Football: Messi, I am your wallbreaker!

Chapter 26 Military Order.

Meanwhile, compared to the mood of Atletico Madrid players who had finally ended their losing streak.

A group of people don't seem to be in a very good mood.

Atlético Madrid headquarters.

Top floor conference room.

The heavy soundproof door completely shut out the noise from outside, but the atmosphere inside the room was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

Atletico Madrid president Cerezo stood at the top of the long oval conference table, his face full of anger.

"Snapped!"

Cerezo grabbed a thick stack of newspapers and slammed them violently onto the table.

The newspapers were scattered and slid down to several high-ranking officials.

The front page headlines were filled with close-up photos of Li Jing on the field, a photo that conveyed three parts mockery and seven parts disdain.

"Can anyone tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Cerezo pointed at the newspaper, his voice so loud it almost shattered the glass.

"A friendly match! A damn friendly match! How could it turn into such a huge scandal!"

The club's CEO, Gil Marin, sat beside him, rubbing his throbbing temples with both hands, his voice extremely bitter.

"Mr. Chairman, we held Real Madrid to a draw last night, which should have been a good thing to boost the team's morale..."

"but!"

Jill Marin emphasized her words.

"This Chinese kid's negative publicity has completely overshadowed the game result! Nobody outside cares about the score anymore; everyone's just cursing us!"

"A good thing? You call this a good thing?"

Cerezo suddenly turned his head, pointed at Li Jing's face in the newspaper, and spat out a torrent of saliva.

"The sponsors called me three times this morning! All three main sponsors!"

Cerezo extended three fingers and shook them vigorously in mid-air.

"They made it clear that if this shameless troublemaker continues to be in the starting lineup, they will reassess their sponsorship contract for the second half of the season! They even threatened to withhold sponsorship fees!"

Cerezo braced his hands on the table, his chest heaving violently.

"We are a team with a century-long history! Not some kind of gangster thugs! The club's image is suffering a devastating blow!"

The media manager, sitting in the corner, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stood up nervously to give his report.

"Chairman... the situation is indeed very bad right now. Not only are Barcelona and Argentina fans attacking us online, but even many neutral fans feel that Li Jing has violated sportsmanship."

The supervisor swallowed hard, his voice growing softer and softer.

"The video of his dribble to waste time has been turned into a viral meme and is spreading like wildfire online. Some extreme fans have even posted on forums threatening to come to our training base tomorrow to protest with banners..."

"That's enough!"

Cerezo slammed his hand on the table, making the coffee cup in front of him vibrate and spill brown liquid.

"Call Simone! Call him now!"

Cerezo pointed at Gil Marin and gave him a death order.

"Tell him that no matter how good this kid is defensively, he absolutely cannot play in the next league match! Immediately keep him on the bench, or demote him to the reserve team to avoid the storm! We'll talk about it again after this public outcry has died down!"

"Bang!"

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

It was none other than strangers who came.

The one I just mentioned is Simeone.

As head coach, Simeone certainly doesn't deserve to enjoy a holiday at this crucial juncture.

He returned directly to Madrid overnight.

It was just a coincidence that I happened to witness this scene.

Simone strode in, dressed in a sharp black suit.

Without even knocking, he pulled out a chair, placed his hands on the back of the chair, and stared at Cerezo like a leopard ready to pounce.

The temperature in the conference room instantly dropped to freezing.

"Mr. Chairman, there's no need to make the call. I heard it perfectly clearly."

Simone's voice was extremely cold and had a very strong penetrating power.

Cerezo's anger flared even more when he saw Simeone.

He grabbed several termination warning letters and threw them directly at Simone.

"Diego! Look at this mess! Because of your damn new Chinese signing, the club's finances were already in serious trouble, and now they're about to get even worse!"

"Do you know how strained our finances have become this season after we brought in Falcao?"

"While Atlético Madrid's contributions are undeniable, I warn you, the club's image cannot be trampled upon like this!"

Simone didn't even glance at the warning letters, leaving them scattered on the ground.

"Image?"

Simone suddenly let out a cold laugh, a highly sarcastic smile curving his lips.

"Mr. Chairman, in the first half of the season we were completely outmatched, practically falling into the relegation zone! Every weekend we were treated like an ATM by other teams!"

Simone slammed his hand on the back of the chair.

"Back then, did we have a good image? People just thought Atlético Madrid was an easy target! A piece of trash that anyone could kick around!"

"You think that's fair to Atlético Madrid supporters?!"

Jill Marin tapped on the table, trying to smooth things over.

"Diego, calm down. He's just a greenhorn who's only just started his trial. A friendly match doesn't prove anything."

You can't sacrifice the entire club for the sake of a newcomer.

Even if we can tell you think highly of him.

