章 416: Prologue to the Dynasty
May 26, 1999.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich converged at Camp Nou for the pinnacle clash of the UEFA Champions League.
As the match kicked off, Aldrich lounged on his sofa in his newly bought house in Liverpool, beer in hand, enjoying the game.
Bayern Munich took an early lead with a free kick from Basler.
Aldrich watched the match from the perspective of a neutral bystander, feeling a bit tortured nonetheless.
During halftime, the doorbell rang. Aldrich went to open the door to find Melanie and her brother. Her brother carried a large suitcase while Melanie wore a flowing dress.
"Hi, Aldrich."
Her brother was surprisingly polite, even though he could sense unresolved issues between Aldrich and Melanie.
He knew full well that Melanie said things that were not what she meant. When Aldrich bought the house in Liverpool, she packed her bags and moved in without hesitation.
Regardless, both Aldrich and Melanie wanted to witness the birth of their child together as parents.
Aldrich helped carry the luggage upstairs, leaving Melanie to organize in the bedroom while he and her brother went back downstairs to continue watching the match.
"Looks like Manchester United is about to finish the season empty-handed. Haha."
Bayern Munich was dominating the match, and despite how United fans would emphasize the greatness of the '99 team a decade later, the truth was that Bayern's squad was undeniably stronger than United's that year, just like Juventus. Thus, United's victory was often termed a miracle, akin to the time West Germany defeated Hungary. It was because they were at a disadvantage that such a win was deemed an incredible miracle. Otherwise, who would call it a miracle if a strong team beat a weak one? Even if they scored two goals in stoppage time, it wouldn't be exaggerated afterward.
Aldrich felt a little strange.
Here he was, the manager of Millwall, sitting with a die-hard Liverpool fan watching a Manchester United match, listening to this Liverpool fan mock United's inability to score...
What kind of mindset was this?
Hadn't Liverpool themselves also gone years without tasting championship glory?
Perhaps Liverpool fans were actually rooting for Bayern Munich deep down.
As the match reached its finale, Hitzfeld indeed substituted Matthäus. In hindsight, this substitution seemed more about allowing Matthäus to receive the applause from the Bayern supporters.
He was just one Champions League title away from erasing any regrets from his career!
But maybe fate was playing a cruel joke on Matthäus; on this day, this substitution would become the greatest regret of his career.
From the start of the second half, Melanie's brother had been drinking and making loud comments, mocking Manchester United, reminiscing about Liverpool's glorious reign over Europe...
But 45 minutes later, he was fuming.
"Damn it!"
Manchester United pulled one back.
"Damn it, Bayern Munich played 90 minutes brilliantly and collapsed in the last 3 minutes!"
He raised his beer bottle as if to smash it on the ground, but thankfully stopped short, realizing this wasn't the place for his tantrum.
Aldrich didn't want to hear Martin Tyler's passionate praise for United's greatness any longer, so he turned off the TV.
Perhaps outside in Liverpool, many Liverpool fans were reacting similarly to Melanie's brother.
Meanwhile, not far away in Manchester, a wild celebration was surely in full swing.
Coincidentally, just last year, Millwall won their first-ever Champions League title, and that day happened to be Aldrich's birthday.
Today, Ferguson led Manchester United back to the pinnacle of Europe after 31 years. 31 years ago, it was Matt Busby who had led United in that endeavor. Today marked Busby's 90th birthday; perhaps, in some cosmic way, Busby was watching over this match from the clouds above Camp Nou.
Bayern Munich started strong, hitting the posts twice, but as they prepared to celebrate the title, Manchester United staged an incredible comeback, with the English Premier League team taking the top spot in the Champions League for two consecutive years. The landscape of European soccer was about to be reshaped.
Melanie's brother left in a gloomy mood. After he departed, Aldrich sat back on the sofa, closing his eyes for a moment.
In the end, Manchester United did win. This title was the culmination of their relentless pursuit over three years, helping Ferguson weather a trust crisis and ensuring a transformation in the team's vibe. United's allure and influence would only grow.
Just as he fell into thought, a warm body cuddled close to him.
"Who won?"
"Manchester United."
"Aren't you happy? Jealous?"
"No."
"Can't you just hold me?"
Aldrich wrapped his arms around her, his other hand instinctively resting on her belly, gently stroking it.
Melanie sat up, removing her dress, then took Aldrich's hand and guided it to her stomach. With a soft expression, she whispered, "Can you feel it?"
Aldrich concentrated but shook his head.
Melanie laughed softly, "I can feel it already. Sometimes it makes me uncomfortable."
"Must be tough for you."
Aldrich bent down to place a gentle kiss on her round belly.
Melanie caressed his hair tenderly and asked in a soft voice, "Did you come to Liverpool for me, or for the baby?"
