"At that time, my father went to Brazil for vacation. But as luck would have it, he stumbled upon a kid absolutely wrecking everyone else on the court. When he called me and said, ’You won’t believe this kid,’ describing what he had seen, I immediately told him to bring the kid over. Honestly, I didn’t even think about it; my brain just screamed, Sign him before someone else does.
Of course, he would never tell her that the moment I heard the name Ronaldinho, he already knew who he was.
"And to be clear, it wasn’t me who first brought him to England. Nope, it was my father. But the moment he turned 16, I recruited him on the spot. Unlike Ronaldo, who had long been tracked and signed from Cruzeiro, Ronaldinho suddenly appeared on the scene while he was rising to prominence—and naturally, became a target for many."
"So Ronaldinho didn’t even have a contract before coming to England? He didn’t belong to any Brazilian club? He was just signed straight away? But he doesn’t have an EU passport, does he?"
Richard nodded, then shook his head as he recounted the details of the situation to Miss Heysen. By now, he had already figured out how to handle things.
Why bother with the meddlesome reporters?
There were several possibilities: a reporter seeking fame, someone harboring resentment toward him, Manchester City, or Ronaldinho. There was also the possibility that another club was trying to lure away some of City’s top talents. After all, stealing players from a rival was a guaranteed morale booster, especially for a team still growing.
"Hmmm... Big Four... scratch that," he muttered.
Wenger’s Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea—there was a probability, but not high. Ferguson’s Manchester United? They definitely wouldn’t resort to such tactics.
Despite having won the Premier League, Manchester City was not yet a big club; it was still on the rise. Regardless, Richard wanted his players to stay long enough to make their mark in the club’s history. If they put in the effort and stuck together, there was a good chance they could become legends.
As for the others? Let’s wait and see if they can win a trophy first.
If it really was another club, they probably saw Ronaldinho’s performance and, upon learning about his situation, quickly recognized an opportunity. Knowing of Ronaldinho’s Brazilian nationality, they discreetly sent someone to stir the pot. A cunning move—he knew they wouldn’t make waves directly; instead, they could use a middleman to plant the seed, letting the media frenzy take care of the rest.
"So what do we do now?"
"What else? Press conference!"
Richard and Miss Heysen left the office and immediately instructed staff to open the gate, allowing the media in front to cover the Maine Road press conference. As they stepped out, reporters surrounded them. Richard greeted them warmly.
The assembled journalists quickly fell silent, sensing that the City’s owner was personally handling the situation and was about to speak.
Richard maintained a calm, authoritative demeanor as he addressed them. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novelꜰire.net
"Ronaldinho’s eligibility to play has been fully registered with the FA. If you believe he doesn’t have the right to represent Manchester City or play in England, perhaps you should direct your questions to the FA."
"In any case, Ronaldinho will be competing for Manchester City for the next four years. He has a valid contract, and he will honor it. Beyond that, before the season began, we submitted the squad list and it was approved by the FA. And now, suddenly, you’re questioning Ronaldinho’s qualifications to play in the Premier League? How many games has he played so far? Do you doubt the FA’s decision? Please, don’t bother me or my players with this nonsense."
With that, he effectively passed the responsibility to the FA.
"Let’s see how they handle this situation."
Once he finished his statement, Richard stood up and, with Miss Heysen by his side, left the conference room, leaving the reporters exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves.
Some looked genuinely disappointed. These stringers covering the gossip didn’t care much about whether Ronaldinho was legitimate; they just wanted to catch a celebrity slip-up. If Richard had misspoken or lost his cool, such photos and headlines would have sold far better than anything about Ronaldinho.
But given that it was a slow news period for football, with little to cover outside of transfer market tidbits, who would bother writing such amicable articles?
With their hopes dashed, they turned their attention to the FA. It didn’t even take half a day for the FA to be put on high alert.
As the governing body of professional football, the FA was technically a private entity and largely unregulated, granting it vast power while simultaneously fearing public discord. Should societal pressure intensify, forcing government intervention into the FA’s affairs, it would be a nightmare scenario for everyone involved.
Though Wiseman hated Richard and his Manchester City, he was smart. All day, the FA scrambled to investigate Ronaldinho’s registration and found no discrepancies whatsoever.
