Cartagena was a semi-professional club founded in 1995. Currently competing in the Spanish Fourth Division, a regional league system in Spain, they won the Group 13 championship last year.
Unfortunately, that championship clearly had nothing to do with the backup goalkeeper who only joined the team in early 1999, Manuel Almunia.
In the records Ethan had seen in his past life, Almunia came through the Osasuna youth academy, joined Sabadell in the Spanish Segunda División B Group 3 during the 99-00 season, where he became a starter, transferred to Celta in the summer of 2001, and then began a wandering career of loan spells until he was scouted by Arsenal to be Lehmann's backup.
But what was the reality?
This goalkeeper, who would one day become Arsenal's temporary captain, had already left Osasuna by early 1999. He was nearly 22 then and spent a full six months rotting on the bench at Cartagena in the Fourth Division before transferring to Sabadell.
In other words, this future Arsenal starting goalkeeper currently could not even get a starting spot in a Spanish Fourth Division team. Was it a matter of skill?
Clearly not. The goalkeeper was a very specialized position, and according to Ethan's understanding, Almunia had always been a very honest and simple person. His fundamentals were solid, his reflexes were sharp, and his ball handling and shot-stopping were excellent, but he was a bit prone to rashness.
Instability was Almunia's old flaw. Once he was in an important match, he would often make bizarre mistakes, which made it difficult for him to reach the top tier.
But regardless, a future Arsenal starting goalkeeper was more than good enough for a team like New Manchester United.
However, when Ethan and the other two arrived at Cartagena and inquired about Almunia, the club staff told them that he had already left the team after the league ended and returned to his hometown, Pamplona.
Ethan immediately asked for Almunia's home address and phone number, then promptly took Alberto and Cassel back to the airport to fly straight to Pamplona.
Cartagena was in southern Spain, while Pamplona was in the northeast. Traveling from south to north, by the time Ethan and the others left the airport, it was already evening.
Considering they still had to find Almunia, the three of them went to dinner first, then hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address.
"I don't quite understand, Ethan. How did you know Cartagena had a goalkeeper named Manuel Almunia? Is he very strong?" Cassel asked with concern while sitting in the taxi.
Ethan smiled. He had long since prepared an answer for this question.
"I saw this player on the internet. You know, I'm an expert in that field!" Ethan laughed proudly.
Alberto listened from the side, confused. Cassel immediately pointed at Ethan and curled his lip. "This guy founded a very famous internet company in America."
Alberto understood then, but he had not expected that one could actually find players on the internet.
Ethan had banked on the fact that these two knew nothing about the internet, so he had them right where he wanted them. Besides, even if they really went to check, it would not matter. The internet was so vast. Who could say for sure what someone could or could not find?
"I'm also planning to have someone set up an official website for our club soon. In the future, members can directly become club members through the website. It'll be much more convenient and can attract fans from all over the world," Ethan introduced with a smile.
Regarding the prospects of the internet, he was more certain than anyone else in this world.
"So, how many members does our team have now?" Alberto had clearly stepped into his new role, viewing himself as a part of New Manchester United.
"Over twenty thousand. It's still too few. However, I'm worried that Manchester United winning the glorious Treble last season will have some impact on our club," Ethan said with some concern.
Although Manchester United and New Manchester United were two different clubs, there were still countless ties within the fan base. Manchester United's glory would inevitably affect New Manchester United's fans.
Of course, Ethan did not need to worry about the stadium's attendance. After all, those were die-hard fans from Manchester.
The only real concern was the stadium itself.
"By the way, Jim, when you came over, how were Walsh's talks with the City Council going?" Ethan asked casually.
"Not very smoothly. They're still hesitating. You know, those guys are just like that!" Cassel was clearly dissatisfied with the people at the City Council. The stadium acquisition case had already been dragged out for over half a year.
After speaking, Cassel noticed Alberto's confusion and explained Ethan's plan to acquire the Manchester District Athletics Stadium and the surrounding land. The latter was startled by what he heard.
How much money would that cost?
However, this also allowed Alberto to see Ethan's determination in running the club.
