Chapter 6. After all, they are Italians; they embrace and make peace...

For Fino, gaining Kaká's friendship was an unexpected bonus in the first half of the season.

Unlike Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Adriano, who were frequent nightclub patrons with extremely exciting private lives, Kaká was like a breath of fresh air among Brazilian players.

He married early, remained faithful to his partner, and never showed any interest in the Milan nightlife.

At the end of 2002, Kaká, who was still playing football in Brazil, met Caroline, who was 5 years younger than him, and the two established a romantic relationship a few months later.

After Kaká transferred to Milan, Caroline stayed in Brazil to continue her studies, but their relationship was not shaken by the distance.

In the winter of 2005, Kaka and Caroline got married. Their love story was as beautiful as a fairy tale, and everyone envied this golden couple.

Kaka's self-discipline and kindness towards him greatly increased Fino's affection for him. He liked Kaka's sunny disposition; just being near him felt warm and comforting.

So he tentatively reached out his antennae to gently touch Kaka, and received a warm response from Kaka. The two, who had vastly different statuses in the team, quickly became good friends.

In Kaka's eyes, Fino's thinking was very mature. Although he had just come of age and was six years younger than her, when they were together, she didn't feel like she was taking care of a child at all.

Although Fino was a man of few words, he responded to everything. Even if it was just a glance or an expression, one could feel his sincerity and concern.

He was a silent companion, and Kaka even felt that he was like an older brother, accommodating her. Although it sounds strange, Kaka really felt pampered.

They trained together, ate together in the cafeteria, and rode the bus together to play matches—although Kaká often started while Fino sat on the bench.

When Kaka goes on the field, he entrusts his backpack, jacket, watch, and even wedding ring to Fino for safekeeping.

Fino was often teased by other young players on the bench, who called him Kaka's personal equipment manager or Kaka's little follower. Fino keenly sensed the malice in these teasing remarks, but he didn't care.

Malice stems from jealousy.

Some of these young players, like Fino, were promoted to the first team by Ancelotti during the season, while others returned to their parent clubs after their loan spells ended during the winter break. Without exception, they, like Fino, could only wait for their chance on the bench.

However, despite also being on the bench, Fino had more opportunities to play than the others. He not only started the game, but was also often Ancelotti's first choice when coming on as a substitute during garbage time.

Because he plays more games, Fino has a stronger presence in the eyes of fans than other young players.

What angered them even more was that Fino, who was like a mute, had managed to gain favor with the locker room leaders.

Not only is he close to Kaká, but national team legends such as Ambrosini, Pirlo, and Gattuso also take good care of him. Even foreign stars like Cafu and Seedorf would occasionally pat him on the arm in a friendly manner.

As young players themselves, they felt incredibly flattered to receive even a single encouraging glance from the starters.

They attributed this differential treatment to Fino's good luck. He was promoted to (returned to) the first team earlier than them, was more familiar with the key players, and took advantage of Gilardino's injury to get a starting opportunity. He even managed to get an assist by sheer luck.

They firmly believe that they would perform better if given the opportunity.

Jealousy was like a spark planted deep within their hearts, burning ever more fiercely.

But with Kaka protecting him and the Knights Table in the locker room keeping him in check, they didn't dare to openly provoke Fino. They would only make sarcastic remarks on the bench, such as "teasing" Fino about his "subordinate relationship" with Kaka.

Fino knew about the malice involved; he had even heard of more egregious cases.

The incident occurred the day after the second leg of the 2006/07 Champions League semi-final. The previous night, in the pouring rain at the San Siro, Milan defeated Manchester United 3-0, eliminating them 5-3 on aggregate and securing their place in the Champions League final.

The players who played that evening were given two days off, while the other players still had to attend training on time the next day.

After training, Fino did some extra training on his own as usual. When he packed up his training equipment and returned to the locker room, the locker room was empty, and the sounds of laughter and playfulness came from the shower room.

People were discussing the Champions League semi-final that had taken place the previous night.

Just as Fino took out her toiletries from the closet and was about to enter the shower room, the conversation shifted from Kaka's phenomenal performance to herself.

Fino pulled back his foot, hesitated, and returned to his wardrobe, wondering whether he should leave Milanello and take a taxi home.

"Cabrini can only follow Kaka's example and be a good boy. Even if his performance on the field is not as good as Kaka's, he has to be a 'second Kaka' off the field, haha!"

"There's no other way. I trained as a goalkeeper for seven or eight years, but it was all for nothing. How can I survive on the field if I don't stick close to Kaka?"

"Seeing his obedient and compliant face makes me angry. He's so good at flattering people, it's disgusting!"

"Haha, he's just like Kaka's dog, only following Kaka around like a shadow. He doesn't even dare to go to nightclubs, for fear of being abandoned by his master."

...

Fino knew perfectly well who was in the shower.

There were limited shower spaces, and the last group to shower were young players around the same age as Fino; the slightly more senior players had already finished showering and left.

Fino knew perfectly well why they would slander him.

