Granada Television had supported the Red Rebels from the beginning, and in return the club had granted it access that few other broadcasters enjoyed. Some people even joked that Scarlett Elan's football interview programme had become New Manchester United's unofficial television platform.
The programme's guests were almost always prominent figures from the football world. Ethan had appeared on the first episode, followed over the years by a steady stream of Red Rebels players as well as major stars from other clubs. Ratings had risen quickly, and within only a few years it had become Granada's flagship sports programme.
Scarlett herself had a close relationship with New Manchester United. She had known Ethan since the club's earliest days and had once shared a flat with him, so her connections inside Newton Heath went far beyond those of an ordinary presenter.
For months, supporters had been asking her to interview the hottest young player at the club, Lionel Messi. Scarlett had repeatedly approached Mourinho, only to be turned down every time, and there was little Mark Davey could do to help her.
"Newton Heath isn't my kingdom," Davey would tell her apologetically. "José decides who gets dragged in front of your cameras."
Scarlett refused to give up. Messi's performances from the bench had become increasingly difficult to ignore, especially in the previous few league matches, and she kept asking until Mourinho finally relented. The interview was arranged for the day after the Birmingham match.
As usual, the featured player was allowed to bring a teammate with him. Messi chose Kaká, the Brazilian attacking midfielder who had become one of New Manchester United's biggest stars that season and was also one of his closest friends in the squad.
"I can tell you're nervous, Leo," Scarlett said with an encouraging smile.
Messi clasped his hands together and nodded. "It's my first time doing something like this."
"Very nervous?"
Another nod. "A little."
Then he went quiet again.
Scarlett turned towards Kaká. "Ricardo, is he always this shy away from football?"
Kaká smiled. "Pretty much. Other than football, I can't think of much he does for entertainment. He's usually at home, studying, or at Newton Heath doing extra training."
"I've heard quite a few of the younger first-team players are still studying. You, Leo, Cesc Fàbregas, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben, quite a few others. Some of you are even considering university later on. Is that true?"
Both players nodded.
"The club takes education seriously," Kaká explained. "The academy is very strict about it. They believe studying helps players develop away from football and even improves the way we think on the pitch. For the academy boys, if their schoolwork isn't good enough, they can even be kept out of matches."
Messi suddenly glanced at him. "You went straight into the first team. You never had to suffer through that."
Kaká burst out laughing, and Scarlett joined him.
That one remark told her something immediately. Messi might have been painfully shy in front of a television camera, but around teammates he was perfectly capable of teasing them.
"So among all you young players, who's the best student?" Scarlett asked. "And who's the worst?"
"Cesc is probably the best," Kaká replied. "He's naturally good at studying. His brain works too quickly."
"Michael's good too," Messi added.
"Michael Johnson?"
Messi nodded.
Scarlett smiled. "All right, then. Who's at the other end?"
Kaká and Messi exchanged one glance before answering at exactly the same time.
"Cristiano."
Scarlett laughed. "Cristiano Ronaldo? Really?"
"He skips lessons whenever he thinks he can get away with it," Kaká said, grinning. "He's been banned from first-team training more than once because of it. The problem is that he's obsessed with football. He'll happily train all day, but asking him to sit still with a textbook is torture. He also missed a fair amount of school before coming from Portugal, so he's always had catching up to do."
"Does he at least pass his exams?"
"He has to. If he doesn't pass, he doesn't play."
Messi added quietly, "He's already had to resit a few this year."
Scarlett and Kaká dissolved into laughter again.
Somewhere in Manchester, Cristiano Ronaldo was probably going to regret ever letting Messi appear on television.
"What else do you do in the academy besides school and training?" Scarlett asked once they had recovered. "Do you play many matches?"
"Of course," Kaká said. "They play youth teams from professional clubs all around the region."
Messi became noticeably more animated. "Our academy teams are usually the strongest at our age level. A lot of the games aren't about league tables or trophies, especially when we're younger, but if they were, we'd have won plenty."
It was the longest answer he had given since sitting down.
Scarlett smiled to herself. Football was clearly the easiest way to make him forget the cameras.
"I've heard you and Ishmael used to score constantly for the academy. Who got more?"
Messi thought about it before shaking his head. "I don't know. Probably about the same. Ishmael scores more different types of goals, though, and he definitely has more celebrations."
"What about you? I've noticed that whenever you score, you usually point towards whoever gave you the assist. Does that mean something?"
Messi looked genuinely uncomfortable with the question, as though he had never considered explaining it publicly.
Kaká rescued him.
"I know. He told me once after I kept asking. He does it because he wants everyone to know the goal wasn't only his. It's his way of thanking the player who created it."
Messi smiled and nudged Kaká with his shoulder but did not deny it. His face had already turned red.
Scarlett laughed. "You really are shy, aren't you? Does that disappear once you're on the pitch?"
Messi nodded immediately. "Yes. I don't know why, but once I step onto the grass, I stop thinking about everything else."
