Chapter 113 Snacks

After a resounding away victory against Siena, Milan's next opponent is Napoli, with the match scheduled for a week later.

As is customary, Ancelotti gave the players another two days off.

Fino brought home another big box of apples. Nesta and Kaká had been clamoring for dried apples lately, and with the rainy season coming to an end, it was time to start drying them.

He spent most of the day processing a bunch of apple chunks, then dried them. After thinking for a moment, he also made some simple but delicious snacks to give Nesta and the others a treat before the dried apples were fully dried.

He followed online tutorials and made many kinds of snacks, such as milk yam and cranberry strips, milk-flavored purple sweet potato flower rolls, and cookies, which can be eaten as snacks or to fill an empty stomach. He controlled the amount of white sugar and butter added, making them at least a little healthier than those bought from dessert shops.

He made a lot at once, and some of them could be made into semi-finished products and stored in the refrigerator. When it was time to eat them, he could simply take them out and process them a little.

Seeing the refrigerator filled with pastries, Fino felt a sense of happiness and accomplishment; cooking truly brings joy.

On the training day after the holiday, Fino brought some snacks to the locker room, which were warmly welcomed by his teammates.

Kaka and Nesta ate a lot and quickly, and even "fought" for the last cookie in the locker room.

Maldini sighed and facepalmed, "We're all people who earn millions of euros a year, is it really worth it for a piece of pastry?"

“What does how much money I make have to do with eating snacks? Besides, this was made by Finney, and I want to eat the last piece.” Nesta grabbed Kaká’s hair.

“Shut up, Sandro, you’ve eaten enough, this piece should be mine!” Kakara covered Nesta’s ear.

The two childish kids continued their playful bickering, while their teammates watched with amusement as they changed into their training clothes.

Fino couldn't stand it anymore, so he went over, grabbed the remaining cookie, and stuffed it into Gattuso's mouth.

"Alright, Reno has already eaten the last cookie, you two stop now!"

Nesta and Kaká paused in their work upon hearing this. The two men turned sharply to look at Gattuso, and sure enough, they saw him chewing.

Nesta: ? ? ?

Kaka: ? ? ?

"How dare you steal my cookies! You're going to die!" Nesta and Kaká lunged at Gattuso at the same time.

Gattuso: ? ? ?

I'm innocent...

Gattuso, outnumbered and outgunned, was quickly subdued.

Oh dear, how did another one get involved? Fino quickly went to pull them apart.

"Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I have plenty more at home. I'll keep bringing you snacks for the next few days!"

For the next few days, Fino indeed brought some snacks every day, placing them directly in his locker so that anyone who wanted some could take them. Nesta and Kaká had gotten into the habit of opening Fino's locker to find something to eat as soon as they entered the locker room each day, before changing and training.

Fino arrived early that day, and as usual put a bag of snacks in the cupboard. Then he changed into his training clothes and went to the training ground to warm up in advance.

A little while later, Kaká and Nesta chased after Pirlo, followed by a large group of teammates who were watching the spectacle.

Nesta was still clutching the bag of pastries in his hand.

"Finni, help me!" Pirlo hid behind Finni.

Fino quickly shielded him and turned to Nesta, asking, "What happened? Sandro, let him off this time. He'll do it again next time."

Kaka said angrily, "He put weird stuff on the desserts you made, and Sandro and I were almost poisoned!"

Pirlo hid behind Fino, put his hands on Fino's shoulders, and peeked out: "They're all edible, just a bit unpalatable."

Fino reached back and pinched Pirlo's waist. "Don't say anything more, or you'll really get a beating."

Fino alone couldn't protect Pirlo. Nesta and Kaká double-teamed him, quickly pinning Pirlo to the ground and giving him a harsh lesson.

After Nesta and Kaká had vented their anger, Fino pulled Pirlo up from the ground, helped him tidy his hair, and removed the grass clippings from it.

Nesta and Kaká, standing nearby, were carefully avoiding Pirloga's "seasoning" and nibbling on the clean parts of the dessert, a sight that looked both poignant and amusing.

"Forget it, don't eat it. There's still some at home. I'll bring you more tomorrow."

“Finnie, you’re so sweet!” Kaka said, his bright, puppy-dog eyes shining. “But tomorrow’s is tomorrow’s, and we can’t waste today’s too.”

Nesta nodded vigorously beside him.

The next day, Fino was delayed by fans outside Milanello and arrived a little late. After entering the locker room, he saw Nesta and Kaká arguing.

Upon seeing Fino arrive, Nesta shoved Kaka aside, took the pastries from Fino's hand, handed him a key, and said casually, "Fino, to prevent Andrea from playing pranks, I've locked your cabinet. We'll each have a key."

Kaka yelled from the side, "I want one too! Why can't I have one?"

Fino looked at his cabinet and saw that there was indeed a lock on the door.

He was utterly speechless at these childish people.

Who would have thought that one day the lockers in the dressing room would be locked, not to prevent things from being stolen, but to keep Pirlo out of the loop.

