Inter Milan's main goalkeeper last season was Toldo. The Italian national goalkeeper had shot to fame in the 2000 UEFA European Championship. He was tall, had long arms, had quick reflexes, and had a good feel for the ball. However, in Li Ang's memory, Toldo started to decline in the next season and lost to César in the competition for the main goalkeeper position. However, the Italian goalkeeper had always been hardworking. Even when he was on the substitutes' bench, he did not complain. He played for Inter Milan until he retired.
Li Ang thought for a while. Toldo could still stay. He had a lot of experience. Having an experienced goalkeeper in the goalkeeper position would make people feel assured in some key games. Of course, the most important thing was that Toldo had a good personality. He was hardworking and did not cause trouble on the substitutes' bench. A player like that would be liked by any coach.
Then there was the Brazilian goalkeeper, Júlio César. This Brazilian goalkeeper's experience was quite legendary. When he was young, César was only an indoor soccer player. He represented the Grajaú Rural Club in the indoor soccer league. Later, he was discovered by Flamengo and started to play for the team. He embarked on the path of professional soccer. He had won the under-17 South American Championship for Brazil. During his time with Flamengo, he had played more than 300 games for the team.
After six and a half years with Flamengo, César's contract with the team had expired. He signed with Inter Milan as a free agent during the winter transfer window in early 2005. Due to the restrictions on non-EU players in the Inter Milan Team, César was loaned to Serie A team, Chievo, for the second half of the 200405 season.
Although the season had ended, César's loan with Chievo had not expired. Therefore, legally speaking, César could only be considered an Inter Milan player in July.
Inter Milan did not have high hopes for César at first. Li Ang remembered that China Milan had originally planned to continue loaning César out. However, in the original trajectory, Mancini had given César a chance to compete with Toldo for the main goalkeeper position. The Brazilian had astonishingly defeated Toldo and since then, he had occupied the starting goalkeeper position for Inter Milan. Now that Mancini was a thing of the past, Li Ang didn't mind being Cesar's talent scout and mentor.
The other goalkeeper was the veteran goalkeeper, Fontana. The 38-year-old veteran goalkeeper was Inter Milan's third goalkeeper last season. He did not get a chance to play all season. Fontana's contract with Inter Milan expired in a year. The player was considering leaving Inter Milan, so Li Ang decided to go with the flow and let him go.
*****
The other goalkeeper was Carlini, the national goalkeeper of Uruguay. Li Ang had a headache when he saw this name.
That's right, Carlini was the third goalkeeper of Juventus, who was often mentioned by Inter Milan and expressed that it was difficult to understand. They exchanged the captain of the Italian national team, Fabio Cannavaro, with Juventus.
This was a player exchange that many fans found inconceivable. Inter Milan exchanged Italy's captain, Fabio Cannavaro, and five million euros for the Old Lady's third goalkeeper, Carlini. Everyone knew what happened after that. Cannavaro and Thuram built the most stable defensive line in the football world together. Later, he led the Italy national team to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Cannavaro also won the Ballon d 'Or with his wonderful performance in the World Cup, creating the greatest glory for a defender.
Take last season for example. Cannavaro's performance was outstanding, and he was a great contributor to Juventus winning the Serie A title.
Carlini, on the other hand, only got a chance to play in four games last season at Inter Milan.
Therefore, the Italian media was now sarcastic and ridiculing Inter Milan. Obviously, this player exchange had been seen as a fool's act of helping the enemy.
In fact, in Li Ang's view, the Uruguayan goalkeeper was still very talented. He was the best goalkeeper in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. At that time, many European teams wanted him, including Manchester United, to find a successor for Schmeichel. In the end, he went to Juventus. Originally, this choice was nothing. Juventus had just sold the Dutch goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, and needed a goalkeeper to take over. But the problem was that Juventus also bought Buffon in the same year.
Carlini was miserable. Under the huge shadow of Buffon, he could only become Juventus' third goalkeeper.
Then, Juventus made a good deal. They actually exchanged Carlini for Cannavaro last summer, and Inter Milan added an additional five million euros. It was rumored that in order to facilitate this deal, Inter Milan even gave Juventus' manager, Moggi, an additional 500,000 euros as a bonus.
Even now, Li Ang still felt that Inter Milan's transfer deal last year was ridiculous.
*****
Of course, the inside story of this deal was dug up in later years. The shadow of the fat Iranian, Raiola, was behind it. In order to facilitate Cannavaro's transfer to Juventus, Raiola created a lot of illusions. He did his best to persuade Inter Milan's boss, Moratti, to let Inter Milan have the illusion that Cannavaro's knee, which had been injured for years after coming to Inter Milan, had been destroyed. Then, he did his best to flatter Carlini, saying how good the Uruguayan was and how he could be the successor of Toldo. Raiola jumped up and down and acted as if he was thinking for Inter Milan. The good old Moratti actually believed him. Then, there was the deal where Inter Milan exchanged Cannavaro and five million euros for Carlini.
Then, a season later, when Cannavaro was still alive and kicking at Juventus, Inter Milan cried out that they had been tricked. Moratti was very angry with Raiola, but he could not say anything about his bitterness.
Li Ang knew the inside story behind this matter. He was already wary of Raiola in his heart. This fat Iranian was definitely the most greedy and unscrupulous of all the agents. In the future, it would be best not to have any dealings with Raiola. Even if he had dealings with him, he had to be careful.
Now, Carlini, this' bad asset ', had been transferred to Li Ang. How to deal with him was up to him to decide.
The Uruguayan came to Inter Milan as Toldo's successor. His salary was not low, at two million euros. In Li Ang's plan, César and Toldo would compete for the main position, and Carlini would still be the third goalkeeper. A third goalkeeper with such a high salary, even if Moratti did not feel the pinch, Li Ang had to consider the impact it would have on the other players in the locker room.
What a terrible debt!
In the original track of history, the Uruguayan goalkeeper, after being loaned out by Inter Milan, left on a free transfer. Considering Cannavaro's later achievements, it could be said that Inter Milan lost at least ten to twenty million euros on Carlini.
Li Ang circled Carlini's name. Although he was on the bench for Inter Milan for a season, the Uruguayan was still somewhat famous. Two seasons ago, he was still the focus of some big clubs. Therefore, if they could sell him now, they could at least get back some of the transfer fee and stop the losses in time.
Li Ang circled Carlini's name.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
