Godfather Of Champions

“I know what you’re thinking,” Keane snickered. “It doesn’t make someone a ‘man’ just because of that something extra. There are countless sissies and cowards with two balls in the world but that does not make them a man. What’s a real man? It’s someone who always demands the most of himself. He’s brave, strong, optimistic, cheerful, confident, and knows humility. He can inspire people around him and be their role model. He can make countless young kids aspire to become like him. In my opinion, Pearce is a man. He’s so perfect that I cannot find any fault in him. A proud person like me was willing to obey him, listen to him, and try to be like him.”

Keane’s words echoed in the bathroom.

“So, a captain must first be a man himself. If not, he must at least strive to become a man and let himself become an example to all. It’s not enough to merely help others out of trouble. Anyone can compete against the opponents on the field.” Keane clenched his fist. “But it’s not a competitive and hard player who can become a captain. Do you think I became the Manchester United captain because I dared to fight others? Being a role model is not the same as being a backer of your team. The latter will only let your men be dependent on you. Cowards will still be cowards, nothing will have changed. The former can make them want to be you and let those cowards and sissies want to strive to be a man. It’s useless if you’re the only one who is a man. A flock of sheep led by a tiger cannot defeat an ambush of tigers led by a tiger. Do you understand what that means?”

Wood nodded.

“You’re very lucky, kid, luckier than I was at your age. You do not have to transfer to a big club to get glory or money now. You have a terrific manager and a group of very good teammates. That Italian, Albertini, is a very good captain, but he will get old one day, retire, and leave you and the team. That’s when you need to become the captain who will lead your players. At that point, dozens of pairs of eyes will look at you… No, tens of thousands of pairs of eyes will look at you, because you are the captain of Nottingham Forest. You will represent this team and shoulder all their expectations and responsibilities. You have to be their role model in order to be able to lead them to victory. Pressure? The person who cannot withstand that kind of pressure is not a man, nor does he deserve to be captain. For a coward, the captain’s armband will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. For a real man, that’s exactly what he should do.”

Due to the unique environment of the bathroom, Keane’s every spoken sentence was amplified several times. It surged in Wood’s eardrums and pounded in his heart.

“You don’t have a goal to play football? You feel lost? You’re worried you can’t be a good captain? Are you tired of facing what you have to face after becoming the captain? Do you think that as long as you practice hard in your usual training to be able to tackle your opponents, that makes you a good captain? Kid…” Keane snorted. “You’re still not a man.”

With the sound of splashing water, Keane stood up from the pool.

“First, don’t think about being a captain or your goal for playing. Strive to be a man first.” He stepped out of the pool and walked past Wood towards the door.

“Oh, that’s right. I heard that you have a bad temper. Have you ever thought about changing that terrible impulsive temper of yours?”

Wood was startled for a moment and then shook his head.

Keane smiled. “That’s good. Don’t change it. If you change yourself, you’re not you anymore. But if you always get penalty cards because of your impulsive temper, your manager will still get frustrated. I want to give you a piece of advice. Care to listen?”

Wood nodded.

“I used to be a bad-tempered person. I still am. But before, I used to reflect on my mistakes after I hit someone, and now I will consider before I start.”

Keane got dressed and left the locker room. George Wood was still standing under the shower, letting the water flow over him.

※※※

Michael Kennedy waited in the parking lot for Keane as usual.

“Can we go to Glasgow now?”

“Yes, I’m done here.”

※※※

The next day, various media outlets published this message:

The former Manchester United captain, the Irish midfielder Roy Keane, had signed an eighteen-month contract with the Scottish Premiership team, the Celtic Football Club. For the 34-year-old Keane, this would be his last contract as a player in his career. To be able to end his career in this favorite club of his childhood, Keane had lowered his salary requirements. His weekly salary of 90 thousand pounds in Manchester United had dropped to 45 thousand.

At the same time, the invitations that Keane had rejected included those from Nottingham Forest, Everton, Bolton Wanderers, and other Premier League clubs, as well as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and many other European powerhouse clubs.

On the same day, a public thank-you letter from Roy Keane appeared in the English media, which contained a vague explanation of his departure from Manchester United: his disagreement with the assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz. Certainly, it was mainly to show appreciation. Keane thanked Noel McCabe, the old Nottingham Forest football scout for discovering him at the beginning of his career and his former Nottingham Forest manager, Brian Clough. He expressed his gratitude to the first excellent team captain, Stuart Pearce, whom he had met during his career. He gave thanks to his old Manchester United teammates whom he had fought alongside with but had now retired, the teammates who were still currently in Manchester United and those who had left Manchester United but were still playing on other teams. He expressed thanks to Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who had helped Manchester United win the 1999 Champions League, and David Beckham, who made the world adore Manchester United. He thanked the football club managers who had sent him warm invitations and offered him contracts with sky-high prices after he ended his contract with Manchester United. He was grateful to the Nottingham Forest Football Club for providing the use of its training base to keep him in shape and maintain his condition. He also thanked his agent, Michael Kennedy, his parents, his wife, and his children. Finally, he thanked Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager who had had the deepest influence on him and had helped him the most during his career.

“Without you, there would be no Roy.”

There was no mention of the name Tony Twain in the entire thank-you letter.

Twain thought of what Keane had said:

But I’m not going to say his name. I don’t want him to be too pleased with himself.

“This heartless bastard….” Looking at the photograph of the man holding the Celtic jersey in the newspaper, Twain shook his head and smiled. “I wish you all the best, Roy.”