Chapter 131: Transfer news
The 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan was a highly controversial event, but it also produced numerous classics. Ronaldo led Brazil to their fifth World Cup victory, while he himself won the Golden Boot with eight goals.
Germany, with outstanding performances from Kahn and Ballack, as well as a moment of brilliance from young talent Klose, successfully reached the World Cup final. Meanwhile, the formidable French team was eliminated in the group stage, and Zidane, in pursuit of helping Real Madrid win the Champions League, had to face the consequences of a World Cup injury.
As the quadrennial event concluded, the summer transfer window opened as scheduled. Major clubs around the world were vying for players who had performed well in the previous season and the World Cup.
The first explosive news in football was Ronaldo's transfer. The "Alien" was set to move from Inter Milan to Real Madrid for 45 million euros.
Although Ronaldo had struggled with injuries and poor performance in Serie A in recent years, his stellar performance at the 2002 World Cup reaffirmed his dominance.
Some media outlets couldn't help but wonder why Inter Milan let him go for such a low price. After all, the previous year, Zidane's transfer fee was as high as 64.5 million euros.
In an interview with a reporter from the French newspaper "L'Equipe," Ronaldo was asked if his transfer was due to conflicts with Inter Milan's coach Cooper and the new attacking core Wang Feng, prompting him to leave in anger.
Ronaldo replied, "There were some disagreements between Cooper and me, but it wasn't to the extent of a feud. As for Wang Feng, come on, we're good buddies. I'm still very grateful to him. Without him, I wouldn't have won the league title last season."
"As for leaving Inter Milan, it's because I've been plagued by injuries in recent years. Perhaps a change of environment will be better for me? Haha, I want to try something new and face new challenges."
Leaving only after winning the Serie A title, Ronaldo was evidently in good spirits. The past grievances were thus settled.
Inter Milan chairman Moratti, in an interview, expressed regret: "Ronnie's departure is unfortunate, but that's professional football."
Regarding the new season, he expressed hope: "We have the best striker in Serie A, and he's still young. I believe under Wang Feng's leadership, Inter Milan will achieve better results."
In Serie A, Fiorentina went bankrupt and got relegated, while Parma and Lazio were deeply mired in financial crisis. The era of the "Seven Sisters of Serie A" seemed to have passed, with AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan forming a triumvirate.
A significant event was the top clubs selling their core players. Firstly, Lazio sold their team captain Nesta to AC Milan for 31 million euros.
Then, they put Crespo, a former Serie A Golden Boot winner, up for sale, with potential buyers being Inter Milan. Originally, the Nerazzurri planned to acquire the striker, but Wang Feng's almost insane scoring output last season successfully cured Moratti's habit of "hoarding forwards."
As a result, Crespo lingered in the transfer market for a long time without finding a new club. Eventually, Chelsea signed him for 20 million euros half an hour before the transfer window closed, which was the highest price they could offer.
Parma sold their captain and defensive stalwart, Cannavaro, to Inter Milan for 23 million euros.
It wasn't just the smaller clubs in Serie A that were selling their core players; many similar instances occurred in European football.
For instance, Leeds United, facing financial crisis, sold their defensive core Ferdinand to Manchester United for 46 million euros. His transfer fee was even higher than Ronaldo's, sparking discussions among various media outlets.
Another controversial transfer news was Barcelona's decision to terminate Rivaldo's contract one year early and let him leave. The former Camp Nou king could only leave with his head held low, joining AC Milan as a free agent.
No one could have expected that the hero who stormed the gates for Brazil at the 2002 World Cup would end up in such a manner. "AS" revealed that it was Van Gaal who drove Rivaldo away. Their notorious relationship was well known, and Rivaldo was not an easy player to tame, which undoubtedly led to this "breakup."
Meanwhile, "Marca" regretted that Rivaldo would never wear Barcelona's shirt again, stating in an article: "Rivaldo's departure is a tragedy, just like Maradona, Romario, and Ronaldo before him. Barcelona always fails to keep their best players."
"Maradona and Ronaldo said when they left that the president didn't want them. Rivaldo would say the same thing."
To appease the anger of Camp Nou fans, they quickly came up with an alternative: signing 24-year-old Argentine midfielder Riquelme.
He won the Argentine Footballer of the Year award for two consecutive years and was also honored as the South American Footballer of the Year, helping Boca Juniors win the Copa Libertadores twice, earning him the title of Argentina's future.
AC Milan emerged as the biggest winner in the transfer market, signing players like Rivaldo, Seedorf, Tomasson, De La Red, Simic, Nesta, and other stars, assembling a luxurious lineup.
Clearly, the previous season's failure left a deep impression on them, and the club manager, Stewart Kunde, had to make some achievements to appease Berlusconi's anger.
As for the Brazilian forward Kaka mentioned earlier, he failed to get enough playing time at the 2002 World Cup, making him feel that his strength was still insufficient. He ultimately decided to stay another year at Sao Paulo.
Inter Milan didn't make many moves in the transfer market. They bought Cannavaro from Parma and exchanged Sidorov, who had been unable to get playing time last season, with AC Milan, aiming for Italy's international striker Cocco.
At the same time, they signed 28-year-old Italian defender Adani as a free agent. He originally belonged to Fiorentina, but since the Viola went bankrupt and got relegated last season, all players were allowed to leave for free.
Adriano, who returned from Fiorentina to Inter Milan, still couldn't secure a starting position in the team. So the club sold him to Parma, but they retained the right of first refusal.
Overall, Inter Milan further strengthened their defensive line, while relying more on Wang Feng for their attacking line.
Regarding Asian players, Japanese Nakamura joined newly-promoted Serie A side Reggina on loan, while Perugia's Ahn Jung-hwan failed in his transfer to West Ham United and became embroiled in disputes between clubs, putting his future in doubt.
China's Li Tie, with his outstanding performance at the 2002 World Cup, joined Everton in the English Premier League, while Sun Jihai continued to stay at Manchester City. The "Chinese Derby" between the two sides was highly anticipated by domestic fans.
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