Chapter 94: Fashion ring
Apart from commercial endorsements, Wang Feng seems to have gained some recognition in the fashion world as well. Milan, being one of the global centers for fashion and art, is always at the forefront of chasing fashion trends.
Wang Feng's well-defined facial features and robust yet not exaggerated physique are very appealing to Italians. The renowned fashion magazine "VOGUE" intends to invite Wang Feng for a photoshoot as the cover personality.
His agent, Balmond, gladly accepted the invitation. Initially, Wang Feng felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it might be inappropriate for a sports athlete to feature in a fashion magazine. However, Bamonte convinced him otherwise, saying, "Wang, this will greatly enhance your visibility in the fashion industry, leading to more endorsement opportunities."
"And remember, football superstars like Figo and Beckham, with their striking looks, have also been featured in fashion magazines. It's quite common."
To accommodate the photoshoot, Wang Feng had to skip extra training sessions during his club's break. Early in the morning, he boarded the car sent by the magazine to the headquarters, as he didn't have a car or a driving license yet.
The headquarters of "VOGUE" is located in the heart of Milan, adjacent to the Milan Cathedral and the Royal Palace of Milan, in a prime location.
Guided by the staff, Wang Feng first spent several hours in the makeup room experimenting with various styles and outfit combinations before being taken to the photography studio.
At that time, there were also other models in the studio, a group of youthful and beautiful Italian girls, who were very excited to see Wang Feng. They crowded around him, clamoring for his autograph and photos together.
Wang Feng smiled and fulfilled their requests one by one. One of the girls stood particularly close to him, almost leaning her entire body weight on him, making him slightly uncomfortable. A strong scent of perfume overwhelmed him, and he blushed as he noticed her proximity.
Seemingly noticing Wang Feng's discomfort, the girl became even more pleased, taking advantage of the crowd surrounding Wang Feng to edge closer to him, lightly caressing his body.
"Just by seducing this golden boy, my future will be secured," thought Desirée Hansen, an obscure model.
As they were about to leave, she discreetly handed Wang Feng a note before reluctantly departing from his side. Wang Feng breathed a sigh of relief.
The note contained her name and phone number, but Wang Feng glanced at it and set it aside. He wasn't fond of such bold personalities; it seemed that modest Chinese girls were more suitable for him.
After this little incident, Wang Feng proceeded with the formal photoshoot. To his surprise, it took the entire day to capture just a few shots, and it was physically demanding. By the time it was all done, it was already late at night when he returned to his accommodation.
In the 10th round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced Lecce away. There was a noticeable gap in strength between the two teams, with Inter leading the league table while Lecce was struggling in the relegation zone.
From the beginning of the match, Inter Milan dominated the field. However, they struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Wang Feng faced tight defense and could only contribute more to the attacks.
At the end of the first half, the score remained 0-0.
Despite Wang Feng's current physical fitness and ability to withstand challenges, he still felt a bit overwhelmed. As he entered the dressing room, he was panting, and his legs felt sore.
Coach Cooper anxiously asked, "Wang, can you hold up? Is your body okay?" Seeing Wang Feng being constantly knocked around on the field, he was very worried about him getting injured.
Wang Feng wiped the sweat off and replied, "I'm fine, Mr. Cooper." He felt somewhat frustrated; with his rising fame in Serie A, opponents were increasingly targeting him, and Serie A being a defensively oriented league, many overly aggressive defenses went unnoticed by the referees.
This made it difficult for Wang Feng. If not for his durability, he would have been injured countless times already. "I need to figure out a solution. I can't keep confronting defenders head-on all the time; I need to further improve my ball handling skills," Wang Feng silently pondered.
Coach Cooper excelled in coaching the team's defense, but when it came to offense, he gave Wang Feng a lot of freedom. However, this also resulted in problems that Wang Feng had to adjust and solve on his own.
After the break, in the 77th minute, Inter Milan finally took the lead. After Wang Feng forcefully broke through on the right flank, he passed to Vieri in the middle, who directly laid the ball back to the edge of the penalty area.
Récoba, who had advanced from the back, volleyed the ball near the arc, bypassing the defenders and finding the bottom corner of the net!
As they say, one success leads to another. With the first goal, Inter Milan became even more proactive. Eight minutes later, they struck again. Wang Feng and Vieri staged a passing and receiving collaboration in front of the penalty area.
Vieri passed the ball to Wang Feng on the right, who immediately inserted into the penalty area. Wang Feng then passed the ball back before the defending players closed in. Vieri received the ball in the penalty area and passed it back to Wang Feng who was still inserting.
Finally, Wang Feng passed the ball to the edge of the small penalty area, where Vieri scored before the goalkeeper arrived.
With the referee's final whistle, the match ended, and Inter Milan ultimately won 2-0.
The stands of Stadio Via del Mare were filled with boos as the home team's fans were very dissatisfied with their team's performance. In recent years, Lecce has been fluctuating between Serie A and Serie B, and this season, they seem destined to be relegated again.
In the post-match interview, Lecce coach Jonathan Tremblay praised his team's defense, attributing the loss to the overall inferiority of the team.
"Our defense was very strong, but Inter Milan's lineup is much stronger than ours. As you can see, Wang Feng, who has scored in nine consecutive rounds, didn't manage to score against our defense."
"Isn't this also a kind of success? As long as we maintain this positive defensive attitude in the upcoming matches, I believe the team can successfully avoid relegation."
Inter Milan coach Cooper, in an interview, said, "Although Wang Feng didn't score, his rating is still among the best because he orchestrated one goal and contributed one assist."
"It's regrettable that his streak of consecutive goals was halted, but I have to say, Wang Feng is the most burdened player on the field. Those who watched the game know how tightly Lecce's defenders marked him."
"I want to say that many defenses have exceeded normal standards. Each time worries me a lot. Although Wang Feng just joined this season, he has already become the team's offensive core. I don't want him to get injured."
A reporter asked, "Are you implying that there's a problem with the referees' standards?"
Cooper replied, "I didn't say that, but we have to admit that Serie A is the league where players are most prone to injuries among the top five leagues, right?"
"According to statistics, last season we had a total of 601 injured players, far more than other leagues. This is abnormal and requires our reflection."
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