Alice noticed that after the phone call with Betty, Li Ang was sitting on the sofa in a daze.
"Did something happen?" Alice asked worriedly.
"Oh, nothing." Li Ang came back to his senses. "It's nothing. I'm sorry to have made you worry." Then he frowned and thought, a little absent-minded.
"Is it really nothing?" Alice hugged Li Ang. "Dear, I hope you understand that no matter what happens, we can bear it together. You are not alone."
Looking at Alice's worried eyes, Li Ang was touched. He smiled. "It's really nothing. In fact, Betty called to tell me a piece of good news."
"What good news?"
"There's a big club that wants to invite me to coach," Li Ang said.
"A big club?"
"Yes, a great club owned by a respectable old man." Li Ang said with some emotion. In Serie A, he was not a fan of any team. However, relatively speaking, he preferred AC Milan. This was influenced by the glory of the Milan dynasty during the Three Musketeers era. However, this did not prevent him from respecting AC Milan's arch-rival, Inter Milan. This respect was largely due to his respect for the old man named Massimo Moratti.
*****
After receiving Betty's call, Li Ang was stunned. He was now the famous young manager of La Liga. He was mentally prepared for the possibility of receiving an invitation from a big club. However, he did not expect that the first club outside of Spain to send an invitation to him would be Inter Milan, which was led by Moratti.
This surprised Li Ang, but it also made him proud and excited. No manager would refuse an invitation from such a big club. This had nothing to do with loyalty to the current club. This showed the mainstream of European football and the attitude of the big clubs in Europe towards Li Ang. He began to win the attention and appreciation of those big clubs, as well as a certain degree of recognition.
Betty called to inform him that Inter Milan was interested in Li Ang and that they were trying to invite Li Ang to coach them. Of course, the two sides only had initial contact. Inter Milan's general manager, Oriali, and Li Ang's agent, Miss Betty, had only spoken once. There was no further contact. However, with the style of a big club like Inter Milan, the selection of a manager was definitely not child's play. This initial contact already showed Inter Milan's appreciation and sincerity towards Li Ang.
Betty asked Li Ang about his attitude. Li Ang did not make any decision at the moment. To be exact, his mind was in a mess. He needed to think about this invitation quietly. Therefore, he asked Miss Betty to continue the initial contact with Inter Milan and see how things go. After all, he was still the manager of Sporting de Gijón and there was still some time before the end of the season.
Seeing that Li Ang had been thinking, Alice teased him and asked if he was thinking about a beautiful woman.
"Not a beautiful woman." Li Ang shook his head. "It's an old man."
"An old man?"
"A respectable old man." Li Ang nodded.
At this time, his mind was filled with the story of Inter Milan's boss, Moratti. This was a somewhat sad old man, but also a respectable old man.
*****
When Inter Milan was mentioned, it was necessary to mention their boss, Massimo Moratti!
Some people said that Moratti and Inter Milan were like a fairytale. Unfortunately, at present, the fairytale was not beautiful …
The beginning of the fairytale-like love story originated from crazy love at first sight.
In 2003, Arsenal challenged Inter Milan at the Meazza Stadium. Henry showed his prowess and led the Gunners to a 5-1 victory. After the game, Henry dedicated the goal to the opponent's chairman, Moratti. "I wish Inter Milan's chairman the best. I can't believe that such an old billionaire would ride a bicycle to watch the game. Seeing his obsession with football, I was really moved. "
Moratti and the bicycle had a moving story. In the 1960s, Moratti's father, Angelo, the president of Salas Oil Company, was the chairman of Inter Milan at that time. He led the Blues and Blacks to become the overlord through crazy expansion of the army. In March 1964, Inter Milan entered the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time and were about to face Borussia Dortmund in Meazza. The 18-year-old Moratti was still in school and wanted to rush to Meazza to watch the game. On that day, the city's buses to Meazza were overcrowded. Moratti begged his father to arrange a car for him. "You have 32 private cars and most of them are parked in the garage." His father replied coldly, "When I was your age, my father didn't even buy me textbooks!"
Therefore, Moratti rode his bicycle and crossed half of the city of Milan to arrive at the stadium on time. Many years later, he recalled, "Was I crazy at that time? I really had no choice. I had to go to class, but I really wanted to watch the game! "
On that day, Moratti witnessed the glory of the "Great International Era" and his love for the Blues and Blacks could no longer be extricated. In the midst of the cheering crowd, he made a lifelong vow that one day, he would create his own Great International Era.
In 1968, the "Great International Era" ended. Angelo, whose health deteriorated, sold Inter Milan in the same year. The Moratti family bid farewell to Inter Milan and left for nearly 30 years.
