I woke up a little late. Happy New Year's Day, everyone.
Rotthaus was the general manager of the Hoffenheim football club. The man who injected capital into the club and set the general direction was the boss, Dietmar Hoppe, but the man in charge of all the specific affairs was the middle-aged man.
He used to be the general manager of the Bundesliga powerhouse, Stuttgart. He resigned from Stuttgart in 2005 and accepted Hoppe's invitation to switch to the small team, which was still in the Bundesliga at the time. It took some courage to make such a choice. After all, Rotthaus was doing well in Stuttgart and had a satisfactory income. He did not see the need to change places and start from scratch. If he went to a small team in the Bundesliga, he would be stuck in a quagmire if he was not careful. But after months of deliberation, he decided to come to Hoffenheim to make a career.
If compared to when he first came to Hoffenheim, then he had actually succeeded.
They finished second in the league in the first season after being promoted to the Bundesliga and also cultivated two German national players, one of whom was the best striker in the Bundesliga and Europe. Although the results in the second season were not as good as the previous season, they were stable in the middle of the Bundesliga. At least there was no worry of relegation. Their original plan was to use two years to stabilize their position in the Bundesliga.
Neither Hoppe nor he was in a hurry to build Hoffenheim into a team that could win the title right away. Hoppe invested a large sum of money first to build a new training base and stadium and to look for young players everywhere. They did not buy big-name star players.
From this point of view, they were both miracle-makers, but they were worlds apart from Nottingham Forest.
Last season, news of Rangnick's dismissal from the club was rife. As a result, Hoppe immediately instructed Rotthaus to offer Rangnick a new five-year contract. The news of the manager's contract renewal soon appeared in the major media, and the rumors were dispelled.
The situation the team encountered last season was expected by Rotthaus, and he was not disappointed by it. The only ones who were disappointed were the strangers who had high hopes for Hoffenheim.
Rotthaus had a big dream, probably bigger than his boss, Hoppe's — he wanted to build Hoffenheim into a club that could survive and operate without relying on Hoppe's investment. Exactly like the famous clubs that already existed in the world, the investors could change many times, but the team would always exist. He and Hoppe would one day grow old and die. Hoffenheim could not fall back to the seventh league just because Hopp left. They should be able to stay in the Bundesliga. He had to let the team gradually get rid of Hopper's investment and influence and become independent step by step.
Perhaps now was an opportunity to take the first step.
Just this morning, he received a fax from England.
Nottingham Forest asked him if the team's striker, Vedad Ibišević, could be sold. The miracle of England and the miracle of Germany finally had their first official contact.
He'd received countless faxes like this last summer, and he'd rejected them all without asking Hope's opinion. It was impossible for any ambitious club to sell their team's leading striker. What's more, Hoffenheim was not short of money and had to participate in the Champions League next season. He did not think Ibišević would choose to leave.
There had been far fewer such faxes this summer. The teams that were once interested in "Super Ibi" expressed that they would not bring in the once famous super striker. The teams that were still interested in Ibišević were nothing more than second-rate teams in the top leagues or second-rate leagues.
At the end of last season, the German media once ridiculed, "Ibišević was originally a ranger who played in the lower leagues in Europe. He had no problems adapting to that level of football. Maybe he could still be successful if he changed places and started all over again. To be honest, he's not a striker who can play in the top leagues … "
The words sounded harsh, but they were the true thoughts in many people's minds. Many people thought that Ibišević's crazy performance in Hoffenheim's Bundesliga debut was just an accidental outburst. In fact, he was more suitable to play in the lower leagues. Look, wasn't he beaten back to his original form in the second season?
In fact, there was also a debate within Hoffenheim about Ibišević's true level. Some people thought he really had the makings of a top striker, while others thought he was just lucky. It seemed that both sides were reasonable. The manager, Rangnick, did not belong to either side, but he also had a headache about Ibišević's sudden good and bad performance.
When he first joined Hoffenheim, Hoffenheim was still playing in the Bundesliga. He made thirty-one appearances, mostly as a substitute, and only scored five goals. As a striker, the figure was simply appalling. At that time, the local media thought that Hoffenheim had bought the wrong player. Ibišević's long-term experience proved that he could not meet Hoffenheim's requirements. Everyone did not know why Hoffenheim would fancy Ibišević, who had not shown his strength in Aachen.
If it were not for the Beijing Olympics, maybe Ibišević would continue to sit on Hoffenheim's bench until his contract expired, or he would be sold by Hoffenheim to any other club midway and be left alone. But fate was often so wonderful, unpredictable in advance, full of all kinds of changes and surprises.
