“Guti rode Christ…” | Relief
“I don’t know if I can say it.” Doubt about Zoran Vekic (Belgrade, 71 years old) becomes a bait for the journalist, who feels the same tingling sensation as a child when faced with the prohibition of sticking his fingers into a socket. The silence is almost like prayer. Finally the Serb gives in: “Well, it’s been so long that it doesn’t matter.”. If in the first part of the interview the former king of representatives reviewed his career and revealed a few secrets of his markets, The second act had several episodes that marked the summer of 2003. One of the busiest times for an agent and two players in his portfolio such as Guti and Fernando Hierro. These were months of uncertainty in the case of the genius of Torrejon and farewell to the former captain of Real Madrid.
To understand what happened to the mythical number “14” We must look at Manchester and Barcelona first. This will provide sufficient context for the mess that resulted in the contract renewal. David Beckham, United player and the most media at the momentbecame Joan Laporta’s trump card in winning the Barça elections.. The then lawyer and candidate announced an agreement with the British club to sign, if elected president, the star that Madrid so desired. Manchester also did the same with a statement on June 10th. “If Madrid wants Beckham, they will have to go through us,” candidate Laporta even said. two days later. Nothing was as real as it was depicted. Beckham’s agency denied the deal and Five days later it was the white club that boasted of having pulled the Englishman overboard.who always wanted to go ashore at Chamartin.
The signing that completed the galaxy that Florentino Pérez designed was a revolution for the organization at the image level, with the opening of the Silk Road to Asian markets, but there were side effects in the locker room. Firstly, due to the fact that at the time of the announcement of his arrival, Madrid was playing in the League. This did not go down well with the heavyweights, to whom sports CEO Jorge Valdano explained that the hiring could no longer be delayed. And secondly, his inclusion in the starting lineup presented a huge obstacle for players like Guti. “When Madrid signed Beckham, the boy (Guti) made a mess…” Zoran Vekic admits to Relevowho was his agent.
The anger was public. Even Valdano spoke openly about this in the press. “He is not happy with this situation,” admitted the coach, who announced a meeting with the player to calm the situation and convey the warmth of the club. A representative of “14” is now talking about what happened at that meeting. “One day in June, they called me from Madrid and said: “Lunch with Florentino and Valdano.” Ugh. I go to training with Guti and tell him: “I’ll tell you one thing: don’t interfere. Because it’s food. Leave at least an hour Don’t leave in five minutes because you’re dead. Leave it, rest…” A year earlier, Milan came for him and he didn’t want to leave. But now with Beckham… The thing is that Florentino started talking and telling him a lot of things: “You are from the youth team, don’t worry, everyone will play, you always don’t play at first, but then yes… Your representative Zoran then wants to operate on you, but the club…” I answer: “Presea, it’s just the opposite. I always say that the hardest thing is to get to Madrid, and the easiest thing is to leave.” “I didn’t want to take him out of Madrid, and Guti confirmed that,” says Vekic.
It was then that the Serb, already the ideal metronome for leaving conclaves with a cut, put on the table a proposal, something like a final test to check whether Florentino was being frank or, on the other hand, his arguments were only intended to extinguish fire and make do: “Then I propose to Florentino: – Presea, if you’re saying all this about the baby, it’s easy. We have two years left on our contract, why don’t you extend it? Valdano, be quiet. Florentino looks away and suddenly tells him: “Jorge, tomorrow you will contact Zoran and extend it.” And so we have two more years. “That was a little rough”Vekic smiles as he remembers the scene. In the 2003/04 season, Beckham played 4,033 minutes, while Guti became an important player (2,865 minutes). He continued to be so until his departure from Real Madrid in 2010.