During this time, Moratti's dream was hit and Inter Milan was in a bleak situation. Juventus and AC Milan dominated one after another and the glory of the "Great International" was almost forgotten. Until 1994, when Inter Milan was on the verge of relegation, a huge banner was passed around the Meazza stadium saying, "The Moratti family is back to save Inter Milan". Seeing this scene, Moratti, who was deeply saddened by the current situation of Inter Milan, remembered the vow he made when he was 18 years old. His heart ached. He couldn't wait any longer! Therefore, he ignored the opposition of his family and the advice of his friends and shouted out his heart, "It's time to do something for the Inter Milan that we all love."
In 1995, Moratti acquired Inter Milan and the Moratti family returned. On the first day of becoming the chairman of Inter Milan, Moratti solemnly made a vow, "Let us create a new Great International Era with our heart, soul, sense of responsibility, and spirit of sacrifice!"
*****
Starting a relationship only required a little impulse. But to complete a relationship, patience and perseverance were required. Moratti may have made a lot of mistakes in management, but he was truly persevering.
Although Moratti was the son of a tycoon, he was not the first heir of Salas, the company that his father founded. He was actually not very rich. When he took over Inter Milan, he was only ranked 118th on the list of the richest people in Italy. According to the estimates of financial magazines, Moratti's wealth at the peak of his wealth was only about two billion euros.
But people who loved were crazy. For Moratti, it became very simple in the years that followed. Occasionally, he would ride a bicycle from Milan's Via Bellini to cross half of the city of Milan to the Meazza stadium. Similarly, this old man would dance in the box for a victory as if there was no one around.
Just like a loving father who was always willing to buy the best toys for his children at all costs, Moratti's way of spoiling Inter Milan was to endlessly invest in it, as if there was no end to it.
From the day he took over Inter Milan, Moratti began to burn money. In 1996, he invested 3.99 million euros; in 1997, he invested 37.5 million euros; in 1998, he invested 68.5 million euros; in 1999, he invested 32.5 million euros; and in 2000, he set a record of 133 million euros! After that, he never hesitated. It was as if money was just a tool to serve Inter Milan. The Italian media was surprised and said, "Moratti's love for Inter Milan is as much as his money."
Moratti's love for Inter Milan's players was like a father's love for his sons. The most famous story was that he spent 42.8 million euros to invite Ronaldo, one million barrels of oil in exchange for Vieri, and seven million US dollars to retain Recoba … Moratti treated these star players as his own children. At the same time, he also loved these treasures of the stadium like an ordinary fan.
Moratti spent 42.8 million euros to bring him from Barça to the Meazza stadium with the dream of dominating Serie A and even Europe. Moratti took good care of Ronaldo like a father. Even if he was once unable to play football for a long time due to serious injuries, even if he resolutely decided to transfer to Real Madrid, even if in history, Ronaldo later joined his arch-rival AC Milan, his father always explained for his child. "He is not a traitor. I allowed him to leave."
*****
Moratti's love for the star players was more than a boss's concern for his employees. This kind of love also created contradictions and internal strife in the locker room. When the star players and the coach could not coexist, the coach was usually the scapegoat. Inter Milan under Moratti's rule had changed 19 managers in 18 years. Among them, there was no lack of famous managers like Lippi and Cooper. Moratti's butcher's knife was always swung at the coach. Because Daluo fired Cooper, the Italian media jokingly said, "In the Meazza, once the team's performance was not good, the first person Massimo thought of was the manager."
As the manager, Li Ang had a headache and was vigilant about always firing the coach because of the star players. He did not know if he would be one of the names in the long list if he went to Inter Milan. Of course, he had enough confidence in himself.
Moratti was not a shrewd boss, but he was also worthy of the word "great". In March 2005, Burdisso's daughter, Angelina, was diagnosed with leukemia. Burdisso was not in the mood to play football. He only wanted to return to China to take care of his daughter, so he said to Moratti, "I want to go back to my daughter, so I have to give up Inter Milan, give up the World Cup, and give up the high salary here. You can use this money to buy another good defender. " But Moratti said, "You go and do what you have to do. Inter Milan will help you. We will wait for you."
In this way, he loved Inter Milan in his own way, even if this kind of doting made the club become a "black hole for star players" and a "grave for managers" in the outside world. This old man did all this for the sake of his dream of the Champions League.
As his brother, Giammarco, described him, "Massimo is not a shrewd businessman. He is more of an idealist." In the face of difficult reality, the ones who suffered were naturally idealists like Moratti.
