Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 304: Manchester United Changes Hands

Thanks to a 2-0 home victory, Atlético Madrid defeated Udinese 3-1 on aggregate, advancing to the Champions League semi-finals. Udinese's exit in the quarter-finals also meant the complete elimination of Serie A teams from European competitions this season.

In the other quarter-final matches, Bayern Munich defeated Benfica 3-2 on aggregate, and Manchester City also triumphed 3-2 over Paris Saint-Germain. The most eye-catching match was the clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

In the first leg at Camp Nou, it was a showcase for Luis Suárez. The Uruguayan striker scored twice, leading Barcelona to a comprehensive victory over Real Madrid and putting Los Blancos in a difficult position. However, in the second leg at the Bernabéu, it was Bruno's national team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, who stole the show. The Real Madrid talisman scored a hat-trick, helping his team win 3-2 and advance to the semi-finals for the first time in a year.

Ronaldo's hat-trick also put him ahead of Bruno with 16 goals in the Champions League top scorers' list, virtually securing this season's Champions League Golden Boot. After the quarter-finals, Ronaldo led the scoring chart with 16 goals, followed by Bruno with 14 goals. The closest competitors, Suárez, Lewandowski, and Müller, had only 8 goals each.

Among these three, Suárez's Barcelona was already out, so his goal tally could no longer increase. Lewandowski and Müller's Bayern still remained in the competition, but given their scoring rates, the likelihood of them scoring 8 or more goals in at most three games was minimal. Moreover, Ronaldo's Real Madrid was also in the semi-finals, so his goal tally might not yet be finalized. There was even a good chance Ronaldo could break the single-season Champions League goal record of 17, jointly held by himself and Bruno.

...

Although defeated, Udinese quickly bounced back, having already prepared mentally for a potential loss to Atlético Madrid. Returning to Udine, the team started preparing for the 33rd round of Serie A.

However, around this time, a massive upheaval rocked European football. On the evening of April 15, 2016, Premier League giants Manchester United announced a change of ownership. After 11 years at the helm, the American Glazer family sold the club, handing it over to Qatari royal family member Jassim.

This transaction, which had begun the previous August, was finally completed after nearly nine months of protracted negotiations. According to the renowned British media outlet, The Times, the deal was valued at £6 billion (approximately $8.46 billion or €7.56 billion).

When the Glazers bought Manchester United 11 years ago, they had paid less than £800 million, with the Glazer family themselves contributing less than £300 million. In 11 years, they made over 20 times their investment, reaping massive profits.

With Jassim's acquisition, Manchester United was set to be privatized again. Jassim's representatives also announced that oil capital would be injected into the club, not only to repay all debts but also to invest no less than €200 million in the summer transfer market.

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Given that Manchester United's season was still ongoing, Jassim's team decided not to make immediate changes to the club's management and coaching staff, allowing them to continue their duties until the end of the season. This meant that the management team led by Ed Woodward and the coaching team led by Louis van Gaal would continue to lead Manchester United. However, with a game in hand, Manchester United was currently sixth in the Premier League, with slim chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

As for winning the league, Manchester United's chances were non-existent, as they trailed league leaders Leicester City by 19 points with only six games remaining. They had just secured a place in the FA Cup semi-finals after defeating West Ham United in a quarter-final replay. The FA Cup remained their best chance for silverware this season, given that their semi-final opponents were Everton, Crystal Palace, and Watford—teams they were expected to beat under normal circumstances.

...

In fact, Bruno learned about Manchester United's impending change of ownership before the rest of the world. The evening that Udinese returned from Madrid, he received a call from Jassim, who informed him of the successful acquisition and hinted at a summer move to Manchester United.

Although Jassim had always been confident about acquiring Manchester United, the reality of it still felt surreal to Bruno. In the alternate timeline, even up until the moment he crossed over, Jassim had not managed to buy Manchester United from the Glazers. Bruno was unsure how events would unfold in this timeline, but with Manchester United's ownership change, he was set to join them this summer. With these changes, Bruno didn't know what direction Manchester United would take in this timeline. But one thing was certain: he would play a part in the transformation of the club, possibly even leading it.

...

On the afternoon of April 17, at Friuli Stadium, the 33rd round of Serie A saw Udinese host Chievo. Chievo had performed well this season, sitting in tenth place with 32 rounds completed, just 4 points shy of the Europa League qualification zone, thus still hopeful for a spot.

However, Chievo couldn't withstand Udinese, who were determined to chase the league title. Despite being closely marked by Chievo's defense, Bruno didn't push hard for goals. He had already set his historical single-season scoring record and seemed content.

Of course, this didn't mean he had no ambitions. Bruno's main goals now were to lead Udinese to victory over Juventus and retain the Serie A title and to help Di Natale surpass Totti and become the highest-scoring active player in Serie A. Currently, Di Natale had 14 goals this season, with a career total of 242 goals, just three shy of Totti. Di Natale also needed six more goals to reach 20 for the season, which would tie Nordahl's record of scoring at least 20 goals in seven consecutive Serie A seasons.

In the match against Chievo, Bruno worked to draw defenders and set up opportunities for Di Natale, who scored twice, leading Udinese to a 2-0 victory. With 33 rounds completed, Udinese had 85 points, maintaining a 6-point lead atop the Serie A standings.

...

Due to the upcoming European Championship in the summer, the schedules of Europe's major leagues were compressed. Despite Udinese only having Serie A matches left, they still faced a congested fixture list.

On the evening of April 20, Udinese hosted sixth-placed Fiorentina. Di Natale was rested due to the demanding schedule, as the 38-year-old veteran couldn't handle playing twice a week. Bruno assisted Duván Zapata in the second minute and initiated an attack in the 53rd minute, leading to a goal by Widmer that restored their lead. Udinese won 2-1 at home.

On April 23, Udinese played Inter Milan at the San Siro. Inter had started the season well but experienced a mid-season dip, dropping out of the European spots. As the season neared its end, Inter's form improved, and they climbed to fifth, vying for a Champions League qualifying spot.

Udinese made a dream start, with Bruno assisting Di Natale in the ninth minute. However, Inter equalized through Jovetić in the 36th minute. In the second half, Bruno set up Badu, who assisted Di Natale for another goal, but Inter fought back. Jovetić scored again in the 75th minute, and substitute Eder scored the winning goal in the 95th minute, giving Inter a 3-2 victory.

With Juventus winning 2-1 away at Fiorentina, the gap between Juventus and Udinese was narrowed to three points, with Juventus having an advantage of eight goals. With three rounds remaining, the Serie A title race was wide open!

(End of Chapter)

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