The big-screen television was broadcasting the best of Nottingham Forest games from over the past few seasons, with only one leading character.
“George Wood! He’s really the linchpin of Nottingham Forest! The beautiful tackle from the oblique rear, no foul and clean!”
“It’s George again! Where did he run out from? He snuck up next to Riquelme and put his leg out! And cut off the ball!”
“He’s giving chase… His speed is very fast! What an amazing explosive force! Studs-up! He has fouled! But he stopped a quick counterattack from Manchester United, and even getting a yellow card was worth it!”
“Sidwell had a head-on collision with him. I’d say Sidwell must have thought he had hit a wall! George Wood did not moved at all and the ball was intercepted by him. His defensive stance is very good!”
“He completely froze Kaka, and the Brazilian seemingly vanished under his close marking…”
“Fàbregas! Oh… He couldn’t pass the football because he was pushed to ground by Wood. It’s so unfriendly… Fàbregas protested to the referee on the ground, while George Wood just turned and ran away.”
“Cristiano Ronaldo! This is a counterattack by Manchester United. He sprints and dribbles the ball on the sideline! No one can stop him… No! George Wood rushes up to stick close and Ronaldo tries to get rid of him, but the feint is ineffective against him! A beautiful defense!”
“A shot to the goal!! The ball’s in! George Wood—a world-class ball! He saved England, he saved Capello! Saint George blesses England!!”
The commentator’s passionate voice echoed in the darkened room, but everyone in the room took their eyes off from the television screen.
“Our new target.” A bald-headed man in the center said to the people here, “He’s incomparable. Cesare told me after following him for two years. I believe in his insight.”
An old man known as “Cesare” stood up. He was AC Milan’s chief football scout in charge of bringing in defensive players, the former AC Milan team captain and the legendary Paulo Maldini’s father, Cesare Maldini.
“I’ve carefully edited all the videos of his games that I’ve shown you. You can see from the video the standard of his defense. He mainly benefits from his physical fitness. He has many nicknames in England, almost all of which are aimed at his abnormal body. He almost never gets hurt… No, he has actually never been injured. He’s in a stable shape and got a solid basic skill. He’s got a good attitude, and there has never been a rumor about any conflicts with his teammates and coaches. I think he is a man who meets AC Milan’s requirements in terms of technique, tactics and even his temperament.”
However, the team’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti sitting opposite did not think so.
“I don’t think Tony Twain will let their team captain go, and George Wood is a very loyal player. It will be too difficult to manage the transfer.”
The baldheaded Galliani laughed, “That’s not something you need to worry about, Carlo. We just have to make sure one thing now and that is Gattuso’s condition no longer meets our requirements. We just need a ‘new Gattuso.’”
Ancelotti hesitated for a moment and then nodded, “We do need a defensive midfielder, but I think trying to sign on George Wood will be too difficult…”
Galliani was a little unhappy and said, “In that case, do you have any good candidates to recommend, Carlo?”
“Blasi, Mariga or Sammarco is a good choice too…” Ancelotti had just reported the three names when he was interrupted by the old man next to him, Braida.
“Napoli’s asking price is too high, and we’ve been negotiating the Blasi deal for about a whole year, and there has been no progress. If we satisfy Napoli’s demands, I think the money is pretty much the same if we buy George Wood. As for Mariga, I think he’s just got a lot of potential. What we need is a player who can come in and play as the main force in the midfield. Mariga is not good enough. As for Sammarco, he doesn’t want to come back. What can we do?”
Braida was the official in charge of AC Milan’s transfers, and his words held more authority than Galliani’s.
Ancelotti was not willing to be persuaded just like that. He retorted, “George Wood’s problem is not the transfer fee. Thirty million or fifty million is the same. The key is his own attitude and Tony Twain… Do you think Tony Twain is someone who’s easy to talk to?”
Galliani did not expect to end up in a situation similar to the quarrel. He waved his hands impatiently to signal to Braida to shut his just-opened mouth.
“I told you, Carlo. That’s not something you should worry about. You just focus on leading the team in training for the games. Leave the purchase of the players to me and Braida.”
Braida was the “king of transfers” for AC Milan. At the age of sixty-three, he had brought in many classic transfers for AC Milan, such as bringing Rijkaard to AC Milan and took Shevchenko, who also played in Eastern Europe, to San Siro. He was a senior football scout and expert negotiator.
