◎[34 hours 17 minutes 13 seconds!]◎
When Tang Moumou’s Life Timer displayed [34 hours 23 minutes 18 seconds], he finally met Sir Alex Ferguson.
Compared to the silver-haired man in his memory, the current Sir Alex looked full of energy.
That’s only natural, Tang Moumou thought. After all, Sir Alex is ten years younger than he was in my memories.
However, Sir Alex’s next move almost made it impossible for him to distinguish between illusion and reality—
Sir Alex actually took the initiative to give him an incredibly close, affectionate hug!
Could the Gaffer really show such an expression to anyone other than a young fan?
Tang Moumou looked as if he were dreaming, but the surrounding staff, and even Sir Alex himself, were amused by the expression on their new chairman’s face.
It was clear that their young chairman liked the Gaffer very much.
Because of his affection, it was written all over that youthful face, plain to see in those dark, ink-drawn eyes.
This caused Sir Alex to pat the young man’s shoulder even harder, saying intimately, “Tang, David told me you really wanted to see me. Now that I’m standing right in front of you, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
How could he not? Tang Moumou looked at the old man and thought, I have a belly full of words to say, but I…
He was a classic case of being an extrovert in his head but socially anxious in reality.
Seeing his expression instantly fill with conflict, as if he were struggling to find a topic, Ferguson laughed again.
This kid was just as cute as he appeared on television.
“Shall we talk about your motive for acquiring Manchester United?” Ferguson winked at the young man. “I thought the media would ask about that, but it turns out idiots are just idiots.”
Pfft!
Tang Moumou was instantly amused by the old man.
However, he knew very well that in today’s Premier League, the only one who could get away with constantly dissing the media was the old man standing before him.
But when the old man looked at him with a smile, waiting for an answer, he subconsciously told the truth.
“Motive… simply because I’m a Manchester United fan. When the opportunity appeared before me, I subconsciously thought of Manchester United.”
Seeing the old man’s somewhat surprised look, as if he didn’t quite understand, Tang Moumou didn’t explain further. Instead, he said with a smile, “We have a saying in China: impulse is the devil. Just think of it that way. Besides, I think the media all over the world right now, and fans other than United supporters, are calling me a fool.”
That was 5 billion, Tang Moumou thought, and this was 2012.
The Glazer family had bloodsucked and exploited Manchester United for seven or eight years, and in the end, they actually managed to walk away with several billion in profit… Just thinking about it made his heart ache so much he could hardly breathe!
The young man’s words were somewhat veiled and not direct, but Ferguson instead heard his impulsiveness and sincerity.
Perhaps he felt some regret after buying Manchester United at lightning speed.
Ferguson knew very well what a massive sum of money that was.
If he hadn’t heard Tang’s plans for Manchester United’s future on television and imagined that grand blueprint, he would have surely comforted the young man in his own way.
But this young man, who said “impulse is the devil” while his body was already in motion—what need did he have for comfort?
Sir Alex smiled and said, “You’re wrong.”
“Wrong?” Tang Moumou was puzzled. Was what he just said incorrect?
Sir Alex said mercilessly, “Manchester United fans—myself included—also think you’re a fool.”
Tang Moumou: “…”
“You gave the Glazer family too much, far too much,” Sir Alex said, frustrated by Tang’s lack of ruthlessness, though he still had to respect the new chairman’s authority, so he could only complain in a low voice. “That extra money would have been enough to realize all your great ideas.”
Realize all of them…
Tang Moumou suddenly smiled. “That couldn’t be realized.”
Sir Alex instantly looked at him with displeasure. Who are you looking down on?
Was two billion euros not enough to make Manchester United the greatest football club in the world?
“My greatest dream—is for you to remain in the manager’s seat at Manchester United forever.”
After all, I have seen too much of Manchester United without you, so much that I dare not look back at the past for fear of being heartbroken.
Ferguson froze.
David Gill, who had already noticed the young chairman’s fondness for Ferguson, also fell silent.
Although it was just a typical piece of flattery and a common joke, how could these two men, whose combined ages were nearly a hundred and thirty, not see the genuine emotion flickering on the youth’s face?
He was serious; he spoke those words from the bottom of his heart.
This forced Gill to step in and smooth things over, saying to Sir Alex with a smile, “Tang likes you very much. He told me a lot before, but don’t expect me to tell you.”
Ferguson traded a few barbs with him before looking back at the youth who was watching them obediently. He asked the question he wanted to know most: “Why do you like Modrić? Why do you think he’s suited for Manchester United?”
Tang Moumou liked this topic and said without hesitation, “Because of his fighting spirit and activity on the pitch; it’s like there’s infinite power within that small body. For Manchester United, when signing players, technique and ability are important, but the most important thing is the mental attribute. However, Modrić’s technique will also certainly be among the top tier for midfielders in the Premier League.”
When he finished speaking, he saw Sir Alex looking at him with a light smile.
How should he describe that smile? It was a bit like a mischievous elder who liked to prank his kids, yet also like a homeroom teacher waiting for him to fall into a trap…
“Sir Alex, did I say something wrong?” Tang Moumou asked, though he felt quite indignant in his heart.
Having been a Manchester United fan for so many years, how could he not know the old man’s recruitment tactics?
As it turned out, he really didn’t.
Because the old man KO’d him with one sentence: “But we have Vidic. He is a Serb, and Modrić is a Croat. There is a high probability of incompatibility between Serbs and Croats; they might not be able to play on the same team.”
The moment the old man mentioned Vidic, Tang Moumou realized what he had overlooked—
He had actually forgotten Vidic, the Manchester United captain!
