Chapter 403: Unavoidable Trouble
"You really are a terrible friend."
On the flight back to Manchester, Beckham was still complaining about the surprise Ethan had sprung on him at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.
He had been genuinely moved in the studio, but looking back on it now, he was beginning to regret becoming quite so emotional in front of the cameras. It hardly fitted the image he preferred to project.
"That was Canal+'s surprise, not mine. I was just following instructions," Ethan replied innocently. Then his expression turned mischievous. "Although, David, I have to admit you looked magnificent. Even Miss France, Cindy Fabre, struggled to compete with you once you walked into the studio."
Beckham tried not to smile.
A moment later, however, his expression became serious. He reached across and gave Ethan a light pat on the shoulder.
"Whatever you say, I really do owe you a lot."
"All right, enough of that," Ethan said, waving him away with exaggerated impatience.
Privately, though, he was delighted for his friend.
According to the voting figures released by France Football, Beckham had won the Ballon d'Or with 196 points. Ronaldinho finished second with 139, while Juninho Paulista of Real Madrid was third with 123.
Shevchenko and Henry, both widely considered leading candidates beforehand, finished fourth and seventh respectively. Greece captain Theodoros Zagorakis, one of the stars of their Euro 2004 triumph, was fifth, Kaká sixth and Inter Milan's Adriano eighth. Deco, Nedvěd, Rooney, Drogba, Charisteas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Baroš, Ibrahimović and Eto'o were among those further down the voting.
Two New Manchester United players had finished inside the top ten, Beckham and Kaká.
Expand the list to the top twenty and there were four Red Rebels: Beckham, Kaká, Ronaldo and Drogba.
For a club that had existed for little more than six years, seeing four of its players recognised among Europe's elite was extraordinary.
And Beckham had become the first of them to win the biggest individual prize of all.
Ethan suspected he would not be the last.
By the time they landed back in Manchester, the new issue of France Football was already appearing across Europe. The result itself was hardly a secret after the previous night's live broadcast, and Beckham's face dominated the magazine cover.
His victory was not universally accepted.
No major individual award ever was.
Supporters naturally preferred their own favourites, and with players such as Ronaldinho, Shevchenko and Henry in contention, controversy had been inevitable regardless of the winner.
The English press, however, overwhelmingly celebrated Beckham's triumph.
He had finished second in the voting the previous year and then followed that with arguably the finest twelve months of his career. To many journalists, the Ballon d'Or was recognition not merely of one outstanding season, but of the remarkable level he had maintained since joining New Manchester United.
It also represented another landmark for the Red Rebels.
A club barely six years old had produced a Ballon d'Or winner.
That sounded almost absurd.
Yet it had happened.
Supporters flooded the streets around the stadium and packed the surrounding entertainment district to celebrate the first major individual award in the club's history.
Beckham responded with a gesture that only increased their affection for him.
Standing before thousands of supporters, he announced that the Ballon d'Or would be placed in New Manchester United's trophy room rather than kept privately at home.
"It belongs here," he said. "This club made it possible."
The announcement was greeted by another enormous roar.
Then a few supporters began chanting:
"World Player of the Year!"
More voices joined them.
Within moments, thousands were singing it together.
They wanted Beckham to complete the double by winning FIFA World Player of the Year as well.
Ethan and Beckham exchanged amused looks.
If the Red Rebels supporters had been responsible for the voting, the result would already have been settled.
Unfortunately for Beckham, FIFA's award was decided by national-team coaches and captains, a very different electorate from the journalists who voted for the Ballon d'Or.
And Beckham himself believed that made his chances less certain.
The Ballon d'Or might still involve personal bias, reputation and subjective judgement, but most of its voters were professional football journalists who spent their lives analysing players, teams and competitions.
FIFA's award could be considerably more unpredictable.
In Ethan's view, recent results proved it.
Luís Figo had arguably produced the strongest overall year in 2000, yet Zinedine Zidane won the FIFA award. Figo then received it in 2001, when his own form had been less convincing.
In 2002, Oliver Kahn had been outstanding throughout the year and carried Germany to the World Cup final, yet Ronaldo Nazário's brilliant tournament was enough to secure the prize. Zidane still finished third despite having a relatively quiet year.
The 2003 result had been even more contentious. Nedvěd had a legitimate argument, but Zidane ultimately won again despite no longer producing his finest football consistently.
There had even been strong support for Juninho Paulista after his performances helped Lyon win the UEFA Cup before his move to Real Madrid, where he quickly became an important figure in midfield.
Yet reputation carried enormous weight in awards decided by coaches and captains around the world.
For all the controversy, FIFA World Player of the Year remained one of football's most prestigious individual honours.
And FIFA had already announced the final three candidates for 2004.
David Beckham.
Ronaldinho.
Juninho Paulista.
Exactly the same three names that had occupied the top three positions in the Ballon d'Or voting.
The difference was that nobody knew whether the order would remain the same.
