The Next Big Thing
Chapter 130: Internet Crashes II

Chapter 130: Internet Crashes II

Fabrizio Romano ✅ @FabrizioRomano

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United are in direct contact with Cristiano Ronaldo’s camp over a sensational return. 🔴🇵🇹 #MUFC

Discussions ongoing—Man Utd board pushing hard to make it happen. Contract details being worked on.

More to follow. ⏳

🔁 101.3K Retweets ❤️ 400.8K Likes 💬 70.5K Comments

💬 Top Comments:

MizuKen 🏆 @MizuKen10Wait first... Ten Hag?? Now the GOAT is coming to United? Are you playing with me? MAN UNITED IS SO BACK.3.2K Likes ❤️ 409 Retweets 🔁

Silver_Savant 🤯 @Silver_SavantTHE RED DEVILS ARE BACK. WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK. 🔥🔥🔥2.9K Likes ❤️ 350 Retweets 🔁

UtdTrey @UTDTreyTHE GOAT RONALDO IS COMING TO MANCHESTER UNITED. 2020 IS NOT A REAL YEAR. 😭🔥4.5K Likes ❤️ 560 Retweets 🔁

TheEuropeanLad @TheEuropeanLadRonaldo’s return to United could be exactly what they need to get back together. With talents like Rashford and Martial, plus a player like Bruno who can supply him passes... this could be HUGE....But that’s if he comes.6.7K Likes ❤️ 1.2K Retweets 🔁

DotGov 🗣️ @DotGovIf Ronaldo is coming, why couldn’t we get Zidane? Man, this is a letdown. 😩Happy the GOAT is coming tho. 🐐1.8K Likes ❤️ 205 Retweets 🔁

@B_Fernandes8: 👀39.4K Likes ❤️ 12.7K Retweets 🔁 5.6K Comments 💬

Usain Bolt ⚡ @usainboltRonaldo back to Manchester United? Football is a movie. 🎬🔥75.6K Likes ❤️ 12.2K Retweets 🔁

Khabib Nurmagomedov 🦅 @TeamKhabibLet’s go @Cristiano! Manchester United is the right place. 🏆🔥59.2K Likes ❤️ 9.8K Retweets 🔁

Stormzy 🌪️ @stormzyRONALDO TO UNITED?!? I’M SCREAMINGGGGGGGGGG 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥82.1K Likes ❤️ 15.4K Retweets 🔁

Fabrizo stood there, staring at his screen in utter disbelief as his page blew up within minutes. The sheer scale of engagement left him blown away. His eyes widened as he saw famous celebrities commenting under his post. At that moment, only one thought consumed his mind—"I need my account back."

Turning urgently towards Francesco, he called out, his voice laced with desperation and frustration. "Francesco, please! Whatever you do, I need this account back now!"

As if delivering salvation, Francesco responded with exactly what Fabrizo wanted to hear. "I’m done, boss. It’s workinggg now," he said, dragging out the last word for emphasis.

Hearing those words, Fabrizo wasted no time. He rushed straight to his laptop, where he normally handled such matters. While he primarily used his phone, he felt relieved he hadn’t done so today. If his laptop had crashed under the weight of this sudden traffic, he shuddered to think what could have happened to his phone. Watching the chaos unfold, a single thought crossed his mind—"I need a burner account." He couldn’t afford to rely on a worker’s phone to check such situations in the future. As stressful as this experience was, deep down, he hoped it would happen again.

Handing Lucas’ phone to Francesco, he instructed, "Help me give this back to Luca." Then, turning his attention back to his laptop, he began working immediately. First, he checked his messages, then started commenting and liking posts from the various celebrities who had engaged with him.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Manchester, inside the iconic Old Trafford stadium, within the highest office where the club’s most critical decisions were made, another monumental discussion was underway. Five men occupied the boardroom, though only one truly commanded the room.

The first was Robert Leitão, a high-ranking board member overseeing the club’s financial dealings. Seated next to him was John Hooks, another influential figure within the club’s upper echelons. The third man was Manu Sawhney, holding another crucial position in the club’s structure. Despite their prestigious titles, these men served mostly as background figures in this meeting. The real power dynamic played out between two men—Ed Woodward, Manchester United’s CEO, and, above all, Joel Glazer, one of the club’s owners and chairman.

