Long ago, back when Ethan was still just a supporter, he had naively thought that if he had money, he would buy his favourite club, bring in the most talented superstars, and build it into an invincible team that never lost.
However, as he grew older and gained more experience in football, Ethan began to understand that such a thing belonged only in fairy tales. In reality, there was no such thing as a team that always won, and there was no need to become one.
Was Arsenal's unbeaten title-winning season impressive?
Any supporter would praise it and say, "Brilliant!"
But what about the reality?
As the club owner, Ethan paid close attention to every movement within the club. When New Manchester United went unbeaten throughout September, some unusual signs appeared within the team. The players were under immense pressure.
To help them, Ethan even followed the laboratory's recommendation and hired an external sports psychologist to provide counselling. Even so, the overall atmosphere within the squad remained poor.
Fear of losing was a dangerous emotion.
As Ethan had previously discussed with Mourinho, only those who could afford to lose could ultimately succeed. By early October, because of their winning streak in September, New Manchester United had become a team that felt it could no longer afford to lose.
Yet interestingly, after Mourinho was said to have been cursed by winning the Manager of the Month award, and the team lost their first match in October, the players relaxed instead.
They completely let go of the heavy burden on their hearts, even though their league position once again dropped out of the playoff places.
Wasn't there a saying?
Sometimes, you had to stop and rest before you could move forward again.
New Manchester United had felt pressure after only seven straight wins. One could imagine the incredible pressure Arsenal's players had faced when they remained unbeaten for an entire season.
Ethan no longer held the naive dreams he had once had.
He did not want New Manchester United to become an invincible team that never lost. He simply wanted the club to grow stronger and stronger, always maintaining an upward trajectory so they could face greater challenges.
Achieving that was not easy, and Ethan knew it.
That was why he had come to São Paulo, Brazil.
Brazil could be described as a treasure trove of football, having produced gifted stars such as Pelé, Romário, Ronaldo, and Rivaldo. At present, it was also producing future superstars like Ronaldinho and Kaká. Alongside Argentina, it was one of the two great talent pools that no ambitious European club could afford to ignore.
According to the information Ethan had received, if a player in Brazil wanted to play every available match, he would average one high-intensity match every forty-eight hours. Yet the money he earned would not even amount to a fraction of the salary of an ordinary first-team player in one of Europe's top four leagues.
From that alone, it was easy to understand why so many Brazilian players were eager to leave Brazil and flock to Europe, and even to other parts of the world.
The Brazilian government and clubs were also fully supportive of exporting players, because in Brazil's sluggish economy, player exports had almost become one of the country's largest revenue-generating industries. They had even privately developed a so-called global strategy for Brazilian players, hoping to send Brazilian footballers to every corner of the world where the game existed.
Generally speaking, player ownership in Brazil had already become a marketable commodity.
Many agents, after spotting talented players at a young age, would buy their ownership at a low price, then send them to a club for training and matches. Once the players became famous, they would sell them to Europe at a high price and earn enormous profits from the difference.
One could imagine how astonishing the profits were when Brazil exported hundreds of players every year.
It was precisely because of this that many agents in Brazil, and even companies with no real connection to football, had begun getting involved in the buying and selling of player ownership.
This situation would only become widely known among supporters later, during the transfer controversies involving Tevez and Mascherano.
But in reality, within European football circles, it was no longer much of a secret.
Ethan, however, was very lucky.
Kaká came from a middle-class family, and when he was young, his father had not sold his ownership rights for money. Because of that, Ethan had been able to acquire one of his favourite players smoothly.
São Paulo's situation in the Brazilian Série A this year was not good.
They had suffered frequent injuries, and the club had even been forced to promote several fourteen and fifteen-year-olds from the academy to play for the first team. That alone showed how difficult their current situation had become.
São Paulo were very supportive of New Manchester United's decision to loan Kaká back to Brazil.
Therefore, when Ethan and his delegation arrived in São Paulo, the club president, Magalhães, personally received them.
Magalhães was a sturdy middle-aged man. It was said that he had also been a player in his youth, although he had never achieved much. Later, he entered business, made a fortune, became a shareholder at São Paulo, and now served as the president of the club.
"Kaká is an amazing talent. I believe he will shine in Brazil and help São Paulo overcome their current difficulties!" Ethan said to Magalhães with a smile as he watched Kaká leave the office with the club staff.
"Yes, we are very optimistic about his future. However, we still have many equally outstanding players at the club, such as Fabiano and Baptista. They are both excellent, and I believe they will sooner or later earn a place in Europe."
