Chapter 256: People who chase
October 30th, evening, at Milan's Meazza Stadium, the Serie A 10th round match between AC Milan and Udinese was underway. In the south stands sat the home team's die-hard fans, but it seemed that the attendance was less than fifty percent.
This kind of phenomenon was impossible a few years ago. Located in Italy's second-largest city and being one of Italy's oldest clubs, AC Milan had a massive fan base, and their matches were almost always packed.
But with Wang Feng joining Inter Milan, the rise of this cross-town rival was swift, dominating in the league, cup competitions, and the Champions League, leading many victory-loving fans to switch sides.
Of course, many loyal Rossoneri fans remained steadfast, but some were no longer willing to attend home matches. According to a random survey by Milan's local media, La Libera, a seasoned fan of fifteen years stated, "I'd rather watch the televised broadcast than enter the stadium to watch the game because I know we have no chance at the title."
Many fans with such pessimistic sentiments existed. The club's statistics over the past three years showed a decrease of around thirty percent in ticket revenue. A similar situation was also happening to Juventus in Turin, even more severely. Hence, they were eager to win the title to revive the football market.
On the field, Kaká, wearing the number 22 jersey for AC Milan, stared solemnly at the opponent's half. He hadn't shown a bright smile for a long time. Shevchenko's departure and his subsequent success at Chelsea, winning both the league and Champions League trophies, didn't that further indicate that his former AC Milan teammates were burdensome?
Under Ancelotti's tactical arrangements, the 23-year-old Kaká became the undisputed attacking core this season. The veteran Inzaghi and new signing Gilardino supported him with all their might, so he had to become even stronger.
In the earlier match against Sampdoria, where Inter Milan won 2-0 thanks to Wang Feng's goal and assist, they aimed to win their match too. "So, we must also win the game," Kaká thought to himself.
Once the match started, AC Milan's front duo Kaká and Rui Costa fully utilized their advantages, continuously pressuring Udinese along the middle, with Udinese's Muntari and Pieri unable to stop them.
In the 17th, 33rd, and 41st minutes, Kaká made consecutive penetrations into the penalty area, scoring two goals himself and assisting Inzaghi for one.
In the 51st minute of the second half, Kaká extended AC Milan's lead with a stunning long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
Hat-trick! This was the first hat-trick Kaká had performed since joining Serie A! Kaká, completing this feat, smiled like a child as he went to the south stand to receive the deafening cheers of the fans.
On the sidelines, Ancelotti showed a relieved smile. Kaká hadn't been overwhelmed by the pressure but had continued to chase growth. His skills and all-around abilities were rapidly improving.
At the end of the match, AC Milan won 4-0 against Udinese, leaving the fans who had persisted in buying tickets to watch the game satisfied as they left. It also regained many fans who watched the game on television.
During the post-match press conference, Ancelotti once again praised Kaká, regardless of how the beloved player performed; he always praised him in front of the media, building his confidence.
A reporter brought up an old topic, asking Ancelotti who he thought should be awarded the best foreign player of the season. Currently, the three best-performing players were Wang Feng, Toni, and Kaká, with only Wang Feng and Kaká being non-Italians. It was highly likely that the award would come down to these two.
Ancelotti responded, "There are still many rounds in the league, and there is still a long time for players to perform. I think it's too early to talk about this now. However, the number of goals scored cannot represent everything. The team's performance should be the most important criterion."
The reporters exchanged glances and quickly understood Ancelotti's intention, yet another jab at Wang Feng! Given his goal-scoring performance, Kaká wouldn't surpass him even if he tried.
But this year, it seemed that Inter Milan wasn't focused on the league. Therefore, AC Milan still had a good chance of staying ahead of the Nerazzurri on the league table.
As for winning the title? At least Ancelotti wasn't sure because Juventus' performance was too crazy. They had won 9 out of 10 matches in the league so far.
In the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, Inter Milan faced Porto at home. As expected, it was another easy match. Ribéry opened the scoring for the team, and Wang Feng quickly scored two more goals, securing a brace. The final score was 3-0, and Inter Milan's Champions League matches continued to be very relaxed.
After the match, when asked about Kaká's performance, Wang Feng praised, "Yes, Kaká's performance was brilliant. I watched the game too."
He didn't directly address the controversy over the best player, only saying, "The football world is constantly producing amazing talents, like Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney, as well as Barcelona's Messi. I hope they can grow rapidly and present wonderful performances for everyone."
As a two-time winner of the European Golden Ball and FIFA World Player, there was no problem with Wang Feng speaking like a senior. But when you consider he was only 22 years old, it felt quite strange.
Wang Feng had always been a figure reported by media outlets worldwide, and the UK was no exception. When Cristiano Ronaldo saw this report, he was first delighted that he was noticed by Wang Feng, but then he felt a little sad.
His surprise was that he managed to catch Wang Feng's attention, but his sadness came from the fact that he used to aim to be like Wang Feng, but now the gap between them was growing.
When would he truly become the core of a team? Since Rooney came to Manchester United, the club had been nurturing other players as well, not just him, and Rooney's English nationality gave him an advantage in competition.
Although the two could complement each other, Ronaldo was eager for a stage where he could shine alone. His childhood experiences, born into a very poor family, where his mother even considered aborting him, made him have a difficult childhood. It was football that became his savior. Starting from Andorinha, he walked through discrimination and isolation to Sporting Lisbon, and then to the powerhouse Manchester United.
Being criticized as "playing fancy tricks, good technique but likes to complicate simple things, diving and simulating fouls," hurt him deeply. He just wanted to prove that he wasn't worse than anyone else.
Perhaps next year's World Cup would be a great opportunity, he thought silently in his heart.
The other protagonist mentioned by Wang Feng, Messi of Barcelona, seemed much calmer. Just learning from the club that he was very likely to win the European Golden Boy award in a month.
As the third player to win this honor, he was only 18 years old, and the previous two winners were Van der Vaart and Rooney, not Ronaldo.
Messi had enough time and confidence to surpass anyone, including the currently high-flying Wang Feng.
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