His promotion was not because Rangnick had a good eye for talent, but purely a coincidence. Just before the 08-09 season, he was just a substitute striker in the mind of manager Rangnick. But the team's main striker, Obasi, would miss most of the team's preparations and the first few rounds of the season because he had to participate in the Beijing Olympics.
As a result, Ibišević was able to play in the first round of the league tournament.
It was this Bundesliga debut between Hoffenheim and Energie Cottbus that became the beginning of a legend. The unknown Vedad Ibišević, who no one had ever thought highly of, never acknowledged, and never paid attention to, had scored a brace in the match! He helped the team beat Energie Cottbus by 3: 0. After that, he scored every goal and even scored a brace in the competition many times. Even if Obasi returned to the team after the Olympics, Rangnick found at this time that he could not let Ibišević, who was in great form, play as a substitute. But Obasi was also a very capable striker, and he could not bear to let the striker sit on the bench. So he simply changed his tactics and let Obasi, Wellington and Ibišević play at the same time, and changed to a more offensive 4-3-3! As a result, it worked wonders. For a time, no one in Bundesliga could stop it.
Ibišević became the top scorer. Rangnick still said, "To me, he's just like a player we've just brought in this season."
In the second season, Ibišević was inexplicably in a slump again. Rangnick spoke again, "To me, he's just like a player we've just brought in this season …"
The famous Bundesliga manager was also at a loss when it came to Ibišević.
Maybe he should sell him?
The thought flashed through Rotthaus's mind.
But he still rebuffed Nottingham Forest. He said they would not sell Ibišević. He was an important member of their team.
He did not wait for a second fax from Nottingham Forest. He thought the team must have given up. Maybe they just asked casually …
He did not expect to wait for the Nottingham Forest manager, Tony Twain, and his German interpreter.
※ ※ ※
"Hoffenheim is really a quiet little village. I like it here … If I were to live, I would choose this kind of place." Tony Twain, wearing sunglasses and disguised as a tourist, and his German interpreter stood on the sidelines of the training ground, watching a person's solo training through the barbed wire fence.
The time for normal training was over. The fans who had surrounded the area had long since dispersed. There were not many people left.
They were all fans of the man in the stadium.
Vedad Ibišević was practicing his shooting in the training ground. It was an unchangeable procedure — he would practice shooting for half an hour after training every day. He was a striker. There was nothing more important than shooting.
Twain watched from the side. His shooting technique was very good. Perhaps it was because he had persisted in training for a long time.
Half an hour passed quickly. Ibišević did not go straight to the locker room. Instead, he turned back to sign autographs for the fans who were still waiting outside.
With a height of 1.89 meters and a weight of 80 kilograms, he was very strong, but not cumbersome. He stood behind the barbed wire fence and signed autographs for the fans one by one. Then he walked in front of Tony Twain.
Twain handed in the blue Hoffenheim jersey with Ibišević's number and name printed on it from the souvenir shop outside, a marker pen, and a business card.
No fan would hand out a business card when asking for his autograph. Ibišević looked up strangely at the middle-aged man in sunglasses in front of him.
"Tony Twain. Nice to meet you, Ibišević. "The man outside took the initiative to introduce himself.
This name sounds a little familiar … Wait a minute!
Ibišević's eyes widened and he asked directly in English, "You're the manager of Nottingham Forest? Why are you here? "
"Because Nottingham Forest is very interested in you." Twain grinned.
It had been three days since he received the call from his agent's company, and he had yet to give them a reply. Because he did not know if he should leave here, or if he should go to Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest was not the only team interested in him.
"I watched the video of you playing, but I thought this kind of thing still had to be seen for it to count, so I came. Do you practice like this every time you finish training? "
Ibišević nodded.
"No wonder. Your success is not accidental. How about it? Come to England with me? I'll help you get back to your form in the Champions League. "Twain smiled like a demon seducing mortals.
Ibišević was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. "I don't know how to answer you, Mr. Twain. Maybe a change of place will give me a new feeling, but I still have a contract with the club. If the club doesn't let me go, then it's useless to say anything. "
"Ah, you just need to show the club that you want a change of environment. Leave the rest to us." Twain patted his chest.
"I know Nottingham Forest is a team that is going to participate in the new season's Champions League, but I don't understand why you're looking for me." There was another question that Ibišević could not understand. In his view, a team that had the ability to compete for the championship title should pursue those famous star players. Anyway, the financial crisis was still lingering, and those big-name star players were not expensive.
