Chapter 117: Learn to drive
After completing half a month of intense matches, Inter Milan finally returned to Milan. The club generously granted everyone a three-day vacation, followed by a gathering for training to prepare for the next round of league matches on the weekend.
Although exhausted, the hearts of everyone at Inter Milan were filled with joy. They had consecutively defeated AC Milan and Juventus, climbed to the top of the league standings, and then eliminated English powerhouse Chelsea to advance to the Europa League quarter-finals, achieving great success.
As the nightlife kings, Ronaldo and Vieri naturally couldn't miss this rare vacation opportunity. Along with Recoba and Konsi Kao, they planned to hit the clubs and have a good time.
Originally, they planned to invite Wang Feng to join them, but Wang Feng decisively declined, citing a very legitimate reason: "I want to learn to drive. As you know, I still don't have a driver's license, so I want to take this opportunity to learn."
In fact, Wang Feng really intended to get this essential document as soon as possible. Public transportation in most parts of Europe is very inconvenient, and not being able to drive oneself would bring a lot of trouble.
Another important thing is that after signing an endorsement deal with Volkswagen Group last time, they generously gave Wang Feng a brand-new Lamborghini Murcielago.
This car has not yet entered mass production and was only showcased at the 2001 Frankfurt International Motor Show, making Wang Feng one of the few people to own it.
With its all-yellow paint, rugged lines, and iconic scissor-style doors, this car was exceptionally eye-catching. To be honest, Wang Feng had been longing for it since he got it, but unfortunately, without a driver's license, it had been sitting in the garage for several months.
An Italian driver's license can be applied for personally and only requires various documents, including various forms of identification and health certificates. Originally, Balmond could have helped him with all of this, but he had been too busy lately with many endorsement contracts and business matters concerning Wang Feng. So Wang Feng didn't bother him and took a day to handle it himself.
After sorting everything out, Wang Feng only needed to submit the documents and then wait a month to schedule the exam. As for learning to drive, his progress exceeded his own imagination.
Because Wang Feng found that his keen senses seemed to be applicable to driving as well. For different situations, he always gave the best operating methods, astonishing the driving school's old drivers.
"Wang, is this really your first time driving? Your handling is like watching a racing driver," his instructor Chadwick Belmont said.
Belmont was a fan of Inter Milan and naturally a loyal fan of Wang Feng. When he found out that Wang Feng came to him to learn, he was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night. After seeing Wang Feng, he pulled him for photos and autographs.
Wang Feng naturally wouldn't disappoint this loyal fan's wish. The two of them became very familiar in just half a day. While teaching Wang Feng, Belmont discovered that his skills were excellent, hence his remark.
Wang Feng didn't know how to describe this kind of talent encounter, so he just smiled and said, "Maybe one day I'll stop playing football and become a racing driver. That's not a bad choice."
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait many years for that. You're only eighteen, I think you can play for at least another 20 years," Belmont said.
"Thanks for your kind words. I hope everything goes smoothly," Wang Feng replied with a smile.
After the vacation, the players' physical condition was always unsatisfactory during training, especially for the nightlife group. The visible dark circles and tired expressions indicated how crazy their partying had been.
This time, even Wang Feng's condition was not very ideal because he had spent almost all of his time learning to drive, barely doing any recovery exercises.
After settling in Pinetina, the team began closed-door training to prepare for the 27th round of the Serie A match against Lecce on the weekend.
On the day of the match, Wang Feng did not enter the starting lineup but sat on the bench. In addition, Cooper also made major rotations to other main players, and the nightlife quartet did not even make the squad.
Fornana, Zolondo, Sidorov, Ventola, and other substitute players started, with Ventola being the most outstanding. This 24-year-old youth player was once considered the future star of Inter Milan.
Unfortunately, with the arrival of Vieri, Recoba's rise, and Wang Feng joining this season, Inter Milan's frontline had long since lost its place for him. So far, he has only played twice, and both times were during garbage time.
Ventola scored two fantastic goals in this game and was selected as the best player of the match. Lecce only managed to score one goal in the final moments, and Inter Milan won 2-1.
There was nothing much to say about the match itself. However, after the game, Ventola officially submitted a transfer request to the club: "I want to go to Crystal Palace in the Premier League. They are interested in signing me." Standing in front of Moratti, the Italian was somewhat nervous yet relieved.
Moratti looked at this handsome player somewhat absent-mindedly. The once proud and arrogant teenage talent from Bari had grown up, but the cruel Serie A had buried how many teenage talents.
Just like Adriano, who was loaned from Inter Milan to Fiorentina at the beginning of the year. He was also a Brazilian genius, but he never got a chance because there was no place for him in the team.
Arriving at Fiorentina, Adriano completely exploded and has now contributed five goals. However, he still couldn't stop the team's consecutive defeats, and Fiorentina was slipping deeper into the abyss of relegation.
If they eventually get relegated, who will remember the contributions and efforts of this Brazilian genius?
The cruelty of Europe's top leagues far exceeds the imagination of the fans.
Moratti regained his wandering thoughts and said in a low voice, "If you want to go, I won't stop you. Inter Milan will never be an obstacle to a player's transfer."
"But if things don't go well, come back to Italy. Even if you start playing from Serie B, it's no big deal."
Ventola nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, Mr. Moratti. Football is my passion. Maybe I can't shine like Ronaldo and Wang Feng, but as long as the club needs me, I will never give up."
Inter Milan's opponent in the Europa League quarter-finals will be AC Milan, who eliminated Hertha Berlin. The derby between the city rivals on the European stage undoubtedly attracted the attention of many people.
The Milan Sports Daily wrote, "Inter Milan has defeated AC Milan twice in the league, leading to the resignation of former coach Trim. Whether the new coach Ancelotti can successfully lead this group of defeated players to counterattack Inter Milan will be the biggest highlight of this series."
Ancelotti, the newly appointed coach, didn't dare to make any big promises during an interview, saying, "As everyone knows, Inter Milan has the best forwards in Serie A. This will be a big challenge for us."
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