Chapter 45
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Shall We Really Go for the Buyout?
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Arriving at Manchester International Airport in the UK, I hopped straight into a car and headed to the Blackburn Rovers stadium.
Among the massive crowd of reporters gathered since the day before, a suited-up Asian guy like me stuck out like a sore thumb.
I pulled my hat low over my eyes and barely made it to the hotel in the car prepared by the Daeyang staff.
Even after checking into the hotel, the front desk phone wouldn't stop ringing, and my mobile was blowing up too.
Signing a world-class superstar was more than enough to rock this sleepy rural club to its core.
Italy's sun rises amid Blackburn's gloomy weather!
Roberto Baggio's shocking transfer to Blackburn Rovers.
Baggio on a free transfer to England? What were Serie A clubs doing?
Italian players' EPL challenges: 'The real fantasista has arrived.' Roberto Baggio heads to Blackburn.
Will England be Baggio's final stop... or a stage for revival?
The reporters were going wild, dominating morning and evening editions across every paper with Baggio transfer stories.
And because of that, the club kept calling nonstop.
[Mr. Lee, big trouble. The unveiling's set for noon tomorrow, but the whole Blackburn area's packed—stadium's full of Baggio fans already.]
"It's tomorrow as planned. Why's everyone making such a fuss?"
[It's Baggio, you know? Some outlets dropped breaking news and are clamoring to move it to tonight.]
"No way. We're announcing with the new manager tomorrow."
The plan was to drop it alongside Jupp Heynckes' appointment as manager.
The buzz about Heynckes' regime had been drowned out in seconds by the Baggio signing, so there wasn't much grumbling in the EPL about bringing in an outsider German boss.
Daeyang Global had prepped the new kits, and there was plenty more to reveal tomorrow.
Then, late that night, a call came in from Korea.
"Got it."
[Sponsoring football for 50 million pounds over five years? You know how much materials that buys?]
Our chairman was griping about the massive Blackburn investment.
Football's about heart, not money... but anyway.
[You know the terms? Secure at least 200 million bucks in UK contracts. Fail that, and no more Daeyang backing for your football team.]
"Got it. But after the 50 million, we'll need a bit more."
[How much?]
"Take the 50, add another 50 million pounds?"
[You mad bastard!!!]
The deal with Dad: land over 200 million USD in Daeyang Global construction wins.
Before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, bring Blackburn to Korea for a Daeyang-hosted friendly.
Ads featuring Europe's top footballers for Daeyang Global.
Various business tie-ins got me the extra 50 million pounds approved—just barely.
Back then, it was enough cash to buy a mid-tier European club outright, beyond just a world-class player.
But no worries. I can pay it back.
Feeling at ease, I hit the hay early for tomorrow.
And come morning, eyeing the chaos outside the hotel, I headed for the shower.
"Alright, let's do this."
"Please give a warm welcome to Blackburn Rovers' new manager, Jupp Heynckes, and Roberto Baggio, who's joined us here in Lancashire, England!"
Hundreds of reporters' flashes lit up the place, while packed fans at Ewood Park watched the unveiling on the big screens.
It had to be at least 40,000 today—the biggest since Diego Maradona's 1984 Napoli unveiling drew 60,000.
Baggio flashed a smile in the Blackburn #10 kit.
Every photo snapped right now was destined for the history books.
Italy's rabid press had hounded him, and when he announced the move to England, local opinion branded him as "the guy fleeing Italy for England because he couldn't hack it"—but just watch.
With Baggio as the spark, the Premier League would leapfrog Serie A.
"Roberto, Paul Durkin from Sky Sports. Why choose Blackburn of all teams for Italy's top fantasista?"
Baggio grabbed the mic with effortless poise.
"The club owner's sincerity? He came to my home in Padova himself to convince me."
"Roberto, two ACL tears, three surgeries. Tell us about your condition."
"Never better. I could step on the pitch right now and score."
Baggio's answers were sharp and polished, his demeanor relaxed throughout.
No questions for manager Heynckes beside him, but he gestured like he wanted them focusing on the player anyway.
"Coming from Italy's elegant pitches to tough England—think you can hack it?"
"Doesn't matter where I play. I've run at thousands of meters altitude in South America, braved sub-zero blizzards on pitches blanketed in snow in Russia. In Italy or England, I'm still Roberto Baggio."
Kuuh~ Class act.
Every response dripped with the dignity of a true fantasista, leaving British reporters in awe as they snapped endless shots of his face through the long interview.
As the unveiling and Q&A wrapped, Baggio shrugged on the Blackburn jacket over his black shirt right there.
[DY GLOBAL]
Baggio, wearing the new Daeyang Group-sponsored kit from our five-year, 50-million-pound main sponsor deal, sidled up and asked quietly,
"Mr. Lee, got any balls around?"