"I only buy players that meet my requirements. I don't care if they are famous or not. You're the person I need, Ibi. Come to my team. I'll give you a bigger stage. "
Ibišević was silent for a moment, then he nodded. "Okay, Mr. Twain. If you can convince my club, I'll prioritize signing with the Forest team. "
With that, he was about to leave, but he did not expect Twain to hold him back. "Sign." He pointed to the jersey that was still in Ibišević's hands. "I'm a fan of yours. Give me an autograph."
Ibišević helplessly signed his name on his jersey and handed it back. However, he accepted the business card.
He felt that it was indeed time to change places. Anyway, he was always changing teams, from the United States to France, from France to Germany. Now, he was just going from Germany to England. It was no big deal. He changed teams almost every year, and Hoffenheim was the team he stayed in the longest. Do you know what the European media called him?
A ranger.
※ ※ ※
That afternoon, Twain brought along a German translator to meet Hoffenheim Football Club's general manager, Rotthaus.
The two sides had a secret meeting that no one knew.
No one knew what they talked about. The outside world did not even know that Tony Twain had suddenly come to the small village south of Frankfurt to meet Rotthaus.
A day later, Nottingham Forest and Hoffenheim officially announced at the same time that the former European Golden Boot winner, Vedad Ibišević, had transferred to Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee of 10 million euros plus a player exchange. The two sides signed a four-year contract, but the annual salary and other specific benefits were not announced.
Only then did the German media meet Tony Twain, who returned to Nottingham with Ibišević, at the airport in Frankfurt.
"He's the player I need." After being surrounded by reporters at the airport, Twain did not care about the voices of doubt. "I don't care what you think of him. I'm buying him for myself, not for you. Substandard product? If you're so sure of a player's future development, why don't you quit and become an agent? I guarantee that you'll have a better future than racking your brains to make up nonsense in the newspapers! "
"What are you unhappy about? From now on, Super Ibi is my man. He's a Nottingham Forest player, and he's going to become a registered player in the English Premier League. It's none of your German media's business. "
"I believe in his ability, and I'm willing to give him a chance to prove himself again … Is there something wrong with my judgment? Yes, but I was able to win the championship precisely because of those 'substandard products' that I took a fancy to. "
"I'm spending the club's money? I'm willing. What's it to you? "
…
Amidst the noise and doubts, Ibišević was dragged by Twain onto a flight from Germany to England.
Eleven years ago, Ibišević left his war-torn homeland at the age of 15 and stayed in Switzerland for a short time. Due to visa issues, he did not obtain legal residency, so he crossed the ocean and came to St. Louis in the United States to seek refuge with relatives. He persisted in his dream of playing professional football in the United States, a country that was like a football desert. He relied on his outstanding performance in the local team to catch the eye of the manager of the French Ligue 1 powerhouse, Paris Saint-Germain, and returned to Europe. He was only 19 at the time. Subsequently, he was loaned to a small team in Ligue 2, Dijon, where he quickly developed and got opportunities to play. He even scored some goals and saw many new things. Then he was released by Paris Saint-Germain, which is what happens to any young man who has no future. Fortunately, he was noticed by a German agent in his last two games in Dijon, who recommended him to two German teams. He chose to join Aachen, which was still in the Bundesliga at the time. He only played for Aachen for a year before they were unfortunately relegated. Wearing the number 9 jersey, he did not make any great contributions to the team. This time, he chose to leave Aachen and transferred to another Bundesliga team, Hoffenheim.
In his first season, he made thirty-one appearances and only scored five goals. In his second season, he was the Bundesliga's top scorer and the winner of the European Golden Boot. In his third season, he was called "the person who scored a lifetime's worth of goals in one season." Like a bright meteor, he quickly rose in the sky and quickly disappeared into the vast space.
He had been unknown before, but he had also been extremely popular. He had succeeded before, but he had also failed before. He had seen big scenes, and he had persevered in a dilemma that others could not imagine. He believed that he would succeed one day. Eleven years had passed, and he was no longer the child who fled with his parents. He had become a professional player, lived in a spacious house, had his own car, and enjoyed the cheers of the fans. He had changed a lot.
But one thing had never changed — he was always drifting, from one place to another.
This time, Ranger Ibi began a brand new journey.
He might continue to drift and thoroughly solidify the title of "Ranger." Perhaps, he would stop his wandering footsteps and choose a place to be his last stop.
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