Chapter 60 Bracelet and Agent

The day after the Serie A season ended was Pirlo's birthday. Pirlo did not organize a birthday party, as he had already explained this in advance in the locker room.

Milan's closing banquet and the tortoise escape game ended past midnight. The club thoughtfully prepared a birthday cake for Pirlo, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him, presented him with pre-prepared gifts, and then went their separate ways.

After this separation, some people will continue to fight side by side when the next season starts, while others may find it difficult to meet again.

Fortunately, the joyful poker game dispelled the sadness of parting, and everyone waved goodbye with smiles on their faces.

As Pirlo was stuffing gifts into the trunk, Fino came over and handed him a beautifully wrapped little box.

Happy birthday, Andrea. May you have many years of happiness and health, and may all your wishes come true.

"Thank you, little one." Pirlo smiled and hugged Fino.

He unwrapped the packaging in front of Fino, and a low-key and elegant bracelet lay inside the jewelry box.

The gift was carefully selected by Fino and was of similar value to the watch that Pirlo gave him last year.

Unlike Fino, Pirlo was not oblivious to the value of watches, jewelry, and other items; he immediately recognized that the bracelet was quite valuable.

This made him raise an eyebrow at Fino: "Isn't it a bit too expensive?"

“Yes, that watch is too expensive, it’s giving me a real headache,” Fino replied in the same tone.

Pirlo ruffled his hair: "I told you to wear it and play with it. Who asked you to give me such an expensive gift in return? Just treat me to a meal next time."

"I feel unworthy of such praise!" Fino laughed. "Let's not be so polite from now on, okay?"

Pirlo didn't answer him. He bent down, took the bracelet out of the jewelry box, handed it to Fino, and then stretched out his wrist in front of Fino.

"Could you help me put it on?"

Fino took it and helped him put it on.

Pirlo pulled his wrist back, held it in front of his eyes, turned it from the outside to the inside, and then back again, watching the bracelet slide gently across his wrist.

“I really like it, thank you, little one.” Pirlo put his arm around Fino’s shoulder and gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

Fino smiled and waved goodbye to Pirlo.

Pirlo watched Fino drive away, then stood there looking at the bracelet again and again, giving a self-deprecating bitter smile: "Baby, some wishes are destined not to come true."

On May 20, Italy's national team coach Donadoni announced a provisional 24-man squad for the European Championship.

AC Milan only had Gattuso, Pirlo, and Ambrosini selected, while defenders Oddo and Bonera were not favored by Donadoni, which was similar to what Fino, Pirlo, and Nesta had predicted.

In the forward position, both Fino and Inzaghi were left out, and the six forwards who made the 24-man provisional squad are Luca Toni, Del Piero, Di Natale, Borriello, Quagliarella and Cassano.

Fino's omission from the squad has sparked considerable discussion in Italian football.

In this season's Serie A, Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero leads the scoring charts with 21 goals (including 3 penalties), while his teammate Trezeguet is second with 20 goals (including 2 penalties). Genoa's Borriello is third with 19 goals (including 5 penalties), and Fino is fourth with 18 goals.

Milan's penalty kicks were in Kaká's hands. Fino's 18 goals were all scored from open play, making them highly valuable. Moreover, his playing style was not selfish, and his assists were also in double digits.

It's hard not to discuss why Fino, who put up such outstanding stats, wasn't selected for the national team.

Milan fans, in particular, rallied to their side to defend their beloved "little sweet potato."

[Our Cabrini has scored 18 league goals and provided double-digit assists this season. How many has Quagliarella scored? How many has Cassano scored?]

[Donadoni, speak up! It's one thing not to bring Inzaghi, but why not Cabrini?]

[Let's have a rational discussion: Is this a case of disliking AC Milan, or disliking Cabrini's mixed-race heritage?]

[Isn't the Chinese Football Association going to explain this? Such blatant racial discrimination!]

...

Fino, however, was already mentally prepared.

The oldest player on the 24-man provisional roster is 35-year-old Panucci, who is the same age as Cannavaro and Materazzi. The youngest player is 23-year-old Montolivo, who was named the best young player at last year's Serie A Oscars.

Montolivo is four years older than Fino, and it is widely believed that when the official 23-man squad is announced, the person who will be removed from the provisional squad will most likely be Montolivo.

This is exactly what Fino predicted at Kaká's birthday party: the national team prefers to call up mature and stable veterans.

Under pressure from public opinion, national team coach Donadoni offered an explanation in an interview with Corriere dello Sport.

