The Godfather of Football

It was raining in the middle of the night, but London was still brightly lit and full of people.

Especially on the way from Heathrow Stadium to Stamford Bridge, with the dazzling street lights, looking at the pedestrians walking slowly on both sides and the busy bars, this was the first time Ye Qiu felt the scenery of London after midnight. .

They all said that British people like to walk, which is true. Even if it is raining, they still walk slowly on the street. Some even don't even hold an umbrella and just get wet. Yu looked very excited, probably because he went to a nearby bar to drink.

When it comes to bars, they have become a kind of culture in the UK, especially in the area around Chelsea, where the rich, white-collar workers and the middle class basically live. In addition, the home stadiums of Chelsea and Fulham are not far from each other, and the rich people Lem's home stadium is close to the Thames River, and the surrounding area can be said to be full of bars.

Ye Qiu had just arrived and was not very familiar with London. What he knew better was the road from Heathrow Stadium to Stamford Bridge Stadium. Driving his Ferrari Enzo sent from Amsterdam, he did not dare to make any deviations. walking.

It can be said that land in London is precious, especially in Kensington and Chelsea. The land here is even more valuable. Therefore, although Stamford Bridge, which created Chelsea, is located in a wealthy area of ​​London, it is surrounded by all kinds of people. The buildings are so densely surrounded that there is no room for expansion and development.

The crowding at Stamford Bridge can be seen from another angle, that is, the team's museum and club store are not arranged at the more eye-catching main entrance of the stadium like other clubs, but are arranged behind the stadium.

In other words, if fans want to go to the store to buy something, they have to go around the entire stadium.

Moreover, there is no parking lot at Stamford Bridge, so parking is prohibited here. Even club vehicles can only park behind the stadium. There is a small parking lot next to the store, and even parking spaces are scarce.

Stamford Bridge has security guards on duty every night, and the office is on the first floor at the main entrance of the stadium.

When Ye Qiu arrived, the car lights shone into the office, and then he heard the roar of the Ferrari stopping at the door.

"Mr. Ye Qiu!" The security team leader on duty at night walked out of the office. He saw Ye Qiu coming out of the car and running quickly to hide from the rain. He pointed inside, "He said his name is Frank Ribery and he is a policeman." A professional player from France.”

After saying that, the security guard shrugged and quietly approached Ye Qiu, "Although he does have a jersey and sneakers on him, he doesn't look much like him, and... he came here on foot!"

"Did you come on foot?" Ye Qiu was stunned. Although you have to call in advance to book a taxi in the UK, it is not required at the airport or some bus stations. The purpose is to facilitate these foreign tourists.

"Who knows?" The security guard shrugged helplessly, but finally added, "This guy speaks very bad English, has a very bad temper, and has that scar..."

This security guard also knew when enough was enough. He originally planned to ask, could such a big scar be from the underworld?

Ye Qiu didn't care. He walked into the security office and saw Ribery sitting there with a bag of luggage beside him. He was looking up at him. When Ye Qiu came over, he stood up. .

"Didn't I give you my phone number?" Ye Qiu wanted to laugh when he saw him dressed like a drowned rat.

"Lost!" Ribery replied stiffly, but he did not directly say that he had thrown it away.

Ye Qiu raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Let's go!" He turned around and left.

"Where are you going?" Ribery quickly grabbed his luggage and followed him out.

Ye Qiu smiled and shook his head, "Do you plan to stay here tonight?"

After leaving the door of the duty office, Ribery was immediately frightened by the fiery red Ferrari in front of him. He is also a car lover, and he recognized it at a glance as a Ferrari limited edition Enzo, the most advanced one. Only high-end Ferrari customers can buy this sports car. It is limited to 399 units worldwide. It can be said to be the dream lover of all car lovers.

"Why are you stunned? Get in the car!" Ye Qiu had already opened the car door and got in.

Ribery stood there watching carefully, his eyes darting around, but he did not open the door and sit in.

"Get in the car, what are you doing?" Ye Qiu was confused, this kid was weird.

