Rony's Dream

Change agents?

This matter could be a big deal, or a small one.

An agent handled all of a player's business, and in many areas, his power was considerable, especially after a series of contracts had been signed. For example, Su Dong's idol, Ronaldo, had long been squeezed dry by two agents, and former Real Madrid player Anelka had also been cheated by his two agent brothers.

As for why it could be a small matter, it was indeed quite small, because if a player wanted to change agents, it was basically a matter of saying the word. If there were no contract disputes, even sending a fax would settle it.

For example, Su Dong's contract with his agent had expired long ago. The other party had not contacted him, and he was too lazy to get entangled with that swindler.

"Why do you want to change?" Su Dong found it strange. "I remember your agent seems to be Jose Veiga."

Jose Veiga was one of the most famous agents in European football today. His most successful stroke had been engineering Figo's transfer of the century from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Although all kinds of rumors had never stopped, as Figo's agent, Jose Veiga must have played a key role in the middle of it, and profited handsomely.

Not only that, Jose Veiga could almost be said to have held the Portuguese football world in the palm of his hand. Almost all the big-name stars were under his banner, and he maintained very good, close business dealings with every club.

For example, Sporting Lisbon's three great stars of hope, Quaresma, Marcelino, and Rony, were all Veiga's players.

Su Dong had even thought before that if he really needed to use an agent in the future, he could contact Jose Veiga's company through Rony, and then just entrust one of the agents from their company to represent him.

Of course, as for having Jose Veiga personally represent him, Su Dong did not dare even think about it.

So now, when he heard that Rony wanted to change agents, Su Dong was very surprised.

"He's already the best agent in Portugal, even in European football, isn't he?" Su Dong asked.

Rony nodded. "Yes, but I feel like he's never taken me seriously at all."

Su Dong did not answer, because he realized that what Rony needed right now was to talk.

"Marcelino, Quaresma, and I are all his players, but you've seen it too. Marcelino and Quaresma are both in the first team, while I'm still in the youth team. I went to him before. I told him I wanted to go to the first team, but not only did he not help me make a request to the club, he actually soothed me and told me I was too young."

"A few days ago, something happened at home, and we needed money. I told him I wanted to propose a contract renewal to the club. I'm sixteen now, and I'm not very satisfied with this contract. I believe that as long as I make the request, the club will agree, but he didn't take it to heart at all."

It was clear that his dissatisfaction with Jose Veiga had not just begun yesterday.

Jose Veiga was a very big name. There were even rumors that if Sporting Lisbon's chairman wanted to see him, he had to make an appointment in advance.

It was easy to imagine that an agent of such stature simply would not take a small figure like Rony seriously.

Instead, someone like Quaresma, a star of hope already known all over Portugal, was the kind of player Jose Veiga would strongly promote, such as by giving him the title of Figo II.

"Have you found a suitable agent?" Su Dong asked with concern.

Rony nodded. "Someone has indeed contacted me. He used to be a partner of the Brazilian agent Figel, and now he's gone out on his own. He's also set up his own agency company, has his own channels, and isn't as famous as Jose Veiga, but he feels like someone who should be very good at getting things done."

"But if you do that, you'll offend Jose Veiga," Su Dong reminded him.

What kind of person was Jose Veiga?

He was a big shot who held the Portuguese football world in the palm of his hand. The chairmen of the three giants all treated him with immense courtesy. He practically controlled most of the business of sending Portuguese players abroad to play, which was also the most profitable business in Portuguese football.

Some people even said he earned more than those clubs.

Offending such a person often meant paying a price.

Rony nodded. He was not stupid. On the contrary, he was very smart. He knew the risks, and that was why he was worried.

"Wait patiently a little longer. If you urgently need money, I don't have much, but I still have some. Take it and use it first," Su Dong said generously.

After hearing this, Rony nodded gratefully at Su Dong. "Thanks, brother."

He paused, then let out a heavy breath before saying, "It's my dad. Every day, the moment he opens his eyes, he drinks, and his health keeps getting worse. I want my sister to bring him to Lisbon for treatment."

The middle-aged man who had collapsed drunk in the living room that morning immediately flashed through Su Dong's mind.

"You saw him that day?"

Su Dong nodded. "He really should go to the hospital and get checked."

"I heard from my mom that he wasn't like this originally. Back then, she married him because he was hardworking and honest, and he gave her a sense of security, so she was willing to marry him. But she never expected that after he went to Africa and fought a war, when he came back, he'd become a completely different person."

Su Dong had been born in an era of peace and could not understand the cruelty of war, but he could imagine the blow and the impact it had caused Rony's family when his father had completely changed.

