“Hi!” Just based on his voice, Woox seemed to be in a good mood.
“Mr. Woox.” Twain’s mood was not as good, and he felt worse especially after hearing such an upbeat voice.
“Ah, Mr. Tony Twain. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Twain could make out other voices in the background. He listened carefully and asked, “Well, Mr. Woox, you’re not in England now, are you?”
“That’s right, I’m in Spain. More accurately speaking, I’m on the beach in Barcelona, Spain. It’s the start of the rainy season in England now, and I hate that kind of weather.”
Twain cleared his throat and decided to cut to the chase. “Mr. Woox, I read in the papers that you recently accepted an interview with The Sun?”
“Yes, a phone Interview.”
“Well, the thing is, I would like to know your thoughts, Mr. Woox,” Twain said.
“It sounds like you want me to explain that interview. I didn’t lie. After your game with Real Madrid ended, I accidentally bumped into the Real Madrid president, Mr. Florentino Perez.”
Twain sneered. That “accidentally” was questionable.
“He is very interested in George. Everyone is criticizing Real Madrid for their lack of a good defensive midfielder. After seeing George’s success in England, he communicated his idea to me. He wanted to know if George would like to join Real Madrid.”
Twain did not interrupt. He just listened quietly to the story.
“I didn’t answer him yes or no. I just told him that I would convey his message. It’s that simple.”
Wood had been somewhat quiet during training recently. Twain suddenly wondered if it were somehow related to this. If Woox had told the truth… If Real Madrid wanted Wood, would he be able to hold them back? He was worried that Wood would let his imagination run wild after that substitution. He suddenly regretted it. Would it be better if he had looked for Wood to have a chat sooner? A lot of misunderstandings were caused by poor communication.
“In that case, did you convey Florentino’s intentions to him?”
“Not yet.”
When Twain heard that, he did not know what to say. Was this how an agent should act?
He rolled his eyes. “So are you going to tell him?”
“Well, of course. But I know what you’re thinking, Mr. Twain. You’re worried about George leaving the Forest team, aren’t you?”
Twain just gave a grunt. He did not answer.
Woox laughed on the other end of the line. “Mr. Twain, if you want to know whether Wood will leave the Forest team, why not call him directly? Do you need me to give you his cell phone number?”
“No, thank you. I have it!”
Twain abruptly hung up the phone. That’s right, why should I call this annoying agent first? He had used to talk directly to Wood. How had he made a habit of contacting the agent first?
Shaking his head, Twain dialed Wood’s cell phone number.
※※※
Wood, who came home at noon to accompany his mother for lunch, received a call from Twain. He glanced at his mother sitting opposite him and then got up to walk out of the restaurant.
“George! How have you been lately?” Twain started making small talk immediately.
“What’s the matter, chief?”
Twain had a bad feeling when he heard Wood’s chilly tone.
“Um, it’s this… I heard a rumor that Real Madrid was interested in you. Did your agent, Woox, tell you?”
“No, he didn’t.”
It seems Woox didn’t lie, Twain thought.
“Well, if…I mean if hypothetically if Real Madrid really had interest in you, would you like to go?”
Wood kept quiet on the other end for a while. “The Real Madrid that we just defeated?”
“Yes, that Real Madrid. Do you want to go?”
Wood looked over to his mother eating in the restaurant and then shook his head, “I don’t want to.”
Twain should have been happy, but he cocked his head. “Is it because of your mother?”
Wood wordlessly agreed.
“Let’s put the matter of your mother aside. Do you want to go?”
His answer was still the same. “No, I don’t want to go.”
“Oh. Can you tell me why?”
“No particular reason. I’m just not interested.”
This kid, does he not even have a professional player’s awareness?
But Twain felt relieved.
He intended to clearly explain the substitution to Wood. Who knew if he would still have any ideas in his head? Communication was key.
“Um, George. There’s still one more thing… During the game with Real Madrid, you were replaced… Oh, yes, what do you think of Zidane?”
Wood frowned. He was reluctant to recall that night’s failure. However, the scenes from that game would unconsciously emerge in front of his eyes and come to his mind over the past few days, lingering. Although the Forest team eventually won that game, Wood personally felt that he had failed.
“He’s very powerful.”
“He was selected by the UEFA as the best player in fifty years, surpassing a number of predecessors in history. Of course, he’s powerful. Do you want to beat him?”
“Yes.” He did not hesitate this time.
“But I’ll tell you the truth; you’re not likely to beat him now.”
Wood’s reaction to that remark was silence. Twain did not know if Wood was displeased with it, but he had to say it for the sake of Wood’s future development.
“Do you sometimes feel that you’re not motivated? Besides your mother, do you ever long for anything else? The media are all upset that you’re not on Eriksson’s national team, but you don’t care about that. You train and compete every week… Do you have any other desires for football that you want to pursue?”
Wood remained silent. He did not know what to say.
“To become a champion? Victory? Glory? Don’t many players want that? If you can’t answer, it doesn’t matter. If you’re not sure what you want, let me give you one first. Use Zidane as your target and redouble your efforts.”
“Beat him or surpass him one day. Both work, it’s all up to you. Well, that’s it. What do you think?”
Wood thought about it, and then said, “Not bad.”
※※※
Back in the restaurant for his lunch, Wood was greeted by his mother’s inquiring gaze.
“The agent called,” said Wood. “He said that the Real Madrid club was interested in me and asked if I would go.”
“Real Madrid? Is that the team you just defeated in Spain?”
Wood Nodded.
“Going means a transfer to Spain?”
Wood nodded again.
Sophia thought for a moment and asked, “Did you say yes?”
This time, Wood shook his head. “No.”
“Is it because of me, George?”
Looking at his mother’s gentle smile, Wood continued to shake his head. “No, mom. I like this team and I want to stay here.”