Red Rebels: The New Manchester United

In Ethan's view, Real Madrid had bought Juninho Paulista for a bargain.

Florentino Pérez had built a reputation around one very simple principle: if Real Madrid were going to buy a player, they preferred him expensive and glamorous.

Juninho had been the exception.

In fact, he had become arguably the most successful value-for-money signing of Florentino's presidency, perhaps even surpassing Claude Makélélé in that respect.

That was one reason Florentino remained so pleased with the deal, particularly now that Juninho had finished third in the Ballon d'Or voting and reached the final three for FIFA World Player of the Year.

Of course, nobody could have predicted all of that at the time.

Ethan therefore had no regrets about selling him. The transfer had worked for everyone.

Juninho had built a successful career in Madrid while retaining enormous affection for New Manchester United, and Real Madrid had gained one of Europe's most influential midfielders.

That did not make Ethan any more receptive to Florentino's interest in Kaká and Ronaldo.

He had been sorely tempted to tell the Real Madrid president exactly what he thought of the idea.

Then Florentino burst out laughing.

"Relax. I'm only talking," he said. "Unless you actually decide to sell one of them, I'm not going to start causing trouble behind your back."

He smiled.

"I value the relationship between our clubs far too much to damage it over a player."

"They aren't for sale," Ethan replied immediately.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

Florentino sighed.

"I know. It's just a shame I didn't move for Palacio when I had the chance. I might have saved myself quite a headache."

Real Madrid were approaching a difficult transition.

Zidane and Figo were both getting older, and replacing two players of that stature in the attacking midfield positions would not be easy.

Florentino had looked across Europe and found surprisingly few young players he regarded as capable of eventually carrying that kind of responsibility.

Several of the best happened to be at New Manchester United.

Kaká's reputation was rising rapidly, and there was already a growing belief that he could become one of the defining players of his generation.

Ronaldo had announced himself spectacularly at Euro 2004 and continued to develop in the Premier League.

Arjen Robben was another exceptional young winger.

So was Lionel Messi, while Franck Ribéry had attracted particular interest because Zidane himself spoke highly of him.

Florentino knew Ethan was not interested in selling any of them.

And, like most major club owners, he understood the value of preserving good relationships. Starting a war over one player might provide a short-term benefit, but football's leading clubs dealt with one another repeatedly.

Real Madrid had also been interested in Palacio before his move to AC Milan.

They had just won the Champions League and could certainly have afforded him, but the recruitment staff hesitated over the price.

At the time, they felt €45.5 million was excessive.

After watching Palacio's performances in Milan, that judgement no longer looked nearly so comfortable.

Ethan noticed the frustration in Florentino's expression and felt a trace of sympathy.

He would never sell Kaká or Ronaldo simply to help Real Madrid, but the football supporter in him could understand the problem.

"My scouts have recommended two Spanish players to me," Ethan said. "Both have some connection with Real Madrid."

Florentino immediately looked interested.

"If you're looking for players who could eventually replace Zidane and Figo, they might be worth watching. I'm not saying either will become that level of global superstar, because nobody can promise that. But both have the talent to grow into important players at a club like Real Madrid."

Florentino considered him for a moment.

"Go on."

New Manchester United's recruitment department had developed an exceptional reputation. Players identified early by the club often increased dramatically in value, while academy graduates were increasingly sought after throughout Europe.

"The first is David Silva."

Florentino listened closely.

"He's in Valencia's academy system and is spending this season on loan at Eibar in the Segunda División. He actually had a trial with Real Madrid in 2000, but your academy decided against signing him because of concerns about his physique."

"He ended up at Valencia instead."

Ethan continued.

"He's left-footed and can play almost anywhere behind the striker. Left, central, even from the right if you want him coming inside."

Florentino's expression shifted slightly at the mention of Real Madrid having rejected him.

Ethan noticed immediately.

"No academy gets every decision right," he said. "Not yours, not Barcelona's, not ours."

He smiled faintly.

"Iniesta spent time around Real Madrid's youth setup before Barcelona got him. Would you seriously argue now that he doesn't have the quality to play here?"

Florentino knew the story.

Iniesta had spoken about it himself. His family had apparently been unhappy with the accommodation arrangements Real Madrid offered at the time, particularly the surrounding area, and eventually chose Barcelona instead.

"Silva has exceptional potential," Ethan continued. "If Valencia were willing to sell him for less than €10 million, I'd seriously consider buying him myself."

That got Florentino's attention.

He was a businessman.

Numbers mattered.

And Ethan putting a price on his own interest told him far more than vague praise ever could.

Florentino nodded slowly.

"David Silva."

He had clearly committed the name to memory.

"The other one is already yours," Ethan said.

Florentino raised an eyebrow.

"Juan Mata."

Ethan smiled.

"He's still very young, but technically he's excellent. Intelligent too. He has the kind of profile you shouldn't allow to disappear from your academy."

Then he added several more names.

"Álvaro Arbeloa. Rubén de la Red. Álvaro Negredo. Roberto Soldado. There is a lot of talent in your youth system."

Florentino said nothing.

"Real Madrid's academy has always been one of the best in Spain," Ethan continued. "It doesn't get the same romantic attention Barcelona's does, but the talent is there."

He paused.

"The problem is whether those players are given a real pathway."

That was the point Ethan really wanted to make.

