Football Dynasty-Chapter 534: Walk Away with your Head Held High!

During the weekend match against Southampton at home, Richard remained seated in the VIP box for the entirety of the game, observing closely. To be honest, his mind couldn’t connect to the match at all.

Scenes from the last meeting in his office kept replaying in his head. Just as the team had reached a new level of cohesion under the new training regime, a problem like this had suddenly emerged.

Buffon and Zanetti had proactively approached him with transfer requests!

It was clear that Juventus and Inter had contacted them privately—there was no doubt about it. Should he call Moratti and tell Inter to stay away from Zanetti?

No.

Such matters were unspoken rules in football, and he had nothing to complain about. Ninety-nine percent of transfers violated FIFA regulations in one way or another. Richard saw no need to lodge any accusations, as doing so would only isolate him within the football world. Only clubs facing bankruptcy after losing key players would lament helplessly.

What puzzled him was this: from a club’s perspective, players usually kept their distance during transfer periods and let their agents handle negotiations. However, this time, both of them came forward to discuss the matter directly with him.

Perhaps it was because they knew transfer affairs were under his control, combined with his consistently gentle approach when communicating with players. Thankfully, neither of them caused a scene, unlike Sol Campbell–Tottenham case.

What left Richard truly helpless, however, was how calmly and reasonably they presented their arguments. Many of those reasons gave him no room to counter. In the end, the simple fact that they wanted to venture into Italy was enough to shut down any attempt he might have made to persuade them to stay longer.

England was still below Italy in terms of competitiveness and popularity, so from a player’s perspective, there was nothing wrong with raising the bar. No matter how much Richard hyped up the Premier League or claimed it would soon become the best in the world, it couldn’t change the fact—it would have been utterly self-deceptive.

Force them to stay? No, that would only make him appear petty.

If he tried to tell Buffon that Juventus would become embroiled in scandals, or that Inter Milan would go through a period of crisis tied to Serie A controversies—so what?

"Gian, Javier, I understand your ambitions; they reflect your professional drive. It has been an honor working with you for these two years," Richard said sincerely, without any pretense.

Zanetti nodded calmly and replied, "These two years in England have been tremendously beneficial for me as well."

Competing in different leagues truly helped broaden a player’s experience, especially moving from the Argentine league to the Premier League, so his words were sincere. The Premier League was good—honestly—but the cold weather was endlessly irritating. He had already done his research on Milan. Though its summers were hotter and winters colder, it was still different from Manchester’s constant, mild dampness!

As for Buffon, he felt the Premier League lacked sufficient challenge. Here, he took little pride in shutting out strikers like Hasselbaink or Yorke. Moreover, Italy meant going home. He yearned for Serie A, where he could truly test and refine himself. The competition there was on another level—one day facing Baggio, then rising Batistuta, or Totti. Serie A was overflowing with elite talent, each opponent bringing a completely different style and threat.

Richard said earnestly, "Javier, you want to leave, and I won’t stop you. However, I hope you can leave this club with dignity."

The two exchanged glances, puzzled.

Zanetti frowned slightly before asking, "Sir, I don’t understand what you mean."

Richard spread his hands and replied, "Javier, two years ago, I bought you from Banfield, right?"He paused before continuing, "As for Gian, I won’t say much—Juventus is willing to break the bank for him. But you?"

Shaking his head, Richard continued seriously, "I can let you go, but do you think that would be fair to City? I see you as a top defender—a top fullback—our captain. You should leave with a top defender’s market value. Don’t let Inter undervalue this club, and don’t let your transfer seem insignificant."

He went on, "Last year, Materazzi left us for fifteen million. How much more are you worth compared to him? You’re a key player for City. You helped us win the Champions League and the Premier League, and you’re a mainstay of the Argentine national team. Are you really worth only twenty million?"

Richard shook his head again. "I can’t accept that. This isn’t just about money—it’s about respect. I can’t allow the outside world to see City make such a deal, nor can I allow your departure to become a precedent for other players."

He concluded firmly, "If Inter truly wants you, they need to show sincerity. That’s respect—for you and for this club."

After a moment of silence, even Buffon nodded in agreement with Richard’s perspective, while Zanetti frowned. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

From Richard’s point of view, even if he couldn’t keep Buffon, that was acceptable. They still had Paul Robinson, and there was also the plan involving Vítor Baía, so they were able to reach a consensus regarding Buffon’s transfer situation.

Zanetti, however, was a different matter.

Letting Zanetti go for twenty million would be madness. Even if twenty million was considered a huge sum at the time, Richard would only agree to release him immediately in the winter transfer window if the offer reached at least thirty million.

In the following days, City and Inter became embroiled in back-and-forth negotiations over Zanetti’s transfer.

Moratti even called Richard personally, hoping that City would not make Zanetti’s move difficult. But how could Richard remain silent when his player was being poached? At the very least, he had to do something for his captain.

Richard remained stubborn. Inter wanted to include players as part of a cash-plus-player deal; they initially proposed including Matteo Ferrari in the negotiations. However, Ferrari was reluctant to leave Italy and ultimately chose Bari as his loan destination instead.

