On Thursday night, at the Black Hotel in London.
This is an expensive five-star hotel in the heart of London. In the VIP suite, four men and two women gathered around a round table.
They were in the midst of a card game, with chips, fine wine, and snacks spread out in front of them.
To Aldrich's left sat Yvonne, and to his right was an elegant lady, Ms. Elena, an executive from British Airways.
The other players at the table included Carter from Standard Chartered Bank, Fitz from Faeton Insurance, and Rudis from Ladbrokes.
Apart from Yvonne, everyone else at the table had a collaborative relationship with Millwall.
Millwall had become a VIP for British Airways, traveling extensively.
Standard Chartered was the current sponsor of Millwall's jersey logo.
For club contracts, an insurance company had to be involved, and Faeton Insurance considered Millwall a key client. Ladbrokes was one of the stadium's advertising sponsors.
Aldrich's social activities had noticeably increased. Aside from the club's regular beer nights, he also participated in poker nights like this one and book club meetings hosted by Ms. Rowling.
If he had to lead a match during the week, he basically had events scheduled every evening.
He did this to keep from staying at home dwelling on troubling thoughts.
Tonight, luck seemed to be on his side; he had accumulated a considerable amount of chips in front of him.
Rudis, having a bad hand, quickly folded. He raised his glass to Aldrich and quietly asked, "I've heard that many big clubs are interested in Ronaldinho and offering decent bids. Is Millwall willing to take the risk of keeping him?"
If a young player under 20 receives substantial offers, the club's decision to sell or not becomes debatable.
Selling him would yield significant transfer income, which is quite realistic.
Not selling him entails risk; many talented players end up as forgotten figures. If he isn't sold at a high price, it would mean a loss, potentially affecting the team's performance.
Aldrich placed a card down, tossed some chips in, and turned with a smile, "What odds is Ladbrokes offering for Ronaldinho not transferring? I could bet five million pounds that he will stay. Are you in?"
Rudis was momentarily speechless, while the others burst into laughter.
As the game progressed to the final round, it came down to a duel between Aldrich and the beautiful Elena. With a calm smile, Elena pushed all her chips forward and said to Aldrich, "You wouldn't ruin the mood, would you?"
Aldrich glanced at his watch and replied, "It's getting late; let's call it a night."
He pushed his chips forward, revealing his hand without any theatrics. Elena revealed her cards as well, and with a comparison, Aldrich lost.
"Thanks for that," Elena said with a chuckle.
Raising an eyebrow, Aldrich remarked, "I think this might be related to my recent luck. I always feel like things start off well but end disastrously. It seems like fate loves to pull the rug out from under me."
Once the card game wrapped up, Yvonne donned her snow-white coat and stepped outside to wait for Aldrich. After saying goodbye to the others, Carter lingered behind to talk with Aldrich.
"The new season has been underway for three months, and Millwall has been doing quite well, especially with many newcomers stepping up, attracting significant attention in European football. The first team is now valued at over two hundred million pounds, and people are curious about how many future stars you really have hidden in your team."
Carter's words puzzled Aldrich.
He knew the relationship between Millwall and Standard Chartered was purely a business partnership, with no real exchanges in football terms. What was the point of Carter telling him this?
Aldrich was already aware of the first team's worth.
Just Larsson and Nedvěd together were worth over fifty million pounds.
Confused, Aldrich looked at Carter, who continued, "Now, people are not only focusing on Millwall's first team; they're also very interested in your reserve and youth teams, especially because they've been performing phenomenally."
Aldrich shrugged; there was some truth to what he said.
Millwall's reserve team had won the reserve league championship for two consecutive years, and this year, they had been leading comfortably since the season began, with players like Vicente, the recovering Henry, and Pedretti competing in the reserves, ensuring solid results.
The youth team had dominated the youth league for years, having only missed out on the Youth FA Cup championship two seasons ago. In addition, since last season, they had faced strong European clubs' youth teams, achieving impressive results, so it was no surprise that the youth team attracted attention.
Many top European clubs were keen to recruit Millwall's young players, but these youngsters were not eager to leave unless the big clubs promised them playing time, which was something those big clubs couldn't guarantee.
Mid-tier teams might offer starting positions to youth players, but these youth players were not interested; they wanted to stay at Millwall to evaluate their competition. If they could secure a place in Millwall, that would be ideal. If not, they might consider moving to other teams to further their careers.
The most common discussions surrounding Millwall's youth team were whether certain players would become the next Nedvěd, Larsson's successor, or even the next Pirlo...
"I understand what you're saying, but what exactly are you implying?"
In response to Aldrich's question, Carter said softly, "I have a friend at umbro. They want to gauge your reaction through me."
"umbro? Are they looking to collaborate? But we just signed a new two-year deal with Puma this summer. If they want to partner up, we can discuss it in a year and a half."
