, Messi's efficiency had clearly declined this season.
At 32, the Argentine superstar was showing signs of aging, something no player could escape.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, Messi had stood alone in La Liga, but even Ronaldo, despite remaining in the headlines, was clearly past his physical peak.
The era of the two unrivaled superstars was nearing its end.
Now, Real Madrid was pushing Mbappé to the forefront.
With 14 goals and 5 assists in 14 league matches, his stats were remarkable.
In the Champions League, Mbappé had scored 7 goals in the first five rounds, second only to Haaland's 11 for Leeds United.
The Norwegian striker's numbers were explosive.
Behind them was Bayern Munich's Lewandowski with 6 goals.
The two hottest players in European football were undoubtedly Erling Haaland of Leeds United and Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid.
Yet there was a clear difference between them.
Mbappé featured regularly in both La Liga and the Champions League, while Haaland was mainly used in the Champions League and as a substitute in the Premier League.
That was primarily for his protection, as excessive match pressure could easily cause injuries.
Modern clubs had become far more scientific with player management, avoiding the mistakes of the early 2000s, when players like Robben suffered from overuse and long-term strain.
UEFA and FIFA were even exploring ways to expand substitution limits, further reducing the physical burden on players.
"There are rumors that Manchester United want to sign Haaland," said José Sánchez, glancing at Florentino.
"Manchester United?" Florentino raised an eyebrow, then laughed. "They want to poach Haaland too?"
"It's true," José replied. "I've received information that Ed Woodward even held a meeting with former legends and advisors for input. He also leaked to the media promises of huge wages and agent fees."
Florentino shook his head and sighed. "Ed Woodward is a businessman, but like many old-fashioned Americans, he's arrogant and self-righteous, thinking his way is the only way."
There were now several American owners in European football, and after acquiring clubs, they all tried to impose the American sports model.
They genuinely believed it was superior.
For example, they couldn't understand why there should be promotion and relegation.
Wouldn't it be better, they thought, if a few clubs simply made money among themselves?
They also balked at the idea of spending heavily on youth academies.
One story still made Florentino chuckle.
An American owner, after acquiring a European club, watched a match in which one of his players scored a stunning goal. Immediately afterward, he asked an absurd question.
"What do we do with that ball?"
The people around him were puzzled.
Of course, the ball goes back to the center circle for the restart. What else?
The American, however, thought the ball had commercial value.
He suggested auctioning it off, reasoning that such match-used balls could easily fetch hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Multiply that by the number of goals scored every season, and it would create an extra revenue stream.
That was how differently they thought.
Ed Woodward's mindset was similar: everything revolved around profit.
"No wonder Gao Shen mocked them, saying Manchester United can't even qualify for the Europa League," Butragueño said with a laugh.
If Ferguson heard that, he would probably explode.
The Red Devils empire he built with decades of hard work had been completely ruined.
"Should we make a move for Haaland too?" José Sánchez asked carefully.
A brief spark flashed in Florentino's eyes, but he quickly shook his head.
"We already have Mbappé. There's no need to get involved."
"But Barcelona seem interested in him too."
"Then let them run into a wall," Florentino said with a smirk. "Given Leeds United's current revenue, if it weren't for Gao Shen's restraint, their wage bill would already be sky-high. I expect him to gradually increase salaries in the next few years."
"In the end, their pay scale won't match ours, but it won't be far behind. Their top salary will likely be capped at around £250,000 per week, which is reasonable. Combined with their commercial appeal, the players will be satisfied."
Everyone knew Leeds United's current top salary was £150,000 per week. It was only natural for them to raise it in stages.
"Gao Shen is a shrewd man. I heard he didn't rush to renew Haaland's contract. Instead, he focused on promoting him online and in the media. It's obvious he's building Haaland's brand. He wouldn't let him go now."
After a pause, Florentino continued, "We already have Mbappé. Bringing in Haaland might not even make sense from a business standpoint, let alone tactically."
José Sánchez and Butragueño both nodded thoughtfully.
Making the right choice was the mark of true wisdom.
For Real Madrid, signing Haaland wasn't impossible.
But the question was whether the cost would justify the benefit.
"Whether Haaland stays at Leeds United, goes to Barcelona, or transfers elsewhere, it doesn't matter," Florentino said. "I just hope he truly becomes great and forms a new generation of superstars alongside Mbappé. That would make European football even more exciting."
The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had enthralled the world for over a decade.
If another duo could rise to replace them, it would be good for Real Madrid, for other clubs, and even for UEFA and FIFA.
With advances in training, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, both individual and team performances had reached new heights.
The most striking proof was the efficiency of Haaland and Mbappé in front of goal.
One reason football had struggled to keep up in the fast-paced mobile era was its relatively slow rhythm and scarcity of goals.
Simply put, there weren't enough moments of excitement.
That was why UEFA and FIFA's reforms were geared toward more attacking football and higher-scoring matches.
The proposal for five substitutions was part of that effort.
With only three, the final minutes often turned into wasted time.
But with five, the game could stay intense until the end.
And in the future, the number could even rise to seven, or substitution limits could be removed entirely, creating a different format altogether.
The competition would be faster and more thrilling than ever before.
Those were matters for the future.
For now, Real Madrid's focus was on elevating Mbappé's global profile.
"Gao Shen is truly a genius," Florentino said with admiration.
Leeds United was his creation, and both Mbappé and Haaland had emerged from there.
Currently, Gao Shen oversaw football operations for three major clubs: Leeds United, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain. While he didn't hold absolute control in Madrid or Paris, his influence was undeniable.
Even UEFA President Ceferin now treated him with great respect.
"I've heard that recently, many clubs have started reaching out to his company, wanting to collaborate," said José Sánchez.
"Really?" Florentino laughed heartily. "Then he's made a killing!"
Since he couldn't monopolize the market, Gao Shen had chosen to expand it, helping more clubs and enlarging European football's global reach.
"It's not easy, though," Butragueño added with a smile. "He's been recruiting and training people everywhere. The business is expanding so fast that his company can hardly keep up."
Everyone in the room burst into laughter.
His brilliance was there for all to see.
At present, Real Madrid led La Liga, while Paris Saint-Germain were far ahead in Ligue 1, still undefeated.
Leeds United's form in the Premier League had dipped slightly, but they were third, just three points behind Manchester City and one point behind Liverpool.
For a club that had sold ten key players over the summer, such results were outstanding.
They had also won all five of their Champions League matches, and Haaland had become a global superstar.
Moreover, young players like Ansu Fati, Pedri, Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Foden, and Gvardiol had all shown impressive development this season.
Leeds United's youth academy had become a true goldmine, overflowing with talent.
Sometimes, when Florentino and his colleagues thought about it, they couldn't help but marvel.
No one could believe a single club could produce so many elite players year after year.
It was almost unimaginable.
Perhaps only someone like Gao Shen could build such a club and achieve such a miracle.
(To be continued.)