Chapter 131: Samba and Winter's Turn

The most significant change in the 2016-17 La Liga season schedule was the extension of the winter break. Previously, the league only paused during the nationwide Christmas holiday, but this season the winter break stretched from December 18th to January 7th, lasting a full three weeks. This allowed La Liga teams a brief period of rest and adjustment during the cold season. For Dai Zhiwei, it meant a two-week mini-vacation.

Fourteen days felt somewhat awkward for Dai Zhiwei. Traveling back to his hometown would take at least four days round-trip, leaving little time to truly enjoy the holiday. So he decided not to go home. It wasn’t due to indifference toward family; he had already arranged with his parents to celebrate the Chinese New Year together in Villarreal, with a chance to tour Spain. Missing New Year’s Day was no big deal.

As for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, Dai Zhiwei felt no connection to these Western holidays—he had no religious beliefs. Western gods had no sway over this Eastern Han man.

Still, Dai Zhiwei did not spend Christmas alone and lonely in Spain. After consulting with Pato, he chose to travel to Brazil, which was in summer.

Some said Brazil was unsafe, but during his ten days there, Dai Zhiwei was neither robbed nor infected with any illness. Of course, this was partly due to the travel group he picked—nearly $50,000 for ten days, excluding business class airfare. Budget travel was simply out of the question for someone of Dai Zhiwei’s means.

Brazil, located in the Southern Hemisphere of South America, experienced summer while the Northern Hemisphere was in winter. Temperatures hovered around 33 degrees Celsius daily during his stay.

Brazil had once been a Portuguese colony, declaring independence on September 7, 1822. In São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Iguazu, Dai Zhiwei saw mostly white Brazilians, quite different from what he had imagined.

One annoyance was that several Brazilians asked him, “Are you Japanese?” At first, he patiently explained that he was Chinese, but soon lost the will to respond.

Portuguese was the official language of Brazil, so communication posed no problem.

His first stop was São Paulo. Locals often complained about the city’s terrible traffic. Dai Zhiwei laughed, feeling they hadn’t experienced the congestion of megacities like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou; otherwise, they would find São Paulo’s traffic bearable.

São Paulo reminded Dai Zhiwei somewhat of Shanghai: a commercial hub bustling with people and vehicles, with occasional smog. However, the city’s greenery was well maintained, with trees lining the streets everywhere.

Traveling alone without a female companion, Dai Zhiwei naturally sought to experience the allure of samba beauties.

Rio de Janeiro was renowned as the most beautiful city in Brazil, and perhaps the world, both for its climate and natural environment as well as its cultural history. Hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics had drawn crowds from around the globe.

During his three days in Rio, Dai Zhiwei was blissfully enchanted. Life was a dream—luxurious accommodations, stunning natural scenery, and the daily embrace of beautiful women on the beach made romantic encounters inevitable.

Brazil was a nation rich in exotic South American charm, with a complex ethnic makeup—90% of the population being of mixed race. This explained the country’s passionate and open culture, vibrant diversity, and status as a melting pot of peoples and traditions. Beyond economics, Brazil led the world in sports, music, and dance.

The sands of Rio’s Copacabana Beach were as white and soft as cotton candy, pristine and fine. Colorful umbrellas bloomed like flowers, surrounded by bikini-clad beauties and handsome men from all corners of the globe. Copacabana had become a landmark of global tourism.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, the sea shimmered like a mirror, its waters a lake-green hue, with seagulls soaring overhead—a breathtaking sight.

On Copacabana Beach, Dai Zhiwei encountered a group of female university students clad in provocative bikinis. The locals, both men and women, were open and friendly, with none of the shyness common back home. Compared to Brazil’s vibrant spirit, domestic culture seemed parochial and restrained.

Rio itself was a byword for openness. The samba dance was a hallmark of the city. The beaches attracted some of the world’s most alluring women and the most eager admirers, making romantic liaisons commonplace.

Near the beach were many craft stalls, but Dai Zhiwei showed little interest, only selecting a few items to send back home to his parents.

Evenings were spent at gatherings on the beach opposite his hotel. Choosing the right hotel was crucial during travel—it was less luck and more experience.

His steps on the Rio beaches seemed beyond his control; he simply followed the women.

Rio’s women left an impression of wild pride and unrestrained spirit.

What happened at night was better left unspoken.

Still, he heeded Pato’s advice and always carried a small umbrella.

While Dai Zhiwei enjoyed his carefree time in Brazil, the winter transfer window in La Liga swung open.

This year, the two giants—Barcelona and Real Madrid—were unusually quiet. Real Madrid remained silent due to a transfer ban. The biggest move in La Liga’s winter transfer window came surprisingly from Villarreal, the Yellow Submarine, who sold Pato to newly promoted Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian for €18 million.

On the afternoon of January 2nd, Spanish local time, Villarreal officially announced the transfer of the Brazilian forward to Tianjin Quanjian. Both clubs had agreed on a transfer fee of €18 million. Pato signed a three-year contract with an annual salary of €15 million. Villarreal had purchased him just last summer for only €3 million.

Once a prodigy shining in AC Milan during his Serie A days, Pato was a highly efficient striker. However, a series of injuries deteriorated his physical condition and form. In 2013, he left Serie A to join Corinthians in Brazil, with loan spells at São Paulo and Chelsea.

This season, Pato transferred to Villarreal for €3 million, hoping to regain his peak form, but his performance remained lackluster. Over half a season, he played 22 official matches for the Yellow Submarine—13 in the league, 2 in Champions League qualifiers, 5 in the Champions League group stage, and 2 in the Copa del Rey—scoring 6 goals. He failed to secure a starting spot and grew discontented.