"impossible!"

Simone suddenly sat up straight, his eyes extremely sharp, like a knife scraping across everyone present.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with whether I think he's a good candidate or not."

"Li Jing is now the core of my defense! He can transform that leaky horizontal defensive line into an iron shield! Without him, we simply couldn't withstand Real Madrid's relentless attacks in the second half!"

Cerezo, his face turning pale with anger, pointed at Simone's nose and roared:

"You can't use such underhanded tactics! I don't care what tactics you use, he absolutely cannot be on the roster for the next league match!"

Simone retorted: "You shouldn't be so short-sighted as to only look at the last three minutes!"

Without Li Jing, this match wouldn't have lasted that long at all.

Have you forgotten what our defense looked like in the first half of the season?

Moreover, even just considering those three minutes, I think it was the right thing to do!

Simone turned around and strode to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room.

He pulled open the blinds and pointed to the Calderon Stadium under the sunlight outside.

"Finance? Without results, where does the finance come from!"

Simone turned his head and stared intently at Cerezo.

"Do you want to lose gracefully, or win ugly? What Li Jing did on the field was exactly what I asked for! He took the blame for the whole team and bore all the criticism!"

"But we had a chance to win the game!"

"If that were a Europa League or Copa del Rey match, we could have gone to extra time with Real Madrid, and then it would have been a penalty shootout!"

Simone strode back to the conference table, gripped the surface tightly with both hands, and leaned forward with an imposing presence.

"Now you want me to throw him into the reserves? That will demoralize the entire locker room! Who will dare to fight for the team on the field then!"

Cerezo stood up without backing down, his tone extremely firm, and issued an ultimatum.

"Diego, this is the board's final decision! If you insist on protecting him, then you'll have to bear all the consequences!"

Cerezo stared intently into Simone's eyes, took a breath, and softened his tone.

"If he causes the team's sponsors to become disgusted and the team's performance to decline, and you've only just arrived, it won't be good for you!"

"At that point, fan support for you will plummet, and no one will be able to save your position as head coach!"

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Everyone looked at Simone, waiting for him to compromise.

After all, it's not worth risking your coaching career for a newcomer.

But Simone turned around, stared at Cerezo, and suddenly grinned.

That smile exuded an extremely crazy confidence, like that of a complete gambler.

"it is good."

Simone strode back to the other end of the conference table and slammed his hands on the table.

"Since you want consequences, I'll give you a guarantee! I won't demote Li Jing; he must start!"

Simone's voice boomed in the conference room, making everyone's eardrums ache.

"In exchange, I'll give you a written pledge!"

Simone held up two fingers.

"By the end of this season, I'll bring you a top-two finish in either the Copa del Rey or the Europa League!"

He clenched his fist tightly and slammed it heavily on the table.

"Or, I could lead my team into the top four of the league and secure a Champions League spot for next season!"

Upon hearing this, Cerezo and Gil Marin were both stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.

Atletico Madrid are currently ninth in the league, a long way from the top four.

The Copa del Rey and the Europa League are even more competitive, with strong opponents all around.

We won't talk about Real Madrid and Barcelona yet.

Valencia and Serbia, these top-ranked teams, are all formidable opponents.

This pledge is a gamble only a madman would dare to make!

Cerezo swallowed hard, his voice dry, and his momentum instantly weakened.

"Diego, do you know what you're saying? If you can't do it..."

"If I can't do it."

Simone interrupted him without hesitation, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve, leaving him no way out.

"I, Simeone, resign voluntarily! I will not accept a single penny of the severance pay from the club! Furthermore, I will hold a press conference to publicly admit to the media that it was my tactical failure, taking full responsibility and absolutely not tarnishing the club's image!"

The meeting room fell silent once again.

Only the central air conditioning vents emitted a faint whooshing sound.

Gil Marin looked at Simone's angular face, took a deep breath, turned to Cerezo, and nodded very slowly.

Cerezo gritted his teeth and stared at Simone for a full ten seconds.

"good!"

Cerezo slammed his hand on the table.

"Diego, you said it! If the results aren't good this year, you and that kid are both fired!"

"Think carefully, the mess the team made in the first half of the season shouldn't have been your fault!"

Simone breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, he's always connected to me!"

Then he turned around immediately.

He opened the conference room door and strode out.

……

(P.S.: Guys, Arsenal is top of the table again, sob sob. I'm also making a pledge: if Manchester City wins the title this season, I'll update with 2 words every day!)

During the serialization, feel free to discuss the game in the comments section of each chapter! The World Cup is coming up, and since I have nowhere else to vent, I'll just throw my thoughts into the chapter comments!

P.S.: By the way, if you like the book, please give it some monthly votes or leave a comment. Thanks everyone!