Chapter 160: If I was 10 years younger
After a brief holiday, on the second day of returning to Milan, Wang Feng arrived at the Pinetina training ground early in the morning. He needed to quickly adjust his physical condition to competition level.
As he drove into the training base, the empty parking lot had no cars, which was not surprising since Wang Feng was always the first to return to Pinetina.
Upon entering the gym, he unexpectedly heard the sounds of someone exercising inside. Could someone be earlier than him? Pushing open the door to take a look, Wang Feng discovered that it was none other than Ribery, who had already signed a contract with Inter Milan.
Seeing Wang Feng enter, Ribery immediately stopped his workout and ran to his side. The scarred tough guy's eyes were full of gratitude, making Wang Feng quite uncomfortable.
"It's okay, you don't have to thank me. Whether you can stay at Inter Milan depends on your abilities," Wang Feng preemptively said, to which Ribery nodded. "I understand, but without you, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."
Next, the two briefly chatted about Ribery's life since joining Inter Milan. He had signed a one-year contract with the club, with a weekly salary of �1000, much better compared to his time at Al��s.
To save on expenses, Ribery was currently living in Pinetina. Although the environment wasn't great, he believed it was temporary. Plus, living at the training base had the advantage of being able to practice for a longer time.
He had arrived in Milan at the end of December and had been training at Pinetina throughout the New Year.
Unlike carefree typical Frenchmen, Ribery had experienced hardships in life, so he firmly believed that hard work was necessary to seize opportunities. However, Wang Feng was somewhat worried that his excessive efforts might lead to injuries. After all, Ribery didn't possess the same special physique as Wang Feng.
"Be careful of overworking your body," Wang Feng said with a serious tone. "Unreasonable training can also cause big trouble." Ribery nodded, understanding the importance of pacing himself.
"Find some time to talk to Hertz and have him conduct regular physical check-ups for Ribery," Wang Feng advised. He was concerned that the club might overlook this, especially since Ribery wasn't well-known yet. However, with Wang Feng's intervention, they should take it seriously.
With a few days left until the team training resumed, Wang Feng finally had a training partner. Ribery was very willing to practice with Wang Feng, and the two learned from each other, allowing Wang Feng to complete more training content.
On the day of formal training, everyone returned to Pinetina. Wang Feng introduced Ribery to everyone, and they all warmly welcomed him. Coach Cooper contemplated how to utilize him.
After half a season of recuperation, Vieri finally joined the team for training and was given permission by the team doctor to appear on the field. He would rotate with Batistuta.
As for Recoba, who was injured not long ago, he was still lying in the hospital receiving treatment, with no prospect of returning anytime soon.
Originally, Cooper's plan was to have Consiagao replace Recoba, but his form had visibly declined since the preseason matches this season. Although he had been substituted in a few early matches, he was gradually abandoned.
Consiagao had now gone ten rounds without playing. Using him to replace Recoba was the least favorable option. So, Cooper decided to try using Ribery and see how this lineup would work.
The coaching staff organized an intra-team scrimmage, with Wang Feng leading the substitute lineup against the main lineup, and Ribery unexpectedly appeared in Wang Feng's team.
During the match, Ribery appeared very nervous and made several mistakes. However, his excellent football IQ, breakthroughs, and choice of passing opportunities impressed Cooper.
However, Ribery was unaware of this and felt that everything was going wrong. He was sure that his future was bleak.
At the end of the scrimmage, with Wang Feng scoring twice, the substitute lineup drew with the main lineup. Cooper was very dissatisfied with the main lineup's performance and decided to keep them for extra training, much to everyone's dismay.
"It's obviously Wang Feng's sharp offense," Dalmat muttered quietly as Materrazzi passed by. "Stop complaining. I can see the coach's mood isn't great. Be careful not to get caught," Materrazzi replied.
On the other side, Consiagao approached Wang Feng. "Wang, let's have dinner together tonight. I have something to discuss with you. Bring the new kid along."
Wang Feng was somewhat puzzled by Consiagao's intentions but agreed nonetheless.
After showering, the three of them went to a restaurant near Lake Como.
Consiagao ordered a bottle of absinthe and said, "Wang, have a drink with me tonight." Wang Feng nodded. "What's wrong? Are you not in a good mood?"
Consiagao sighed and glanced at Ribery, saying, "I might be leaving Inter Milan." Wang Feng was somewhat surprised but also expected it, as Consiagao hadn't played for a long time.
"In fact, the coach has lost trust in me. He will arrange for Ribery to play instead of considering me. You can see from today's lineup."
Ribery looked somewhat uncomfortable upon hearing this. He hadn't expected this situation. Consiagao glanced at him and said with a smile, "If I were ten years younger, I'd definitely compete with you to the end!"
"But unfortunately, I'm not young anymore. I know my own condition. I've been playing too loosely in recent years, resulting in a serious decline."
As one of the representatives of Portugal's golden generation, Consiagao's most glorious period was in the 1990s at Lazio. But even the most glorious can't resist the erosion of time and temptation.
Wang Feng felt somewhat sad. Although Consiagao was a bit unreliable, he was one of the first good friends Wang Feng made when he came to Inter Milan, along with Materrazzi and Zanetti.
"Have you decided where to go?" Wang Feng asked softly.
"I was originally planning to return to Lazio. I've already negotiated with the club there and planned to leave this summer. But seeing the younger generation's vigor, I suddenly feel that I'm not suitable for staying in high-level leagues anymore," Consiagao said self-deprecatingly.
"Maybe Porto. Returning to my homeland, I miss the Portuguese coast."
That day, Wang Feng, Ribery, and Consiagao drank quite a bit of alcohol. Wang Feng remained conscious, but Consiagao and Ribery were completely drunk.
Consiagao wanted to get drunk himself, while Ribery was completely forced into it. Although he said he didn't mind, Consiagao still wanted to slightly inconvenience the young man who took his place. Wang Feng didn't stop him.
In the end, he had to call Materazzi to have them each sent back to their residences. This incident made Wang Feng quite emotional. Since ancient times, heroes cannot see each other's white hair, and he might face the same situation as Consiagao in the future.
He silently resolved in his heart to persist in training and extend his peak period. If he truly couldn't continue to compete, he would leave on his own initiative with his head held high, rather than staying behind to be compared and criticized.
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