Tianjin Quanjian, seeking both skill and star power, quickly negotiated personal terms with Pato after Villarreal accepted their offer.

After signing, Pato joined Tianjin Quanjian’s winter training camp in Italy, underwent a medical examination while wearing the club’s training gear, and formally completed the transfer upon passing.

Following Pato’s departure, Marca reported that another Villarreal substitute forward, Soldado, was also set to join another Chinese Super League club, Tianjin TEDA.

Tianjin TEDA had submitted an offer of €7 million for Soldado as soon as the winter window opened but was rejected by Villarreal. They then raised their bid to €10 million. This time, Villarreal didn’t immediately refuse and invited TEDA for further negotiations.

On the evening of January 5th, Villarreal’s official website confirmed Soldado’s imminent departure to Tianjin TEDA.

The Yellow Submarine announced that both clubs had reached a basic agreement, and Soldado would leave after passing the medical.

AS reported the fee to be approximately €11.5 million. The Spanish forward would sign a two-year contract with an annual salary exceeding €6 million.

This season, Soldado had appeared only 10 times for Villarreal in all competitions, totaling 762 minutes, scoring 3 goals and providing 2 assists.

“Damn, these guys are loaded!” Dai Zhiwei exclaimed upon hearing of Pato and Soldado’s transfers. He promptly sent farewell messages and marveled at how wealthy Chinese Super League clubs had become. Soldado’s salary exceeded €6 million per year; Pato’s reached €15 million—figures light years beyond Dai Zhiwei’s earnings.

However, he viewed these exorbitant salaries as abnormal. While they attracted many world-class foreign players, such high pay was detrimental to the development of domestic talent. Many players performing poorly, unable to even control the ball properly, still earned nearly ten million yuan annually. Why strive to improve?

Currently, any Chinese national team player earned between ten and twenty million yuan, but did their skills justify such income?

Abroad, many players rose through hard work and perseverance, becoming wealthy. At home, young privileged players could become multimillionaires or even billionaires after just a couple of seasons, living lives of luxury with no pressing need to continue improving.

In recent years, fewer domestic players wished to play in Europe. Instead, many who had spent time abroad returned at a young age, mainly because the British pound and euro were harder to earn than the Chinese yuan.

After selling Soldado and Pato, Villarreal was flush with cash this winter.

On the day Soldado left, Villarreal announced on their official website that they had reached an agreement with AC Milan to loan forward Bacca back to La Liga, with an option to buy at the end of the season.

The half-season loan fee for Bacca was €1.8 million, with a purchase option of €20 million. He would inherit Soldado’s number 9 jersey.

Bacca, 30, came through Colombia’s youth system. He joined Belgian powerhouse Club Brugge in 2012, then Sevilla in 2013, winning two Europa League titles. In summer 2015, he transferred to AC Milan for €30 million, scoring 29 goals in 69 appearances. This season, he had netted 10 goals in 26 appearances.

Dai Zhiwei was unfazed by Bacca’s arrival. After all, Bacca couldn’t take his starting spot, at most competing with Bakambu for second striker. He posed no threat to Dai’s position.

Following the loan of Bacca, Villarreal paid €2 million to buy goalkeeper Andrés Fernández, who would remain with the club through the 2021 season.

Thirty-year-old Andrés, a product of Mallorca’s youth system, had played for Osasuna and Huesca. He joined Porto in 2014 and was loaned to Granada in 2015.

This season, Andrés joined Villarreal on loan, making 10 appearances—6 in the league and 2 in the Champions League—keeping 3 clean sheets.

However, Villarreal nearly suffered a mishap.

Just one day before Dai Zhiwei and teammates were due back, French media outlet L’Équipe reported multiple Chinese Super League clubs were courting Bakambu.

According to L’Équipe, clubs like Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua had offered Bakambu salaries in the multi-million euro range, with his decision pending.

However, none had formally approached Bakambu yet. With Soldado and Pato gone, Villarreal had only four forwards remaining, including new signing Bacca, making it difficult for Bakambu to leave this winter.

To deter other clubs, Villarreal announced the winter transfer window would close early for them. Unless triggered by a release clause, Bakambu would not be sold this winter.

In this winter window, Villarreal earned €29.5 million from the sales of Soldado and Pato, while spending less than €4 million—mainly on signing goalkeeper Fernández permanently and loaning Bacca. A net profit exceeding €25 million made them the biggest winners of the winter break.

They earned this title not only through profit but because their strength remained intact. With Dai Zhiwei firmly established as the leading striker, the contributions of Pato and Soldado were not significantly greater than Bacca’s. Plus, keeping homegrown striker Bakambu, their ambitions to finish in the top four and advance further in the Champions League were clear.

Dai Zhiwei was about to return to a Villarreal both familiar and subtly transformed.

Appendix: Villarreal’s 27-man squad after the 2016-17 winter transfer window:

Goalkeepers: 1 Sergio Asenjo, 13 Andrés Fernández, 25 Barbosa
Defenders: 2 Mario Gaspar, 3 Joan Ángel, 5 Musacchio, 6 Ruiz, 11 Costa, 12 González, 15 Jokić, 22 Rukavina, 23 Bonera, 30 Pino
Midfielders: 4 Alfred N’Diaye, 7 Cheryshev, 8 Dos Santos, 14 Trigueros, 16 Rodrigo, 20 Roberto Soriano, 21 Bruno Soriano (captain), 26 Pablo, 27 Cantala Piedra, 19 Castillejo
Forwards: 9 Bacca, 10 Dai Zhiwei, 17 Bakambu, 24 Rafael