With Ronaldo winning the Ballon dâOr for the first time, Manchester Cityâs marketing naturally pushed everything to the maximum for his promotion: innovative promotional posters, fresh club banners, all of his images on Manchester Cityâs new official website, and, in the next match, the mascots Moonchester and Moonbeam joining the sidelines during home games.
"Also, donât forget about Nakata promotion. Just shift the budget for the two of them until next year," Richard reminded Karren Brady, Cityâs marketing head.
People thought the best-selling merchandise would probably be Ronaldo or Zidane, but they were wrong.
Hidetoshi Nakata.
Given that City had just paid Perugia a relatively small fee of $490,000 (ÂŁ46,000) for the young Japanese national captain, it was amusing to recall how eyebrows were raised all over Europe when City gambled to import the midfielder from the J-League in the summer of the previous year.
Professionals scoffed at the idea of a young Japanese player making his mark in one of the worldâs toughest leagues. But merchandisersâ jaws dropped when 5,000 of Nakataâs compatriots made the trip to see his Premier League debut, and when Japanese tour operators promptly included a one-day Manchester package as part of Japanese holidays. That resulted in an average Japanese attendance of around 3,000 at City games.
Now, approaching the New Year, it was expected that the crowd from Asia would surge even more. While tickets alone were fairly ordinary revenue, for Richard, the real reward came from subsequent orders for 70,000 "Nakata No.14" blue shirts, which just happened to be made by Adidasâthe clubâs main sponsor, now owned by Richard himself.
Double jackpot!
Within months of his arrival in England, it became clear that Nakata represented an inspired dual investment. On the field, his combination of midfield vision, ball-winning ability, and rare goalscoring touch made him a class act. Off the field, his status as a Japanese sporting superstar made him a marketing dream for Manchester City.
Richard had already briefed OâNeill that, inevitably, this issue would grow. When asked, he made sure to stress that Nakataâs transfer was based on his technical footballing merits and not as a marketing operation.
Other facts: Manchester Cityâs new website, MCFC.com, was registering 200,000 hits a day the moment Nakata made his debut, and that was just as a substitute. So, for Richard, in terms of market value, the 21-year-old playmaker was a gold mine. Although he spent most of the season on the bench behind MakĂ©lĂ©lĂ©, Pirlo and Lampard, he wanted City to use Nakata to spearhead a marketing campaign in Asia.
"Itâs also good if the shops we open in Japan can be ready quickly. Any obstacles?"
"All the permits have been processed; itâs expected that everything will be able to open next year."
Thanks to Nakataâs skyrocketing popularity, small City shops in Tokyo and Osaka opened rapidly, capitalizing on the craze. Just looking at how much City had thrived on merchandise sales over the past years gave Richard a sense of satisfaction.
The next morning, Richard tidied himself up, ready to see the last training session before the team headed to Graz-Liebenau, Austria, tomorrow. However, as he arrived at Maine Road, a chaotic scene unfolded before him. A throng of reporters had congregated outside the stadium, showering him with questions.
"Mr. Richard Maddox, is there any illicit activity surrounding Ronaldinhoâs move to Manchester City?"
"People are questioning his eligibility for professional play in England. How does City respond to this?"
"The FA doesnât have any documented transfer of Ronaldinho from Brazil to City. Is he really qualified to play?"
Passing the barricade where Richard heard all this noise, he finally grasped the situation once the flurry of questions subsided.
"Donât stop, just keep going," Richard said to his driver as they maneuvered through the crowd of reporters.
Once he arrived at the stadium, he quietly stepped out of his car, slamming the door shut behind him. At that moment, his phone rang.
Frowning, Richard picked up the receiver, only to hear Ronaldinhoâs voice on the other end.
"Sir, the dormitory is surrounded by reporters! What should I do?"
Richard glanced at his watch. â
He should already be at Maine Road by now...â
Hearing Richardâs tone, Ronaldinho cleared his throat nervously. "Sir... Iâm... Iâm late today."
Richard pinched the bridge of his nose. "Donât go outside yet. Whatever they ask, do not answer. Stay inside until I give the word."
There was a pause, then Ronaldinho asked hesitantly, "But... should I still go to practice today?"
Richardâs voice firmed, leaving no room for argument. "Of course. No slacking off. Youâre not hiding from training just because of a few reporters."
"Got it... sir," Ronaldinho said, swallowing nervously.
Richard shook his head slightly.
Why didnât he just call his coach?
He leaned back in his chair, thinking quickly. "Listen... keep calm. If anyone presses, donât react. Let me handle it from here."
Ronaldinho nodded, the line crackling slightly as he muttered, "Yes, sir."
Richard hung up, already dialing the club staff. This baseless rumor was starting to annoy him.
Arriving at his office, Miss Heysen was already waiting for him. She briefed him on the situation immediately, getting straight to the point.
"A newspaper on Fleet Street has published an article questioning Ronaldinhoâs eligibility as a professional player in England. Itâs a slow news season for football, and this article has been quickly picked up by others, creating quite a buzz."
"Fleet Street?" Richard frowned.
He sat back in thought with his legs crossed while Miss Heysen took a seat in front of him, passing the newspaper. "Could he really be here illegally? Honestly, if it werenât for him representing Brazil in the summer tournament, we might have thought he was English."
Since it was Richard himself who handled the transfer, Miss Heysen, to be honest, didnât know much about the details.
"Where is Marina?"
"Oh, she is in Africa handling the task she gave you," Miss Heysen replied.
That meant only he could handle it now. Richard nodded and looked toward the newspaper.
Thankfully, Ronaldinhoâs family had returned to Brazil. Even his sister couldnât adapt to life here and decided to go back home with their parents. With Richard as his patron, his family was confident he would do well in England. After all, it was his first professional contract, bringing in thousands of pounds a week. By sending half of that back home each month, he could help ensure his family had a comfortable life in Brazil, especially since his brother was still playing football there. If his family were here, it might attract all sorts of gossip.
Looking at Ronaldinhoâs face clearly displayed in the newspaper, Richard reflected that despite Ronaldinhoâs distinctly non-English name and darker complexion, England is a melting pot of immigrants. Especially in London, people from all over the world flock here, serves as a landing point for many.
Richard also had many friends, like Fay Loan, who were both Black but considered themselves true Brits, even without European-sounding names.
Ronaldinho had appeared in Cityâs youth squad at Under-17 level. He wasnât officially listed in the clubâs promotional material for the first team, which typically included details on playersâ names, nationalities, and past performances.
Most City fans thought Ronaldinho was English until he made a splash in the Premier League with his samba celebrations, revealing that he was definitely not from England!
Probably people only investigated after realizing he was Brazilian. That explained his dazzling skills. Fans accepted this revelation without further thoughtâbut some busybodies were a different story.
âWho is it? FA? Murdoch? Bates Or... Alan Sugar?â
Richard shook his head, dismissing such thoughts, and blamed the media for this issue.
A Brazilian? Can a Brazilian just play football in England? Of course he can. But who established the work permit system? How in the world did Ronaldinho end up at Manchester City?
After a series of such questions echoed in peopleâs minds, it all morphed into conspiracy theories, insinuating that the FA had bent the rules regarding work permits or that City had acted illegally in signing Ronaldinho.
Miss Heysen, who didnât know the details despite being CEO, came seeking answers from Richard, naturally curious about the truth.