Chapter 213: The Greatest Challenge

After a detailed discussion with Pirri, José had a rough estimate in mind—it was indeed highly feasible. If this proposal became a reality, Mallorca's reputation could skyrocket!

But there was no rush. José didn't need to hurry back to Mallorca just yet. The initial groundwork would be handled by Pirri step by step. Right now, José's priority was to finalize the transfers of Belletti and Kaká after the World Cup, and only then would he return to complete what would be a difficult yet thrilling transfer.

This season, Mallorca was bound to see major personnel changes—José was well aware of this. After two consecutive seasons of outstanding performances, many of Mallorca's key players had undoubtedly caught the attention of major clubs. The reason there was no such situation last summer was that the big clubs were still observing. After all, European football had seen countless cases of players shining for just one season before fading into obscurity. Only those who could maintain consistent, high-level performances for more than a single season could prove their true abilities.

Big clubs weren't reckless spenders. Even after long-term scouting, they wouldn't just throw money around carelessly. Take Kaladze, for example. Back then, AC Milan hesitated for a moment, and Mallorca swooped in to sign him. It wasn't that AC Milan couldn't compete with Mallorca for his signature—it was simply that they lacked the patience to nurture raw talent. Their preference was to let others refine the players first and then take them once they were ready-made.

This approach had its advantages—players could contribute immediately. After all, top clubs had limited room for young players to develop, and Real Madrid was the best example of this philosophy. Of course, there were downsides too, mainly that it required spending more money. But with the high profits brought by the Champions League's new format, spending extra money wasn't a concern for the top clubs.

Now that Mallorca's players had proven themselves with two solid seasons, they were much more likely to be tempted by offers from elsewhere. Kaladze was just the first starter to be sold—he wouldn't be the last. Selling these high-performing players and gradually nurturing new, more promising talents to generate transfer profits for the club's growth was all part of José's plan. As long as the price was right, he had no one he absolutely couldn't sell. He was confident that, no matter who left, he could use his knowledge and instincts to bring in even better players.

Selling Kaladze had earned Mallorca €17 million, while signing Senna had only cost €1 million. José firmly believed that Senna could fully fill Kaladze's role—perhaps even better. Though he wasn't as versatile as Kaladze, his defensive midfield abilities and attacking support were exactly what Mallorca needed.

Of course, it would take some time for him to fully showcase his capabilities.

Bringing in Kaká was part of a bigger plan—a precautionary move in case Ronaldinho left. With his dazzling World Cup performances and stellar displays in the Champions League last season, Ronaldinho had now firmly established himself among the elite players. Major clubs were bound to come knocking—it was just a question of which one would make a move first.

Ronaldinho's release clause stood at €35 million. To José, that price was already too low. His actual market value far exceeded that amount. However, until the World Cup was over, he couldn't negotiate a contract renewal. If someone activated the clause, Mallorca would have no choice but to let him go, pocketing only €35 million in the process. While that was still a huge profit compared to the mere €8 million Mallorca had spent on him, José couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

Spanish clubs couldn't set release clauses arbitrarily. They were calculated based on a player's transfer fee, salary, and other factors. Back when Ronaldinho signed his contract, José had already pushed the release clause as high as possible—but even so, this was the maximum he could set.

If Ronaldinho agreed to a renewal, his salary would increase significantly, and so would his release clause. José was determined to raise it to the level of Figo's record-breaking clause back in the day. That would truly reflect Ronaldinho's status.

Signing Kaká wasn't just about strengthening Mallorca's attacking midfield—it was also about preparing for the possibility of Ronaldinho's departure. If it came to that, José would simply groom Kaká into the next superstar.

Of course, the ideal scenario was for Ronaldinho to stay. José wanted this squad to win some real trophies—after all, that would only increase their market value.

In the following days, José continued to wait, while news from Mallorca kept pouring in—mostly good news. Gamarra's transfer had been finalized, earning the club €3 million. As expected, Moratti was quite generous.

Adding that to Kaladze's €19 million sale and Jorge's €1 million transfer, Mallorca had already raked in €23 million this season. After deducting the €8 million spent to buy out Eto'o's remaining ownership and the €500,000 spent on Campo, the club still had a surplus of €14.5 million—more than enough to satisfy São Paulo's asking price, even without José chipping in extra funds.

Meanwhile, the matter of Alemany's negotiations was also progressing well. Initially, the Balearic Regional Council had mixed feelings about Mallorca's plans to build a new stadium. Renting out the Son Moix Stadium to Mallorca was a significant revenue stream. However, the land that Mallorca wanted to develop was unused wasteland—leaving it empty was a waste. If they approved the project, it would boost Mallorca's strength and, in turn, drive tourism.

If they outright rejected the request, they risked alienating the club's passionate fanbase. It wouldn't take much for Mallorca to spread the word: "The regional council won't let us build a new stadium—many of you won't get to watch games live!" That would undoubtedly anger the supporters, who might retaliate in the next elections.

After discussing with José, Alemany came up with a solution that eased the council's concerns—Mallorca would continue renting the Son Moix Stadium under the same terms, including covering maintenance costs. That proposal quickly won approval, and the council granted the club development rights to the land at an incredibly low price—just $5 million for 10,000 square meters.

That was the advantage of a small city. Arsenal had spent £500 million building the Emirates Stadium, with a huge chunk of that cost going towards land acquisition. In land-scarce North London, securing such a large plot was a nightmare. Mallorca, on the other hand, faced no such problems.

At first glance, continuing to rent the Son Moix Stadium seemed like an extra financial burden, but José saw it differently—Mallorca had two teams. Once the first team moved into the new stadium, the reserves could use Son Moix for their Segunda División matches. The Segunda also generated revenue, so no matter how one looked at it, the club wouldn't lose out.

Previously, the reserves had been playing at the dilapidated Buenos Aires Stadium, which could only hold a few thousand fans safely. Despite that, nearly 3,000 spectators attended each game—after all, it was Segunda football, and ticket prices were cheap. Since there wasn't much entertainment on the island, watching a few extra matches was a great pastime for the locals.

Meanwhile, Pirri's grand plan was also beginning to take shape. He was ironing out the details, waiting for José's return to officially launch it.

So, José spent his days in leisure, treating himself to a rare vacation. And just like that, time marched on to June 30th.

On this day, in Yokohama, Japan, Brazil defeated Germany 2-0 thanks to Ronaldo's brace, claiming their record-breaking fifth World Cup title.

Brazil erupted in celebration. Winning the World Cup was the ultimate joy for this football-obsessed nation.

But in São Paulo, amidst the revelry, there was also a tinge of disappointment. Their two internationals, Belletti and Kaká, had barely featured—practically just tourists in Japan and Korea.

For São Paulo, this meant their hopes of selling them for inflated prices had vanished. And so, they became much more welcoming toward José and the other big-spending buyers.

It was time for negotiations to begin. The biggest challenge of José's South American trip was finally here.