He invested regardless of the cost, hoping to recreate the "great international era" in his own hands. But every year, the huge investment was like a stone thrown into the sea, swallowing the hope that people had built year after year. As a result, the Nerazzurri (the nickname of the Inter Milan fans) also began to divide: some sympathized with his experience, thinking that all his mistakes were only due to his love for the team, while others clearly saw him as the biggest hindrance to the development of the team.
*****
Moratti's brother, Giammarco, often complained, "Massimo, you spend too much money for Inter Milan. If you don't restrain yourself, I will close your bank account. " Massimo always replied, "That money will never be equal to my love for the team. I am doing this for Inter Milan. Isn't this my father's dream? "He said," Sooner or later, Inter Milan will reach the top again. Because this is fate. "
Unfortunately, until now, Moratti's Inter Milan was always a distance away from the top and was always injured.
According to the statistics of the Milan Gazzetta dello Sport until now, in 2005, Moratti had been in charge of Inter Milan for 10 years. Inter Milan's net transfer investment alone reached 500 million euros. Coupled with the huge salary and change of managers, the team was in serious deficit. In 10 years, Inter Milan's net deficit was as high as 950 million euros. Moratti took out 750 million euros from his private pocket to balance the deficit, leaving the Nerazzurri with a debt of 200 million euros. For a man whose wealth was sometimes no more than two billion, what was 750 million in 10 years? Even Chelsea's Roman Abramovich, whose assets were far greater than Moratti's, was crazier than the old Italian man?
But the reality was cruel: in the first 10 years of Moratti's tenure at Inter Milan, there was no top-level championship trophy; a large number of sky-high star players such as Pantsev, Bergkamp, Schillaci, Paulo Sousa, Ince, and others sank when they came to Inter, making Inter Milan a "black hole"; negative rumors about Ronaldo, Vieri, Recoba, and others kept appearing in the team, making the whole world attack Moratti as "a good fan, not a good president"; in May 2002, when Inter Milan lost miserably at the "match point" of the championship, the whole world mocked Moratti, saying, "What's the first thing he should do after winning the championship? Turn off the PlayStation and go to bed. "
He invested crazily for Inter Milan, only to be disappointed, heartbroken, reviled, and mocked in return. Even the Inter fans who called for his return in 1995 had betrayed him: in 2004, tens of thousands of Inter fans demonstrated on Via Durini, shouting, "Moratti, please stop persecuting Inter Milan." That scene was a naked mockery of Moratti's love and sacrifice. The scene of him closing his eyes to hold back his tears tore the chests of many people.
In the world of football, Moratti was once full of mockery and doubts. Many people regarded him as a willful and incompetent "spendthrift." Some people thought that he was just using money to build his own Football Manager game in the real world and made a lot of sarcastic remarks about him.
If it were a team owner like Berlusconi or De Laurentiis, they would just laugh it off. But Moratti was always bound by his own deep love. Just like in January 2004, when he resigned as Inter Milan's president, it was not only because of the team's poor results, but also because of the banners from the fans that said, "Go away, Moratti, don't harm Inter Milan anymore." Those doubts that deeply pierced his heart made him choose to stand behind the scenes.
Now, when Mancini, whom he personally appointed, could not lead Inter Milan back to the top, Moratti could no longer bear it. Inter Milan's phone call to Li Ang was a signal.
It was late at night. Li Ang kissed the sleeping Alice, got out of bed, and walked out of the garden. He lit a cigarette and looked at the starry night sky.
There was a kind of love called Moratti's love.
There was no doubt about this old man's love for Inter Milan. Although the team did not have many assets, Moratti was willing to invest. As long as the manager asked for it, he would not be stingy in terms of funds. Putting aside his "habit" of firing managers, Moratti was definitely a good boss among the owners of many big clubs. He was not like AC Milan's Berlusconi who liked to dictate the team's tactics, nor was he like Chelsea's Roman Abramovich who specialized in management. For Moratti, as long as he could lead Inter Milan to victory and restore Inter Milan's glory, Moratti would be the manager's staunchest supporter. This was an old man who dreamed of leading his beloved club back to the top. The more love Moratti had for Inter Milan, the more support and trust he would have for the person who could lead Inter Milan back to the top of Europe.
It seemed pretty good to have such a boss.
Li Ang had to admit that he was a little tempted.
PS: This article is dedicated to the cute old man called Old Man Moratti. Xiao Qi is a Milan fan. In his book, he often made sarcastic remarks about Old Man Benítez and Milan. However, he has never slandered Moratti. He really respects and likes this old man.
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