Chapter 903: The 2021 Summer Transfer Window in World Football
One day before the European Championship final, the Copa América ended early. Yossi led Argentina to a 1–0 victory over Brazil, finally winning the first major international trophy of his career.
For a moment, Argentine and Barcelona fans cheered together: Yossi had finally been crowned the King of Football!
In fact, CONMEBOL and Argentina had gone to great lengths in recent years to create a new "King." They couldn't control the World Cup, but they could manipulate their own tournament — the Copa América — in many curious ways.
In 2015, Argentina lost to Chile in the final, denying Yossi his national team breakthrough. Then, just a year later, they hosted another tournament, dubbed the "Centennial Copa América." Yet again, Yossi's former "brother," Alexis Sánchez, led Chile to another triumph over Argentina in the final.
Three years later, in 2019, the tournament returned — but Argentina failed even to reach the final.
Three unsuccessful attempts in four years tested everyone's patience, prompting CONMEBOL to try again. In April 2019, they announced that the next Copa América would be co-hosted by Argentina and Colombia in 2020, to align with the European Championship.
"If Argentina can't win it, we'll just host it over and over again — and let them be the home team this time. Surely they'll manage it now?"
Thus, an international tournament was bizarrely held four times in five years — a record for absurdity!
Fans even gave it a new nickname: "The Weekly Cup."
However, fate intervened. The pandemic struck, forcing a year-long delay and relocating the event to Brazil instead.
Time and venue could change, but destiny did not. In the fourth Copa América in six years, Argentina finally lifted the trophy.
Argentina celebrated, CONMEBOL rejoiced, and Yossi's fans around the world went wild: the "Coal King" had truly ascended to the throne!
Yet, just one day later, as Portugal secured the European Championship — winning all seven matches in dominant fashion — Yossi's coronation was somewhat overshadowed.
...
With both major tournaments concluded, the 2020–2021 season officially came to an end, and players began their vacations. Bruno was no exception, taking two weeks off as mandated.
By the time Bruno returned to Portugal for the victory parade, many European clubs had already begun pre-season training.
However, major clubs across Europe were heavily affected, as most had numerous international players involved in the European Championship and Copa América, many advancing deep into the knockout rounds.
By regulation, those players could not immediately return to training.
Manchester United, as the world's premier club, suffered the most from this absence.
The squad was filled with national team regulars — especially from Europe's footballing giants: Bruno Fernandes and João Cancelo for Portugal; Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, and Harry Maguire for England; Kylian Mbappé and N'Golo Kanté for France; İlkay Gündoğan for Germany; Virgil van Dijk for the Netherlands; and David de Gea for Spain.
All six nations reached the knockout stage, with Portugal, England, and Spain making it to the semifinals. Players from these teams began their holidays in mid-July and weren't expected back until late July or early August.
In total, over half of United's senior squad had played in either the Euros or Copa América. Only a handful — such as Riyad Mahrez, Diogo Dalot, Jude Bellingham, or veterans like Juan Mata — were available to return early.
As a result, Manchester United had to call up thirteen youth players just to form a 27-man temporary pre-season squad.
Given the pandemic restrictions and limited squad availability, the club decided to hold training entirely in England, facing only domestic opposition in their warm-up matches.
...
Bruno's vacation also took place in Manchester.
Liu Yimei brought their child to visit and congratulate him on winning the European Championship again, and Bruno once more enjoyed his idyllic days — one man, two women, complete domestic bliss.
During his quiet moments alone, Bruno reflected in his study. He believed that every man must learn solitude — those who cannot endure loneliness are not strong enough.
A truly great man, he mused, must be humble, grounded, and cautious.
He saw himself as exactly that kind of humble, quietly vigilant loner.
The next morning, Bruno was pushing a double stroller through the park while Liu Yimei and Vanessa had gone shopping together.
He made a small hand gesture to the nearby reporters, asking them not to disturb the children, then adjusted the shade over the stroller.
The photographers eagerly snapped away.
According to the media, Vanessa — Bruno's personal assistant — was good friends with Liu Yimei. With Liu now visiting her best friend in Manchester, and that friend being her husband's assistant, their close relationship appeared perfectly natural.
Premarital pregnancies were nothing unusual in the West, so no one questioned Vanessa's child's parentage.
