Chapter Thirty: You’ll Never Guess It (Please Subscribe)

Human life comes in many forms. Sitting in the car, Momo kept thinking about Li Qing’s question. What was that supposed to mean? I only asked whether I was in the starting lineup.

They soon arrived at the agreed interview location, only to be surprised to find that not only Sports Weekly but also the Munich Evening News was there.

Two newspapers? Momo showed no particular change in expression. One or two made no difference; in any case, he had something to say.

After the three of them were seated, the cameramen took photos, adjusted the lights, and fussed over the setup, leaving Momo somewhat confused for a moment.

“Huh? Is this live? Taped? Or for the newspaper?”

At Momo’s question, Li Xiaoming of Sports Weekly and Watley of the Munich Evening News both laughed. Li Xiaoming from Sports Weekly was the first to speak.

“All of the above. But really, the recording is mainly just to make sure your words aren’t twisted.”

Momo felt a little relieved. Fine, no matter. A man as brilliant as he was would draw every eye wherever he went.

To be honest, Momo was not exactly handsome, as shown on the cover. His hair was practically a standard buzz cut, and his features were only average. He did not have a high bridge of the nose, but his eyes were narrow and long, the kind that could catch angles others could not, much like Pirlo.

No one would have imagined that this plain, ordinary Chinese kid now had a market value of 64 million yuan, or 8 million euros. At that time, that was an astonishing price, and before Ronaldo’s 13 million-pound fee came along, it could almost be said to stand unrivaled.

“This time, we mainly want to ask about your desire to transfer to Bayern Munich.”

It was Li Xiaoming who asked. Without meaning to, he had set a trap for Momo. The reason this topic had become so hot was because, only a few matches earlier, Momo had still been shouting, “Blue for a day, blue for life,” and then, in the very next breath, asking whether he could break into the starting eleven.

When Momo heard Li Xiaoming’s question, he immediately laughed. Shaking a finger, he said, “Who told you I was going to Bayern Munich?”

The instant those words were spoken, Watley was displeased. The Munich Evening News had been the first to report the story. For a newspaper, accuracy and timeliness were vital. If Momo said this now, wasn’t he implying that the Munich Evening News had turned truth upside down and talked nonsense?

“Well, when our paper’s reporter asked you what you thought of Bayern Munich’s bid and whether you were going to transfer there, you replied by asking whether you could get into the starting lineup. Doesn’t that mean you were already thinking about a move to Bayern Munich?”

At Watley’s question, Momo smiled faintly. So that was it. He shifted his gaze to Li Xiaoming and said,

“May I ask what you’re having for dinner tonight?”

Li Xiaoming clearly did not understand why Momo had suddenly asked that, but he still answered, “Ah! I’d probably find a Chinese restaurant and have some hometown dishes. Want to eat together?”

Momo smiled and shook his head.

“No, no need. I was just asking.”

Watley felt that Momo was changing the subject and growing impatient, so he said, “Can you answer my question directly?”

Momo widened his eyes and looked at Watley.

“Didn’t I already answer it?”

Watley looked bewildered, but Li Xiaoming understood at once.

What Watley had asked back then was like Momo asking what dishes he was going to eat that night. And Momo’s answer had been to find a restaurant and so on—to ask about the things one ought to consider, or the things one was already thinking about.

In fact, at that time, the Munich Evening News reporter should have followed up and asked again whether a transfer was being considered. But there was no chance, because Momo was taken away by Pacult, and that was how the misunderstanding arose.

With Li Xiaoming’s explanation, Watley finally saw it clearly as well. The point was the word “but.” For example, although so-and-so is stingy, when he ought to be generous, he is not stingy at all.

That is the difference between having a “but” and not having one. Yet Watley still would not give up. He asked,

“So, are you planning to be ‘blue for a day, blue for life’?”

Momo smiled at that.

“If I can, of course that would be good. But if the day really comes when I’m transferred away, I still wouldn’t go to Bayern Munich, and I wouldn’t consider any team in the Bundesliga.”

Hearing this, Li Xiaoming frowned. The words were too hard-edged. Since they were compatriots, he stepped in to smooth things over.

“So what you mean is that you won’t turn against your old club, right?”

Momo also felt that his answer had been somewhat inappropriate, and he went along with the opening.

“Yes, exactly. I don’t want to end up in armed conflict with a team I’ve played for before.”

By this point, the interview could basically be said to be over, though the two men would take away completely different impressions.

Li Xiaoming’s version stayed close to the facts, with only a moderate amount of embellishment:

“Momo Says No to Bayern Munich; If He Leaves, He Will Exit the Bundesliga and Refuse to Fight His Old Club”

Watley’s version, by contrast, was a textbook case of stirring the flames:

“A Bundesliga Giant? The Bundesliga Is Too Small for Momo’s Eyes; He Declares No Team Is Worth His Attention”

And this report clearly caught someone’s eye: the Special One, José Mourinho. He was then coaching Porto, and in fact he had great interest in Momo. He felt Momo was simply miraculous in a counterattacking system.

His movement, his dribbling, and now his clearly improved ability to finish chances all made José Mourinho deeply tempted by him.

In the 2002-03 season, shortly after taking charge of Porto, José Mourinho, after reading the report, resolutely put forward a request to sign Momo from the club’s hierarchy. He even made a bold promise: sign Momo, and he would guarantee that Porto would lift both the Champions League trophy and the league title in the 2003-04 season.

In truth, Porto’s famous transfer dealings were also very interested in Momo, so they submitted a 10 million euro bid to buy him. Of course, 1860 Munich refused. But who could have foreseen that José Mourinho would personally make the trip to Munich?

“Are you Momo? I’m Mourinho. I want you to come with me and win titles.”

That was the first sentence José Mourinho ever said to Momo, and also the sentence that moved him most. Titles? In a Bundesliga dominated by a single powerhouse, it was clearly very hard to break through. So how would Momo choose?