Chapter 73 The only one to emerge from Milan's youth academy...

Upon hearing this, Ancelotti raised an eyebrow and then quietly watched Mourinho's performance.

He knows all too well what Mourinho is up to.

Inside the Milan locker room, the players were watching the post-match press conference. As Fino walked out of the shower, drying his hair, he overheard Mourinho's speech.

He paused, drying his hair, and looked displeased.

How can someone be so shameless? There might be some controversy surrounding Materazzi's red card, but Burdisso seemed intent on breaking Kaká's leg. The referee didn't issue a straight red card but instead gave him a yellow card, which was considered a relatively lenient punishment, as he was sent off after receiving two yellow cards.

Mourinho's attempt to argue that Burdisso shouldn't have been carded is blatant lying.

"Phineas, come here!"

Maldini noticed Fino's mood and called him over.

Fino walked over and sat down next to Maldini.

Maldini reached out and brushed Fino's wet hair aside, turning to ask, "Are you angry? Because of what Mourinho said?"

“Ritchie almost had his leg broken, and he described it as merely being aggressive, which is outrageous. I can understand him wanting to defend his player, but he could have chosen a different way to respond instead of blatantly lying.”

He saw it clearly: Burdisso was aiming straight for Kaká's leg. Kaká had just had knee surgery in the summer, and if the kick had landed squarely, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“No coach likes a player who causes trouble like that. He's a ticking time bomb on the field and a threat in the locker room. Inter Milan's locker room is chaotic. Zanetti simply can't control those troublemakers. Now Mourinho has taken over all these problems. Mourinho isn't genuinely protecting him.”

Maldini smiled and put his arm around Fino's shoulder, then continued.

"Compare how Mourinho defended Materazzi, arguing for fairness – that's the proper approach. But what about Burdisso? Mourinho's unreasonable behavior only fueled the controversy, plunging Burdisso into deeper turmoil. What started as a common foul and card has become unpredictable. Burdisso's personality, behavior, and upbringing could all be scrutinized and analyzed, with a particular point being amplified and interpreted. Nobody's perfect, and no one can withstand such analysis, especially since Burdisso is a ticking time bomb."

"Because he doesn't like Burdisso, Mourinho deliberately put him on the grill?" Fino was somewhat shocked. The season had only just begun, and Mourinho and Burdisso were still on the same side!

"Hmm, not necessarily. Maybe it's just a way to create some instability in the locker room and reinforce Burdisso's negative public image. That way, if they want to get rid of Burdisso later, there will be less resistance from the fans. More importantly, Mourinho used a huge controversial topic to divert attention from Inter Milan's derby loss. Right now, online discussions and tomorrow's headlines will definitely be dominated by Mourinho's sophistry, the rationale behind the two red cards, and whether Burdisso is a bad seed." Maldini ruffled Fino's hair.

"But in that case, Mourinho himself will also be caught in the media storm. Doesn't he care about his image?"

Maldini chuckled: "Football is always about results, whether it's players or coaches. Mourinho was constantly arguing with Ferguson and Wenger in the Premier League, always talking back and criticizing everyone. Did he ever have a good image? But that didn't stop him from being pursued by many clubs or earning a high salary. As long as he leads the team well, the clubs will give him important roles, and the fans will support him."

Fino seemed lost in thought.

“Fini, your world is too simple. Football is pure, but the world of football is very complicated. In the shadows of football, there are not only things that are explicitly prohibited, such as match-fixing, gambling, and doping, but also tricks like manipulating public opinion and playing with people’s hearts. Mourinho is a master of these tricks. He is an extremely smart person and is willing to risk his image to play these tricks with consummate skill.”

Maldini pondered for a few seconds and began to probe Fino's thoughts.

“Fini, to be a qualified leader, you not only need to play football well, but you also need to work on understanding people’s hearts. There are some methods you don’t have to use, but you can’t be ignorant of them.”

Maldini has always liked Fino because Fino is a very good young man, and more importantly, because Fino came through Milan's youth academy.

Milan's youth training system has suffered a severe blow. Since Albertini, only Fino has emerged as a lone successor. Fino's background meant that Maldini had high expectations for him.

Maldini still remembers the words he encouraged Fino at the beginning of last season, hoping that Fino could grow into a pillar of Milan.

Fino did not disappoint him. In just one season, he quickly secured a starting position and earned the trust of his coach and teammates with his personal ability alone.

Furthermore, Fino was very popular in the locker room. Whether it was the tough Milan players like Ambrosini and Gattuso, the Brazilians like Kaká and Pato, or the neutrals like Pirlo and Nesta, Fino got along extremely well with them. To be a locker room leader, one must balance the complex relationships within the locker room.

