2. Temporary Contract
£100 ($199) per week in 2007 — Kevin's amateur contract could be upgraded later when he gets a professional contract.
Head Coach Rob Kelly: "An amateur contract at 17 years old, there will be a professional contract. We can raise your salary to £300!"
Kevin's father, who heard the news, was thrilled. There would certainly be further increases if Kevin performed well and consistently.
Rob Kelly wanted to offer Kevin £300 and eventually a professional contract worth up to £500. But of course, the club owner wouldn't agree due to the club's limited finances. Kevin was incredibly talented and a genius — if he were at Arsenal under Arsène Wenger, he would definitely be offered a huge contract. But fortunately, this boy was a Leicester City fan.
Rob Kelly was also in trouble — he was likely to be sacked as head coach due to unsatisfactory results. Nigel Worthington, rumored to replace him, hoped Kevin's presence could change everything. The boy was like Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo!
Rob Kelly imagined himself continuing to coach Leicester City's youth — every coach dreams of leading a club for years like Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger.
The next day at training.
Kevin adapted quickly. Watching him was Andy King, who stared as if looking at a monster. Kevin's breathing was steady, not like someone exhausted — clearly, this kid was terrifying!
Stephen Clemence, who had played for Tottenham and Birmingham, watched Kevin seriously. The boy was on a level difficult to comprehend.
Even the professional players watched in awe and envy. They imagined that if they were like Kevin, they could have made it into the Manchester United or Chelsea squad!
Andy patted Kevin on the shoulder and said: "I hope you play like this in matches. You should know that training and real games are different!"
Everyone there gave their support — they agreed with Andy. After all, Kevin was still young.
Stephen Clemence (Captain): "Our opponent is Queens Park Rangers. We lost to them at full strength. Prepare yourself mentally in case the coach decides to play you, Kevin."
Kevin: "Yes!"
Andy, gloomy: "Don't talk about that loss. I don't want to remember how they crushed us 3-0!"
They didn't want to stay in the second division — they wanted to play against big teams and show the world that Leicester City are the Blue Foxes!
They returned to training. Kevin kept troubling everyone with his personal strength, tight ball control, feints, and long-range shots from outside the box.
Andy King didn't want to be outdone by Kevin, who casually passed sideways without looking — a familiar style sometimes used by Cristiano Ronaldo. Kevin even passed the ball with the back of his heel.
Kevin had many tricks to turn right while passing the ball in the opposite direction.
God's Eyes — with such skills, it was as if he could see behind his head!
"Steal the ball! That kid's always showing off, damn it!" Andy shouted as he fell from Kevin's footwork trick.
When two defenders approached him, Kevin smiled and passed the ball — it was immediately met with a volley shot straight into the goal. The goalkeeper jumped, but the ball slipped past his fingertips.
Rob Kelly clapped, clearly satisfied. Kevin, who had great dribbling ability, wasn't selfish. He saw the opportunity and passed the ball immediately. And this didn't happen just once.