Teammates can leave their watches and jewelry, worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros, in their closets without locking them, but they lock them up for a bag of pastries.

"Isn't that unnecessary, Sandro? Just have Andrea give a guarantee."

Nesta shook his head: "I can't trust his assurances. Locking it up is absolutely necessary; I have to ensure the food is safe!"

“Yes, we can’t trust Andrea,” Kaka chimed in. “But I need a key too. You can’t keep the snacks for yourself.”

"There are only two keys in total. If I give them to you, what will happen to Finney?"

“Then I’ll bring an extra lock tomorrow, and lock it again. Finney and I will each have a key.” Kaka immediately came up with a solution.

Fino rubbed his forehead. "A bag of snacks, and you need double insurance? Nesta and Kaká not only have to guard against Pirlo, but they also have to be wary of each other."

He suddenly remembered a famous scene from "Dream of the Red Chamber":

Is this lock just for me, or do all my teammates have it?

Nobody else has these; both are yours.

Is this outrageous? Fino was both angry and amused.

At this moment, Pirlo walked over and said to Fino, "Fino, ignore these two childish kids. Put your things in my locker. I don't have much stuff, so we can share a locker."

Before Fino could answer, Maldini spoke up.

"Is this acceptable? Sandro, take the lock off right now! If word gets out, people will laugh themselves to death. Andrea, don't play these kinds of pranks again. And you, Finney, don't bring snacks into the locker room anymore. Sandro and Richie have both gotten so round, they only deserve to eat grass."

Kaka opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Pirlo shut him up.

"Paul's right, look at your back, do you still have a waist?"

Kaka shut his mouth in despair.

...

On March 20, the draw for the Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals was held in Nyon, Switzerland.

Four of the eight quarter-finalists are from the English Premier League: Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The remaining four teams are Barcelona from La Liga, Bayern Munich from the Bundesliga, Porto from the Portuguese Primeira Liga, and AC Milan, the sole representative from Serie A.

AC Milan was drawn into Group 1, where they will face Arsenal from the English Premier League, while defending champions Manchester United were drawn against Porto, who are widely considered the weakest team.

The third group is an all-English Premier League clash between Liverpool and Chelsea, while the final group consists of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

The first two groups form one half of the bracket, and the last two groups form another half. The winners of the matches between the two groups in each half of the bracket automatically become the semi-final opponents.

The final will be held at 8:45 p.m. on May 27 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

After the draw results were announced, Fino sent Alonso a text message: See you in the final!

According to this draw, AC Milan and Liverpool will only face each other if they both reach the final.

Fino had never faced Alonso before. On the night of the 2007 Athens World Cup, he was just a rookie who didn't even have a chance to make the match roster. He was looking forward to meeting Alonso in the game.

Alonso couldn't help but smile after seeing the text message.

Seeing Alonso's smile, Gerrard asked curiously, "Xavi, did you see something interesting?"

After the transfer saga last summer, Alonso became much quieter in the locker room.

Alonso shook his head and extended his hand to Gerrard: "Steven, let's reach the Champions League final again this year!"

“Of course!” Gerald gave him a high five.

...

On March 22, in the 29th round of the league, Milan played away against Napoli, and the match ended in a draw. The two sides were deadlocked for a full 90 minutes, with the score remaining 0-0.

AC Milan only managed 1 point in this round of the league, bringing their total to 63 points.

Inter Milan currently sits atop the table with 66 points, narrowing the gap with AC Milan to 3 points. Juventus, on the other hand, has won 5 consecutive matches, bringing their points total to 59, just 4 points behind AC Milan.

After the match against Napoli, there will be a two-week international break. This is the last international break before the end of the season, and the Italian national team has two World Cup qualifiers to play: an away game against Montenegro and a home game against Ireland.

Fino has been selected for the national team squad again, along with his Milan teammates Gattuso, Pirlo, and Zambrotta.

Italy secured one win and one draw in these two World Cup qualifiers, firmly maintaining their top spot in the group.

After returning from the national team, AC Milan played their 30th league match, easily defeating Lecce 2-0 at home.

Immediately following, the Champions League resumed, with Milan facing Arsenal in a two-legged tie within a week, interspersed with a league match.

The AC Milan club takes the match against Arsenal very seriously. In last season's Round of 16, Arsenal advanced through the away goals rule, while Milan were eliminated in the round of 16.

Moreover, the team's striker Fino, who had already taken on the main responsibility in the attacking third, suffered a serious injury during the match and missed seven rounds of the league.

It was after this match that Milan suffered a wave of injuries, and the team lost five consecutive league games, resulting in a major collapse at the end of the season and almost losing their Champions League qualification.

The chain reaction following the loss makes it hard for fans not to direct their anger at Arsenal.

In the locker room, everyone was eager to avenge their previous defeat; it was time to settle the score for last year.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Just doing a giveaway for fun, thanks everyone for your support~ [Let me see]