Godfather Of Champions

“Tony!”

As Twain got rid of the reporters and walked to the parking lot, he heard someone calling his name behind his back. When Twain stopped in his tracks and turned to look back, he saw a familiar face.

By the side of the boulevard, under the lush trees, Michael Bernard stood in the mottled light and shadow. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the light and shadow moved along, making him look rather indistinct as if he were a phantom.

“Your camouflage came in useful, Michael. If you hadn’t called me, I could barely see you.”

Twain walked over and smiled at Michael, who was standing under the trees.

“Camouflage?” “Michael did not react at first until he looked down at the mottled shadows on his body and then realized it really looked like a camouflage costume…

He laughed. Twain’s joke made him feel warmth.

“Why are you back here? Don’t you have to work?”

“I quit my job,” Michael said to Twain with a serious look.

The remark froze the smile on Twain’s face.

“Just kidding! Ha!” Michael seemed to know how to appear deadpan. His serious expression just now transformed in an instant and was replaced by a happy smile.

“In order to watch your last game, I took three days off and arrived last night.”

Twain nodded. No wonder he did not see Michael yesterday afternoon but did see him on the sidelines today.

“From the way you’re dressed…” Twain looked him up and down and said, “don’t tell me you did not even go home and came straight from the office.”

Michael became a little embarrassed and said, “Actually I was on a business trip to Italy and I just applied for leave and came here… I was not on vacation, so I only have these clothes. At least I’m not wearing a suit…”

Twain nodded to express understanding.

“Does your wife know you’re here?” Despite talking to the couple in Los Angeles and knowing that Michael’s wife no longer cared about the past and Michael’s love of football, Twain still could not help but ask.

“I gave her a call.” Michael was not joking this time.

Twain believed Michael’s words. Michael was now a really nice guy. The former hooligan who had abused him in the pub was nowhere to be seen.

The two men sat down next to the lawn by the side of the road. They did not care that it was actually quite dirty here.

“Thank you for coming to see me,” Twain said, looking at the training ground across the road.

“I’m here to say a proper goodbye to the past.”

Twain turned his head back and looked at Michael, listening to him continue speaking.

“It has been 16 years, Tony. Time really flies so quickly. Many things have happened to us. But I did not come to you today to talk about the old times.”

Twain smiled and replied, “We had talked about the old times that night in Los Angeles.”

Michael nodded in agreement.

“Actually, I just wanted to come back and see you.”

“It’s not as if you have not seen me before or that you’re not going to see me later. You talk as if we’ll never see each other again…” Twain quipped.

“But this is the last time I see you as a manager.”

Twain was momentarily taken aback. He forgot his identity. It was indeed the last time in this capacity, the last time he acted as a manager. No matter what the situation was in the future, he would not come out of retirement and take a leading position, even if it was the end of the world … But then again, what did the end of the world have to do with his being a manager or not?

However, a manager… Twain looked up at the blue sky. He had not expected back then that he would be in this position for so long, that he could achieve so much. God, Dear God, what was the purpose of you throwing me here at the time? Was it to give me this dream? But I don’t believe you are so good…

Twain gently shook his head. He often used to ponder this question. Then with the passage of time and living well in this world, he slowly stopped thinking of it. There was no need to lament here and now about how heaven made a fool out of him.

Therefore, he changed the subject and asked, “Have you gone to see Gavin?”

Michael nodded and replied, “There was a bunch of flowers. Was it yours?”

Twain shook his head. He made a guess and answered, “Must be George’s.”

“He still remembers…”

“What are you talking about? Your son was his first fan. How can he not remember?” Twain glared at Michael. Wood was not good at expressing his feelings, but he had a warm heart. If Vivian could eventually conquer Wood’s heart, she would be the happiest woman in the world, because she would have found a man of remarkable constancy.

Michael nodded and gave a dry laugh.

“If Gavin were still alive, he would be 29 years old now, right?” Twain asked.

“28 years old. His birthday was July 11th,” Michael replied.

“You remember it so well.”

“I’m his father!” Michael straightened his chest and answered proudly.

Twain smiled.

“Go to my house at noon and I’ll introduce you to my daughter,” Twain stood up and straightened his pants. His daughter was still waiting at home, so he could not go back too late.

Michael also stood up, but shook his head and said, “No, John and the others are waiting for me.”

Twain gave a shrug to express regret.

“Do you have a ticket?” Twain asked before they parted.

Michael nodded and said, “Yes. After I told John and the others that I was coming, they prepared a ticket for me right away.”

Upon hearing this, Twain turned back and looked at Michael curiously. “When did you decide to come back?”

“After you held the press conference to announce your retirement. I just thought I should come back and send you off no matter what.”

“Thank you,” Twain thanked Michael for the second time today.

“We’re old friends. I ought to.”

When he was finished, Michael waved to Twain, and the two men said goodbye.

Twain had walked more than a dozen paces when he suddenly heard Michael shout behind him, “Tony! I won’t let you off if you lose the game!”

Twain looked back to see Michael brandishing his fist at him. He was suddenly thrown back as if he had seen the last game of 16 years ago. Before leaving the pitch, Michael had brought his son along. He had brandished his fist at him and threatened to teach him a lesson if the team was not playing in the Premier League next season.

After saying that, the next time he saw Gavin was in the hospital morgue.

Twain stood there in a trance, but Michael did not wait for him to answer. He turned around right away and walked in the opposite direction.

