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Chapter 188 Moving
Renzo Pisano stood in the doorway, looking back at the room that had been completely emptied.

He transferred here when he was 26 years old and played here for seven seasons, but he has never bought a house and is still renting.

He rented this mansion with front and back gardens.

When he transferred here, he had just met his wife. Now they are married and have children here, turning their family of two into a family of four.

After a while, he almost thought he had bought the house himself...

Why didn't I consider buying this house back then?

Since I want to retire with FC Madrid, why didn't I buy the house?

Am I destined to leave Madrid?
Is this some kind of revelation from God?
"Honey, what are you doing?"

Pisano's thoughts were interrupted by his wife's call.

"Oh, let me check if I've forgotten anything," Pisano said, turning and walking out.

His wife and two children were already waiting for him in the yard.

Their luggage filled the trunk of a full-size SUV with the third-row seats folded down.

This car was provided by the sponsors of FC Madrid. They provide them with a brand-new model every season, and they can choose from any model under the same brand. He chose this largest model from the brand because he enjoys taking his family out for trips.

Now that he has transferred and left, the car must be returned to the club.

It's true, you can't take anything with you when you die...

Pisano mentally scoffed.

Of course, he knew it was just a joke.

How could you possibly not be able to take anything with you?

He took with him all the medals and trophies he had won here.

In seven years, he has won four La Liga titles, three Champions League titles, three UEFA Super Cups, two Copa del Rey titles, four Spanish Super Cups, and countless "Man of the Match" trophies...

When he first transferred to FC Madrid, probably no one, including himself, could have imagined that he would win so many championships there and become a world-class midfielder.

After all, his first season with FC Madrid was marred by poor performance, earning him a place among the "Top Ten Flops of the Year" by the Madrid media...

It's quite interesting to think that before playing for FC Madrid, Pisano had already won the Serie A Midfielder of the Season award.

However, such honors and history do not work for FC Madrid.

He still remembers when he joined the team, he was led by club president Pablo Dominguez to visit the FC Madrid trophy room. Facing those gleaming, densely packed trophies, Dominguez said to him:

“Lenzo, FC Madrid is different from other teams, and I hope you understand that.”

At the time, he did not understand why the Chairman had emphasized this sentence.

It wasn't until he was booed by Madrid FC fans at home for his poor performance that he realized how different this club was...

Previously, whether in Argentina or Italy, he would receive praise and recognition whenever he performed well.

But in Madrid, outstanding performance is taken for granted because everyone here believes that only the best players in the world deserve to wear the FC Madrid jersey.

He may be trying to win over the most demanding fans in the world.

He didn't know if he had conquered this place, after all, he still couldn't retire here. Perhaps this goal was too difficult, even his predecessor, the world's best midfielder Gonzalo Miguel Brando, couldn't achieve it - he once led Spain to victory in the 2030 World Cup, but at FC Madrid, he could only leave at the age of thirty-four, returning to his hometown team and eventually retiring.

Pisano once thought he could become the first player to retire at FC Madrid in 15 years, and if he hadn't been injured, perhaps he really could have.

Now he can only go to England, just like his predecessors, dedicating the best years of his career to this great club before leaving after his peak.

They are like bricks, and the glorious history of FC Madrid is built from these bricks. But bricks are also the easiest to replace, even if you are a gold brick.

“Always remember, Renzo, no one can be above the name ‘Madrid FC’, not even me, the club president.”

What the Chairman said to him after that visit.

He did remember it.

So what else is there to say? To leave not as a "flop," to leave his mark on the glorious history of this great club—that's already quite an achievement…

He is destined to be just a grain of sand in the long history of this great club, and should not expect to be "the special one".

Filled with emotion, Pisano walked toward his wife and children.

The children were carefree and dreaming about life in England. For them, the move was like an adventure, full of unknowns, which made them very excited.

His wife looked worried: "I don't know if I can adapt to the weather and food in England..."

“We can manage cooking for ourselves, but the weather is definitely a problem. However, the experience of Majesty and his wife might be able to help us. They also had a lot of trouble adjusting at first…” Pisano comforted his wife, putting his arm around her shoulder.

If we were to pinpoint who he felt most sorry for in his decision to go to Tyne, it would be his wife.

For professional players of his age, they often can't just think about their career dreams; family factors become very important.

The weather in England is bad enough, let alone in Newcastle, which is further north.

