Moreover, over the past year alone, Su Hang had earned more than sixty million euros through Real Madrid's advertising revenue sharing.
Because of Su Hang's salary situation, Real Madrid were completely unable to sign anyone during the winter transfer window. Other players in the squad also began demanding higher wages, and the locker room quickly filled with tension and problems.
Su Hang was surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Many media outlets believed it was time for him to step aside at the peak and leave gracefully.
If he didn't retire soon, things would become truly ugly.
By comparison, Zinedine Zidane's decision to retire at the end of last season looked far more dignified.
Even though Real Madrid had tried to keep him with a huge contract and the fans couldn't bear to see him go, he retired the moment he said he would—without hesitation, without regret.
He left behind the most flawless image imaginable.
And Su Hang…
Soon after, "under pressure" from the fans, Su Hang chose to renew his contract with Real Madrid, accepting a massive pay cut.
This was the only time in two years that Calderón had ever "defeated" Su Hang, and he was so delighted that he couldn't sleep for days on end. From that moment on, Real Madrid fell completely under his control.
However, Su Hang had conditions for the renewal.
The first was that all bonuses would remain unchanged.
It was worth noting that while Su Hang's base salary had been eight million euros, his bonuses alone added up to nearly the same amount.
His bonuses were the real bulk of his income.
Calderón agreed. After all… Su Hang wasn't going to play anymore. Even if bonuses were offered, how could he collect them?
Goal bonuses? Could he even score?
Win bonuses? Would he even make the matchday squad?
In addition, Su Hang inserted a buyout clause.
Pay fifty million euros, and he could force his way out.
Calderón laughed even harder.
Fifty million?
At this point, someone might buy Su Hang for twenty million just for commercial value.
But from a competitive standpoint, he wasn't worth even five million!
Who would spend fifty million euros on Su Hang?
With the renewal completed, the first half of the La Liga season ended and the winter break began.
During the winter window, Real Madrid contacted several players, but none of the deals went through.
Players with real ability preferred to join in the summer, when the impact would be greater.
Besides, this season's Real Madrid was clearly a mess—already eliminated from both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. There was simply nothing appealing left to compete for.
In this way, Calderón secured verbal commitments from several stars, planning to go all out in the summer.
Florentino started the Galácticos era, right?
Then this summer, Calderón would launch the Cosmic Era!
As for the squad, he wouldn't keep a single piece of "dead weight."
Modrić, Su Hang—anyone who needed to go would go!
Yes!
Don't be fooled by Calderón renewing Su Hang's contract. There was no way he planned to keep him for three years.
This pay-cut renewal was merely a test.
Once Su Hang accepted it, Calderón would push even further.
Because that meant Su Hang truly had no leverage left.
Capitalists never stop when they're ahead.
Once they win, they take everything.
...
No one noticed that during this winter break, Modrić had grown noticeably stronger.
In fact, he had grown a bit too strong.
He had turned into a muscular brute—much like the speedster Traore years later. When his arms hung naturally, they couldn't even touch his sides, propped up by the muscles under his armpits.
Modrić's feel for the ball was completely ruined, and his performances in training grew worse and worse.
But… he had achieved the system's "lean and muscular" evaluation!
That meant—
The winter transfer window had just closed.
When Su Hang walked onto the training ground, everyone at Real Madrid was stunned.
A clear divide immediately appeared within the squad.
Ramos and the others warmly welcomed their elder leader back, though they worried whether Su Hang's body could still handle matches.
Some of the new signings, however, treated his return with complete indifference.
Head coach Schuster met him with a cold gaze.
After all, Su Hang hadn't played for half a year, and his touch in training was clearly off.
For an ordinary player, this would have been normal.
But judged by superstar standards, it was nowhere near enough.
At the very least, he was far less impressive than the similarly recovered Robben.
After training, when Schuster announced the squad list for the match two days later, he deliberately left Su Hang out.
Su Hang said nothing—but that night, he held a personal press conference, emotionally declaring that he had returned and would play in the next match.
Schuster was furious, grinding his teeth in frustration. He had no choice but to revise the squad list, though he still refused to start Su Hang.
After the winter break, La Liga Round 18 kicked off.
By the 60th minute, the score was still 0–0.
Su Hang could no longer stand it.
The team's attacking system was a mess.
Sneijder failed to take responsibility as the midfield core, and Baptista was no better.
Robben was constantly injured.
Saviola's decline came faster than expected—his spark was gone.
