Chapter 38

Lin Sen will leave Atletico Madrid, rather than becoming his assistant coach. When Recio learned this news from the club, he actually felt a sense of relief.

Recio, who played as a goalkeeper during his playing days, spent nine years in the top division, all while wearing the Atletico Madrid jersey. His coaching style can be seen as a reflection of his playing style: traditional and rule-bound. Although tradition does not equal conservatism, taking risks is almost impossible for him.

Therefore, even though he only watched one of Lin Sen's matches live, Recio was almost certain that the current interim head coach of Atletico Madrid was someone with a completely different personality from his own. When Serezo proposed that Lin Sen serve as his assistant coach, Recio nodded, more out of his traditional nature than genuine agreement. Clearly, he did not want to start off on the wrong foot with Serezo, as personality differences could not be a reason for refusal.

Although he had already signed a contract with Atletico Madrid, Recio could not take over the team immediately, as Lin Sen was still officially the head coach. However, this did not stop him from observing the team. On May 18th, Atletico Madrid played an away match against Santander, and Recio appeared in the stands once again, this time as the future head coach of Atletico Madrid.

It is said that before the match, Lin Sen refused to answer any questions from journalists about his position, only responding to routine pre-match questions. This made Recio respect Lin Sen even more, as it was clear that Lin Sen had not lost his composure due to his impending departure. Recio looked at Lin Sen's starting lineup, which did not differ much from the previous match. The only change was that Aguero replaced Reyes.

Recio was actually not impressed with this starting lineup. Apart from Camacho, the other two young players Lin Sen trusted performed poorly. Although the goal conceded by De Gea was not his fault, Recio, a former goalkeeper, believed it was due to a lack of experience. De Gea could have chosen to come out for that ball. As for the other young player, Koke, who scored an own goal, Recio could not see any outstanding qualities beyond his positive attitude.

In the previous match, commentator Cosol described Lin Sen's decision to start young players as "selling hope." Recio agreed with this, as he could not think of any other reason to explain Lin Sen's move. No team wants cliques within the squad, but supporting close allies is a necessary process for many coaches, a lesson Recio learned while coaching Castellon. In his view, Lin Sen's focus on young players reflected his current situation at Atletico Madrid.

Santander, who had already secured a UEFA Cup spot this season, had a full house at their home ground. With a four-point lead over the team behind them, Malaga, this match felt more like a grand celebration for Santander's fans. Marcelino, who led Villarreal to eighth place last season, would not ruin this party.

Therefore, before the match, Recio was certain that Atletico Madrid would find it difficult to win. However, the course of the match surprised him.

In the fourth minute, Garay crossed from the left flank to the far post, where Colsa headed the ball to the center. Munitis, following up in the center, scored from the penalty spot, giving Santander a dream start. This seemed to confirm Recio's pre-match prediction. However, just three minutes later, Atletico Madrid equalized: Raul Garcia played a through ball, and Aguero, breaking free from offside, scored his first goal since returning from injury, his seventh of the season, leveling the score. After scoring, Aguero ran to the sidelines to embrace Lin Sen, dedicating the goal as a farewell gift.

The match then seemed to enter Atletico Madrid's rhythm. The team, which had struggled for most of the season, suddenly regained their momentum. In the 19th and 31st minutes, Aguero scored twice, and Pereira added a goal from a corner kick. By halftime, Atletico Madrid was leading 3-1 away.

Recio did not watch the second half, not because he did not want to, but because he was recognized in the stands. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to leave early. When he returned to his residence and turned on the TV, the match was nearly over, with the score standing at 5-1!

This was Atletico Madrid's final match of the season, Lin Sen's last match with the club, and also Atletico Madrid's biggest win of the season!

"Thank you, President Serezo, thank you, Atletico Madrid, thank you, coaching staff..." Lin Sen had always found such speeches, which seemed to thank everyone and their ancestors, insincere. But when he faced this situation, he realized that this was the most straightforward way to speak. Missing anyone could be a sin, and a flood of thanks would make everyone happy. As for sincerity, expressing it in words was already a departure from its true meaning, so let sincerity go to hell.