The result would be announced the following week.
Ronaldinho's spectacular individual ability and Barcelona profile made him a formidable candidate, while Juninho had the additional advantage of having played a major part in Real Madrid's Champions League triumph.
La Liga's reputation for technical, attacking football could also help both players among international voters.
Winning the Ballon d'Or had not earned Beckham any special treatment at Newton Heath.
Mourinho expected him back in training the following day.
New Manchester United had entered one of the most physically demanding periods of the English season, and there was no room for extended celebrations.
With only one match per week immediately before the Christmas programme began, Mourinho and the Lab wanted to use the opportunity to restore the squad physically.
Most of the players had already endured half a season of Premier League, Champions League and international football. Now they had to survive the winter schedule.
Fatigue was one concern.
Injury was another.
Cold weather, heavy pitches and compressed fixtures traditionally brought increased physical risk. The Lab could never eliminate injuries completely, but years of accumulated data allowed the club to reduce that risk considerably through carefully managed training and recovery.
On December 18, New Manchester United travelled to London to face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham were sitting around mid-table, while the Red Rebels arrived after a full week of preparation determined to protect their place at the top.
Mourinho started Drogba at centre-forward, with Ronaldo and Messi on the wings and Kaká operating behind him. Beckham partnered Essien in midfield. Evra, Vidić, Curtis and Maicon formed the back four in front of Čech.
Tottenham began aggressively.
Driven by the home crowd, they pushed forward immediately and tried to unsettle the visitors before New Manchester United could settle into their rhythm.
Mourinho's side absorbed the pressure calmly.
Then Beckham began taking control.
Once the Red Rebels found their passing rhythm, Tottenham were gradually pushed backwards. The wide combinations became increasingly dangerous, while Drogba and Kaká repeatedly found promising positions through the middle.
Only the finishing touch was missing.
That changed in the 31st minute.
Maicon surged down the right and delivered a cross into the penalty area.
Drogba rose above his marker and headed the ball down rather than attempting to score himself.
Kaká was already arriving.
The Brazilian met it in stride and drove his shot beyond the goalkeeper.
0-1.
With the lead secured, New Manchester United became even more composed.
Beckham and Essien controlled central midfield and prevented Tottenham from establishing any sustained possession. Michael Carrick, one of the home side's better performers that season, found himself increasingly marginalised.
After the interval, the pattern continued.
The Red Rebels controlled the tempo without forcing the game.
Then, in the 71st minute, Kaká turned provider.
He found Drogba in space, and the striker powered his finish into the net.
0-2.
New Manchester United created further opportunities, but Tottenham defended stubbornly enough to prevent the scoreline from becoming embarrassing.
Mourinho was content to manage the final stages.
With the winter schedule approaching, there was no reason to waste energy chasing unnecessary goals. He made several substitutions, slowed the match down and allowed the remaining minutes to pass without incident.
Tottenham 0-2 New Manchester United.
The victory left the Red Rebels top of the league with sixteen wins and two draws from eighteen matches.
Chelsea and Arsenal remained close behind.
More significantly, New Manchester United's unbeaten Premier League run had now reached 56 matches.
Two more.
That was all that separated them from Fabio Capello's AC Milan record of 58.
But those two matches would not be easy.
The nineteenth round brought Liverpool to Manchester.
Then came an away derby against Manchester City.
After that, Fulham would visit the new stadium, followed by trips to Newcastle and Charlton before another away match against Liverpool.
There were no comfortable fixtures in that sequence.
And the Christmas programme made everything harder.
The matches arrived too quickly for proper recovery, while the pressure surrounding the unbeaten run grew with every passing week.
For New Manchester United, the next few league fixtures were beginning to feel less like ordinary matches and more like cup finals.
The club recognised the danger.
The Lab's sports psychologists were instructed to monitor the players closely, looking for signs of anxiety, irritability, loss of concentration or excessive pressure. Mourinho wanted every possible measure taken to keep the squad mentally fresh.
Some sources of pressure, however, were beyond the club's control.
The media were the most obvious.
Beckham's Ballon d'Or victory and New Manchester United's pursuit of one of European football's great unbeaten records had become two of the biggest stories of the season.
The club's commercial department did everything possible to shield the players.
Newton Heath was closed to reporters.
Interview requests were rejected.
First-team players were instructed not to speak publicly without permission.
None of it stopped the speculation.
Newspapers invented transfer stories.
Others claimed senior players were arguing over places in the team.
There were even reports of dressing-room confrontations between regular starters and substitutes, supposedly caused by the pressure of the unbeaten run.
Mourinho ignored all of it.
He refused interviews, kept Newton Heath closed and concentrated entirely on preparing his squad.
For the moment, he could control what happened inside the training ground.
But some distractions could not simply be shut outside the gates.
The Champions League round-of-16 draw was approaching.
So was the FIFA World Player of the Year ceremony.
Both involved New Manchester United directly.
And neither could be avoided.
(To be continued.)