Metzelder was dreadful at the back.
Heinze was passable.
Pepe's fiery temper led to reckless red cards, seriously disrupting the squad.
Real Madrid's signings this season looked good on paper, but the results were disastrous.
If Zidane were still there, things might have been completely different.
Over the past six months, even though Su Hang couldn't play, he had watched countless matches.
He frequently bothered Zidane.
After all, Su Hang had long prepared for his transformation.
This change wasn't forced.
Rather, after Zidane's departure, he trusted himself more than any other "ordinary" player.
He wanted to become the one who dominated the ball.
In the 63rd minute, without any instruction from the coach, Su Hang began warming up, drawing immediate attention.
Two minutes later, he told Schuster he wanted to come on.
The two faced off, and the scene became painfully awkward.
In the end, Schuster substituted Su Hang for Robben.
You want to play?
Fine—I'll let you play!
I'll take off Robben, the best player on the pitch right now, and we'll see if you can fill that gap!
Robben was so furious that he kicked a water bottle flying beside the bench.
Yet just three minutes later, Su Hang cut in from the wing in a breathtaking solo run, charged straight into the penalty area, and smashed the ball into the near corner.
1–0!
Then, in just fifteen minutes, Su Hang scored twice more and assisted Van Nistelrooy.
A substitute hat-trick!
The stadium exploded.
As the long-lost "Siu" roar echoed through the stands, European football was shaken.
Had the King of Football returned?
The next day, the entire continent went into a frenzy.
Real Madrid fans spread the news everywhere.
One week later, at the Bernabéu—Su Hang's first home appearance of the season.
Starting the match, he delivered two assists in the first half alone.
In the second half, he scored with both head and foot, completing back-to-back hat tricks.
Real Madrid crushed La Liga powerhouse Sevilla 6–1.
The king who had once ruled this stadium without defeat was back.
At that moment, there was no doubt.
Real Madrid fans understood that sense of security better than anyone.
That night, the entire stadium erupted in celebration, chanting "Siuuuuu" three times in succession—experiencing a thrill they hadn't felt all season.
Yet in his post-match interview, Su Hang expressed dissatisfaction.
"Even though we won, the team's overall condition isn't good," he said.
"I didn't see effective organization. Our attacks were scattered, lacked coordination, and our defense wasn't aggressive enough."
"This doesn't feel like the Real Madrid of the past few seasons, and I'm disappointed."
"I'm not targeting any individual player. I believe everyone did their best, but the results weren't ideal. That probably comes down to our tactics."
"Schuster is a decent coach, but he may not be the best fit for Real Madrid. Over the past six months, it's hard to honestly say he's done a great job."
"After all, we've never been eliminated in the Champions League group stage before."
"This isn't entirely Schuster's fault, but the most urgent thing now is to find a head coach who understands Real Madrid—and understands me."
"We can't waste any more time. At the very least, in the league, we still have a chance to make things right."
Su Hang's interview caused a massive uproar.
It was practically a direct message to Real Madrid: change the coach.
Make an example of someone.
But the one being targeted wasn't Schuster—it was Calderón.
Because these words were effectively forcing Calderón to bring back Simon, whom he had previously kicked out.
At the same time, it was a blunt message to the rest of the squad: don't try to challenge me—we're not on the same level.
My opponent is Calderón.
Even the head coach is just a piece on our chessboard.
Don't involve yourselves. Understand?
The next day, Real Madrid officially announced Schuster's dismissal and paid his release clause.
Schuster said nothing. The club had already warned him: take the money and leave quietly.
Say nothing that might escalate the situation—especially nothing that might offend Su Hang.
Otherwise, Calderón would have to pay an even higher price to calm Su Hang's anger.
Soon after, Saint Simon returned to Real Madrid for the fourth time.
The first time, he brought them a league title.
The second time, he delivered a treble.
The third time, he delivered a second treble.
And this fourth time…
With Simon's arrival, Real Madrid's formation and starting lineup changed drastically.
He showed no concern for Robben's status or reputation, directly labeling him a "sixty-minute player."
Whether Robben liked it or not, if he started, he played no more than sixty minutes.
Sometimes, he'd even come off the bench as a surprise weapon.
Simon explained that this was for Robben's health.
Robben repeatedly fought for more stable playing time, but his requests were always rejected.
His agent voiced dissatisfaction again and again, but Simon's responses never changed:
"Stability comes before everything."
"I'm doing this for your own good."