America's Road to Wealth

2001.

August 5th.

One day has passed since the release of the Forbes Rich List.

U.K,

City of Manchester.

Manchester is the world's earliest industrialized city and an urban municipality and unitary administrative area in Greater Manchester County, northwest England.

This city is an important transportation hub and commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural center in the UK. It is also an international metropolis.

Now in 2001, Manchester has developed emerging industries and has become an international city centered on electronics, chemicals and printing, with more than 700 industries including heavy machinery, weaving, oil refining, glass, plastics and food processing.

As a pioneer of free trade, economic liberalization, and cooperation movements, Manchester has a strong influence on the British economy and is one of the eight core cities in England.

This is the economic, commercial and political impact of Manchester on Britain.

But in the eyes of British fans, and even many Red Devils fans around the world.

In their eyes, there is only one place that is particularly important.

That's the place called Stretford, a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester.

This is the greatest significance of Manchester to them.

Because the Old Trafford Stadium is here, it is the home stadium of one of the top teams in the Premier League, Manchester United Football Team, nicknamed the Red Devils.

But in fact, many fake Manchester United fans don’t know.

Old Trafford is not the headquarters of Manchester United.

This is just their home court.

Manchester United's training ground, the main place for training on weekdays, is at the Carrington Training Base.

This is a place officially known to the team as the Trafford Training Centre.

This training base is located southwest of Manchester city, 6 miles west from Old Trafford Stadium.

A place surrounded by greenery, beautiful scenery, convenient transportation and very quiet.

There is nothing unique about this place from the buildings.

There are also no symbols on it describing these buildings.

However, if you are a true Manchester United fan, when you drive on this secluded road, you will see the "Carrington" road sign along the road.

You will definitely know that in front of you is the famous Carrington training base - the training ground of Red Devils Manchester United, known as the "Heart of Manchester United".

For many true Manchester United fans, this is a sacred place in their hearts.

Manchester United players and coaches.

After the offseason ends in July this year.

All returned to the team on time.

The start time of the Premier League every year is generally from mid-August to late May of the following year.

The first game of this new Premier League season will be held on August 17.

It was a Sunday.

As the face of the Premier League, it is one of the best ways to attract viewers and ratings.

Manchester United are scheduled to face Blackburn Rovers Football Club in one match this year.

The match will be held at Old Trafford.

Today is the 5th, and there are still twelve days until the game starts.

This is the opening game and Manchester United don't want to lose to Blackburn.

On the training ground.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the head coach who has always been a tyrant, is watching the players arrive at the stadium one by one with a sullen face.

At the Carrington training base, Ferguson was always the first to arrive.

This allowed Ferguson to discover who was the last to arrive on the scene each day.

For example, now, Ferguson saw the team's star David Beckham, who was also the last member to arrive at the stadium.

Ferguson looked at Beckham sullenly.

The latter didn't even dare to come over and say hello to him, and directly joined the training.

David Beckham was originally one of Ferguson's most valued players.

Beckham is also one of the best players among the players that Manchester United has trained.

Since joining Manchester United's youth training team in 1991, Beckham has been a member of Manchester United.

It has been ten years now.

It can be said that the coach Ferguson contributed a lot to Beckham's fame and success.

It was only a few years ago that Beckham met his now wife Victoria.

Ferguson looked at David Beckham and became increasingly unhappy.

Mainly because from the head coach's perspective, David Beckham is a player and an athlete.

It is correct to put all your main energy on the football field and the training ground.

But after meeting Victoria and marrying Victoria.

It cannot be said that David Beckham does not value football.

But it is obvious that Ferguson felt that he gave a lot of his energy to Victoria's circle.

The entertainment industry that Ferguson always looked down upon.

Ferguson believes that Beckham could have done better and gone higher.

But all this was ruined after meeting Victoria.

Even Ferguson felt that even David Beckham's penalty kick two years ago was because of Victoria.

Ferguson placed most of the blame on Beckham's wife Victoria.

The head coach believed that Victoria, a singer in the entertainment industry, diverted too much of Beckham's energy and time.

But what can Ferguson do?

Victoria has been married to Beckham and has given birth to their eldest son for two years.

No matter how dissatisfied Ferguson is with Victoria, there is no way he can let Beckham abandon his son and wife.

"call"

Ferguson looked at Beckham running, and the head coach took a deep breath.

Perhaps it's time to start choosing David's successor.

Whether it's the heir apparent on the court or the heir apparent in terms of influence on the team.

Ferguson thought so.

David Beckham, who knew that the head coach was watching him, was looked down upon by Ferguson.

Fortunately, at this time, Steve McLaren, who was sent by Ferguson to the team headquarters in the morning to find CEO Peter Kenyon's chief assistant, appeared on the court.

This distracted Ferguson.

David Beckham finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Ferguson waved to Steve McLaren from a distance and saw Steve running towards him in a hurry.

"Steady. Steve, don't fall." Ferguson said.

Steve McLaren ran up to him and just said: "Alex, our boss is here!"

"You invited Peter over?" Ferguson asked in surprise.

Manchester United was a publicly traded company before that.

