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Chapter 329: New Heights and New Challenges

London fans were proud.

In this year of English football, the spotlight was completely off Liverpool and Manchester. Three domestic trophies were up for grabs, with Arsenal claiming two and Millwall snatching one. Millwall also reignited the highest prestige of European competition by bringing home the Champions League title, while Chelsea repeated their Cup Winners' Cup victory from last year.

London was not just the focus of English football; it stood as a beacon for European football.

This had Fleet Street arrogantly declaring that English football was back on top!

After a week-long celebration featuring parades, fan interactions, and a grand homecoming, the players finally packed their bags to head home, with some going directly to join their national teams for the World Cup in France.

Meanwhile, Millwall's management wasn't quite on holiday yet. CEO Adam was busy liaising with sponsors—not only was he renewing old contracts, but new sponsors were clamoring at the door. It was conservatively estimated that Millwall would have over twenty commercial partners before the new season began, with sponsorship income expected to double from the previous year.

New sponsorship deals for the team's chest ads were already lined up. Standard Chartered outbid all competitors, and PUMA renewed their shirt sponsorship with a contract that doubled in value.

Millwall was thriving, with their stellar sporting performance driving commercial growth, while their relentless promotion efforts coupled with their impressive achievements began to yield great returns.

The number of official registered members had already exceeded three hundred thousand. The club was receiving inquiries from fan organizations in other countries, eager to establish foreign branches recognized by Millwall.

This year is the year of the World Cup. As a famous figure in football, Aldridge does not want to stay in England, especially London. He knew he would receive constant attention -invites to various programs, requests to commentate live, and endless post-match interviews. While the major newspapers had enough sense to not cling to him like a sticky band-aid, the tabloids were relentless. Those paparazzi would keep bothering him until he uttered a few words, and before he knew it, they'd be back the next day with the same old tricks.

Carter invited Aldrich to Switzerland for a summer trip. After some thought, Aldrich agreed, but he was yet to leave. It would be a group trip, and Aldrich intended to bring some friends along.

At the Leo training center, the youth team had no summer break, but the training was slightly less intense.

Some homesick players were granted leaves to visit their hometowns.

Aldrich and Andrew stood on the chilly pitch, watching a 7-vs-7 half-field scrimmage.

The way the young players looked at Aldrich had completely transformed.

What had once been respect had turned into a kind of reverence.

Aldrich couldn't quite understand why younger kids like Aguero, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo found him intimidating.

It was likely his recent Champions League win had elevated his status as a coach significantly, leading them to view him with a healthy dose of fear.

On the pitch, a batch of U15 youths were playing. After the World Cup, they would represent Millwall in the inaugural Millwall Charity Cup, with 13-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo and 15-year-old De Rossi as their key players.

Watching Ronaldo play was both exciting and frustrating.

Ronaldo was incredibly dominant in training, fearless and eager to take the spotlight. His abilities far outclassed those of his peers, allowing him to train with the U16 squad.

However, he had many habits to correct.

One of them was his tendency to play his own game.

In layman's terms, he often tried to go solo, charging forward with the ball, breaking through defenders, only to pass to a space when cornered. Unfortunately, his teammates frequently failed to anticipate his pass, making them unable to connect. When this happened, Ronaldo would loudly express his frustration, claiming his teammates weren't keeping pace with him.

This phenomenon was gradually changing, aided by Aldrich's decision to promote Ronaldo's training. His peers couldn't hold him back, but players aged two or three years older posed a different challenge, physically restricting Ronaldo's performance. He was slowly starting to realize that his playstyle was unsustainable and was beginning to adjust. At least during individual practice sessions with Meulensteen, he was more serious and diligent, often putting in extra work late at night.

Messi and Aguero were faring better. Their technical abilities were unquestionable, and their skills flowed more smoothly and cohesively than those of their peers. Being the youngest in the squad meant that the older teammates tended to look out for them, and they received the most support. They were well-regarded and often earned applause and praise during training. Occasionally, Aldrich would take them out for meals or shopping to help them acclimate to life in Europe, having moved from South America at such a young age; it was important to introduce them to the world outside the pitch.

When the players started to take a break, De Rossi ran over, drinking from a bottle as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Boss, are you going to watch the games this summer?"

"Which games? The World Cup?"

"No, the Charity Cup."

Aldrich shook his head. "No, I'll be traveling."

De Rossi looked disappointed. He was set to captain Millwall's team for the event.

Andrew chuckled from the side. "You aren't thinking that if he saw you play, he might promote you to the first team next season, are you?"

De Rossi scratched his head, saying, "Isn't that plausible?"

Aldrich rolled his eyes and chuckled without responding.

Of course, it was unlikely.

What could a 15-year-old contribute to the first team?

Playing in the Premier League would be a disaster; playing in the reserves would be even worse.

"Do you believe you can win?"

Andrew teased, his gaze fixed on De Rossi.

De Rossi frowned, pondering for a moment before replying, "I think it's possible."

He glanced back at his teammates.

Up front was that kid Cristiano Ronaldo.

In midfield, it was him and Yenass.

As long as they pressed their opponents, they should be fine.

After he walked away, Aldrich turned to Andrew and sighed, "When you were fifteen, were you this arrogant?"

Andrew shrugged, smiling faintly.

"Have you given this enough thought?"

Sighing after being pressed, Aldrich offered a wry smile and said, "Looks like Millwall's supermarket is really going to open."

Andrew jumped in, "I actually think it's a good thing. These players have already achieved the club's highest honors, and after winning the league title last year, to be honest, their motivation might be questionable. Plus, selling players makes room for new ones—otherwise, why bother with the youth team? If they want to leave and you force them to stay, it'll just create resentment. You'll feel awkward having them around."

