◎ The bullet chats are firing away… ◎
The press conference was over.
Manchester United fans were still immersed in pure ecstasy, and the trending searches had already been taken over by their young chairman—
#ManchesterUnitedChairman#
#ItTurnsOutNovelProtagonistsActuallyExist#
#TVDramasAreWeak!ThisIsARealWealthyScion#
#TheManUnitedChairmanWhoCasuallySpent40BillionLooksLikeThis!#
#His21YearsOldVsMine#
#TodayHeCommandsTheWindAndRain,UnparalleledAndArrogant#
#MysteriousChineseTycoonSpends40BillionToBuyManUnited#
…
With so many trending topics, a massive wave of passersby was naturally drawn in to spectate. When everyone clicked in, they almost thought this was some new marketing tactic for the entertainment industry—
Handsome, he was just too damn handsome. But more than his face, it was that sky-shattering aura that commanded the most attention.
When everyone looked closer, they realized the protagonist was surrounded by a circle of foreigners. Reading the captions, the gossip-hungry crowd was stunned.
40 billion?
This was someone who could casually drop 40 billion?
But why did the captions ramble on so much without even mentioning the protagonist’s name?
More importantly, whose kid was this, able to spend so much money just to buy a football club?
While the curious onlookers were still wondering, some resourceful netizens began to raise doubts—
They said he was Chinese, but the problem was, where in the country was there a tycoon with such financial power?
Even if there were, even if they sold their entire company, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to cash out 40 billion RMB, let alone use their entire net worth to buy a heavily overpriced club.
Soon, fans mentioned the Hong Kong circles.
After all, Hong Kong had been back for so many years; we couldn’t treat them as anything other than compatriots.
Then, a Hong Kong entertainment reporter on the front lines of the gossip replied:
As soon as the news of a “tycoon surnamed Tang buying Manchester United” broke, everyone started investigating.
But the only families with the wealth and capability to buy Manchester United were the big ones—the Lis, Huos, Guos, and Zhengs. Where was there a Tang?
Even if he were an illegitimate son of one of those four families, it wasn’t realistic, because we were talking about a solid 4 billion pounds, or 5 billion euros.
With that kind of money, they could buy British natural gas, oil, chemicals… why buy anything else? Would they really buy a football team for an illegitimate son?
Not possible.
Since he wasn’t from the Mainland or Hong Kong, could he be from across the strait?
This time, the Taiwanese media jumped out.
With that much money, wouldn’t it be better to build factories? How could they possibly get into football?
Since none of the identities matched, the onlookers could only question the British—was your Manchester United CEO lying?
Did they exaggerate the transaction price, or was this Mr. Tang just an ethnic Chinese who was being over-interpreted by everyone?
Initially immersed in happiness, the Manchester United fans were also beginning to feel the weight of these doubts. They began hopping over the firewall to the UK Twitter to remind the official account:
What exactly is our young chairman’s nationality?
If the CEO misspoke, let’s just clarify it so we can know the truth.
But as soon as they logged onto Manchester United’s official Twitter, they were stunned by their own club’s flashy operation—
Their young chairman had actually taken off his formal wear and put on the Manchester United red jersey.
That wasn’t the main point. The main point was that the young chairman in the jersey no longer had the disdainful, arrogant look from the press conference.
He looked like a completely different person!
While the male fans were still in shock, the female fans had already started drooling over their screens.
[Mamma mia, this big sister really loves this little cutie~]
[With such cute curls, how could he bear to comb them all back during the press conference?]
[My United is awesome! My United is awesome! My United truly is the best marketing club in the world, even making the chairman come out for business. Well done! Beautifully done!]
[This is the new season’s jersey, right? Does buying the jersey come with the chairman?]
[At the press conference, he was the eldest son inheriting the family estate; now he’s the pampered youngest son of a wealthy family, a university student with off-the-charts athletic stats!]
[They say temperament is innate and the hardest thing to change, but for our chairman, just changing a hairstyle is equivalent to changing his face~]
[Please! We need more!]
…
By the time the men snapped out of it, they realized the entire comment section was filled with Chinese characters and emoticons.
To the point where one male fan lamented: “This is the first time I’ve realized Manchester United actually has so many female fans…”
Lamentations aside, serious business still had to be done.
But before they could leave a comment asking their question, they saw the official account upload the latest photo:
Xiao Tang and Sir Alex Ferguson were standing side by side at Old Trafford, holding up a scarf emblazoned with the Manchester United crest.
Xiao Tang’s eyes were curved in a smile, and he looked so satisfied that his gaze was incredibly soft, while Sir Alex’s eyes were filled with… doting…
Everyone was shocked.
