Chapter 671 126: The Premier League's Top Star! Wang Shuo Arrives! Creator of a Maradona-esque Legend! The Biggest Transfer in History!

On the day Wenger and his group arrived in Quanjiang City, Wang Shuo treated them to a meal.

But interestingly, only Wenger showed up.

Halfway through the meal, Wang Shuo gave Thomas Essien and Shen Qinghe a look, and they both made excuses to leave.

Now, in the vast, private dining room, only Wang Shuo and Wenger remained.

"Actually, there have been some misconceptions spread by the media."

Wang Shuo didn't speak, just listened quietly.

"The Emirates Stadium wasn't my idea. At the time, the team's Matchday Income had hit a ceiling. Highbury Stadium's capacity was limited, and the fans were clamoring for a change. The board did the math and figured building a new stadium would be very profitable."

"Besides, the real estate market was booming back then. After moving to the new stadium, the original Highbury site could be redeveloped for property, earning the club over a hundred million British Pounds. All of this was meticulously calculated, and the feasibility was very high."

"When they asked for my opinion, I supported it. My opposition would have been useless anyway, and besides, the numbers showed the plan was viable. Move into the new stadium, redevelop the Highbury land, and by 2008 at the latest, we'd have a huge sum of money to invest in the transfer market."

"But who would have thought the subprime mortgage crisis would hit? The London real estate market completely collapsed."

"During those years, Real Madrid contacted me several times, inviting me to be their manager, but I never went. That's because I had personally guaranteed the bank loan for building Arsenal's new stadium. I had pledged that I would continue to manage Arsenal!"

"The bank wrote that condition into the loan agreement. If I had gone to Real Madrid, Arsenal would have been in breach of contract."

As Wenger spoke, he let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

"I'm not telling you this to complain or to play the victim. I just want to say that sometimes, luck is just completely unreasonable."

"The 2006 Champions League final was at the Stade de France in Paris, France, you know? More than anyone, I wanted to win that trophy in my home country, in front of my countrymen."

"We had a lot of French players on our team at the time. All of us felt that way."

"And to be honest, we genuinely believed we could beat Barça. We were all full of confidence because our attack was strong, our defense was outstanding, and our midfield was even stronger than Barça's."

"But that red card for Leman came too early, too suddenly."

Wang Shuo nodded. He was sent off with a red card just 18 minutes in.

In truth, for a referee to send off a player so early in such a crucial final was truly terrible.

Right, the referee for that final was Mourinho's old friend, the Norwegian, Haug.

Why bring up this referee?

Because in 2006, Haug refereed another match: the first leg of the round of 16 knockout stage, where Barça came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 away from home.

Just 37 minutes into the first half, with the score at 0-0, Haug sent off Chelsea's left-back, Del Horno, ultimately leading to Chelsea's stunning 2-1 defeat at the hands of Barça.

And just before this match, Barça's manager, Rijkaard, had publicly stated to the media, "Haug and I are old friends. We often talk on the phone and eat together."

Before the match, this statement was seen as psychological warfare, but after the match, it sparked immense controversy.

This wasn't an isolated incident.

After playing Chelsea, they faced AC Milan in the semifinals, and Barça's away goal in the first leg was also controversial.

It was ultimately with this goal that they knocked out AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate to advance to the final.

Who could have predicted that in the final, Haug would send off Arsenal's goalkeeper, Leman, just 18 minutes into the match?

And then the Calciopoli scandal broke out in 2006!

Even though five years had passed, when Wenger recalled that 2006 Champions League final, the pain and regret were still plain on his face.

"That red card was a huge blow to us. When I had to substitute Pires off, he was completely devastated."

"Henry, Lars Engström, and the others all had an off game. But even so, we still scored first. And Eto'o's equalizing goal was offside!"

Wenger was absolutely certain as he said this.

"When that match ended, I was standing there in the Stade de France, watching Barça celebrate wildly right in front of me. I wanted to swear an oath, to say that one day I would win back everything I lost that night, but..."

A pained expression crossed Wenger's face again.

"But I knew I couldn't do it, and Arsenal couldn't do it either. We had to leave Highbury, we had to take on debt. It would be nearly impossible to achieve in three years. And three years later, Henry, Pires, Lars Engström, Gilberto Silva..."

As he spoke, Wenger spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

As a manager, he knew it all too well.

In three years, that group of players would be old. Even if they stayed with the team, how much competitive edge would they have left?

"When Henry decided to join Barça, he told me he wanted to go win a Champions League."

"I had no reason to stop him. I just found it so ironic. They stole our Champions League in '06, and then Henry was going to Barça to help them win another one, to achieve his own dream of being a champion!"

"I'm 61 years old. I originally thought I no longer had the energy or the desire to build another truly championship-caliber team."

"Sometimes I even think that Arsenal over the past few years has been a perfect reflection of me. We have no great ambitions. We're all too aware of our own limitations. Before the season even starts, we already know we can't win the title."