Chapter 2 Hard currency in Inzaghi's world...
The new kid was secretly watching Paul again.
Inzaghi found it very interesting.
Normally, it would be difficult for a young player like Fino, who comes up from the youth academy, to attract Inzaghi's attention.
There are plenty of young players like this every year. When they reach a certain age, they are promoted from the youth training program to train with the team for a period of time, and then loaned out to gain experience.
If they perform well, they can naturally return smoothly and fight for Milan. If they don't perform well, they can go to mid-to-lower-tier teams and lower leagues to find opportunities, stay for a few years, and then retire quietly.
Established stars like Inzaghi don't have time to pay attention to these things. Most of his energy is taken up by matches and training. He also has to keep up with the latest news from time to time, such as the hottest nightclubs, the hottest female models, and the sexy female TV presenters who have just gotten divorced. He might also keep up with those who haven't gotten divorced. He's very busy.
Caffeino is so beautiful.
Even Inzaghi, who is used to seeing beautiful women and is a member of the Milan men's model team, had to admit that he was amazed.
He is not the marble-sculpted handsome type like Maldini or Nesta, nor the elegant type with dreamy eyes like Pirlo. His features are more delicate and beautiful, but he is still in the transition period from adolescence to young adulthood, and his temperament is not mature and alluring enough.
If you had to categorize him, he would be a pretty boy like Kaká and Shevchenko in their youth, but unlike Kaká's sunny disposition and Shevchenko's shyness, he has a more composed and quiet demeanor. When his eyes are vacant, there is a hint of indifference, and he has a vulnerability that doesn't quite fit with the adrenaline-pumping atmosphere of a football field.
But when his gaze focuses on you, his bright eyes, beneath his long, feathery eyelashes, are focused and tender, as if you are his whole world, making it so easy to fall for him.
Fortunately, he is still young, and his clean and refreshing youthful spirit will make those who covet his eyes feel guilty. But one can imagine how captivating he will be when he grows up and completely loses his innocence and naivety.
Good looks are the hard currency in Inzaghi's world.
To ignore a beautiful woman for even a second is to disrespect one's own attraction to beauty.
Naturally, Inzaghi was quickly drawn to Fino.
Like any newcomer to the locker room, Fino didn't easily participate in any topics. He just maintained a polite smile and watched the veterans boast and joke around, avoiding any trouble when he couldn't gain a foothold.
But if you give him a little more attention, you can easily find out that he is always secretly observing Maldini.
For example, right now, he leans back naturally in his chair, his legs slightly apart, his wrists resting on his thighs, seemingly idly fiddling with his fingers, his gaze lowered as if he were carefully studying the lines on his palms.
Occasionally, she would casually raise her hand to brush her hair back from her forehead, glance briefly at Maldini in the instant she looked up, and then quickly look away.
Or, when someone is speaking loudly, pretend to be attracted by the sound, look up at the person, then naturally and slowly turn your head to look in Maldini's direction, and then lower your head again to continue pretending to be in a daze.
Like a shy little animal hiding in a corner, seemingly playing by itself, but its ears are straight up, always ready to receive signals from its owner.
But he didn't initiate a conversation with Maldini.
This is so interesting, Inzaghi thought.
Is he a fan of Paolo? Yes, every kid in Milan's youth academy idolizes Maldini.
Why didn't he try to talk to Paul? Was he shy?
He plays as a striker, so why doesn't he admire himself, who is also a striker?
Thinking about this, Inzaghi felt a little unhappy, just a little, so much so that he didn't even realize it himself.
Perhaps it was because Inzaghi's gaze was too unrestrained that Fino could hardly ignore it. He looked up at Inzaghi with a questioning look in his eyes.
Inzaghi returned his wink.
Although Fino was promoted to the first team to increase bench depth, Ancelotti was hesitant to field him easily.
Youth often means instability, and the old rogues in Serie A love to bully these young players. Their endless tricks are something even Zidane couldn't handle, let alone an inexperienced young player like Fino. If he gets his defenses broken down, he'll be finished—Fino doesn't seem like a carefree kid.
But the situation was pressing, leaving Ancelotti no room for hesitation.
In the 13th round of the league, Milan hosted relegation-threatened Messina and only managed a 1-0 victory. From the 14th to the 16th round, they had another three consecutive draws.
In total, Milan only won 5 games in the first 16 rounds of the league.
To make matters worse, Gilardino suffered a calf muscle strain during the away game against Fiorentina in the 16th round, requiring him to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks and missing all matches before the winter transfer window.
With Gilardino injured, is our season over?
[Let's have a rational discussion: Did our neighbors curse us?]
Milan fans broke through the defense and forcefully shifted the blame to their rivals, Inter Milan.
Milan's season has been incredibly difficult.
The new striker, bought at a high price, seems to be bound to a one-time goal-scoring experience package. Once activated, it can only be used once, and repeated use is ineffective. Inzaghi mainly exerts his strength in the Champions League, and his performance in the league is not very good. The top scorer in the league is Gilardino, whom I originally did not think much of.
But now even Gilardino can't be relied upon.
One's own misfortune is painful, but the happiness of one's neighbor is even more unbearable.
