Godfather Of Champions

The team had started training, and the Forest team\'s movements in the transfer market did not stop for a moment.

For the midfield section, the Forest team finally bought Aaron Lennon, the young player from Leeds United whom they had wanted to buy during last season\'s winter transfer period. As Tang En expected, Leeds United was relegated to League One, and had then immediately declared bankruptcy. The team faced another terrible misfortune in the form of a possible relegation to another level. At that time, the minds of everyone on the team were in turmoil, and it was normal for any player to want to leave. Twain once again asked Leeds United for a quote on Lennon. Leeds United, who was beleaguered with debt, did not ask a high price for the young player. They quoted a price which was acceptable to Twain: one million pounds.

Lennon himself had a clearer understanding of the fact that he would be better off if he left Leeds United. If he stayed on Leeds United, his own strength would not be nearly enough to change the status of the team. At the age of sixteen, he had just begun to play in First Team games. Nottingham Forest was naturally the best choice due to the club\'s sincerity towards him and the fact that he was able to enter the Premier League at this juncture.

Tang En was worried that things might change if they took too long. So, without further ado, the payment was transferred, and he quickly signed the contract with Lennon. From then on, England\'s star of hope became a Nottingham Forest player.

When the Forest team announced on its official website that Lennon was joining the team, the English media realized that, while they had been paying attention to this summer\'s clash between Chelsea\'s newly appointed Mourinho, Arsenal, and Manchester United in the transfer market, they had ignored the quiet, newly promoted Nottingham Forest.

Even though it was not yet known how the Forest team would perform after the start of the season, they had already made tremendous, high-profile headway in the transfer market.

With regards to this, The Sun had a special topic in their article to analyze and forecast every club\'s movement during the summer transfer period. Placed in the headline photographs were several Premier League managers: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, Chelsea\'s newly appointed manager, the talented José Mourinho (who had just led the Portuguese FC Porto to become the champion of the UEFA Champions League), and the just as successful Rafael Benítez, who had just joined Liverpool from Spain\'s Valencia CF. And the man placed behind them was the manager of Nottingham Forest, Tony Twain.

The article analyzed that, as a new entrant to the Premier League as well as a competitor in the UEFA Europa League, the Forest team faced the predicament of battling on multiple fronts. But to Tony Twain, it was a chance to expand the size of his team. So far, the players that the Forest team had bought were mainly young players. It was obvious that Twain had set his sights on the future. However, the Premier League was the top level after all, and the goals of the club\'s higher powers would change accordingly. If they were not able to achieve results that were to their satisfaction, then it would all be meaningless, no matter how young and talented the players were.

After introducing Gerard Piqué and Nicklas Bendtner in succession, as well as Aaron Lennon, what else could be happening in Twain\'s Forest team?

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It was end of June, and the sun was scorching and intense. At noon, the concrete ground of the pier was baking. It was lunch break and the narrow, run-down pier was empty. Only one person was sitting on the shore, ignoring the sweltering hot sun above.

This was in Boulogne-sur-Mer, a small coastal town on the west coast of France. In France, people callously labeled it as "the worst town in France." Poverty had afflicted every resident in the small town. Now it was troubling the young man sitting in the sun, too.

He looked down in a daze at water below his feet crashing into the pier repeatedly. The long scar along his right cheek looked ghastly under the glare of the sun.

The young man was frowning, thinking about something very important to him: money.

At the age of sixteen, in pursuit of his dream of playing professional football, he had moved out of his house to Lille. However, he had been rejected due to insufficient academic qualifications; like most clubs in France, the young players were not only required to learn football, but also to achieve a certain degree of education. Five years had passed, and now he could not even afford to pay his rent.

He had played in Olympique Alès a year ago. On a monthly subsidy of one hundred and fifty euros, he lived frugally. He could not afford to rent a house. In order to change his impoverished situation, he had switched to another football club, Stade Brestois 29 in Ligue 2. But his situation still did not improve. Apart from the necessary expenses, he found that he had not earned a single penny by the end of the season.

When his contract expired, the club obviously did not intend to renew the contract with this unsightly, unlikable young man. The Brest team was not in a good position either, so he had to look for another team again. But he found that he did not seem to have a future in France. None of the big clubs liked him, and the small clubs offered too little money.

It really was a headache. The young man scratched his head, accidentally touching the scar on his cheek.

