Genius - Chapter 534: The Golf Club! (Patreon)

“Playing against Lin was the hardest thing I’ve experienced since coming up to the Premier League. I simply couldn’t defend him, and I had no idea what he was going to do on the pitch!”

In Leeds United’s post-match interviews, Roberts, Rodrigo, and the others found themselves thinking back to what it had felt like trying to defend Leo.

It had been incredibly frustrating, mainly because when they looked at him, none of Leo’s individual abilities seemed overwhelmingly exceptional at first glance.

Rodrigo explained that when Leo wasn’t exerting himself, it was easy to feel as though they were players on roughly the same level.

“Seriously, when I look at Lin and he isn’t using his strength or actively engaging physically, he looks almost the same as me.”

“And there’s nothing about him that feels particularly dangerous. But the moment he needs to carry the ball forward or shoot, that sense of danger suddenly explodes. Then I realize that no matter which part of my game I compare to his, I’m behind him. I genuinely can’t catch him, and I genuinely can’t stop him!”

Rodrigo had experienced that feeling countless times with the Spanish national team.

Several seasons had passed, but Leo hadn’t changed at all.

If anything, that feeling had only become stronger.

Rodrigo normally would never say something like this in front of the media because footballers needed confidence in their own ability.

But after facing Leo, almost every player ended up saying something similar.

The young Roberts and Harrison were disappointed by the loss, but they also felt they had learned something from the match.

Leeds United had lost, and they would have to take their remaining matches seriously if they wanted to avoid relegation.

But facing Leo also made them feel as though there was a great deal they could learn.

Roberts could hardly wait to get back onto the training ground and work on a dribbling style that could unleash explosive speed while still keeping that burst under control, just like Leo.

“Sometimes I think I don’t actually need to reach Lin’s level. If I could get to half of that, or even thirty percent, I’d still improve a lot and perform much better for Leeds United.”

For some of Leeds United’s younger players, this had been their first time facing Leo.

His hat trick had clearly won them over.

At that moment, Leo was sitting in Barnett’s car while Barnett discussed another matter with him.

“You own too many golf courses now. You have three in North London, several around Liverpool, one in Manchester, one in Southampton, and recently you bought the two largest golf courses in Watford.”

“I added everything up for you yesterday. You now own sixteen golf courses in total. Six of them are good enough to be considered world-class, and twelve have ratings above eighty on the international golf course evaluation scale.”

Leo listened to the numbers and immediately felt that something was off.

“Twelve plus six is eighteen. I only own sixteen courses, so where did the extra two come from?”

“The twelve already include the six courses rated above ninety-five.”

Barnett drew out a map showing where all the courses were located.

Several of them were relatively close to one another. Among the sixteen courses, there were always a few separated by only a short distance.

“I think you should establish a golf club that brings all of these courses together under one organization and applies the same standards across all of them. I’m not talking about admission prices, playing time, or course specifications. I mean management standards.”

“Create your own brand. Call it the Leo Golf Club. Put every course under one management system, raise the benefits and wages of the current employees, and make them feel that they’re trusted and valued within the organization. Then we can attract even more golf fans.”

“Once the club’s overall management structure is mature, we can expand the facilities and activities available at the courses.”

“People wouldn’t just come here to play golf. They could also enjoy all kinds of entertainment.”

“We should turn these places into genuine leisure resorts where people can completely relax. They could even stay overnight. We could build hotels with artificial hot springs and set reasonable admission prices. All of that would become part of the golf club’s appeal.”

“We shouldn’t limit ourselves to golf anymore. Your business can keep expanding.”

Barnett had spent a long time thinking about it.

Given Leo’s current popularity and the locations of several of his top-class golf courses, he believed the plan was entirely realistic.

A lot of the land around the courses was open and undeveloped.

Rather than leave it unused, they could build additional facilities around the existing courses and turn them into full golf resorts, increasing their revenue in the process.

With the number of golf courses Leo already owned and the income they generated, even if he retired immediately, they would still provide him with substantial long-term income.

Leo thought the idea made a lot of sense.

Besides, when it came to things like this, he had always listened to Barnett.

Barnett was far more talented at business than he was.

The original marshmallow shop had already been a huge success.

Its unique flavors and excellent marketing had made it one of the most popular attractions at Leo’s golf courses.

Once Leo approved the new plan, Barnett immediately announced it and began inviting businesses to move into the future facilities.

Barnett contacted the best construction crews he could find, and they immediately began comprehensive upgrades across Leo’s golf courses.

The Leo Golf Club soon began spreading by word of mouth among fans, especially golf enthusiasts.

Nobody had ever imagined that a footballer could become this successful in the golf business.

Gullit had a universal VIP card that gave him access to all of Leo’s golf courses, a personal gift from Leo.

Scholes had one too.

Rivaldo did not.

So on March 2, the day of the FA Cup final, with kickoff still some time away, Gullit and Scholes both started showing off their Leo Golf Club membership cards.

“Oh dear, I accidentally brought this membership card with me today. This thing is precious. I’d better put it somewhere safe and make sure I don’t lose it.”

Pretending it was completely accidental, Gullit pulled the golf club membership card from his pocket and looked toward Scholes.

“Scholes, where’s your membership card? Take it out and let us have a look.”

“After all, we’re both good friends with Lin. Very good friends. That’s why we both received membership cards from him as gifts.”

Rivaldo could only smile helplessly as he watched the two of them show off.

He opened the team sheet instead.

Apparently, introducing the starting lineups for today’s FA Cup final was going to be his responsibility.

“To all the fans who have been waiting for this one, the 2021–2022 FA Cup final takes place today. Manchester City against Liverpool.”

“The two sides eliminated Chelsea and Manchester United respectively. Over the past several seasons, Manchester City have been the team Liverpool have faced most often in the FA Cup.”

“Across the last six seasons, Manchester City have won the FA Cup three times, while Liverpool have also won it three times. Their records are completely level.”

“For Manchester City, Steffen starts in goal. Zinchenko is at left back, Cancelo at right back, with Aké partnering Stones in central defense.”

“The midfield consists of Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Gündoğan, while the front three are Sterling, Grealish, and Jesus.”

Rivaldo felt Manchester City’s midfield looked somewhat unbalanced.

None of Foden, Bernardo Silva, or Gündoğan was a natural defensive midfielder.

“That midfield will certainly have excellent control and passing ability, but defensively it won’t be as strong as it would be with Fernandinho.”

“Of course, Fernandinho rarely starts these days. He’s already in his thirties and naturally isn’t the same player he was when he was younger.”

“For Liverpool, Alisson starts in goal, Robertson at left back, with Van Dijk and Gvardiol once again forming the center back pairing. The midfield three remain unchanged.”

“Joe Gomez starts at right back. Up front, it’s Díaz, Gakpo, and Salah. Gakpo will probably play as the striker today.”

“When Liverpool originally signed Gakpo, the idea was to try him both on the left wing and through the middle, then use him wherever he performed best.”

“But as things stand, it’s difficult for Gakpo to beat Díaz to the left-wing spot. Szoboszlai also plays there from time to time.”

“Through the middle, Núñez has produced some very good performances, and Szoboszlai is occasionally used there as well, so Gakpo still hasn’t had many opportunities in either position.”

“But he gets his chance in this FA Cup final. If he takes it, Gakpo may get the opportunity to play regularly as a striker in the future.”