After Richard took David Silva on a leisurely journey through the mountains and valleys, turning the trip into sothing enjoyable and helping ease his state of mind, he never forgot to keep a close eye on developnts back in England.
Manchester City’s progress in the league and the FA Cup remained under his watch, as did the unfolding drama of the 1998–1999 Champions League, where Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson were still locked in fierce battle.
By the end of April, the picture beca clear. The Champions League semifinals had concluded, and Manchester United had finally overco Juventus, winning 4–3 on aggregate after a brutal two-legged tie.
With that victory, it was officially confird: Manchester United would face Bayern Munich in the final.
"Who do you think will win?" David Silva asked eagerly.
"I don’t know," Richard shook his head. "But if I’m being honest, Manchester United look stronger."
You’re kidding ...
Oliver Kahn, Bixente Lizarazu, and Lothar Matthäus are great players, but United are different. Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Keane... that core is on another level. Of course, that’s only on paper but United clearly have the edge. Almost all of their best players are right in their pri.
"Let’s go," Richard said, then hurried out of the restaurant with young David Silva.
Since most clubs had either shut him out or tried to squeeze him for cash—seeing him as an easy target—Richard decided to change plans as they made their way to a municipality in the province of Barcelona, within the Vallès Occidental area of Catalonia, Spain.
Camp de Futbol Municipal Antoni Serra i Pujol.
This was the local ground of a grassroots football club with teams across multiple age groups, focused on youth developnt: Escola de Futbol Barberà Andalucía.
His objective was clear—snatch up the ten-year-old Sergio Busquets.
Although City had significantly reduced the weekly wages they offered to young players, Richard still wanted to provide at least £500 per week for any truly promising talent. For Busquets—who wasn’t even on an amateur contract and was barely scraping by—that was an extrely tempting offer. Of course, the decision would ultimately rest with his family.
Under the international transfer rules of the ti, to be honest, Richard technically didn’t have to pay Andalucía a single pound. Busquets was still very young, and there was no legal obligation to compensate the club. Even so, acting in good faith, Richard offered £10,000 in training compensation, instantly elevating his status to that of a VIP at the club.
PHWEEE~
By coincidence, they were playing a match that day, which made Richard happy—he could finally see how Busquets played in his earliest days. At this stage, however, the boy didn’t yet carry the distinct "Barcelona mark." This was still before he turned ten, and there were hundreds—if not thousands—of children being trained here in similar fashion.
The challenge of convincing Busquets was basically the sa as with David Silva. It stemd from his father. If David Silva’s father leaned more toward Valencia, then Busquets’ father, Carles, leaned firmly toward Barcelona.
The reason was simple.
Carles Busquets had been a professional goalkeeper for FC Barcelona in the 1990s, giving Sergio early exposure to elite football. As a result, young Busquets grew up surrounded by the ga, often playing in the streets and on local pitches near ho.
The real challenge in convincing Busquets did not co from money or opportunity, but from Barcelona itself.
His father’s deep connection to the club ant that Barcelona was more than just a destination—it was a legacy. Carles believed Sergio belonged at La Masia, shaped by the sa system, philosophy, and values that had defined his own career. To him, waiting for Barcelona was not hesitation; it was patience.
For the Busquets family, wearing blaugrana was not rely a dream—it was destiny.
"How long do you expect him to wait?" Richard asked, shaking his head.
"Sir, I know you’ve already used your connections, pulled strings to get Sergio into La Masia—but where are the results? Until now, there’s been nothing. Not even a confirmation."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"Why not let him co with to Manchester first? Let him experience a better environnt, proper facilities, real competition. He won’t lose anything—only gain. When Barcelona finally make their decision, he’ll return stronger, more mature."
Richard spread his hands slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"Isn’t that a win–win solution for everyone?"
He looked at Carles Busquets directly.
"For Sergio... and for you."
"This..." Carles Busquets hesitated.
The offer was tempting—far more tempting than he wanted to admit. A clear pathway, proper facilities, guaranteed attention, and most importantly, ti. Ti for Sergio to grow without being lost in a system crowded with prodigies.
But still... he hesitated.
As for how Richard knew so much about the Busquets family, it was simple.
This was the value of having competent people.
Marina Granovskaia had gathered everything in astonishing detail within days.
