"The whole of Italy is your enemy now, huh?" Zidane joked as he walked into Gao Shen's office.

  Gao Sheed him with open arms, an exaggerated smile, and a warm hug. "Ha! What wind blew you from warm Frao cold Naples, my friend?"

  Zidane ughed awkwardly, thinking to himself that France was actually much colder than the moment. But he knew Gao Shen was just teasing him, so he pyed along.

  It had been a long time sihey'd seen each other, and Gao Shen had been so sed with work that he asked the club to quietly send someoo pick Zidane up from the airport without attrag attention. The entire process was discreet and private.

  After some pleasantries, Zidaook a gnce around Gao Shen's office. It was simple but well-equipped, though a little messy.

  "What? You don't work with the coag staff anymore?" Zidane quipped, sarcastically.

  Gao Shen was a little embarrassed, rubbing his head as he realized the state of his office. "Ah, well… sometimes I like to take a break, you know?"

  He quickly ged the subject, inviting Zidao sit down while he prepared some special tea he'd brought from a.

  Boiling the water, rinsing the tea utensils, and brewing the tea all part of a meticulous process that soon filled the room with the rich aroma of tea leaves.

  "So, why are you really here?" Gao Shen asked with a grin, handing Zidane a cup.

  "You've beealk of the town tely. I heard the whole of Italy is against you," Zidane chuckled.

  Gao Shen shrugged with a helpless smile. "I don't get it either. I've always been a perfectly friendly guy, haven't I?"

  Zidane nearly spat out his tea ughing. "You? Friendly? e on."

  Gao She a straight face, pretending to be offended. "Hey! I'm being serious here. What's not friendly about me?"

  Zidane shook his head with a smile, setting his cup down. "I've noticed something about you you've gotten a lot better at brushing things off. That skin of yours has gotten much thicker."

  Gao Shen grinned. "Okay, okay. If yoing to insult me, I'll call up my Padins ahem trimmar to let those brutal orcs deal with you!"

  It was clear that Zidane had moved past the shadow of the World Cup final defeat. Siiring, he had spent his days rexing with his wife and children, enjoying life in both Frand Spain. He had no immediate pns to return to professional football.

  For Zidahe stress of the professional game was no longer something he wao deal with. The pressure, whether as a pyer or a coach, was intense.

  Fao Shen, it was different. He was still at the beginning of his career, hungry for success and stantly pushing forward.

  Zidane's visit to Italy was mainly to catch up with Gao Shen and give him a bit of grief for missing the World Cup final.

  In fact, Zidane had arranged everything fao Shen tickets, hotel rooms, everything. But Gao Shen never showed up.

  "You didn't even e to the World Cup final! The tickets were free, and the hotel was already booked! Do you know how angry I was?" Zidane feigned annoyance.

  Gao Shen burst out ughing. "So that's why you headbutted Materazzi in the final? You were mad at me?"

  Zidane rolled his eyes and ughed. "He looked too much like you buzzing in my ear the whole game, talking nonstop. I just couldn't take it anymore."

  Gao Shen shot back, ughing, "Oh please, you and Materazzi look alike. You're both troublemakers."

  The two friends exged pyful banter, ughing like they hadn't in a long time. Despite what many thought, Zidane wasn't dwelling on the past. Life goes on, and so does football.

  Back when Gao Shen coached Real Madrid and Zidane was still a pyer, their retionship rofessional. But now, with Gao Shen havi Madrid and Zidaired, their friendship had deepened.

  Especially after being apart for so long, they had a lot to talk about. Zidane eveioned how this year's Spanish professional coag summit had felt a bit empty, with her Rijkaard nor Capello attending.

  "Why didn't they go?" Gao Shen asked, curious.

  "Well, Rijkaard probably didn't want to be reminded of how you stole the double from him st season," Zidane joked.

  "And Capello?" Gao Shen tinued.

  "Capello? Oh, please, with his pride? There's no way he'd sit through a summit with people talking about your success at Real Madrid. Plus, didn't you beat him with Juventus st season too?"

  Gao Shen couldn't help but ugh. "Yeah, it does seem like I've caused a bit of trouble wherever I go."

  Zidane smirked. "The problem is that you're too young. People aren't used to seeing someone ye outsmart them."

