Chapter 90 Golden Boy Award
The results of the 2008 European Golden Boy award will be announced at 8 p.m. that evening.
While Fino was still battling it out on the field, Tuttosport had already informed AC Milan that Fino had won the European Golden Boy award with a lead of nearly 100 votes over the second-place finisher.
The Golden Boy Award ceremony is not grand and far less star-studded than the Ballon d'Or. Usually, the results are simply announced in the Tuttosport newspaper, and the trophy is mailed to the winner. At most, there might be a special interview with the winner.
However, Fino is Italian, and Milan is very close to Turin. In this digital age, Tuttosport changed the award ceremony at the last minute. They planned to personally hand the trophy to Fino, take a picture of him holding the trophy, and then publish the news online.
At this time, the staff of Tuttosport had already set off from Turin with the trophy.
AC Milan naturally cooperated fully.
Fino's award is undoubtedly great news for Milan, demonstrating the promising future of their young players – a victory in the future. Moreover, Fino's background as a product of Milan's youth academy further enhances the prestige of the training institution.
In previous years, the winners would simply take a photo of themselves with the trophy after receiving it, and then the club would post it on the official website. They would also post it on social media to express their joy.
But it was a completely different story with Fino. Galliani would never allow Fino to appear on camera so casually, even though he was incredibly handsome.
Milan's stars always need to be in top form for the camera, with perfect makeup, hair, and clothing, especially those with striking good looks.
Nobody can interfere with Galliani's sponsorship!
Mendes' team also took it very seriously. This was a great opportunity for exposure, so of course they wanted to showcase his good looks to attract as many fans as possible.
The match against Catania was an afternoon game, and it was almost 5 p.m. when it ended, but Tuttosport was scheduled to publish the news at 8 p.m.
Time was of the essence, so Fino was taken away by club staff right after the match and after taking a shower.
When they arrived at the club headquarters at 3 Via Turati, the staff from Mendes' team's Italian office were already waiting there. They brought a team of stylists, and then it was a flurry of activity: makeup, hair, trying on clothes and accessories...
"Is it really necessary to be so serious? Just take a casual photo, wearing the home jersey is fine too!" Fino said as she tried on the clothes after getting her hair and makeup done.
He played a full 90 minutes and was so tired. He just wanted to go home and rest instead of trying on a bunch of suits that all looked pretty much the same.
"Of course it's necessary! You know, Adriano (Gagliani) is obsessed with selling his face, 'As long as the face is there, the country will be there,' haha!" a Milan staff member joked.
A staff member from Mendes' team in the Italian office also said: "Fini, Jorge has repeatedly told us that you must appear in the most handsome way. If it weren't for the fact that the change in the way Tuttosport was announced at the last minute, Jorge would have flown over in person to keep an eye on it."
"Okay, okay!" Fino completely surrendered and could only obediently continue trying on clothes.
With Fino's inherent qualities, even though the design was done hastily, the final result was still excellent.
When he smiled slightly while holding the Golden Boy award trophy in the photo studio, he was so handsome that it was impossible to look away. The camera faithfully captured this moment, and the staff of Tuttosport uploaded it to their social media backend before the official announcement.
At 8 p.m., the results of the 2008 European Golden Boy Award were announced on time.
Tuttosport's social media account published the vote counts for the top 10, with Fino winning with 208 votes, leading the second-place candidate by nearly 100 votes.
The second place went to Manchester United's Anderson, and the third place to Arsenal's Walcott; the two were neck and neck in the votes.
Pato finished sixth, right next to Balotelli, a young black player from Inter Milan.
Along with the selection results, a photo of Fino holding the trophy was also released.
The young man was dressed in a well-fitting suit and had his hair slicked back, a rare sight for him. Hair gel had neatly styled his flowing hair, revealing his delicate features.
Her eyes were gentle yet firm, her nose was high and straight, and the corners of her mouth had a slight upward curve, as if she could melt ice and snow into spring water.
The background is the AC Milan logo wall; the solemn red and black background combined with the smiling young man creates an unexpectedly contrasting yet harmonious aesthetic.
This social media post from Tuttosport unsurprisingly swept through the football world, gaining immense popularity in a short period of time.
Fino, as the absolute protagonist, also sparked a huge amount of discussion.
He was already a rising star in Europe, and his popularity soared even higher after winning the Golden Boy award.
[I knew Cabrini would win; his performance last season was absolutely fantastic, he deserves this award.]
I became a fan after watching the Champions League knockout stage match against Arsenal at home. This young man is not only handsome, but his performance is also incredibly impressive. He tirelessly ran back and forth between the two sides, giving it his all – a true tough guy!