Richard put in trendous effort, showing three hundred percent sincerity before Busquets finally agreed to go to Manchester.
The situation was, in many ways, similar to David Silva’s.
At that age, Busquets was not particularly good at escaping pressure, nor was he extraordinarily skillful. Among his peers, it was difficult to spot anything that clearly marked him as special.
So the question was simple: wait for Barcelona—or take a chance with the Premier League powerhouse, Manchester City?
In the end, young Busquets himself chose the latter.
"Good choice. You will not regret it," Richard said with relief as the Busquets family finally agreed with him.
While Richard was battling to secure the last piece of his puzzle in Spain, Manchester City were finally set to face another clash with Liverpool.
Yes, theoretically, as long as City won their last two league matches, they would secure a Champions League spot—unless they lost both gas and Aston Villa and Liverpool won both of theirs.
In the penultimate round of the league, a victory would allow City to overtake Arsenal if Arsenal slipped up.
At this mont, Mourinho painfully realized sothing troubling: the players seed to believe they were destined to win.
Too much overconfidence!
Mourinho’s lack of experience was beginning to show. He didn’t yet know how to make the right choices at such a critical mont.
"Slow down, take it slow," Mourinho thought as he tried to find a solution.
Psychologically, he wanted his team to stay calm and treat the final two matches as normal gas, believing that would allow them to perform at their best. But he couldn’t say that outright—it would undoubtedly dampen their montum.
All he could do was motivate them. The dilemma he faced was one of choice.
The FA Cup had reached the semifinals—win those two matches, and the trophy would be theirs. With two league matches remaining, they also had a chance at the league title, even if it was a long shot.
Other than boosting the team’s morale, he couldn’t give any biased instructions to the players.
Two matches left. The European ticket was right there, waiting.
Win it—and it’s yours.
But the league was different. Not only did they need to win, they also had to keep an eye on their competitors. Although this was sowhat aningless, people were easily distracted by it.
Right now, they had a better goal difference than their rivals—but who could guarantee that Liverpool wouldn’t go on a scoring spree in their final two matches?
At Anfield, Michael Owen had been on a scoring tear since February, carrying his team forward. With pace identified as his greatest weapon, Liverpool’s ga revolved around feeding him through balls and long passes.
Owen constantly shifted from static positions to full speed in a matter of seconds.
"Don’t worry about him for now. I believe they will supply him with everything they can, so you only need to keep an eye on him," Mourinho instructed, referring to Owen.
"I believe," he continued, "with the way Houllier coaches—especially his background in France—he will rely on quick passes and long balls to Owen so he can score."
Before November, Liverpool had two managers. The reason for appointing a new manager was to help transition the club out of the Spice Boys era. However, The result was disastrous. After November, Liverpool’s original manager, Roy Evans, did not enjoy the partnership and resigned, leaving Gérard Houllier in sole charge.
While Houllier didn’t emphasize Liverpool’s youth developnt as much as Evans, he still unearthed so promising talents from the academy, promoting future stalwarts like Carragher and Gerrard. Of course, Gerrard was still very early in his developnt at the ti and spent most of his ti on the bench.
Back to the match, Manchester City’s players once again began to feel how special Anfield was.
"You’ll Never Walk Alone!"
The anthem thundered across the stadium as tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters rose to their feet. Red scarves stretched across the stands like waves, swaying in perfect rhythm as the crowd sang in unison.
Even the most experienced City players could feel the weight of the mont. The pitch seed smaller, the air heavier.
For the away match at Liverpool, City arrived half a day early. Re-entering Anfield, despite Liverpool’s apparent decline in performance—with more losses than wins—the stadium was roaring.
The dedication of the Kop fans, however, remained comndable.
Liverpool fielded their best available squad.
Their squad still looked familiar, yet the spirit of the team was different from that of their fans. They were in tatters. Perhaps that was why the fans rallied even harder—singing louder, cheering stronger—trying to lift their struggling heroes back to their feet.
Still, the discipline of so players was completely missing, and the team’s reputation as a whole had suffered. Because so were blad for the club’s decline. This once-respected and proud club was now struggling to return to its forr glory, while the fans—God bless them—could only watch their heroes struggle on the pitch.
Unlike the balanced and calm Manchester United, the struggling Liverpool were exactly the opponent City hoped to face.