The shares are relatively dispersed and there is no clear boss.

In this way, CEO Peter Kenyon, who is also chairman, is known within the team and company as the boss.

"It's not Peter Kenyon!" Steve McLaren said hurriedly: "It's Abe Smith, it's Abe Smith!"

"Abel Smith?" Ferguson asked in surprise: "That American?"

"Yes, that's fine, I don't need to say anything. Look, he's here." Steve pointed to one of the large group of people who appeared on the training ground.

Ferguson looked over and saw the old coach walking towards Mr. CEO, leading a large group of people and accompanying a young man with a smile on his face.

Ferguson didn't like this scene very much. The head coach felt that his authority was going to be greatly challenged on the stadium, his home court.

Ferguson, who never admits defeat, took a deep breath and looked to the other side with a calm expression.

"Go this way. Mr. Chairman, this is the Carrington training base, the training ground for our Manchester United team."

CEO Peter Kenyon introduced Abel attentively: "Oh, and this. He is the head coach of our team, Sir Alex Ferguson!"

Ferguson looked at the other person calmly. He felt that this young American had more temperament than David.

David Beckham is already a famous handsome man in the entire Premier League and even European football circles.

The American man in front of him was even more handsome than David.

When Ferguson thought this way, he was also mentally prepared to "fight".

As a result, Ferguson saw the young and handsome American, smiled and stretched out his hand:

"Hello, Mr. Ferguson. Your name is the same as my father's name. So how about I call you Ferguson from now on?"

Newspapers often reported that Abel looked like Apollo.

The most important reason is that he is very sunny when he smiles.

Abel, who was smiling brightly at the moment, stretched out his hand like this with a gentle tone.

The performance was completely different from what Ferguson imagined, which made Sir Alex a little stunned.

After hesitating for a few seconds, the meritorious coach of Manchester United quickly stretched out his hand and said:

"Hello, Mr. Smith. Oh, I should call you Chairman. No problem, you can call me whatever you want. This is your freedom."

"Haha~"

Abel stood next to Ferguson and glanced at the little old man.

The little old man is not short, he should be about 1.8 meters tall.

As we age, age spots and wrinkles appear on our face, as well as gray hair.

The waist is also a little rickety.

"Come." Abel hugged Ferguson's shoulders. The latter was very embarrassed for a moment and didn't know what he was going to do.

Abel then said to the Legally Blonde Elmo Alamuddin who was standing next to him: "Elmo, please take a photo of me and the coach."

Amo Alamuddin smiled and picked up the camera he had prepared long ago and clicked it.

When Ferguson's body stiffened, Abel let go of the little old man.

"I like Manchester United, I am a Manchester United fan. I also admire you, Coach Ferguson. The photo taken just now is a fan's little wish. I hope you don't mind."

Abel said with a smile.

"I don't mind." Ferguson felt that this American didn't look like a billionaire.

It was very casual and made Ferguson feel very easy-going.

Peter Kenyon, who was standing next to him, saw this and Manchester United's chief executive breathed a sigh of relief.

What Peter was most afraid of was that Ferguson wouldn't look good on him and would get into trouble with Abel.

In this way, the Manchester United team will never have peace in the future.

Fortunately, although Ferguson has a stubborn temper, he is not a fool.

At least he knows how to react when facing a super rich man and a team owner.

More importantly, Peter also felt that Abel seemed to appreciate Ferguson.

This is what makes Peter happiest.

Because Peter knows that the person Manchester United cannot live without is Ferguson.

If Ferguson and Abel had a dispute, Manchester United would be doomed.

When Peter is happy.

Before Abel was reborn, when he was a child, China was shortlisted for the 2002 World Cup.

At that time, he loved football more than other sports.

It was later that I was heartbroken by the national football team who liked to eat sea cucumbers, so I stopped watching football.

Abel's previous favorite was baseball.

Now Abel's favorite sports are both football and baseball.

It's just that his liking isn't particularly strong.

It's not so intense that I have to go off to play or follow it.

It’s just that I love it more and pay more attention to it than other sports.

So after buying the NBA Rockets, Abel has never been to Houston once.

After buying Manchester United, he happened to come to Manchester today.

Passing by Stretford, he ran over to take a look at the current Manchester United.

Take a photo with Ferguson by the way.

"Let's talk."

When Peter wanted to ask the team's star players to come over and meet with the boss.

But he heard his boss say this:

"Peter and Ferguson, the three of us will talk about the future of the Manchester United team."

Peter Kenyon nodded quickly, and Ferguson agreed.

Looking at the players who are very curious about this side, their heads are looking here.

Ferguson immediately directed assistant coach Steve to give them additional training.

Then the little old man followed Abel and Peter and walked around the edge of the training ground.

"First of all, I like Manchester United very much. I will not buy a team that I don't like."

Abel made it clear at the beginning. He first told the two core figures of Manchester United that he bought Manchester United because he liked it.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, it's always true.

"After buying Manchester United, I am going to delist it. I have enough financial resources that Manchester United does not need to raise funds in the market."

Mainly Abel was talking, and both Ferguson and Peter were listening.