But he had already stepped down as AC Milan’s Chief Executive Officer a year ago, and this time Galliani re-hired him for the sake of George Wood.
His intention was clear—I obviously know that it will be very difficult to buy George Wood, so I brought Braida here.
Ancelotti looked at the three men who were obviously standing together on the same side, pursed his lips and did not speak anymore.
Everyone unanimously decided at the final meeting that they would specialize in George Wood alone for the remaining time and sign on the world’s currently hottest defensive midfielder at all costs.
Since Gattuso suffered that terrible injury in the winter of 2008, his form had declined rapidly. Now the AC Milan midfielder could only play as a substitute. His willpower was as before, but he was not physically and technically as good as before. More often than not, his spirit was willing, but the body was weak. His full beard which used to be a symbol of courage and boldness, now appeared to be a sign of the vicissitudes.
AC Milan youth team had a Nigerian young player, Wilfred Chinoye Osuji, once labeled as the “new Makelele.” He had also been lured by Manchester United. At the time, Ancelotti strongly advocated to keep Chinoye in the squad and used him as Makelele’s successor. But the reality was failure. Chinoye did not become the second Makelele. He was lost in the people’s expectations and disappointed AC Milan’s top brass. The matter also led to Galliani’s growing distrust of Ancelotti. Therefore, this time he decided to force his way in to sign George Wood.
He certainly knew that it would not be easy to sign George Wood, not to mention from trying to “extract a tooth from the tiger’s mouth” like Tony Twain.
This time he decided to let Braida step in and make a breakthrough with George Wood’s agent.
A former celebrity in the fashion world, Billy Woox’s sudden career switch to become a sports agent had shocked people. But he still had his former connections in Milan. Galliani and Woox had several opportunities to meet and were considered “friends.” He believed it was right for him and Braida to work on Billy Woox. Whether George Wood would be able to join AC Milan, his agent was the key.
※※※
“Hey, George! Guess where I am?” Wood’s cell phone rang out with his agent, Billy Woox’s always sly voice.
Wood was not one to play such a meaningless game with others. He simply asked, “What’s up, Woox?”
“I just had coffee with a friend in Milan. We talked about you. Guess who that person was?”
“Who?”
“Galliani, AC Milan’s second most important figure.”
“Oh.” George Wood gave a grunt and did not continue to ask questions.
Woox had long been used to Wood’s way of thinking. He added, “He’s very interested in you and wants to hear if you will be willing to play for Milan.”
“AC Milan?” George Wood’s impression and feelings toward most of the world’s powerhouse clubs might displeased these clubs because he would not even show surprise when he heard their names. In his mind, all the teams were the same. “Why should I go play there?”
“They promised you a higher salary than what you get at Nottingham Forest and will give up all your portrait rights.”
At Nottingham Forest, after a number of contract renewals, George Wood, whose current weekly salary was around one hundred thousand pounds a week, had become the highest-paid player in the squad after Beckham and Ribéry left the squad one after another and the older van Nistelrooy accepted a new contract. At the same time, half of his portrait rights were owned by Nottingham Forest—if not for Billy Woox, he would not even get the half.
George Wood was not a fool and could tell which side would give more money. But…
“I think I make enough money now, Woox.”
As if he had expected Wood to say that, Woox laughed at the other end of the line, “There’s one more condition. Do you want to hear it?”
“What?”
“They promised to use the power of AC Milan to treat your mother. It will be a more detailed and professional treatment than what Nottingham Forest did.”
Wood was silent.
After he hung up, Wood went to the kitchen to help his mother. Sophia asked the call just now, “Mr. Woox called?”
“Yeah. He told me that several other clubs are interested in me.”
“Did you promise him?” Sophia coughed and asked.
“No.” Wood’s lips quivered as he replied.
Sophia did not say anything. She just reached and rubbed Wood’s messy hair.
※※※
Twain was as amazed as if he had found the New World. He discovered that George Wood was distracted during training these few days. There was even a rare decline in his form!
He was not worried about anything at first. Instead, he was pleased with the discovery. Because George Wood was finally getting closer to becoming human. At least his form would fluctuate, rather than being so tediously and despairingly steady.
So, he joked about Wood during training and excitedly announced it to people around him.
“Hey, George! Are you in love? Which girl has taken your fancy? Introduce her to me.”
Wood gave a cold expression in return.
“All right, I respect your privacy. When you feel the time is right, you can introduce me then.”
