I want to write one hundred chapters (Please support and vote).
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Boom—
Almost instantly, the stadium descended into madness.
In an age so starved of entertainment, that entrance was unbelievably cool.
Quite a few Sampdoria supporters had already made up their minds to buy a motorcycle as soon as they got home.
Her long hair streamed behind her as she turned and smiled.
Monica, appearing on the television broadcast, did not disappoint the audience.
The media had been repeatedly proclaiming her Italy’s most beautiful woman of late. Now that curious fans saw the girl on their screens, they could only admit that the title was no exaggeration.
Just as Robert Browning wrote—she was enchanting, and her eyes made it impossible to look away.
Every beautiful thing in the world could have been used to describe the woman on the pitch.
Mantovani was stunned for a moment before saying, “This isn’t a problem. At least the entrance was spectacular.”
In the stands, Mancini curled his lip. He really had not expected Lu Deyang to steal the spotlight so thoroughly.
Vialli’s eyes shone as he said excitedly, “I’m definitely going to learn how to ride from him.”
“If your father finds out, he’ll probably drag you home. He won’t let his heir do something so dangerous,” Mancini quipped.
Vialli’s father was not only a sculptor but also a wealthy man.
When Vialli was born, his family already owned a castle—the sort with sixty rooms.
Enrico Chiesa’s eyes lit up as well. He felt that Lu Deyang was far more handsome than Tom Cruise.
The proportions of their physiques could not even be compared.
Cruise was officially listed at 173 centimeters, though in reality he was closer to 170.
That height was not especially well balanced with Cruise’s somewhat sturdy build.
The reporters by the touchline were beside themselves with excitement.
Forget the Apennine Peninsula—with their experience, they could tell that today’s unveiling ceremony was bound to set all of Europe ablaze.
All they needed was one good photograph, and they could sell it to those wealthy Englishmen back home.
Lu Deyang removed his helmet.
The director of the broadcast practically wanted to shove the camera into his face.
Even the supporters who envied him had to admit that the young man was quite handsome.
His slender fingers prompted some female fans to fantasize about other things they might do with them.
Whoosh—
Lu Deyang tossed his helmet into the stands, sending the fans into a frenzy as they scrambled for it.
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In the end, a young supporter happened to catch it.
The stadium DJ finally recovered and shouted with exaggerated enthusiasm, “Wow! Our new player is one seriously cool guy with plenty of personality! I guarantee there’ll be quite a few more motorcycles on the streets of Genoa tomorrow. He hasn’t even played a match yet, and he’s already found himself a new endorsement deal!”
That was exactly what happened.
Several dealers were frantically making international phone calls.
There could not have been better advertising.
A handsome man and a beautiful woman, making a stylish entrance—this was almost the entire world’s ultimate romantic fantasy of motorcycles.
Valentino Rossi, watching in front of the television, stared with shining eyes.
Three years earlier, at the age of seven, Rossi had already taken part in local motorcycle races, though he had not won a single championship.
His father, a retired racer, had always encouraged him not to lose confidence.
After seeing Lu Deyang’s performance that day, Rossi immediately felt that this was exactly how a real man ought to be.
Only then did he realize that riding a motorcycle was unbelievably cool!
Lu Deyang dismounted with a flourish and took the microphone from the chairman. The stadium immediately fell silent.
Every fan wanted to hear what this new signing, who had stolen the spotlight, was going to say.
“When I was looking for work this summer, Mr. Paolo Mantovani appeared and offered me a job. He said he believed in me. Nothing could have been more wonderful. Many people say that Sampdoria is a young club without a glorious tradition. I’m very happy that this is so, because history and tradition are created by people. I hope I can become a footnote in a glorious history.”
Holding the microphone aloft, Lu Deyang continued, “We have Mancini, Vialli, Pari, Mannini… Pagliuca. In the new season, we will fight for victory in every match.”
The stadium DJ was extremely clever.
Every time Lu Deyang called out a name, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Sampdoria had an earlier version of its club anthem just like this, so the DJ immediately played the accompaniment.
But at that moment, Lu Deyang handed the microphone to Monica.
“Come On, Doria,” reputed to be the most beautiful club anthem of them all, was gentle and melodious, and naturally suited a female voice.
Monica took Lu Deyang’s hand and sang with deep feeling:
“We are always together, never once apart,
From the very beginning, unchanged since our school days…
Hey, you, press onward along the endless road, never stopping;
And I, my heart follows you, soaring across the green…
Come on, Doria, come on, Sampdoria!!!”
“Come on, Sampdoria!”
“Come on, Sampdoria!”
“Come on, Sampdoria!!!”
What had begun as a solo performance became a chorus sung by the entire stadium.
At the end, Monica’s blown kiss sent the atmosphere soaring to its peak.
Head coach Vujadin Boskov applauded along with the supporters.
Today’s unveiling ceremony had truly exceeded his expectations.
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He was already considering how he ought to handle Lu Deyang.
As a coach, his tactics were no more outstanding than anyone else’s, but he had a great deal of experience in developing players.
So far, this young man seemed to have quite a personality.
Players like that were usually difficult to get along with, which gave Boskov a headache.
Still, he had heard that during the holidays Lu Deyang had already met quite a few members of the team and formed good relationships with them.
Boskov could not quite figure out which one was the real Lu Deyang.
Noticing Mancini in the stands, Boskov smiled and shook his head.
However troublesome Lu Deyang might be, he could not possibly have a worse temper than Mancini. Why worry so much?
Paolo Mantovani came over to remind him, “You ought to show off your football skills now. We can’t really turn the opening ceremony into a concert.”
Lu Deyang nodded.
He had forgotten about that just now.
There was nothing particularly impressive about Rui Costa’s passing ability either.
He directly activated “Make Up for Weaknesses with Strengths.”
Ding! Your good brother Roberto Mancini has an extremely strong vengeful streak and frequently clashes with opponents on the pitch. Based on this trait, a player with the opposite personality has been selected: the Brazilian superstar who often laughed off being taken down by sliding tackles—Ronaldo de Assis Moreira. Single-match experience card: 2005–06 La Liga season, Barcelona versus Real Madrid.
Excellent!!!
Before going to sleep the previous night, he had still been wondering what he could perform at the unveiling.
But he had drawn Ronaldinho directly—the pinnacle of individual skill.
Of course, even the real Ronaldinho could not have struck the crossbar repeatedly and then caught the ball every time. That commercial had been edited in post-production, so a live performance would not be quite as astonishing.
Seeing the expectant fans, Lu Deyang suddenly had an inspiration.
A completely new version, one nobody in this era could possibly have imagined.
He was going to use one hundred people!
Lu Deyang turned to Mantovani and said, “Mr. Chairman, I’d like to invite one hundred fans onto the pitch. If they can take the ball away from me, I’ll concede defeat!”
Mantovani’s eyes widened, exactly as expected.
Boskov, standing beside him, was equally astonished.
He knew you were flamboyant, but he had not expected you to be this flamboyant!
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