The Godfather of Football

Some people say that by observing a person's personality, you can often see it from his subtle actions.

Just like in Tottenham Hotspur's player services department, there is such a special report, which records the players' living habits and some of their actions in great detail, from the time they came to London to join Tottenham. As soon as Naham Hotspur start, the team will start collecting information about them.

On the one hand, this is to provide better services to the players. For example, what are the players’ habits? People in the service department can better help them. At the same time, it also makes it easier for the club to understand the player’s situation, or in training and competition. Make some special arrangements, for example, if there are taboos for a player who needs to fast, etc.

In fact, this report from the player service department can not only do this, but also help the team understand some of the players' personalities very well, because many people unknowingly put their true thoughts or It is his true character that is revealed in some trivial details in daily life.

Just like a house, the first thing that all players who join Tottenham Hotspur from other places do after arriving in London is undoubtedly to find a place to stay, so they need to find a house.

But renting and buying reflect two different psychology of players.

Of course, Ye Qiu and Tottenham Hotspur would never interfere in this kind of thing. After all, it belongs to the players' private life.

Basically, most of the players who want to develop at Tottenham Hotspur have their own houses. For example, Messi, Ribery, and other first-team players basically have houses, even when they are inside. As soon as Marr arrived in London, he bought a high-priced mansion in North London. This was seen as a move to show his loyalty to the team.

As the team's head coach, Ye Qiu knows very well that it is impossible to ask everyone to follow Tottenham Hotspur wholeheartedly. After all, everyone has their own opinions and thoughts, so he respects everyone. One person's choice will not exclude any player because of this. All data are purely a reference.

Yaya Toure is the kind of person who has always rented an apartment. Even though he has been in London for three or four years, he still chooses to rent an apartment. This is because he has always had a sense of worry in his bones. .

No one who has not experienced the hardships and hardships he had when he was a child will not understand the worries he has now. He is often troubled to the point of being unable to sleep, wondering what else he can do when he gets old and leaves the football field. ?

He knows very well that in European football circles, there are very few black people who can be head coaches, and even the ones reported most by the media are basically white players. Unless you can be like Balotelli, otherwise, it will be difficult for black players. Become the focus of European football circles.

He will soon be 28 years old, but Yaya Toure has been thinking about this issue more and more recently, because he knows very well that even if he plays football again, I am afraid it will be difficult for him to play for a long time. In five years, I am afraid that I will leave the mainstream football circle.

What to do after retirement?

This question is obviously placed in front of Yaya Toure!

When his brother Kolo Toure chose to switch from Arsenal to Manchester City, Yaya Toure once asked him why. One of the reasons Kolo Toure said touched him very much, that is, he wanted to You must make as much money as possible before you retire to ensure your life after retirement.

Compared to Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur has done a very good job in this regard. They have a dedicated investment consultant to help Tottenham Hotspur players with financial management. For example, Messi, who works with his brother He opened an Argentinian restaurant in London's financial district and the business was very good. Ye Qiu rented the store to him.

In addition, there are many people who have some investments of their own, not to mention Beckham, Ribery, Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Silva, etc. They all have some personal investments, and some of them have lost money. , some have made money, it’s hard to say, and Tottenham Hotspur itself is also implementing a youth coaching training course, promising that all retired players can participate in training and even work at Tottenham Hotspur.

These measures cannot be said to be bad, and they provide players with a lot of protection. But in Yaya Toure's view, he still can't rest assured, because he never wants to go back to the hardships he had when he was a child. After the tormenting days, he would rather die than go back.

Over the years, the brothers have also invested in their home country of Cote d'Ivoire, but they have not seen any improvement yet. After all, this is how business is done. Who can guarantee that they will make profits without losing money?

In order to better take care of his life after retirement, Yaya Toure not only listened to the opinions of the club's financial experts, but also hired a consultant himself, a Ukrainian named Dimitri Seluk. Through a friend's introduction, I helped him sign two contracts privately and made a lot of money.

Of course, he takes a part of the commission from it. As long as this kind of sponsorship does not affect the interests of the team's sponsors, which the players contact privately, the team will basically not get involved, and they will not even ask for a share, or even if necessary. will also help.

Yaya Toure is very grateful for Tottenham Hotspur's generosity.

Therefore, that night, although he was unable to follow Ye Qiu and others to Zurich, he still sat in front of the TV and watched the award ceremony accompanied by his wife Jamba and personal consultant Seluk.

Messi finally won the golden FIFA Ballon d'Or from Ye Qiu. This was also the first FIFA Ballon d'Or, which has more meaning. Therefore, Messi's ability to win the award is not just for his personal achievements. This is an honor and an honor for Tottenham Hotspur, especially since Ribery also finished second, which was better than last year.

