Chapter 178 The Turmoil
Victory seems to drown out all the noise and jarring sounds, especially after a series of big wins.
The boos from the Bernabéu stands finally stopped, and the Merengues were initially satisfied with Real Madrid's current performance.
However, Real Madrid did not find peace as a result. After the external storms subsided, internal conflicts within the locker room gradually emerged.
I'm talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and Casillas.
It all started after the new season began.
Real Madrid achieved two wins and one draw in their first three matches of the new season, including two league games and one Champions League game. That sounds pretty good, but in these three games, Real Madrid only scored a total of three goals, one of which was an own goal by the opponent.
The only two legitimate goals came from center-back Carvalho and attacking midfielder Fino, leaving the forward line, led by Ronaldo, scoreless.
Every move of a top team is closely watched, which has put Real Madrid under scrutiny due to their lack of attacking prowess, especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the Ballon d'Or title and has become the focus of criticism.
On September 18, in the third round of the league, Real Madrid played against Real Sociedad away. After taking several shots, Cristiano Ronaldo finally opened his scoring account.
This should have made him very happy, but just two days later, Casillas' girlfriend, Sara Carbonero, stabbed him in the back.
Sara Carbonero is a beautiful reporter and presenter for Spain's TV5. During the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, Carbonero represented the TV station in providing in-depth coverage of the Spanish national team, which brought her great fame.
The beautiful Carbonero not only won the hearts of the audience, but also captured the heart of Casillas, the captain of the Spanish national team.
After the Confederations Cup, Casillas began a relentless pursuit of Carbonero. Even though Carbonero had a stable boyfriend at the time, Casillas didn't care at all and willingly became a mistress to steal her away...
Thanks to insider information obtained from Casillas and the rumors surrounding her affair with him, the already popular Carbonero quickly rose to become the most popular female journalist in Spanish football circles.
After Spain eliminated Germany to advance to the World Cup final in the 2010 World Cup semi-final, Casillas could no longer contain his excitement and joy and kissed his interviewer, Carbonero, making their relationship public to the world.
Because of her romantic relationship with Casillas, many believe that Carbonero knows more about the inner workings of Real Madrid's dressing room than other journalists. Even the same information seems more credible coming from Carbonero than from other reporters.
Similarly, every word she says related to Real Madrid is amplified and interpreted by the outside world.
On September 20, just as Ronaldo opened his scoring account, Carbonero criticized him on a television program, saying that Ronaldo was selfish and put individualism first.
Since his rise to fame at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo has been constantly embroiled in controversy, and his transfer to Real Madrid has only intensified this torment. As a public figure, he's used to being judged, but while criticism from others is one thing, the presence of Carbonero, Casillas' girlfriend, makes it difficult for Ronaldo not to overthink things.
Cristiano Ronaldo sent Casillas a text message expressing his dissatisfaction. Instead of comforting him, Casillas replied in a text message: "My girlfriend is a journalist, and a journalist's job is to express opinions."
This caused friction between Ronaldo and Casillas.
Two days later, before the fourth round of the league match against Espanyol at home, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, general manager Jorge Valdano, and another high-ranking official, Padessa, stepped forward to mediate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Casillas, but the relationship between the two remained somewhat cold.
Cristiano Ronaldo's dissatisfaction with Casillas, and even the entire Spanish contingent, has been brewing for a long time; Carbonero's outspoken remarks were merely the trigger.
Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Fino, three Ballon d'Or winners who joined Real Madrid in the same year, along with Barcelona's star player Messi, are the four top superstars in football today. Among the four, Ronaldo has received the most criticism from fans.
As participants in the "La Liga duopoly," Real Madrid and Barcelona are not only natural rivals, but also naturally draw the ire of other smaller clubs in La Liga, in addition to their own satellite clubs.
The top stars in Real Madrid and Barcelona are the biggest targets in the eyes of the media and rival fans.
Within Real Madrid, Kaká was gentle and friendly, while Fino was calm and low-key; both had excellent public personas, and there were few points of attack against them off the field. Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo, with his flamboyant personality and constant media attention, attracted the majority of the media and rival fans' attention. His every move was over-analyzed, and he was frequently the target of rumors and insults.
The vulgar insult "that damn Portuguese guy" even became a popular slogan in La Liga for a period of time.
What saddened Ronaldo was that Messi, the star player of the derby rivals, received all-around protection from Barcelona, while the Spanish contingent led by Casillas rarely stood up for him. The only ones who spoke up for him were head coach Mourinho and foreign players such as Pepe, Marcelo, Fino, and Kaká.
This has been interpreted by some media outlets as a sign of division within the Real Madrid dressing room.
Cristiano Ronaldo's discontent finally erupted after Casillas defended his girlfriend.
Mourinho was very frustrated.
While Real Madrid was enduring a storm of external turmoil, the locker room managed to suppress its conflicts and unite against external forces. Now that external conflicts are less pronounced, internal conflicts are becoming increasingly difficult to contain.
In Mourinho's view, Ronaldo is a annoying, immature person who can't stand not being the center of attention and is always making a fuss to attract attention, which is like giving others ammunition to use against him.
He never expected Ronaldo to be as reliable as Fino and Kaká, because he himself is that kind of person. People who like them think they are naturally proud, while people who don't like them think they are arrogant.
He defends Ronaldo in front of the media simply because Ronaldo is his player. He doesn't care whether Ronaldo is good or bad in private. As long as Ronaldo performs well on the field and plays his due role in his tactics, that's enough for him.
But he does have a problem with Casillas.
He quickly learned that Casillas was behind the leak of his comments in the locker room, as Casillas was a loose cannon fodder who told his journalist girlfriend everything.