This only gave Richard additional leverage to delay Zanetti’s departure.

By Friday, with January nearing its end, a desperate Inter proposed including Recoba in the deal.

Álvaro Recoba!

After all, the player Inter wanted was City’s captain and Argentina’s main right-back. City was never going to let him go easily.

To be fair, the playmaker nicknamed "El Chino" was highly capable and would go on to become a pillar of Inter in the future. At the time, however, he still needed consistent playing time—something he could eventually secure, but not without risk.

Richard was tempted. But after considering Recoba’s injury history, and especially the fact that he would count as a foreign player in the Premier League, he ultimately backed off. Agreeing to such a trade could easily end up being a loss.

In the end, no deal was reached. By the time Saturday arrived, it was clear that the transfer window was entering its final hours.

Thankfully, Zanetti himself did not actively cooperate with Inter’s proposals, forcing them to raise their cash offer even further. As the clock ticked down to the final moments, both parties reached a conclusion.

No deal.

For now.

PHWEEEE—!

The shrill whistle instantly snapped Richard out of his thoughts.

As his eyes followed the play, he saw Ronaldinho dancing across the pitch, feet light, movements fluid.

Don’t disappoint me, Richard thought.

Thankfully, Ronaldinho was still young. Richard had personally convinced Mourinho to reduce his punishment, allowing him to feature in this match. Mourinho, in turn, granted Ronaldinho plenty of playing time—on the condition that he maintained a steady rhythm. The coaching staff, especially Mourinho, planned to adjust his minutes carefully based on the opponent and timing.

So when Ronaldinho returned to the pitch today against Southampton, Richard had deliberately arranged this comeback. However, he had no intention of pushing Mourinho to feature him again in the League Cup next week.

After nearly ten days on the sidelines, Ronaldinho delivered an impressive performance, particularly as he adapted to his role on the field.

That adaptation was largely due to his positional awareness alongside Zidane.

Much like the classic Ronaldo–Henry partnership, the two complemented each other seamlessly. When Zidane positioned himself as an attacking midfielder, Ronaldinho surged into the penalty area to threaten the goal. When Zidane made forward runs, Ronaldinho dropped deeper to orchestrate the final pass.

At The Dell Stadium, their constant interchanging caused Southampton endless problems, dismantling the defense and exposing gaps all over the pitch.

Moreover, Zanetti’s presence on the right flank demanded constant attention, forcing Southampton to commit extra defenders and gradually freeing City’s attacking options.

"Ronaldinho makes a run into the box—Zidane threads a perfect through ball! Ronaldinho pulls it back, slips past a defender... he’s shaping to shoot—but no! He squares it across goal, leaving Henrik Larsson completely unmarked to tap it in! 3–0!"

Richard clapped his hands as he watched the brilliant performance unfold.

Already credited with two assists, Ronaldinho showed no signs of slowing down. He continued to run tirelessly, pressing, creating space, and linking play. In the dying moments of the match, he broke through and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Instead of going for personal glory, he calmly squared the ball to Stanković, who finished with ease.

"That’s a hat-trick of assists! What a performance from Ronaldinho today—surely the Man of the Match!"

PHWEEEE!

At the final whistle, Manchester City had demolished Southampton 4–0. Despite the emphatic victory, Mourinho remained composed on the touchline, allowing himself nothing more than a brief smile and polite applause for each goal.

As expected, Ronaldinho was named Man of the Match, and praise poured in from all sides. However, during the post-match interview, Mourinho wasted no time pouring cold water on the excitement.

Facing the cameras, he said seriously, "Yes, he played well. But this is his normal standard. I believe he can do even better. We are a strong team, and performances like this are expected. We shouldn’t praise him too much yet—if he were playing for a mid- or lower-table team, he wouldn’t look like this. It’s his teammates who allow him to shine. If he becomes complacent or proud, he’ll quickly be left behind by the other talented players around him."

This season, Ronaldinho had become the focus of attention from Europe’s top clubs, all eager to lure him away from Manchester City.

How easy was it for players like him to be tempted by money and empty promises?

What relieved Richard most was that Ronaldinho remained largely indifferent to transfer rumors. To be honest, what Mourinho was doing in the press—cooling down the hype around Ronaldinho—was a deliberate strategy.

By tempering expectations in interviews, Mourinho aimed to protect the player. Unfortunately, the media eagerly seized on his words, twisting them into rumors of discord between coach and star.

It wasn’t that City or Mourinho held any personal grudge against Ronaldinho. Quite the opposite. Every word Mourinho spoke was meant to help his players grow. Like many legendary managers, he believed that young talents who rise too quickly must be warned—fame earned too early can be dangerous. As long as a player doesn’t become arrogant or believe success comes effortlessly, they will eventually understand their coach’s intentions.

Fortunately, Ronaldinho kept a level head, something both Richard and Mourinho were pleased to see.

In the end, attitude would determine his future.

In the upcoming fixtures, City’s brightest stars were undoubtedly Zidane and Ronaldinho.

Meanwhile, in the League Cup, goals from Okocha and Trezeguet helped City comfortably defeat Burnley, sending them through to the semifinals.

City are enjoying a strong run of form!