In 1996, Paul Gascoigne scored a memorable goal in the quarter-final against Scotlandâa stunning curling shot from outside the box, widely regarded as one of the most spectacular in European Championship history. Though subjective, the goal is still remembered and celebrated, igniting the excitement of Three Lions fans.
When Gascoigne became a national sensation and moved to Italy, the BBC actually sent a film crew to follow him around 24/7, capturing snippets of his life to air back in Britain, which garnered decent ratings. This alone demonstrated his fame and influence. Wherever Gascoigne went, there was always a crowd of friendsâspeeding in cars, drinking, and partying to excess, even handcuffing himself to a chair and spending a night in a hotel like a convict.
In the following season, after that memorable World Cup, he joined Rangers F.C., who were in pursuit of a record tenth consecutive league title. Unfortunately, Gascoigneâs performance that season was unimpressive. At thirty, he felt more like forty. Many thirty-year-old veterans in the Premier League seemed more threateningânot to mention Cantona, who was leading Manchester United to victory at the same age.
People were disappointed after that season. Fans sighed in unison: Gascoigne was finished. This was the pain felt by England supportersâan emotional scar they didnât wish to revisit.
This season? Middlebrough.
Though Gascoigneâs performance for Middlesbrough that season was promising in flashes, by May he had barely accumulated playing timeânot even reaching 100 minutes on the pitch!
Richard looked at Mourinho before nodding. After that, his indifferent eyes fixed on Ronaldo as he spoke in a low voice:
"Ronaldo, if it were the others sitting in your seat today, I probably wouldnât be this sad and angry. What makes me deeply saddened is that you have stopped progressing after reaching the pinnacle of individual honors. You are the winner of the Ballon dâOr! Itâs you! Youâve not only failed to set an example but have also led others astray. I donât expect every player to become a saint, but you must understand that your life and profession are interconnected and mutually influential. If your personal life is a mess, it will undoubtedly affect your work!"
"Sir, Iâ"
Richard quickly interjected.
"Let me finish! Weâre all men here. Thereâs no need for pretense; itâs normal to like women. But I donât endorse treating women as mere sources of amusement, especially when you decide to involve your teammates. This not only damages your own image but also severely tarnishes the clubâs reputation. I wonât tolerate this! The damage has been done; your lives are your own. If this ever happens again, be ready to strip off the Manchester City jersey. As for todayâs punishment, all three of you will face a two-week fine."
When it came to their personal outings, he had never interfered. If a player wanted to enjoy a wild night, that was their businessâas long as it didnât affect their performance on the pitch. But when several playersâ actions combined, creating a pattern of recklessness, it was a different story. That kind of behavior didnât just stay personal; it thrust the club into the spotlight, attracting scrutiny and criticism no manager wanted.
Turning his gaze to them, he continued, "Your penalties will be enforced by your head coach. If reports show that your performance isnât satisfactory after a month, youâll remain under scrutiny. Also, a piece of advice: if you donât learn from this, ten or twenty years from now, when you see some of your former teammates becoming superstars and legends, donât be envious."
The three were utterly dejected.
With that, they all stood up to leave, followed by Baltemar Brito.
After a night of debauchery, it was time to face the consequences. Not only fined them but also made them ineligible to play for the first team for a month, which indirectly led to a reduction in their incomeâa double blow.
Only Mourinho stayed behind.
"At times like this, I think itâs important for us to create a proper reserves team," Richard said, sharing his thoughts with Mourinho.
The issue isnât just disciplineâitâs about safeguarding development. Training with the U17s is simply too far removed from the intensity of first-team football. A structured reserves squad would bridge that gap. They canât be coddled, but they shouldnât be thrown to the wolves either.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Richard called.
When he saw the last person enter, he rubbed his temples. The final player to arrive was Richard Wright, the third-choice goalkeeper. Richard didnât push too hard with him, as he was already a marginal figure; itâs very difficult for goalkeepers to move up the ranks. His sense of crisis wasnât as strong as that of the others.
"I think itâs better to sell him to another club, right? With VĂtor BaĂa coming, as you requested, heâll be fourth choiceâthereâs no way heâll get playing time."
At only 21 years old, Richard could only think about the young keeperâs future. To be honest, he was concerned about what lay ahead for him as a professional goalkeeper.
"You have the news about VĂtor?"
Richard nodded. "Iâll try my best to hold off Buffon first. But if he pushes for a move, then Iâll have no choice but to prepare myself."
He continued, "VĂtor BaĂaâs situation at Barcelona isnât good. When Louis van Gaal took over from Bobby Robson, he was dropped from the team in favor of the managerâs compatriot, Ruud Hesp. Itâs said that Porto has already made an offer to loan him in during this mid-season."