Since winning the Serie A title as a replacement after the Calciopoli scandal, Inter Milan has been on a winning streak, spending lavishly in the summer transfer window, causing a stir, and achieving an undefeated record in the league.
It's outrageous! Why is the whole of Serie A suffering while you guys are living it up?
In the 17th round of Serie A, Milan hosted Catania. After much deliberation, Ancelotti finally included Fino in the starting lineup.
This was Fino's first appearance in Serie A.
In this match, Ancelotti abandoned his favorite Christmas tree formation and switched to a two-striker formation, allowing Oliveira to relieve pressure on Fino, who was making his debut.
Behind him was Kaká to receive the pass, Gattuso, Pirlo, and Brocchi controlled the midfield, Cafu, Bonera, Kaladze, and Jankulovski played as defenders, and Kalac guarded the goal.
The moment the roster was announced, the fan forums exploded.
Oliveira: I played like crap, but I still got to start.
[Confirmed! Ancelotti received a huge kickback in the Oliveira deal.]
[Inzaghi benched, suspected of sleeping with a high-ranking official's wife!]
...
Discussions involving Fino were much more amicable. Fans were encouraging and supportive of the young academy trainees who hadn't yet made mistakes—it would be more reasonable to criticize them after they made a mistake.
[A debut that's also the first release? Are kids these days playing such thrilling games?]
[Let's pray that Cabrini doesn't get dragged down by Oliveira.]
[Can anyone familiar with youth training please explain Cabrini's skill level?]
...
Fino took a deep breath, tiptoed slightly, and followed Oliveira, waiting to enter.
Even when he was in the youth team, he never played a formal match as a striker.
Although he began to incorporate midfield and forward training into his daily routine after the age of 16, he still had to guard the team's goal during matches.
After he finally transitioned completely from goalkeeper to striker, he hadn't even had time to adapt to the position before Ancelotti took him to the first team.
This was my first appearance in Serie A, and also my first official match as a striker. How could I not be nervous?
In the midst of the tension, every sense in his body became exceptionally sensitive. Fino seemed to smell the gunpowder in the air, as if the rivalry between the two sets of fans had truly been ignited.
His throat was a little dry, and even in the noisy environment, he could almost hear himself swallowing.
At that moment, he felt two hands pressing on his shoulders, signaling him to turn around. It was Kaka standing behind him.
When Fino turned around, Kaka smiled and gave him a hug, then cupped his face in his hands, looked into his eyes, and gently encouraged him.
"Boy, don't be nervous, I'm here for you. Just enjoy your first Serie A match."
Some people are naturally good at gaining the trust of others, like Maldini and Kaká.
Fino raised her head slightly to meet Kaka's eyes.
What kind of eyes were those?
Neither serious nor sharp, with slightly drooping corners of the eyes, even somewhat rounded and cute, but with deep pupils full of seriousness, possessing a convincing magic.
He doesn't just make empty promises to comfort me; he means what he says.
In that instant, it was as if a pair of gentle hands had lightly brushed across Fino's heart, taking away his tension and unease, leaving only determination and fearlessness.
The broadcast camera then moved over, and the friendly interaction between the two handsome young men was broadcast around the world.
Wow, this is like something out of an idol drama! They look like a couple. Is Kaka about to lean down and gently kiss #66's forehead any second now?
[It's hard to say how good this number 66 is at basketball, but he certainly has a commanding presence.]
[As expected of Milan; whether they play well or not is another matter, being a good coach is the top priority.]
At this time, a post also became a hot topic on the Milan fan forum.
Friends, this young academy player in the starting lineup used to be a goalkeeper!
1st Floor: As the title says. When the starting lineup was announced, this name looked familiar, and after seeing his face, I immediately remembered—he's a goalkeeper!
2nd floor: Huh? Could it just be a case of the same name? Serie A has a ton of players like Alessandro, Massimo, Andrea, Ricardo... and Juventus even has a legend named Cabrini!
3rd Floor: [Reply to 2nd Floor] I also thought it was the same name, but there's TV footage of him now. He's very famous in the youth team, and I was even amazed by his looks. There's absolutely no way I could be mistaken. He's always played as a goalkeeper.
4th floor: Huh?
5th floor: Huh?
6th floor: What are you all saying? The youth team has been thinking about changing Cabrini's position for the past two years, haven't you heard? I guess they finally decided to change his position after he was promoted to the first team.
7th floor: I've only ever heard of positions moving further back, I've never seen a goalkeeper switch to striker, why is that?
Floor 8: [Reply to Floor 7] Look at how tall our starting goalkeeper, Kalac, is! Over two meters. And look at Cabrini, he's not even as tall as Kaka. He hasn't grown much in the last two years. If he doesn't change positions, how will he play football? He'll have no football to play for. Besides, I've never seen a goalkeeper switch to a striker before. Jan Koller, the Czech striker, used to be a goalkeeper.
9th floor: Is the young man's kicking any good? Partnering with Oliveira, won't the two of them produce a huge mess together?
10th floor: Please stop talking upstairs, I'm scared...
11th floor: [Reply to 9th floor] He must have played reasonably well to be promoted, but the current level of our youth training, those who know, know.
Amid the fans' concerns, the match officially began.
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