Football Dynasty

It could be said that Maddox Group was the umbrella company overseeing all of Richard's ventures—but for Richard, Maddox Capital was far more valuable than the Maddox Group as a whole. That's why he never allowed outsiders to pry into Maddox Capital's operations.

For years, Richard had been quietly building a core team inside Maddox Capital. Today, that preparation was about to pay off. He knew that acquiring a publicly traded company of Apple's size could not be done alone—it would require sharp financial analysis, capital markets expertise, and precise foreign-exchange maneuvers.

To that end, he brought in: Financial Analysts, M&A Specialists, and FX & Treasury Experts

Because Apple was a public company, Richard's plan began with quietly accumulating shares on the open market. Once his stake approached 5% ownership, U.S. SEC regulations would require him to file a Schedule 13D, disclosing his holdings and intentions.

After that disclosure, the next step would be to approach Apple's board of directors and make an offer to acquire a controlling stake—continuing the share purchases until Maddox Capital held 51% or more, giving Richard full control of Apple.

After waiting for an hour, a black limousine finally pulled up in front of the Goldman Sachs office. Richard's guests stepped out and made their way to the room where he was staying.

"Welcome," Richard said as he looked at his team.

"Thanks to you, Boss, this is my first time on a private jet—and it's absolutely fantastic," one of them said.

"First class is nice, but compared to this, it's like the difference between a suite and a deluxe room," another added with a chuckle.

"Indeed, it is," Richard agreed, laughing along.

Back at Maine Road, after Zidane's goal, the players on the field celebrated with measured restraint.

Zidane was the first to jog back, his face quickly settling into a calm, composed expression.

From the restart, Manchester United tried to wrest back control, but their attacks were repeatedly broken apart by City's disciplined defensive shape.

Beckham had just stopped the ball on the wing when Lennon closed in to mark him. Taking a quick step forward, Lennon read the play perfectly and intercepted.

Beckham gave chase, but Lennon calmly laid the ball off to the deeper-lying Makelele, who kept the tempo firmly in City's hands before returning it to Pirlo for a quick one-two.

"Shit," Gary Neville muttered, visibly frustrated with Beckham's work rate.

His anger spilled over as he charged at Pirlo like a man possessed. But Pirlo—seemingly with eyes in the back of his head—immediately launched a long pass toward Ronaldo on the left flank.

Neville's frustration only deepened. Forced to turn back after pushing too far forward, he sprinted to recover—but before he could close in, Ronaldo switched play with a sharp pass across to Okocha, who had already broken free from Irwin, the defender still occupied with tracking Zidane.

Okocha brought the ball down with a velvet touch, letting it settle at his feet as though it had been drawn there by gravity alone. With his back to the defender, he rolled his shoulder, shielding it effortlessly, then pivoted into space without losing control for a heartbeat.

The Martin Tyler's voice burst through the noise of the crowd, "What control from Okocha! Simply sublime—he makes that look far easier than it is!"

Denis Irwin, as one of United's senior players, was never one to concede ground easily. Spotting Okocha in possession, and noticing David May drifting toward Zidane, Irwin abandoned his initial mark and charged toward Okocha instead.

But the shift in focus cost him. His timing was off.

The moment Okocha brought the ball under control, he feigned a pass, sending the already winded Irwin off-balance. In a flash, Okocha surged forward, forcing Irwin into a desperate defensive chase.

Without giving Irwin any chance to close him down, Okocha slid a precise pass into the path of Larsson, who was making a well-timed run into the box.

Larsson collected the ball near the byline, immediately drawing Ronny Johnsen into a defensive stance.

Instead of driving toward goal, he cleverly pulled back with two quick steps, keeping the ball under tight control. Then, spotting Zidane charging in with David May scrambling behind, Larsson slipped a perfectly weighted pass into his path.

Zidane, reading Larsson's intention perfectly, flicked the ball back in one fluid motion without breaking stride, slicing straight through Manchester United's defensive line.

His target?

Ronaldo on the left.

The Phenomenon' met it in full stride and, with precision, aimed for the far corner, slotting the ball effortlessly into the net.

"What are you doing? Who are you marking?!" Schmeichel roared in fury at his defenders, while David May and Neville waved their arms, protesting that Ronaldo had been offside.

The assistant referee's flag was already raised before Larsson even struck the ball.

A collective gasp rippled through Maine Road.

Ronaldo stood with his hands on his hips, visibly frustrated. "That was a clear goal!"

The build-up had been a work of art, but it was all undone by the offside call.

O'Neill and Mourinho stormed toward the fourth official, relentlessly voicing their protests regardless of whether the decision was correct.