The situation at Porto was almost ironic. After VĂtor BaĂa left the club for Barcelona, it was said that he had "haunted" them ever since his departure. So, Porto want him back.
As for the others, he said, "Iâve already done an analysis. So far, out of the 13 names you recommended, these four are the ones I will pass on to you:"
VĂtor BaĂa
Ricardo Carvalho
Paulo Ferreira
Christian Vieri
There was no need to question the choice of goalkeeperâVĂtor BaĂa was obvious.
As for Ricardo Carvalho, Richard remembered that during Chelseaâs best years in the early 2000s, he had been partnered with John Terry. And now that Terry was here, wasnât he perfect to take that role again?
Paulo Ferreira was the sameâhe had been a key part of Mourinhoâs squad during the Abramovich era. As for Christian Vieri, you didnât question Bobo Vieri.
"Christian Vieri is also a bit difficult now. He just recently signed for AtlĂ©tico Madrid, and I believe his performance means AtlĂ©tico isnât likely to sell him."
He had scored 15 goals in 15 games, and in October, he netted back-to-back hat-tricksâa 5â1 win at Real Zaragoza and a 5â2 home victory over PAOK in the quarter-finals of the European competition.
So yes, heâs a little bit difficult.
Mourinho thought for a moment before nodding. "Fair enoughâfour is acceptable. Not getting them in the winter isnât a problem either. Winter transfers are a bit difficult."
Richard nodded.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
There was another knock at the door.
This time, it was Miss Heysen, Marina, Karren Brady, and Sadie Carpenter. All of them were essentially there to guide Mourinho on how to handle the press tomorrow against Arsenal regarding the Christmas incident.
Richard allowed them to use the office for preparations.
The next day, at the pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester Cityâs visit to Highbury, no reporters asked about the upcoming game; all attention was focused on the Christmas party incident.
The call girls later sold their firsthand accounts to the tabloids, flooding the media with negative stories about Manchester City.
Detailed reports about which players preferred particular positionsâor even bizarre personal habitsâsurfaced, with some players generous with tips and others stingy enough to leave none.
Mourinho appeared calm during the press conference, but inwardly he was pressed by the sharp questions from reporters. One player chasing women wasnât a big dealâbut when a whole group got involved, it clearly pointed to managerial negligence. For the first time, Mourinho felt exposed and humiliated as a manager.
Thankfully, he had been briefed the day before.
Feeling slightly despondent, Mourinho maintained a serious tone as he said, "I will not allow events like this to occur under my management, as it is detrimental to the playersâ professional development. Internal penalties have been issued: some players are demoted, some are temporarily barred from playing, and their return to the first team will depend on their performance while in the reserves."
The reporters in attendance remained unfazed. One pressed further: "What if something similar happens again? Will they still be sent to the reserves? Perhaps some players are just tired and want a breakâthey could use this as a reason to relax there."
Mourinho scoffed quietly, then raised his head sharply. "If something like this happens again, I donât care who the player isâwhether itâs the first or second offenseâManchester City will permanently part ways with that player."
"Oh, well, that simplifies things. Any player wanting to transfer only has to throw a party and invite the press to achieve that, and they wonât even be seen as traitorsâjust discarded by the club, huh?"
Mourinho found himself at a loss for words. He then saw Richard in the back; at his signal, Mourinho stood up and left the press conference.
As for Richard, he exited shortly after. Once in the corridor, he turned to Karren Brady, who had been following him, and asked, "Where did those reporters come from?"
"Daily Star and
The News of the World
. Most were from the tabloids," she replied.
"Permanently revoke their access to our press conferences. Remember my words: permanently!"
Richard had never felt so publicly humiliated. The press conference had been livelier than usual, but the prominent reporters from respected outlets like
The Times
or
Daily Mail
hadnât asked a single question. They knew the tabloids would step in like clowns to get the scoop, and they preferred to distance themselves from Cityâs clashes, recognizing that Richard was likely to be at the club for a long time.
Several tabloids were placed on Manchester Cityâs permanent blacklist, losing their press privileges indefinitely.
The first-team players learned about the Christmas events through the news. They felt no sympathy, only shaking their heads. Seeing their club attacked and ridiculed by the tabloids only fueled their anger toward the media.
Richard thought that in the future, when the new stadium was completed, he would need to dedicate part of the surrounding area to leisure facilities. Players would need outletsâlike golf or snookerâwhere stars such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Trezeguet, and others could enjoy each otherâs company in ordinary times.
Under the shadow of the scandalous party, Mourinho led his depleted City team to Highbury to face Arsenal, who were far ahead of them in the standings.
Wenger was eagerly awaiting the match, looking forward to a battle between the Gunners and the Cityzens. This clash between their two erasâthe Wenger era and Mourinhoâsâwas officially set to unfold.