New Manchester United's Champions League triumph was celebrated across England as a victory for the Premier League.
For years, Manchester United had been the country's most reliable representative in Europe. This season, the balance had shifted.
New Manchester United were champions of Europe.
Chelsea had reached the semi-finals.
Manchester United and Arsenal had both gone out in the round of 16.
The contrast inevitably became part of the wider discussion about the changing hierarchy of English football.
New Manchester United's rise was particularly striking because they had not spent the previous summer buying established superstars at enormous prices.
Instead, many of the players recruited as prospects were now reaching maturity at the same time.
Kaká had developed into one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.
Ronaldo had become one of Europe's most dangerous wide forwards.
Essien had established himself as an elite midfielder.
Messi, still only seventeen, had produced performances that made the rest of the continent pay attention.
Around them stood players already entering their prime.
Evra.
Terry.
Čech.
Vidić.
Beckham.
Drogba.
That combination of youth and established quality had allowed New Manchester United to improve even though their league title defence ultimately failed.
Their winter slump had cost them the Premier League, but the response in the second half of the season had been exceptional.
Mourinho's side had nearly erased Chelsea's advantage and forced Ancelotti's team to maintain championship form until the very end.
That pressure had made Chelsea's title all the more impressive.
It also strengthened the argument that the Premier League was becoming deeper and more competitive.
The league had sent four teams into the Champions League knockout stage.
Only two reached the quarter-finals, which gave critics of English football something to attack.
Then Chelsea and New Manchester United both reached the semi-finals.
One went out to Milan.
The other went all the way.
That changed the tone completely.
UEFA's league coefficient rankings told the same story.
For the second consecutive year, the Premier League had outperformed Serie A and strengthened its position as Europe's second-ranked domestic competition.
La Liga still held the overall lead because the coefficient was calculated across five seasons, and Spain's stronger results from earlier years still carried significant weight.
But in terms of current momentum, England was closing the gap rapidly.
The end of the club season also brought the first wave of speculation around the 2005 individual awards.
The Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year would not be decided until much later in the year, but the arguments had already begun.
In a non-World Cup year, the Champions League inevitably carried enormous influence.
That put Beckham back into contention.
He had won both major individual awards the previous year after captaining New Manchester United to the Premier League title and enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career.
Some critics had argued at the time that his global popularity had helped him.
This year, the footballing case was even stronger.
New Manchester United had finished second in the league, missing out to Chelsea by only one point.
More importantly, they had won the Champions League.
Beckham had been central to the entire campaign.
Yet he was no longer the only New Manchester United player in the discussion.
Kaká had become a serious rival.
The Brazilian finished the season with 33 goals in all competitions and double figures in assists.
He had scored in crucial league matches.
He had dominated several Champions League knockout ties.
He had scored twice in the final.
There were already newspapers arguing that no player in Europe had produced a more decisive season.
Chelsea's Frank Lampard was another obvious candidate.
His consistency had been crucial to Ancelotti's title-winning side, and Chelsea's run to the Champions League semi-finals gave him an additional argument.
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard was also being mentioned after leading his club to the UEFA Cup.
Liverpool's overall season had been less impressive, but Gerrard's influence was enormous.
Together with Xabi Alonso, he had become the heart of the side, and his intensity, leadership and ability to decide matches kept him in the conversation.
From Spain, Ronaldinho remained the strongest challenger.
Barcelona had won La Liga.
The Brazilian was the most recognisable symbol of their revival.
His technique, improvisation and ability to produce extraordinary moments made him one of the most popular players in world football.
Barcelona's round-of-16 elimination weakened his case, but not enough to remove him from serious consideration.
Other names appeared as well.
Buffon had helped Juventus win Serie A.
Maldini had captained Milan through another major season even though they finished runners-up in both Serie A and the Champions League.
Ronaldo Nazário and Zidane were still included in some speculative lists largely because of reputation, although neither had enjoyed a particularly convincing season with Real Madrid.
The English media quickly noticed another possibility.
New Manchester United might have too many candidates.
Beckham and Kaká could split votes.
Chelsea had Lampard and Deco competing for recognition from the same successful side.
If voting fractured across the Premier League, Ronaldinho could benefit.
So could Maldini, whose age and career achievements made him a sentimental choice for some voters.
For now, though, all of that remained speculation.
The club season had only just ended.
Nobody at Newton Heath was thinking seriously about December awards.
They had a European Cup to celebrate.
When New Manchester United returned from Istanbul, thousands of supporters gathered at Manchester Airport to welcome them.
The players emerged carrying the trophy.
From there, the celebrations moved into the city.
As tradition demanded, the squad climbed aboard an open-top bus and began a parade through Manchester.
The route filled steadily as the procession moved.
Supporters lined the streets.
Flags hung from windows.
Red scarves appeared from balconies.
Children sat on their parents' shoulders.
The closer the bus came to the city centre, the harder it became to distinguish the official parade route from the crowds surrounding it.
There were inevitable moments of mischief.
Whenever New Manchester United won a major trophy, some supporters made a point of setting off fireworks near Old Trafford.
This time, with the Glazer takeover still provoking enormous anger, the gesture carried an even sharper edge.
When the parade passed near Old Trafford, the celebrations became louder.
Some Manchester United supporters joined in.
Others treated it as provocation.
The situation was even more tense when the route passed close to Manchester City's construction site.
City were still rebuilding their own presence in the city, and their supporters were not amused by New Manchester United fans celebrating so loudly near what would become their future home.
Arguments broke out.
A few groups moved towards one another.
Greater Manchester Police had anticipated the possibility and deployed officers in advance.
The confrontation was contained before it became serious.
Once the parade ended, the players returned to New Manchester United's stadium, where the club had organised a larger celebration.
