[Football] Bad Boy Batty

"Bati, Batistuta! Listen to me, don't hang up the phone, we will not build a team around Messi, I promise you not!"

"You can't guarantee that. I know you, Pep. You always say Messi, Messi, Messi in the locker room. We are not as good as him. If he comes, you will definitely revolve around him every day and disrupt the dynasty team we have worked so hard to create to pave the way for him."

"No, Batistuta, that can't happen. It took us several years to get to where we are now. You know how hard it was for us. I will not allow that to be wiped out so easily."

"…I still don't believe you."

Guardiola tried his best to explain that Messi's joining was not a decision made by him alone, but was the result of many meetings and discussions at the club. If only his personal ideas, as the head coach, were considered, he would be more inclined to consider it carefully.

Messi is the best in the world, there is no doubt about that, but the problem is that he is 34 years old, and no team would be willing to destroy the newly formed dynasty to support a new veteran as the core, even if he is Lionel Messi.

not to mention--

People always grow old, the road of a professional player is only 20 years short, and the peak period is even shorter. Even if you don’t want to admit it, the glorious era of the La Liga duo has passed. Judging from the overall performance in recent years, it’s time for someone else to sit on the throne of the world’s best.

And that person was on the other end of the phone.

"Bati, you have to calm down and listen to me." Guardiola took the water handed by the sports director and moistened his throat. "I love you, I will not lie to you, you are not for sale, you are an iconic figure of Manchester City, everyone, even if they don't watch football, will think of you when they hear the name of the King of Manchester City. From your debut on the European stage to now, you are an indispensable part of us."

"Hmm..." Barty mumbled in a sticky voice, as if he was really moved. "Go on."

Oh my god! This little bastard!
Guardiola had a severe headache for a while.

I don't know if he was really upset because of Messi or if he was deliberately teasing him. Don't disbelieve it, that's Batistuta, he wants to have fun so he can pretend to be sad.

"You are 22 years old, at your peak. How stupid would anyone in the club have to be to let you give way to the 34-year-old Messi?" Guardiola said, pinching his nose.

"Oh, because I'm still young and still useful, right?"

"No, no, no, how could you think like that! These are two completely different things! We are not talking about the same concept!" Guardiola almost jumped up to explain, "Bati! Really, I talked to your godfather, you can think about it, if Messi's joining will squeeze your position and playing time, he will not agree and lend a helping hand."

"Oh..." Batty sneered, "It turns out that you are forced to be nice to me because of the pressure from my godfather."

Oh, God!
O merciful Jehovah!

Please save him!
"——I don't know what else to say, Batistuta, I have already told you everything in my heart." Guardiola was helpless and had no other choice. "Yes, I have to admit that Messi made me what I am. I met him when I just became a head coach. He helped me a lot. Without him, I wouldn't be who I am today. But Batistuta, that's in the past. The Dream Team III with Barcelona is a thing of the past. Now we have won all the games against Manchester City."

"Pep, I have a question." Batistuta said lightly, as if he didn't hear Guardiola's heartfelt words.

"Okay, you ask."

"If it was Messi who was 24 years old, or in his prime, who was going to transfer now," Batistuta paused for a long time. "Would you still want me?"

Guardiola wanted to reach down his throat, grab his vocal cords and rip them off.

what is this?
A problem more fatal than your wife and mother falling into the water at the same time!
The sports director, who had listened to the whole process, looked at Guardiola with sympathy. He patted Guardiola on the shoulder, stood up and walked to the window, expressing his helplessness with practical actions.

"That's impossible, Batistuta. I didn't know you were still a nihilist." Guardiola took a deep breath. "You just played the America's Cup with him. You know his situation. I swear, if he comes, you will not be affected. On the contrary, he will teach you a lot, and you will take fewer detours on the road to future transformation."

Batty responded with silence.

"...Okay, I will go and talk to the club again..." Guardiola let out a long sigh.

"No, why should we talk about it again?" Batty suddenly said, "I thought he didn't have a contract and was a free agent. There was no need to consider the transfer fee."

Guardiola touched his head: "Yes, but there are other issues to discuss, such as salary settlement... Wait! Batistuta?"

"what happened?"

"You mean you—"

"Well, of course Messi can come. You love him so much and even found so many reasons to make me eliminate my negative views of him. What else can I say?" Batistuta said with a sighing tone, "And you promised me, it's up to you to decide. I'm just a player, and I don't have the final say."

Guardiola didn't know how to answer this question.

"Oh, by the way, A-Kun also wants to renew his contract, so he can't have the number 10. I'm a little curious about what number he will choose." Batty's voice began to become a little strange. "On the day he signs, remember to tell me so I can prepare a gift in advance... Phew, cough cough, I have something else to do. I'll leave first. Bye."

