In fact, the negotiations with Evra's parents were not easy. Ethan almost exhausted everything he had to say over two days.
Ever since Evra graduated from Paris Saint-Germain's football school, his father had wanted him to find a steady job, live a peaceful life, earn some money, get married in the future, and stop dreaming about becoming a professional player.
Evra's original intention seemed to be the same, but Ethan's arrival completely overturned everything.
A weekly salary of £200 was considered quite good for a working-class family, and what was even rarer was that Ethan included a clause in the contract guaranteeing a 25% annual increase, as well as a promotion bonus.
In addition, much like a boss poaching a valued employee, Ethan promised to take care of Evra, providing accommodation, meals, and daily necessities. He also promised two round-trip tickets between Manchester and Paris every six months so that Evra's parents could visit him anytime.
Faced with such tempting conditions, even Evra's stubborn parents had to waver. After all, anyone could see Evra's love for football.
"Patrice, what do you think?" asked Mr. Evra.
Evra suddenly raised his head, which had been lowered, and stared at his most respected father. He said word by word, "I can be a professional player!" His tone was full of confidence and determination.
It was because of these words that Mr. Evra stopped opposing Ethan. But to be on the safe side, he decided to accompany his son to Manchester, at least to see the situation there for himself.
On the third day, Ethan booked two tickets to Manchester for father and son, and asked Walsh to print out the full-time contract and handle all related matters.
Although the new Manchester United even rented its training base, Ethan was not worried about Evra's accommodation.
In fact, as soon as Walsh mentioned that a newly signed player needed a place to stay, several fans from Newton Heath immediately offered to host him, and there was even competition for it.
This was also a tradition in European clubs. Generally, young players from elsewhere would stay with local fans. This helped them adapt to the language and local lifestyle, while also instilling the club's traditions and loyalty in them.
Although the new Manchester United had just been established and its stadium and training ground were very poor, it was still a real football club. After consulting with relevant experts and confirming the legal effect of the contract, Mr. Evra finally felt reassured enough to leave his son in Manchester.
…
When Walsh called Ethan to inform him that he had secured Evra, Ethan couldn't help but shout "YES" excitedly, startling the female receptionist of Argentina's Acindar Metallurgical Group standing nearby, who thought she had run into a lunatic.
"How is it? Did you find him?" Ethan asked, not embarrassed at all about his outburst, because he knew exactly what signing Evra meant for the new Manchester United.
"Found him, Jorge Messi, but he has resigned," the receptionist said politely.
At a time when computers were not yet widespread, finding a department manager in a large company was undoubtedly time-consuming and difficult. Fortunately, the receptionist was patient, and the company was large enough that she understood what Ethan was asking. She even knew some English.
It was at this moment that Ethan realized universities back home really needed stricter English requirements.
"Resigned? When did that happen?" Ethan asked nervously. From reports about Messi, he knew that Jorge had worked as a department head in this company.
That was the reason he had come here.
He had considered going directly to Newell's Old Boys to ask for Messi's home address, but that would only have ended with him being thrown out, maybe even beaten.
"Two months ago."
Ethan nodded. "Then there must be his phone number in your files. Can you copy it for me?"
"This is our company's employee record, we can't…"
The young receptionist was about to refuse when Ethan quickly interrupted.
"Please, I've been looking for him for so long. I'm his distant relative, really!" Ethan lied without hesitation.
The receptionist stared at him for a while. Maybe it was because she thought this foreigner was handsome, or maybe it was because of his sincerity, but she finally nodded and said, "Okay."
After getting Jorge's phone number, Ethan thanked her repeatedly and left.
Stepping out onto the streets of Rosario, Ethan quickly found a public phone and dialed the number written on the slip of paper.
"Hello, this is Jorge!" The man on the other end was breathing heavily, as if he had just rushed back from somewhere.
"Hello, my name is Ethan Yu, representing the new Manchester United club in England. Are you Leo Messi's father?"
The man on the other end froze for a moment. "Uh… yes, you just said you were from…"
"New Manchester United Club," Ethan smiled bitterly, answering word by word. He could already guess that Jorge, upon hearing the name, must have thought it was Manchester United contacting him.
"New… Manchester United?" Jorge clearly had never heard of it.
"Yes, we are a newly established club, and we would like to talk to you about your son, Leo Messi." Ethan tried his best to sound calm.
"I'm sorry, but I have to disappoint you. My son has decided to join Newell's Old Boys, as you probably know." Jorge had worked in a big company and spoke politely and logically.
"Yes, I know, but I also know that you are facing difficulties, and Newell's does not intend to give you much help," Ethan said, suddenly feeling the absurdity of the situation.
Messi, the future world superstar, was now just a boy with a serious illness and no treatment. If he suddenly intervened and brought him to England, what would happen to Messi's future? And what about Barcelona's?
Of course, that was Barcelona's problem, not his.
"You… how did you know?" Jorge was surprised.
"Believe me, my friend, I flew all the way from England to Argentina. I have no ill intentions. We just admire Leo's football talent, that's all." Ethan quickly clarified, afraid Jorge might misunderstand.
There was silence on the other end of the phone, clearly hesitating.
"I think we should meet in person to discuss this, okay?" Ethan asked sincerely.
"Okay," Jorge finally agreed after a pause. "But I'm at work now. You can wait for me at the Argentine restaurant on Yrigoyen Street. I'll be there in about an hour."
"Okay!" Ethan agreed immediately.
After hanging up, Ethan hailed a taxi straight to Yrigoyen Street.
Since Acindar's headquarters were in downtown Rosario and Yrigoyen Street was in the north, the ride took half an hour. The taxi driver didn't know where the Argentine restaurant was, so he dropped Ethan off at the intersection.
Ethan searched along Yrigoyen Street. Luckily, it was short and easy to navigate.
When he finally found the restaurant Jorge mentioned, he saw a middle-aged man in his thirties standing outside. Next to him was a cart stained with blood. Judging by his clothes, he was clearly handling deliveries.
Why had Messi's father quit a department manager's job at a major company to become a deliveryman?
Ethan was puzzled, but he still walked forward.
"Hello, are you Mr. Jorge Messi?"
"Yes, you are…" Jorge struggled to pronounce Ethan's name.
"Ethan Yu, I represent the new Manchester United," Ethan hesitated slightly. Calling himself the boss didn't seem appropriate.
"Hello, Mr. Yu. My English… not very fluent, I'm sorry," Jorge said somewhat ashamedly.
"It's okay, it's my fault I can't speak Spanish. But when I go back, I'll definitely hire a teacher and learn it properly!" Ethan joked.
Jorge smiled, wiping sweat off his face with a towel.
It was noon, the weather was hot, and he was drenched in sweat from work.
"Jorge, have you had lunch yet?" Ethan asked, touched by his appearance.
Jorge Messi was truly a great father. In order to treat his son's illness, he had spent nearly all his savings, including social insurance and mutual aid funds. Later, he would recall how, when he and Messi went to Spain, it was a dead end, a path with no way back.
"No… no," Jorge blurted out, then quickly covered it up. "I just had a quick bite at the market."
Ethan understood and smiled. "It's fine. I haven't eaten yet either. How about this, I think this restaurant looks good, let's go in, eat, and talk at the same time. My treat."
Without waiting for Jorge's reply, Ethan gently pulled him toward the restaurant.
"Wait, wait!" Jorge broke free and pointed to the cart. "Sorry, this cart can't stay here. I have to move it somewhere else."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here," Ethan said with a smile.
Jorge realized he couldn't escape today, so he nodded, pushed the cart to a safe corner nearby, and then returned.
(To be continued.)
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