The Rise of Millwal

425  David Villa: A Dream Realized

Aldrich was at a local hospital in Liverpool to witness the Charity Shield match, anxiously waiting as Melanie's due date was just days away. She had been admitted early to avoid any last-minute complications.

His family came from London to accompany him, not only his parents and brothers, but also his cousin Bryce. everyone was looking forward to welcoming Aldridge's baby.

Aldrich and Andrew were sitting in a high-end hospital room, glued to the live broadcast on TV. Andrew was peeling an apple when he noticed Bosnich's blunder and chuckled to himself. That smile sent a shiver down Aldrich's spine; it felt eerie.

"What're you laughing at?" Aldrich asked.

"Nothing," Andrew replied, still grinning.

Aldrich lightly kicked him. "Remember Jason?"

"Which Jason?" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Jason Ferguson."

"Oh, you mean Ferguson's youngest son? Yeah, I remember him."

Andrew divided the apple and handed half to Aldrich, chuckling even more. "Manchester United spent all summer hunting for a goalkeeper, and Jason called me up asking if I knew of any good keepers not signed under my agency."

Aldrich was momentarily confused. "What's that got to do with him?"

"He quit Sky last year because he thought he was underpaid. Now he's working for a Manchester-based agency. Makes sense, right?"

Aldrich's eyes lit up with realization. "So, you mean Bosnich was your recommendation?"

Andrew shook his head. "Not at all. To be honest, if he had asked me about any good keepers under my agency, I would have sent Wright his way. The poor guy hasn't had a chance at Millwall. But I suspect Jason has ulterior motives; he wants to recommend a player to Manchester United while avoiding using anyone from my agency."

Aldrich couldn't help but chuckle.

Richard Wright had been Millwall's third choice keeper for five years, really just a placeholder, without the test of official matches. Watching training alone doesn't reveal a goalkeeper's true skill. Other teams were eyeing Millwall players, even the reserves had many unknowns snatched away by lower league clubs. Yet, Wright remained overlooked. If he were truly sent to Manchester United, Aldrich would be thrilled—it would be like giving the Red Devils a ticking time bomb.

As they spoke about Jason Ferguson, Aldrich suddenly zoned out, lost in his thoughts.

Not everyone in this world is a hero or a great person.

Little Ferguson had leveraged his father's direct influence at Manchester United to secure a deal that led to a significant scandal, which resulted in his father imposing a strict ban on post-match interviews for years.

Aldrich didn't care about other people's family matters. He was about to become a father himself, naturally slipping into that role, imagining what his two sons would be like in the future.

What if they turned out to be troublemakers?

Wembley—the very place the Red Devils have loathed over generations. Here, they have countless glorious moments, yet any fans with a stance against United will scorn the team. Even when United players don the national jersey, fans in Wembley still chant songs against them, humiliating and mocking their heroes.

Today, they'd become a laughingstock!

A colossal joke!

In the 39th minute of the first half, Millwall earned a corner. Pirlo took the corner kick, sending the ball toward the near post, where Bosnich charged out and collided with his teammate Stam. As he lost his balance, he managed to touch the ball, which then fell into the penalty area, right in front of Stam. Materazzi leaped for a header but missed, only to look down and see the ball at his feet. Without hesitation, he fired a shot that drilled into the net.

"Millwall scores their third goal! This one is yet another gift from Manchester United's mistakes! Stam was initially marking Materazzi for the header clearance, but he got knocked down by Bosnich. Though Bosnich lost his balance, he managed to deflect the ball right to Materazzi, who gladly accepted the opportunity and sent it into the Manchester United goal. Can you believe it? Bosnich is on the ground complaining to the referee about being fouled! Stam gets up and shouts at him in anger. What on earth is he doing? This is absolutely terrible—his performance is abysmal. Sure, Schmeichel has conceded many goals to Millwall before, but they were all beautiful strikes, not a blunder like this!"

Conflict broke out among the Manchester United players after they let in the third goal!

Stam was heavily knocked down, and with the team's blunder, he felt like a laughingstock, hearing jeers and laughter from the stands.

In response, he naturally turned to blame Bosnich, the new guy with a short fuse, and they quickly found themselves in a heated argument.

Ferguson, standing on the sidelines, wore a dark expression as he signaled for substitute goalkeeper Van der Gouw to warm up.

Bosnich had clearly lost his composure after that second goal—his own butterfingers had shaken him.

The nerves were evident as he misjudged the corner defense, too focused on the ball's trajectory to consider where his teammates were positioned.

"With the first half not yet over, Manchester United is making a substitution—and it's a goalkeeper change. Ferguson might have reached his breaking point with Bosnich. The backup keeper, Van der Gouw, is coming on. This goalkeeper has consistently delivered solid performances, providing reassurance to United fans whenever Schmeichel was unavailable in the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he's already 41 years old this year; otherwise, Manchester United wouldn't be scouring the world for a new goalkeeper!"

Ferguson had no choice but to make this change. Substituting Bosnich now serves as a form of protection for him, and it also helps stabilize the team. Otherwise, who knows how many goals Millwall might score in this match? Oh no, it might end up being Manchester United handing a few goals to Millwall!