Guardiola: …

Hearing the end signal from the microphone, the Catalan coach took a deep breath and lowered his head. God knows how much he wanted to grow hair and then pull it out.

Manchester City's sporting director walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulder again.

“You know what, Pep,” he said, trying not to laugh, “you just sounded like the ultimate jerk who’s cheating on his ex and trying desperately to explain to his current partner that you’re the most important and that I don’t love my ex at all.”

Guardiola: …
Guardiola: Where is my ventilator?
Elsewhere, in Batty's apartment, no one knew that he and Jolene were laughing so hard that they could hardly stand up from their expensive carpet.

and so--

Guardiola's guess was correct.

He was really tricked by the little bastard again.

……

At the same time, in the office of the Villa sports director, compared to Manchester City, the atmosphere here was like being poured with a thousand kilograms of magma. They never expected that the negotiations with Grealish would be deadlocked because of Messi and Griezmann.

Yes, Messi and Griezmann.

Before the end of the season, they met with the heads of Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, both of whom wanted Grealish. Villa was quite happy to watch them fight and drive up the price by the way, since they were all selling to competitors anyway, so of course the one with the highest price would win.

The result is 'poof', Messi became a free agent and was heartbroken by the exposed emails, so it is impossible for him to renew his contract, and Griezmann also announced that he would leave Barcelona.

So the two families that were originally fighting stopped at the same time.

This won't do. If they can't sell them, then Villa's plan to strengthen multiple positions and reach player transfer agreements with multiple teams in advance will be completely ruined.

It may even affect their reputation.

So Villa's sports director called someone again: "We've thought about it. The price and payment method can be discussed again. Can we talk about Jack again?"

……

With the arrival of the hot summer, all kinds of news are flying around during the opening of the European football transfer window, especially the Premier League, which has become a hot topic.

Once it was Messi and Ronaldo, now it is Batistuta and Mbappe; once it was Barcelona and Real Madrid, now it is Manchester City and Manchester United.

How can we not be crazy about the possibility of these four people reuniting next season.

However, these currently only exist in the discussions of fans on the forum. Batistuta doesn't care that much. He now needs to fulfill his responsibilities as a traveling captain.

Three days before Manchester City started pre-season training, at noon, he knocked on the door of his midfielder's home with a bouquet of roses.

If Messi really joins, he will inevitably squeeze the space of the original starting players. Guardiola promised that it would not be Batistuta, but he did not say who would share the time and space.

"So you are here to give me a vaccination?" De Bruyne sat back on the sofa and rarely put on Batistuta's most common lazy posture.

"Honestly, I don't care," he said.

Batty was surprised.

"How can you not care about this, Kevin?" He put down the flowers and sat down diagonally in front of De Bruyne. "You are our midfielder, and so is he. Pep always mentions him. Aren't you worried?"

"Why should I worry?" De Bruyne chuckled. "Do you think I can't compete with him?"

"No, I believe in your competitiveness." Batty understood what he meant. "Sorry, Kevin, I thought you would have concerns about this."

De Bruyne knew what Batistuta wanted to say, and he just wanted him to say it, instead of hinting or anything.

"What concerns?" he asked.

"——You know." Batty sat closer and put on a rather flattering look, "I don't want you to leave, Kevin."

"I won't leave." De Bruyne maintained his original posture and reached out to touch the corner of Batistuta's mouth, but just before the contact, he retracted his hand, "At least not now."

This feeling of uncertainty sucks.

Including the fingers that almost got caught, and the future that was left with no guarantee.

"What did you say?" Batty turned over and straddled his waist. "You want to leave?"

"I am waiting and watching for the time being. If my interests are damaged, both on and off the field, of course I may leave." De Bruyne analyzed without emotion, and did not express any expression of Batistuta's closeness. "I can still play. Trying for a season is nothing for me."

He did it on purpose.

This is what Batistuta did to him before, making him feel that he might leave, and the feeling of once having something but about to lose it is not pleasant.

"Kevin!" Batistuta held De Bruyne's face and closed the distance again. "You can't leave. They say I am the symbol of Manchester City, and so are you. We are supporting this dynasty, and you can't leave just when you have achieved something."

De Bruyne's goal is about to be achieved.

He took Batty's hand away, looked up, pressed the back of his neck, and looked into his eyes.

"You don't want me to leave?" De Bruyne asked.

"Do not want to."

"So - are you saying this to me as the captain of Manchester City, or as Batistuta himself?" De Bruyne asked again.

Batistuta did not resist the pressure from behind. He kissed De Bruyne on the corner of his mouth: "Does it make a difference?"

"Yes." The Belgian midfielder said seriously, "This is very important to me."

About 30 seconds passed.

"I don't want you to leave." Batty repeated, "At least now, it has nothing to do with the team. Batty himself doesn't want you to leave."

(End of this chapter)