Chapter 104: Best Newcomer and Kaka's Defense...
On January 17th, Milan played their 19th league match at home against Fiorentina.
In this match, Pato got the chance to start, forming a Christmas tree attacking triangle with Kaká and Seedorf.
After 90 minutes of competition, Milan narrowly defeated Fiorentina 1-0 at the San Siro, with Pato scoring the crucial goal that secured the victory for Milan.
With Inter Milan losing to Atalanta in this round of the league, AC Milan has further narrowed the points gap with Inter Milan.
Inter Milan currently leads the table with 43 points, followed closely by AC Milan with 42 points, and Juventus in third place with 37 points.
However, after the match, no one cared about Pato's goal, no one cared about Milan's three points; the world's attention was focused on one thing—Kaka's transfer saga.
The story begins with Inter Milan's contract renewal with Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic's massive €12 million contract after tax prompted Kaká's father, Bosco, to once again request a pay rise from Milan, which Galliani decisively rejected.
Bosco then resorted to his old tricks, again hyping up Kaká's desire to transfer and frequently meeting with executives from other clubs to put pressure on Milan.
However, this time, Galliani was tired of Bosco's pressure tactics. He not only ignored him but also connected with Manchester City, which had received substantial investment. Manchester City desperately needed a star player to anchor their squad, and could provide Milan with a large transfer fee, more than enough to meet Kaká's father's salary demands.
On January 14, Manchester City submitted a €107 million offer to AC Milan for Kaká, along with a personal contract with an annual after-tax salary of approximately €19 million.
Prior to this, the world's highest transfer fee record was set in 2001 when Zinedine Zidane transferred from Juventus to Real Madrid for $64.5 million. If Kaká's transfer goes through, it will directly double the world's highest transfer fee record.
The record-breaking transfer fee and astronomical annual salary greatly appealed to Kaká's father, Bosco, who immediately initiated separate negotiations with Manchester City and AC Milan, preparing all the details and specific documents to fully facilitate the deal.
After a brief period of hesitation, Milan agreed to the deal in principle. However, due to fan protests and out of respect for Kaká, Milan left the choice to Kaká himself – to transfer or stay – entirely at his discretion.
Because of its strong focus on commercial development, Milan's economic situation this season is much better than expected, so the desire to sell Kaká for a transfer fee is not particularly urgent. Even though Kaká's competitive value is not as high as it was two years ago, his commercial value remains, and keeping him for a few more years is not out of the question.
The premise is that Bosco stops causing trouble.
If Kaká insists on leaving, Milan wouldn't rule out trading him for a record-breaking transfer fee.
It's no longer possible to continue giving Kaka a steady stream of raises under Bosco's control, as before.
Milan already has Fino, who is younger, healthier, and also has the ability to compete for the Ballon d'Or, but his annual salary is only 4 million euros, less than half of Kaká's.
Berlusconi personally likes Kaká very much, but Bosco's positive attitude made him mentally prepared for Kaká's departure. He even revealed to close media contacts that "Kaká may want the deal to happen."
However, Kaká did not want to leave Milan, much less go to Manchester City, but he could not refuse his father Bosco's decision.
This put him in a dilemma.
During the home game against Fiorentina, negotiations for Kaká's transfer were underway. Kaká, who was on the field, was unable to concentrate on the game, and his gaze frequently drifted to the banners in the stands: "Kaka, don't sell yourself!" "Kaka, money can't buy honor!"... The fans were trying to persuade him to stay.
On the evening of January 19th, in the final hours before the winter transfer window closed, Milan, Manchester City, and Bosco had all signed the documents, and only Kaka's signature was needed for the transfer to be finalized.
Kaka was still hesitating.
About 500 AC Milan fans marched to Kaká's residence to protest, hoping that Kaká would not leave.
The Manchester City representative, full of anticipation; Boskovic, his face beaming with encouragement; the Milan representative, devoid of joy or sorrow; and the angry protesters outside the window…
At that moment, it felt as if the whole world was forcing him to make a decision, and he suddenly felt a chill to the bone and an overwhelming loneliness.
At this time, his partner Caroline and son Luca were far away in Brazil and could not provide him with any support. He didn't even know who he could get some comfort and confidence from.
Within Milan, Galliani and Leonardo were the people who spoke with him most about the transfer. Ancelotti only inquired about the progress of his transfer and whether he needed help, without trying to persuade him to stay or offering any substantial advice.
His teammates all pretended not to know anything about it and didn't influence his decision in any way. Players are used to nomadic lifestyles; how many can stay in one city like Maldini?
Time ticked by, and the end of the winter transfer window drew ever closer. Kaka grew increasingly anxious and uneasy. After much hesitation, he finally dialed Fino's number.
At that moment, Fino was attending the 2008 Italian Serie A Oscars ceremony, dressed in a suit and tie, sitting under the spotlight, smiling and clapping.
This year's Serie A Oscars are definitely dominated by Inter Milan and Juventus. Milan didn't have their full squad present like last year – Milan is too busy with Kaká's transfer to have time for this.
Fino attended the Serie A Oscars ceremony alone; he was nominated for Best Newcomer and had no competitors whatsoever.
This year's best domestic player is Juventus veteran Alessandro Del Piero, who topped the Serie A goalscoring charts last season.
The best foreign player was Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was also named the best player.
The best goalkeeper is Juventus' Buffon, and the best defender is Juventus' Chiellini...
When Kaka called, Chiellini was still on stage giving his acceptance speech. Next, the awards for best referee and best coach would be announced, followed by the announcement of the best newcomer award.
Fino estimated the time, said goodbye to Julia, and left to answer Kaka's call.
“Ciao, Richie.” Fino knew that Kaka’s transfer had entered its final stage and would be finalized tonight.
