After the physical examination on the first day of training, Ronaldo took the initiative to find Gao Shen and told him about his contract renewal with Real Madrid.

"I have decided to renew my contract!" Ronaldo said directly.

Gao Shen was slightly surprised but quickly smiled and said he was very happy to hear the news.

Ronaldo did not disclose the specific details of the negotiations, but judging from earlier talks between both parties, Real Madrid had not made concessions on image rights. However, they offered him an annual salary of 17 million euros.

Ronaldo achieved his goal of securing a higher salary than Messi and others, but he compromised on image rights.

Both sides took a step back, and everyone was satisfied.

The renewal process, which had dragged on for a year and a half, finally came to an end.

At noon, Gao Shen also received a call from Valdano, who confirmed that he had been informed by Ronaldo's agent Mendes that the two parties were about to begin negotiating the details of the contract renewal.

With the general framework settled, the next step was to work out the specific terms.

This summer, Ronaldo had been linked with Manchester United, Monaco, and Paris Saint-Germain. Many media outlets even reported that PSG were willing to spend a staggering 150 million euros to sign the Portuguese star.

There is no smoke without fire. PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi made no secret of his admiration for Ronaldo.

In an interview with L'Equipe, Nasser said that Ronaldo was the best player in world football today.

"I know he still has more than two years left on his contract with Real Madrid. I have a very good relationship with Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid. If I want to sign Ronaldo, I will call Florentino Perez directly."

Not only Ronaldo, but PSG's wealthy chairman also publicly accused Barcelona of attempting to lure away their central defender Thiago Silva, calling it immoral.

Previously, Catalan media revealed that Barcelona were willing to pay Silva's release clause.

Nasser responded in a threatening tone: "If Barcelona trigger Thiago Silva's release clause, then we will directly pay Messi's release clause and sign Messi."

Catalonia laughed at the claim, since Messi had just renewed his contract with Barcelona in February. His release clause was 250 million euros, and nobody would be crazy enough to pay such a price.

In Madrid, Gao Shen felt even more amused when he saw many Catalan media mocking PSG's wealthy backers.

Barcelona, just keep doing this!

Perhaps one day, the Paris tycoons might really be provoked into madness, and a shocking transfer could happen sooner than expected.

…

With Ronaldo's renewal, rumors of him leaving Real Madrid completely vanished.

On the day of his renewal, the Portuguese star even said in an interview that he liked Gao Shen's coaching.

"He always makes me feel like I am an important part of his grand plan and a part of this great club, Real Madrid, and that's why I chose to stay."

Ronaldo declared that Real Madrid would definitely succeed.

Once the training camp started, AS revealed that Ronaldo was training for 10 hours a day, working harder than anyone else in the squad. He had remained disciplined during the summer break, keeping himself in excellent condition.

A reporter from AS tweeted: "Cristiano Ronaldo is charging towards the Ballon d'Or!"

The entire Real Madrid squad trained with great effort.

Buenaventura and Pintus learned from last season's experience and designed a more targeted and scientific training regimen for the team. The intensity was very high, but the players cooperated well and worked hard.

Just as Real Madrid were focused on training at Valdebebas, big news broke in Barcelona.

Vilanova announced his resignation.

The reason was the relapse of his illness.

Gao Shen and Real Madrid immediately sent their best wishes to Barcelona and Vilanova.

Barcelona quickly announced Vilanova's successor, Tata Martino.

According to Argentina's Ole newspaper, Martino's appointment as Barcelona's head coach was inseparable from Messi's strong recommendation.

"Barcelona's management hopes to mend the rift with Messi in this way."

The conflict between Barcelona and Messi centered on two main issues, one being Neymar's transfer.

Although the media and fans said little, there had long been rumors in football circles that Neymar's transfer fee was far higher than the 57 million euros Barcelona disclosed, and that his annual salary might even exceed Messi's.

But Barcelona consistently denied the rumors.

On the other hand, when Messi was investigated for tax problems, Barcelona did not provide enough support, which caused the Argentine's dissatisfaction.

Hiring Martino was also a move to win Messi back.

Meanwhile, La Liga announced that the scheduling of matches this season would be further adjusted.

In order to cater to Asian fans, Real Madrid had always hoped to arrange some matches at 12 noon. Barcelona, however, were very reluctant.

This season, La Liga considered holding its iconic match, El Clásico, at 12 noon.

This would undoubtedly be a landmark decision.

Of course, whether it happens depends on Barcelona's attitude. Real Madrid had already agreed.

It was also worth noting that Barcelona's training camp started a week later than Real Madrid's, only beginning on the 15th.

