Chapter 28: The Decision
The days after Wembley blurred into a haze of celebration and exhaustion. Southampton threw a parade. Leo stood on an open-top bus, the FA Cup in his hands, as thousands lined the streets. Grown men wept. Children screamed his name. Old women waved from windows. He'd never felt anything like it.
His mum rode the bus with him, clutching his arm, crying quietly. "Your father would have loved this," she kept saying. Leo just nodded, his throat too tight to speak.
The season ended with a whimper. Two league matches remained—a 1-1 draw with Everton and a listless 2-0 defeat to Newcastle. The players were spent, their bodies and minds still at Wembley. Leo scored in both matches, but it didn't matter. They'd already achieved the impossible.
Final league position: eleventh. Mid-table mediocrity. But the FA Cup sat in the St Mary's trophy cabinet, and that was all anyone cared about.
---
The morning after the season ended, Leo sat in his kitchen, staring at his phone. Mendes had called three times already. "Milan want to meet. In person. They're flying to London tomorrow."
Leo's mum sat across from him, a cup of tea growing cold in her hands. "You don't have to go," she said quietly. "You could stay. You're happy here."
"I know." He reached across and took her hand. "But Mum, I want to be the best. I want to win everything. I can't do that here. Not yet. Maybe not ever."
She nodded, tears welling. "I know, love. I've always known. I just... I'm going to miss you."
"I'll visit. All the time. And you can come to Milan. It's Italy, Mum. The food. The weather. You'll love it."
She laughed through the tears. "I don't speak Italian."
"You'll learn."
---
London. The Dorchester Hotel. 10:00am.
The suite was enormous. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Hyde Park. A table sat in the centre, surrounded by men in expensive suits. Leo recognized some of them from television—Adriano Galliani, Milan's vice-president, bald and bespectacled, a shrewd operator. Beside him sat Carlo Ancelotti, the manager, his eyebrow permanently raised in that curious way of his. And at the end of the table, quiet and composed, was Paolo Maldini.
Leo's breath caught. Maldini. The greatest defender of all time. A man who defined an era. And he was here, in this room, to convince a seventeen-year-old from Southampton to join his club.
Mendes sat beside Leo, calm and professional. "Gentlemen, thank you for coming."
Galliani spoke first, his English accented but clear. "Leo. We have watched every match you have played this season. Every goal. Every assist. Every moment of frustration when your teammates could not match your level." He paused. "You are special. We believe you can be the centrepiece of a new Milan. A new dynasty."
Ancelotti leaned forward. "I will be honest with you. We have many great players. Shevchenko. Inzaghi. Rui Costa. Seedorf. Pirlo. But we lack something. A player who can do everything. Score from anywhere. Create from nothing. Carry the team when others cannot. You are that player."
Leo nodded slowly. "What role do you see for me?"
"Trequartista. Behind the strikers. Free role. You drift, you create, you score. We build the attack around you."
Maldini spoke for the first time. His voice was calm, measured. "I have played with many great players. Van Basten. Gullit. Baresi. I know what greatness looks like." He looked directly at Leo. "You have it. But greatness needs the right environment. Milan is that environment. We will protect you. Develop you. Make you a legend."
Leo felt the weight of the moment. This wasn't just a transfer. This was an invitation to join football royalty.
Mendes asked about contract length, wages, bonuses, image rights. The numbers were staggering. More money than Leo had ever imagined. But that wasn't what mattered.
He looked at Galliani. "I have one condition."
"Name it."
"My mum. She comes with me. You find her a place to live. You help her settle. She's everything to me."
Galliani didn't hesitate. "Done. We have a team that handles player family relocation. She will be treated like a queen."
Leo looked at Mendes, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Then he looked back at Galliani.
"Okay. I'm in."
---
Southampton. Chloe's Flat. 8:00pm.
She opened the door before he could knock. "You're going to Milan."
"How did you—"
"I'm a journalist. It's my job to know things." She stepped aside. "Come in."