By the time Twain recovered, Michael Bernard’s figure was long gone.

He thought of Michael’s words before he left and laughed.

“How can I possibly lose? I haven’t lost to Mourinho as of yet!”

※※※

Mourinho’s team warmed up at the Crimson Stadium while he gave an interview to a television reporter. Speaking of tomorrow’s game, he was confident and stated that his team would eventually win the league tournament.

“I’m here to win the game and collect the championship trophy.”

Manchester United’s official television reporters were delighted and reassured by Mourinho’s remarks, while BBC television reporters had a different view.

“You have never defeated Tony…”

Before the reporter could finish speaking, Mourinho interrupted his words.

“I’m not interested in discussing the past. Every game is on its own.”

The question greatly ruined Mourinho’s mood. He seemed uncooperative with the next answer, even though the question was from Manchester United’s television station. He was dismissive.

Such an interview naturally did not yield much valuable news. Many of the reporters that came after would complain that the BBC reporter was too tactless with his words. How could he ask Mourinho that question? Everyone knew that Mourinho hated his record of “not defeating Twain” being brought up by other people and used as fodder.

The matter was the same as hinting at Twain’s being unable to produce a biological child despite being married for so many years. It was simply vicious to the extreme.

In fact, Mourinho’s inner pressure was greater than Twain’s at the time.

Who made Arsenal bite so closely at their heels?

By the last round of the league tournament, Manchester United was two points ahead of Arsenal, with its net goal advantage taking the lead. In the final round, as long as Manchester United tied with Nottingham Forest, they could defend their title. If Manchester United’s last game was played against any team other than Nottingham Forest, under the situation of finishing their season’s target ahead of schedule, the chance of Manchester United winning was higher. However, it just so happened that it was Nottingham Forest…

Mourinho never thought Tony Twain would let him off the hook, just like he would absolutely not let Tony Twain off the hook in the same situation. These two men wanted to step over each other’s dead bodies to take the top stand. How could he show any mercy?

It was also this reason that put Mourinho in a bad mood lately. He always showed a grim face to everyone. He was under more pressure than anyone else was. If he lost the game, it was not as simple as losing the league tournament. For him, his career as a manager could still be very long. He could still win as many league titles as he wanted in the future. However, if he were to lose to Tony Twain, he would never have a chance to break that ridiculous bullsh*t record again. After Twain retired, he naturally could not lead the team and compete with him. He would bear the shameful record of “never having defeated Twain” forever and never live it down…

He felt terrified just thinking about it!

If it became a reality… How could a man as proud as Mourinho accept it?

There was one more reason for Mourinho’s bad mood – Rooney’s absence had upset him. Although Rooney was already 32 years old, he still had an important role in the team as an experienced striker. His absence was a big loss to Manchester United’s ability to fight.

Plus, it was an away game…

Was there ever a last-round league game that was unluckier than this?

※※※

Compared to Mourinho, Twain was calmer and more collected during interviews before the game.

“He has never beaten me? To tell you the truth, I’d almost forgotten about the matter…” Twain looked amazed as if he had really just recalled this. However, no one would believe his words. The media was hotly publicizing the feud between the two men these days and repeatedly mentioned their common history. How could he forget it?

“I don’t think the past record is of any help to the game tomorrow. No man ever steps in the same river twice,” Twain, who said this, looked like a philosopher, but he was just putting on a smokescreen. Mourinho certainly did not believe that Twain would let him off the hook just because they had drinks together once. However, some people in Manchester United would believe it.

“Manchester United is a very strong team. We lost to them in an away game in the first half of the season, so I can’t say for sure I will win tomorrow’s game.”

Twain adopted a humbled stance and appeared modest as if he could not pose a real threat to Manchester United’s position.

Before the game against Arsenal, Twain had vowed that his goal was to win the game. At the time, people thought that it was just talking to boost morale. In fact, the Forest team could not have won against Arsenal in the away game. As for the result?

Arsenal lost on its own home ground to Nottingham Forest.

Now he himself stated that Manchester United was very strong and spoke humbly at present. Naturally, it implied that he thought his team had little chance of beating Manchester United.

When all was said and done, which of his words were people supposed to believe?

Twain did not care what other people thought. He went on:

“The last game? No, I don’t see it that way. It’s just a regular league game. Yes, a regular league game.” Twain repeated it as if he was worried that others would not believe him. “My coaching career has been very successful. I don’t need to rely on winning this game to have a perfect ending.”

It was true on closer inspection. As a manager, he had won all the championship titles there were to be won. What could possibly be better than this to complete a successful coaching career? As for getting entangled in a game, perhaps Twain would really throw the last game? Did he and Mourinho not appreciate each other’s talent?

The media thought so and it was directly reflected in their programs and articles.

As a result, in the football program that night, there were experts who predicted that Manchester United would win big in tomorrow’s game and the defending champion title definitely belonged to them.

At the end of the show, they even showed footage of Twain talking about his life after retirement. “I’ll take a break for a while. I will take a nice long trip with my wife and bring our daughter along. And then… I haven’t figured it out yet. Ha-ha!”

Twain’s laughter on the television was a little insincere. The show host, who was optimistic that Manchester United would be able to defend their title, also laughed. He thought that Tony Twain really looked harmless and Mourinho’s league title was definitely his to take.

The game had not started yet. How could a man, already thinking about life after his retirement, withstand and compete against a man who must win the game or else end up with a ruined career?