Fabiano had previously played for Rennes in France, but his performances there had been poor. He made eleven appearances in more than a year, failed to score, and was eventually sent back to São Paulo by Rennes.
But after returning to Brazil, he immediately started scoring again and was now São Paulo's top scorer.
As for Baptista, anyone familiar with La Liga would know the name.
He rose to fame at Sevilla, later joined Real Madrid, and was now another rising star that São Paulo had high hopes for.
When Magalhães mentioned those two players, he clearly hoped Ethan would take a closer look at São Paulo's squad, perhaps choose a few more players, and bring them to England.
That was obviously related to Ethan's good reputation.
Take Fabiano, for example.
When he moved to Rennes, the other club had only paid part of the transfer fee. After spending a year and a half at Rennes, he performed poorly and was sent back. Since São Paulo had only received the initial payment, they likely would not receive the remaining money if they refused to accept the player's return.
But what about Ethan?
He had paid for Kaká in one lump sum.
The deal had been finalized in the morning, and the money had arrived in São Paulo's account that afternoon. Moreover, Ethan was now a young businessman with considerable wealth. Who would fear that he could not pay?
Installment payments and overdue transfer fees were common in football. That was also why German clubs would sometimes rather sell players to Bayern Munich at a lower price than sell them to foreign clubs.
For a financially reliable buyer like Ethan, no one in Brazil would refuse.
"Mr. Magalhães, they are indeed excellent players, but I'm sorry. England requires work permits. I haven't even been able to secure a work permit for Kaká yet, let alone anyone else," Ethan replied with a smile.
Magalhães was clearly a little disappointed.
He had originally thought Ethan's personal visit might involve a major deal. Still, no matter what, he had to remain polite to Ethan. After all, Ethan was a valuable business partner.
"However, my main purpose for coming this time is to discuss cooperation between New Manchester United and São Paulo," Ethan continued.
Magalhães' eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? Mr. Yu, please go on!"
"You know that Kaká's loan back to São Paulo may be for a short term of one year, or possibly a longer period of two to three years. That is because, according to our club's assessment, playing professional matches in Brazil is the best development he can receive at the moment.
"You know we are currently only a League Two club in England, but in two or three years, we will be promoted to the Championship and even the Premier League.
"So I hope that during this period, Kaká can receive enough match experience at São Paulo."
Magalhães thought for a moment.
"That is absolutely no problem, but..."
Ethan smiled. "We understand the rules. When we bring Kaká to England, we will pay a satisfactory compensation fee. But during this period, our club will send a specialist to Brazil every month to conduct physical assessments for Kaká. I hope São Paulo can cooperate with us on that."
This was also a plan developed by the laboratory to help Kaká strengthen his body more reasonably and receive more targeted training.
The cost was not high, and it would also make the player feel valued by the club while ensuring steadier development.
In addition, New Manchester United would arrange for their players to visit England once a year.
Besides allowing the laboratory to conduct more detailed and in-depth examinations, it would also allow the players to train with the team for a period of time, helping them integrate faster in the future.
"No problem. Our club can cooperate with your requirements in every aspect," Magalhães said.
He felt that as long as money was involved, everything could be resolved.
"We are not only preparing to send Kaká to São Paulo for development. We also plan to establish a scouting network in Brazil and Argentina. In the future, once we discover a promising young talent, we will send him directly to São Paulo, just like Kaká."
Magalhães thought for a moment.
"That is also no problem!"
In truth, this would also benefit São Paulo.
They did not need to give those players any special treatment, and they would receive compensation later. By convention, that compensation would be calculated according to the player's value. The higher the player's value, the greater São Paulo's return.
That was São Paulo's motivation for helping New Manchester United and other agents develop players.
Of course, during that period, the players' salaries would be paid by São Paulo.
After finalizing the cooperation plans involving Kaká and the development of young players, Ethan discussed several other areas of cooperation with Magalhães.
For example, Ethan had brought Cassell with him because he wanted to establish a scouting network in Brazil.
New Manchester United had already hired experienced full-time scouts in both Brazil and Argentina. One of them had previously worked for Manchester United and had been brought to New Manchester United by Cassell.
Ethan hoped Magalhães could provide strong support as New Manchester United built their scouting network.
In exchange, New Manchester United would pay São Paulo a small fee.
Magalhães agreed almost without hesitation.
Dealing with a club was definitely more convenient and more profitable than dealing with those bloodsucking agents.
That did not mean New Manchester United would suffer a loss.
It simply meant that those agents placed too much pressure on the clubs.
(To be continued.)