David Ornstein, a young man who could barely be considered a minor player in European football.
He was not yet forty years old, a native of Leeds, and after graduating from the University of Leeds, he worked several jobs. Later, he joined Leeds United for a period of time. By chance, he became an agent, but his business was small, mainly focusing on Leeds United or Premier League players.
In the UK, agents like David were common.
It's no exaggeration to say that if the AXA Centre signboard were to fall, it might crush several agents beneath it.
Competition in this industry was brutal.
The media and fans only saw the top agents in the news, like Mendes and Raiola, whose net worths were in the hundreds of millions and who handled transfers worth tens or even hundreds of millions of pounds.
Those people were up in the clouds.
David wasn't completely mired in corruption, but he was still just an ordinary agent struggling to make a living.
Fortunately, he had Leeds United as his backing.
Back when he resigned from his position at Leeds United to start his own agency, Gao Shen, Su Qing, Lucas, and Borrell all supported and encouraged him. They didn't place any restrictions on him.
This allowed him to quickly gain access to Leeds United's youth academy.
Since Leeds United rose to prominence, many clubs visited the AXA Centre every year to poach players from their youth academy. Players came and went, some from British clubs, others from European powerhouses. David grew up alongside Leeds United.
He was the agent who signed the most players for Leeds United.
Of course, the vast majority of them were youth players.
He had dealt with many so-called big names in the industry, like Bertrand.
Many people had probably forgotten about him. He was selected for the England national team and later moved to Liverpool.
But Bertrand lacked business sense. After rising to prominence at Leeds United, he was encouraged by those around him to invest in a brokerage firm and become his own boss. At the time, he even snatched a lot of youth team players from David.
However, as Bertrand's professional career declined, his agency business also failed to take off.
There was also Dele Alli.
Few would believe it, but on the day Dele arrived at Leeds United, it was David who helped him settle in.
Leeds United needed this kind of support, but it was impossible to keep so many staff members at the club. That's why they needed agents like David, who often ran errands and did odd jobs.
As he took on more of these jobs and gradually expanded his business, he began hiring staff.
Most importantly, the players under him gradually began to shine.
Vardy.
The Premier League Golden Boot winner from last season had finally made a name for himself.
David now felt a sense of triumph, because he had finally made it.
When Dele Alli decided to transfer, he immediately fired David and signed with a top agent who had the ability to arrange a move to Manchester United.
David?
Please, back then he didn't even know where Manchester United's headquarters was in London. How could he possibly handle something like that?
Besides, what kind of club was Manchester United?
Why would they need someone like David?
Few people knew why David became an agent.
It was a secret he kept close to his heart.
A long time ago, when Leeds United was still a small team, Vardy had a falling out with his agent. The agent had advised him to transfer, believing that with his level, he had no future at a Premier League club with high ambitions.
He should focus on making money in the lower leagues.
But Vardy stood firm.
The two argued in front of David.
"Mr. Gao said I'll definitely succeed one day. I'll become an England international and win the Premier League Golden Boot. I believe him. As long as I keep working hard, I'll make it happen."
The agent sneered, "He's just feeding you lies. If hard work alone could make someone a national team player or a Golden Boot winner, then those titles would be worthless. Wake up!"
The two had a falling out right then and there, and the agent stormed off.
Vardy sat there crying.
He said he knew the chances were slim. He had wanted to give up countless times, but just couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Everyone says Gao Shen has the best eye for talent. Whoever he picks always makes it."
"But I work myself to the bone every day, getting mocked and ridiculed. After all these years, why haven't I succeeded?"
"Did Gao Shen misjudge me, or did I not work hard enough?"
It was the first time David had seen a grown man cry like that in front of him.
But the next day, Vardy came back smiling and continued to train tirelessly.
David thought to himself, "This guy is such a fool. He got screwed over and still believes in the guy who screwed him."
In his mind, Gao Shen was a conman.
But he was a dependable conman. He really remembered Vardy.
As the club's wage bill increased each year, Vardy continued to receive bonuses and raises even when he didn't play.
It was as if Leeds United preferred to pay him to stay.
That guy trained day and night like a man possessed.
David started helping him with contract matters, club communication, and commercial deals.
Things progressed well, and Vardy even joked, "Why don't you quit and become my full-time agent?"
David laughed, "With your tiny weekly wage, can you even afford an agent?"
Gradually, Leeds United came to recognize David's value and began involving him more. Later, when he decided to resign and start his own agency, Gao Shen, Su Qing, and Lucas all showed their support.
Gao Shen even called to ask if he needed any capital and offered to lend him money interest-free.
Vardy became David's first client.
He hadn't expected anything big, but things started to exceed his expectations.
Vardy truly made a name for himself at Leeds United.
From being a substitute in the early games, to scoring goals, becoming part of the rotation, then eventually a starter...
He became more and more important to the team.
He even made it into the England national team.
When Vardy got the call-up, the first person he called was Gao Shen. Then he called David.
That night, Vardy cried his eyes out on the phone.
David also teared up, thinking, "Damn, this guy really loves to cry!"
No one knew exactly when it started, but David became busier and busier.
He used to handle everything himself. Now, more and more responsibilities were being delegated.
Because Vardy was different.
Vardy didn't disappoint. His performances improved season after season. Especially in the past two or three years, he had become a top scorer in the Premier League, and this season he won the Golden Boot.
David had never expected this.
Every time he thought back to those years when Vardy was still struggling, he couldn't reconcile that image with the Vardy of today.
He was always puzzled as to how Gao Shen saw Vardy's potential.
How could he have been so certain that Vardy would succeed?
Nobody had the answer.
David's agency had grown significantly, becoming one of the biggest around Leeds United, signing more and more players. But one thing never changed.
He just wanted to be a service provider.
That's why many Leeds United youth players were willing to sign with him. He had a stellar reputation.
For example, Felix was once his player, but later moved on to Mendes.
Musiala, a current youth player, was also under his wing. So were Foden, Reece James, Declan Rice, Calvin Phillips, and many more.
He worked hard for his players and was constantly on the go.
Especially after the season ended, all three of his phones rang non-stop every day.
There were calls from clubs, players, and business coordination with Leeds United...
He was busy every single day, always rushing around.
His longest phone call lasted 12 hours straight.
All three phones were charging all day long without a break.
David joked to his wife, "They're trying to murder me!"
But he also made up his mind to expand the company further.
With his current workload, his team simply wasn't enough. If he didn't expand, not only would the quality of service decline, but he might just collapse from exhaustion.
It also showed just how popular Leeds United had become.
Because David's business with Leeds United was just one part of it. There were at least eight or ten other agents like him making a living off the club.
It was in this context that David received a mysterious phone call.
The call came late at night when he was about to fall asleep.
The caller claimed to be a member of Ratcliffe's team, who had just acquired Manchester United, and asked about the possibility of Vardy, the Premier League Golden Boot winner, transferring to Manchester United.
The moment he heard that, David was wide awake.
"We all know that Vardy was the best homegrown player last season, and a player like him should be playing for the best homegrown club."
"What you're doing is a bit out of line," David warned.
"I know, but only you and I know about this phone call, right?"
David said nothing.
"We are very sincere. If you can convince Vardy to join Manchester United, we're willing to double his weekly wage, and we'll also give you a generous and completely satisfactory fee to thank you for your efforts."
David realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
He couldn't help but think that the moment he had been waiting for, the chance to become a super-agent like Mendes or Raiola, was finally on the horizon.
(To be continued.)