Footbal: Arsenal - Chapter 71: Raiola: I Found a Diamond That Shone from the Moment It Appeared (Patreon)

After catching his breath, Raiola reached into the briefcase beside him and produced a printed career-development plan.

He had prepared it for Kieran long ago, devising the entire thing himself and typing every word.

It had all begun on March 13, the night of Kieran's Champions League round-of-16 debut.

Agents couldn't watch every football match, so they had to choose carefully.

Important fixtures in the Champions League and Europe's five major leagues were essential viewing, even if busy schedules meant relying on staff reports, match statistics, and highlight footage rather than watching all ninety minutes.

As luck would have it, Raiola had been free when Arsenal faced Juventus.

He was at home enjoying German beer and Brazilian barbecue as he watched the Premier League side being thoroughly outplayed by their Serie A opponents.

Frankly, he thought Arsenal were fortunate Juventus had been so confident of winning that they hadn't pushed themselves to the limit during the first seventy-odd minutes.

If the Italians had pushed harder, Arsenal might have needed six, seven, or even eight goals to overturn the tie rather than five.

Arsenal could keep possession, but their attack was painfully blunt.

Juventus had a formidable defense and enough firepower going forward to make matters worse.

Until Kieran came on, Raiola couldn't imagine Arsenal winning. Nobody could.

Then play stopped in the seventy-fifth minute, and the fourth official raised the substitution board.

Arsenal's No. 10 was replacing No. 14.

Viewers around the world were confused.

Arsenal had a No. 10? Where had he been all season?

Raiola, however, vaguely remembered him.

Before the season began, Arsenal had announced the promotion of a young No. 10 from their academy, and Raiola's agency had collected his youth-team statistics.

Those numbers had been almost suspiciously good.

For a moment, Raiola had wondered if Arsenal were exaggerating them. But Wenger's reputation and the genuine match records convinced him otherwise.

The achievements were extraordinary for a sixteen-year-old.

His staff had tried to make contact, only to discover that the youngster had seemingly vanished inside Arsenal.

No one could reach him.

The memory had faded until Kieran appeared on the bench against Juventus.

From the moment Kieran took his first stride on the pitch, Raiola couldn't look away.

Other viewers noticed the teenager only after he scored.

Raiola saw something special in the way he ran. Every footballer had a distinctive stride, and many players who hadn't come through an academy carried habits that even later technical coaching couldn't entirely correct.

Kieran was different.

His movement wasn't merely textbook. It had progressed beyond textbook form into a style that was unmistakably his own, elegant, efficient, and astonishingly explosive.

Raiola felt a surge of excitement.

Arsenal's No. 10 was anything but ordinary.

He took a sip of beer to steady himself.

Then Kieran made his first touch, and Raiola spilled the beer all over his clothes.

He sprang to his feet, turned in a stunned circle while dripping beer, and stared back at the television.

Anyone watching that leap and the power behind Kieran's movement would have assumed he was going for a header. He had fooled Juventus and the audience alike.

Instead, he somehow cushioned the ball with exquisite control, brought it down, and casually poked it into the net.

Arsenal had spent nearly two matches trying to break through that defense. Kieran had done it with one seemingly effortless touch and finish.

Raiola clutched his head and kept watching.

Then came the second goal.

With what looked like a wonderfully imaginative shooting feint, Kieran deceived Buffon and everyone following the broadcast.

Raiola would have sworn the boy had rehearsed that move with an acting coach.

It looked so real! The moment Buffon committed himself, he knew Kieran would score.

Sure enough, Arsenal's No. 10 found the net again.

That was it.

Raiola abandoned the beer and barbecue, pulled off his beer-soaked shirt, dragged a stool up close to the television, and watched every movement.

He understood football, and he loved the sport. Missing a debut like this, he felt, would be something he'd regret for the rest of his life.

When Szczęsny passed to Kieran and the youngster began that extraordinary hurdling run, racing past defender after defender, Raiola's eyes went wide.

He made his decision right then.

Sign him. I have to sign him! Even if I have to pester everyone at Arsenal until they give in, I'm signing that boy!

Kieran, just you wait. I'm going to be your agent!

By the time the miraculous five-goal debut was over, Raiola was certain.

He immediately began writing a career plan designed for Kieran and nobody else, then submitted an expression of interest to Wenger at Arsenal.

Unfortunately, Kieran was still sixteen. Wenger was effectively a guardian to him, and any agent hoping to approach the youngster had to go through the manager.

Arsenal's fixture list was packed, and Kieran was suddenly the focus of enormous attention.

Between constant training, barely finding time for interviews, and a call-up for two England qualifiers, he had hardly a moment to spare. Wenger kept telling prospective agents that any decision would have to wait.

Oddly enough, Raiola was relieved he couldn't get near Kieran. If he couldn't secure a meeting, his competitors probably couldn't either. At least they were all starting on equal terms.

He used the delay to reorganize his agency.

A handful of employees objected to the plan to sign no other new players for the next five years, so he let them go. Everyone who remained was committed to making Kieran the agency's priority.

He also spoke to three players with whom he already had long-term agreements: Zlatan Ibrahimović, Paul Pogba, and Mario Balotelli.

Once he'd discussed the situation with them, he suspended scouting for new clients and threw himself into winning Kieran's signature.

As Wenger kept postponing the decision, Raiola and the other agents made their offers more and more attractive.

The plan and contract now lying in front of Kieran were vastly more generous than the few details Raiola had revealed to Mendes earlier. This was the offer he'd been building toward ever since that unforgettable night in March.