Godfather Of Champions

The match ended very quickly. As it was just an internal warm-up match, the match duration was not set to be very long. It was only 20 minutes.

In the last segment of training, Tang En gathered everybody to stand in a circle. He and Kerslake then led the team through an analysis of the strengths and flaws observed from the session before dismissing them.

As the team was being dismissed, Tang En called out to Anelka. “Nicolas, come to my office for a minute after you change.”

This time, Anelka did not manage to conceal his own surprise in time; it showed clearly on his face.

“Not Bendtner, I mean you.” Tang En said as he pointed to Anelka. “Change and come to my office.” Saying that, he turned and left the training grounds.

Ribéry walked up to Anelka and gently patted his shoulders. Speaking lowly in French, he said, “Having a talk alone with the Boss is usually nothing good. You’ve got to watch out.”

Hearing such a tone of mystery from Ribéry, Anelka turned to look at his serious face but said nothing in response.

※※※

Tang En was organizing his desk in his office, but there was nothing much for him to pack. Most things were filed in the computer. Other than a pen and a notebook that he carried around with him all the time, the desk had nothing on it. He just did not want to look as if he was dumbly waiting for Anelka when he came in later. As the manager, he sometimes needed to make a show of attitude in front of the players, such as, ‘I called you here, but I’m tremendously busy; I’m taking time out of my busy schedule to speak to you.’

A knock could be heard coming from the outside. It was not loud, but Tang En caught it.

“Come in.”

Anelka pushed the door open and entered. He had already changed and was now wearing a white shirt with light blue jeans, complete with a casual suit jacket in sky-blue. He had even hung a pair of sunglasses at the neck of his shirt.

Tang En looked over his attire.

“What do you have going on tonight?”

Anelka was momentarily stunned, not expecting the manager to ask him that first. When he recovered, he shook his head in response. “I don’t have anything going on tonight.”

“Okay… take a seat.” Tang En casually indicated to the sofa. He then continued to be “busy” organizing his things. This time, he grabbed the mouse and continually refreshed his computer desktop just for show.

After finishing busying himself with that, he looked up at the Frenchman. “This is our first time speaking alone since your entry into our team. I’m sorry about that. I’ve been extremely busy until now. With the start of the new season, there seem to be a lot more things to deal with.”

Anelka nodded in understanding.

Tang En found it draining to converse with someone who had such lacking responses.

Holding a conversation was like playing tennis; it could only work when it went back and forth. But, when Tang En conversed with Anelka, it felt like he was just playing with air. Not only did he have to take charge of serving, but he also needed to run over to pick up the ball after. He was already tired and sweating, but it remained uncertain how much longer this would go on.

“Yes… Well, putting aside the other things, I’m quite interested in your sudden decision to return to England from Turkey. Do you mind telling me more about that?”

Tang En then intentionally paused, waiting for Anelka to speak, only to be disappointed. To prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward, he could only continue, saying, “Uh… Your brother told me it was because the level of the leagues there was too low? And it couldn’t…”

At that point, Anelka suddenly interrupted Tang En. “Yes. I want to go to a higher-level league to play football.”

Tang En did not mind in the least bit; he was delighted that Anelka was willing to speak up at all.

“But, Fenerbahçe S.K. can also participate in the Champions League.”

“That’s too far.”

Tang En knew where Anelka was referring to when he said it was “far.” So, he only nodded.

“I think so too. Nicolas, do you mind telling me what you’re really thinking? That is to say… What other aims do you have? What do you hope to get? What is it that you are working hard for at football? Do you have some goal?”

These questions stumped the Frenchman. He sat there silently.

Some players played for the pursuit of glory, but he had almost received all of the highest recognition available to a club. Then there were those who played hoping to be selected for the National Team, battling for the World Cup; but he had already harshly told the French Football Federation that “unless Santini kneels and begs before me, I will never return to the National Team.” Saying that he wanted to work hard to enter the National Team would seem rather fake. In that case, what kind of goals or reasons was he left with?

