The current state of Manchester City could be described in exactly one phrase.
A Warring States era.
Ever since Mansour put down roots at Manchester City, countless players from all over the world had flocked to the club in just two years.
Promising youngsters from the Beijing Olympics, star players who had made a name for themselves at the World Cup, and even veteran old-timers who had dominated the end of the 20th century.
The age range was broad.
On top of that, the languages and nationalities were varied as well.
That was where the problem began.
English, French, Spanish, Serbian, Portuguese, and more.
The players were split between English speakers and non-English speakers, and the non-English speakers were divided once more into Latin and European groups.
To make matters worse, manager Mancini was an Italian who spoke English.
It was, quite literally, a complete mess.
In a situation like this, it would have been more surprising if the club had been united as one.
But they did have one single thing in common.
A hero mentality.
Manchester City had been criticized endlessly, with people saying that money alone could never buy titles, and many players wanted to become heroes by lifting the club back up.
To bring the players together as one and conquer the Premier League.
What a brilliant dream that was.
To stand at the center of it all and drag a mid-table club to first place was an achievement that hardly anyone in the world could attain.
Maradona, who had led Napoli to UEFA Cup glory in Italy, would be one such example.
But at Manchester City, no one was qualified for that role.
The ability to make the players follow without complaint.
The mentality and language skills to embrace everyone.
And on top of that, global fame was a basic requirement.
Yet at that moment, unbelievably, the balance shifted when an Asian stepped into the picture.
Ho-young.
He had every qualification, and he was now planning to elevate Manchester City into the best club in the world.
Why?
The reason was simple.
'Because it's my goal.'
Wasn't this the kind of dream every man had?
To build a team of his own and become the best.
At Manchester City, it was possible.
Of course, he could not do it alone.
But he was not alone.
Mansour.
The globally renowned Middle Eastern tycoon was helping him.
'First, I need a winger who can directly support my playmaking.'
They needed a player who could replace Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had already turned thirty this year.
Florent Malouda, who had torn his ACL at the start of the season, was due to return soon, but he did not have the qualities either.
Ho-young knew that because they had played together at Real Madrid.
'He's not the type of player I want.'
The kind of player Ho-young wanted was a winger with strong stamina and a high work rate.
He also needed someone excellent at escaping pressure, and a technician who could lead the players further forward even when Ho-young vacated his position.
The first man on that list was in Valencia, Spain.
David Silva.
He was a player Ho-young had not been able to covet during his time at Real Madrid because of the condition, 'Achieve XX while playing for Valencia.'
There had been a chance during the World Cup semi-final, but because they lost the match, that opportunity had failed as well.
'But if we end up on the same team, I'll have another chance to covet his talent.'
In other words, David Silva not only met every condition, but was also the kind of player who could be a huge help to Ho-young.
The key issue, however, was whether he would choose Manchester City.
La Liga was currently being shaken by all kinds of upheaval.
The first of those was Barcelona, who had been in crisis, appointing Tito Vilanova as manager and starting to put together good results.
He was still only the caretaker manager, but he had led the team as well as any full-time manager and rescued Barcelona from danger.
He kept Guardiola's style intact while pursuing rapid counter-attacks, and although some said the defense was less stable than under Mourinho, the team still managed to continue its winning streak.
But an even more shocking event had taken place.
The club at the center of it was none other than Real Madrid.
[
[Cristiano Ronaldo injured, could be out for as long as three months]
[Atlético Madrid's Assunção, who injured Ronaldo, says, "There was no intention to injure him."]
[Real's Gonzalo Higuaín suffers a fractured fibula]
[Real Madrid's rise halted by continuing bad news, Raúl Albiol also a doubt with injury]
[
[Xabi Alonso makes 72 forward passes in one match, but the team records only 4 key passes in total, the problem is 'playmaking']
[
[President Calderón, "We should never have conceded the first goal."]
[Real's guardian Iker Casillas offers an excuse that was not quite an excuse, "It took a deflection off Mertesacker's foot, so it was hard to stop."]
[Casillas takes aim at some players, "This is the time for the players to wake up."]
[
Barcelona and Real Madrid were moving in opposite directions.
As if by cruel irony, Real Madrid had been hit by one setback after another and had looked lifeless in recent matches.
There was no trace of the Real Madrid side that had gone 13 wins and 3 draws in the league up to December.
With Ho-young, the heart of the team, gone, perhaps that was only natural.
And with Cristiano Ronaldo injured as well, what else could be expected?
It was as if they had lost the two legs that connected the midfield to the front line.
On top of that, the political maneuvering of Casillas and President Calderón had brought internal discord to the surface.
In times like this, Raúl or Guti would usually step up and lead the team, but they were already gone.
Because of this, the media and Real Madrid fans fiercely condemned President Calderón for letting Ho-young leave, calling it "Ho-young's curse."
As that happened, more and more people began to question Calderón's competence, while his approval rating plunged.
Even media outlets that had always looked unfavorably on Real Madrid and Calderón joined in and tore into him without mercy.
After former president Pérez had stepped down, one failed project after another under Calderón came to light, and public opinion turned on him brutally.
The socios usually did not show that much interest in politics or management.
But through this incident, they became fully aware of the club's problems, and they also came to see clearly that all of this had begun because of the president's reckless decisions.
Calderón was beginning to lose the trust of the people.
