The New Journey Begins

On the evening of May 18, 1997, Millwall Club, having claimed the treble, paraded through East London on a bus to celebrate. Fans lined the streets, cheering enthusiastically.

The players, suited up, basked in the glory of the championship. For them, the season had ended, and this celebration was part of enjoying life.

But for another protagonist who was not present, the work was far from over.

In the Millwall community, Aldrich's apartment.

Ronaldinho, with tissues stuffed up his nose, was sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding half a watermelon and scooping the flesh into his mouth with a spoon. He was glued to the football news on the television.

That afternoon, amidst the ruckus of Millwall celebrating their treble, there was another piece of news that captured attention within the English football circle: King Cantona had officially announced his retirement this afternoon!

The football giant, who was just a week shy of turning 31, surprised everyone by choosing to say goodbye to the pitch at this moment. This not only caused a stir on Fleet Street but likely left the Manchester United locker room and their fans in shock as well.

Aldrich came downstairs, followed by two young men in work uniforms carrying a broken treadmill.

"We're taking this treadmill back to check it. If it's a quality issue, we'll replace it with a new one for you," they said before leaving Aldrich's apartment.

Aldrich closed the door and turned to Ronaldinho, complaining, "You're not even that heavy, how did you manage to break my treadmill? By the way, with the team on break, why aren't you out celebrating with the first team? If you want to train, just go to the youth academy."

Without turning around, Ronaldinho replied, "It's a bit far, and I don't know if anyone's there. Boss, your treadmill is way too fragile. I only ran for three minutes, and suddenly it just stopped, causing me to slam into the wall. My nose is still hurting."

Aldrich rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit helpless. Ronaldinho suddenly turned around and pointed at the TV, saying, "They say Cantona is a superstar. Why do I feel like he's not that impressive at all? He's been playing in England for six and a half years and scored fewer goals than Henrik did during his three years at Millwall."

Aldrich scratched his head and paused for a moment before saying, "Because you can't just see him as a striker. He's not only a key player for Manchester United but also their spiritual leader. His contribution goes beyond scoring goals or assists; it's about influencing the team's morale. Uh, this intangible effect is hard to measure with statistics. Why is he a superstar? Because not only is he a star himself, but he also helps his teammates become stars."

For a superstar like Cantona, his goal-scoring efficiency doesn't reflect his true value. The best way to gauge his impact on the team is to see how the team's performance fluctuates in his absence.

Millwall also has players like that—Nedved is one of them. His fighting spirit inspires his teammates, encouraging them not to give up in adversity and instilling a belief in others about fighting hard. This intangible quality is the most precious.

Of course, there are plenty of players in Manchester United's history who have scored more goals than Cantona and have been more efficient, and many have had longer tenures. However, when it comes to status, the King of Old Trafford is not just a name without substance.

Ronaldinho set the watermelon aside and stood up to stretch. He understood Aldrich's literal words but didn't grasp the deeper meaning.

What does it mean to "not only be a star himself but also help his teammates become stars?"

He didn't dwell on it, as it wasn't his concern. It was just a casual question.

He picked up his travel bag from the other end of the sofa and waved goodbye to Aldrich, saying, "Boss, I'm heading out. Don't worry about me."

Aldrich gave him a thumbs-up, encouraging him, "Go to the national team and perform well."

As Ronaldinho stepped out the door, he waved without looking back, saying, "Don't worry, I won't embarrass Millwall."

Aldrich chuckled to himself. Embarrass? If anyone's getting embarrassed, it's Brazil's face on the line.

Ronaldinho had been called up to the Brazilian national team for the summer's U-17 World Cup.

This summer, the U-20 World Cup is also coming, and many coaches are already gearing up to participate and identify talents. But he didn't plan to go because the locations were too far away, one in Africa and the other in Asia. Even the Confederations Cup is held in Saudi Arabia. Aldridge's plans this summer focus on Europe.

He returned to the gym to tidy up, especially cleaning the wall where Ronaldinho had slammed into it, blood from his nose splattered everywhere. Aldrich spent a good amount of time cleaning it up. By dinner time, he went downstairs and opened the fridge, scanning for something to eat. After reluctantly closing the fridge door, he sighed with a mix of laughter and frustration, "Ronaldinho, you little thief!"

The juice he had made that morning was gone when he expected to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, Ronaldinho was tossing the empty juice bottle into a garbage bin at the airport. He sneezed and then picked up his travel bag to board the plane, thinking, "Boss's juice was really tasty. I'll have to go back and try it again."

Aldrich rested at home for two days before jumping straight back into work.

Although the transfer window had yet to open, clubs with no personnel changes were already actively scouting new players.

Following their glorious treble from the previous season, the official Millwall website updated a player contract extension news each day—a tactic to keep the team in the news.

In reality, the contracts for the players had been renewed long ago. Some players signed five-year contracts, like Southgate, Larsson, Nedved, and Schneider. Others signed three- to four-year contracts, and a few players wanted shorter two-year deals, like Shevchenko, but Aldrich had flatly rejected that. After negotiations concluded, they settled on a three-year contract instead.