"Balls? Stadium's gotta have extras."
"30,000 fans came out to see me at the home ground. Gotta give 'em something."
"!"
Baggio called for a few balls on the spot, then stepped out waving to the 30,000-strong Blackburn faithful.
[Roberto! Roberto!]
"Baggio! Never dreamed you'd join us."
"Lead our Rovers to glory!"
In front of the roaring fans, Baggio pulled a pen and signed the balls with quick strokes.
Then, from all four stands, he blew kisses and lofted the balls high into the air.
"Whoa!"
The fans surged forward to snag Baggio's gifts, wrapping up one hell of a grand unveiling.
Roberto Baggio sets Blackburn ablaze.
Best unveiling, best fan service.
Arsène Wenger: 'Welcome Baggio to the Premier League, but we've got Bergkamp.'
Gianfranco Zola: 'Looking forward to my friend Baggio's games.'
Even other clubs were buzzing over Baggio's arrival, all voicing respect—except one sourpuss staying mum.
What era is this Baggio from? This ain't the mid-90s. The guy's 33—playmaking like in Italy? Tough.
Only Ferguson brushed off the Manchester press and focused solely on training.
"Boss, 10 goals and 10 assists this season? Piece of cake."
"Ryan, show 'em. Prove you're way better than Baggio."
"Yes sir!"
Ryan Giggs grinned and saluted Ferguson amid the chummy training vibes, but once alone, Ferguson slipped quietly into the locker room.
Spotting a Baggio paper there, he kicked the podium in a rage.
BAM!
"Damn it!"
His bottled-up frustration exploded in solitude.
"I should've signed him! If I'd known, I'd have nabbed that Baggio myself!"
Italy's fantasista on a free transfer, salary barely 1.5 million bucks with options.
"I'd have shoved 2 million pounds at him! Half of Roy Keane's, peanuts next to Beckham's 3 mil—and I missed it!"
Alex Ferguson was dying of regret.
Michael Owen, Raúl González, Roberto Baggio... talents he craved for the world stage, but fate said no.
Ferguson later bellowed at club chairman David Gill for beefing up scout teams on big European stars.
"Pleased to meet you all. I'm the new manager, Heynckes."
Heynckes delivered his inauguration speech in fluent English to the coaches and squad.
"I'm from Germany, but communication won't be an issue. From now on, Blackburn moves for titles. Let's grind with the current coaches and the ones I'll bring in."
He wrapped up chats with the staff, gathered the players, and kicked off with basic drills step by step.
Watching from the sidelines, I reviewed bids with the Daeyang Global crew.
"Fly-EuroAir's hangar construction tender plan."
The legacy of the late Jack Walker, now run by his son Hyde.
We'd prepped a bid for their hangar work: 160 million pounds total.
"After Manchester International—the main hub—it's hangars plus extra maintenance facilities at Birmingham, Newcastle, Exeter, and Edinburgh. Four airports."
"Nail this, and even Dad can't complain—Daeyang Europe looks like winners."
With Dad's backing and the next big signing on deck, we had to snag it.
"Tougher than UK firms are the Spaniards. ASC Construction's in the mix."
"ASC... Florentino Pérez, chairman."
"Madrid Airport expansion, hangar experience—they're the fiercest rival."
Time to face a football-famous name in business.
I checked the proposal and signed off for the construction team's go-ahead.
"Let's do it. Pay back ASC for last time."
"Yes, Vice Chairman."
Sent the staff off, then called Heynckes aside.
Manager Jupp Heynckes had ditched the suit for tracksuit, sweating buckets as he trained with the players.
"Mr. Lee, what's up?"
"Coach Jupp, think we can handle Luis Figo?"
"Pardon?"
"Gonna sign him. Figo's next after Baggio."
Heynckes' face flushed beet red as a lightbulb moment hit in Blackburn.
I spun my laptop to show him the Spanish article.
Pérez bids for Real Madrid presidency: 'I'll sign Barcelona's Luis Figo.'
Gigantic election gamble: 'Snag the enemy's ace?'
In that season of epic transfers, the target was Barcelona's Luis Figo.
"Mr. Lee, Figo's the world's best right now. Unlike free-agent Baggio, this'll take serious transfer funds."
"Still just 38 million pounds—60 million euros buyout, right?"
"Spot on."
"We're going for it. Buyout."
"S-sixty million euros...!"
Heynckes' eyes bulged.
"Football history's about to witness an epic transfer."
"Success demands a spectacle, after all."
"Agreed. If you're pushing for Figo, I trust you—but I'll prep a backup list just in case."
"Sounds good."
Luis Figo signing project: underway.
And Daeyang's opening salvo against ASC-Real Madrid.