Chapter 490
With the end of the European football league, Barcelona lifted the Champions League trophy in Rome, securing the club's third Champions League title!
However, Barcelona's process of eliminating Chelsea in the semi-finals and defeating Arsenal in the final caused a huge uproar in the entire UK media.
The disaster at Stamford Bridge from half a month ago was still fresh in everyone's minds!
"Super Iniesta and the referee teamed up to send Barca to the finals, and Busquets and Puyol's Oscar-worthy performances killed Arsenal's equalizing goal in the final." - Marca
"Does UEFA not want an English Premier League team to win again?" - News of the World
"Maybe Barcelona's players should be in Hollywood instead of on the football field. Wenger should suggest to Arsenal's owner, Charles Capet, to invite Barcelona's players to join his movie productions!" - The Guardian
"We could've had a great season with five championships, but whatever," Charles sighed as he received a call from Arsenal's CEO David Dein in the morning, lying in bed with Ivanka Trump.
They already had the Community Shield trophy and the English Premier League title. If they had also secured the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup would have been within reach.
Damn, now they had to watch Barcelona achieve the legendary six-trophy season!
"Charles, uh, Real Madrid is interested in our player Alonso, offering EUR35 million. Bayern Munich is also eyeing Neuer, offering EUR20 million..."
"Fuck, does Arsenal need money? Florentino is buying Ronaldo and Kaka, and Bayern shouldn't be bothering us. Do they think Arsenal is their Bundesliga factory?"
Charles was irritated. He hadn't even won the Champions League yet and was already agitated.
"Aren't you eyeing that speedy winger from Tottenham, Gareth Bale? Buy him quickly. I know he got injured last December and recently had knee surgery, but he's got the ability!"
Gareth Bale joined Tottenham for only PS5 million in the summer of 2007. He hadn't yet made a significant impact after two seasons, otherwise, his value would have increased.
"Gareth Bale, indeed. His speed is really something when he gets going!" David Dein agreed.
"And then there's Neymar from Santos in Brazil. Even though it's his first season, you know his talent. We need to bring him to Arsenal this season too," Charles couldn't forget about him. Neymar had just joined the first team of Santos and led the team to victory.
"There are many people watching him, and he's only 17 this year! Activate the wonderkid clause. He's worth it. If Santos doesn't agree to sell, we'll buy him outright. It's just under PS30 million, right?" Charles pursed his lips. "In short, next season, I want to see Neymar and Gareth Bale in the team!"
"Alright, I'll get it done," David Dein agreed reluctantly over the phone. Of course, he wouldn't directly buy out Neymar. After all, a 17-year-old who had just joined the first team hadn't yet proven himself significantly, and even if the price was high, Santos wouldn't dare to insist on PS30 million, right?
...
New York, Brooklyn. It's not the largest borough, but it's the most populous.
Along Flatbush Avenue entering Brooklyn from the Manhattan Bridge to where it intersects Atlantic Avenue, Forest City Ratner Companies Chairman Bruce Ratner pointed to a large area on Atlantic Avenue for Charles and Ilka.
"Charles, look, this area is between Prospect Park and the East River, right in the center of Brooklyn. If the Atlantic Yards project is completed, it will surely become a major landmark in New York. Once the Nets move into the Brooklyn Arena, the locals will finally have their own team!"
Charles looked east towards Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Museum, and Prospect Park, but what displeased him were the many African-American communities in the East Flatbush area.
Though Brooklyn also had Chinatown, several Italian, Jewish, and Korean districts, and other communities like Russian, Polish, Czech, Irish, German, Arab, and Puerto Rican neighborhoods.
However, the African-American community was still predominant along this route, and they had the largest presence!
"Mr. Ratner, can the Atlantic Yards project really start construction soon? Are the issues with local residents and land acquisition resolved?" Ivanka inquired.
"Ha ha, don't worry. I've already negotiated with the government to add over 2,000 affordable rental units in this development project.
I've also promised to create 1,000 affordable ownership units on or near the site of the original railway yards, in addition to spending $3 million to improve parking around the development area.
Moreover, the height of the planned residential buildings will be reduced from 620 feet to below 500 feet, ensuring they won't overshadow Brooklyn's long-standing tallest building, the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower!"
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