Ribery stood there at a loss. He could already feel the group of security guards behind him laughing, "Open the door."

Ye Qiu almost lost his voice immediately. It turned out that this kid didn't know how to open the door. "There is no handle. There is a recess in the gap at the back of the door. You can open it by putting your hand in!"

Following Ye Qiu's words, Ribery reached in and grabbed hard. The door of the European Wing slowly rose, which made him feel as if he was in a science fiction world. Then he deliberately patted the clothes on his body, as if I had to brush off the dust before sitting in, but there was no way to close the door. I had to stand up a little longer before closing the door.

"It's so troublesome!" Ribery complained, but his eyes were looking around like a thief, as if everything in the car was so new to him, he couldn't even imagine that he had it before. Opportunity to ride in such a car.

Ye Qiu smiled a little vainly and drove out slowly, "Why did you walk here? You didn't cross the English Channel from Boulogne and swam here, did you?" After saying this, he chuckled.

Ribery sighed, "I came by plane. I called a taxi and told him that I was going to Chelsea. Then he told me a lot, and then he sent me to who knows where and dropped me off." Then I left, and I was depressed.”

Frankly speaking, this French boy's English is not too bad, and there is no problem in daily communication. It is probably other problems.

"Then what?" Ye Qiu asked with a smile.

"I couldn't find a taxi and couldn't find a place, so I asked people along the way!" Ribery shrugged, looking very open-minded, but Ye Qiu listened and felt that there was a bit of bitterness in his words. .

Just imagine, a person comes to a strange city alone and is unfamiliar with the place. He goes around looking for people on the street in the middle of the night to ask for directions. You can imagine the misery he encounters, because even in the UK, don’t think that he is here. How friendly people will be, especially when they see Ribery's face, they must be avoiding him.

"Who asked you to throw my business card?" Ye Qiu cursed with a smile.

Ribery was shocked, "I lost it accidentally, not threw it away!" He reminded him seriously.

He had made some calculations along the way and realized that throwing away and throwing away were two completely different concepts. He made up his mind and refused to admit that he had thrown away.

"To me, it's all the same!" Ye Qiu said with a smile.

Ribery had no choice but to let him speak. He turned his head and looked at London's colorful world and bustling night scene with fresh eyes, full of surprise.

This was the first time in his life that he had come to such a bustling world-class metropolis, and everything was new to him.

The car slowly left the city and arrived at the Skyline Hotel near Heathrow Airport.

The hotel is next to Heathrow Airport and only one kilometer away from Harrington Training Base. Ye Qiudu chose to stay here before the villa in Totteridge was renovated.

Because most of them were passengers from the airport, the hotel provided 24-hour service. Ye Qiu took Ribery to have a midnight meal, opened a room for him, and let him take a shower and sleep comfortably. A sleep.

"Have enough energy and come with me to the training base tomorrow!"

Finally, Ye Qiu said these words that stabilized Ribery and allowed him to sleep comfortably all night.

…………

…………

When I saw Ribery again the next morning, it was in the hotel restaurant.

Ye Qiu informed the hotel waiter and asked Ribery to go directly to the restaurant to find him when he woke up. When this kid arrived, Huang Chu happened to be going to work. The two just met each other, but the brat was stunned. .

"Boss, your girlfriend is so beautiful!" Ribery was amazed.

"My wife!" Ye Qiu raised his coffee cup to hide his pride. This brat knew how to flatter someone.

Ye Qiu is also a weird person. He doesn't like flattering him directly, but flattering him indirectly makes him quite happy.

"That day..." Ribery thought for a moment.

"My agent, Eliza Moon!" Ye Qiu introduced.

Ribery suddenly realized, and he couldn't help but compare in his mind, who is his beautiful wife? Or is the agent pretty?

After thinking for a long time, the boy finally came to the conclusion that both of them seemed so beautiful that it was difficult to distinguish between them.

"By the way, do you have an agent?" Ye Qiu asked casually.

"Yes!" Ribery said while chewing bread, "But when he was at Alais, he didn't get his salary and ran away with someone else!"