When Messi gave his speech, he mentioned his Tottenham Hotspur teammates, and Yaya Toure's name was mentioned in it.

"He is always so careful!" Yaya Toure laughed and pointed at Messi who was reading the names of his teammates on the TV. He knew that the Argentinian did not want to offend these people who are usually good friends and have been getting along with each other for many years. Teammates, such as Franck Ribery, Cesc Fabregas, Yaya Toure and so on.

"To be honest, I think you are fully capable and capable of standing on that stage and picking up that trophy. At the very least, you should stand on that stage like Ribery or Iniesta!" Selu Ke Ye smiled and said, "This is an honor for any professional player!"

After hearing this, Yaya Toure shook his head with a smile, "You know, Dimitri, whether it is the previous European Golden Globe Award, the World Footballer, or the current merger into the FIFA Golden Globe Award, they only Favors offensive players.”

It is absolutely nonsense to say that any professional player does not want to get the golden trophy in the hands of Messi on TV. Only for a very small number of people, they have this possibility, and for the vast majority For some professional players, they can only dream, and the dream is gone when they wake up.

"Come on, you just won the African Footballer of the Year. You have such strength, Yaya!" Seluk continued to shout encouragingly, "But for you, the biggest problem now is Tottenham Hotspur Another thing about your positioning is that you are hidden behind Messi, Ribery, and even Cavani, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, so others can’t see you!”

Seluk would not mention Ye Qiu, because from his daily interactions he knew how to observe what was happening, which was the most important skill for an agent. Even though he did not have an agent certificate recognized by FIFA, he knew very well that Yaya Toure respects Ye Qiu very much, and even his brother Kolo Toure, who has switched to Manchester City, also respects Ye Qiu.

Because it was Ye Qiu who brought them from the poor and backward Côte d'Ivoire to the prosperous Amsterdam, brought them into the mainstream circle of European football, and made them famous in one fell swoop. They always have respect for such a person.

"What exactly do you want to say?" Yaya Toure's face froze, and he noticed that Seluk was a little different today.

The Ukrainian sighed softly, this Ivorian is not stupid, on the contrary, he is very smart.

"Let me tell you straight, Manchester City, Chelsea, West Ham United and Newcastle have all contacted me. You know, they all want to bring in a midfielder during the winter break, and it is a core midfielder. They There is an urgent need now, and the conditions offered are very generous. You know, for them, money is no longer important. What is important is to be ranked in the top four of the Premier League at the end of the season!" Seluk finished! The last smile, I don't know if it was a bitter smile or a sneer.

Yaya Toure sneered a little after hearing this. For Tottenham Hotspur, top four in the league is not a problem at all. They have only one goal now, which is the league championship, but his agent Do you want to give up a team that can win the league championship and go to a team that aims to break into the top four in the league?

"Hear it first, Yaya!" Seluk saw through Yaya Toure's thoughts and immediately adopted a persuasive policy. "You have won the league championship and even the Champions League. You have won almost all clubs. "Whether you get one honor or two honors, it doesn't make a big difference to you, but now, the salary they offer is more than three times what you paid at Tottenham Hotspur."

"My preliminary estimate is that you can get more than ten million pounds a year!"

"So many?" Zhanmba on the side was a little surprised, but she rarely interrupted.

Seluk is very satisfied with the shocking effect of his string of numbers. All professional players are ultimately after money.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that a very small number of people play football for fun, but among those who enter professional football, especially those who rely on playing football to support their families and relatives, who does not play football for money?

"The club is also considering renewing my contract!" Yaya Toure's current salary is indeed not high, but it was already increased once last year. Ye Qiu promised that he will increase his salary again after the end of this season.

"Can they surpass Messi and Ribery?" Seluk said with certainty. "Messi and Ribery can make more money from off-field operations than their salary. Although you also have off-field operating income, But there is obviously a big gap compared with them, but Manchester City has promised to give you a salary at the same level as them, and you can develop the income from the image rights yourself. "

This is indeed a very attractive salary. Who doesn’t want to get more and better salary?

Even his girlfriend Jamba, who was sitting next to him, raised his head and looked at his boyfriend. Her relatives in Cote d'Ivoire also relied on Yaya Toure's help to do business or make a living. If Yaya ?Toure can make more money, which is a good thing for many relatives and friends.

"You should know, Yaya, they can't give you such a high salary, because if they give you such a high salary, it means that Tottenham Hotspur will have to pay at least as much as the team in the next year. The total salary is increased by 50%, which is 70 million euros, and they cannot agree to it!" Seluk calculated very clearly.