He also hadn’t considered the political implications…
Could Modrić and Vidic coexist?
The answer might be despairing—
He had read the old man’s autobiography, which clearly recorded Vidic’s loyalty to his own country. And Modrić’s love for Croatia needed no further explanation from him.
Having these two play together was like having a Chinese person and a Japanese person play together—it wasn’t absolutely impossible, but a lot of work would definitely have to be done.
Especially… work on Vidic.
He thought of a great many things in that instant. When he snapped back to reality, he saw Ferguson still smiling at him, his eyes clearly saying, “Kid, remember this: the old fox still has a few tricks up his sleeve.”
How could Tang Moumou ever show up the old man?
He wished for nothing more than to make the old man happier and even happier. At the same time, he didn’t forget to blink at the old man, putting on a pitiful expression. “So, can Modrić still join Manchester United?”
In his remaining life, could he still bring a heavyweight midfielder to Manchester United who could help sustain their glory?
“I’ll give Vida (Vidic) a call,” Ferguson smiled. “I think he’ll understand. After all, he fought for that captaincy himself.”
Tang Moumou: “…”
He dared to take the initiative to ask Ferguson for the captain’s armband? As expected of Captain Vidic! What a tough guy!
Ferguson was once again amused by his little expression. He found that he had already started to like this kid; not only was he not as arrogant as he had imagined, but he was also as cute as an ordinary fan.
This also allowed Ferguson to understand why he had acquired the club in the name of the Manchester United Fans Foundation.
Perhaps this truly was his original intention.
“As for the transfer issue, David and the others will handle it. In fact, he’ll have to go get busy with that in a moment.” As Ferguson said this, he glanced at the CEO as if to say, Why haven’t you left yet?
Tang Moumou also looked at the CEO at this moment.
Although he said nothing, Gill clearly saw two digits in his eyes—24.
24 hours. Remember the 24 hours.
This old and young duo made Gill turn away without a temper.
I’ll go call Levy right now, okay?
Once the CEO left, Sir Alex smiled at the youth. “This guy is good in every way, just a bit lukewarm. That might be a common ailment among the English.”
Tang Moumou: “Pfft!”
At this moment, he felt the world was so vivid.
Look, the old Scottish Gaffer was trash-talking the English CEO right in front of him.
He couldn’t even dream of such a scene, so this must be reality.
However, a few minutes later, he felt like this world was an incredibly beautiful dream—
Look, he was holding up a Manchester United scarf, leaving behind an image of his 21-year-old self at Old Trafford.
Look, he took a photo with the Gaffer, both of them holding a Manchester United jersey printed with his surname!
Was this not dreamlike enough?
After the photo was taken, Ferguson looked at the young man whose face was written with “happiness” and asked with a bit of indulgence and curiosity, “Do you have a favorite star?”
He asked this because what child of this age didn’t have a few favorite stars?
Based on Tang’s age… would it be Cris?
Tang Moumou didn’t know why the Gaffer was asking this. He didn’t give an answer immediately, but thought carefully before saying, “Compared to players, I prefer the team. As for favorite players, I have a whole bunch of them. There are players from our Manchester United, as well as from other teams. I feel like watching them is like admiring different kinds of flowers with different postures. Can you understand?”
It was the first time Ferguson had heard such an answer, and he hadn’t expected a Chinese person to describe being unfaithful to one player as “admiring flowers.”
But who was the Gaffer? He couldn’t help but say, “No, I know you must have a player and a team you like, like very much, perhaps even more than Manchester United.”
This tone also stirred Tang Moumou’s competitive spirit. “Go ahead.”
The Gaffer smiled triumphantly. “The Chinese national team, and Chinese players like Su Maozhen and Dong Fangzhuo.”
Tang Moumou: “…”
I… I really want to argue…
Although it was strange to defend the fact that he didn’t like the Chinese team—as if he weren’t patriotic—Tang Moumou still wanted to tell the Gaffer the truth.
“I love my country very much, but how should I put it… let me give you an example—” Tang Moumou said, deciding to just go for it, “Chinese fans are very good at giving nicknames. They gave England a nickname. Can you guess what it is?”
Sir Alex thought his previous statement would be a finishing blow. He didn’t expect the youth to not only disagree but also use England as an example.
Being a Scotsman, he naturally wanted to guess: “Three Cats?”
After all, the England crest had three lions, but their results…
He felt that was the answer.
“Correct, but that’s not the only answer.” Tang Moumou looked at the Gaffer and reluctantly told him, “In China, England has another resounding nickname: the European China Team.”
The European… China Team…
Just one nickname gave Sir Alex a rather deep understanding of Chinese football.
The European China Team…
Hahaha!
“But if you’re really curious about the player I like, I can show you a photo.”
As Tang Moumou said this, he shook the phone in his hand.
Sir Alex felt the kid liked being mysterious too much, but what was the harm in waiting a few seconds?
But when the Gaffer waited for him to fiddle with it for a few seconds and saw the picture he handed over, he found it was a familiar photo of three people.
He stared at the familiar figures in the photo for a few seconds before asking the youth, “You like Cris?”
“Although I like them all, at the time I liked the one in the middle the most,” Tang Moumou pointed at the photo and emphasized again, “The most handsome one.”
Ferguson stared at the Brazilian youth sitting firmly in the center position. While feeling a hint of regret, he also let out an approving sigh of admiration. “This kid truly is the most handsome.”
Tang Moumou smiled slightly, feeling very self-satisfied.
Of course he’s the most handsome.
[34 hours 17 minutes 13 seconds!]