For loyal Liverpool fans, they felt they still had a fighting chance. The pressure on the points table ant they couldn’t afford to play conservatively at ho, which ant Manchester City wouldn’t face overly dense defenses. After all, Liverpool’s backline was far from elite, ranking third in goals conceded among the top ten teams.
As the match comnced, Manchester City adopted their balanced offensive and defensive stance.
The defensive line, along with defensive midfielder Makélélé, focused on defense, while Pirlo, Zidane, and the two wingers maintained balanced defensive contributions. Center-forward Larsson dropped deep to disrupt the opponent’s midfield build-up.
When Liverpool’s initial attack failed, Manchester City swiftly shifted to a counterattack.
Larsson surged down the wing, finding plenty of space. A quick, effective combination began to unfold.
Zidane made a forward run, receiving a pass from Pirlo.
Upon receiving the ball, Pirlo showcased his precision with a perfectly placed diagonal pass sent to Ronaldinho, who had cut in from the left. The timing and angle of the pass were both optimal, which was precisely why City’s coaching staff stood firm in utilizing Pirlo.
After receiving the ball, Ronaldinho perford a feint before breaking past the defender. As David Jas moved to mark him, Ronaldinho cleverly passed the ball back to Zidane, who had made an overlapping run.
At the edge of the penalty area, Zidane fired a long-range shot that struck the crossbar and bounced out.
Though the ball didn’t hit the net, it was a significant threat. Mourinho nodded slightly, realizing that if Larsson had made a more dynamic run earlier, Zidane might have opted to pass to him instead of taking the shot.
Whenever they faced Liverpool, the match tempo was always rapid, with the only difference being the fluidity of the attacking play.
With Manchester City’s attacking unit possessing superior control, Liverpool’s frantic attempts to intercept passing lanes were not proving effective.
In the past, that approach had troubled Manchester City since they relied heavily on passing. Players like Trezeguet and Solskjær struggled against tight marking. Now, however, with Ronaldinho, Zidane, and Pires possessing strong ball control, and Pirlo continuously improving—particularly in ball managent—the elegance of their play yielded clearly practical results.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Ronaldinho attracted two defenders on the left. Even in a tight spot, he managed to release the ball to Henry, who executed a wall pass with him. Ronaldinho then broke into the penalty area as David Jas closed in and cleverly fed the ball to the unmarked Larsson, who easily slotted it ho.
"What a beautiful goal! Manchester City’s attack utterly demolished Liverpool’s defense. Ronaldinho drew defenders to the wing, while Larsson’s movent created space by taking another defender out of the equation. After their combination, Ronaldinho burst past a defender and, with only Jas left in the middle, he faced difficulty blocking the shooting angle. Predictably, the Brazilian played a pass instead, and Larsson was there to finish it off!"
"Indeed, Martin, I noticed that too. City’s team used to rely on exquisite teamwork to penetrate opposition defenses, with many teams employing compact defensive systems to stifle City’s passing ga. Now, there’s more individuality among Manchester City’s attackers. Let’s not exaggerate—Ronaldinho, Larsson, Pires, and Zidane exceed a 70% success rate in one-on-one situations. Thus, marking them requires teammates’ support. Because of this, a single player drawing multiple defenders can create opportunities for teammates, leading to weaker defensive setups elsewhere. That recent goal is a pri example."
Mourinho was pleased with the process leading up to that goal. It wasn’t that he wished to abandon fluid teamwork entirely; rather, he aid to maximize the potential of his available players.
Their different talents dictated their unique technical abilities. Not allowing Ronaldinho to showcase his flair would be a waste.
To harness these players’ collective power, he must not let his ideals dictate his tactical decisions. The new tactical frawork was built around their unique skills.
Ronaldinho was ant to draw defensive attention in attack and create chances for the team.
Once the goal was scored, Liverpool would undoubtedly beco more aggressive in their approach.
Mourinho felt untroubled by this, knowing that with Liverpool trailing, Manchester City’s attack would have even greater opportunity to shine. Yet, how many goals they might score remained to be seen.
Houllier beca more and more frustrated. He could never have imagined that this young man, with whom he once shared the joy of watching football, would beco the nightmare of all the coaches who interacted with him back then.
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