Chapter 18 He handed Inzaghi a slice of raw cucumber...
When Fino woke up, the Milan vs. Lazio match had already become a hot topic online overnight.
The video clip of Fino scoring the final goal was shown separately. The video begins with Ambrosini's pass, including the combination between Fino and Seedorf, Fino's solo dribble and shot, and ends with Lazio's goalkeeper Muslera lying in despair in front of the goal.
This clip has garnered an astonishing number of views online.
The talent gap is not only a problem facing AC Milan, but also a problem facing the entire Italian football world.
After entering the 21st century, Italian football seemed to have exhausted all its luck. The 2006 World Cup victory in Germany was like a final burst of energy, allowing the Italian superstars of the 1970s to bid a final farewell to the football world.
Compared to the illustrious players of the 1970s, the players of the 1980s were less dazzling, with hardly any shining stars to be seen.
As the season progressed, Italian fans abroad suddenly realized that Milan had quietly nurtured a young player with star potential.
His looks are naturally outstanding; he stands out even among Kaká, Nesta, and Inzaghi. What's even more impressive is his performance on the field. Apart from his heading ability, which he hasn't showcased yet, his speed, power, instinct, and technique are all excellent.
Unlike late-blooming stars, the rise to fame of these young talents is generally traceable. World Youth Championship, World Junior Championship, Toulon Tournament... as long as they have participated in major competitions, they will always be noticed and it is unlikely that they will remain unknown forever.
Milan can't keep it a secret until this season to surprise everyone, can they?
When fans went to great lengths to find Fino's match records, they discovered that Fino had never actually been selected for the Italian national team's youth academy.
What's wrong with you Italians? You don't even recognize a talent of this caliber? Or is it because he's mixed-race that you're being racist?
Milan fans immediately jumped out to clarify that racial discrimination is indeed serious in Italian football, and there is no denying that, but Fino's exclusion from the national team's youth academy was not because of this.
In fact, if Fino hadn't mentioned in a post-match press conference that he had Chinese ancestry, even many local Milan fans wouldn't have known he was of mixed race.
Soon, Milan fans revealed all about Fino's time in the youth academy, leaving other fans in awe.
Because of his exceptional goalkeeping talent from a young age, he was immediately put into goalkeeper training mode. However, when Milan was overjoyed to have a goalkeeper in hand, they discovered that he was not tall enough and their efforts were in vain.
If he couldn't be a goalkeeper, he changed positions. He didn't play a single youth team match, but because of his exceptional talent, he was directly promoted to the first team.
After training with the first team for more than half a year, he immediately became the main striker in the league in the new season, scoring 5 goals in 4 games, not counting his assists.
What kind of god is this? This is definitely an extraordinary life!
If Fino knew about the arguments circulating online, he would definitely shake his head.
Judging by the results alone, it seems that's true, but behind the scenes, where fans can't see, he put in far more effort and sweat than most players.
He certainly has talent, but the basketball court isn't a place where talent is everything; players who don't work hard enough don't even have the chance to realize their potential.
Fino didn't go online. He had a quick lunch and then drove to Chinatown and a supermarket to shop for dinner.
For the dishes to make a good impression, Fino chose four dishes: braised pork ribs, cola chicken wings, Sprite shrimp, and tomato beef brisket soup. The common feature of these four dishes is that they look very impressive. People who don't cook might think they are very difficult to make, but in reality, the upper and lower limits of their taste are also high. As long as they are cooked properly, they won't taste bad.
Then came three dishes made with eggs: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, steamed eggs with minced meat, and fried eggs with cucumber.
Then stir-fry some vegetables with sliced meat: green beans, potato slices, and romaine broccoli. These three vegetables are delicious when stir-fried with sliced meat.
There are ten dishes in total. They are not difficult to make, but they are rich and diverse. They not only combine meat and vegetables, but also demonstrate various techniques such as stir-frying, stewing, steaming, deep-frying, and cold dishes. It's simply amazing.
Perfect!
If you can't buy the seasonings in Chinatown, just omit them. It won't affect the taste. It's impossible to be truly authentic, but it's enough to fool Nesta and the others. Anyway, it's their first time eating it, so there's no comparison.
After purchasing the ingredients, Fino began preparing the food. All the ingredients were washed and cut beforehand and then soaked in water or marinated with seasonings.
Shrimp are a bit troublesome to prepare. You have to cut off the head and tail and remove the shrimp vein. Fino had never cooked shrimp before, so it was a bit of a struggle and took her a long time to finish.
Everything is ready; all that's left is to fire.
Fino turned on the CD player and inserted an album by Li Jian, "Like Flowing Water," which was released a few years ago.
Li Jian's music was right up Fino's alley. He had never even heard of Li Jian in his previous life. Later, Fino made a special trip to a CD store in Chinatown and luckily found the album.
As Fino sat on the sofa listening to music and relaxing, a question suddenly occurred to him: Italian cooking uses olive oil more often, while Fino is used to peanut oil. Could Nesta and the others be allergic to peanuts?
If Nesta and the others are allergic to peanuts, Fino will have to go to the supermarket to buy olive oil, and he doesn't know if olive oil is suitable for frying and stir-frying.