"A lot of people back home mocked him, saying drinking made him screw things up, that he was even late for his son's baptism." When Rony said this, a faint smile actually appeared on his face instead. "But you know? The first gift I ever received in my life was a football. It was the birthday present he gave me. Even though he never said it, I knew he liked watching me play."

"When I was still playing for Nacional, don't be fooled by how he was drunk all day and unreliable about everything. When it came to picking me up and dropping me off, he was never late, rain or shine."

"When I was training inside, he would always stand outside the wire fence, silently watching me play. As long as I performed well, he would smile at me. At those times, he was completely different from how he looked when he was drunk."

By the time he reached the end, Rony's eyes were already red.

These words were probably things he had never said to anyone before, but today, he poured them out to Su Dong.

"My mom loves him very much, but she's also had a hard life. My grandmother died very early, and she suffered all kinds of abuse from her stepmother. After being sent to an orphanage, she was tormented there too. When she grew up, she escaped. After going through endless hardships, she met my dad. She originally thought she was going to break free from a miserable life, but she never expected..."

"My mom said that back then, our family was very poor and life was very hard. They couldn't even eat their fill. They already had three children, and the year she was pregnant with me, she even thought several times about getting an abortion. Someone told her that drinking boiled dark beer would make it happen, and she really drank it, but in the end, she only made herself pass out."

Rony sighed helplessly, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Su Dong could not imagine how he felt at this moment, but speaking about these things was not easy at all.

"So that my second sister and I could go to school, my sister and my brother dropped out very early. My sister went to work as a waitress in a hotel in the tourist area. My brother first went to an aluminum products factory, and later to a paint shop. He was often bullied. He always said he wanted to make himself strong, and slowly, he got to know some friends who could help him become strong."

"You've been to Falcao Village, so I'm sure you saw it too, right?"

Su Dong did not hide it and nodded.

"Some people say the Madeira Islands are the spring God left in the world. Outsiders always imagine this island to be incomparably beautiful, but they've never known that in the eyes of people like us, this island is like a huge prison."

"Ever since I was little, they all told me there were only two kinds of people on this island: those for whom Madeira Island was their entire life, and those who wanted to escape Madrid and go explore the outside world."

"The first kind were born on the island, grew up here, got married, had children, and gradually grew old. Slowly, they would become like everyone else on the island—drinking, taking drugs, day and night, doing nothing at all. As for the second kind, once they left, they never wanted to come back."

Without a doubt, Rony wanted to be the second kind, but that was very, very hard.

"You said your ambition was to become a professional player. But my ambition isn't just to become a professional player. I want to earn more money. I want to buy my mother a house in Madeira Island's tourist district, a house of her own. That's the greatest wish of her life, and a dream she's had for years."

"My brother wants to open a painting company and hire all the guys who were bullied by the paint-shop boss along with him back then. That was the promise he made them. My second sister said she wants to release records and become a singer. She's always thought she has a real gift for singing. As for my eldest sister, she said... she's never thought about it, and she doesn't dare to."

Su Dong listened in silence.

When he had been on Madeira Island, he could already tell that the whole family had pinned all their hopes on Rony, and Rony himself had that awareness and sense of responsibility. That was probably the real source of his desperate drive to play football.

So-called geniuses were, in truth, all forced out by shitty lives.

"So I have to replace Jose Veiga. Even if it offends him, I have to do it, because he won't take any of these thoughts of mine to heart at all. To him, they're nothing more than trivial little matters."

Only then did Su Dong understand just how firm Rony's determination to change agents was.

"Take it slow. Don't rush." Su Dong patted Rony's shoulder comfortingly. He could not truly empathize with Rony's situation, but he was willing to offer whatever help he could. "The urgent thing right now is still to get your dad treated. I still have some money on my side. Take it and use it first."

Rony nodded at Su Dong gratefully.

Although the two of them had only known each other for a few months, after spending time together, it felt as if they had been close friends for many years.

Perhaps this was what people called fate.

"As for words of thanks, let's not say too much. Come on, let's keep training. I believe that as long as we're strong enough, we won't have to worry about opportunities not coming!"

Su Dong truly believed that old saying from his ancestors: as long as you put in enough effort, even an iron pestle can be ground into a needle.

Opportunities were always reserved for those who were prepared, just like Quaresma's rise to fame in one battle against Porto.

Without ability, even if an opportunity was placed right in front of you, you would not be able to seize it.

Rony also let out a heavy breath, gathered himself, and stood up from the ground. Pointing at Su Dong, he "threatened," "Today, I'm going to make you crawl out of here!"

During the new book period, I kneel and beg for tips, collections, and recommendation votes! Thank you!