It had happened when he was two years old, due to a car accident. He had flown out of the car window. He had survived, but a permanent scar was left on his face. This used to be the reason that he was ridiculed and teased; its existence made him feel ashamed. He wished he could get rid of the scar by scraping it off with a knife. Of course, what he really wanted to do was find a plastic surgeon to help him fix the scar. This was a good idea; modern medical technology could fully meet his requirements. The only problem was that he had no money.

The failed professional footballer sat on the seaside for a while, looking miserable. He had no idea what to do about his future. Dizzy from the sun, he got up and staggered to his rented house, which was not far from the pier. He walked straight out of the pier, crossed a street, and on the way to his place, passed through a clearing that was full of weeds and covered in trash. Whenever he opened his window, he could see the sea outside—but since the window could only be opened halfway, the view was not too good.

This was not some luxury seaside villa. It was an ordinary, four-story small brick building with a gray steeple, and the young man lived in the topmost attic where the light was dim. Every time he opened the half of the window and looked out at the sea outside, he would wonder; would it be better to leave France? He really could not envision a future here for him. He could only see the English Channel shrouded in fog before his eyes. What was waiting for him beyond the mist?

Taking out his key to open the dilapidated door, he saw the plump landlady standing on the stoop and holding the receiver. When she heard the door open, she turned saw that the person entering was the one with the scarred face. She cried out, "Franck! Come here!"

With the receiver in her hand, she waved to the young man standing at the door.

"Why are you still standing there? It\'s for you! What a coincidence, I was just about to tell him that you weren\'t here, so come quickly!"

Putting the phone into the young man\'s hand, the landlady turned and waddled up the stairs.

The young man stared blankly for a moment and then put the receiver to his ear and whispered, "Hello?"

A male voice spoke out from the other end. It was obviously French spoken with an English accent. "Is this Mr. Franck Ribéry?"

"Yes... that\'s me."

"Let me introduce myself; I\'m Arnold Duran, a football scout from Nottingham Forest football club, specializing in the French region."

What the person claiming to be a football scout said next immediately made Ribéry feel like he was in the clouds. He wondered if it was because of his exposure to the noon sun outside; if he was so dizzy from the hot sun that he was hallucinating, imagining the words.

"Well, here\'s the thing. My boss is very interested in you and he wants to find out what your answer will be to our inviting you to join the Premier League team, Nottingham Forest."

Nottingham Forest? Has anyone ever heard that name? Wait a minute... What did he say? English Premier League team? Is there such a team in the Premier League?

Ok, I guess I don\'t really keep track of English football.

When he did not hear Ribéry\'s reply, the Forest team\'s new football scout, Duran, asked again. "Mr. Ribéry?"

"Um... Uh..." Ribéry opened his mouth and did not know how to face the sudden news. Firstly, putting aside whether Nottingham Forest was truly a Premier League team, and whether the name was familiar or not, just a moment ago he had still been worried about the rent. And now, a job opportunity was delivered to his doorstep! Would such a wonderful thing fall into Franck Ribéry\'s his lap?

"Excuse me, sir, I just... I just somehow don\'t believe it. You know, my contract is expiring with my team and... and I played in the Championnat National, so... I can\'t be sure..." Ribéry was stammering; his throat was dry. "Are you serious?"

After his question, he heard the voice of another man over the phone. He spoke in English and was speaking very fast. He could not understand it at all. After a while, Arnold Duran\'s voice rang out again. "Very sorry, Mr. Ribéry. That was my boss, the Forest team manager, Mr. Tony Twain. He asked me to tell you that you don\'t have to doubt the authenticity of this call. Indeed, we have taken a liking to you, even though you\'re still playing in the Championnat National. Nottingham Forest is a team that\'s just been promoted to the English Premier League from England\'s second level league at the end of last season, and won the EFL Cup title last season as well. It is qualified to participate in the UEFA Europa League this season. Mr. Twain believes that your unique skills are fully in line with the Forest team\'s tactical requirements, so he would like to talk to you about a contract. If you agree, we will prepare a ticket for you from France to the United Kingdom. All expenses will be covered by the Forest football club."

After he had hung up the phone, Ribéry\'s ears were still ringing with what Duran had said—English Premier League, EFL Cup champion, UEFA Europa League eligibility, new contract, salary...

Am I dreaming?