Chapter 493: Chapter 493

As October began, all City staff who had been suspended returned to the sidelines, directing their team at Maine Road Stadium. Nearly 25,000 Cityzens supporters flooded the venue, warmly welcoming back the team as Maine Road prepared to host a Champions League match.

Mourinho entered the stadium, raising both hands above his head in appreciation of the fans’ enthusiasm after his brief absence.

As usual, O’Neill motivated the team, and he handled the tactics.

Ronaldo and Okocha, who had been injured previously, were making progress in training but were not yet ready to play.

Today, they faced the Russian champions, Spartak Moscow. With the difference in strength between the two teams apparent and playing at home, Mourinho opted not to field City’s strongest lineup, instead choosing younger players.

John Terry and Ronaldinho.

He started by deploying a classic 4-4-2 formation. City had struggled in recent performances, winning only one match in their last four games. Mourinho felt that playing at home would give the team a chance to perform without overexerting the players. Unexpectedly, O’Neill agreed.

What City currently needed was consistent improvement—achieving a better balance between attack and defense, while fostering noticeable cohesion among the players.

During the 90 minutes of the match, City exerted clear dominance.

Thanks to goals from Ronaldinho, Larsson, and Henry, they sent Spartak Moscow packing with a decisive 3-0 victory at Maine Road.

Ronaldinho, especially, was nothing short of spectacular during the match, particularly when he unleashed his trademark elastico, leaving Spartak Moscow’s defenders completely disoriented. With effortless footwork, he danced past two opponents, creating space out of nowhere and setting the tone for City’s attacking duo. He contributed one goal and one assist.

His brilliance not only disrupted Spartak’s organization but also elevated the entire team’s performance, making victory seem inevitable.

With two consecutive victories, City’s prospects in the Champions League looked promising.

After the match, O’Neill gave a brief interview before dismissing the team and heading home to rest. He felt the team was getting back on track. Aside from depth issues caused by injuries, everything else was beginning to run smoothly.

No one noticed that while the City players were ecstatic about their win, one player kept his head lowered and remained silent, following them without saying a word.

The climax happened the next day. Richard, who had stayed too late at Maine Road, was too tired to return to his hotel, so he decided to sleep in the City dormitory instead. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⦿fire.net

He had just finished showering when something unexpected happened. He sat down, ready to continue his work, when suddenly someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said casually.

Richard didn’t pay much attention at first—many people often came to his room for advice. But when he finally looked up and saw who had stepped inside, he froze. Someone was standing on the small steps just outside his room, staring back at him.

Richard glanced at his watch; it was already past ten. What was he doing here at such a late hour?

Sighing, Richard turned his body slightly. "Come in."

Even his English still sounded very strange.

Richard nodded, and Drogba nodded back before carefully stepping into Richard’s room, glancing left and right as he entered.

Tito is his childhood nickname, given by his mother and inspired by Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. But in the current City squad, no one calls him Tito—only Richard does. In fact, the most unpopular player in the team right now is Didier Drogba.

20 years old. Nepotism. Unprofessional.

Usually, players attend trials at the age of 14 to 17. But Drogba? He attended his trial at 19 years old at Maine Road. Even Richard was shocked when he saw him show up for the trial.

In the end, Drogba, Deco, and Gattuso were accepted by City.

What made people even more jealous was that Drogba had never attended a football academy, yet he was still recruited by Manchester City. And the reason behind his recruitment made everyone shake their heads.

There was no reason. Just pure instinct from the Manchester City owner, Richard Maddox.

Who wouldn’t be frustrated?

He was already considered "old" for a youth signing when Richard brought him in, yet Richard insisted on recruiting him despite O’Neill strongly rejecting the idea.

And while people waited to see what kind of player Drogba really was, he suddenly struggled with the physical demands of daily training. What disappointed people even more was that he often arrived late, unlike the other players. It didn’t take long before he became the most unpopular player at Maine Road.

As you might expect, he couldn’t even play at a U-17 level, and O’Neill never played him. In fact, he wasn’t even on the bench. He was isolated—treated like an outcast, even during training.

Richard gestured for him to sit. Drogba quietly lowered himself onto the chair in front of him.

Studied him for a moment, Richard was unsure what could have driven him to come here at this hour. Drogba kept his head down, seemingly struggling to find the words.

"Did someone bully you?" Richard finally asked.

Drogba shook his head.

"Missing your uncle?"

Born in 1978 in Abidjan, the economic center of Ivory Coast on the Gulf of Guinea, Didier Drogba was the eldest of Albert and Clotilde Drogba’s six children. But his path to football greatness didn’t always look like destiny.

At the age of five, he was sent from his home in Ivory Coast to live with his uncle in France. Homesickness eventually overwhelmed him, and he returned to Ivory Coast. Later, due to an economic crisis, he moved back to France at the age of eight—this time for good.

It was there that he truly began his football journey, starting in earnest at age 15 with the amateur club Levallois. His professional career took its first steps with Le Mans FC in 1997, before his goal-scoring breakthrough at Guingamp.

Nobody could quite explain how he suddenly ended up attending a trial at Manchester City.

So how did he get there?

The simplest explanation was also the strangest one: Manchester City had just shocked the world by winning the Champions League. Suddenly, the club became a magnet for dreamers everywhere.

And that was Richard’s simple thought.

Richard grew a little impatient. "Then say something."

Finally, Drogba lifted his head, his eyes drifting uncertainly. He whispered, "I’d like to borrow some money."