That night, a spokesperson for the FA stepped forward to assert:
"Ronaldinho holds British nationality, and his service to an English club is entirely in accordance with FA regulations. Moreover, there are no transfer records for Ronaldinho because he didn’t transfer; he joined Manchester City as a free agent."
At Maine Road, Richard, watching in front of the TV, shifted focus onto the FA announcement.
Eager to appear efficient and transparent, the FA quickly issued a statement to deflect attention from their own purported failure, showcasing Ronaldinho’s registration documents, including his UK passport.
To the reporters, the message was clear: If you want to stir up trouble, go ahead! And if your questioning persists, take it up with the Immigration Office or UK Passport Office.
After all, the FA had no intention of verifying whether Ronaldinho’s citizenship was legitimate. The FA resembled a fortress, with powerful figures holed up inside, avoiding confrontation with external government entities while steadfastly resisting any attempts to breach their domain.
Even though several scandals in football had raised red flags for governmental scrutiny, they often fizzled out. The truth could obliterate professional football, harming England’s reputation far worse than any hooligan-related tragedies. This was an unspoken agreement shared among power brokers in professional football worldwide. No government dared touch football—not even during Thatcher’s reign. Rumors circulated that two versions of the Taylor Report existed, with the real one permanently sealed or even destroyed.
Consequently, the FA engaged in clever deflection, adopting an outward face of impartiality to ensure external focus shifted to governmental departments.
Relentless reporters returned to the Immigration Office and Passport Office for insights. Outside of information they couldn’t disclose, the official response was straightforward: Ronaldinho possessed UK citizenship.
If it had been in the past, Richard could probably never have registered Ronaldinho, since he had never been fielded as a representative of the Brazilian national team and therefore couldn’t meet the 75% participation rate in senior international matches. But Britain had opened the way for exceptional talent, and Ronaldinho’s case was special.
The Exceptional Talent Clause.
In England, this clause was part of the work permit system for non-EU footballers. It allowed a club to sign a non-European player who would not normally qualify for a standard work permit, provided the player demonstrated "exceptional talent" or would make a significant contribution to English football.
Did scoring all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory in the 1997 U-17 Futsal World Championship not suffice?
Manchester City applied to the Home Office, providing evidence of Ronaldinho’s achievements, international caps, performance stats, and potential contribution to English football.
With Richard’s personal endorsement, if the transfer had been blocked because of a work permit issue—despite all three parties (the two clubs and the player himself) having no problems with it—he would have been enraged.
Upon hearing this, the reporters felt deflated. Angry thoughts flooded their minds: Who started this mess? They had been made to look like fools!
The issue was finally cleared, but the next day Richard held an urgent meeting with City staff. He realized how lucky he had been. If he hadn’t been thrown off by the reporters’ ruckus when he stepped out to go to work, he might have forgotten his original intention of assisting Ronaldinho’s family with their investment and immigration matters.
Be it the FA, UEFA, or FIFA, they all belong to the football sphere. If a player transfers from one club to another, their respective national associations govern it while FIFA oversees the larger picture. But when an entire family moves from one country to another, that falls outside football’s jurisdiction—they would avoid any interaction with government bodies.
Initially, he had invested over two million pounds in Ronaldinho, hoping for a smooth process without concerns.
Ronaldinho’s family immigrating? Who would even care? The FA? UEFA? FIFA? Even if they wanted to, would they dare stand against the UK government or the EU? As long as they didn’t come looking for trouble, Richard considered it a victory.
Regarding who financed Ronaldinho’s family, not even the FA would dare question that. Anyone attempting to stir that pot would face resistance from the UK government, eager to bolster the economy.
Millions in stable investment for one immigrant was more than welcome—a boon for the recovering strength of the pound. Who would foolishly challenge well-established policies?
Ronaldinho acquired his UK citizenship before joining Manchester City, meaning every step of the process was completely in line with regulations. This wasn’t a player transfer; Richard had more than enough grounds to stand firm on this issue.
As the storm settled, Richard placed a hand on Ronaldinho’s shoulder.
"Good. Now give me your best performance in Austria."
Time for Manchester City to face Sturm Graz in their third round of the Champions League Group C.