Chapter 61 Xabi Alonso
Mendes hadn't expected Fino to be so perceptive.
"Things haven't settled yet, please don't tell anyone." Mendes clasped his hands together, making a pleading gesture in a pleasing manner.
Fino smiled and nodded: "Okay, but in return, you have to prepare a birthday gift that suits my taste when it's my birthday."
Mendes immediately understood Fino's implied meaning.
Mendes's ability to rise from a video store owner to a renowned talent tycoon in Europe is undoubtedly remarkable, especially given that Fino's statement was already a clear indication of his intentions.
If Fino had no intention of collaborating, why would she "demand" a birthday gift from him?
This immediately excited Mendes. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly; he hadn't even had a chance to demonstrate his abilities and negotiation skills yet!
Only a fool would refuse at this point.
"Of course, of course. I'm very good at picking birthday gifts, I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
When Fino received Mendes' call, he considered the feasibility of signing a contract with Mendes' team, and concluded that it was a very suitable option.
The weakness of Mendes' team is that they have no foothold in Serie A, but this is not a problem for Fino at all. In his football career, he doesn't really need to rely on Mendes.
He won't leave AC Milan on his own initiative, and the national team doesn't need Mendes to make arrangements—after this European Championship, the Italian national team's lack of talent will become even more serious, and only a crazy coach would keep refusing Fino.
Fino saw two reasons why he valued Mendes' team.
On the one hand, Mendes is not Italian and is currently clean in Italian football, which is important to Fino.
On the other hand, Mendes' team is extremely good at commercial development. By making more money without affecting his playing, Fino can do more things, such as establishing his own private training team.
The two parties hit it off immediately and quickly completed the signing.
After signing with Mendes, Fino's commercial activities came one after another. In just over ten days before the start of the European Cup, Fino filmed two commercials and attended a brand event.
Because of the collaboration between Mourinho and Inter Milan, Mendes has been staying in Milan. He accompanied Fino throughout the advertising shoot and brand events, and was photographed by the keen-eyed media and posted online.
Only then did the outside world realize that AC Milan's rising star had been snatched away by the cunning Portuguese agent, leaving the Italian agent, who was eagerly hoping to acquire Fino, cursing him through gritted teeth for days.
Of course, this also provides some cover for the rumors linking Mourinho to Inter Milan, since Mancini has not yet been sacked.
On May 28, the Italian national team announced its final 23-man squad for the 2008 European Championship, and as expected, Montlivo was eliminated.
On May 29, Inter Milan officially announced that head coach Roberto Mancini had been dismissed.
On June 2, Mourinho officially signed with Inter Milan, marking the arrival of the "most special one" in Serie A.
At this time, the Mendes team's Italian office also officially began operations. Although it only served two clients, Fino and Mourinho, the Mendes excavators were ready to make a big splash in Italy.
...
On June 5, Fino departed for Bern, Switzerland.
The 2008 European Championship will kick off on June 7, with the opening match being Czech Republic vs. Switzerland, held in Basel.
Fino had no plans to watch the opening match; he only intended to follow the Italian team's schedule and spend the rest of his time traveling locally.
Italy has been drawn into Group C for this year's European Championship, along with the Netherlands, Romania, and France.
Group C is the most unpredictable of the four groups in terms of qualification. The top seed is the traditional powerhouse Netherlands, the second seed is the 2006 World Cup champion Italy, and the 2006 World Cup runner-up France has surprisingly fallen into the fourth seed.
Apart from Romania being slightly weaker, it wouldn't be surprising if any two of the other three teams in this group advanced together.
Italy's three group stage matches are all scheduled to be played in Switzerland. The first match will begin on June 9th against the seeded Netherlands in Bern.
Fino's hotel had a great location; just by drawing back the curtains, she could see the snow-capped Jungfrau. The snow-capped peaks against the blue sky, adorned with white clouds, were breathtakingly beautiful, and she could almost feel the breath of snow in every breath.
While waiting for the Italian team to start their match, Fino wandered around Bern's old town, which is separated from the new town by the Aare River, and also from the chaos and noise of the modern city.
Bern's old town retains its medieval historical character, with churches, bell towers, museums, fountains, and other attractions everywhere, perfectly matching Fino's taste.
Because of the European Championship, Switzerland was flooded with tourists, and Bern was no exception.
Fino gets up very early every day and strolls through the quiet old town before the tourists wake up, as if stealing a moment of pleasant time. This leisure makes Fino feel great.
As the number of tourists on the street gradually increased, Fino would find a quiet café to escape to, or return to his hotel to relax and gaze at the Alps outside his window.
On June 6, the day after Fino landed in Switzerland, Fino received some good news.