From the stands—and even in replays—the incident remained hard to judge. Given the razor-thin margin, both the call and a no-call could have been defended. Expecting the referee to match the precision of a slow-motion replay was unrealistic. Ronaldo had noticeably stepped back after releasing the initial pass before surging forward again, trying to stay onside.

But because he had come from an offside position, the official's decision became that much easier to justify.

City's players still protest, but the referee shook his head, signaling for the game to continue.

Manchester United had narrowly escaped a scare, and the match carried on.

Eager to find an equalizer, United pushed forward with urgency. However, without a true playmaker like Scholes, they struggled to dictate the tempo—unlike City, who had the composure and vision of Pirlo.

United were clearly unsettled in Scholes' absence. The midfielders filling the role, Butt and Poborský, had yet to truly make it their own, and it was undeniable why Scholes was considered Ferguson's golden boy.

Like Andrea Pirlo, Pep Guardiola, Demetrio Albertini, Juan Sebastián Verón, Zvonimir Boban, and Rui Costa, these were classic registas—creative midfielders whose greatest value lay in controlling the game's rhythm and orchestrating attacks. However, their brilliance came with a trade-off: they needed a reliable defensive partner to cover for them, giving them the time and space to dictate play.

Pirlo, for example, had often been criticized for his defensive shortcomings. Many believed a significant factor was that he had been developed as an attacking midfielder since his debut.

Richards recognized this issue. In that era, it wasn't that attacking midfielders never trained defensive skills, but the defensive abilities of classical attacking midfielders were notoriously lacking—one reason why such players have all but disappeared from European football.

Over the past year, under both O'Neill Robinson and now O'Neill Mourinho, Pirlo's training was restructured based on Richards' instructions. The goal was to emphasize not only the importance of orchestrating play from deep but also to strengthen his defensive capabilities.

While his explosive speed still left much to be desired, his defensive awareness had improved greatly, evident in his positional play. Aggression in tackles is not just about raw ability—awareness is key, much like the future Xavi. You wouldn't say Xavi's defensive technique was exceptional, but his willingness to press during defensive phases was critical to his team's success.

As long as Pirlo could disrupt United's attacks by intelligently intercepting their passing lanes, it would be enough. If he failed, Makelele was there to smother any remaining threat.

Consequently, Manchester United's repeated attempts to feed Cole and Solskjær in their build-up faltered, while attacking down the flanks only resulted in City players closing the spaces through disciplined withdrawals.

After several ineffective attacks, Beckham finally decided to drive forward himself, setting his sights on City's goal. While he was renowned for his deadly crossing, this time he lingered on the ball a fraction too long.

Capdevila, showing sharper movement, intercepted from the flank while Beckham was still scanning for options. Without hesitation, he launched a swift counterattack, feeding Larsson, who had dropped back to collect the ball before quickly surging forward.

Butt rushed to close down Zidane, but before he could reach him, Larsson returned the ball to the Frenchman, who instantly flicked it into the box.

Larsson, having released the pass, pivoted toward the penalty area, timing his run perfectly. The ball sailed over the heads of May and Johnsen as Larsson burst into the six-yard box.

With both center-backs scrambling to recover, Irwin had no choice but to clip Larsson's legs.

PHWEEEEEE~!

Maine Road erupted once again.

The referee wasted no time—pointing to the spot and flashing a yellow card to Irwin.

Boos erupted from the Manchester United end, convinced Larsson had dived. But their protests were quickly drowned out by the ecstatic roar of City fans celebrating the penalty.

Had Larsson slipped past Irwin's challenge, he would have been clean through for a one-on-one with Schmeichel. In that case, the card might well have been red.

Mourinho was visibly unhappy, insisting it should have been a sending-off. The fourth official remained calm, trying to de-escalate.

Fourth Official: "It's a mixed situation—Schmeichel still had a chance to come out and clear the ball."

Mourinho: "My player was already at full speed. Schmeichel's rooted on the goal line—do you honestly think he'd beat my forward to the ball from the same distance?"

Fourth Official: "Well, since it didn't happen, we can only speculate."

Mourinho: "That's a bit unreasonable. Fine, I'll let it go… but if we miss this penalty, I'll lodge a complaint."

O'Neill eventually stepped in and pulled Mourinho away before the exchange could escalate further.

Sometimes, referees face impossible judgment calls—no matter the decision, half the stadium will think they're wrong.

Ronaldo stepped up to the penalty spot with composure. After a measured run-up, he struck the ball cleanly into the bottom corner.

Schmeichel guessed right, diving the correct way, but the placement was perfect—tucked into the so-called "dead corner," beyond any keeper's reach.

Manchester City now led 2–0, and it was still only the 38th minute of the first half.