An era had arrived where football could be controlled with money.
From that perspective, Mansour's Manchester City was certainly an attractive club.
In modern football, having abundant capital meant a team could focus solely on football without worrying about anything else.
FIFA President Blatter once said, "Money is not everything in football."
But Mansour responded with a mocking snort, displaying overwhelming financial power.
A money game.
Over the past two years, Mansour had spent astronomical amounts of money to transform Manchester City into an outstanding club.
First, he replaced the incompetent board and assembled a capable management team.
He also expanded the stadium and built the world's best training facility, the Etihad Campus, surpassing even Valdebebas.
In addition, he made large-scale investments in Manchester's urban development, including an airport, casino, museum, monorail, and five-star hotels, contributing greatly to the local economy.
"We are not simply building an all-star team, we are building a system for the future."
That philosophy of football management from Mansour was evident in his actions.
Thanks to those efforts, Manchester City, once a mid-table team, had climbed to fifth place in the league within a short period.
And this time, the target was Ho-young.
The reason Mansour personally stepped forward with such enthusiasm was simple. Ho-young was a player with immense investment value.
He was a businessman.
He clearly knew where to spend and where to save. He also had the insight to recognize the right moment to invest.
And he knew very well that now was the moment.
That was why he presented the contract.
"These are our terms."
A newly prepared contract was delivered after just one night on the island.
It contained every condition Ho-young wanted.
And that was not all.
Weekly wages, bonuses.
Support and benefits to help Ho-young adapt to life in England.
Everything was included.
"What do you think? Do you like it?"
It was only natural for Ho-young to nod.
This was not a youth-level contract.
Of course, the 40,000 euros per week he was receiving at Real Madrid already exceeded the typical youth contract level.
But the contract Mansour presented went far beyond that.
Seeing Ho-young genuinely impressed, Mansour smiled with satisfaction.
The signing bonus alone was five million pounds, about 8.5 million euros.
Yet Mansour did not feel it was wasteful in the slightest.
Once Ho-young signed a full professional contract, he even planned to offer an even better deal.
Naturally.
Something that existed only once in the world had that kind of value.
And then.
"Here it is."
At last, the contract was completed.
The transfer date would be January next year.
Specifically, the morning of January 1, 2011, when Ho-young would arrive at Manchester City Airport.
The contract details were kept strictly secret, as there would undoubtedly be strong backlash from fans.
"Well, even if we try to hide it, it will probably start leaking before January."
"Many people will feel betrayed."
"We just have to make sure that doesn't happen. President Calderón will handle that. His position depends on it."
Back at the accommodation, Ho-young spoke with Lucci.
That issue no longer required much attention.
All Ho-young needed to do now was perform brilliantly at Real Madrid until the day he left for Manchester City.
The issue with Calderón still remained, but everything else was being resolved smoothly.
"Then what about the FIFA transfer regulation?"
"Hmm. What do your parents say first?"
"Both my mother and father say they will move to England if necessary."
Until he turned eighteen next year, one of his parents would have to live with him in England.
But.
"It doesn't sit right with me."
Kim Hee-sun had just settled in Paris to study fashion, while Woo Hwang-sun was busy expanding his business in Korea.
Ho-young felt uneasy about someone having to sacrifice their life because of him.
"Does that make me frustrating?"
"So you see yourself that way?"
"Sometimes I try to think lightly about it, but it's not easy."
"People rarely change. But why do you need to change?"
Lucci grinned and placed a hand on Ho-young's shoulder.
"I like that side of you. On the pitch you run forward like a robot, focused only on the goal. But sometimes you show this human side."
"What is this suddenly embarrassing atmosphere? If there's a car you like, take one. I got fifteen of them as a gift. But that Aventador is mine."
"Hahaha! I'm not flattering you. What I mean is that human side is important. So you don't need to worry about things like that. Sometimes don't just keep running forward. Look back once in a while."
If a player felt exhausted off the pitch, it was the agent's fault.
But if a player collapsed on the pitch from overexertion, that was the manager's responsibility, not the agent's.
Lucci had been deeply shocked when Ho-young collapsed during the World Cup.
"So don't worry too much. President Mansour said he would take care of everything. Let's trust him. It might even become a good opportunity for your mother."
Just yesterday, Mansour had confidently promised that Ho-young could focus solely on football without any worries.
And just as expected, the groundwork had already begun.
Paris, France, a city recognized worldwide as the capital of fashion.
Kim Hee-sun had recently become deeply immersed in fashion studies and was a late-blooming international student there.
She was currently studying at Est Fashion School, a prestigious institution that had produced many world-renowned fashion designers.
