Football Dynasty

Richard himself did not believe he could run a global internet company like Yahoo! or Apple simply by relying on financial investment—even with the memories of the future.

The only thing he could do was choose the right people based on his knowledge, preserving what should not be changed and adjusting what could. That was why he still chose Steve Jobs to run the company.

After all, a good idea or better technology alone was not enough for a company to grow into a giant.

Just look at Google: it acquired dozens of startups during its rise. Didn't those companies also have good ideas or superior technologies? Yet in the end, they became food for the giants.

"Are you staying here today?" Stuart asked Richard, who was gazing at Apple's new headquarters in Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California.

Apple had just moved into the campus in late 1993, so by 1997 it still felt modern compared to older Silicon Valley offices. Six interconnected buildings formed a ring—"Infinite Loop." Low-rise, beige-and-glass architecture: clean, understated, corporate. The famous rainbow-colored Apple logo still stood proudly on the signage and at the main entrance.

"Yes," Richard replied. "I'm going to visit their office now."

Amelio and a few Apple directors led Richard into the R&D department.

At this time, the company was still called Apple Computer, Inc.—it would not drop the "Computer" until 2007.

On a desk, Richard noticed a small setup. "Is this your newest product? It looks special."

Amelio smiled faintly. "CU-SeeMe. One of the first desktop video conferencing programs. It supports video calls, audio, text chat, even desktop sharing. Of course, it needs a webcam and a strong internet connection."

Richard nodded. He knew well that laptops of the 1990s had no built-in webcams. External devices like the Connectix QuickCam had to be connected through a parallel or serial port, and only later by USB.

"When will it be available on the market?" Richard asked.

Amelio shook his head. "Originally this year. But as you can see…"

Richard glanced at the tiny screen.

The video was grainy, postage-stamp-sized, and kept freezing. Over dial-up internet, the frame rate barely reached a few frames per second. The audio was even worse—lagging and often out of sync.

"I understand," Richard said quietly.

"To be honest," Amelio admitted, "we developed this to compete with Microsoft NetMeeting. But the market is still very small. Universities, a few businesses, maybe some enthusiasts. Nothing mainstream. It costs us more than it makes, so we're already considering halting the research."

Richard looked again at the jerky little image on the monitor. In the future, video calls would become as normal as breathing—but in 1997, they were still far from everyday life.

"Where is Steve, by the way?" Richard casually asked.

It had taken only about three weeks for Richard to acquire NeXT using his Maddox Capital fund for $89 million. Compared with Apple's later market value, this decision is not too bad, to be honest.

Maddox Capital was preparing to pull £250 million from Abramovich's company, Evrazholding. Combined with profits from other Maddox subsidiaries—such as Maddox Entertainment, which shook the music world with Oasis, Radiohead, and the Spice Girls—these funds could be redirected to acquire Apple shares.

According to the Maddox Group's structure, since the parent company owned 100% of its subsidiaries, most of their earnings flowed upward after covering expenses and taxes. The parent then reallocated these resources—budgets, investments, dividends—based on group strategy. Subsidiaries usually retained some earnings for reinvestment, but the remainder was paid out as dividends to the parent.

This tight financial control was typical of conglomerates.

Maddox Capital, however, was different. It was a partially-owned subsidiary, with Richard personally holding a significant stake. This setup gave him tax advantages—he could balance corporate tax (paid by Maddox Group) against personal capital gains and dividend tax (paid by himself directly). More importantly, it gave him liquid private income, free from group dividend restrictions.

These additional funds would be used to invest in technology stocks, including Apple—at a time when the Nasdaq was showing more and more signs of recovery from the recent crisis.

Now, when such an opportunity arose again—with Richard offering to buy Apple shares at a higher price than Microsoft—Apple's board of directors had no hesitation. The only thing they needed to do was sell as many shares as possible.

As Richard expected, most of Apple's directors—and even CEO Gil Amelio—had lost confidence in holding Apple shares after the price collapse. They were preparing to sell most of their holdings. It was after Apple's stock price fell below $7 this year that its directors, panicked and sold most of them.

Now, with someone willing to buy at the current price of $7 per share, without pushing the stock into the open market where the price could fall further, they were more than happy to agree to the deal.

Amelio and the board together sold approximately 107 million shares of Apple, worth around $310 million, retaining only about 4.5 million in total. In addition, Richard personally swept up another 55 million shares from the secondary market through Maddox Capital, at a cost of about $160 million.

In total, Maddox Capital and Richard himself acquired roughly 161 million shares of Apple—spending about $470 million.

He then moved quickly to merge both NeXT and Apple.

In the process, Richard had nearly drained his liquid cash reserves to secure control of both companies—all to pave the way for Jobs' return to Apple.

The deal officially closed just before the start of February.

After a private discussion with Richard, Jobs personally received about 1.5 million Apple shares (plus around 400,000 more through Pixar, indirectly making him one of Apple's largest shareholders).

