Chapter 256: People who chase

Name:King of World Football Author:
Chapter 256: People who chase

October 30th, evening, at Milan's Meazza Stadium, the Serie A 10th round match between AC Milan and Udinese was underway. In the south stands sat the home team's die-hard fans, but it seemed that the attendance was less than fifty percent.

This kind of phenomenon was impossible a few years ago. Located in Italy's second-largest city and being one of Italy's oldest clubs, AC Milan had a massive fan base, and their matches were almost always packed.

But with Wang Feng joining Inter Milan, the rise of this cross-town rival was swift, dominating in the league, cup competitions, and the Champions League, leading many victory-loving fans to switch sides.

Of course, many loyal Rossoneri fans remained steadfast, but some were no longer willing to attend home matches. According to a random survey by Milan's local media, La Libera, a seasoned fan of fifteen years stated, "I'd rather watch the televised broadcast than enter the stadium to watch the game because I know we have no chance at the title."

Many fans with such pessimistic sentiments existed. The club's statistics over the past three years showed a decrease of around thirty percent in ticket revenue. A similar situation was also happening to Juventus in Turin, even more severely. Hence, they were eager to win the title to revive the football market.

On the field, Kaká, wearing the number 22 jersey for AC Milan, stared solemnly at the opponent's half. He hadn't shown a bright smile for a long time. Shevchenko's departure and his subsequent success at Chelsea, winning both the league and Champions League trophies, didn't that further indicate that his former AC Milan teammates were burdensome? NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

Under Ancelotti's tactical arrangements, the 23-year-old Kaká became the undisputed attacking core this season. The veteran Inzaghi and new signing Gilardino supported him with all their might, so he had to become even stronger.

In the earlier match against Sampdoria, where Inter Milan won 2-0 thanks to Wang Feng's goal and assist, they aimed to win their match too. "So, we must also win the game," Kaká thought to himself.

Once the match started, AC Milan's front duo Kaká and Rui Costa fully utilized their advantages, continuously pressuring Udinese along the middle, with Udinese's Muntari and Pieri unable to stop them.

After the match, when asked about Kaká's performance, Wang Feng praised, "Yes, Kaká's performance was brilliant. I watched the game too."

He didn't directly address the controversy over the best player, only saying, "The football world is constantly producing amazing talents, like Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney, as well as Barcelona's Messi. I hope they can grow rapidly and present wonderful performances for everyone."

As a two-time winner of the European Golden Ball and FIFA World Player, there was no problem with Wang Feng speaking like a senior. But when you consider he was only 22 years old, it felt quite strange.

Wang Feng had always been a figure reported by media outlets worldwide, and the UK was no exception. When Cristiano Ronaldo saw this report, he was first delighted that he was noticed by Wang Feng, but then he felt a little sad.

His surprise was that he managed to catch Wang Feng's attention, but his sadness came from the fact that he used to aim to be like Wang Feng, but now the gap between them was growing.

When would he truly become the core of a team? Since Rooney came to Manchester United, the club had been nurturing other players as well, not just him, and Rooney's English nationality gave him an advantage in competition.

Although the two could complement each other, Ronaldo was eager for a stage where he could shine alone. His childhood experiences, born into a very poor family, where his mother even considered aborting him, made him have a difficult childhood. It was football that became his savior. Starting from Andorinha, he walked through discrimination and isolation to Sporting Lisbon, and then to the powerhouse Manchester United.

Being criticized as "playing fancy tricks, good technique but likes to complicate simple things, diving and simulating fouls," hurt him deeply. He just wanted to prove that he wasn't worse than anyone else.

Perhaps next year's World Cup would be a great opportunity, he thought silently in his heart.

The other protagonist mentioned by Wang Feng, Messi of Barcelona, seemed much calmer. Just learning from the club that he was very likely to win the European Golden Boy award in a month.

As the third player to win this honor, he was only 18 years old, and the previous two winners were Van der Vaart and Rooney, not Ronaldo.

Messi had enough time and confidence to surpass anyone, including the currently high-flying Wang Feng.