He grew up in competition, and such grouping and exclusion are not uncommon in youth teams. The more outstanding a player is, the more likely they are to be targeted in places where the coach cannot see.

It is not uncommon for young talents to be ruined by teammates' dirty tricks on the training field.

Such incidents are more common in lower-level organizations. Children often don't know how to hide their jealousy and act without considering the consequences.

As people age, they rise through the ranks, mediocre individuals are gradually eliminated, and those who remain slowly learn to disguise themselves.

Malice is being concealed, barbarity is being restrained, and instances of openly underhanded tactics are becoming increasingly rare.

Once they reach adulthood, the destructive power of this kind of exclusion is greatly reduced, to the point that they only dare to speak ill of others behind their backs.

On the one hand, talented players who grow up smoothly are all golden babies. As long as they are taken away, they can generate hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of euros in revenue for the team. Coaches keep a close eye on them.

On the other hand, no player who has survived the elimination process in youth training to adulthood wants to be kicked out of the team at the last minute.

They were just talking behind his back, and Fino didn't care. Although he was sensitive and perceptive, he never made things difficult for himself because of unimportant people.

People are only hurt by the people they care about.

Fino chose to go straight home; he couldn't be bothered with the person in the shower—it was a waste of his time.

Just as he finished packing his backpack and was about to leave, he looked up and saw Inzaghi, who should have been on vacation.

Inzaghi stood at the locker room door, listening for an unknown amount of time.

Fino was somewhat at a loss.

He didn't know how Inzaghi would interpret his indifferent attitude.

Will he feel like he's a coward?

Football is a sport for the brave. The football field is full of passion and intense competition. Cowards will not only be called "softies" by fans, but will also find it difficult to gain a foothold in the locker room.

He wanted to explain to Inzaghi, but didn't know where to begin.

He and Inzaghi weren't very close, so would Inzaghi find his sudden self-analysis bewildering?

While Fino was still hesitating, Inzaghi had already walked in.

He took a watch from his locker and casually stuffed it into his trouser pocket. Then he walked over to Fino, gently squeezed Fino's wrist, slid his fingers down Fino's palm, inserted them between his fingers, and then interlocked them, leading Fino out of the locker room.

Inzaghi didn't say a word, but he kept holding Fino's hand and led her to the parking lot.

That's weird.

Fino struggled slightly; it was too strange for two adult men to walk hand in hand.

Inzaghi sensed his resistance, but tightened his grip on his hands even more.

Inzaghi's hands were warm and dry, with distinct knuckles, and full of strength.

As if drawing strength from their clasped hands, Fino finally spoke.

"I just can't be bothered with them."

“I know,” Inzaghi replied softly.

He rose through the ranks from the youth teams, so how could he not know about the jealousy of younger players?

Fino's approach was absolutely correct; just ignore it. What's the point of arguing with someone whose emotions are controlled by jealousy?

Besides, how many of those players will stay after the season ends?

People who can play as starters in top teams may have different personalities and temperaments, but none of them are fools. How could they be easily flattered and allowed to climb the ranks?

Moreover, apart from being a little lively during the first team building activity, Fino was practically mute the rest of the time, and couldn't even keep up the act of being sweet-talking.

In competitive sports, being bad is the original sin.

The locker room is always a place where ability speaks volumes. Everyone is friendly to Fino because of his obvious talent and his bright future.

How could these seasoned players, who have played football for so many years, not distinguish between reliable partners who can help the team and themselves win honors, and those who can't even sit on the bench and are just fleeting figures in the locker room?

Inzaghi sneered inwardly.

Neither of them spoke again until they got into Inzaghi's car, and the silence made Fino particularly uneasy in the small, enclosed space.

He could feel Inzaghi watching him again—Inzaghi often stared at him like that, and he didn't understand what was wrong with the Italian.

Rationally, he knew he should say something to break the silence, but he really didn't know what to say, so he could only awkwardly lower his head and fidget with his fingers.

A large shadow loomed over him, and Fino jerked back against the seat to avoid it—it was Inzaghi who leaned over to fasten his seatbelt.

Fino's face quickly flushed red.

Off the field, he rarely has such close contact with people.

Perhaps he was overly sensitive, but he always felt that many of Inzaghi's seemingly ordinary glances and actions were particularly aggressive.

It was an indescribable feeling. He couldn't produce any concrete evidence to accuse Inzaghi, and even expressing resistance seemed like making a mountain out of a molehill. In the end, he could only attribute it to his own paranoia.

After all, they are Italians, and hugs and kisses are commonplace for them; that's all Fino could think.

Inzaghi seemed oblivious to Fino's stress-induced reaction and naturally helped him fasten the seatbelt buckle.

"Are you coming to a nightclub with me? I've made plans with Popo. You know Popo, right? Christian Vieri."

Fino shook his head; he had always avoided places like nightclubs.

But then he remembered the sounds coming from the shower and explained, "I just don't like noisy environments or alcohol, it has nothing to do with Richie."

“I know.” Inzaghi chuckled, patted Fino on the shoulder, then started the car and drove Fino home.