I Am Jose

José had been on a grueling journey, flying thousands of kilometers, from Spain to Kyiv, then back through Spain, and finally to South America, before returning to Mallorca. He was exhausted, having spent $9.5 million signing Kharazé and Ronaldinho, the latter of whom was particularly expensive. You see, Mallorca had never spent that much on a single player since its founding...

$7.5 million might be insignificant for the big clubs, but for Mallorca, it was the highest sum they'd ever spent on a single player. What's more, it was a five-year contract, with an $800,000 salary per year, increasing by 10% annually. After five years, with the transfer fee and wages included, it would add up to nearly $13 million post-tax. And if it weren't for Spain's lower tax rate (only 40%, compared to Italy's higher rate), Mallorca's expenditure would have been even greater.

Back then, the famous Beckham Law hadn't been enacted yet, and José wasn't bringing in someone as influential as Beckham—he wasn't as well-known as Florentino either. After feeling the sting of the taxes, José had to let it go. But no matter the cost, in modern football, having a good eye for picking up quality players on the cheap is key, but spending money is even more important.

Leeds United didn't spend, but how could they have had the Youth Guard title? Lazio wouldn't have won the league title if they hadn't kept spending for a couple of years. Of course, both clubs ended up in disarray...

So, spending money also requires skill...

With this thought in mind, José remained in good spirits and didn't care whether Grand would think he was wasting money—he had spent it, so what? As long as the club wasn't running a deficit, it was fine...

José had managed to sign Ronaldinho, the future heart of Barcelona's Dream Team II, and he hadn't ruled out raiding Real Madrid's roster either—had to keep things fair, right? But snatching a future Real Madrid star would be difficult...

Real Madrid and Barcelona were heading in completely different directions. Real Madrid always bought established stars, especially during Florentino's era, including Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Owen from the first Galaxy team, and later Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Alonso in the second. They rarely focused on nurturing or developing young players, which was a key characteristic of Real Madrid's brand. Under Florentino's leadership, Real Madrid became the best club of the century, with almost every star considering it an honor to join the club. When Real Madrid was winning, players felt they'd be champions by joining. When the club was struggling, they thought they could be the ones to save it—Ronaldo (Brazilian) and Zidane were prime examples. Ronaldo came to Real Madrid seeking glory, while Zidane won his only Champions League trophy with them. Later, Cristiano Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid with the goal of leading the club to a Champions League title, hoping to solidify his place as the best in the world. Though, by the time José was reborn, this goal had yet to materialize...

On the other hand, Barcelona took the opposite approach. After Núñez's resignation and Figo's departure, Barcelona entered a four-year trophy drought. The appointment of Gaspart as president was considered one of the worst decisions in the club's 20-year history. Though Figo's transfer to Real Madrid was a severe blow, the nearly $60 million transfer fee was a huge sum for Barcelona. Given their tradition of buying semi-completed players and developing them to their full potential, they could have built a stronger team. After all, this was Barcelona's tradition—starting with Maradona, Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and later Ronaldinho. These players joined Barcelona before becoming world-class, and the future Dream Teams were mainly built on homegrown talent, including Valdés, Puyol, Piqué, Xavi, and Iniesta.

José wanted Mallorca to be as wealthy as Real Madrid, but let's face it—how many clubs like Real Madrid are there in the world? There's only one club that can spend heavily and attract the best players.

Conversely, Barcelona's model could be worth emulating. Other clubs couldn't replicate this due to the absence of a Johan Cruyff-like figure. The English Premier League struggled with poor youth development and media pressure. Serie A clubs frequently changed coaches, which hindered their youth systems.

Germany had worked hard to improve their youth system, especially after their national team's poor performance, leading to a surge of new talent before and after the 2010 World Cup. José respected the Germans for their rigor and discipline. However, German clubs adhered to strict financial rules, which hindered their growth, given that their ticket prices were among the cheapest in the top leagues. Despite high attendance, the income from tickets was limited, making it harder to attract and retain quality players.