Fino never communicated with Kaka about Kaka's transfer. This was Kaka's own business, involving the career planning and development of Kaka's team. It's not something a friend should interfere with.
Moreover, Kaka was too much constrained by Bosco. Bosco was the one who made the decisions, and Kaka always followed Bosco's wishes and rarely made decisions independently.
Fino was afraid that if he spoke up, it would be to persuade Kaká to stay, and Kaká would not be able to go against Bosco's wishes, which would only put him in a difficult position. So he simply remained silent like the others in the locker room.
Kaka didn't speak on the other end of the phone; only her rapid breathing could be heard through the receiver.
“Rich, is there anything you want to talk to me about?” Fino asked patiently.
"Finnie, I'm standing at a crossroads in my life, not knowing which way to go," Kaka said, her voice filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Follow your heart, Ricci. Do you want to leave Milan? Do you want to go to Manchester City?"
"I don't want to leave Milan, and I don't want to go to Manchester City," Kaká replied quickly.
"Then why don't you know which way to go?" Fino sighed.
Kaka fell silent.
What were the reasons for the transfer? The unprecedented transfer fee and astonishing annual salary, but even he himself felt these reasons were weak. What did breaking the transfer fee record mean to him? Did he need to prove his worth with a transfer fee? Was he short of money?
Manchester City is a team that cannot win the title. They can offer him nothing but money. Why can't his father see that?
At this moment, Julia came over and asked Fino to return to her seat, as the Best Newcomer Award was about to be announced.
“Ricci, I have to go back to the awards ceremony.” Time was of the essence, and Fino interrupted Kaká’s silence directly. “Turn on the TV and watch the Serie A Oscars live.”
After saying that, Fino hung up the phone.
Kaka returned to the living room, and the Manchester City representative and Bosco both stood up.
Bosco asked expectantly, "Rich, have you made up your mind?"
Kaka didn't say anything. He turned on the TV and found the live channel for the Serie A Oscars ceremony.
Fino is receiving the Best Newcomer trophy from the presenter and beginning his speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am delighted to receive the Best Newcomer award, which is a recognition of my performance last season. I am not surprised or taken aback, because in my heart, I truly deserve it."
This was a line that could have a dramatic effect, and after Fino finished speaking, he stopped and waited for the audience to boo him mockingly.
"Yooooo~" The audience started to cheer; this young man was quite interesting.
"Perhaps some people are thinking to themselves, is this kid overconfident? But as a player, if you don't believe in your own abilities and don't think you can become the best player in the world, then you will never reach the top. Football is a highly competitive sport. Once you're on the field, you have to work hard to win. How can a player without confidence win?"
Ibrahimovic, the biggest winner of the day, raised an eyebrow. This pretty boy actually had a side like Zlatan. He suddenly admired this cunning pretty boy.
"Here, I congratulate Alessandro (Del Piero) on winning the Italian Player of the Month award tonight. A footballer's career is too short; every day is a race against time. Alessandro, at the age of 34, still maintains a tenacious fighting spirit and formidable combat power, and still won the Serie A Golden Boot based on his own strength. He has not only defeated his opponents but also won against time. In him, I seem to see the shadow of our AC Milan soul, Maldini."
The camera then focused on Piero in the audience, who smiled and raised his hands to thank Fino.
As for Fino's personal praise of Maldini, no one would be unhappy about being associated with Maldini. Whether it's his career, athletic performance, or personal charisma, Maldini is a role model for players.
“Competitive sports are both brilliant and cruel, and we have no reason to waste our limited professional lifespan. While we can still run on the field, we should fight like Maldini and Del Piero, always have a desire for championships, give our all in the best teams, and become the best version of ourselves.”
The audience at the venue and those watching on television were somewhat bewildered. While Fino's statement made sense, why bring it up when he was receiving an award? He was only 20 years old and had just won Best Newcomer; how did he start talking about wasting his career? Wasn't this overreaction a bit excessive?
Kaká immediately understood what Fino was trying to convey: Don't go to Manchester City, that's a waste of your career. Don't you want to keep winning championships?
Kaka turned off the TV, pondered for a few minutes, and finally made up his mind.
He turned to look at Bosco, whispered an apology, and then announced his decision to the representatives of Milan and Manchester City.
The transfer has been cancelled, and he will continue to wear the red and black jersey for AC Milan.
He went out onto the balcony, showed his number 22 jersey to the fans below, and pounded his chest with his right hand to show his loyalty.
Then he called Berlusconi and Galliani, who was waiting for the final result at 3 Turati Street.
Berlusconi immediately dialed Italian television channel 7.
“We won the battle to protect Kaká. Kaká just called me personally and said, ‘President, I want to stay at AC Milan. This is my home. I don’t ask for a raise. Money isn’t everything. I hope to win the Champions League again with Milan!’ Kaká chose soul, not money!”
Berlusconi's voice echoed throughout Italy through the television studio, finally bringing Kaká's winter transfer saga to a close. The fans gathered outside Kaká's house quickly received the news and cheered.
In an effort to appease fans, Berlusconi personally characterized the transfer saga, shifting the public relations strategy to trying to retain Kaká as a symbol of loyalty.
There was no revenue crisis, no pay rise drama; it was all wishful thinking on Manchester City's part. It was the club's efforts to retain him, the fans' sincerity, and Kaká's loyalty to Milan that caused Manchester City's exorbitant contract offer to poach him to fail.
Milan launched a massive marketing campaign to celebrate their victory in the battle to protect Kaka. Milan was great, Kaka was loyal, and a transfer was impossible. Milan once again made a huge splash on the internet, topping the trending charts for several days, all without spending a single penny.
Manchester City: What's that red thing on your nose? Milan, you disgust me, do you hear me? So disgusting! I'm...
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support~ [droopy-eared rabbit head]
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