Once NeXT was acquired, Jobs returned to Apple in an "informal advisor" role.

Officially, he was not CEO yet—Gil Amelio still held that position. But Richard was already planning to replace Amelio with Jobs, especially given Apple's ongoing poor performance.

Barring any unexpected obstacles, by next month Jobs would step in as interim CEO ("iCEO"). Of course, the premise is that he can continue to lead Apple, because most of his confidence in Apple comes from him.

After concluding his business with Apple, Richard headed to Mountain View, Silicon Valley, where he checked into the finest hotel and booked the top two floors. His bodyguards secured the elevators and hallways, ensuring that no outsiders were allowed to enter.

"Stuart, please turn on the TV for me now," Richard said as he loosened his tie and sank into the leather armchair by the panoramic window.

Stuart picked up the chunky black remote and switched on the large box-shaped Sony CRT television mounted on the wall. The screen glowed to life with a faint hum, warming up before the picture sharpened.

"Huh?"

Richard leaned closer to the television, narrowing his eyes as if to make sure he hadn't misread the names on the team sheet.

"Why aren't they in Liverpool's starting lineup?" he muttered under his breath.

On the bench: Michael Owen and Steve McManaman.

Missing from the midfield: Steven Gerrard.

And holding down the defense, only Jamie Carragher looked set to feature.

"What's wrong?" Stuart asked when he noticed Richard frown.

"Nothing," Richard replied quietly, though his eyes never left the screen. "I was just looking for someone."

The lineup puzzled him. Owen, Liverpool's young striker with electric pace, was left out in favor of Robbie Fowler. Gerrard, meanwhile, wasn't even in the starting midfield. Instead, the trio was captained by Paul Ince, flanked by David Thompson and Jamie Redknapp.

Gerrard was on the bench, likely because at this stage his game was too balanced—he lacked the standout traits that would one day make him world-class. Not overtly defensive, not overwhelmingly attacking, but solid everywhere. That kind of player needed time to mature.

But McManaman on the bench? Is this because of Real Madrid?

"Thompson?" Richard muttered, almost tasting the name as he furrowed his brow. The name rang a bell, but something didn't add up.

Thompson… Thompson. Richard's mind flickered back through fragments of memory. Had there ever been a superstar by that name in European football? He couldn't recall one.

Wait.

And then it clicked.

David Thompson. The prodigy McAuley had fought hard to bring from Birkenhead. If Liverpool had hesitated even slightly, Rangers in Scotland would've snatched him up. His loan spell at Coventry City the previous year had been eye-catching enough to convince Liverpool to bring him into the Premier League fold.

Richard remembered now: Thompson had even scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace in the opening match—performances that briefly justified Liverpool's faith in him.

As for Owen versus Fowler… Owen had speed, no doubt, but Fowler possessed something rarer—an almost instinctive reading of the game, a footballing intellect beyond his years. For now, that edge was enough to keep Owen warming the bench.

He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought and refocus on the match.

Once play began, both teams displayed a sense of flair, favoring tactical nuance over the traditional English style. Physical clashes were minimal; instead, the game highlighted teamwork and individual brilliance—qualities that made the contest especially captivating.

For City, the midfield was anchored by Van Bommel and Nakata, both originally projected to serve as backups for Pirlo. Van Bommel leaned naturally toward the defensive side, while Nakata operated as the central playmaker.

Together, they covered vast ground, balancing offense and defense with fluidity. With Van Bommel providing a strong defensive shield, Nakata was free to dictate the tempo, and their coordination ensured Millwall held steady control of possession.

However, for this match, Richard was focused more on number 25, David Thompson. He was curious to see what kind of prodigy could keep Steven Gerrard on the bench.

Thirty minutes into the match, however, Richard frowned. He could see it.

Henry and Shevchenko were struggling a little. Apart from Nakata—who unexpectedly exhibited calmness and dictated the tempo—the others, Okocha, Pires, Henry, and Shevchenko, all faltered as the game wore on.

This left City's offense strong in possession but lacking in goals.

Liverpool, on the other hand, played effectively, executing quick counterattacks with real impact. Thompson showcased impressive attacking and defensive qualities while covering a significant range. His off-the-ball movement was proactive, constantly making it difficult for defenders to mark him.

In one attacking sequence down the flank, Thompson initially pressed toward the center before suddenly pulling back to meet a perfectly timed pass. His footwork was sharp, and with a deft touch he threaded the ball through Van Bommel's legs before smoothly maneuvering around him, then delivered a perfectly timed pass in Fowler's direction.

As Fowler surged forward to meet Thompson's pass, the tension on the pitch spiked.

Lúcio, anticipating the attack, lunged in with a perfectly timed but brutal tackle. His studs connected with the ball just as Fowler prepared to shoot—but the force carried through, and Fowler stumbled heavily, twisting awkwardly.

"AAAAARRRGGHHHH"