Chapter 135: Great goal
When Inter Milan returned to Milan with two championship trophies, they were greeted by enthusiastic Inter Milan fans and numerous Italian media.
Naturally, Wang Feng was the most eye-catching player. Many Inter Milan fans wore his number ten jersey, holding up banners with his name, and to avoid disappointing them, he walked over and signed autographs for several people in the front row.
This caused a bit of chaos, and airport security had to remind him that it wasn't the place for autographs. Wang Feng apologetically nodded to the fans before boarding the bus.
Sitting next to him, Materazzi exclaimed enviously, "Wang, you have so many fans. Inter Milan's best-selling jersey is yours."
"I heard that many fans bought several of the same jerseys: one for everyday wear, one for collecting, and even one just to admire. It's unbelievable," he continued.
Wang Feng smiled slightly. In fact, this was also a significant source of income for him. According to the contract signed last year, Inter Milan would hold 50% of Wang Feng's image rights, while he retained the other 50%. Therefore, for every piece of authorized merchandise sold about him, he could receive 50% of the profits.
Back at Inter Milan's training ground in Pinetina, they held a grand press conference to meet the media's interview demands, and Wang Feng also attended.
When asked about the goals for the new season, Wang Feng said, "Of course, we want to defend the league title, and it's my first time participating in the Champions League. I hope we can go further."
Cooper, on the other hand, said more confidently, "The league, the Champions League, and the Coppa Italia, we want to achieve good results in all of them. Since we've already won two trophies, why not aim for more?"
This statement immediately caused a stir among the reporters present. A journalist from Milan Sports News asked, "Are you implying that Inter Milan will aim for the grand achievement of winning five trophies this season?"
Cooper replied, "That's our ultimate goal, but it's not absolute. Many uncertainties will arise as the season progresses, and no one can predict the future."
Inter Milan's press conference caused a sensation in the Italian football world, with many media outlets criticizing Cooper's statements.
Milan Sports News wrote, "Cooper and Inter Milan have fallen into an irrepressible mood of arrogance." The article analyzed that after narrowly winning the league title last season, Inter Milan had a skewed assessment of their own strength.
"The fact that they struggled against a team like Parma, which was short on players, indicates a serious problem with Inter Milan's squad depth. They rely solely on Wang Feng's powerful attack."
"However, whether Wang Feng can continue his amazing performance from last season and stay injury-free remains highly uncertain. Therefore, it is advised that Inter Milan abandon unrealistic ideas and make some trade-offs."
Rome Sports News stated that AC Milan had the best summer transfer window operations, while Inter Milan had the worst. "Inter Milan sold striker Adriano to Parma and missed out on Crespo. They've put all their hopes on Wang Feng, which is a big mistake."
"Moreover, Inter's defense has major issues. Cannavaro and Coco seem unable to adapt to Cooper's tactical system. Whether in friendly matches or the two cup games, they have not performed at their usual level."
These negative comments did not affect the players of Inter Milan. For them, each game was completed step by step, and aspiring to higher honors was not a mistake.
However, the club's management felt that some of the media's points were valid. President Moratti convened several senior officials, along with head coach Cooper, to discuss the goals for the season.
"Should we make some compromises and trade-offs to avoid losses in the end?" Moratti asked.
"I didn't originally think so much about it, but after winning the UEFA Super Cup and the Italian Super Cup consecutively, I've been thinking, why can't we aim for more achievements?" Cooper said excitedly.
He added, "Now the problem is twofold: the team lacks depth in defense, and there's no one who can replace Wang Feng."
Moratti nodded. "Since the Serie A league has been postponed by two weeks, the transfer window will also be extended. We still have time to operate. Juventus' Zambrotta is a defensive stalwart, and we've had discussions with him before."
"As for replacing Wang Feng, I'm afraid there's no player on the transfer market who can reach that level. However, in terms of attacking power, Roma's Batistuta has a chance."
"He's had a difficult time with Roma, so we could easily bring him in on loan as a backup option."
Cooper nodded and said, "Then let's bring these two players to Inter Milan. In any case, the opportunity is already in front of us; it's up to us to seize it."
Ultimately, Inter Milan brought Zambrotta from Juventus for �9 million and then loaned Batistuta from Roma, completing the final reinforcement before the transfer window closed.
Just one day after the match between Inter Milan and Real Madrid ended, Lu Yao and Wang Tian officially went to their respective schools, so when Wang Feng returned to Milan, they had already started their school lives.
Returning now, facing the empty villa, Wang Feng felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. He used to live alone and didn't feel there was any problem.
But after spending just one summer together, he had become accustomed to the noisy presence of the two little girls. Whenever he exercised in the gym, just hearing their voices would make him feel at ease.
Now, returning to being alone, he felt a bit uneasy. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, only able to relieve this feeling with more diligent training and work.
But at this moment, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening behind him. Turning around, he saw the two little girls. Wang Feng was extremely surprised and asked, "Isn't today Monday? You should be in school."
His sister replied, "We're afraid someone might feel lonely, so Lu Yao suggested that when you come home today, we take the afternoon off and come back to have dinner with you, to let you gradually get used to the days without us."
Lu Yao carried the evening's ingredients and smiled, saying, "Originally, we planned to go home first, make dinner, and wait for you, making you think we never left. But we didn't expect you to come back so early."
Wang Feng was somewhat touched, but he said, "I've lived alone before. I'm not that fragile." Only at this moment did he seem like a stubborn nineteen-year-old boy.
That afternoon, Wang Feng, for the first time ever, skipped training and instead played and joked around with them. They played games for a while, swam in the indoor pool, and then cooked together in the kitchen. In the evening, amidst laughter and joy, they had dinner together before each went to their own dreams.
The next day, Lu Yao and her sister went back to school, and Wang Feng began his brand new season journey.
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