Fino quickly called Nesta and the others to confirm, and thankfully, none of the four of them were allergic to peanuts.
Fino was also somewhat scared. What if someone had an allergic reaction and he hadn't asked clearly? If his teammate ended up in the hospital, he would be in big trouble.
After her teammates arrived, Fino pointed to each ingredient and confirmed with them one by one, thankfully all of them gave negative answers.
The first person to arrive was Nesta, who had rushed back from Rome, bringing a box of cakes as dessert.
Soon, Inzaghi, Pirlo, and Kaká arrived. Pirlo and Kaká brought wine, while Inzaghi brought a bouquet of white tulips, which immediately reminded Fino of that pleasant afternoon in Monaco.
After Fino settled Nesta and the others down for tea, conversation, and television, he turned and went to the kitchen to start cooking. Fino had already completed the initial preparations; there was little they could do to help with the rest.
Nesta and his three companions were visiting Fino's home for the first time, and they couldn't help but look around with curiosity.
Fino's house is small, and the decoration and furniture look a bit old; it can't compare to the mansions of these famous football stars.
Fino's house was very clean, with few decorative items, and the atmosphere of earnest living permeated the space, giving people a sense of ease and warmth, as if they had returned to their childhood.
Fino's kitchen is open-plan, and even with the range hood on, the aroma in the living room has been getting stronger and stronger lately.
Nesta and the others were chatting and watching TV, but they gradually became distracted and kept turning their heads to look at the kitchen area.
Once the braised pork ribs were ready, Nesta and Kaká couldn't resist any longer and gathered around the counter to watch Fino plate them.
The glistening, oily pork ribs looked especially appealing on the porcelain white plate. Fino tore off some lettuce leaves and sprinkled them on top as a garnish, making Nesta and Kaka sniffle with envy.
After plating, there were still a few pieces left. Fino used chopsticks to feed Nesta and Kaká each a piece, and then picked up another piece and took it to the living room for Pirlo.
He dared not give Inzaghi any, but felt it was unfair to treat Inzaghi differently, so he gave Inzaghi a slice of raw cucumber to show fairness.
Inzaghi: ? ? ?
After Fino fed the remaining two ribs in the pot to Nesta and Kaka, he sent them back to the living room, as the two big men standing there were getting in the way.
Fino's gas stove is a common four-burner type in Italy, which can burn multiple flames simultaneously, greatly saving cooking time. Soon, all the dishes were ready, and after serving the tomato and beef soup, Fino invited everyone to the table to wait for dinner.
A table full of Chinese dishes was laid out, looking quite appetizing. Kaka and Pirlo took out their phones.
At the beginning of the year, Orange Company released a new type of mobile phone. This phone is very different from previous phones. It is more like a handheld computer with mobile phone functions. It is very intelligent and convenient, which has caused a great sensation.
This phone was released in the US at the end of June and is expected to be released in Europe in November, but many players have already obtained it from the US.
With this phone, it's much easier for players to share their lives. After taking photos, they don't need to import them to a computer; they can directly post them online using their phones.
As a result, many teammates developed the habit of taking photos and posting them online at any time, and they also frequently visited each other's homepages.
Kaka and Pirlo, these internet addicts, are at the forefront of the technological age, leading the trends in the locker room.
After finishing our phone snacks, dinner officially began.
Fino specifically reminded Inzaghi to eat within his limits; if his stomach couldn't handle it, he should eat cucumbers instead.
Inzaghi: ? ? ?
The meal was a great success, with everyone praising Fino's culinary skills. Kaka even started booking Fino's next Chinese meal, and Nesta looked at him with anticipation.
Fino was pleased with the compliment, but he also firmly refused. He knew his own limitations all too well. The food was delicious because Chinese cuisine itself was excellent, not because of his culinary skills.
One shock is enough for Kaka and the others; too many shocks will make them look weak.
"Next time I can treat you to a meal in Chinatown. There are many Chinese-run restaurants there, offering all kinds of dishes. You could eat a different dish every day for a year without repeating the same thing."
Kaka and Nesta were filled with longing upon hearing this.
After dinner, everyone sat together in the living room, drinking tea and chatting.
Fino opened the cake Nesta had brought and served it. Inzaghi didn't eat it, and Fino and Pirlo only ate a little bit as a token gesture. The rest went into Kaká and Nesta's stomachs.
Fino was amazed; a foodie's esophagus was indeed connected to another universe.
Around 11 p.m., Pirlo and the others said goodbye to Fino, who saw them off at the door and watched them drive away.
As the car lights gradually disappeared at the end of the street, Fino felt a little lost, just a little.
For the first time, his little home was visited by friends, creating a lively atmosphere. When his friends left, he couldn't help but feel a little reluctant, but he knew that this was only a temporary separation. A few days later, they would meet again in Milanello and continue to conquer the world together.
The air was damp; it looked like it was going to rain again. Fino turned and went upstairs to go home.
With this pleasant feeling, Fino finished washing up and drifted off to sleep.
Before turning off the lights, he said goodnight to Tulip.
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