Football Dynasty

Chapter 130: Let Your Goals Do the Talking!

What Richard showed them was a picture of Eric Cantona kicking a fan — a moment so sensational that Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos’s small scandal seemed almost trivial in comparison.

Both Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos exchanged confused glances, not fully understanding what Richard was trying to convey.

Noticing their silence, Richard didn’t mind. He simply asked them to fetch their teammates — Cafu, their fellow Brazilian, along with Campbell, Solskjaer, Gallas, and Ferdinand.

He asked them the same question, and their answers were similar to the ones people often give.

Things can get blown out of proportion. That incident was much worse. The media twisted and exaggerated it. It’s the fan’s fault, or something like that. And everyone all agreed with that.

Richard nodded in agreement. "It’s the media. They see an opportunity and jump on it. We’re always under their microscope. You know that."

Campbell, who had already experienced the Premier League environment, naturally agreed. "It’s not just about football anymore, is it? Everything we do gets magnified. And no matter what, the story’s always bigger than the game. It feels like we’re being targeted no matter what, and they don’t care about the context."

"Exactly, and even when they twist the facts, it doesn’t matter, as long as their wallets keep getting fatter." Richard said, nodding again.

He continued, "Ferguson had been so busy reorganizing United that he genuinely didn’t see the incident. He only caught the tail end and thought Cantona had been dragged into the crowd as he walked past. The language used by everyone after the game, even the police, was sufficiently ambiguous, and Ferguson thought it was the worst."

"..."

Seeing everyone absorbing this, Richard was satisfied. "Even when he got home, his son hinted that the apocalypse was coming." He paused for a moment before turning to Campbell. "Sol, as the most experienced here, tell me, what punishment did Cantona supposedly face?"

Sol Campbell thought for a moment before answering honestly, "Probably a massive fine, a ban, and then the possibility of his contract being terminated."

CLAP!

Richard clapped his hands sharply. "Exactly! His first instinct was that Cantona had to be sacked — and the United board agreed. But later, Ferguson changed his mind and gave Cantona his full, unconditional protection. Do you know what happened after that?" Richard asked, pausing just long enough to build suspense before continuing.

Everyone looked around at each other, now starting to see where the discussion was heading.

"Cantona was banned by the FA until the end of the season. But do you know how Manchester United punished him internally?" Richard leaned forward, a faint smirk on his face. "Just a 36-hour suspension and a £10,800 fine — that’s just two weeks’ wages! That’s it. And after that, he was allowed to freely roam Old Trafford again, like nothing had ever happened."

Of course, that didn’t include the police, but as long as he had Manchester United’s support, Richard believed Cantona would be fine.

Richard dropped all traces of humor and instantly turned serious.

With a sharp flick, he tossed the newspaper — the one with Ronaldo and Roberto’s photos splashed across it — onto the table.

Instinctively, everyone straightened their backs. The others couldn’t help but steal glances at Ronaldo and Roberto, who were sweating bullets despite it being goddamn cold.

What is the worst bad trait of every footballer? The one flaw that can instantly cause a club to lose millions upon millions?

Some might point to what The Sun once accused Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos of — being lazy, living like party animals. But does that mean Brazilian footballers are lazy by nature?

No, not at all.

Brazilian footballers are far from lazy. They can be tough and hard workers if they want to be.

The real problem is that most footballers come from humble backgrounds — poor guys who, suddenly, still in their early 20s, become rich and famous. Some of them lose focus on their true profession, which should always be football.

Richard called them distractions.

Yes — distractions are the deadliest enemy of every footballer. At that point, they start focusing more on girls, scandals, prostitutes, shemales, drugs, parties — and whatever else money can buy that has nothing to do with football.

He wanted to protect everyone standing in front of him — not just them, but every player he would eventually bring to City... before, of course, milking them for trophies and selling them for millions, laughing all the way to the bank.

"I will protect you."

So he said that.

It was the last thing anyone expected to hear from him, especially when they were bracing themselves for punishments or fines.

"I don’t care if you want to have fun — go partying, go wild — that’s your right," Richard said, rising from his chair, his voice firm.

"But!" He raised a finger sharply. "No fights. No scandals. No breaking team rules. No reckless behavior before matches. Respect the curfew. And most importantly..." Richard’s voice dropped, his tone turning deadly serious, "Especially no stupid stuff with women that could mess up the team’s reputation. You get what I’m saying, right?"

Clubbing, partying, or kind like that itself isn’t automatically irresponsible. Being reckless while representing the club definitely is. For example, in the current culture of English football, everyone knows that many players are more accustomed to spending their afternoons in the pub or playing golf.

It’s just that, suddenly, The Sun decided to target them and make a fuss about it.