“Do you want to hear my answers to those questions?” Tang En noticed Anelka’s silence and decided to keep on going anyway.

“Initially, I was the Youth Team manager of Forest. Gradually, from a normal manager, I became the assistant manager of the Youth Team, and finally the main manager. Following that, I became the main manager of the First Team, just like what you see now.” He extended his arms, indicating that the manager’s office belonged to him.

“Have you heard my story?”

Anelka shook his head.

“Then, let me tell it to you.” Tang En sat at the corner of his desk and crossed his legs.

“At first, I thought it was a good idea to become one of the managers of the Youth Team. I was very satisfied with the job. I’m an idiot who doesn’t know anything else apart from football; I didn’t know carpentry, didn’t know how to fix pipes, didn’t know how to sell merchandise, didn’t know design, make repairs, rob a bank… I didn’t know anything. I was over the moon finding a job in Nottingham Forest Club, and I had intended to just keep on working like that. After some decades, I’d become one of the old managers in the club and retire.”

“But later, I became this team’s interim manager. At the time, the team’s situation was miserable. Within half a season, I had to guarantee that my team could stay in the then First Division, now called EFL. In the beginning, my performance was terrible; the first match I coached completely fell through.”

Tang En shook his head, and said, “But, I thought later, since I had already become the main manager of the team, regardless of whether it was just interim, I should achieve something as proof of having been here, right? I decided to lead the team to a promotion… Yes, that’s right. You didn’t hear me wrong. I didn’t want to just avoid relegation, I was aiming for a promotion.” Tang En explained upon seeing Anelka’s shock.

The Frenchman nodded. He was completely engrossed in the story.

“I so nearly succeeded. That’s a nicer way to put it, but the truth was that I failed. For that, I lost many things. From that moment on, I swore that I must do even better and never be a loser. But God did not give me that opportunity. My time as an interim manager ended, and I returned to the Youth Team to continue being the main manager of the Youth Team. The position of the First Team manager was snatched away by a guy called Collymore. Have you heard of him?”

Anelka nodded. “I know. I hate that guy.”

Tang En burst out laughing. “That’s right, I hate him too! Look, we have something in common now.” As Tang En’s laughter faded, he continued.

“Very soon, that guy was fired because of the lousy results he led the team to. I was back in the same position again. At the halfway point of the season, Nottingham Forest was fourth from the bottom. No one believed that a crappy team like that could achieve anything. In fact, there were many who firmly believed that we would end up being relegated to Second Division at the end of the season. But in the end? When the season ended, my team were the EFL champions, and had the entry ticket to the English Premier League.”

“Isn’t that an incredible story?” Tang En asked with a show of his palms.

“What came after is even more incredible. In the new season of the English Premier League, everyone said Forest’s should just try to avoid relegation and guarantee their spot in the League. I held that idea in contempt. My aim was much greater and further than those bumpkins. You saw it too. My aim is the UEFA Champions League. Currently, we’ve gotten off to a good start. I’m no longer willing to return to the same life as before. To be satisfied mucking through life on the Youth Team. In my view, there are many more championships awaiting me.”

As he finished saying that, Tang En rested for a beat before continuing. “I’ve heard some things regarding your brothers…”

Anelka’s expression changed the moment he heard that it was about his brothers. Naturally, Tang En noticed that. Perhaps it was really that way; in Anelka’s heart, no glory could compare to his own blood. If he could have a falling out with the French Football Federation over his brothers, wouldn’t it be even easier to fall out with a mere club over them?

Today was meant to be a heart-to-heart. Tang En did not want to purposely poke at Anelka’s sore spot.

