Lukoil Arena, Moscow, Russia.
During the away match against Spartak Moscow, Richard was welcomed by his Russian friends and fellow investors — Roman Abramovich, Alexander Abramov, and Aleksandr Frolov. Each of them was a major shareholder in Evraz, a UK-incorporated multinational steel manufacturing and mining company.
Roman Abramovich leaned back on the leather sofa, a glass of tea warming his hand rather than vodka. From everything Richard had observed so far, Abramovich was nothing like the Western stereotypes. He wasn't loud or flamboyant — but quiet, analytical, almost shy. His eyes were always working.
"Richard," he began, calm and precise, "you've built a very… effective system. Global. Long-term. I want something similar for Russian football. Or…" He leaned forward slightly, a thin smile forming."Give me the recipe to defeat Spartak."
Richard's mouth twitched.
It was impossible to deny how envious Abramovich was of Spartak Moscow — Russian champions three years in a row.
