"The players worked very hard, but because of the referee's misjudgment, their efforts were in vain."
"I believe that the referee, Mr. Piernaro, will watch the video after the game. He will realize that he made a mistake!"
"I know that there have been a lot of negative comments about Adriano recently, but I want to say that he is a good lad. He is very good. His efforts in the game today were witnessed by everyone! He deserved that goal! "
"Today's game score is 3-0! In my heart, I will always think so! "
In the post-match press conference between Inter Milan and Lecce, Li Ang once again fired at the referee.
The final score of the game was 2-0. Figo scored the opening goal for Inter Milan. In the second half, Inter Milan team captain Zanetti secured the victory for Inter Milan.
The reason why Li Ang was so angry at the referee after the game was that during injury stoppage time, the substitute, Agüero, passed the ball to Adriano and scored with a header. Just as Adriano was running excitedly to celebrate and Li Ang was cheering with his arms raised, referee Piernaro blew the whistle. He thought that Adriano was offside first, so the goal was invalid.
Li Ang was furious on the sidelines. The team was already 2-0, and victory was in their hands. However, compared to the victory, he also valued Adriano's ability to break his goal drought. Although he now had the [Skill Set], and the [Great Shot] special skill card could help Adriano score, he still hoped that the player could break his own shackles!
This goal was very important for Adriano to recover his form and break through the window paper. However, it was blown off by the referee. He was furious.
The slow-motion replay proved that Li Ang's anger was justified. At the moment when Agüero passed the ball, Adriano and Lecce's defender, Ledesma, were parallel. There was no offside.
The goal was blown off by the referee. Adriano was very frustrated. For a striker who was in a goal drought, a goal was very precious!
After the press conference, the entire Inter Milan team took the bus back to the hotel where they were staying. The players saw their manager firing at the referee at the press conference through the bus's on-board television to seek justice for Adriano.
There was a burst of applause and whistles in the bus. The players were cheering for their manager. They were very happy to have such a tough manager standing up for his players.
Adriano, who was originally a little depressed, looked at the TV and felt an inexplicable surge of warmth in his heart.
The manager thinks so highly of me. The manager thinks so highly of me, and he even stood up for me … The Brazilian looked at Li Ang and saw the manager give him a thumbs up. The young Brazilian, who was about to turn twenty-four, felt a lump in his throat.
*****
Three days later, the second leg of the 200520006 Coppa Italia quarterfinals.
Inter Milan played at the Meazza Stadium and defeated Lazio with a score of 1-0. They advanced to the semifinals of the Coppa Italia with an aggregate score of 2-1.
Adriano continued to be in the starting lineup in the game, but he was still unable to score.
Adriano shot eleven times in the game, and eight of them hit the goalpost. However, he was unable to score a single goal. Lazio's 41-year-old Italian goalkeeper, Balotta, was a god today. He blocked left and right and stopped at least four of Adriano's goals.
After the game, the Italian media exclaimed that the 41-year-old Balotta's performance in the game was like he was 20 years younger.
While praising Balotta, some of the Italian media also made sarcastic remarks about Adriano, saying that the Brazilian striker could not even get past a 41-year-old.
At the same time, Turin Sport expressed concern for Inter Milan's personnel. The newspaper criticized Li Ang for blindly trusting Adriano …
Li Ang's response to this was: I am the manager of Inter Milan. Do I need the approval of Turin Sport to use a player?!
February 5, 2006, in the 23rd round of the Serie A season, Inter Milan narrowly defeated Chievo with a score of 2-1.
Adriano, who continued to be in the starting lineup in this game, performed badly and repeatedly wasted good chances to score points. If it wasn't for Maicon's world-class kick that broke through Chievo's goalkeeper's fingers at the last moment of the game, Inter Milan might have been forced into a draw with Chievo.
After the game, even the reporter from Milan Sport, who had always been close to Inter Milan, DiGennaro, was puzzled by Li Ang's stubborn trust in Adriano. He thought that when Adriano was not in his best condition, Adriano should be put on the bench to 'calm down'. It was not a bad idea.
*****
The second day of the game, Pinenati.
Adriano looked listless during training. Banderas, who was in charge of the team's training, shook his head.
He did not understand why Li Ang continued to tolerate Adriano, given his tough personality.
After training, Li Ang gathered the entire team and said, "Adriano will stay. The rest of you can leave."
No one was surprised that the head coach asked Adriano to stay for a talk. The head coach had been giving Adriano chances in the past few games, but Adriano still did not score. Today's training was like a sleepwalker. With Li Ang's tough personality, it would be strange if he did not stay for a talk.
"Follow me!"
Adriano was prepared to be scolded, but Li Ang only said one sentence and walked away.
