"Robbie!"
Robertson shouted urgently from the sidelines as Robbie Savage, still fuming, was being held back by Neil Lennon and Van Bommel in the middle of the pitch. The referee wasnât showing favoritism toward West Hamâhis decision was purely based on ensuring the safety of everyone on the field.
Savageâs face was a mask of fury, but there was nothing more he could do. The red card had already been raised. Like it or not, he had to accept the decision and leave the pitch.
"Dumbass!" Robbie Savage cursed as he strode purposefully toward the playersâ tunnel. Coach Walford quickly approached him with a jacket to shield him.
Because as he walked toward the tunnel, it really did start to "rain"â coins, lighters, plastic cups, bottles...
Damn it, West Ham fans!
Even Robertson didnât dare stay on the sidelines any longer. As objects rained down from the stands, he quickly jogged over to the playersâ benchâat least there was a roof to shield them there.
OâNeill, already seated, patted Robertsonâs shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "You did the right thing," he said quietly, his voice low but firm.
There were only a few minutes left in the West Ham vs Manchester City match, and City was already comfortably ahead. Getting dragged into a full-blown conflict nowâespecially on enemy turfâwould be utterly pointless. Worse, it could cost them more than just this game: disciplinary action, suspensions, fines. Not to mention the damage to their image.
It simply wasnât worth it.
PHWEEEEE~
Finally, the match ended. West Ham suffered a crushing defeat at Upton Park, falling 3â0 to a dominant Manchester City side.
It wasnât a derby matchâbut the clash between West Ham and Manchester City still descended into chaos, all because of the fans.
A roar of boos filled the stadium. Fortunately, the unrest was limited to small-scale clashes, but even with the Metropolitan Police deploying a strong presence to maintain order, they couldnât prevent tempers from flaring.
Harry Redknapp, in his post-match interview, weakly condemned Manchester Cityâs "thuggish behavior," blaming their fans for the chaos surrounding Upton Parkâleaving everyone speechless.
Of course, that was the pot calling the kettle black. Neither side was composed of gentlemen, and it was pointless to argue over who was worse.
Naturally, Robertsonâstill serving as interim managerâdidnât stay silent. Since this was his last match at the helm with OâNeill already recovered, he didnât hold back.
"The whole process was clearly captured on camera. The opposing fans invaded the pitch, breaching stadium regulations first. Then they insulted my players. Many of you probably thought he just wanted a photo, but with those insults and aggressive gestures? I didnât see it that way. He couldâve harmed Robbie, and Robbie simply acted first to protect himself."
"Is there any chance City will appeal the red card?"
"Of course. The referee already explained it wasnât because of what happened on the pitch but due to the pressure coming from the stadiumâspecifically from the home fans. I donât blame the referee for that; heâs a good man."
The reporters quickly took noteâManchester City was planning to appeal.
Sure enough, the moment Richard arrived at Maine Road, he immediately instructed Marina to prepare the appeal. "And tell PR to prepare a neutral but assertive statement. Something like, âWe respect the officialsâ decisions but believe this incident warrants further review. This sets a precedent.â"
Marina nodded, already scribbling everything down. "Understood. Iâll loop in legal and comms immediately."
Richard gave a tight nod and exhaled â but just as he was about to delve into his work, suddenly Marina Granovskaia called out to him.
"Whatâs wrong?" Richard asked, confused.
"The boy you asked me to keep an eye onâheâs already reached out to us," Marina replied.
"Huh? Which one?" Richard grew more confused.
"The one your father told you to recruit. The futsal player," Marina said helplessly.
Only then did Richard realize which boy she meant.
The prodigyâRonaldinho!
"Is the competition over?"
Originally, Richard intended to recruit Ronaldinho the moment he heard the boyâs name from his father. However, after learning that Ronaldinho would be competing in the U-17 Futsal World Championship in Egypt, he held back.
He wanted Ronaldinho to develop as much as possible before joining Manchester City. Transitioning from futsal or beach football to full-field football isnât easyâbut thankfully, Marina had managed to privately approach Ronaldinho and his family with a generous offer. Thanks to that, everything had gone smoothly so far.
"Apparently, Brazilâs U-17 squad finished their run in the Futsal World Championship. They were knocked out in the quarterfinals. Ronaldinho had a standout performanceâscored five goals in the tournament. Word is, heâs already turning heads across Europe." Marina said
Richard smiled faintly. "Of course he is."
He remembered the first time his father who couldnât stop raving about a boy who played like he was dancing on air.
âHeâs not just a street footballer,â
his father had said.