A product of AC Milan's youth academy, with a calm and low-key personality, high emotional intelligence, a strong sense of responsibility, and the ability to command respect, he is adept at balancing locker room relationships and does not have close ties with the club's management. Fino is the most suitable person among the new generation to lead the way, and he is also the only person from AC Milan's youth academy who can lead the way.

Maldini really hopes that Fino will be the one to take over the locker room after Ambrosini and Gattuso. He wants to mentor him while he is still alive so that Fino can better shoulder the responsibility of captain in the future.

But this should be agreed upon with Fino; he can't just make a choice unilaterally. He has to respect Fino's ideas. Fino is intelligent, insightful, and clear-headed; he might not want to get involved in the struggle between the Knights Table and Galliani.

This was just his own idea, and it wasn't appropriate to bring it up seriously with Fino right now. So he could only probe Fino's thoughts at the right time. He believed that Fino would understand immediately without needing much explanation.

Fino understood Maldini's meaning, of course, and stared intently at him.

Maldini looked at him with a smile and an expectant expression.

Fino remained silent for a long time, and Maldini just kept looking at him.

As time passed, Maldini's smile gradually faded, and a hint of disappointment and helplessness appeared in his eyes.

Fino's heart ached. That was Maldini, the soul of Milan, a father figure to him. How could he bear to disappoint Maldini?

So he looked into Maldini's eyes and nodded solemnly.

Maldini smiled again, hugged Fino tightly, and kissed her cheek.

“Good boy, Finney, I know you’re a good boy!”

He knew Fino's character well: upright, loyal, and a man of his word. Since he had promised him, he would do his utmost to live up to his trust.

Galliani would definitely prevent him from joining the management team after retirement, preventing him from interfering in any Milan affairs. But this is Milan, which he has loved and dedicated himself to for nearly 24 years; he wants to plan things out for Milan before retiring. By the time Ambrosini and Gattuso retire, Fino will be at his peak, and with his abilities, he will be able to control the locker room.

As long as the locker room is stable, even if it's impossible to buy good players due to economic reasons, the results will be relatively guaranteed. Even if they don't win the championship, they won't fall too far behind.

Given Fino's age, he can play for at least another 15 years, which is enough time for Milan to rise again.

...

The next day, the headlines were indeed full of Mourinho's sophistry, the rationale behind the two red cards, and an analysis of Burdisso. Inter Milan's defeat in the Milan derby was only briefly mentioned as background.

No one judged Inter's defeat, no one questioned Mourinho's tactical arrangements, and apart from AC Milan fans, no one praised Milan's performance...

Milan fans felt their team's victory was meaningless.

Fino put down his newspaper. Maldini was right, Maldini was always right.

Keep learning, there's no end to learning.

On this day, Ancelotti only arranged a simple recovery training session, as the schedule was too dense. The second match of the Champions League group stage was just one day later, with AC Milan hosting last season's Portuguese champions, Porto.

There was only one day between the Milan derby and the Champions League match. On September 28, Milan had just defeated Mourinho's team, and two days later, the team from which Mourinho rose to prominence was coming to settle scores.

What a tragic fate.

Ancelotti made significant rotations in this match, with players who started in the Milan derby, such as Maldini, Gattuso, Kaká, and Fino, not included in the starting lineup.

Abbiati remained in goal, with Zambrotta, Bonera, Kaladze, and Jankulovski forming the defense. Flamini replaced Gattuso, joining Ambrosini to protect Seedorf. Ronaldinho, who scored the only goal in the Milan derby, continued to start, while Pato and Inzaghi partnered up front.

Milan dominated Porto throughout the match, taking a three-goal lead in just the first 60 minutes, with Ronaldinho, Pato, and Inzaghi each scoring a goal.

After the score was 3-0, Ancelotti substituted Inzaghi with Shevchenko, giving Shevchenko more playing time.

Shevchenko worked very hard after coming on, and he never stopped attacking. Finally, in the 78th minute, he received a pass from Jankulovski from the wing to the center and helped Milan extend their lead again.

After scoring, Shevchenko covered his eyes to prevent the camera from noticing the tears welling up in them.

After two years, he finally conquered territory for Milan at the San Siro again.

When I was still in Milan, two years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. But after leaving Milan, I realized that two years could feel as difficult as half a lifetime.

Fortunately, he finally came back.

A thunderous applause erupted at the San Siro, and many fans in the stadium had tears in their eyes. Running on the field was not only Shevchenko, but also the Milan of their most beautiful memories!