The one from Torrejon was an outstanding player and a unique guy. One of those geniuses who obeys only their muses and sees the fields as smooth lines. As artistic as he is unpredictable. “How many headaches has Guti caused you?– they ask the man who was his right hand. – I’m going to tell you something. I was very critical of him. I told him, “Baby, what do you want to do?” You are a player with a talent that no one else has, and talent cannot be learned, you are born with it. Let’s see, you’re not going to be a physical player. You will not be Makelele. But you have to be smart, in difficult situations it’s easier to pass.” He told me: “Zoran, I can’t. I am Jose, and if I have three solutions, I have to find the best one, and if I fail, I fail.” In the end, it made the atmosphere at the Bernabeu with him increasingly thinner,” says Vekic, before trying to make up for the Madrid native’s reputation as a nocturnal animal while others scratched their fur: “He wasn’t very outgoing or very cool. Well, like everyone else. I can name you the players who were… But I won’t name anyone.”. Guti got married when he was 21 years old. Let’s see, he came out like everyone else. If I caught him today as a player, he wouldn’t be seen. Today they don’t come out because of the amount of media and social networks. It’s Complicated.”
Earthquake with Hierro and thumbs down with Del Bosque
This four-way meal (Florentino-Valdano-Guti-Vekic) led us back to that deep river that was once the Torrejona River. However, A few days later there was another angry outburst at the club that didn’t end that way. In the midst of the celebration of the League’s conquest, Fernando Hierro exploded and his Real Madrid career ended. At the time, few people understood what had gone to such an extreme, and there were many versions of that night with long knives at the Thistu restaurant. Zoran Vekic, then the captain’s representative, turns on the lights and calls the stenographers. “Wow, it’s very difficult, there was no way to convince him. There was no way. We have already extended our contract with Real Madrid! But we didn’t sign the contract.”. I told him two or three months before what happened: “Fernando, we have to sign a contract.” And he told me, “I trust him.” And at the end…” he says as an appetizer.
Day June 23, 2003 Madrid beat Athletic at the Bernabeu (3–1) to become league champions. Halfway through the party, the dominoes began to fall. “When the game ended, Florentino entered the dressing room with a journalist. And Fernando didn’t want him there. Not that he kicked him out, but… He told him something like: “Please, President, come out, this moment is ours, and even more so if there is another person here.” Then things started to heat up. “We won’t allow this, I’m the captain…” And he told Florentino! She got very fat. Then we went to Thista. It was impossible to persuade Fernando to go on a tour of the facilities the next day as captain.. “Florentino is going to cut your head off,” he told him. We spent until six or seven in the morning convincing him.”. Although the Serb acted like a Malayan gout, the man largely responsible for fans seeing Hierro with Liga on the streets of the capital was someone else: “Pedro Chueca, the legendary physiotherapist who was a very good friend of his. And my As a result, “Fernando went to the holiday, but there was no agreement, and he left.” After 14 seasons defending Real Madrid, he moved to Al Rayyan in Qatar. He stayed there for a year. He finished his playing career at Bolton in 2005.
That same night of celebration, the team was not only disappointed to see that their captain would likely no longer be captain. But he knew that The coach who brought them to another league, the one who won the Eighth European Cup and the Ninth European Cup, will also leave the club. An unclear situation for most players, the press and fans. Vicente del Bosque, the man who held the keys to La Fabrica, who shaped the characters of many children, who served as a fire extinguisher until he became the best coach of this team, was leaving through the door that Florentino had opened for him.
His case had nothing to do with Hierro’s.. These were two independent folders that closed almost simultaneously. Vekic offers a hitherto little-known version: “Do you know what happened to Del Bosque? Well, a few weeks before, Madrid advised him to extend his contract. For the first time he caught a representative. Vicente replied, “Okay, call my representative and fix the situation.” And he no longer had an answer; it was not extended. For this gesture.” A few months after this painful departure, a man from Salamanca stated: “Some time before this happened, I already foresaw that this would happen. I felt that my days at Real Madrid were numbered. I don’t have to think about other problems that don’t necessarily involve playing sports. I left with the knowledge that I did everything well. Some may have thought that these were some signs of fatigue, but this was not the case for me. The paths diverged, and today, more than 20 years later, everyone walks on their own side.