The reason behind all of this was simple. This month, they were facing Crystal Palace and then Manchester United. For a media outlet with no bottom line, stirring up drama was good business. As long as people kept buying their newspapers, it was all just part of their game.

"Just focus on your game, let your goals do the talking, let your performance shut up all their doubts," Richard said, tossing the newspaper into the trash with a sharp flick.

BANG!

Leaning forward, he continued, "And the rest will be handled by us—or more specifically, by me," Richard said, pointing at himself. "Remember, you were all brought here by me personally, and I give you my word—you are under my protection. No one will challenge the rules I’ve set here."

"..."

Everyone gasped, and even Campbell was stunned by this declaration.

You must understand that the head coach of English clubs is different from other places. Here, they truly act as a manager, which means they are involved in decision-making. In contrast, in other countries, they are primarily called ’coaches.

In many countries, particularly in places like Spain, Italy, or Germany, the title ’coach’ is used more commonly, and the role is often more focused on training and tactical guidance. The overall strategy and decision-making might be more heavily influenced by the board or sporting directors.

Just like Silvio Berlusconi, who heavily influenced AC Milan’s transfers and the club’s overall direction, Juventus was significantly influenced by their top-tier executives, Giovanni Agnelli and Luciano Moggi. At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson had a more direct say in the club’s transfer policy, much like how Florentino Pérez later dominated at Real Madrid, or how Uli Hoeneß and Franz Beckenbauer had significant sway over decisions at Bayern Munich.

Naturally, at the end of the day, everything will change when a super manager like Pep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp, or José Mourinho comes in. But at least for now, it’s simply simpler and purer.

"Alright, that’s it then," Richard finally gathered everyone’s attention one last time. "What I expect is your performance on the pitch. That’s it — whether it’s in training, in matches, or how you carry yourselves outside. As long as it doesn’t involve any scandals, you can do whatever you want. Especially you."

Richard held his finger on Ronaldo a little longer, then pointed at Roberto, Cafu, and finally swept it across the rest of them, pausing especially on the younger ones like Ferdinand and Gallas.

The current City — who is the most important player now?

Of course, the alien, O Fenômeno.

Richard paid close attention to him, and of course, to the others as well. But if he’s being honest, Ronaldo did have a little bit of privilege here.

It wasn’t because he wanted Ronaldo to stay at City until he retired—but as a former footballer himself, Richard couldn’t help but be curious.

He wanted to understand why Ronaldo was so much better than other strikers, so he took the time to investigate his background a little.

Brazil has produced quite a number of generational talents that gave football a good name, from Pelé to Garrincha, down to the current Romário, Rivaldos, the Nazários, later Gauchos, and all the way to future stars like Neymar, Coutinho, Firmino, and many more.

Richard, he knew this, and that’s why he paid more attention to the Brazilians.

Football is a cheap sport there, and all you need is at least a ball. That fits well in a poor country, making it the natural selection for the boys there.

Ronaldo, grew up in Rio, living on a hill, where there were two teams: the uphill team and Ronaldo’s team at the bottom. So to summarize, to score a goal, he literally had to fight his way uphill.

So basically he didn’t just have to attack and dribble past his opponents — he had to battle gravity as well. Doing this for years built incredible explosive power. His close control came naturally, shaped by this.

Unfortunately, the future for Ronaldo was later marred by injuries that caused him to lose his explosiveness. People regretted not being able to witness his pure samba movements on the green field anymore.

Football is a very interesting game, but it is very much unforgiving. You can possess the greatest talent and you can be loved and cherished by millions of fans around the world, but if you don’t consistently play by the rules and put out good performances, you become a goner.

Richard closed his eyes for a moment to make a mental note about how City would handle its medical needs.

The sudden silence left everyone in front of him confused, but Richard didn’t give them a chance to let their minds wander.

After that, he busily talked this and that before letting them leave. As for the problem with Ronaldo and Roberto and The Sun, he reassured them not to worry about it.

Thankfully, social media hadn’t advanced too much yet, so they didn’t have to read all those annoying comments.

The conversation between Richard and the others was kept internally, meaning no one knew the content of their discussion except for them.

Soon, everyone forgot about it as match day approached.

The big games were coming thick and fast, and City won 2–1 against high-flying Preston, with the Blues now just four points behind the fourth-placed team.

In the next match, City gained another three points on Preston as they trounced The Shakers 4–0 at Maine Road, with Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick once again — making Richard roar along with the fans.

The third match of February was against Swindon Town, and City once again crushed The Robins with a 4–0 victory, with goals from Gallas, two from Solskjær, and one from young Emile Heskey.

Ten goals in three matches and just one conceded.

O’Neil stared at his players with a baffled expression, even wondering if Richard had secretly slipped steroids into their drinks.