AC Milan's official website and social media announced that Milan has successfully renewed Maldini's contract for one year. The 40-year-old Maldini will continue to write his legend in Serie A.
"The great Maldini!" Fino was alone in the hotel when he saw the news, and he cheered loudly!
Great, he can fight alongside Maldini again.
Fino logged into his main social media account, retweeted AC Milan's official post, and added red and black heart emojis. Then he switched to his account "Red and Black Faith-3" and retweeted AC Milan's official social media post as well, casually typing out a string of compliments.
On June 9, the match between the Netherlands and Italy was held at the Suez Stadium in Bern.
In this match, the Italian team suffered a crushing defeat, being completely stunned by the Netherlands' 3-0 victory.
Romania and France played to a 0-0 draw in their group, leaving Italy temporarily at the bottom of the table after the first round of matches.
The national team's defeat in their first match caused a huge uproar in Italy.
During a regular training session on June 1st, Cannavaro suffered a ruptured ligament after a tackle by teammate Chiellini, ruling him out of the European Championship. Fiorentina defender Gamberini has filled the vacant spot.
Before the European Championship even started, the Italian team lost its national team captain, casting a shadow over their European Championship journey.
Before the match, Fino had anticipated a difficult game, but he never expected it to end like this. Without Cannavaro, Italy's already aging defense became even more leaky, and was completely overwhelmed by the Netherlands.
On June 13, Italy played against Romania, theoretically the weakest team in Group C, but the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Netherlands thrashed France 4-1 in the same group.
At this point, the Netherlands, with two wins and 6 points, have qualified for the knockout stage as group winners with one round to spare. Romania, with two draws and 2 points, is currently second in the group. Italy and France, the champions and runners-up of the 2016 World Cup in Germany, are both at the bottom of the group with one draw and one loss each.
In the final group stage match, France will face Italy, and the Netherlands will play against Romania. Italy and France will not only fight tooth and nail for three points, but they will also have to hope that the Netherlands doesn't throw the game against Romania.
If the Netherlands is determined to eliminate Italy and France, they only need to lose to Romania. In that case, the Netherlands will still advance as group winners with 6 points, while Romania will advance as group runners-up with 5 points from one win and two draws. Italy and France will then have no chance.
Italian and French media outlets, while touting the Netherlands' unparalleled attacking prowess, also championed the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, seemingly fearing the Netherlands might intentionally throw the game. I've praised you so much, how can you be so shameless?
Dutch media angrily retorted: Get lost! Do you think our Tulip Kingdom is like Italy and France? So good at surrendering!
As it turns out, the Dutch team is tough; they can perform well both domestically and internationally, easily defeating Romania 2-0 to eliminate them from the group stage with three wins out of three.
In the other Group C match, Italy finally showed their strength, defeating France, who were without Zidane, 2-0 and advancing as the second-placed team in the group with 4 points.
Italy, who barely qualified, are not without their share of injuries. Pirlo and Gattuso will both miss the next match against Spain due to accumulated yellow cards.
On the evening of June 22, the final quarter-final match of the 2008 European Championship, between Spain and Italy, kicked off at the Happel Stadium in Vienna. Italy's midfield maestro Pirlo, along with his protector Gattuso, sat in the stands with Fino.
Italy, having lost their midfield maestro, are in a precarious situation for this match.
Unlike Italy, who struggled to qualify, Spain performed very strongly in the group stage, winning all three matches and accumulating 9 points, just like Croatia, the top team in Group B, and the Netherlands, the top team in Group C.
During the warm-up, Ambrosini, AC Milan's only remaining player in the match, came over to greet Fino and the other two. Buffon also came over, put his hand on Ambrosini's shoulder, and waved to Fino with a smile.
Fino had to admire Buffon's composure; he truly lived up to his reputation as Italy's goalkeeper, remaining unmoved by any odds.
While Fino and Pirlo were chatting casually, a Spanish player wearing a red jersey walked past them.
It's Xabi Alonso.
Fino couldn't help but sigh. Unlike Italy, which was in decline, Spain was experiencing a talent boom. Even a star like Xabi Alonso, who was in his prime, couldn't secure a regular starting position in the national team.
As if sensing Fino's gaze, Alonso didn't stop walking, but looked up towards the audience, accurately spotting Fino in the crowd and making eye contact with her.
Fino was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Alonso to look in his direction. Even from a distance, Fino was quite certain that Alonso had caught his gaze and was looking at him.
Fino then nodded to Alonso.
Alonso nodded in response, then turned and quickened his pace away.
Pirlo noticed Fino nodding and turned to look at him questioningly: "What's wrong?"
Fino shook her head gently: "It's nothing."
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