The three of them walked slowly.

"Let's talk about what you are most concerned about. About the management and development of the team."

At this point, Abel paused deliberately and looked at the expressions of the two people.

As expected, both of their expressions became serious.

What they care about and worry about the most is right in front of them.

"Hahaha~ Look at you like this."

Abel shook his head: "Don't worry. I will not interfere in the specific affairs of Manchester United. I don't know much about football. After I take over, I think it is most appropriate for you, Ferguson, to be responsible for anything related to the team. "

"Beyond the team, it includes marketing, operations, brand management and other things. Peter, you are doing a good job, just continue to be responsible."

"in other words."

Abel spread his hands towards the two of them, "Except for a new boss, nothing has changed."

"Oh, it's not all gone." Abel said with a smile, "I remember that the Old Trafford Stadium is a bit old, and the surrounding facilities are not up to date. I am going to spend money to renovate it, that's it. Things have changed."

Manchester United's home ground

Ferguson couldn't help but look at Peter and found that the latter was also looking at him.

They both saw surprise in the other's eyes.

None of them expected that Abel would say these words when he came today.

If this is true, it would be a great thing for both of them and the team.

Peter Kenyon, in particular, has long wanted to renovate Old Trafford.

Make Old Trafford bigger, able to accommodate more seats, and with more advanced facilities around it.

This can also be more attractive when attracting fans to buy tickets.

It's just that the board of directors has not allowed it before because the funds to renovate the entire Old Trafford stadium are too large.

With so much money, shareholders want to put it in their own pockets as dividends.

Seeing how generous his new boss was, Ferguson squirmed and couldn't help but whisper:

"Mr. Smith, if you want to renovate Old Trafford, you don't have to pay for it."

Giving Manchester United a year or two, Ferguson felt that the team could make enough money to renovate the stadium on its own.

The premise is that as long as the boss doesn't want to take away the profits.

You must know that Manchester United has always been one of the most profitable football teams in the entire UK, and even in the entire Europe.

Maybe not one.

Looking at the commercial sports teams around the world, Manchester United has always been the most profitable.

Regardless of the capital injection from the new owner, only rely on Manchester United's own blood-forming ability.

In fact, Old Trafford can be renovated.

It's a pity that because it is so profitable, Manchester United has no future either in the past or in the future.

In parallel time and space, I have been sucked blood by my bosses all the time.

"Needless to say. This is a little gift from me to Manchester United."

Abel said casually.

In his previous life, he was a fake Manchester United fan.

I have always thought that the Red Devils, who are so strong and so profitable, have always been the worst on the pitch, which is simply ridiculous.

Now that there is an opportunity to buy Manchester United as a toy in this life, let's renovate Manchester United's home stadium.

For Manchester United, it is a major event that requires several years of accumulated profits.

For Abel, it can’t be said to be a drop in the bucket.

At most, it's just a handful of hair on Jiu Niu's body.

What's more, from the perspective of Abel, a businessman, Old Trafford has become more beautiful and can accommodate more fans.

That is also a disguised increase in Manchester United's ability to make money.

In the end, the positive feedback is that the money earned is fed back into your investment.

There is no harm at all. At most, there is no profit in the early stage.

And why not?

Seeing the new boss's casual look, Ferguson was speechless.

Only now did the old coach realize that the American boss in front of him was younger than David Beckham and several blocks more handsome than David.

He is the latest richest man in the world.

At this moment, Ferguson had a feeling that could only be experienced by future coaches of Chelsea, Manchester City and other trench teams.

And more intensely.

The kind that can spend money at will without worrying about the team not being able to pay.

As long as it’s suitable, you can buy it regardless of whether it’s expensive or not.

For Ferguson, it hasn't even started yet, and the old coach feels like he's about to feel better now.

Suddenly, a ball was kicked over from the middle of the field.

The speed of the ball was very slow. The Four King Kongs, who originally wanted to take action, glanced hesitantly and saw that the boss was ready to catch it.

The four golden ones all stopped just now.

The ball was very accurate. It slowly came to Abel and was stepped on by him.

Ferguson was angry.

Because the old coach saw it, it was David Beckham who kicked it.

Ferguson, who knew David's character well, could guess a bit of Beckham's intentions.

But at this moment, Ferguson was shocked and even a little in disbelief at the generosity of the new boss.

I am very disgusted with David's behavior, extremely disgusted.

Ferguson was about to scold David Beckham.

Just when I opened my mouth, the sound didn't come out yet.

The little old man saw the young boss wearing a suit and leather shoes. He excitedly raised his foot and kicked the ball without any skills.

boom!

An astonishing sound rang out.

The ball was fired like a cannonball.

It disappeared into the grass in an instant and flew into the sky. The height and speed of the ball were so high that it seemed like it could knock down airplanes in the sky.

Ferguson, who originally opened his mouth to scold Beckham, made no sound, but was so surprised that he couldn't close it for a moment.

The Old Trafford Stadium was renovated in 2000. This place is regarded as a butterfly effect. It was not renovated when the protagonist bought it. The renovation was completed in the protagonist's hands.