"I'd rather not discuss it, because it'll only make you unhappy."
"Is it because you think I won't change my mind?"
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"Fine, let's put it aside until after the baby is born. Aldrich, be honest with me: have you cheated on me in the last six months?"
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, I am."
Melanie embraced Aldrich, whispering softly in his ear, "I believe you. Now that you're on leave, let's push all our worries aside and enjoy this summer together."
...
The next day, Manchester United returned home with the trophy, and Fleet Street sang their praises, managing to tie the news back to Millwall as well.
The headline in The Sun's football section read: "Millwall's Revenge!"
While it seemed tied to Millwall, the content had nothing to do with them; however, there was a connection.
The writer described Sheringham's and Solskjær's goals as Millwall's revenge against Bayern Munich. Both had briefly played for Millwall and were stars developed through Millwall's youth training.
The news in The Sun made Aldrich very disgusted, as if Millwall could not compete with Bayern Munich on its own.
Aldrich began his holiday in Liverpool, accompanying Melanie. Local media outlets like the Echo repeatedly approached him for interviews, all of which he turned down.
He had decided years ago to only give one interview per year, which he had already done with the BBC after the season ended.
Why? First, it helps him stay famous; if he was in the headlines every day, he would be just another coach.
Secondly, he doesn't want to come off as cocky or arrogant by being too high-profile.
Even though he was now in vacation mode, the club's summer operations were already underway.
First was player contracts; the first team players were secure after having renewed their contracts following last season's Champions League win. Even with the double championship this season, Millwall wasn't planning on renewing any first team contracts. However, some youth players would see their contracts updated based on performance.
Last season, Millwall sold off many key players in the summer, prompting several European giants to start their poaching efforts even before the transfer window opened.
Next year would be a major tournament year. This summer, unless they were marquee players, generally, stars vying for a spot on their national team's starting roster would aim for stability on the field. Millwall's primary squad would largely remain unchanged as players were eager to pursue glory in the upcoming season.
Aldrich has roughly confirmed that a key player on the team wants to leave: Makelele.
In fact, he had thought about transferring as early as the summer of '98, but he chose to stay out of loyalty, grateful for Aldrich's constant promotion of him to the national team in the media, which eventually led to his successful inclusion in the French squad that won the World Cup.
Thus, he stayed the previous season, but feedback from his agent indicated that Makelele indeed wanted to leave for a more "prestigious and glorious" club. His agent disclosed to Millwall during the renewal talks last summer that this was the last contract Makelele would sign with the club.
The contract lasted four years. Not all agents were unscrupulous; Makelele at least hoped for a friendly farewell with Millwall, subtly signaling for them to prepare for his departure well in advance, instead of waiting until the contract was close to expiration, which would lower the transfer fee.
However, in the summer of '99, Makelele was indeed hesitant to entertain offers from other clubs. He feared that moving to a new club and performing poorly would jeopardize his chances of making the French squad for next year's European Championship. At the very least, he intended to continue wearing the blue jersey for Millwall next season to secure his national team place.
With Millwall's consecutive years of outstanding performance and their youth training success gaining recognition across Europe, many clubs were not only after Millwall's main players but were also intensifying efforts to acquire their young talents, hoping to develop the next Shevchenko, Ronaldinho, or Pirlo within one or two years.
Thus, this summer, the tough challenge facing Millwall wasn't about retaining their key players but rather ensuring they kept their promising substitutes.
Aldrich knew he couldn't depend on just 11 players to make an impact in a season. He needed reliable substitutes, so retaining these players became his priority this summer.
He had Adam actively reach out to persuade the enticed substitutes to stay patient and remain with Millwall. If they needed new contracts, as long as the terms weren't excessive, Aldrich was willing to make some concessions.
This summer, he's skipping any trips or talent hunts in Europe. Instead, he's excitedly waiting for his baby to arrive.
Millwall had made headlines with their four-year run of 12 titles, heralding the dawn of a new dynasty while their influence in European soccer surged.
The conflict between G14 and UEFA had yielded a phase of victory, beginning to extract profits from the Champions League pool.
The Manchester United acquisition deal had completely fallen through, with media mogul Murdoch retreating from his football ventures due to pressure from the English political arena while Edwards learned his lesson and switched to a low-key approach.
The England national team has had a poor showing in the Euro qualifiers and will now need to participate in the playoff matches in the second half of the year. England's head coach, Glen Hoddle, has begun writing his autobiography, where he documents his superstitions about witchcraft and his worldview of reincarnation. Once this autobiography is published, he is set to face a public backlash.
The Lions' fans waited eagerly, counting down to the new millennium, wondering what kind of team would rise to stand tall in Europe when they moved into Lion King Stadium...
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Volume 5: Prologue to the Dynasty END.
Volume 6: Rise of the Giants
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