From the moment Didier Drogba first encountered football, the immediate impression he gave was strength. In fact, his greatest asset in becoming a professional player was his physique. He was simply too strong.
However, Drogba's strength was somewhat different from others. Despite his power, his body was not clumsy at all. On the contrary, he was very agile, fast, and explosive, which made him like a moving tank when charging forward.
At Le Mans, the coach devised tactics based on Drogba's characteristics. He could always easily overwhelm opponents, and although he did not score many goals, he played a significant role in the team.
But upon arriving in Manchester, especially at a third-tier English team, he felt he should be able to hold down a starting place. However, as a newcomer, he suffered a series of severe setbacks.
First, he lost to a bunch of kids in the youth academy, and then, playing indoor football, he was completely outmaneuvered by these youngsters. Throughout the entire session, he could barely even touch the ball, causing Mikel, who was on his team, to complain loudly about his crude technique.
Although there were only five people, they could still play three-a-side indoor football. Messi, the most skilled, acted as a neutral player, helping whichever side had possession. Ishmael and Johnson formed one team, while Drogba and Mikel formed the other.
It was during this close-quarters match that Drogba was astonished to discover just how excellent these kids' skills were. Their passing and receiving were incredibly quick, almost dazzling to watch. Their cooperation was incredibly fluid, and their movement was frequent and orderly. Anyone a little slower simply could not keep up with them.
"You're no good, big guy!" Ishmael declared to Drogba after the game.
"Who says? You only did well because you're used to it!" Drogba stubbornly refused to admit defeat.
It was understandable. No professional player would admit to losing to a bunch of youth team players.
Although it was clear to everyone that Drogba had indeed lost.
"But you're better than that Dave. That guy's a complete log, which is why he never dares to play indoor football, except in training!" Ishmael's tone made it sound as if he had outplayed all the forwards in the team.
Dave Kitson, Drogba knew, was New Manchester United's main striker this season.
"Hey, are you a new player?" Messi chimed in, asking with concern.
Drogba was stunned, unsure how to answer, but he did have a good impression of the club, and they seemed very sincere. "Sort of, but I haven't decided whether to sign with your club yet."
To his surprise, as soon as he said this, Messi and Johnson immediately waved him off.
"Save it! It's your luck that our club is interested in you. Hesitate any longer, and we won't even want you!"
"Exactly! Exactly! If I wasn't so young, if I were a few years older, our club wouldn't even need to buy you!" Ishmael delivered an even more crushing blow to Drogba.
"Hey, you little rascals..." Drogba pretended to be angry.
But Messi and the others were not afraid at all, laughing as they waited for his reaction.
Drogba was at a loss. "To be honest, my family is all in France, and I need to consider their situation." Drogba sighed. He came from a humble background and had a strong sense of family.
As soon as he said this, Messi and the others immediately gathered around him.
"It's okay, you can tell the boss, and he'll help you!" Messi suggested.
The other kids also nodded in agreement.
"The boss? Who's that?" Drogba found it strange.
"Mr. Yu, our club owner. We all call him Boss. He's incredibly kind and always helps us. Tell him your difficulties, and he'll definitely sort it out for you," Johnson said somewhat naively.
"Yes, the boss often says that when a player comes to the club, they don't need to think about anything else, just focus on playing football, and the club will take care of everything else for them," Ishmael said, even mimicking Ethan's tone.
The group of children burst into laughter.
Just then, Jim and Drogba's agent, who had been elsewhere, walked into the indoor football hall.
"Hey, Didier, Mr. Yu and the others are back!"
Upon hearing this, Drogba immediately jumped to his feet, waved goodbye to Messi and the others, and walked out of the indoor football hall.
...
The first time Ethan saw Drogba, his impression was simple. Truly strong, incredibly strong!
Kitson was considered the strongest player in the team, but compared with Drogba, he still had a significant gap. However, unlike Kitson's strength without agility, Drogba was clearly more flexible, and he seemed more honest.
Having dealt with Kitson and Joel, Ethan looked at Drogba and his agent, thinking they should not be the parasitic type.
This put him somewhat at ease. After all, he did not want to deal with that kind of leech again.
"Hello, Didier, I'm Ethan Yu, and this is our team's head coach, Mr. José Mourinho!" Ethan smiled as he introduced himself to Drogba.