"The most focused person in the squad is Petr Čech," he added after a moment.
Kaká laughed. "Sometimes Petr doesn't even know who scored for us."
Scarlett had heard similar stories and laughed with them.
"You two obviously get on very well. What about the squad generally? Do you ever argue?"
"Yes," Messi answered without hesitation.
Kaká nodded beside him.
That surprised Scarlett. Dressing-room arguments were normally treated as evidence of tension, and footballers rarely admitted to them so casually.
"We argue quite often," Messi explained. "Sometimes somebody makes a mistake and two people will really go at each other in the dressing room. But it doesn't carry onto the pitch."
He paused, searching for the right words. "When I first came here, there weren't many arguments. Ethan said that wasn't necessarily a good thing. He wanted everyone to be honest. If you're annoyed about something, say it. If a teammate has done something wrong, tell him. He said arguments can mean people care enough to solve a problem. If everyone stops caring and nobody says anything, that's much worse."
"So you argue regularly?"
"Almost every match," Messi admitted. "But whatever happens in the dressing room stays there. That's one of our rules."
Kaká grinned. "The funniest one was David. When Beckham first arrived, he walked into the dressing room after a match and thought the team was about to fall apart. Once he understood how it worked, he became one of the worst offenders. These days he argues with somebody after nearly every match. If David doesn't complain about something, we assume he hasn't played well."
Scarlett laughed, but she understood what they were describing. Most clubs feared dressing-room confrontation because it could expose divisions. New Manchester United had somehow turned it into another part of their internal culture, a way of forcing problems into the open before resentment could build.
"Doesn't it ever damage friendships?"
Kaká shrugged. "Why would it? You argue about what happened, not about who someone is."
He pointed towards Messi. "This one had a huge argument with me once. We were both furious. Then we got back to Newton Heath and he came over asking if I could give him a lift home."
Messi's face became even redder.
Scarlett would happily have continued down that line, but the producer signalled that they were running short of time. She reluctantly moved to the question everyone outside the club wanted answered.
"Leo, you've been linked with almost every major club in Europe recently. Have you ever thought about leaving New Manchester United?"
Kaká fell silent.
Messi shook his head. "No. Never."
"Why not? New Manchester United are having an extraordinary season, but for most young players, joining one of Europe's traditional giants is still considered the dream."
"Maybe for other players. Not for me."
"Is that because the club paid for your treatment when you were younger?"
Stories about Messi's medical treatment had circulated for years, and many people assumed that alone explained his loyalty.
"Partly," Messi said. "But people outside the club don't know the whole story. Before my treatment began, Ethan could easily have decided the club couldn't afford it. I found out later that New Manchester United only had about £150,000 available at the time, and he committed almost half of it to helping me."
His voice became quieter.
"I wasn't supposed to hear about it. I overheard him saying that he'd find the money somehow, but that my treatment couldn't be delayed. Then when I came back, he behaved as if nothing had happened."
Messi's eyes reddened. He blinked hard and kept speaking.
"I remember walking behind him that day and making a promise to myself. I thought, if Ethan ever needs me, I want to be there for him and for this club."
He took a moment before continuing.
"Without New Manchester United, I don't know if there would be a Lionel Messi in professional football. I can't speak for other players, and I don't care what people say football is supposed to be like now. I only know what this club did for me. I made myself a promise when I was a boy, and I haven't forgotten it. As long as this club wants me, I want to play here."
The easy, cheerful mood of the interview had changed completely.
Scarlett had known that New Manchester United had arranged Messi's treatment, but she had never understood the financial circumstances behind it or how deeply the experience had affected him.
Kaká had already put an arm around Messi's shoulders. The two had first become close while both were dealing with medical problems, another story that supporters had embraced over the years. After this interview, however, people would understand far more clearly why certain players felt such an unusually strong attachment to the club.
Most clubs retained stars through wages, trophies, status, and ambition. New Manchester United offered all of those things now as well, but that was not where many of these relationships had begun.
They had begun with trust.
Scarlett found herself thinking about Juninho Paulista's departure. When Real Madrid came for him, Ethan had spoken openly with the Brazilian and told him that even after Beckham's arrival, there was still a place for him at New Manchester United. Juninho had ultimately decided that, at his age, he wanted the challenge of proving himself at Real Madrid.
There had been no bitterness.
"We never fell out," Juninho had later said. "Even after the transfer, Ethan and I stayed close. Not being able to continue growing with New Manchester United is one of the regrets of my career, but I'm proud that I played there. I've left the club, but I'm still a Red Rebels supporter. I always will be."
Juninho was hardly alone.
Jonathan Metten had said similar things. So had Stansonn and Distin, followed later by Olić, Abidal, Hleb, Bosingwa, and others who had moved on.
None of those players were being paid by New Manchester United anymore. They had no financial reason to flatter the club or Ethan. Yet whenever they were asked about their former team, the affection was unmistakable.
Scarlett knew exactly what she wanted to call the episode.
This Is Who the Red Rebels Are.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)