Chapter 118: Star chaser
The day after the match ended, the training base at Pinetina welcomed a wave of visitors, all young players who came to trial for Inter Milan.
While the first team enjoyed a two-day break, Wang Feng, as usual, came to the training base for extra practice. He was curious about the type of players trying out for Inter Milan. He remembered how De Bruyne, who was just nine years old during their time at Genk, had left a deep impression on him.
However, Wang Feng didn't directly appear in front of these trialists. Instead, he observed from a window. Soon, a young black man caught his attention.
He had excellent physical qualities, good flexibility, and noticeably better combat abilities than the other trialists, which impressed Wang Feng. This kid seemed very suitable for the Italian league.
However, it seemed that his personality was somewhat introverted. While others gathered in groups to chat during breaks, he sat alone on the grass resting.
The performances of the other players were mediocre, so Wang Feng stopped paying attention after a while and continued his "iron pumping" journey at the training equipment.
After the trials ended, this young black man and his foster father hesitated to leave, constantly looking around at the entrance of the base, which caught the attention of the staff.
"What are you doing? The trial results won't come out immediately. They will be sent to the address you left in a few days. Continuing to wait here won't help," one of the staff explained.
The boy's foster father quickly said, "You see, we read reports that Wang Feng often comes to the training base for extra practice even on the team's rest days."
"This boy is Wang Feng's loyal fan, so he wants to see if there's a chance to meet him. We come from Brescia, and it's not easy for us to make a trip to Milan."
The staff member hesitated because he knew Wang Feng was in the training base, and he would definitely train until it got dark. He didn't know if Wang Feng would want to meet this fan, so he didn't reveal his whereabouts rashly.
Wang Feng, as the core player of Inter Milan, was greeted with smiles by all the staff at Pinetina, not daring to offend him in the slightest.
So, the staff member turned to ask the experienced colleague next to him, who thought for a moment before saying, "Let's just inform Wang Feng. Whether he wants to meet them or not is not our concern."
Upon learning that one of the trialists was his fan, Wang Feng readily came to the door to meet them, only to find out that it was the young black man.
Excited to see Wang Feng, he ran up to him and said, "Wang, I finally see you! You are my idol." There was no hint of shyness in his demeanor.
His foster father introduced themselves, saying that the boy's name was Mario Balotelli, who had just turned twelve this year. Balotelli had initially joined a club, but upon hearing about Inter Milan's trials, he hurried over to see Wang Feng.
Facing the enthusiastic Balotelli, Wang Feng signed his name on his clothes and hugged him, asking his foster father to take a photo with them.
Seeing his smiling idol, Balotelli's heart was even more touched. He admired Wang Feng not only for his brilliant football skills but also because, as a foreigner, he could establish himself in Serie A and earn the respect and praise of almost everyone.
Balotelli grew up in poverty and discrimination. When he started playing football at the age of five, he was deeply attracted to the sport. Ironically, football is a team sport.
When he joined Brescia at the time, people often pointed fingers at him, and extremists wanted to pressure the club's executives to dismiss him.
So, Wang Feng became his idol and spiritual support. He hoped that one day he could stand on the highest stage of Serie A like Wang Feng and earn the respect and praise of everyone.
Unbeknownst to Wang Feng, he had become an idol in the hearts of many people, especially younger players, who continuously strived to emulate him.
He told Balotelli's foster father, "If you ever embark on the path of professional football in the future, you can choose my agent, Mr. Francesco Balmond, to be this child's agent."
With that, he handed his business card to the foster father, who solemnly accepted it and thanked him repeatedly.
Because of Wang Feng, Balmond was quite famous in the agent circle. Many second and third-rate stars wanted to join his team, and at the very least, they could gain some insights from Wang Feng's negotiations.
However, adhering to the principle of quality over quantity, Bamonde did not blindly expand his team. He preferred to invest in young players, just like Wang Feng did in his early years.
He believed that as long as he could develop a few outstanding players like Wang Feng under his wing, he could leap into the ranks of top agents.
Wang Feng was also happy to see this situation, so he often recommended his agent's phone number to young players whom he felt had talent. Whether they succeeded or not depended on Balmond himself.
On the weekend, in the 28th round of Serie A, Inter Milan challenged Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
In this match, Wang Feng started and scored a brilliant goal in the 31st minute. The team orchestrated a fantastic goal, with Di Biagio dribbling forward, evading the defense of Tomassi with a quick stop-and-turn, then passing to Recoba near the edge of the penalty area.
Recoba, after receiving the ball, directly poked it back with his toe to Di Biagio, who continued to pass the ball into the penalty area.
Wang Feng, positioned inside the penalty area, received the ball with his back to the goal. Faced with incoming defenders, he skillfully pushed the ball to his left, and Vieri, who followed up, blasted a shot past Antonioli's hands into the net.
Although in the second half, Totti and Batistuta launched a fierce attack on Inter Milan's goal, they failed to make an impact. The goal scored in the first half remained the only one of the match.
In the end, Inter Milan won 1-0 against Roma.
In the 29th round of Serie A, Inter Milan played against Fiorentina at home. The Viola had already been relegated this season, so Inter Milan didn't exert much effort and defeated them 3-1.
The three goals came from Wang Feng, Ronaldo, and Recoba, while Fiorentina's only goal was scored by Adriano.
Adriano still hoped to return to Inter Milan and be valued by the club, so he performed exceptionally well, despite his teammates having given up long ago.
After this match, due to Juventus' 1-1 draw with Lazio, Inter Milan had now extended their lead over Juventus to two points, bringing them one step closer to the title.
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