"Long-term, your academy is one of the club's most valuable assets. You know that."

His tone became more serious.

"And the same applies to management. Appoint the right coach, trust him and give him genuine authority over football matters. In my experience, that's still the healthiest structure for a club."

Florentino fell quiet.

Ethan did not push any further.

Some advice lost its value if it was repeated too aggressively.

Better to plant the thought and let the other man decide what to do with it.

A few minutes later, movement on the stage announced that the ceremony was about to begin.

The guests returned to their seats.

Beckham, Ronaldinho and Juninho Paulista sat together as the three finalists for FIFA World Player of the Year. The other players and managers were seated nearby, while Ethan and the other club executives occupied a separate section.

Ian Wright was hosting the evening.

His first major segment brought the three finalists onto the stage for a brief interview.

Afterwards, edited highlights from each player's year were shown on the giant screen behind them.

The audience repeatedly broke into applause.

Then the formal awards began.

The FIFA Presidential Award went to the Haitian Football Federation.

The FIFA Fair Play Award was presented to the Brazilian Football Confederation, recognising Brazil's decision to travel to Haiti for a peace match on August 18.

Sepp Blatter and Bobby Charlton presented the honours.

Then came two newly introduced awards.

Former German tennis star Boris Becker and Iranian football legend Ali Daei took part in the presentations.

Brazilian futsal star Falcão was named Futsal Player of the Year after recently winning both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe at the FIFA Futsal World Championship.

Another Brazilian, Thiago, won FIFA's new interactive football gaming award, presented by FIFA secretary general Urs Linsi and former World Player of the Year Lothar Matthäus.

His acceptance speech drew particular amusement from the New Manchester United delegation.

When asked which team he most liked to use in the game, Thiago admitted that his favourite side was New Manchester United.

His favourite player was Kaká.

Ian Wright immediately seized on it.

Within moments, the slightly overwhelmed gaming champion was posing for photographs with Beckham, Kaká and Ronaldo.

The crowd loved it.

The mood inside the opera house relaxed considerably.

Next came the Women's World Player of the Year award.

Germany's Birgit Prinz retained the title, with the recently retired Mia Hamm finishing second and Brazilian rising star Marta third.

Several more awards followed, interspersed with performances intended to keep the evening moving.

Brazil were named FIFA Team of the Year after losing only once in 2004.

Another national side also received recognition for climbing thirty-two places in the world rankings over the previous year, earning FIFA's award for the most improved team.

Ian Wright then mentioned another statistic.

More than a thousand senior international matches had already been played worldwide that year, with several dozen still to come. FIFA expected the total to surpass the previous record set in 2000.

Ethan listened politely.

He was not particularly interested in record-keeping for its own sake.

He had come to Zurich for two reasons.

The first was courtesy. FIFA's annual ceremony had become one of the major events on football's calendar, and New Manchester United were now prominent enough that ignoring it would have attracted more attention than attending.

The second was Beckham.

Ethan wanted his friend to win.

Privately, however, he knew the chances were not especially encouraging.

FIFA had always favoured football built around attacking flair and technical expression, at least in the way its awards tended to be perceived.

That naturally benefited La Liga.

Spanish football offered elite attacking players more freedom, and its biggest stars often accumulated the goals, assists and spectacular moments that lingered in the memories of national-team coaches and captains when voting time came.

Since FIFA created the World Player of the Year award in 1991, La Liga players had dominated it.

Serie A had also enjoyed considerable success.

The Premier League had never produced a winner.

That did not necessarily mean FIFA was deliberately biased.

Different leagues simply projected different images around the world.

And in 2004, La Liga remained the most influential league in that sense.

Two of this year's three finalists played there.

Ronaldinho represented Barcelona.

Juninho Paulista represented Real Madrid.

Beckham alone came from the Premier League.

Even he accepted that this might count against him.

He had already told Ethan that winning the Ballon d'Or was more than he had ever expected.

Of course he wanted the FIFA award too.

No player standing this close would pretend otherwise.

But he was not prepared to allow individual honours to become an obsession.

If he won, he would enjoy it.

If he did not, life would continue.

Ethan respected that attitude.

He also understood that no single player or club could instantly change the balance of European football.

UEFA's coefficient rankings reflected the current hierarchy.

Spain remained first on 67.092 points.

England followed on 59.538.

Italy stood third with 53.328.

Serie A's dominance was beginning to fade, and the Premier League was closing rapidly.

But La Liga still possessed extraordinary global appeal, particularly with Real Madrid and Barcelona both packed with internationally famous players.

That was the environment in which FIFA's voters were making their choices.

In Ethan's previous life, the Premier League would eventually become the world's dominant commercial competition. By the time Ronaldo collected virtually every major individual honour in 2008, English clubs had become the central force in European football and the league's global reach had surpassed anything seen before.

But that was still several years away.

In 2004, the Premier League had not yet reached that point.

Another opera performance ended.

Ian Wright returned to centre stage.

He smiled broadly as the audience settled.

Then Beckham, Ronaldinho and Juninho Paulista were invited forward.

All three wore dark suits.

All three looked composed.

Behind them, the giant screen came to life.

The final voting totals were about to be revealed.

For the first time that evening, even the opera house seemed completely silent.

Ethan leaned forward slightly.

The three players on stage stared at the screen.

A name appeared.

Then the number of points beside it.

(To be continued.)