When he first told his wife about his idea, she even thought Newcastle was a "bitterly cold place" where snow fell all year round and the north wind was howling.

So he could have easily refused Tyne's invitation on the grounds of family, but why did he eventually agree to go to England?

Perhaps there's still a bit of resentment...

At the very least, he wanted the world to know that he wasn't washed up and that he still had fuel in the tank, just like Wang Lie... Although he didn't expect to be in Wang Lie's form when he was thirty-eight, he was only thirty-three years old now!
So why not go somewhere that needs you?
Even if it is truly a "bitter and cold place".

"Let's go, darling. Maybe it won't be long before we're back in Madrid?"

His wife was surprised: "Didn't you sign a three-year contract with Tyne?"

Pisano shook his head and laughed, "I didn't say anything about a transfer."

"then you……"

"Have you forgotten? The Champions League final this season will be held in Madrid."

"Huh?" The wife didn't react.

Pisano didn't offer any further explanation, but instead smiled and walked towards the driver's seat.

Seeing their father approaching, the two children, already in the car, excitedly shouted, "The captain's here! Sailors, raise the sails!"

"Raise the sails! Raise the sails!"

"Attention! We are about to set sail! Destination—Newcastle, England!!"

"Departure! Takeoff!"

Pisanola opened the car door, turned back to his wife who was still standing there, and nodded: "Did you hear what the children said, darling? Set sail, let's go." ※※※

Richard Burton turned to look at Sonny Dean, who had opened the passenger door, sized him up, and then frowned. "Hey bro, we're going to a party. Did you dress this plainly when Tyne went to parties too?"

Before Dean could answer, he suddenly realized, "Oh, I remember now, Wang Ke is in Tyne... Haven't you been to any parties in six months?"

Sonny Dean, who climbed into the car and sat in the passenger seat, retorted, "Nonsense, we partied all night in the King's yard when the season ended."

Bolton laughed loudly, "Did he serve you boiled chicken breast and broccoli?"

Dean shook his head: "No, it was normal food, and they even provided alcohol. But Wang himself didn't drink it."

Bolton was somewhat surprised: "I thought he'd drag you guys into a few scrimmages... He actually allowed you to drink in front of him?"

"The season's over, bro. The season's over, and we even qualified for the Champions League, isn't it normal to let loose a little?"

Bolton shook his head. "If we qualified for the Champions League, we'd celebrate even more wildly. But man, that's the king! Everyone knows how much he hates unprofessional behavior... You forgot about that time he removed the sponsor's beer from his press conference? He doesn't even allow alcohol in his sight..."

“Of course I remember that. But I did drink at the party that night, quite a lot… and Wang didn’t kick us out of his yard just because we drank,” Dean explained. “I don’t know why Wang would do that, but that’s just how he is. You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?”

"When the king allowed you to drink, didn't any of you find it strange and raise it with him?"

"Wang said that since the season is over and everyone has secured Champions League qualification, they can relax for one night. Of course, he also said that it's only for this one night..."

"My God! Why do you speak so matter-of-factly? If it were me, I would find it unbelievable that the king would simply make such an announcement!"

When Dean heard Bolton shouting exaggeratedly, he initially thought his friend was just faking it.

But he soon discovered a "blind spot"—that's right, why did everyone cheer when Wang announced that we could drink tonight, but no one found it unbelievable?
He carefully recalled the half-season he spent with Tain and Wang Lie, and then realized that Wang Lie didn't seem to be the way he had previously thought or imagined.

Perhaps it's because the current king is different from the previous king, or perhaps it's because he never had contact with the previous king and doesn't know whether the king has changed or whether the rumors describe a different king...

So he told Bolton, "Perhaps too many of the rumors about him in the past were untrue... Let's stop talking about him, I'm a Kensington player now."

"Speaking of which, are you regretting it now? If you had stayed at Tyne, you could have played in the Champions League next season. Now you can only play for Kensington and play in the Europa League..."

"It's alright, Richard, I came to London to help you qualify for the Champions League next season!"

Dean's words were very domineering, but they made Bolton laugh: "Why does it sound like the person sitting in the passenger seat isn't Sonny Dean, but that 'China Wang'?"

Dean was stunned.

Bolton, seemingly oblivious to his friend's subtle change, laughed and patted Dean's thigh, saying in a teasing tone, "So let's welcome Sonny Dean to his loyal Kensington today!"

Richard Bolton and Sonny Dean are the same age and have been roommates since the England youth national team, and they have a very good relationship.