Aldridge stared at Andrew intently and retorted: "If I sell everyone, do we have to consider relegation next season?"

Andrew shot back, "Do you really need me to remind you about your ability to develop players?"

Starting the day after winning the Champions League, transfer offers from Europe's top clubs began flooding into Millwall.

Who was on the shopping list?

Even Butt had three top-flight clubs vying for his signature, and all other players were linked with the real powerhouses.

The only players whose agents had firmly stated they would stay were Nedved, Larsson, Southgate, Schneider, Butt, Pirlo, and Makelele.

Aside from Shevchenko, who had planned to leave beforehand, three other players had made concrete decisions to depart—decisions, not mere thoughts, as those might have lingered in their minds for a while.

Trezeguet wanted to try his luck in Italy. He felt he had conquered England and was ready for new challenges in Serie A, the crucible for forwards.

Helguera's agent was his uncle. As a Spaniard, he wanted Helguera to wear the noble jersey of Real Madrid, and Helguera shared that intent.

Capdevila's reasons for wanting to leave were not competitive; it was his struggle to adapt to life in London. Besides playing football, he found little to occupy his time, feeling out of place and unable to cope with the city's weather. He yearned for the sun-drenched lifestyle of Spain. Aldrich was completely convinced of his reasoning, particularly since the club he proposed for a transfer was Deportivo La Coru?a, rather than the two powerhouses, Real Madrid and Barcelona, that were also pursuing him. If he was purely after a spot in a top-tier club, joining Madrid would only land him on the bench, with no hope of dethroning Roberto Carlos from first-team duties for at least five years.

One more player wanting to leave was Ballack.

He joined the club four years ago, but three years in, Pirlo had taken over the starting position. As Pirlo aged and maintained his physical strength, Ballack's playing time dwindled further.

Aldrich's preferred midfield trio of Makelele, Pirlo, and Nedved was functioning flawlessly, and Ballack was indeed only a substitute in Aldrich's plans. However, Ballack no longer wanted to be a backup in order to secure a quicker entry into the German national team.

He especially saw no natural path to becoming a starter, as Millwall's midfields were all in their prime. Pirlo was only twenty, and unless someone left or got injured, Ballack wouldn't likely secure a starting spot.

Aldrich felt no blame towards Ballack's thoughts, particularly after the latter had been upfront about his feelings during their talks.

Ballack wasn't someone with unrealistic ambitions; it was simply that Millwall boasted a strong lineup. He couldn't see a clear way to breakthrough, not due to a lack of talent but because Aldrich had a clear preference for Pirlo's creativity. With Makelele behind him for defensive support, there was no need for the playmaker to expend energy securing the defense. This approach—using offense to compress the opponent's attacking options—was, in itself, a more successful form of defense!

Transfers needed to be handled swiftly, but during a World Cup year, everything would have to wait until after the tournament. Aldrich aimed to suppress any transfer talk while preparing for the potential departures of these players.

Before the World Cup kicked off in France, Aldrich had one last destination to visit before heading on holiday.

Inside a business conference room of a hotel, long tables were set up with high-backed chairs at either end, each marked with an English letter. The first chair on the left was labeled "A," with neighboring chairs marked "B," "I," "J," and so on. In the center, two adjacent chairs were both marked "M."

As the conference room doors opened, people in sharp suits began streaming in. They stole glances at the letters on the chairs and took their seats accordingly. Among them, it was easy to spot Barcelona's representative sitting in the chair marked "B" and Ajax's representative settled into the chair labeled "A."

Names like Galliani, Moratti, Moggi, and Sanz filled the room—there were a total of 13 people present. However, next to the only vacant seat, Manchester United's Edwards frowned, staring at the letter on the chair: "M."

Had there been a mistake?

It should have been "L."

Liverpool.

As the thirteen waited, footsteps echoed from outside. They turned to see a young, striking blonde man striding in with his hands in his pockets. He confidently shut the door behind him and walked directly to Edwards, pulling out the chair next to him and sitting down.

Edwards stared in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost. "Aldrich-Hall! What are you doing here?"

Aldrich shrugged and replied, "What? So you'd rather see Liverpool's representative here instead?"

Edwards shot back, his voice sharp, "Millwall doesn't belong in a place like this!"

Aldrich simply smiled and said nothing.

Galliani remained unperturbed, saying, "Millwall is the champion team of England, and they've also won the Champions League. Their influence in European football over the last two years is undeniable."

Aldrich and Galliani exchanged knowing glances.

"No, no, no, Millwall isn't at our level yet," Edwards insisted.

Galliani sighed, "Well, let's put it to a vote."

After representatives from Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan raised their hands in agreement, the representatives from other clubs followed suit. While not everyone was on board—Barcelona notably disagreed—there were still ten votes in favor.

Aldrich turned to Edwards, who could only helplessly concede Millwall's place as a replacement for Liverpool at the meeting.

Aldrich scanned the room, noting the representatives from various powerhouse clubs. Some had been lobbied by Galliani, while others hoped to do business with Millwall, hoping Aldrich would persuade others to support him.

Regardless of everything, Millwall made it here. Whether or not they had the pedigree or background of the elite, at the very least, they were now playing the game alongside the big boys.

In the summer of '98, under the command of the charismatic Aldrich, the first generation of The Lions swept across Europe.

The G14 group was stirring, setting the stage for a battle against UEFA over the formation of the European Super League.

The England team, hailed as the "strongest in history" every time, went to France, but returned empty-handed again.

With less than two years to go until Lion King Stadium's projected completion date...

Volume Four: Champion's Throne - END

Volume 5: Prologue to the Dynasty