Su Dong's Core Team

With the team's training camp about to begin, Su Dong invited several of his closest friends to gather at Rony's home in Cheshire ahead of time.

Pepe, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, and David Silva all came with their wives or girlfriends. Su Dong played host to his four old friends, while Wang Chuqing kept the women company.

Night fell, and the surroundings grew utterly quiet.

The five of them sat on the second-floor balcony, drinking water and soft drinks while discussing the upcoming new season.

Su Dong brought up Guardiola's hope that he would take over as team captain. He said he was still considering it and had yet to make a decision, so he wanted to hear everyone's opinions.

"Say whatever you like. Tell me what you think," Su Dong said sincerely.

Pepe was Su Dong's closest friend, so he was naturally the first to speak. "What's there to think about? To be frank, given the team's current situation, if you don't become captain, who will? Does anyone else have the ability and prestige?"

Marcelo and Toni Kroos agreed with Pepe.

Both players were young and had joined Man City because of Su Dong. Toni Kroos in particular had been recommended to Guardiola by Su Dong, and before joining Man City, he had even called Su Dong personally.

The two had already been close during their time at Bayern. After arriving at Man City, they became even more closely tied together.

Su Dong turned to David Silva. In truth, he cared most about the Spaniard's opinion.

For one thing, David Silva had spent a year at Man City and was thoroughly familiar with the situation. For another, Su Dong had been separated from him for several years. Although they had remained close, they had been apart for a long time,