Someone more handsome than you is also more hardworking than you...
The European Golden Boy award has been awarded for six years, and finally an Italian has won it. If an Italian doesn't win soon, Serie A will really lose face.
The decline of Italian football is inevitable; just look at the national team. Few new talents can step up. Even Cannavaro, at his age, is still struggling.
[Is no one going to admire his looks? Well, I'll go first!]
[Horror! Judging from your profile picture, are you a guy, bro??]
...
AC Milan's official media outlet, as well as Fino's own social media, also shared Tuttosport's post, causing the post to gain significant traction.
Tuttosport is very satisfied, Galliani is very satisfied, and Mendes' team is also very satisfied.
Fino was naturally very satisfied; he could finally go home and rest.
However, although I got home, I didn't get any rest.
His teammates from the national team, his club, and the brands he collaborated with all congratulated him by phone or text message. By the time he finished these social interactions, it was almost 11 p.m.
Fino let out a long sigh and lay flat on the bed in a "spread-eagle" position.
I'm so tired!
He rested for a few minutes, struggled to take a shower, and prepared to go to sleep.
Just then, his phone rang again.
Fino picked it up and glanced at it; it was Xabi Alonso.
“Good evening, Lonzo. Shall I congratulate you on winning the Golden Boy Award?” Fino asked directly.
Alonso chuckled softly: "Your voice sounds a little tired. You've already dealt with too many congratulations, haven't you?"
"But among all these congratulations, there wasn't one from you. I'm so disappointed," Fino joked. Although he and Alonso had only met once in real life, they were already quite familiar with each other online and by phone.
"Congratulations, handsome boy." Alonso tapped his water glass with a smile on his face on the other end of the phone, and continued, following Fino's words, "Your phone will definitely be busy after the results are announced, so I deliberately chose this time."
“Lonzo, I’m 20 years old now. You should call me ‘handsome man’ instead of ‘pretty boy’,” Fino corrected him with a smile.
“OK, my mistake.” Alonso immediately raised his hands in surrender. “So, handsome and charming gentleman, what words would you use to describe me?”
Without hesitation, Fino rattled off a string of adjectives: "Mature and wise, charming and elegant, with a story to tell, possessing her own unique charm and flavor, inspiring a desire to explore."
Wow~ Alonso laughed. The kid is so good at sweet-talking people. There's no way he wouldn't be happy. Who doesn't want to have a good image in other people's eyes?
He then quipped, "So, have I attracted you?"
This is interesting, Fino thought.
It seems the director of the Suzuki commercial was right after all; England is indeed keeping up with the trends. Alonso, having spent so much time in England, has also been influenced by the trends in the art world.
Fino chuckled and changed the subject: "Of course, there's an old Chinese saying, 'Old friends can remain strangers even after a lifetime of friendship, and strangers can feel like old friends.' That's exactly what we're talking about."
The two chatted for a while longer, but there was nothing of substance to the conversation; it was just casual conversation to kill time.
Just as Fino was about to close his eyes, Alonso suddenly asked, "Fino, do you have any plans for the winter break? Do you want to come watch Liverpool's game? Have some pity on someone who doesn't have a winter break and no family around."
“Hmm, no, Ronso.” Fino’s muddled mind slowly processed the information. “Milan will be going to Dubai for training this winter break, so we probably won’t have any separate vacation.”
“Okay.” Alonso regretfully abandoned the idea and then started looking for other topics.
As they talked, Alonso noticed that Fino's responses became slower and slower, and his voice became softer and softer until only shallow breathing could be heard.
After the phone went completely silent, Alonso called Fino softly twice, "Fino, Fino? Are you asleep?"
The only response he received was Fino's breathing; Fino was asleep.
Alonso reached back and smoothed his hair, then gently said into his phone, "Goodnight, pretty boy."
He then hung up the phone.
He glanced at the time; it was almost 1 a.m. No wonder Fino had fallen asleep; it had been long past Fino's bedtime.
He and Fino often chat on the phone at night. Fino usually says goodnight to him around 10 o'clock, so Fino should be used to falling asleep before 11 o'clock, especially since he played the whole game today.
Actually, it was already past his bedtime. He anticipated that Fino would be very busy tonight, so he delayed calling Fino until very late.
He had only intended to congratulate Fino and then go to sleep, but he didn't expect that a casual chat would last so long, and he was completely wide awake, his mind still very sharp.
It seems like every time I chat with Fino, it's like this. This boy, who just turned 20, seems to have endless magic, making people unconsciously immerse themselves in his conversations, chatting endlessly with anticipation and joy.
He drank the water in his glass in one gulp and opened the bedroom door with a relaxed and cheerful mood.
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