⚽ Football Reborn: The Manager from the Future
Chapter 22 – Northern Thunder: Haaland's Hammer Falls in Oslo
The wind off the fjords had bite, even in July. Oslo lay draped in silver fog as Ethan Ray stepped off the private jet. He adjusted his coat collar and looked up at the slate-gray sky.
🧠 AI ACTIVE
Target: Erling Braut Haaland
Age: 12
Height: 5'8"
Current team: Bryne FK U13
Tournament: Norwegian Regional Youth Showcase
Location: Valle Hovin Stadium
Risk Level: EXTREME – Syndicate scouts confirmed on-site
Urgency: Code RED
He glanced at Greg, who was reviewing a briefcase of encrypted recruitment contracts. "We're late, aren't we?"
Greg nodded grimly. "The Syndicate has a mobile unit embedded as a sponsor for the showcase. Fake gear company. Norwegian front."
"So we walk into a trap."
"No," Greg said, locking the briefcase. "We walk out with Haaland."
Valle Hovin Stadium buzzed with the chaos of teenage talent. Dozens of scouts lined the fences. Drones flew overhead. Local fans filled the bleachers with flares, flags, and Viking chants.
But none of that mattered.
Because Erling Haaland was on the pitch.
Even at 12, he was a monster. Towering over his teammates, his blond hair slicked with rain, he moved like a creature born to break records. His first touch was thunder, his second a blur. In the opening ten minutes, he scored twice—once from a bullet header, and once by shoulder-charging a defender off the ball like a Norse god and curling it past the keeper with his weaker foot.
Ethan's AI fed him real-time metrics:
Sprint Speed: 31.4 km/h
Shot Force: 64.2 km/h
Aerial Win Rate: 93%
Adrenal Response: Neutralized stress during penalty scenario
"Good lord," Ethan muttered. "He's not just fast. He's inevitable."
As the match ended, a tall man in a dark trench coat moved toward Erling with surgical precision. The AI confirmed it: Syndicate Agent 7X—codename "Bishop."
"Intercept now," the AI warned. "Bishop uses persuasive neuro-linguistics and meta-contractual traps. The boy's father is susceptible."
Ethan moved quickly.
He cut across the field, flashed his credentials at the security, and reached Haaland as Bishop extended a silver envelope.
"Erling," Ethan said calmly, stepping between them, "I've been waiting to meet you."
The boy looked surprised—but not scared.
"And who are you?"
"Someone who believes you're the final piece of a dynasty."
Bishop interjected in fluent Norwegian. "Ignore him. He's offering dreams. I'm offering power."
Ethan didn't flinch. "Power with chains."
He turned to Erling's father, Alfie Haaland, a former professional footballer with sharp eyes and a cautious stance.
"Your son is one of a kind. But he won't grow in a cage. I'm building a future that's earned—not bought."
Alfie frowned. "What's the name of your project?"
"Darlington."
Alfie blinked. "The English fifth-division club?"
"Not anymore."
In a side room under the stadium bleachers, Ethan opened the tablet and showed Alfie the impossible.
Training footage of Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Mbappé, and Jude Bellingham, all aged down, in tactical drills, AI-assisted development graphs, and game simulations.
He finished with a final screen: a Ballon d'Or projection chart.
2029: Jude Bellingham
2030: Mbappé
2031: Erling Haaland
Projected win margin: historic
Alfie turned to his son.
Erling's eyes were glowing.
"Papa," the boy said in Norwegian, "this is where I belong."
Outside, Bishop watched the room from the parking deck. His earpiece crackled with static before the Syndicate handler's voice cut in:
"Did we lose him?"
Bishop's jaw tightened. "Worse. He chose them."
Back on the jet, Ethan watched as Haaland joked with Neymar and Ronaldo on a group call.
The chemistry was electric already.
"You play like a Viking," Neymar told him.
"I am a Viking," Haaland replied, grinning.
The AI pinged.
✅ PLAYER RECRUITED: ERLING HAALAND
Timeline stability: +18%
Formation potential unlocked: "Titan Spear" – Haaland central with Messi and Mbappé wide
Unlock Progress: 7 of 12
Pedri now targetable
But the AI didn't stop there.
It displayed something new.
A dark node pulsing on the corner of the hologram.
NEW INTEL
SYNDICATE INITIATING "PLAYER FRACTURE PROTOCOL"
Operation: Divide core by creating internal conflict
Projected Vectors: Jude Bellingham vs Haaland – ego clash
Ethan leaned back in his seat.
The war was changing.
Now, the Syndicate wasn't coming from the outside.
They were coming from within.