The program lasted three years.
Since Kim Hee-sun had previously majored in clothing design in Spain, she transferred into the second year last year and was now close to graduation.
After graduation, she planned to attend a graduate school in England to earn a master's degree.
However, good grades alone were not enough to graduate.
A graduation project.
To graduate from Est Fashion School, a student's self-made design had to pass evaluation.
There were eighteen graduating students this year.
Their works would briefly appear on the stage of the Paris Fashion Show held today, where they would receive strict evaluations.
If their work did not meet the standard, they would fail without mercy.
Soon, it was Kim Hee-sun's turn.
'Please.'
This was not an opportunity that came every day.
It was not only a chance to graduate, but also a chance to make her name known in the fashion industry.
Since the graduation project was sponsored by leading figures in French fashion, global interest in the show was extremely high.
Fortunately, the stage presentation went well.
Germany, which had Europe's largest fashion consumer market. Italy, the leader of the fashion industry. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, rapidly emerging as the hub of the Asian fashion market.
Looking at the expressions of the guests from those countries, the reaction seemed positive.
Afterward, the main fashion show by world-renowned designers who had graduated from Est Fashion School began.
The fashion show seemed to conclude successfully.
But the problem came afterward.
Kim Hee-sun had just changed clothes to attend the after party when it happened.
"Hey, Sunny."
"Yes, Professor."
The person who called her was Amandine Balibar, a professor at Est Fashion School.
Her heavy eye makeup and sharp appearance gave her a fierce impression.
Her behavior was no different.
"Go clean up backstage."
"Professor. I'm not staff. I'm a designer."
"If someone heard you, they'd think you already graduated. Do it if I tell you. Do you think fashion is a joke?"
She wondered why the professor had let her go earlier.
This was how it always was.
At school, Amandine constantly belittled and humiliated Kim Hee-sun whenever she had the chance.
The reason was obvious.
Jealousy.
Amandine was one year younger than Kim Hee-sun.
However, she looked far older and far less attractive.
Standing next to Kim Hee-sun often caused people to mistake her for an aunt.
Kim Hee-sun looked very youthful.
Amandine looked old for her age.
It was a complex.
That alone irritated Amandine.
Just that.
Still, Kim Hee-sun endured everything.
She was Ho-young's mother.
She did not want to create unnecessary trouble that might drag her son into controversy.
'Just endure today.'
Holding back her frustration, she joined the staff to clean the backstage area.
Then suddenly.
"Are you Mrs. Kim Hee-sun?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Ah, hello. My name is Mohammed."
Unexpectedly, the man who appeared backstage was a distinguished guest who had attended the fashion show representing Dubai.
Beside him stood the chairman of Est Fashion School.
And then.
"Chairman? What brings you here?"
At that moment, Amandine came out after changing clothes and rushed toward the chairman.
But the chairman ignored her completely and spoke to Kim Hee-sun instead.
"Sunny, greet him."
"Who is this gentleman?"
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Mohammed, head of the financial department of the Emirates Investment Authority. I attended the fashion show as a representative of the Dubai Urban Planning Authority. It concerns the Dubai Mall development project."
"Ah, hello. I'm Kim Hee-sun. But why are you looking for me?"
"I waited for you inside the party hall, but you never came. So I came here with the chairman."
"Ah… I was cleaning backstage."
"Why would you be doing that?"
The chairman frowned as he interrupted.
"You're a student."
"That's true, but Professor Amandine assigned it to me."
"Amandine? Why?"
"Well…"
Amandine could not answer.
Mohammed seemed to grasp the situation and showed a troubled expression.
"Oh dear."
Looking displeased, he turned to the chairman.
"Could you arrange a private space where I can speak with Mrs. Kim?"
"Of course."
The chairman had already prepared for that.
Soon, the two left.
Only the chairman and Amandine remained.
Amandine scratched her face awkwardly and asked.
"Who exactly is that? Some VIP?"
"No. More like a VVVIP. He said he came on behalf of the Vice Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates."
"…."
"Come see me for a moment."
Even without knowing the details, something clearly had gone very wrong.
In a quiet and comfortable reception room.
Mohammed continued in a gentle tone.
"Let's get straight to the point."
The reason he had come to see Kim Hee-sun was obvious.
"I heard that you have decided to move to England."
"Yes."
"Then we will prepare everything necessary for your life in England."
"So there will be no problems with Ho-young's transfer now?"
"Of course. Thank you for making this decision."
At that moment, Ho-young's transfer was cleanly finalized.
And in the third week of July.
A major event shook Spanish football.
The first was news of a release from Real Madrid.
(To be continued.)
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