The stands and surrounding areas filled again.
Not everyone present was necessarily a lifelong New Manchester United supporter.
Nobody cared.
It was a celebration of a European Cup, and the club had no intention of policing enthusiasm.
As in previous title celebrations, drinks inside the stadium were provided free by the club.
Mark Davey's department had also arranged competitions and entertainment throughout the afternoon.
There were drinking contests.
Singing competitions.
Supporter challenges.
Player appearances.
The atmosphere stayed lively for hours.
The victory attracted attention well beyond football.
Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Canada at the time, but Buckingham Palace issued a message of congratulations on her behalf.
More unexpectedly, the palace also announced that the Queen intended to receive a New Manchester United delegation after returning to Britain.
That surprised almost everyone inside the club.
Manchester United had never received quite that level of royal recognition after a European triumph.
Ethan initially assumed the invitation was simply connected to winning the Champions League.
After making discreet enquiries, he realised it was broader than that.
New Manchester United's story had political and social value.
The club had risen from the bottom of the English pyramid to become champions of Europe in only seven years.
It had invested heavily in youth development.
It had built a strong supporter culture.
It had also become involved in the wider reform of English football through Ethan's work with figures inside the FA.
For the royal household, New Manchester United represented an unusually convenient example of aspiration, community and institutional development.
The reception therefore carried meaning beyond sport.
Ethan appreciated the honour.
He also disliked what came with it.
More attention meant greater expectation.
Greater expectation meant greater pressure.
New Manchester United were no longer the disruptive outsider people were happy simply to watch rise.
They were European champions now.
Every defeat would be questioned.
Every transfer would be analysed.
Every season would be measured against Istanbul.
Ethan responded by calling an internal meeting.
The club needed to manage the psychological consequences of success as carefully as the footballing ones.
Training loads.
Media access.
Commercial obligations.
Time off.
Squad expectations.
All of it would be reviewed.
The same meeting contained a much happier announcement.
Champions League bonuses.
New Manchester United had earned enormous revenue from the competition.
Prize money, broadcasting distributions, sponsorship bonuses and commercial growth had all exceeded projections.
Ethan decided that a significant portion of the windfall would be distributed across the football department.
Players received bonuses.
Coaches received bonuses.
Performance staff, analysts, medical staff and other employees received bonuses as well.
The effect on morale was immediate.
For Ethan, it was simple.
The club had earned the money because all of them had contributed to the result.
They deserved a share.
The celebrations did not change Kolo Touré's situation.
His departure was still moving towards a conclusion.
Touré had repeatedly said that if New Manchester United could not agree an acceptable deal, he would remain professional and consider staying.
His agent, however, was still working actively to secure a transfer.
Three days after the title celebrations, Manchester City returned with another offer.
£25 million.
That changed the discussion.
Mark Davey and Gardner were handling negotiations on New Manchester United's side.
Their assessment was straightforward.
Touré wanted a larger role.
Maicon had established himself as Mourinho's preferred right-back.
The player had already submitted a written transfer request.
And Manchester City were desperate enough to pay well above normal market value.
Under ordinary circumstances, Touré might have been valued closer to £15 million.
At £25 million, the offer became extremely difficult to reject.
Mourinho joined the final discussion.
He agreed.
Keeping an unhappy player out of principle made little sense when the club already had strong alternatives and could receive an exceptional fee.
Ethan gave his approval.
Manchester City were granted permission to discuss personal terms with Touré.
The speed of the agreement suggested that most of those details had already been understood in principle.
Within a day, everything was settled.
Kolo Touré joined Manchester City for £25 million.
The fee placed him among the most expensive defenders in English football, in the same broad territory as the country's record defensive transfers.
It also reunited him with Yaya.
Manchester City's defensive recruitment did not stop there.
Having succeeded with Touré, they returned to New Manchester United with an even more ambitious proposal.
Evra and Terry.
Together.
£70 million.
The offer demonstrated just how aggressively Abu Dhabi intended to rebuild the squad.
New Manchester United rejected it immediately.
There was no negotiation.
Terry had already signed a new contract before the end of the season.
Evra's renewal talks were brought forward as well.
Neither player was considered available.
Mourinho was relaxed about Touré's departure.
Maicon now fit his preferred right-back profile almost perfectly.
He had pace.
He attacked aggressively.
His decision-making had improved.
Most importantly, his defending had developed enough that Mourinho no longer saw him as a liability in difficult European matches.
The problem was depth.
Maicon could not play every match in a season that would again include the Premier League, domestic cups, the Champions League and international commitments.
New Manchester United needed another right-back.
Mourinho already had two options in mind.
Both belonged to the club.
The first was Dani Alves.
The Brazilian had spent the season on loan at Benfica and had been one of the outstanding players in Portugal.
His performances in Benfica's UEFA Cup-winning campaign had attracted interest from several major European clubs.
Milan had already considered buying him.
Others were watching.
The second option was Micah Richards.
Richards had spent the season under Pellegrini at Droylsden and developed enormously.
His defensive positioning was much stronger than it had been a year earlier.
He remained physically outstanding.
His attacking contribution had improved.
And he could play both right-back and centre-back.
Mourinho did not yet consider Richards ready to become an undisputed starter at New Manchester United.
That was not necessarily a problem.
The club did not need another guaranteed starter.
It needed a player capable of competing with Maicon, covering multiple positions and developing without destabilising the dressing room.
Both Alves and Richards fit part of that description.
Both had remained closely monitored while away.
They returned to Newton Heath for physical testing and specialist training whenever schedules allowed.
The Lab tracked their development continuously.
Mourinho knew exactly where both players stood.
Either could be recalled.
The question was which one best suited what New Manchester United needed next.
(To be continued.)