Many players who took part in the Confederations Cup would not return to the team until August.

Compared to Real Madrid's first day of training, when every player was present, Barcelona looked much lazier.

…

Real Madrid's brutal summer training camp in Madrid left Valdebebas filled with exhaustion and misery. But once the squad endured the devilish sessions, they began their friendlies.

Real Madrid's first warm-up match was against Bournemouth in a small English town.

This was a game with a huge gap in strength, and Gao Shen deployed a 3-4-3 formation.

The two goalkeepers each played a half. The key was Marcos Alonso and Nacho, whom Gao Shen was testing by pushing them to the two flanks of the midfield.

Casemiro dropped deeper, while Isco pushed forward, forming a large diamond in midfield.

The front three were Morata, Dzeko, and Jesé.

Gao Shen had already prepared himself mentally for chaos, and he could even accept a poor performance.

But surprisingly, just 9 minutes into the game, Isco threaded a through ball to assist Jesé, who scored.

Then Jesé returned the favor with a pass, and Dzeko finished.

The game quickly turned into a Real Madrid goal-fest, with goals pouring in.

By halftime, they were already leading 5-0.

In the second half, Real Madrid continued attacking fiercely, adding more goals.

Even Marcos Alonso got on the scoresheet.

In the end, Real Madrid defeated Bournemouth 9-0.

Gao Shen was left dumbfounded on the sidelines.

Come on, we came here to test formations and train, not to massacre the home team.

Do you still want to leave here alive?

But soon, Real Madrid proved that the first game was just an accident.

It wasn't that Real Madrid played too well, but that Bournemouth were far too weak.

After Bournemouth, Real Madrid traveled to France to face Lyon at the Gerland Stadium.

Gao Shen rotated again, sticking with the 3-4-3 he used in the previous match.

But against different opponents, the same tactics produced completely different results.

Real Madrid were beaten 2-0 by Lyon in the first half.

Gao Shen finally realized that this 3-4-3 diamond midfield was not workable.

In the second half, Real Madrid switched to a 3-5-2, which looked much better, but still failed to break through Lyon's defense.

From the 75th minute, Gao Shen made continuous substitutions and reverted to the familiar 4-3-3.

First, Jesé dribbled into the box on the left and was fouled, earning a penalty that Morata converted.

Then Morata broke into the box again, winning a corner. Casemiro rose to head the ball into the net, making it 2-2.

Before the final whistle, Real Madrid had one more chance. Vázquez broke down the right and crossed, Jesé struck at the far post, but his shot hit the post, missing a golden opportunity.

In the end, Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Lyon.

…

Three days later, at the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Real Madrid faced Paris Saint-Germain.

PSG were no weak side, while Real Madrid continued with their experimental formations.

Not only the players, but also the media and fans were already used to Gao Shen's style of friendlies.

He had always treated warm-up matches casually.

PSG's strength was evident, especially after signing Jorginho. Their midfield organization and passing improved greatly, while Cavani and Ibrahimovic had also developed excellent chemistry after a season together.

In the first half, Kurzawa crossed from the left, and Cavani scored from close range.

Just a minute later, Real Madrid countered quickly, and Benzema equalized with a low shot.

But in the 39th minute, Ibrahimovic headed the ball down for Cavani, who scored again, making it 2-1.

Three minutes later, Marcos Alonso crossed from the left, and Ronaldo scored with a close-range header, bringing it to 2-2.

Both sides traded attacks, but Real Madrid's midfield trio of Illarramendi, Pogba, and Verratti did not hold much of an advantage against PSG's Jorginho, Pastore, and Matuidi.

In the second half, both Gao Shen and Ancelotti made substitutions, but neither side could score again.

The match ended 2-2, giving Real Madrid two consecutive draws in their warm-up matches.

After the game, Gao Shen was satisfied with the team's performances across the three matches, believing they had largely achieved his objectives.

Still, many were confused by his experimental lineups.

What was the meaning behind such extravagant tinkering every preseason?

Some tabloids even speculated that Gao Shen planned to abandon the 4-3-3. But Gao Shen gave no explanation.

After the PSG match, Real Madrid finished their European schedule with one win and two draws from three warm-ups and headed for the United States.

Their first stop was Phoenix on the west coast.

Real Madrid would face the Los Angeles Galaxy in the opening round of the International Champions Cup.

In the other match, Juventus from Serie A would face Leeds United from the Premier League, with the winners set to meet Real Madrid.

Like many others, Gao Shen was also looking forward to Pochettino's Leeds United.

(To be continued.)