It was rumoured that in his previous life, Mourinho, upon seeing Drogba, immediately recognized him as his ideal striker and wanted to bring him to Porto. However, Marseille got him first, which meant that even after Mourinho went to Chelsea, he still could not forget Drogba and eventually brought him to Stamford Bridge.
Ethan did not know if this rumour was true, but what he personally experienced was that as soon as Mourinho saw Drogba's match footage, he immediately made his decision and told Ethan that he wanted this player.
And that was how this meeting came about.
"We've prepared a contract for you here, Didier. Take a look!" Ethan said with a smile, handing over the red-covered contract document.
Drogba took it and looked through it with his agent. The other clauses were similar to most professional contracts, but the salary section clearly showed several figures: £6,000 per week, followed by a long list of goal bonuses, appearance fees, and so on.
This startled both Drogba and his agent. This salary was more than double what Drogba earned at Le Mans.
"If you have no objections, I'll have someone finalize this contract, and we can sign an agreement now. Then you'll officially be a player for our club!" Ethan said with a smile.
Drogba could not help nodding in agreement. Then, remembering what Michael Johnson and the others had told him, he mustered up the courage to say, "Mr. Yu, may I make one more request?"
"Of course, tell me!" Ethan's reply made Drogba feel somewhat overwhelmed.
When he played in the French league, he had never received such courtesy. People always barked orders at him. But with Ethan, he felt respected, which deeply moved him.
"My wife, son, and I live in Le Mans, France. I hope to bring them to Manchester as well!"
Ethan was momentarily stunned. He had not realized Drogba, at only twenty-three, already had a wife and son. This surprised him, but he quickly recovered and nodded.
"That's no problem. I'll have the club staff select a few nice apartments nearby. When you arrive, you can choose one of them and move in immediately. Also, if your child needs a school, we can arrange that for you. Similarly, we'll do our best to help arrange work for your wife!"
Drogba listened, becoming increasingly bewildered, until he was completely dumbfounded.
He had never known that New Manchester United's treatment could be so good. They would find a school for his son, help his wife find work, and even find them a house. He thought that even his own relatives and friends might not be so dedicated.
However, not long after, when Drogba moved to Manchester, he discovered that it was not just these things. Including food, clothing, housing, and transportation, almost all the daily matters they needed help with had already been arranged by the club.
And after becoming familiar with the club, Drogba learned that there was a specialized department responsible for these matters. They called this service relocation consultation, and the club had even specifically hired three female staff members to carry out this work, helping newly transferred players settle in. This was something Drogba had never experienced before.
After signing an agreement with New Manchester United on the spot, Drogba talked with head coach Mourinho for over half an hour, then immediately took his agent and checked into a hotel prepared for him by New Manchester United.
The next day, under the arrangement of the laboratory staff, Drogba underwent a thorough full-body examination at the Royal Hospital. The examination items were very complex but highly efficient, completing all checks in just one morning. He was then informed that he also needed to go to the club's laboratory for some routine tests.
Upon returning to the club, Drogba met Professor Fryer and Professor Derek White from the laboratory. They asked Drogba to jump as high as he could on a dark, magnet-like platform. Drogba jumped very high, his nearly 1.9-meter height combined with his outstanding jumping ability immediately drawing exclamations of admiration from Professor Fryer and the others.
"This guy is fast. When he runs, isn't he like a tank?" Derek said with a chuckle.
The staff in the laboratory also laughed along, then recorded all the data displayed on the instrument after Drogba jumped on the platform and entered it into the computer.
At the same time, Professor Derek White inquired about Drogba's daily habits, his preferred diet, sleep patterns, and other life details. Drogba answered everything truthfully. Derek immediately evaluated his eating and sleeping habits and corrected some less ideal ones.
Finally, Drogba saw his data being compiled into a set of records on the computer. The laboratory also input the test results sent from the Royal Hospital, seemingly creating a comprehensive file for all his information.
Before leaving, Professor Fryer even hoped that Drogba could bring his previous injury reports and detailed hospital data from his foot injury in France when he returned to the club.
"What's the use of so many examinations, Professor?" Drogba asked curiously.
Fryer chuckled and said, "This can help you avoid injuries, and at the same time, allow you to perform better, jump higher, and run faster. Would you say it's useful?"
(To be continued.)