Joel Glazer sat at the head of the table, and in this room, he was king. His words were law. After years of taking a hands-off approach, his brother’s recent success with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had ignited a fire within him. Jealousy fueled his ambitions. His brother had acquired Tom Brady—a living legend, widely regarded as the greatest in his sport—and with that move, the Buccaneers transformed into champions. Now, Joel wanted to replicate that success. But instead of Brady, he sought his own footballing legend, a man many considered the greatest of all time. This meeting was to finalize that decision.

"Well, what do we have? What’s Juventus saying?" Joel asked, eager to get this over with. He wasn’t accustomed to being this involved, and he disliked it. But in his mind, he firmly believed in the saying—if you want something done right, do it yourself. He didn’t trust anyone in the room to get it right. To him, the only competent person present was Ed Woodward. The rest? They were merely here because of who their parents were and the financial entanglements their families shared with the Glazers.

Ed, seeing his boss’s determination, sighed before responding. "Sir, Juventus is asking for 20 million euros plus an additional 10 million in add-ons if he scores a certain number of goals."

Even as Ed uttered the words, he found them difficult to believe. Shaking his head slightly, he continued, "That’s crazy. I’m trying to negotiate them down—maybe to 10 million plus 5 million in add-ons. He’s Cristiano Ronaldo, yes, still one of the best goalscorers in the game. But he’s 35 years old—soon to be 36. They’re insane if they think we’ll agree to that price."

But the next words out of Joel Glazer’s mouth stunned him.

"Accept it."

Ed’s head snapped up, disbelief etched across his face. "What? Sir, how can I accept this? He’s 35 years old! This is insane—30 million for him? Sir, we just need to be patient. Juventus is playing hardball. Given time, I’m sure I can bring them down to 15 million, maybe even 10!"

Desperation crept into Ed’s voice as he pleaded, but Joel remained unmoved.

"Just accept it. I also want us negotiating with Ronaldo before the end of today. I have something more pressing to discuss here."

Ed stared at his boss, realization dawning upon him. Juventus wasn’t crazy. They had simply recognized that Manchester United was willing to act like fools. He kept his thoughts to himself, unwilling to risk openly criticizing Joel’s decision.

Then, Joel spoke again. "My brother got Brady, and his entire team changed. But I’m not stopping at just Ronaldo—I also want the future."

With that, he turned to Robert. "Show him the file."

Robert nodded, retrieving a folder and handing it to Ed. As Ed opened it, his eyes widened in shock. The file contained a single player profile and key details. Seeing the name, his astonishment deepened.

Then, Joel’s voice cut through the silence. "I need him to arrive before the start of next season. He’s exactly what we need."

Ed was floored. He knew Joel wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about football, so for him to pinpoint this specific player was nothing short of astonishing.

While Ed admired the player’s talent—considering him a generational talent—he still had concerns. "Sir, the amount of money we’d need to sign someone like him is astronomical. I don’t think we can pull this off."

Before Joel could respond, Robert interjected. "The boss has agreed to fund this transfer himself."

Ed’s eyes widened. "What?!"

His shock was justified. Joel despised spending his own money on the club. He was all about taking from it, never giving back. And yet, now, he was personally financing a transfer?

Still, Ed had another concern. "Even so, what about Financial Fair Play? Signing someone like him could push us past our spending limit."

Once again, Robert answered. "We didn’t spend much this transfer window. Additionally, we’ll secure a major brand deal to balance the books. Financially, this can work."

Ed still had one more question. "Wait. What about Erik? Have we informed him about this? First Ronaldo, now this? If we start making signings without his input, it won’t sit well. We also agreed to give him transfer rights."

Robert, ever prepared, responded smoothly. "Our contract with Erik hasn’t been fully notarized yet. These signings count as pre-existing decisions, which don’t break our agreement. And, honestly, who would reject Ronaldo and a player like this?"

Ed stared at the file, his mind racing. Could this actually work? Was the boss serious? The thought of acquiring such a talent filled him with exhilaration. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the start of something special.

"Ed," Joel called out, snapping him back to reality. Meeting his boss’s gaze, he saw something unfamiliar conviction. Gone was the usual indifference or momentary anger. Joel was serious.

"I know things haven’t been easy," Joel began. "I know you’ve felt abandoned, like you’ve been left to steer this ship alone. But I mean to change that. I am here now, and I am committed. We will bring Manchester United back to its former heights. And I have faith that together, we will make this club great again."

A slow smile spread across Ed’s face. "Don’t worry, boss. I promise—I’ll get it done. Give me one week, and he’ll be wearing red."

Laughter filled the room as the men envisioned the resurrection of Manchester United. But not everyone shared in their joy.