"After the contract expires, I will leave Atletico Madrid to look for a head coaching job."

"I wish Coach Recio and Atletico Madrid success in the next season."

...

At the post-match press conference, Lin Sen resolved the last doubt about whether he would continue to work in other roles at Atletico Madrid. Throughout the conference, Lin Sen did not let the journalists get even a single word of complaint about Atletico Madrid from him. According to Moreno of the Diario Sport, this was called "slipping away quietly"; Morero of AS called it "leaving low-key." Rod of The Independent used a more neutral term: "calm."

"No complaints, only simple blessings. Lin Sen's departure from Atletico Madrid was unexpectedly simple and calm, in stark contrast to the score of the final match he led. If appointing Recio was expected, then Lin Sen's departure can only be described as unexpected.

Atletico Madrid needed a caretaker coach, an interim coach, a transitional coach, or even a coach who did not need to be a coach. This was probably decided from the moment Lin took over Atletico Madrid, and the awkward situation of Atletico Madrid, which had no ambitions, determined Lin's awkward position. However, even the Atletico Madrid management did not expect that Lin, seen by many as just an amateur coach, would prove himself to be a fully qualified head coach. In less than two months, Lin faced challenges that some coaches might never encounter in their entire careers: players refusing to play, his residence being attacked, and the club announcing the next head coach in advance. In the face of all this, Lin's answer was: in the last five matches after these incidents, no defeats!

You have to admit that the struggling Atletico Madrid gradually returned to form under Lin's leadership. And Lin gradually transformed from an amateur coach and professional doctor to a professional coach and part-time doctor. When many people saw Lin's promotion of young players as "selling hope," they selectively ignored the fact that Atletico Madrid did not lose a single match in those "hope-selling" games! I believe that if this hope is for sale, Atletico Madrid's fans would be very willing to buy it.

Of course, Lin's departure is a fact. Regardless of whether Recio is a better choice, we do not intend to judge whether Atletico Madrid's decision to change coaches was correct. However, if one day Lin leads another team to the Calderon, will the Calderon be as calm as Lin is today?"

"Looks like you really admire Lin?" Bal put down the newspaper, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Rod with a mocking gaze. "Your article makes it sound like you're his agent or something."

"So what? Do you have a problem? Or do you think 'slipping away quietly' is more appropriate?" Rod ignored Bal's mockery and retorted, "By the way, you're reading newspapers again. I'm really happy for you."

"Are you really saying that Lin will one day return to the Calderon? As a team doctor?"

"Insulting Lin won't make Atletico Madrid stronger, Bal." Rod shook his head. "From what I know, a team is already interested in Lin. It's just that you Atletico Madrid fans choose to ignore it. You always think other people's wives are prettier and that no man is good enough for your daughter. That's your mentality."

Bal snorted and said, "Keep talking."

"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Rod took a sip of his wine and fell silent.

If it weren't for their compatible personalities and work needs, Rod wouldn't bother with Bal. Arguing with Atletico Madrid fans about the head coach? Are you crazy?

"Let's talk about Recio. What do you think of Atletico Madrid next season?" Bal quickly changed the subject.

Rod sighed inwardly. No wonder people say that once you're gone, the tea gets cold. Fans who are deeply attached to the team can be quite heartless in some ways. Thinking about this, Rod replied irritably, "I don't know."

This wasn't just a snide remark.

At the beginning of the season, Atletico Madrid was expected to finish third and even compete for the title. Now, what?

---

On the evening of May 18, 2008, after Atletico Madrid's 5-1 away victory over Santander, the club's official website issued an announcement.

Title: Contract Expired, Lin Leaves Atletico Madrid.

Content: Thank you for all your efforts since taking over the team. We wish you all the best in your future work and life.

In just two short sentences, Lin's Atletico Madrid career was erased.