  Gao Shen houghtfully. "You're probably right. If it had been someone like Ferguson or Wenger beating them, they could take the loss. But when it's a 25-year-old like me, it stings a little more."

  Zidane alsht up how Real Madrid was struggling a bit this season. The team that Gao Shen had left behind was solid, but Capello's style didn't fit well with the pyers. Despite this, pyers like Beckham, De Red, Arbeloa, and Negredo had all flourished, thanks to the foundation Gao Shen had id.

  "Do you know something? More and more Real Madrid fans are saying they miss you," Zidane said with a smile.

  "Really?" Gao Shen wasn't surprised. He had read simir things in the press.

  Fans and media were fickle. They often didn't realize what they had until it was go was the same when Gao Shen was at Real Madrid people stantly reminisced about the days of Vite del Bosque.

  "Now that yone, people are starting to appreciate your work. Florentino, Butrague?o, and Valdano all asked me to send you their regards. They're keeping an eye on you, especially with all the headlines ing out of Italy. It's like you're being the publiemy number one over there."

  Zidane seemed amused by this, but he also admired Gao Shen for it.

  To be great, you had to be different. Being liked by everyone was often a sign of mediocrity.

  Even Sacchi, during his time coag A, had faced stant criticism. Now he was sidered one of the greatest tactis in football history.

  Gao Shen was in a simir situation. Being at the ter of troversy wasn't a bad thing it meant he was making an impact.

  Gao Shen, for his part, was grateful for his time at Real Madrid. The es he had made at the club had opened doors for him in ways he couldn't have imagined. It had broadened his horizons and given him the ce to work with some of the most iial figures in football.

  "I'm lucky," Gao Shen said. "I've met a lot of great people in this game. I just o make sure I don't waste the opportunity."

  Zidane nodded in agreement. "e on, stay for a few days," Gao Shen suggested.

  "Why?" Zidane raised an eyebrow.

  "Well, you're not doing much these days, right? And Naples has some cool spots to visit. Board and lodging are all on me. You explore the city, rex. sider it an apology for missing the World Cup final," Gao Shen said with a mischievous grin.

  Zidane scratched his bald head, unsure what to make of the offer. "You're not usually this generous."

  "e on! I've always been like this. You just didn't know me well enough before."

  "Yeah, right. What's the real reason?"

  "Why do I need a reason? It's not like you're a pyer anymore, and you don't have a coag lise yet. What could I possibly want from you?"

  But Zidane wasn't buying it. His skeptical expression said it all.

  Finally, Gao Shen sighed, dropping the act. "Alright, alright. I've got a few pyers on my team that could really use some of yuidance."

  Zidane smirked, finally uanding. "I k! This is what you were after all along."

  "I've got this guy Hamsik he's an attag midfielder, reminds me of Nedved a bit. And then there's Sánchez, who pys on the wing. Could really use some tips. Oh, and Rakitic"

  "Hold on, hold on," Zidaerrupted. "This sounds like you wao be your assistant coach!"

  "You've got Guardio already, don't you?" Zidane added, amused.

  "Yeah, but Guardio's been w more with the midfielders. You're the attag expert."

  Zidane shook his head, ughing. "Alright, why don't I just call up David Beckham and bring him over too?"

  "Hey, don't joke! My defenders could use some tips on long passes!" Gao Shen quipped back.

  Zidane eechless, but all he could do was ugh. It seemed like Gao Shen was turning Naples into a football academy, bringing in legends to help train his pyers.

  Though he had e to che Gao Shen, Zidane now realized he had been roped into something much bigger.

  "I stay for a few more days," Zidane finally agreed, "but only because you promised food, drink and fun.

  In fact, this is a high-level idea, so there must be something more to it, right?

  He discovered a very iing phenomenon: successful coaches, like Zidane, Ai, and Guardio, often have a background as excellent football pyers. However, this isn't always the case.

  There are many great stars who haven't been able to effectively teach pyers after transitioning to head coaches. Why is that?

  Because they know how to py, but not how to teach.

  The most typical examples are Maradona, as well as Van Basten and Rijkaard.

  Gao Shen believes that this presents an opportunity for the young pyers in Naples. How much they learn in just a few days depends on their own fortunes.