Chapter 206 - I Want Absolute Control

The four teams qualifying for next season's Champions League are Valencia (Champions), Mallorca (Runners-up), Real Madrid (Third Place), and Deportivo La Coruña (Fourth Place). Meanwhile, Barcelona, Celta Vigo (Sixth Place), and Copa del Rey runners-up Athletic Bilbao will represent La Liga in the UEFA Cup. Since Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey, the tournament's runner-up, Athletic Bilbao, secured a spot in the UEFA Cup.

On the La Liga top scorer list, Diego Tristán claimed the Pichichi Trophy with 21 goals, followed by Mallorca's Luque with 20 goals. Tied for third place were Morientes and Kluivert, both with 18 goals. Three players—Saviola, Catania, and Espanyol's Raúl Tamudo—each scored 17 goals. Raúl, plagued by injuries, finished the season with only 14 goals, while Eto'o, Mallorca's second top scorer, netted 12 goals. Ronaldinho, Mallorca's third-best scorer, had 11 goals and 13 direct assists, making him a rare "double-double" player.

La Liga had strict assist criteria, only counting passes that led to an immediate goal without the scorer dribbling more than a meter before finishing. With 13 direct assists, Ronaldinho's numbers were already terrifying.

This season, Mallorca's attacking trident solidified its reputation.

As the Champions League teams began assembling for next season, Mallorca also saw a series of call-ups for international duty.

Eto'o (Cameroon), Gamarra (Paraguay), Van Buyten (Belgium), and García (Uruguay) were all set to participate in the upcoming World Cup. When Argentina, Brazil, and Spain announced their final squads, Mallorca enjoyed a windfall of selections!

Argentina's coach Marcelo Bielsa struggled for a long time in choosing his goalkeepers. Celta Vigo's Caballero was a regular choice, and Barcelona's Bonano, despite limited club appearances, was a veteran for Argentina. The final spot was a toss-up between Franco and Burgos.

Franco had better form and reputation, but Burgos, an experienced international, wouldn't complain about being a backup. If Franco made the team, would he create trouble for the starting position?

After La Liga ended, Bielsa made his decision—Burgos had a costly error in Atlético Madrid's final Segunda División match, where his mistake allowed Albacete to force a 1-1 draw. That result saw Atlético Madrid finish fourth, missing out on promotion by just one point to Sporting Gijón!

For two consecutive seasons, Atlético failed to secure promotion. This was a devastating blow for a historic club. Even with young Fernando Torres shining, Atlético still couldn't return to La Liga.

Franco, meanwhile, had a fantastic season with Mallorca, finishing as La Liga runners-up and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals. This contrast convinced Bielsa to favor Franco over Burgos.

Franco was ecstatic about his call-up—it was the reason he worked so hard all season! Meanwhile, Ibagaza, who left Mallorca for Valencia in hopes of making the national team, also earned a call-up, edging out Celta Vigo's Gustavo López.

For Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari controversially dropped Romário, instead choosing Ronaldinho. With Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho in attack, Scolari didn't see a need for another big-name striker. Instead, he preferred Edílson and Luizão, two lesser-known but obedient squad players who wouldn't threaten the starting lineup.

Unfortunately, Thiago Motta failed to impress Scolari. In midfield, he chose Emerson (Roma), Gilberto Silva (Atlético Mineiro), and Kléberson (Athletico Paranaense) over Motta.

Motta was disappointed—his club performances were top-tier this season, yet he was left out.

As for Spain, coach José Antonio Camacho didn't overlook La Liga's second-place finishers.

Center-back Nadal earned a national team call-up after an outstanding season. With Spain only selecting three true center-backs, and Puyol often playing fullback while Helguera could push into midfield, Nadal had a strong chance to partner Hierro in central defense. This would be a perfect send-off for Nadal's international career.

Capdevila, for his consistent performances, edged out Celta's Juanfran to become Spain's backup left-back. Barcelona's Sergi's injury also played a role, giving Capdevila a shot to compete with Deportivo's Romero for a starting spot.

Rufete secured his place as a right midfielder, beating Victor (Deportivo La Coruña). While he was unlikely to start due to the presence of Mendieta, Luis Enrique, and Joaquín, making the squad was already a huge achievement.

Luque, as La Liga's second-top scorer, was an obvious inclusion. Alongside Raúl, Morientes, and Tristán, he would compete for a starting role.

With four players called up, Mallorca surpassed Barcelona and Deportivo, tying with Valencia as the second-biggest contributor to Spain's World Cup squad (behind Real Madrid's five selections).

Additionally, former Mallorca players Romero, Valerón, and Tristán (Deportivo La Coruña) were also in Spain's squad. Since Tristán was a Mallorca academy graduate, nearly one-third of Spain's World Cup squad had ties to Mallorca—a shocking statistic.

Although Mallorca's four call-ups weren't star players, it still demonstrated the club's strength.

Of Mallorca's starting XI, only Kaladze, Motta, and Jorge missed the World Cup—Kaladze's national team (Georgia) was too weak, Motta faced too much competition in Brazil, and Jorge was too old.

When this realization dawned, people marveled at Mallorca's rise. Their recent success was no fluke.

Champions League Final & The Offseason

Four days later, Real Madrid won the Champions League by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1. Zidane's stunning volley and Raúl's opener sealed Madrid's second major title of the season.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, suffered an unprecedented triple heartbreak—in just two weeks, they lost the Bundesliga title, the German Cup final, and the Champions League final, earning them the nickname "Treble Runners-up".

José felt sympathy for Leverkusen. Even though Mallorca's La Liga runner-up, Champions League quarterfinals, and Copa del Rey semifinals weren't as spectacular, he would rather have those achievements than be a "Treble Runners-up."

With the season over, the football world shifted focus to the 2002 World Cup.

While some club owners and managers saw the World Cup as a scouting opportunity, José didn't care much.

He already knew this World Cup wouldn't produce many breakout stars. Senegal's squad flopped after the tournament, Turkey's players were solid but not extraordinary, and even their star goalkeeper Rüştü flopped at Barcelona. Hasan Şaş was talented but non-EU, making him a poor signing for Mallorca.

Even the so-called "Turkish prodigy" Ilhan Mansız ended up quitting football for figure skating.

Since this World Cup lacked true hidden gems, José had no interest in scouting it.

Instead, he attended Mallorca's shareholders' meeting.

Despite the term "meeting," it was just Alemany Sr., Alemany Jr., and Grande present.

José noticed Grande looked significantly older than last year.

His failure to extract funds from Mallorca to invest in his business projects had clearly weighed heavily on him. His company's investors were growing impatient.

Now, Grande was counting on Mallorca's profits to fund his ventures. With $26 million in revenue, his 30% stake meant he expected $7.8 million in dividends.

Grande was just starting to celebrate, but José shattered his dreams instantly.