Chapter 7: No Turning Back
For Mallorca fans, they didn't care whether the new head coach was a young man or the president's son. They only cared about one thing—that the team could turn things around under the leadership of the new head coach. For a team that had already suffered three consecutive losses and gone eight games without a win, nothing could lift morale more than a solid, genuine victory.
Rayo Vallecano arrived on the island of Mallorca with high spirits. For this newly promoted La Liga team, the season had been nothing short of a dream. Under the leadership of head coach Vasquez, the team had stayed in first place on the standings for the first ten rounds of the season. This also boosted the morale of the entire team, especially since Rayo Vallecano was the only team in Spain led by a female president. Teresa Ribero, president of Rayo Vallecano, was the only female president in all of La Liga and the top five European leagues.
Teresa herself was an extremely legendary figure. Originally, Rayo Vallecano was the property of her husband, Matheos. However, in 1992, Spain went through a financial crisis, and Matheos was forced to resign due to poor management. With no knowledge of football, Teresa stepped into the role of president. When she took over in 1994, Teresa was already 59 years old, and the club was in dire financial straits. However, with her strong leadership, she managed to save the club from the brink of bankruptcy and guide them back into La Liga.
At first, the "women-run team" was ridiculed by everyone. However, Teresa persevered, and after last season's promotion back to the top flight, this season's performance had been exceptional. It not only made Rayo Vallecano proud but also gave Spanish women a sense of pride—so much so that Rayo Vallecano almost became the most popular club among women in all of Spain, something Teresa hadn't anticipated.
Alemani still had great admiration for this female colleague, who was older than him by more than a decade. So when Teresa arrived at the VIP box at the Son Moix stadium, Alemani greeted her with elegance.
"Mrs. Teresa, I hope today's match is a pleasant one!" Alemani smiled and gave a slight bow to Teresa.
"Let's hope so, Mr. Alemani," Teresa replied with a smile. "This season, our luck has been quite good... By the way, I hear that Mallorca's new head coach is your son? Quite a young talent, it seems."
"Well, yes. I'm always proud of my son. Actually, at the end of last season, Antonio was already planning to have him take over Cooper's position. But he felt he needed more experience, so he turned it down! Now, with Mallorca in trouble, as a Mallorcan, it's only natural he steps up to help. He's told me, though, that he's just here to temporarily save the team. If he can help us avoid relegation this season, he'll return to the youth team where he belongs!" Alemani chuckled.
A flicker of surprise flashed in Teresa's eyes. Alemani's response was quite subtle—first, it made it clear that José's appointment wasn't due to his father's position, and it subtly pointed out that José just wanted to help Mallorca...