An unexpected disaster.
In this situation, he felt as though the little hair he had left would all fall out.
His only thought had been to hold on until Ho-young returned, but there were still five months left in the season.
And with the match scheduled for January 20 drawing near.
Their opponent was Valencia, a side in red-hot form, so his anxiety could only continue to grow.
Quite literally, hellish days were waiting for him.
January 15.
The president's office at Valencia's Estadio de Mestalla.
With the club president and technical director present, a serious discussion was underway.
"There is no other choice. It's too much for us to keep holding on."
"Hmm…"
Valencia were enjoying a strong season, sitting in third place in the league.
In particular, their attack had exploded recently, and they were on a winning streak, but sadly the club's debt was holding them back.
With their debt having exceeded 700 million euros, they had reached a point close to bankruptcy.
700 million euros.
For a big club like Manchester United or Real Madrid, it might not have been such a massive sum, but for Valencia, whose revenues were nowhere near that level, the burden was entirely different.
Despite all their efforts, they had ultimately failed to resolve the debt, and now they had been pushed into a position where they had to sell even the core members of the team.
David Villa had already left, and Juan Mata was also expected to depart soon.
Even in the middle of all that, there was one player they had desperately wanted to keep, but now they could no longer endure it.
That was why they had called for one man today.
Valencia's present and essence, the elite winger David Silva.
"Hello. Good morning."
As he entered the room, he greeted them politely and with proper manners.
Known for his quiet and composed personality, he was famous for having an excellent mentality.
"David, come in."
After they exchanged brief greetings, the president's face dimmed slightly, and he got straight to the point.
"We've received an offer that is very difficult for the club to refuse."
Even for him, it was painful and difficult to say those words.
That was only natural, because David Silva had devoted twelve years to the club, from the youth ranks all the way to the present.
But a few days earlier, an offer had arrived that was truly hard to reject.
Of course, David Silva had no desire to leave the club.
He had gone through Valencia's youth system, been promoted to the first team in 2003, and had not left the club even once since then.
He had gone out on loan before for experience, but he had never once kept another club in his heart.
That could be seen from how he had always declared his intention to stay whenever transfer rumors arose, proudly showing his loyalty.
Like Xavi and Iniesta, he wanted to become a one-club legend.
He loved Valencia, and he wanted to stay until the end and become a one-club man.
But.
"I understand."
Knowing better than anyone that the club could no longer hold on, he made the painful decision to leave, holding back tears.
It was solely for the sake of the club.
"So which club is it?"
"Manchester City."
"What?"
He had expected Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal.
He had been receiving interest from the Premier League's big clubs for a long time.
But Manchester City.
He had received offers from them before, but he had never seriously considered a move there.
Their reputation was lower than Valencia's, and he had never found them especially appealing, so he had never really wanted to go.
"Then may I ask what kind of offer it is?"
"They've offered 46 million euros."
"Hah…"
It was a fee that made his jaw drop.
"But isn't that about the same amount Bayern offered this time?"
"In a lump sum."
"…!"
It was normal for transfer fees worth hundreds of millions to be paid in installments over several years, but true to his reputation as a Middle Eastern tycoon, Mansour had offered to pay the 46 million euros all at once.
It made the offers from Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Bayern, all of whom had been eyeing David Silva, practically meaningless.
And for Valencia, who urgently needed cash, there was no choice but to accept.
"There's still time, so think it over. It's not such an urgent matter that you need to decide in a day or two."
"I understand."
Silva's face stiffened in a strange way.
'Manchester City…'
Then, after sinking into thought for a moment, he let out a bitter smile.
'Ho-young.'
For some reason, he suddenly felt that he and Ho-young were in similar situations.
Misery loves company.
What a cruel reality it was.
And yet, ironically, the fact that they had something in common felt strangely appealing.
And being able to play alongside Ho-young was an enormous advantage too.
'But would I be able to blend with him?'
For the last two years in La Liga, Ho-young had been an opponent he had fought against fiercely.
Becoming allies with someone like that was not a matter to take lightly.
As the playmaker directing the team's attack, his role might overlap with Ho-young's.
Which meant conflict could arise unavoidably.
Moreover, current Manchester City were a team constantly surrounded by controversy, like waves that never stopped rolling.
That was what worried him.
Just because he would be joining the same team as the Ho-young he had always admired did not mean he could be happy about it without reservation.
But then.
"Oh, right. Manchester City asked us to make sure we told you this."
"Please go ahead."
"They said Ho-young specifically told them he really wants to play with you."
"…!"
Silva's eyes, which had been hanging low a moment ago, curved sharply.
It even seemed as though life had returned to those dark pupils.
"Manager Mancini has wanted you for a long time, of course, but I was told that Ho-young feels the same way."
"Ah… I understand what you mean."
"Yes, thank you. For now, we'll give you time, so think it over some more…"
"I'll go."
"…?!"
This time, it was the president who was stunned.
Then David Silva added,
"If I truly have to go, and if it's for the team, then I'll go to Manchester City."
And for his own sake as well, he wanted to go to Manchester City.
Why?
'Ho-young is calling.'
And so, David Silva made up his mind to climb onto those surging waves.
Dangerous though it was, he believed it was the perfect chance to rise even higher.
'If it's with Ho-young.'
Then surely, it would be possible.
(To be continued.)