⚽ Football Reborn: The Manager from the Future
Chapter 17 – The Neymar Paradox: Talent in the Flames
Santos, Brazil.
A city built on dreams, beaches, and football gods.
Pelé's ghost still walked these streets. But today, Ethan was chasing the spark of a new legend.
🧠 AI BRIEFING:
– Subject: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior
– Age: 9
– Location: Mogi das Cruzes (Greater São Paulo)
– Timeline Threat: Extreme — risk of injury, gang interference, economic instability
– Talent Index: 94.7% Legendary
– Father: Neymar Santos Sr. – overprotective, highly skeptical
– Suggested Action: Sponsorship of local academy, indirect approach via futsal coach
Ethan watched from the side of a dusty pitch.
A group of barefoot boys danced in and out of defenders. And then he appeared — smaller, faster, cheekier than the rest.
Neymar.
A mop of hair. A blur of feet. A grin wide enough to light the whole favela.
He flicked the ball over a defender's head, caught it with his chest, dropped it onto his foot, and rainbowed it over another boy — all in one motion.
Ethan had seen Messi glide. He had seen Ronaldo grind. But Neymar?
Neymar played.
He was chaos wrapped in joy. And he was everything Ethan needed.
After the session, Ethan approached the coach — a local futsal trainer named Gilberto who recognized trouble when it wore European clothes.
"I'm not selling the boy."
"I'm not buying him," Ethan said, hands raised. "I'm offering a future."
Gilberto squinted. "You think you're the first? Santos FC scouts were here last week. One of them brought a box of Nike cleats and a prepaid contract."
Ethan opened his folder. No contracts. No cash. Just a long-term development plan and a private invitation for the entire Neymar family to visit Darlington.
Gilberto chuckled. "You're mad."
"Maybe. But I've already signed Messi and Ronaldo. Neymar completes the trinity."
The coach's smile faded.
"You're lying."
Ethan tapped his phone and played a clip. A grainy training session. Messi turning two defenders. Then a shot of Ronaldo juggling medicine balls on Darlington turf.
Gilberto blinked. "Is that real?"
"Yes. And I want Neymar to shine with them. Not after them. With them. From the start."
But getting the coach wasn't enough.
Neymar Sr. was the real boss.
When Ethan knocked on the door of their modest apartment that evening, the older Neymar answered with crossed arms and a defensive glare.
"You want my boy to play in England?" he said, in accented but firm English.
"I want to build him into something the world can't forget."
"Everyone says that. But they don't offer family visas. Or tutoring. Or safety."
"I do," Ethan replied. "All of that. Plus something no one else has — a vision that includes your son as one of the three greatest players in history."
Neymar Sr. narrowed his eyes.
"You're either insane… or a prophet."
"I'm both," Ethan said.
Then he passed him the tablet.
On-screen was a digital simulation: 2023 Champions League Final, Darlington vs. PSG. In the center of the pitch, Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo together — passing, scoring, celebrating.
A game that hadn't happened. Not yet.
But one Ethan was determined to make real.
Neymar Sr. watched the footage three times.
Then he said, "Show me the school. Show me the flat. Show me that my boy won't be alone."
Within days, the AI initiated Neymar Relocation Protocol.
✅ NEYMAR SECURED
Family acceptance: Confirmed
School placement: Darlington Prep
Arrival window: 11 days
Timeline stability increased: +14%
New risk: Growing digital exposure — youth academy interest from São Paulo FC
Back in England, Greg was waiting with more news.
"We got a message," he said, sliding a phone onto Ethan's desk.
A single voice recording.
Male. English. Cold.
"You're assembling a team that shouldn't exist. We know what you're doing, Ethan Ray.
Pull out now. Or we will pull you apart."
Ethan stared at the phone.
"Did you trace it?"
"No. VPN chain goes through five countries."
"They're getting desperate," Ethan murmured.
"No," Greg corrected. "They're getting organized."
That night, Ethan stood on the Darlington training pitch — now empty, but soon to be filled with talent that defied logic, scouts, and natural progression.
Messi.
Ronaldo.
Neymar.
The timeline was bending.
The old future was crumbling.
But someone else knew.
And war was coming.