Everything looked normal — the wife shopping with her friend, and the husband taking care of the kids.
Sometimes, transparency dispelled all suspicion; secrecy, on the other hand, only invited gossip.
...
A few days later, Bruno received a call from Cristiano Ronaldo and congratulated his national team captain once more.
On July 27, 2021, Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur officially announced the signing of the Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
At the same time, Juventus confirmed the deal on their website, finalizing the transfer.
Juventus' official statement read: "Cristiano Ronaldo joins Tottenham Hotspur for a transfer fee of €15 million, plus €8 million in performance-related bonuses, payable over five years."
They bid farewell to their superstar with a heartfelt message:
"Thank you, Cristiano. Your journey with Juventus has come to an end. Since July 10, 2018, two icons of world football shared a path — Cristiano Ronaldo became a Juventus player. Over three remarkable years, 133 appearances, 101 goals, and five trophies later, this chapter closes. Though our paths now diverge, the history written together will remain forever."
...
Cristiano had been seeking an exit from Juventus since March. His first choice was to return to Manchester United, followed by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain.
But over the months, each club declined in one way or another — including his two former homes, United and Madrid.
United, in their dominant form and with Bruno as the undisputed talisman, saw no reason to disrupt their balance. Ronaldo, unwilling to play second fiddle, also understood. United's management would need to be insane to replace a peak Bruno with a 36-year-old legend past his prime.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, were rebuilding and not interested in rekindling old ties. Even though three years had passed since Ronaldo's departure, President Florentino Pérez had no intention of reliving their complex relationship. With veterans like Raphaël Varane and Sergio Ramos already offloaded, signing back another aging star made no sense.
Barcelona, preoccupied with Lionel Messi's renewal saga, couldn't consider anyone else, while PSG and Manchester City showed brief interest before backing out.
For the first time in his career, the football king found himself with nowhere to go.
Then, out of nowhere, Tottenham — fresh off a disappointing season — emerged with serious intent. The deal was concluded quickly.
Cristiano signed a three-year contract to stay at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until 2024, when he would turn 39.
...
"Cristiano, I'm happy to face one of history's greatest players again in the same league," Bruno said. "I sincerely wish you all the best at Spurs."
"Thank you, Bruno," Ronaldo replied cheerfully.
Bruno had, in fact, played a minor role in the move.
After the European Championship, the two met privately. Cristiano expressed his wish to return to Manchester United and sought Bruno's support.
Bruno was honest: United didn't need him anymore, and he intended to keep his place as the team's number one star. There was no room for negotiation — even with someone he deeply admired.
Though disappointed, Cristiano respected Bruno's candor.
As he was leaving, Bruno suggested, "Why not consider Tottenham?"
With Harry Kane having joined Manchester United, Spurs lacked a reliable central striker. Neither Álvaro Morata nor veteran Radamel Falcao had met expectations.
Despite being past his peak, Ronaldo's Juventus form still proved he was more than capable of leading the line for a top club.
Previously, he would never have considered Spurs — a strong English club but not a true powerhouse. However, with Europe's elite closed to him, Tottenham became a realistic option.
So he agreed to let Jorge Mendes initiate contact with them.
...
When Tottenham learned that Ronaldo's agent had reached out — especially with Falcao's decline and Gareth Bale returning to Real Madrid — they could barely believe their luck.
Ronaldo, even past his prime, remained one of the best players on the planet. The previous season, he had scored 36 goals in 44 appearances for Juventus, winning the Serie A Golden Boot and becoming the first player ever to claim top scorer titles in England, Spain, and Italy. In the recently finished European Championship, he captained Portugal to another title and finished second in scoring with eight goals, right behind Bruno.
For Spurs, signing him was truly a "marriage far above their station."
With mutual interest on both sides, the deal was finalized smoothly. Tottenham offered a club-record salary of £300,000 per week and a three-year contract.
For Ronaldo, the move was not only about next year's World Cup but also about maintaining form for the European Championship three years later.
Both parties were highly satisfied with the arrangement.
When Bruno learned that Ronaldo had really joined Spurs, he was surprised. His suggestion for Cristiano to contact them had been a casual remark — he never imagined the move would succeed.
Fate truly works in mysterious ways. As Bruno mused, "The world is full of twists — sausage within sausage!"
(END CHAPTER)
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