Though he was curious, since Ethan had so much money, why not just buy a top-tier club instead of building a team from scratch?
Cassel dutifully played the role of New Manchester United's club historian, recounting Ethan's legendary experience, like the protagonist of a novel, of how he initially spent his entire fortune to found the club and later made a massive fortune investing in the internet in America.
Alberto also dutifully played the role of the listener. His constant gasps of surprise gave Ethan a deep sense of accomplishment.
Everyone had a bit of vanity, didn't they?
...
...
Almunia's house was not hard to find. The taxi soon brought Ethan and the others to the neighborhood where he lived.
Ethan and the others found the place by counting the house numbers along the street.
The Spanish youth's current situation was just like many university graduates in Ethan's past life, feeling utterly bewildered about the future, not knowing whether to persist in the industry they loved or just find any job to make ends meet.
When Ethan and the other two appeared in his home and he heard they represented a club from England, Almunia was taken aback.
"You... how do you know about me?" He clearly suspected he had run into scammers.
After all, no matter how strong an English fifth-tier team was, it was impossible for them to spread a scouting network to the Spanish Fourth Division, and Almunia had barely played in the last six months.
"In fact, I saw a Cartagena fan mention you on the internet. It just so happened that our team was short a goalkeeper, so I had our Youth Academy Director, Mr. Jim Cassel, come see you play in person. As it turns out, Jim thinks you have great potential. Isn't that right, Jim?"
Ethan suddenly put Cassel on the spot, catching both him and Alberto by surprise.
"Uh... yes, I've seen two of your matches and followed your training. I think you have a certain level of ability, and also room for improvement," Cassel squeezed out a smile, giving a very generic answer.
But privately, he was complaining to Ethan.
The latter replied with a smile, his expression seemingly saying: Could I have said I've never seen him play?
If I said that, he'd be a fool to join our team!
"You know, Manuel, Jim was in the Manchester United youth academy for many years and has rich experience and professional football knowledge. His standards and expectations are very high. If he thinks well of you, it means you must meet our team's requirements. I can guarantee that you will be a starter as soon as you arrive."
The word "starter" was very sensitive for Almunia, who had been a backup for who knew how many years. It was almost enough to move him to tears.
Ethan clearly knew how to play on his psychology, immediately adding fuel to the fire by encouraging him, talking about how much he valued him and how much the team needed him.
Fortunately, Ethan was not in the habit of saying overly sentimental things. Otherwise, everyone present might have been sick to their stomachs.
Alberto was surely thinking now, watching Ethan talk Almunia into a daze and remembering yesterday in Rome, he could not help but wonder if he was also one of those who had been talked into it.
Walking out of Almunia's house, although Ethan was in a good mood, he clearly saw Alberto's doubts.
This was one of Ethan's great strengths: he was always particularly concerned with the emotions of those around him and their opinions of him. He felt that as a leader, such observation was necessary.
"Alberto, do you think what I said to Almunia was a bit of an exaggeration?" Ethan asked with a smile.
Alberto was an honest man and nodded without thinking.
Ethan chuckled, looked up at the dark night sky, and walked along the quiet neighborhood path.
"Then what do you think I should have said?"
Alberto was suddenly speechless. Yes, what could he say? Should he say, "Hey, you're a rubbish player who can't even start in the Fourth Division"?
"Almunia has potential, that I can guarantee. Otherwise, I wouldn't waste the three of our time on him for no reason. You know, I hate wasting time most of all," Ethan became incredibly serious.
"What I just said to him, although a bit exaggerated, I think a 22-year-old youth at a crossroads in life needs encouragement. Even if that encouragement is a bit much, at least it should be helpful in rebuilding his confidence in life and his ideals, right?"
As someone who frequently participated in youth training, Alberto found Ethan's words easy to understand, and they were basically correct.
"What he needs now is the tempering of matches. Believe me, Alberto, I can't guarantee he will surprise everyone. In fact, he doesn't have that kind of talent. But at the very least, he will become a successful professional player!"
At the very least, being a starter for Arsenal should count as being successful enough, right?
(To be continued.)