Two-year contracts offered nearly no binding power. After a year, the player would be half-free, and Aldrich would never wait until a player's contract was down to a year to consider renewing or selling. If a player was to be sold, he'd sell them early; if he was renewing, he'd want at least two years guaranteed, as he was focused on the club's long-term five-year plan.

If a player insisted on a contract of less than three years, Aldrich would immediately start thinking about a replacement.

The authority of the head coach must supersede that of the players, but players are also necessary for the coach to achieve their goals. So, in a way, players actually have the upper hand over the coach.

While Millwall was celebrating, Aldrich kept his concerns about the future and the current situation hidden away in his heart, such as pondering the future replacements for Trezeguet and Shevchenko.

Trezeguet was ambitious and had shown some hesitation when renewing in the summer, and Shevchenko had similarly expressed his desire to play in Serie A when Aldrich brought him in.

In this era, the best players were flocking to Italy, and it would be hard to shift Serie A's allure in a short time. This had nothing to do with Millwall's strength but was more influenced by the league's prestige.

In contrast, Larsson readily signed his name to a five-year contract, and the soon-to-be 26-year-old Swede wasn't without dreams; he was just more mature. He understood the power of teamwork better than inexperienced newcomers. His goal-scoring rate in the Netherlands could be deemed average, but upon arriving at Millwall, his scoring efficiency had soared, marking the peak of his professional career. He knew that being part of an excellent team suited him was far more beneficial than chasing after big clubs.

Stam's transfer brought Millwall £15 million, and two more players were confirmed to leave during the summer—both of which were forwards, Phillips and Tony.

On the night of the FA Cup victory on the 17th, Aldrich reached an agreement via phone with Peter Reid regarding Phillips' transfer.

Although Sunderland had been relegated, Reid's position remained stable, giving him ample space to rebuild his team.

Several clubs were interested in Phillips, with offers exceeding Sunderland's, but Aldrich ultimately persuaded him to join Sunderland.

He explained that Sunderland would build the team around him as a tactical core, providing him with a secured position. Furthermore, given his ability, playing in the Premier League shouldn't be a problem. However, since he wasn't a starter at Millwall and had limited appearances this season, it was better for him to adapt to the team in League One. Sunderland would give him that time, while other Premier League teams might not be as patient. Even if they offered higher bids than Sunderland, their commitment wouldn't be the same.

Ultimately, Phillips joined Sunderland for £3 million.

Tony was loaned to Martin O'Neill's Leicester City, a deal that was announced early so Tony could join Leicester City in the summer.

In this regard, Martin O'Neill appreciated Aldrich very much: either don't make a deal, but if you do, then get it done quickly.

Head coaches disliked dragging out transfers during the summer; it impacted their preparations and made everyone feel tense: Are the players coming or not?

By the end of May, Aldrich listened to the management's financial report for the last season at the club.

Millwall's revenue had significantly increased due to their treble win, but the limitations of their small stadium impacted ticket sales. Fortunately, broadcasting revenue and bonuses improved their financial situation compared to the previous summer, and they collected £18 million from Stam and Phillips, pushing their overall season revenue to over £50 million.

However, by comparison, Manchester United's operating income last season was unparalleled globally, approaching £60 million.

This was not counting the income and expenses from the transfer market.

When simply looking at operating income, even with Millwall's treble, they earned less than half of what Manchester United did, which made their success pale in comparison.

Next season, Millwall was set to make even more money, as they secured a spot in the Champions League, and a new broadcasting contract for the Premier League would come into effect.

The previous broadcasting deal was for five years, worth £191 million.

Starting in the summer of 1997, the new contract would be over four years, totaling £670 million.

This averages out to over £8 million per club per season, and Millwall could potentially earn broadcasting revenue just behind Manchester United due to their achievements and team influence, as well as the number of matches aired. The reason Manchester United made more than Millwall was simply because they had more fans and a stronger influence. On the other hand, Millwall wasn't falling behind in terms of performance and televised matches.

In Aldrich's eyes, the most challenging time for the team financially was now in the past. Moving forward, while he couldn't make significant star signings in the transfer market, living a more stable life was certainly on the horizon.

There were many reasons why he couldn't sign top stars; transfer fees were just one part of it. Wages were also a significant expense. For example, acquiring a top star might cost between £5 million and £10 million in transfer fees — a one-time payment. But what about wages? Millwall's highest weekly salary was £25,000, and only three players received that wage. If the stars he signed fell into the second tier, with a weekly salary of £20,000, and extended over five years, he would need to pay over £5 million just in salaries, and factoring in bonuses, possibly exceeding £6.5 million.

Aldrich felt that rather than spend over £10 million on a top star with no guarantee they would perform to their worth, he would rather invest that money into youth training and nurturing future talents.

This summer, the club's transfer budget was £15 million, and Aldrich planned to put all of it into youth training, launching his European talent scouting journey.