"It's not just about the salary. When you go to Manchester City, they give you the core position in the midfield, surrounded by Aguero, Modric, Van der Vaart, De Rossi and other teammates. This team will have a chance to win the league championship, and you will As the core and soul of this league championship team, you will become the number one superstar alongside Messi, Ribery and others, rather than succumbing to them, do you understand? "

In the past two or three seasons, Yaya Toure has indeed grown into the world's leading midfielder, with excellent offense and defense. However, relatively speaking, he has appropriately suppressed his desire to attack. This is because He is not the core soul of this team, or should I say, the only soul of this team is Ye Qiu!

If you can go to a team that is completely centered on yourself and is capable of competing for championships, it will be a huge temptation for any professional player, especially an ambitious professional player, not to mention that there are Such generous treatment.

"Think about it carefully. I'm still talking with them. I think they are very urgent now because the competition for the top four in the league this season is too fierce, and they all want to seize the lead and strengthen their strength during the winter break, so we Able to obtain better and more generous conditions and bargaining chips.”

When Seluk said this, he stood up. His purpose tonight had been achieved, and everything that needed to be said had been said, "If you feel that you can't say anything about Tottenham Hotspur and Ye Qiu, , then let me tell you.”

After hearing this, Yaya Toure raised his head, staring at Seluk with the two round eyes in the middle of his dark skin, and said in a deep voice: "No, you don't need to say anything, I will handle this matter myself, I’ll give you an answer after I think about it, but, Dimitri, don’t say anything in the media!”

He knew that what Ye Qiu disliked the most was someone using the media to put pressure on the club, so he would never allow his personal consultant to do this, because even if he wanted to leave, he would personally tell Ye Qiu of his decision. , without the need to pass on anyone, because this is a way for him to express his respect for Ye Qiu and Tottenham Hotspur.

He admitted that he never thought about playing for Tottenham Hotspur until he retired. This was a kind of insecurity from his heart. Even when Mascherano was still there, he once I considered leaving the team, but later as I became the main player and performed better and better, this idea gradually faded away.

But now, when Seluk said this, his thoughts sprouted again. He never denied that he was a money-grubbing person, because there was a large group of people behind him who depended on him to play football for a living. If he retired, , then this group of people will completely say goodbye to their current decent life, return to the slums where they lived in the past, and live a hellish life.

He has never felt that there is anything shameful about being greedy for money. Those who think it is shameful to be greedy for money is because they have never felt the humility and pain of poverty. They are not worthy of looking down on people who are greedy for money. At least he is a greedy person. He climbed out of the slums step by step through his own efforts and his own hands.

Perhaps, no one would understand him, but he believed that Ye Qiu would understand.

But this is a very important decision for him, and it may even affect his life, so he must be careful and consider it carefully before telling Ye Qiu.

…………

…………

Perhaps it was affected by the interruption of the winning streak, or the ups and downs after a long period of good form, or perhaps it was affected by the back and forth of the FIFA award ceremony. In short, Tottenham Hotspur began to enter a trough. .

After Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or, he returned to London and Tottenham Hotspur was forced to a draw by Manchester United at their home court. Even though Tottenham Hotspur dominated Manchester United in this game, Manchester United The Red Devils paid a heavy price with one red card and five yellow cards, but in the end they still failed to win.

0:0, Manchester United drew with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

After two consecutive draws, the outside world's confidence in Tottenham Hotspur remains undiminished. After all, this team has experienced a decline in form after 20 consecutive victories. It is understandable, and it can even be said that it is This is a very normal thing, and after all, we are still in the adjustment stage after the winter break.

For Tottenham Hotspur, Ye Qiu's best choice is to adjust their condition in the second half of January and welcome the Champions League in mid-February. After all, the lead in the Premier League is already big enough.

A week later, Tottenham Hotspur drew 1:1 with Newcastle in an away game. This time, the media started a round of rumors that Tottenham Hotspur might collapse, but Ye Qiu was still very satisfied with the team's performance. He thought that getting a draw away from home was nothing, and Tottenham Hotspur had already drawn four games this season.

But the North London team's unbeaten record has been extended to thirty-six games.

The fans were a little depressed after three consecutive draws in the league, but soon, the young and substitute lineup led by Raul, Neymar and Hazard avenged the previous shame in the League Cup, winning 3:0 at home against Ipswich, reversing Ipswich with a total score of 3:1 and reaching the League Cup final.

This victory gave all the media who had previously taken advantage of Tottenham Hotspur because of the loss in the first round a slap in the face, and Tottenham Hotspur's youth team once again won a wave of applause.

It was after this game that Ye Qiu received a long-awaited good news.