Ye Qiu took a sip of coffee and almost spit it out in front of him. Why did this guy make it sound like the manager had run away with someone.

"As usual, I have to take you to the Harrington training base. The conditions there are very bad, but they are still improving. Moreover, we have bought a piece of land nearby and will move in a year. We will arrange the training camp this summer. In Austria, if you have no problems, I will arrange an agent for you and you sign the contract with the club."

"That's it?" Ribery asked.

"What do you think?" Ye Qiu wondered, isn't it good to just sign the contract like this?

Ribery was originally thinking that he would have to try out for a period of time, or do some inspections, but from Ye Qiu's tone, it seemed that he was full of confidence in himself and was about to sign a contract with him.

"Is there a problem?" Seeing Ribery in a daze, Ye Qiu thought he was unhappy.

"Oh, no, no problem. Why is there a problem?" Ribery shook his head vigorously, "It's just that my salary..."

Ye Qiu actually smiled. This kid was really courageous. He had taken special care of him by letting him come to play in the Premier League. But he was so kind and wanted to raise his salary? However, Ye Qiu knew in his heart that by coming alone, he had actually made it clear that he was at the mercy of others, but now that he had to sign the contract, he had to ask clearly.

"The weekly salary is 1,000 pounds, plus various bonuses such as appearance fees, winning bonuses, goal bonuses, championship bonuses and league rankings. If you perform well, your salary can increase by 50%. This time next year I will I’ll give you a new contract, and the salary will depend on your performance!”

When Ye Qiu said this, Ribery's eyes lit up.

The weekly salary is 1,000 pounds, which is almost more than 4,000 pounds a month, which is much better than his job as a bricklayer.

"Any more questions?" Ye Qiu asked again.

Ribery shook his head vigorously. He was not afraid of Ye Qiu lying to him. To be honest, he also knew Ye Qiu, the Champions League champion coach and the head coach of a big club like Chelsea. He is the most popular player in European football today. Coach, would such a person cheat him for more than a thousand pounds?

If this was the case, then he would be happy to do so, because relying on this piece of news, he would be able to live without worries for the rest of his life.

"By the way, boss!" Ribery thought of something again, "Does the club control it?"

"Have you ever seen someone in charge of a club?" Ye Qiu asked in a funny tone.

Ribery wanted to say yes, because he has dormitories in Lille and Boulogne, but he didn't dare to say.

"I heard that you are married?" Ye Qiu asked casually.

"Well!" Ribery couldn't help but think of the scene when he left home, "I'm going to be a father soon."

Ye Qiu was slightly startled, then looked at Ribery, thinking about him moving bricks at the construction site, he could more or less notice something.

Although he had only met Ribery twice, he felt that this kid was a bit arrogant and not very educated. He didn't look like a person who was willing to put down his dignity to move bricks. But now, after hearing him talk about Now that he is going to be a father, Ye Qiu understands a little bit.

"Because you don't need a transfer fee, I can give you another signing fee of 10,000 pounds. I will ask the agent to help you find several houses. When the team comes back from training in Austria, you will choose the house and go back. Wife, take it over, it will be easier to settle down, and you can play football with peace of mind in the future.”

Ribery was stunned when he heard this, and immediately understood that this was an extra benefit given to him by Ye Qiu. He was obviously helping him. He didn't say anything more and nodded, as if he deserved all of this. , but in my heart I couldn't help but feel a little warmer towards this city that had just finished raining and was a bit cool.

Club signing is actually a very simple matter, not as complicated as outsiders imagine.

Generally speaking, clubs have pre-made several different types of standard contracts in advance, and then make different deletions based on the negotiation results between the players and the club.

Of course, the agent Ye Qiu found for Ribery was Eliza. This is called leaving no room for outsiders, and the entire signing process was so simple that Ribery wondered if he had seen it wrong, because it could be done in just ten minutes. , and then he got a professional contract with a weekly salary of 1,000 pounds.

If this contract were in Boulogne or Ales, it would be the highest-paying contract. The club would probably have to consider it for a long time, but in the Premier League and London, it only takes ten minutes. This surprised Ribery, but he also felt that he was really in the right place.