They sat on her small sofa, the television off, the flat quiet. Chloe didn't say anything for a long moment. Then she reached out and took his hand.
"I'm happy for you. Really. This is what you wanted. What you deserve."
Leo squeezed her fingers. "I know. But I'm going to miss this. Miss you."
She smiled, but her eyes were wet. "I'll visit. Milan's not so far. And I can write about you. 'My boyfriend, the Ballon d'Or winner.' Has a nice ring to it."
"Boyfriend?"
She shrugged, trying to be casual, but her voice trembled. "Is that... is that what we are?"
Leo leaned forward and kissed her. Soft. Slow. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed.
"Yeah," he said. "That's what we are."
She opened her eyes and laughed, a tear escaping down her cheek. "Good. Because I already told my mum about you, and she's very excited to meet the famous footballer."
"Your mum knows about me?"
"She's Nigerian. She knows everything." Chloe wiped her eyes. "Go to Milan. Become the best player in the world. And call me every day, or I'll write a very unflattering article about you."
Leo grinned. "Deal."
---
St Mary's Stadium. The Farewell. 14th May 2002.
Gray had called a team meeting. The players gathered in the changing room, the same room where Leo had sat as a 48-rated nobody nine months earlier. Now he stood at the front, his teammates watching him.
"I'm leaving," he said. "Milan."
A murmur went through the room. Beattie nodded slowly, as if he'd expected it. Davies looked at the floor. Marsden just smiled sadly.
"We knew this was coming," Beattie said. "You're too good for us, mate. Always were."
Leo shook his head. "I'm not too good for you. You're my teammates. My friends. You helped me become who I am." He looked around the room. "I'll never forget this season. Never forget any of you."
One by one, they came up and shook his hand. Hugged him. Wished him well. Gray was last. He pulled Leo into a rough embrace.
"You're the best player I've ever coached," he said, his voice thick. "Go to Milan and show the world what I already know."
Leo nodded, unable to speak.
He walked out of St Mary's for the last time as a Southampton player. The car park was empty, the stadium silent. He looked up at the red and white stands and remembered the roar of the crowd, the songs, the banners. CARTER 27 - KING OF THE SOUTH.
He would never forget this place.
---
Milan. San Siro. 1st July 2002.
The stadium was bigger than he'd imagined. Eighty thousand seats, towering stands, the famous towers rising into the Italian sky. Leo stood on the pitch in a black suit, a red and black scarf around his neck. Thousands of fans had come just to watch him sign a piece of paper.
The press conference was a circus. Cameras flashed. Journalists shouted questions in Italian and broken English. Galliani sat beside him, beaming. Ancelotti stood in the back, arms folded, that curious eyebrow raised.
A journalist near the front raised her hand. Chloe. She'd flown in that morning, her press credentials hanging around her neck, a professional mask on her face.
"Leo," she said, her voice steady. "You've achieved so much already. FA Cup winner. Premier League's top young player. Now you're at one of the biggest clubs in the world. What's next?"
Leo looked at her and smiled. Not a footballer's smile. A real one.
"Everything," he said. "I want to win everything. The Scudetto. The Champions League. The Ballon d'Or. And I want to do it here, with this club, with these fans. This is just the beginning."
The room erupted in applause. Chloe smiled back at him, a private smile hidden behind her professional facade.
Later, after the cameras had left and the journalists had filed out, she found him in the tunnel.
"Nice answer," she said.
"I meant it."
"I know." She reached up and straightened his scarf. "You look good in red and black."
"Better than red and white?"
"Different. But good." She kissed his cheek. "Go be great, Leo Carter. I'll be watching."
She walked away, her heels clicking on the concrete. Leo watched her go, the San Siro empty and silent around him. This was his new home. His new stage.
The system flickered in his vision.
[New Club: AC Milan.]
[Competitions: Serie A, Coppa Italia, UEFA Champions League.]
[New Objective: Win the Scudetto.]
[Reward: 2,000 Charm Points, +5 OVR Rating, Legendary Talent Token.]
Leo smiled. A new chapter. A new challenge.
He was ready.