âHeâs pure joy with a ball. Get him before Manchestrr united or Arsenal do.â
Marina crossed her arms. "He said heâs ready."
That line caught Richard off guard.
"He said that?" Richard asked softly.
]Marina nodded. "In his own words:
âIf City still wants me, I want to come. Iâm ready to learn. Iâm ready to play real football.â
"
The timing couldnât have been better. The club was entering a new eraâOâNeill returning from injury, the team climbing the table, their image growing. And now, this.
"Does the whole family agree?" Richard asked, keeping his voice low.
Legally, this could border on a violation. While the consequences might not be severe, it could certainly deliver a massive blow to both his and Manchester Cityâs reputation.
Based on what Richard remembered about Ronaldinhoâs real-life career, there was a time when Arsenal had shown serious interest in signing him. However, the move collapsed after Ronaldinho failed to obtain a work permit. As a non-EU player who hadnât played enough international matches, he didnât meet the criteria set by UK immigration.
After that, there was talk of him joining Scottish Premier League side St. Mirren on loan. But that move also fell through due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil. As a result, any immediate move to a European club collapsed completely.
Richard didnât know the full details of what had happenedâbut he definitely didnât want to repeat the same mistakes. Especially when it came to something as serious as the fake passport scandal.
Marina Granovskaia nodded gravely. "They canât wait to get out of the slums, Richard. You donât realizeâbecause youâve never seen the favelas up close. When you asked me to look into the boy personally, thatâs when it hit meâhow incredibly lucky the kids in Moscow or Manchester really are. In those Brazilian slums, they either make it as footballers and escape... or they end up pawns for drug cartels or local gangs. Compared to that, Manchester is a paradise. Do you know how normal it is for them to be woken up by gunfire at midnight?"
Richard had some understanding of the chaos in South Americaâheâd been there while recruiting Ronaldoâs group. But he had stayed in relatively safer areas. Hearing Marina speak so directly made it hard for him to respond with any certainty.
Unbuttoning his jacket and placing his hands on his hips, Richard closed his eyes for a moment before asking, "How much is this going to cost?"
"To get them to the UK will cost ÂŁ1.05 million," Marina answered. "Additionally, providing for their living expenses, housing, and job opportunities, I estimate youâll need to invest over ÂŁ2 million in the family over the next five years. Honestly, Richard, I feel this is a bit riskyâand perhaps not worth it."
Marina cautiously expressed her concerns.
Richard gasped.
ÂŁ2 million?
Was it worth the risk?
Of course!
This was Ronaldo de Assis Moreiraâor simply: Ronaldinho. And unbelievably, the Brazilian prodigy had been scouted by his own father!
After learning about Ronaldinhoâs family situation, Marina had hired external scouts in Brazil and began quietly probing for contacts.
The familyâs livelihood depended almost entirely on his mother and older brotherâbut the money his brother earned at GrĂȘmio was barely enough. The Brazilian football market hadnât yet exploded the way it would a decade later. Thatâs why so many Brazilian stars were eager to move to Europe. Two decades later, many would choose to stay home, where salaries became competitive. But not yet.
Their father had already passed away. There was also a sister in the family. It was a story all too familiarâmore than half of Brazilâs football stars shared similarly tragic childhoods.
Richard had only wanted Ronaldinho. But that was impossible. Ronaldinhoâs loyalty leaned toward Manchester City because of his family situationâit gave the club leverage.
If Richard wanted to act first, he had to bring the entire family to England, minus the already self-sufficient brother. But money wasnât the issue.
"Can the immigration office handle that?"
"No problem," Marina replied. "As long as we follow procedure, itâs just a matter of time. Let the Frank and Gordon handle the paperwork."
"Then help me make it happen," Richard said, resolute. "I canât use club fundsâbut Iâll arrange something privately. Iâll give you ÂŁ2 million. Just ensure two things: First, once theyâre here, the familyâs living conditions must be stableâhis sisterâs school, a job for the mother, whatever they need. No mistakes. Second, Ronaldinho must join Cityâs U-17 squad. Iâm not going to do all this just to see him run off to another club."
After a long pause, Richard made up his mindâchanneling that
no guts, no glory
spirit.
If heâd never discovered Ronaldinho, that was one thing. But now that he had, how could he hesitate?
Even if it meant spending heavily, he had to bring him to Manchester.
Marina blinked in surprise, then looked at Richard with a serious expression. "Are you absolutely sure? This is a ÂŁ2 million investment."
If it failed... the consequences wouldnât just be financialâitâd be personal.
After a moment of silence, Richard clenched his jaw and gave a firm nod.
Marina didnât say another word. She simply picked up her phone and got to work.