After signing the contract, Ye Qiu asked Roland to take Ribery for a walk around, while he and Eliza discussed the transfer situation of Makelele in the office. This French midfielder was his favorite. Wanted players.

Of course, if that doesn't work, he has another option, Valencia's Albelda.

Valencia's strong rise in recent years is inseparable from the double midfielder partnership of Albelda and Baraja. Among them, Albelda is a very traditional intercepting and stealing midfielder with a sense of position. Very good. Like Makelele, he relies on consciousness to defend. But because of this, Ye Qiu is not sure whether his body can cope with the Premier League.

However, Alberda's advantage over Makelele is that he is from Spain and is better than Makelele in controlling and handling the ball. But at this point, Chelsea already has Deco and Ronaldo. Dinho, so Ye Qiu’s first choice is still Makelele.

"Makelele has conveyed his idea to Real Madrid through his agent, either to raise his salary or leave. According to my contacts with Real Madrid, they are not opposed to selling Makelele because they want to What I got was Vieira!" Eliza analyzed.

Real Madrid's pursuit of Vieira is unquestionable, because Vieira is the number one defensive midfielder in Florentino's eyes.

Many people think that Florentino is pursuing frontcourt superstars, but they are actually wrong. What Florentino wants is for Real Madrid to have superstars in every position, but Makelele is not. Compatriot Vieira is.

Therefore, some people in the previous life concluded that Florentino's failure was that after selling Makelele, he failed to buy Vieira.

"You think, if we bring in Makelele, will they bring in Vieira?" Ye Qiu asked with a smile.

To be honest, Vieira looks down on Chelsea, but he really wants to go to Real Madrid and establish himself as a superstar alongside Zidane, Ronaldo, Figo and others.

Ye Qiu remembered that the transfer of Makelele in his previous life was carried out on the last day of the transfer deadline, which did not leave enough time for Real Madrid to operate Vieira, so what now? It’s only July and I have plenty of time. Will I buy it?

"Real Madrid's asking price for Makelele is not low!" Eliza curled her lips in a charming manner, "25 million euros."

You know, the transfer fee for a superstar like Beckham is only 30 million euros. Now that the football market is so sluggish, a little-known defensive player like Makelele has an asking price of 25 million euros. Then, It’s already a sky-high price, who wants to be taken advantage of like this?

But Ye Qiu thought for a while, nodded and said, "Promise them!"

"Huh?" Eliza suspected that she heard wrongly.

"Just offer 25 million euros, no bargaining, get it done in one go, I want a quick victory!" Ye Qiu was very determined.

Is 25 million euros expensive to buy Makelele?

In Ye Qiu's opinion, it is not expensive at all. In this case, there is no need to argue with Real Madrid. They want to sell, Chelsea wants to buy, just be direct and clean, the price is the price, so as to avoid more trouble.

Why couldn't Ferguson buy Ronaldinho?

To put it bluntly, he is stingy!

Before the end of the season, Ronaldinho's value was less than 10 million. If Manchester United had offered a tougher price at that time, directly offering 10 million or more, Paris Saint-Germain would probably have agreed. Even if it later reached 15 million, you directly threw 20 million over, they would have agreed.

But after all the arguments, as more and more teams began to invest in the transfer market, and as Real Madrid and Barcelona joined the competition, Manchester United found that Ronaldinho's value had risen, and Paris Saint-Germain began to feel confident.

Chelsea's process of getting Ronaldinho was very simple. Eliza learned about Paris Saint-Germain's psychological price through various means and found that their bottom line was around 25 million euros, slightly lower than Beckham, so she directly threw 30 million euros over, and the other party immediately agreed.

Was it a big mistake? Maybe a little, but the problem is, you argued with Paris Saint-Germain and took such a big risk, just for 5 million euros? Maybe any of the changes will cause Ronaldinho's value to rise again, and you may not be able to buy him with 30 million euros.

Sometimes, buying a player is like an auction, and it is more shocking to kill him directly!