This made Mourinho very unhappy, but he was also unsure of what to do with Casillas.
Because Casillas wasn't too outrageous, he didn't leak anything that needed to be kept absolutely secret, like the roster. Instead, he used gossip-oriented things like the complicated relationships in the locker room and some people's private remarks to please his girlfriend. Sometimes, he would also reveal the club's recent activities in advance so that his girlfriend could expose them on TV shows and get a lot of attention.
Moreover, Casillas's big mouth didn't start when Mourinho took over Real Madrid; it started when Casillas and Carbonero were rumored to be linked, back when Pellegrini was still the manager of Real Madrid.
Casillas's leaking behavior is like a fly—it doesn't bite, but it's disgusting. Others have their opinions, but because of Casillas's status in the Real Madrid dressing room and the Spanish national team, they just complain a few times and then it's over.
Mourinho, who always emphasizes locker room discipline, dislikes Casillas's leaks, but he can't bring himself to criticize Casillas as a mole right now—he's new to the team and needs the support of the Spanish contingent, and Casillas is the leader of that contingent.
Now a rift has developed between Ronaldo and Casillas, and after the club's attempts to mediate failed, the pressure has shifted to Ronaldo.
If it were up to his true intentions, he would definitely sell Casillas outright or bench him to wake him up, but he can't do that now. His position is not yet secure, and Real Madrid can't do without Casillas.
This left Mourinho feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, a very difficult situation.
After pondering and agonizing for a long time, Mourinho suddenly thought of Fino.
Within Real Madrid, Fino held a very privileged position.
Perhaps it's because his Milan imprint is too deep, but he always seems like an outsider at Real Madrid. Of course, he gives his all in the game and is absolutely worthy of his contract, but in other aspects, he is indifferent and detached.
He never expresses his love and loyalty to the club or the fans. His attitude is so open and honest that Meringer can't even morally blackmail him with love and loyalty. But his performance on the field is just too outstanding. Meringer can only close his eyes and imagine that he loves Real Madrid, but his Chinese heritage carries a shy gene that makes him embarrassed to express it.
That must be it! If they didn't love him, why would they go to such lengths against the Brazilians for the club's expensive asset—Kaka? If they didn't love him, why would they back down when they couldn't buy a midfield maestro? They clearly love him to death!
The same applies to the locker room. He doesn't form cliques, doesn't participate in any locker room disputes, doesn't try to get close to the club's management, and never causes trouble for the club. He gives off a "let the chaos rage on, I'll just play football quietly" vibe.
Individual ability is always the foundation for standing in the locker room. If, in addition to strong individual ability, one is also sincere and friendly, and adept at understanding and navigating interpersonal relationships, then that player will definitely be the most popular type of player in the locker room.
Fino is that kind of person; he's very popular in the locker room, and both Spanish and foreign players like him a lot.
Even Florentino Pérez has publicly expressed his admiration for him on multiple occasions. The last player that Florentino liked so much was Zidane.
This guy is a natural locker room order keeper!
Everyone would give him some face, and his aloof status and his consistent non-alignment style naturally give people a sense of neutrality and impartiality.
When Mourinho asked Fino to intervene, Fino didn't want to get involved. Casillas was a pure Real Madrid player from the Real Madrid youth academy and the current Real Madrid captain. He didn't care about the club being embroiled in scandals and standing in the eye of the storm. What did he, a Milan player, care about?
But Mourinho's point is also valid. Casillas's behavior should be taken seriously. Right now, he's only leaking some locker room gossip. If this continues, who can guarantee that his girlfriend's appetite won't grow bigger and bigger? Will Casillas leak more crucial information, such as tactics and the squad list, just to please her? After all, they've all witnessed Casillas's love-struck tendencies.
Moreover, if Casillas' girlfriend can talk about Ronaldo, she can talk about other teammates. Sooner or later, this will lead to the breakdown of the locker room. How can a divided locker room unite to fight Barcelona?
This immediately made Fino's attitude serious. No matter how much he argued or made a scene, nothing could affect his motivation to win. After leaving Milan, winning was all that mattered to him on the field.
He planned to find an opportunity to give Cassie a strong dose of medicine.
-----------------------
The author's note: It's true that Casillas' girlfriend criticized Ronaldo, and the timeline of events is also true.
Casillas and his girlfriend are both quite complicated. Florentino Pérez had just held a press conference to clarify that the Real Madrid team was harmonious, and then his girlfriend went on a TV show to contradict him, saying that the Real Madrid players had zero communication with Mourinho and that Mourinho would definitely leave at the end of the season. [laughing and crying emoji]
During those years, the Real Madrid dressing room was riddled with leaks. Casillas did not admit to being the mole, but his girlfriend always had inside information to leak out. Whether it was what Casillas said or not is a matter of opinion!
I tend to think it was Cassie who said it. If the teachers have different opinions, just consider it a personal interpretation for the sake of the plot!
The fundamental reason for Casillas and Mourinho's opposition is their differing attitudes towards Barcelona. Before Mourinho joined Real Madrid, the relationship between Barcelona and Real Madrid wasn't as bad as it became later.
Mourinho wanted Real Madrid to unite in their hatred of Barcelona, constantly stirring up antagonistic emotions between the two sides.
But Casillas was the captain of the Spanish national team, and those were years when the Spanish national team was making great strides. Barcelona also had a large number of national team players, so Casillas was naturally unwilling to cause trouble with the Barcelona players and affect the national team's performance.
The timeline in the article shows that Mourinho and Casillas haven't completely fallen out yet, so they should quickly resolve this potential dressing room conflict.
Thank you everyone for your support! [cat emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