"No, no, it's not about the first team. They want to sponsor the reserve and youth teams—essentially all the teams except Millwall's first team!"
Aldrich fell into thought at these words.
Having sponsors for reserve and youth teams is rare in global football and has no precedent in major European leagues.
But that could change; Manchester United's sponsorship for their reserve team exceeds the total sponsorship revenue of many mid-tier clubs!
They could be the first club in Europe to generate substantial income from a reserve team.
Aldrich didn't think long; if it could generate revenue, there was no reason to hesitate.
"That sounds great! As long as the price is right, Millwall welcomes another partnership. However, we first need to speak with Puma to see how they feel about it. If they are not interested in sponsoring the reserve and youth teams, we can then talk to other sponsors."
Carter nodded in agreement, appreciating Aldrich's respect for partners in the business arena.
There wasn't a hint of greed in Aldrich's demeanor.
On the drive home, Yvonne sat in the passenger seat, slightly turning to quietly observe Aldrich.
She was well aware of Melanie's pregnancy; while others had congratulated Aldrich and showered him with gifts, she remained unmoved.
"Want to chat?"
Yvonne shattered the silence.
Aldrich, driving the car, sensed what she wanted to discuss and replied curtly, "Not in the mood to talk."
Family, friends, and colleagues had given him advice and comfort, portraying him as a victim in life filled with grievances—this wasn't the image he wanted; he despised appearing helpless in others' eyes.
He didn't need anyone's comfort or suggestions; this was between him and Melanie. If they could reconcile, great. If not, there was no need to dwell.
"Why don't you give me a chance?"
"Especially now, I really don't want to discuss it."
Aldrich turned on the radio to listen to the broadcast.
When they arrived at the apartment, Yvonne got out of the car, and Aldrich parked in the garage before heading home to rest.
After finishing a European match midweek, Millwall faced a derby on the weekend. The away game was somewhat lackluster; Derby County had shed their image as a weak team this season and ranked in the upper-middle tier, catching many by surprise. They were full of energy, while Millwall seemed a bit distracted during the match, attempting to control the pace but often intercepted, leading to quick counterattacks. Within the first 30 minutes, they fell behind by two goals. After scoring those two goals, Derby County began to defend with all their might, aiming to secure all three points.
This choice proved to be a huge mistake. Once they withdrew into defense, Millwall's previous disadvantages diminished, allowing them to control the game. Furthermore, there was still plenty of time. Millwall's inherent traits as contenders began to surface; they calmly took charge of the match, scoring two goals in the 56th and 77th minutes to level the score. When the match was tied, Derby County grew frantic in their pursuit, launching all-out attacks, but Millwall's final counterattack cut through the opposition's defense. Unfortunately, Vandermeade missed a clear chance. In the end, they had to settle for a draw.
Recently, Aldrich had indeed been quite busy. Besides training and matches, he had held secret meetings with sponsors and club management to discuss topics similar to those from last year.
The Ballon d'Or.
Last season, Millwall strongly backed Larsson, but this year, there wasn't much debate; the clear front-runner was Nedvěd.
Larsson's goal count had dipped, and he had started the new season injured. Other key players who helped Millwall clinch the Champions League title last season, particularly attackers Trezeguet and Shevchenko, had left the squad. Millwall was fully committed to promoting Nedvěd as their contender for the Ballon d'Or.
Considering the time frame since 1998, Nedvěd's club stats surpassed all midfielders in Europe!
As of November, he had netted numerous goals and provided assists in all competitions, particularly in the European matches early in the year, where he scored crucial goals, establishing himself as Millwall's star in their ascent to European glory.
His market valuation had exceeded twenty million pounds, which was an estimation rather than his actual transfer price. If other clubs wanted to sell a player of Nedvěd's caliber, they would demand at least thirty million pounds. Yet, Millwall had consistently labeled Nedvěd as non-transferable!
In line with last year's approach, Millwall was promoting Nedvěd's annual achievements through both traditional and new media, showcasing highlights of his performance and engaging sports commentators to discuss his contributions, making Nedvěd the focal point of European attention.
In the thirteenth round of the Premier League, Millwall faced the strong Leicester City at home, once again contending directly with Martin O'Neill's team.
This match left Aldrich feeling quite pained, as O'Neill had simplified his tactics against strong teams with the arrival of Tony and Gudjohnsen.
Seven defenders plus three attackers.
Leicester City had performed impressively for two consecutive years, drawing attention from mid-tier teams, making O'Neill face difficulties when playing against weaker teams. However, against stronger sides, his team actually seemed more composed; they struggled upfront but excelled on the counter.
After 90 minutes, the two teams finished in a 1:1 draw.
Aldrich genuinely began to long for Pirlo's adept organizational skills in midfield...