After the ruckus from him, the people in the team all thought George Wood was really in love. Otherwise, it was hard to explain his recent absent-mindedness. It was known that he had always been the most serious and toughest on himself during training in the past.
This situation continued for several days until one early morning, while Tony Twain was still getting cozy in bed with Shania, he received a call.
When their lovemaking was interrupted, Twain naturally did not have a good temper. He shouted, “I don’t care who you are. If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation… It’s only half past six!”
He heard Pierce Brosnan’s voice spoke up, “I just heard the news, Tony. I think I need to tell you. Have you heard?”
“What?” Twain was completely confused by the man’s random remarks.
“The news that AC Milan is very interested in George Wood…”
Twain gave a sigh and said, “I thought it was some big news. Aren’t there always rumors like that every summer? To be honest, Mr. Reporter, if George Wood wasn’t loved and sought after by the flies, he wouldn’t be George Wood.”
Brosnan hurried to explain, “No, I mean they’re for real.”
“They need to find a successor to Gattuso, so I understand…” Twain still did not take it seriously. He lied back on the bed while his fingers circled back and forth on Shania’s smooth and flat lower abdomen.
“They got in touch with George’s agent Billy Woox in private.”
“I knew that sneaky old man can’t keep still. But his word is useless. George Wood has to agree first.”
Shania watched as Twain hand circled downwards bit by bit and moved to the edge of her white panties. She seemed to regard Twain’s hand as a little bug crawling around on her body, and she observed it very carefully.
“Ah, that’s what I wanted to tell you…” It took a long time for Brosnan to remember what the subject was. “I heard from my media friends in Italy that AC Milan worked hard to get the player’s own consent and prepare for George Wood’s mother to undergo surgery and treatment. The club will bear all the costs!”
Twain’s hand was about to pry open the panties and enter a hidden utopia, but he suddenly retracted his hand.
“What did you say?” He sat up on the bed.
No one knew better than he did what Sophia meant to George Wood. When the Forest team and Wood signed their first professional contract, the club paid for Sophia’s operation and to undergo treatment, which led to Wood’s unswerving allegiance to Nottingham Forest. He then gradually grew into a standard-bearer at Nottingham Forest in later years.
But he never thought there would be another club doing the same thing for Wood.
He knew that Sophia’s illness was actually incurable. The long-term accumulation of all kinds of illnesses had long hollowed out this delicate but strong woman. The only reason supporting her was perhaps because she hated to part with her son. So, the club did not continue the medical treatments for Sophia. Anyway, George Wood made enough money to buy the medicine to continue the treatment.
But it did not rule out the possibility that George still had illusions deep inside. If there were more money, more advanced professional equipment, superior doctors and medicines, finer hospitals, he could save his mother’s life.
In that case, would it matter where he play football?
It suddenly dawned on him why George Wood did not seem right these days.
“I’m so stupid…” muttered Twain.
“Uncle Tony?” Shania raised her head beside him, looking strangely at Twain.
“Tony?” Brosnan asked on the phone.
There was only one person in the world who could make Wood upset. It was absolutely not a beautiful girlfriend, and a big salary contract. He only cared about his mother. There were only two people in his world, him and his mother. It was something he had known for a long time. If he had detected it earlier…
“Well, thank you for telling me this, Brosnan! I’ll allow you to go onto the training ground for an exclusive interview!” After he promised Brosnan the relevant repayment, he hung up and intended to give George Wood a call.
But halfway through dialing the number, he put down his cell phone again.
“It’s not even seven o’clock now…” He turned his head to look at the clock. “What happened so far has already happened, makes no difference if it’s earlier or later…” With that, he laid down again. But his hand no longer strayed toward Shania’s body.
“If you’re in a hurry to find George, why don’t you drive to his house to pick him up before training? Then you’ll have a lot of time to talk in private on the way.” Shania said suddenly.
Twain turned to look at his wife and said, “That’s a good idea! And to thank you, Shania…”
Shania glanced at him and said, “Ah, here you go again … I really suspect that you’re twenty, Uncle Tony…”
Twain laughed mischievously and held Shania in his arms, “Your Uncle Tony has heart that never tires!”
Shania’s young, healthy, energetic body snuggled in the crook of his arm, making him feel like he was on his honeymoon every day.
He already had a plan in his mind about George’s matter. For now, he had to make time for Shania.