In fact, Dean chose to come to Kensington because his friend Burton kept urging him to.

Dean has been in London for a week, and Bolton has been taking care of him, helping him find a place to live, going to training sessions with him, and even organizing a party to help Dean adapt to the new team as quickly as possible.

Thanks to Tobolton, Dean has quickly become familiar with his new teammates despite only being with the team for two days.

Realizing that his friend had taken his words as a joke, Dean didn't explain that this was indeed his real purpose.

He'll prove it with his actions, anyway.

Just then, he received a phone call from his mother.

“Sonny, someone wants to rent your house in Northumberland…”

He asked, "Who wants to rent it? Vitini?"

"No. A man about my age, speaking English, but with a Southern European accent... Do you want to rent it?"

Southern European accent?
Dean thought that it probably had nothing to do with Vitini.

So he said to his mother:
"Rent it, rent it. The house will fall apart if no one lives in it."

After hanging up the phone, Bolton, who had been driving, asked him, "Why don't you sell the house?"

"I will still go back to Newcastle in the future."

"Why? Isn't London good enough?"

Sonny Dean looked out the windshield at the road ahead and said, “London is nice, Richard. But I grew up on the banks of Tyne; I’m a Newcastle native.”

※※※

Bruno Figueroa stood on the second-floor terrace, looking around, his phone in hand, making a call to his player Miguel Ribeiro.

“To be honest, Miguel, I’m not very satisfied with this house because it’s too big. It has two floors, five suites, and two rather large yards. You don’t need such a big house if you live alone… How about we look in downtown Newcastle? There are many upscale apartments there, and it’s more lively and bustling…”

Ribeiro interrupted his agent on the other end of the phone: "But Tyne's training ground is in Northumberland. If I live in Newcastle city, I'll have to drive a long way to training every day. Besides, I came to Tyne to fight alongside the King and create great things. What does a busier, more prosperous city have to do with me? No, Bruno, I want to live in Northumberland. I want to be closer to football. As for the size of the house, that's not a problem. Do I need to take care of such a big house and yard?"

"No need for that... Alright, if you insist, then I'll sign the contract with the real estate agent."

"I insist! As long as I'm close enough to football, I'd be willing to live in a stone palace!" Ribeiro declared firmly and loudly on the other end of the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Figueroa turned his gaze to his neighbor's house.

The two houses have their backyards right next to each other, separated by a wall that isn't very high, but there's no need to worry about privacy.

Because both courtyards are very large, from here you can see that the building opposite is probably fifty or sixty meters away.

He squinted, as if he could see a few glittering spots scattered in the lawn of his neighbor's yard.

Out of curiosity, he picked up his phone again, opened the camera, switched to the telephoto lens, and aimed it at the flash points.

Then, to my surprise, I discovered that they were actually several soccer balls!
Considering that Tyne's training base, Northumberland Football City, is located in this small town, and many of Tyne's players live here, could it be that one of them lives next door?
If his future teammates really live next door... then this house is a good choice; it might help Ribeiro integrate better into his new team.

With that thought in mind, Figueroa no longer hesitated, turned around and went back into the house, ready to sign a contract with the real estate agent who was waiting for him to rent the house.

Negotiations between Tyne and Milan City are nearing completion. Despite Ribeiro's strong desire to join the club, Milan City respected the player's personal choice.

As long as the two clubs can reach an agreement, the remaining personal terms will not be a problem at all.

After all, Ribeiro didn't care about anything else once he heard he could play football with Wang Lie...

To minimize Ribeiro's adjustment period, his agent had to arrive early to arrange accommodation. This way, once Tyne and Milan officially announced the transfer, Ribeiro could stay directly in Northumberland instead of spending a month in a hotel in Newcastle.

With everything seemingly settled, Figueroa still couldn't be sure if Ribeiro's choice was the right one.

Giving up a starting position at AC Milan, a strong contender for the Serie A title, to join Tyne, a Champions League newcomer... many believe Ribeiro made a mistake in his career planning.

As his agent, Figueroa was actually not optimistic either.

But then again, what can you do when Tyne gave so much?
To offer them a signing bonus of 50 million euros even when it's not a free transfer, you can only say that those people with money wrapped around their heads really do have money that seems to grow out of thin air. They treat money like it's nothing, just playing around!
He now understands why this team had such a bad reputation in English football.

Who the hell could stand playing like this?!
(End of this chapter)