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Corvino called Vlahovic’s mother in Belgrade. Krösche contacts players in October — months before other clubs even know they’re available. Rolfes convinces Grimaldo and Xhaka that a mid-sized German club is the right next step. Three directors. Three ways of winning the deal before the negotiation starts.

On bringing Xabi Alonso in as an unproven head coach, Rolfes said: “There’s always an element of risk involved, but you always have to improve and take forward steps. I’m absolutely convinced it will work out.” That statement aged about as well as any in football. The lesson: conviction without ego. He believed in his assessment and committed to it fully.

After studying hundreds of coaches across decades of football, the Conte-Gasperini-Spalletti comparison keeps returning to one truth: The greatest coaches aren’t defined by their tactics. They’re defined by their conviction. Conte’s conviction: the standard must be lived every day, without exception, without negotiation. Gasperini’s conviction: the potential inside a player is almost always greater than the player believes — and your job is to show them that. Spalletti’s conviction: beautiful football is not an aesthetic preference. It is the only sustainable route to winning at the highest level. Three convictions. Three careers built entirely around them. The tactics change. The conviction never does.

Ferguson sold Beckham. Keane. Van Nistelrooy. All at the peak of their powers. All while they still had market value. That’s not sentiment. That’s portfolio management. Most clubs wait too long. He never did.