So, he followed up by saying, “To be honest, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with their methods. Anyone would want to fight to have more benefits for themselves. That’s totally normal. When I’m negotiating the terms of contract for my renewal with the club, I would also request for a higher salary and more monetary rewards. But, beyond money, I have other pursuits that can’t be satisfied merely by a high salary. As I mentioned earlier, I have many championships that I have yet to get. You’re now a player who has already been the champion of the Premier League, English FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA European Championship… You lack no glory and have no need to further prove yourself. Earlier, if you had answered that money was your greatest motivation to kick a football, and your only aim, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised. That’s very normal because you’re a professional football player.”

“I don’t care about your previous transfers. Now you’re my player. You’re playing on Forest team; that means you’re a member of Forest. I need you to help me achieve my aims… In truth, I’ve said this to every one of them. I need all of your help. Otherwise, by myself alone, I don’t even qualify to compete. We are a body, so our aims should be the same. I’ll take the championship, and you take the prize money.”

Speaking to that point, Tang En started chuckling.

“With championships, there’ll be money; with money, there’ll be motivation; with motivation, there’ll be championships. Look at how amazing that loop is!”

Although Anelka clearly understood that viewpoint, it was the first time he met with a football manager who would say it aloud so directly.

After working with so many managers, practically everyone believed him to be a greedy scoundrel whose head was full of thoughts about money. They believed he would not play well and was someone eternally incapable of any loyalty to a team.

Back then, during the period when he insisted on transferring to Real Madrid and leaving Arsenal, his mentor, Arsenal’s main manager Arsène Wenger, said, “People live for three meals and a bed. What do you want so much money for?”

Arsenal’s vice-chairperson also lashed out at him suddenly.

“In the final 48 hours of the negotiation, he mocked all the rules of English football; he completely lacks respect for others!”

Even earlier, Arsenal spent only 750 thousand for him to refuse a contract renewal with Paris Saint-Germain, where he first embarked on his career. He then took off all the way to London. His mentor, Fernández, angrily said, “It’s not worth mentioning that person. When he left, he himself slammed the doors to join Arsenal… Wherever he is, he would be a problem…”

In Real Madrid, people called him “trash.” At that time, there was a running joke:

A child frantically told his mother, “Oh no, someone has forced their way into our house!”

The mother asked, “What does he look like?”

The child replied, “Tall and thin. He was wearing Real Madrid’s jersey number 14.”

The mother then said, “There’s no need to be frightened, child. Such trash can’t do anything.”

…

There was only Tony Twain who would say that to him: Pursuing money isn’t a problem – it’s normal. I don’t need loyalty. I only need you to seriously fulfill your own duties during the period of your contract. Take the money and do the work; it’s that simple.

Anelka remained silent, his mind filled with what Tang En had said earlier.

“If you want to be a core player, show me the abilities a core player should have. If you have the ability and you show it, you’ll naturally become a core player. Of course, one day, when you start getting sick of everything here, and you find my face detestable, or you wish to earn even more money and there happens to be a club who has offered you tempting terms… When you decide to leave, please don’t forget to give me a call to tell me your thoughts. I won’t make things difficult for anyone who wants to leave this place, because it’s your freedom to do so.”

Finishing his words, Tang En hopped off the table and exercised the half of his butt that had gotten numb from sitting.

“Let’s move. We should be going back.” Tang En switched off the computer on his desk and tucked his small notebook and pen away into his shirt pocket.

“Don’t you have some activity going on at night?”

Anelka stood up and shook his head. “I don’t have anything going on, Boss.”

Tang En laughed and said, “That’s great. Do you have a car?”

“Yes.”

“Can you give me a ride? Half my butt has gotten numb from sitting. It’s rather inconvenient to walk.” Tang En groused as he massaged his bottom.

“Of course, Boss.”

※※※

Three days later. Bolton Wanderers’ home grounds, Reebok Stadium. Nottingham Forest achieved a complete victory over the home team with a score of 2:0. Jersey number 39, forward Frenchman Anelka, played as a starter and stayed on the field for the full 90 minutes. In the 21st minute, he scored the first goal for Forest, contributing for his third match in a row.