"Group C, where Italy is in this European Championship, can be described as the 'Group of Death.' Only veteran players with good teamwork can take us further. Cabrini has never been selected for the national team, and we can't gamble on him being able to contribute immediately. Now is not the time to mentor newcomers. Cabrini is a very talented player, and I believe he will be the future of Italian football, but he is too young. Perhaps the next European Championship will be the stage for him to showcase his talent."

After being left out of the 24-man provisional roster, many teammates offered their condolences via phone or text message, and Fino responded to each of their well wishes.

Pirlo's text message was concise and to the point.

I will prepare the best seats for you.

Pirlo didn't comfort him, but this natural attitude made Fino feel relaxed and at ease; he was no longer a child who needed to be comforted.

While replying to the text message, Fino also discovered a message from Buffon.

After their first encounter in the first half of the league season, the two exchanged contact information. They didn't keep in touch much, only occasionally exchanging text messages, which were nothing more than social greetings like "Congratulations on the goal" or "Congratulations on the clean sheet."

This time, Buffon's text message was so sincere it was almost nauseating, overflowing with praise, that Fino felt like he had just stepped out of a Metersbonwe store.

After shaking off the goosebumps, Fino continued replying to the text messages.

...

The European Championship will kick off on June 7th, and with two weeks to go, Fino plans to use this time to find himself an agent.

Despite playing in Serie A, he doesn't actually prefer to hire an Italian agent.

Italian football is rife with problems: doping, match-fixing, and gambling...

GEA is already exposed, and other brokerage firms are not necessarily entirely clean either.

While Fino was still struggling with her decision, a strange phone call brought an unexpected person to her.

Jorge Mendes, a sports agent tycoon from Portugal.

Fino was quite interested and arranged to meet Mendes at a café near San Siro.

“Hello, Mr. Cabrini, I am Jorge Mendes.” Mendes extended his hand to Fino with a friendly smile, speaking fluent Italian.

“Hello, Mr. Mendes.” Fino politely shook Mendes’s hand.

"Please be sure to call me Jorge. If you don't mind, may I call you by your first name?"

Mendes covered Fino's hands with his other hand, grasped both of Fino's hands, and shook them solemnly twice.

Fino nodded: "Okay, Jorge."

After taking his seat, Mendes got straight to the point.

"Please forgive my intrusion, Fino, but given the relevance of our professions, I think you already understand why I'm here. I'd like to become your agent, and I believe we would have a very pleasant working relationship."

Fino nodded again: "Yes, when I received your call, I knew why you wanted to sign a contract with me. But I have a question: as far as I know, your team's business coverage does not include Italy."

Mendes's home base is Portugal. In recent years, with the outstanding performances of his two star players, Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho, Mendes's agency business has expanded beyond Portugal, quickly establishing itself in England and gradually spreading throughout the European continent.

However, Italy has never been a key development area for Mendes.

The Italian football industry is rife with xenophobia and complex web of interests, with the behemoth GEA looming overhead, making it difficult for foreign agencies to gain a foothold in Italy.

Italian players tend to stay in Italy and are rarely willing to play abroad. Experienced domestic agents are more in line with the players' interests.

Fino believed that as a professional agent, Mendes couldn't possibly be unaware of the state of Italian football, but the fact that Mendes still extended an invitation to him piqued his curiosity.

"Recently, one of our company's important clients has business involving Serie A, and because of this opportunity, we are preparing to set up an office in Italy and officially enter the Italian market." Mendes vaguely glossed over the matter, as it involved the client's privacy.

“A colleague of mine has been in Italy for a while now. Yesterday, after I landed in Milan, he earnestly advised me, ‘Fino Cabrini is a promising young man, another Cristiano Ronaldo, and luckily he doesn’t have an agent yet. We must seize this opportunity.’ I completely agree with him. Everyone wants a good player, and many of my peers are eyeing you, so I have to convince you before they do. Time waits for no one, and as soon as I got your phone number through some connections, I couldn’t wait to call you.”

Mendes is a eloquent speaker. He just arrived in Milan yesterday and met with Fino today, demonstrating his high regard for the player. Comparing Fino to Ronaldo, last year's Ballon d'Or runner-up, implies that Fino has unlimited future potential, which is undoubtedly a compliment.

But Fino noticed another detail in Mendes's words: important clients, Serie A business, landing in Milan...

Considering the fact that the season had just ended and the farcical resignation of Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini last season, he immediately drew a conclusion.

"It seems that Mr. Mourinho is really going to become our city rival."

Mendes: ...

Wow, you're so perceptive, handsome!