rossoldiniho
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A footballers career is usually full of phone calls. A telephone call between me and a football agents based in Birmingham set off my career with me signing for Kidderminster Harriers and making my debut at just 15, 2 years later and 55 appearances as well as 20 goals later it was another phone call that sealed my move to my boyhood club Birmingham City. By the time I was 19 years old I had played for England 8 times and "Clarke, 24" was a name proudly displayed on the back of many Birmingham City fans shirts. A few years later when I was 23 there was another conversation between me and my agent; S.C. Braga an ambitious club in Portugal had made an approach for my services and my cash-strapped club accepted a bid of around £2m.
When my knee and ankle injuries I suffered with in my youth returned I started to fall out of love with the beautiful game and left Braga and it took another phone call, this time between me and my mother,to get me to stay in the game. It worked, playing for Birmingham once again, overcoming the injuries, falling back in love with the game,becoming a player worthy of the fans appreciation once again.. all this gave me the strength to attempt to crack football abroad once more.
Another telephone call, between me and my agent, to inform me that my father had died of a heart attack when I was just 28 and now plying my trade for A.C Milan in Italy that saw me become an expensive flop transfer. In the next transfer window my agent called; saying A.C Milan have accepted a £17m bid from FC Barcelona as they attempted to resurrect my career, they were a club that I fell in love with,but didn’t fit my style of play. When I left after two seasons,to finish my career in Brazil, people accused me of coasting- they saw images of me shopping and loving life in Brazil, talking to the youth players constantly; they thought I was already thinking about coaching. I didn’t think I was, I never thought I was a manager in the making, but when I was playing my final seasons in Brazil, as a veteran holding midfielder playing for Botafago, I realised that I was more interested in giving young players opportunities.
Soon I was head of youth development at Botafago, then I became a football consultant; I was really interested in day-to-day management of senior squads but didn't get given a chance, so it was all about the youth team. Eventually I was the head of youth development at Birmingham City, although I spent time as a consultant for Udinese but I proved more useful to Barcelona when I was providing them with English youngsters to test out.
A few months after I leftBarcelona to come back to England I received another phone call,probably the most interesting yet, it was from the chairman ofBorussia Dortmund, a team who's manager had recently left afterwinning the Bundesliga with them.
“Mr Clarke, we would be extremely interested in your services in a very flexible capacity.”
“What do you mean?”
"We want to Borussia Dortmund one of the best teams in the world, not just Germany. We would be very interested in your services not only as a direct football consultant for the football club in terms of our youth development, but as the manager of the senior squad.”
“I don’t manage senior teams; I’m 54 years old, I have never been given a managerial position before…”
“We have followed your career, and we know that you are what we need, the missing piece of our puzzle. You can lead us to the Club World Cup,I'm sure of it."
“Well,I can’t say I’m not flattered…”
“We are also willing to offer you a contract of £1,500,000 a year, with personal bonuses depending on how well we do in domestic competitions.”
“That is an exceptionally generous offer; will you give me time to consider?”
“I’m afraid time is of the essence, we will need a response within 48 hours.”
“Then I don’t need 48 hours. I’m your man.”
That was it. A new team, a new country and a new job...
When my knee and ankle injuries I suffered with in my youth returned I started to fall out of love with the beautiful game and left Braga and it took another phone call, this time between me and my mother,to get me to stay in the game. It worked, playing for Birmingham once again, overcoming the injuries, falling back in love with the game,becoming a player worthy of the fans appreciation once again.. all this gave me the strength to attempt to crack football abroad once more.
Another telephone call, between me and my agent, to inform me that my father had died of a heart attack when I was just 28 and now plying my trade for A.C Milan in Italy that saw me become an expensive flop transfer. In the next transfer window my agent called; saying A.C Milan have accepted a £17m bid from FC Barcelona as they attempted to resurrect my career, they were a club that I fell in love with,but didn’t fit my style of play. When I left after two seasons,to finish my career in Brazil, people accused me of coasting- they saw images of me shopping and loving life in Brazil, talking to the youth players constantly; they thought I was already thinking about coaching. I didn’t think I was, I never thought I was a manager in the making, but when I was playing my final seasons in Brazil, as a veteran holding midfielder playing for Botafago, I realised that I was more interested in giving young players opportunities.
Soon I was head of youth development at Botafago, then I became a football consultant; I was really interested in day-to-day management of senior squads but didn't get given a chance, so it was all about the youth team. Eventually I was the head of youth development at Birmingham City, although I spent time as a consultant for Udinese but I proved more useful to Barcelona when I was providing them with English youngsters to test out.
A few months after I leftBarcelona to come back to England I received another phone call,probably the most interesting yet, it was from the chairman ofBorussia Dortmund, a team who's manager had recently left afterwinning the Bundesliga with them.
“Mr Clarke, we would be extremely interested in your services in a very flexible capacity.”
“What do you mean?”
"We want to Borussia Dortmund one of the best teams in the world, not just Germany. We would be very interested in your services not only as a direct football consultant for the football club in terms of our youth development, but as the manager of the senior squad.”
“I don’t manage senior teams; I’m 54 years old, I have never been given a managerial position before…”
“We have followed your career, and we know that you are what we need, the missing piece of our puzzle. You can lead us to the Club World Cup,I'm sure of it."
“Well,I can’t say I’m not flattered…”
“We are also willing to offer you a contract of £1,500,000 a year, with personal bonuses depending on how well we do in domestic competitions.”
“That is an exceptionally generous offer; will you give me time to consider?”
“I’m afraid time is of the essence, we will need a response within 48 hours.”
“Then I don’t need 48 hours. I’m your man.”
That was it. A new team, a new country and a new job...
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looks very, very similar (layout and story wise) as my Ajax Amsterdam story from Fm12