Klinsmann could now sit calmly on the sidelines.

With a 3-0 lead at halftime, he could deliver good news to the fans and Aldrich.

Yet during the break, he found himself getting anxious again.

Aldrich sent a text to the coaching staff with his substitution instructions.

"As the fans awaited the start of the second half, the live broadcast captured a strange scene.

'Pirlo, Nedvěd, Larsson, Ronaldinho, and Henry—all five starting players from Millwall returned to the sidelines during the halftime break, changed into fresh jackets, and sat on the bench. They were chatting casually, looking relaxed. What's going on? Is Millwall planning to make a substitution? Five players at once?'

Indeed, it was a five-player swap!

As the second half began, a loud applause erupted from the stands, directed at the five newly substituted Millwall players. More specifically, most Lions fans were cheering for two of them!

Who were they?

David Villa!

Joe Cole!

Since their arrival at the club four years ago, Villa and Cole had been the gems of the youth team!

'Millwall leads 3-0 at halftime, and with such a significant advantage, they decided to make five substitutions at once for the second half. Klose replaced Henry as the center forward, Joe Cole took over from Nedvěd as the attacking midfielder, Villa came on for Ronaldinho as the left winger, Van der Meyde replaced Larsson on the right wing, and Lampard substituted for Pirlo in midfield. It remains to be seen whether such a large-scale substitution will provoke Manchester United—Millwall is treating the Charity Shield like a mere warm-up match!'"

"Ferguson never thought that an insignificant game would make him so upset!"

Millwall's substitutions left him feeling embarrassed, especially since two of the players coming off were rookies—he couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and resentment!

By bringing in some younger players to attack, the quality of their offense would surely decline, making it difficult to keep Manchester United at bay. Consequently, Klinsmann decisively ordered the defense to fall back and switch to a counter-attacking strategy."

As the second half commenced, Beckham collected the ball on the right and began to drive forward. Villa sprinted twenty meters from behind to tackle him, and the referee called a foul against Villa. However, the Lions fans cheered him on from the stands.

"Well done!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Lions' little prince!"

Villa was pumped. Not even glancing at Beckham, he hurried back to organize the defense.

Beckham didn't bother retaliating; there was no need.

Manchester United quickly began to put pressure on Millwall and managed to pull one goal back.

Giggs skillfully cut inside, linking up with Scholes for a dazzling one-two. Outside the penalty box, Scholes took a shot that was deflected by Butt. Beckham retrieved the ball on the right and delivered a perfect cross to the back post, where Cole was waiting to slot it home.

"In the 62nd minute of the second half, Manchester United scores one back! Beckham assists Cole, and United's momentum is rising!"

United continued to push forward with increased intensity, but Millwall fortified their defense around the penalty area. As long as they avoided moments of disorganized defense, United didn't get many better chances.

In the 70th minute, Ferguson also made a substitution, bringing Solskjaer on for Irwin to add another striker to the mix. For quite some time, United's defense had faced little challenge.

However, after Solskjaer entered, United's offense became more disjointed; it felt as though they were unsure how to play.

Yes, they had more players up front, but the ball just wouldn't get into the right areas. Pursuing a passing style only created crowded spaces, complicating their attacks and increasing turnovers.

Eight minutes later, Yorke attempted to collect a ball outside the penalty area, but Southgate saw an opportunity and intercepted it perfectly. Immediately, Millwall launched a counterattack!

Southgate released the ball down the right flank, where Van der Meyde advanced with it.

20:43

Joe Cole, Klöse, and Villa made a beeline forward, trailing behind was Lampard, who observed the situation to avoid losing possession.

Just before encountering Sylvester's defense, Van der Meyde passed the ball into the center. Today, Cole was brimming with confidence, and when he faced Keane's aggressive pressure, he deftly controlled the ball, executed a smooth turn to evade his opponent, and sent it to Klöse.

Klöse, back to Stam, decided not to force it and instead passed it back out to Van der Meyde.

After receiving the ball, Van der Meyde scanned the field and sent a diagonal long pass into the left area of United's penalty box.

Neville turned and accelerated, gritting his teeth as he watched the young player dart past him—absolutely offside!

Van der Meyde's through ball pierced United's defense. Losing a man left the backline stretched, and gaps widened!

Millwall had players in position, and the ball was calmly brought down in the penalty area. Without hesitation, a powerful shot was taken, and the ball flew like a cannonball into the side netting. Van der Gouw was clearly a step too late!

"It's a goal! 4-1! Millwall scores again, and it's the debut goal for young David Villa! David Villa!"

If Aldrich had been by the sidelines, Villa would have dashed to the coach's bench for a hug. But now, he could only sprint towards the sideline, his handsome face radiant with wild excitement as he removed his shirt and slid to his knees on the grass, facing the countless fans cheering for him.

I, the son of a miner, have finally arrived at this day!

Today marks my professional debut, my first time wearing the Lions' jersey!

I may not be the star yet, but I will work hard to become one!

I want to leave my legacy with the Lions!

Villa didn't know that, in a corner of the stands, his father—a former miner who now ran a grocery store in the Millwall community—was overwhelmed with tears at that moment.