There is no love or hate without reason, and certainly no doting without reason. For Sir Alex to show such an expression, it was clearly because he couldn’t be more satisfied with the new chairman.
This led everyone to joke:
Sir Alex, even you have bowed before the British Pound?
But deep down, they were also happy for Sir Alex.
For the sake of Manchester United, you once rejected Florentino Pérez; now it’s finally your turn to drive the aircraft carrier!
Of course, happiness was happiness, but serious business still had to be done.
They left comments under this post, reminding the official account to confirm the nationality issue.
By the time they returned from outside the firewall, they found that someone had already uploaded the series of official photos to various domestic platforms.
Accompanied by various questions, the trending searches were once again taken over by their young chairman.
However, Manchester United fans no longer cared.
Whether it was 5 billion euros, 2.5 billion euros, or even 5 RMB, what they cared about was the fact that Manchester United had changed hands!
As long as that fact remained unchanged, it was great if the new chairman was Chinese, and if he wasn’t, as long as he was willing to invest and support the team, what did it matter?
They were totally zen about it.
In the end, they were only zen for a few minutes before they found their team linked to a bunch of players.
The first was Modrić from Spurs, followed by Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos from Bayern.
Manchester United fans were left dazed—
The summer window had been open for less than 24 hours.
The club’s ownership change press conference was less than 2 hours ago.
We haven’t even processed it yet, and the Infinite Spending Mode announced by the new chairman is officially starting?
This is just… too awesome!
While Manchester United fans were feeling the thrill, voices of doubt also rose.
The reason was simple—
The news said their new chairman was incredibly fond of the Croatian midfielder and was determined to bring him to Old Trafford as quickly as possible.
In the eyes of Manchester United and Premier League fans, this seemed very strange.
If Xiao Tang favored the two Bayern players, everyone could understand.
Schweinsteiger had long since become the vice-captain for both Germany and Bayern. Although Toni Kroos was young, he had performed impressively in the Champions League this season, leaving a deep impression on fans.
Even so, for domestic fans, their star power felt a bit plain. What about Modrić?
To domestic fans, Spurs could only be considered one of the Premier League heavyweights, but they didn’t have many fans in China.
And within the Spurs squad, the Croatian wasn’t the biggest star.
So, in the eyes of other fans, the problem arose—
You, Manchester United, said you have an unlimited budget, and you’re starting with Modrić?
Before Manchester United fans could even argue, domestic Bayern fans exploded first.
When they saw this news, Bayern fans had a million curses they wanted to shout.
Our Bayern, although unfortunately winning a “Triple Silver” in the Champions League, the league, and the DFB-Pokal this season, it also proves we’re just one step away from the Treble.
At a time like this, if we’re not recruiting, we certainly can’t be selling players, right?
Especially not our vice-captain and a brilliant youngster like Toni Kroos?
At this point, Spurs fans also reacted.
Facing the doubts about Modrić, they were also displeased—
Although Spurs fans were fewer in China, it wasn’t like there were none.
Now that our midfield maestro is being scouted, and before we’ve even expressed our dissatisfaction, people are already belittling our “God’s” strength?
Who could stand for that!
So, the entire comment section became a chaotic mess.
Manchester United fans, on the contrary, were happily watching from the sidelines.
Because the reactions from Bayern and Spurs fans proved that the management was being purposeful and aimed at strengthening the midfield.
This was also what the fans looked forward to most. After all, Paul Scholes was great, but this “Ginger Prince” was already 37 years old. Playing in the Premier League, they had to use him sparingly.
Just as the Bayern and Spurs fans were passionately venting, fans noticed that Manchester United had another update—
Sir Alex Ferguson was actually personally driving the young chairman to Carrington!
Recalling Sir Alex’s previous doting smile, how could the Manchester United fans not understand?
One fan even commented:
[I remember because he was the old man’s neighbor, Ole (Solskjær) often had to drive the old man home when he was too lazy to drive before he retired. Now that the old man is willing to be the chauffeur for the young chairman, I wonder how Ole feels right now…]
[That’s unlimited transfer funds we’re talking about. If you give the old man that much money, he’d drive you home too.]
While everyone was discussing, they were also waiting for more photo updates.
After all, the young chairman went to Carrington; how could there not be handsome photos?
In less than an hour, a barrage of photos indeed arrived.
Their young chairman was greeted by a line of staff members!
The young chairman visited the locker room.
The young chairman was giving directions on the training ground.
The young chairman was actually juggling the ball in leather shoes!
Now, everyone’s curiosity was piqued—
When you put on the jersey, you’re the best advertisement for the Manchester United kit.
But as for your footwork, how is it?