Chapter 742 - 667: Don’t Bother with Pippen, Go Straight for Jordan

Chapter 742: Chapter 667: Don’t Bother with Pippen, Go Straight for Jordan

The match ended 2-1.

Pioneer secured a valuable three points.

Batty opened the scoring. In the second half, Guo’an made some adjustments that created better opportunities for Crespo to operate up front.

In the 61st minute, Crespo twisted and turned before suddenly striking a low, flat shot to level the score.

Unfortunately for Guo’an, in the 78th minute, Albertini orchestrated an attack up front, engaging in a short passing combination with Batty and Kaginya. The play ended with Kaginya breaking through on a dribble to win a penalty.

Albertini took the penalty himself and buried it.

It was a good way to kick off his Pioneer career!

Guo’an pushed for a comeback, but time was running out. In the end, they regrettably lost the match.

But overall, it was an exciting match.

Guo’an’s midfield seemed a bit hesitant, but Crespo was a constant threat up front. His aggressive dribbling runs past defenders were a joy to watch on their own.

And Pioneer’s coordinated attacks were just as impressive.

Chen Yu rose to his feet and applauded the players.

’I have to admit, bringing Albertini here was absolutely the right decision.’

’He’s known as the midfield metronome, and his ability to control the tempo of the game is just incredible.’

’Before, Pioneer had the brilliant individual skills of Batty and Kaginya, but there was no one to feed them the ball—no one to provide quality service.’

’But now Albertini is here. He’s the perfect missing piece, allowing players like Batty to unleash their true potential.’

’Maybe now, Pioneer won’t just make money from ticket sales. We might actually see a breakthrough in our on-field results.’

’Now we have a forward, a midfielder, and defenders. Out of the five foreign player slots, there’s still one left.’

Chen Yu considered the situation. ’The team is missing a holding midfielder.’

’Ideally, a player who can both defend and link up the play.’

’That way, the five foreign players would form a spine running from the attack all the way to the defense.’

A few names popped into Chen Yu’s mind.

’For example, Roy Keane.’

’The legendary Manchester United captain isn’t young anymore. It seems he’s had some major friction with Ferguson over the past couple of years for throwing his weight around, which isn’t good for the development of the younger players.’

’Oh, right. He also broke Old Haaland’s leg.’

’And I still get a holiday card from Old Haaland every year.’

’Then there’s Diego Simeone. He’s getting on in years, too. He went back to Argentina to wind down his career and is probably about to retire for good.’

’Thinking of Simeone reminded Chen Yu of Effenberg. He could work, too.’

’That’s it!’

A thought suddenly struck Chen Yu.

’Guardiola!’

’The guy couldn’t cut it in Serie A anymore last year, so he ran off to Qatar for a payday.’

’If he’s just looking for a payday, why not come to my team? We already know each other.’

’Besides, he told me a long time ago he wanted to become a head coach. This is perfect. He can get his feet wet at Pioneer, playing while he studies for his coaching badges.’

’I’m still not satisfied with Mai Chao’s abilities anyway,’ Chen Yu thought. ’I’ve been planning to replace him.’

The more Chen Yu thought about it, the more perfect it seemed.

’As a player, Guardiola was a holding midfielder and was known as a coach on the pitch. Entrusting him with linking the defense to the attack would be a perfect fit.’

Chen Yu made up his mind. He would call Guardiola as soon as he got back to the hotel.

’With our relationship, he’d have a hard time saying no, right?’

At that moment, the Pioneer players didn’t rush off the field. Instead, at the summons of their captain, Batty, they all gathered by the sideline. Together, they gave a slight bow to the fans in the stands and waved.

Yang Zuwu was stunned by the sight.

’Guo’an’s players always just bolt for the locker room right after the final whistle.’

’He hadn’t watched many of Pioneer’s matches before, and even when he did, he never stayed until the very end. He had never noticed this detail.’

Now, seeing it with his own eyes, something clicked for him.

’Chen Yu always said that the key to running a club is the fans—you have to serve the fans well.’

Yang Zuwu now understood that on a gut level.

’Interacting with the fans after the game, thanking them for their support, only takes the players a few minutes. But for the fans who sat through the entire match, it makes a world of difference in how they feel.’

’At the very least, they feel respected.’

’Men are all about pride. If you show me respect, I’ll naturally respect and support you in return.’

Yang Zuwu glanced over at Chen Yu. He felt a real need to go to Guang City, visit the Pioneer Club, and study their methods properly.

’He’d heard that Pioneer was running some kind of local district league in Guang City, and that it was a big success.’

’He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now he saw that these were all crucial details he needed to learn from.’

The highly anticipated match was over, but its impact was enormous.

The next day, the media did the math for all the general managers in the Chinese Super League.

They stated bluntly that Guo’an had earned ten million from this single match.

There was certainly some exaggeration and hype involved, but that number was enough to make many people green with envy.

At the beginning of the season, the Chinese Super League as a whole was in decline.

Average attendance was steadily dropping, and public interest was waning.

And why hadn’t CCTV bought the broadcasting rights? It was because they didn’t think the CSL’s ratings were consistent enough.

So every club was struggling, and everyone was planning to tighten their belts.

So, when they saw one of their own make a fortune—with a model that could potentially be copied—who wouldn’t be tempted?

So, even without the media crunching the numbers and singing praises, plenty of people were already contacting Chen Yu on the same day the match ended.

News travels fast in their circle. Besides, just by looking at the scene at the stadium, the GMs of the other clubs could already make a rough estimate.

So the calls all had one theme.

They wanted players, and they had to be stars.

And it wasn’t just about soccer. There was basketball, too.

The opening day of the new CBA season had been set for November 20th of this year.

There were just over four months left.

Chen Yu’s trip to China was for the express purpose of getting the Pioneer Basketball Team ready.

Then, after Chen Yu returned to Guang City with the team, Chen Haitao, the owner of the neighboring Hongyuan club, made a point of contacting him. He wanted to treat Chen Yu to dinner and talk business.

The two had met many times and always hit it off.

He was a businessman, but like his father, he was also a pure basketball lover.

He played ball himself. Having grown up in Dongguan Huang Village, he and his father used to challenge all comers on the local streetball courts.

Back then, he even dreamed of turning the place into the Rucker Park of China.

Later, the two of them funded the establishment of the Hongyuan Club. Through more than a decade of ups and downs, they had always stayed true to their original passion.

But now, seeing all the buzz being generated on the soccer side, he was getting antsy.

In the ’03-’04 season, Hongyuan had turned a profit, a first in Chinese basketball.

But a paltry one million was frankly pathetic.

As a businessman, Chen Haitao knew that the only way to get more people involved was to grow the basketball market first—to make the whole pie bigger and better for everyone.

So when he met with Chen Yu, he got straight to the point: could they bring over some retired stars from the NBA?

"Like Pippen, for instance."

Pippen—or "Master Pi"—was incredibly popular in China thanks to the Bulls.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

The guy retired last year.

’And if you’re going to mention Pippen, why not aim higher? You might as well just say Jordan.’