Adriano could only follow the head coach.
When they arrived at Li Ang's office in Pinenati, Li Ang activated the Intermediate Skill Card in his mind.
Li Ang came to his desk and opened his laptop. He found a saved video.
"Your mother has something to say to you." Li Ang patted Adriano's shoulder.
Adriano sat down in confusion and clicked on the video.
Then, a middle-aged woman appeared in the video. "Dear Ribeiro …"
*****
"Mother!" Adriano's eyes immediately turned red.
Li Ang glanced at Adriano, turned around and left the office, closing the door.
In the video, Adriano's mother, Rosilda, was standing in front of a tombstone, cleaning the weeds in front of the tombstone.
Adriano's tears gushed out. That was his father, Almil's, grave.
"Ribeiro! I came to see your father today. I wanted to talk to him. " Rosilda stroked the tombstone and said softly, "I told him that Ribeiro is doing well. He is playing well at Inter Milan. His life is good and he is very happy! I told him to rest assured in heaven. Son, you are your father's pride. He has always been proud of you! Proud of you! "
Adriano wailed like a child.
His memory seemed to have returned to more than a year ago. It was a Wednesday afternoon. After the morning training at Pinenati, Adriano, who was resting in the dormitory, received an overseas call from Brazil. It was from his mother, Rosilda. She told him that his father, Almil, had passed away on Tuesday. It was reported that the 44-year-old Almil suddenly died on Tuesday in his villa. At that time, there was no one in the villa. It was not until the next day that he was found by Rosilda who came back from work. She rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late. The cause of Almil's death was still unknown, but the doctors thought it might be related to his head disease. In 1992, which was when Adriano was ten years old, there was a gang fight in the slums of Vera Cruzeiro where they lived. As a result, Almil was shot three times in the head when he passed by. One of the bullets that pressed on the nerves in his brain could not be removed. The doctors thought that the bullet was the culprit.
Adriano was also present when Almil was shot. At that time, his father was preparing to escort his son to the field to play football, but he did not expect to meet with an accident. Later, Adriano became a professional football player. After he made money, he settled the whole family in a luxurious villa in the Bajada Tijuca district of Rio. Adriano bought it especially for his father to recuperate. But with Almil's death, everything turned to nothing.
The video was not long. Adriano's mother, Rosilda, spoke softly to Almil in front of the tombstone of Adriano's father, Almil. They talked about their son's story and told the deceased that their son was fine now. Everything was fine. He was still the son that he was extremely proud of.
Li Ang waited for about ten minutes outside the office. Finally, he pushed the door open and came in. He saw Adriano with red eyes and tears still flowing.
Li Ang came up and patted Adriano on the shoulder. "Adriano, I know you've been missing your father, so …"
"Thank you, coach. Thank you." Adriano was silent. His tears continued to fall. Then he glanced at the laptop. He suddenly stood up and bowed to Li Ang.
Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief. If Adriano continued to cry like this, there would be no way to continue the conversation.
*****
"Tell me about your father." Li Ang brought a chair over and sat opposite Adriano. "I know he was a great father. He loved you deeply. He was proud of you."
"He was the best father in the world." Adriano wiped his tears and talked about his father. His expression showed pride and reminiscence. "We lived in the slums of Vera Cruzeiro. Dad worked hard every day. He did his best to keep us from going hungry."
"We lived in the largest slum of Vera Cruzeiro. There were often gunfights there. Dad even had to risk bullets flying over his head to go out to work. Every night, he would come back with bread after work. That was the happiest time for me. Not only because I didn't have to go hungry, but also because Dad came back safely."
With that, Adriano's tears poured out again.
Li Ang was also a little moved. He knew that Adriano, like many Brazilian players, was born in the slums of Brazil and lived in poverty from a young age. However, he did not expect them to grow up in such a poor and dangerous environment. Slums, gangs, gunfights, drugs, and pornography. This was the environment that these Brazilian star players grew up in.
"Dad was escorting me to play football that day. He encountered a gang gunfight and got shot."
"I saw Dad's head bleeding. My tears dripped onto his arm. From then on, I vowed to be the strongest person in the world to protect my family, "Adriano said.
"You have done very well, Ribeiro." Li Ang patted Adriano on the shoulder. "I believe that your father left with a smile on his face because his son became a professional player and one of the best strikers on the planet!"
"But Dad is still not here." Adriano covered his face with a helpless expression.
Li Ang took a deep breath. He had been thinking about how to talk to Adriano these days. After investigation, he understood where Adriano's problem was. His father, Almil, was the biggest support in his life. In Adriano's heart, his father was a hero. A hero who had always protected him and was also his motivation to move forward. Almil's death, for Adriano, was like the collapse of his spiritual support.
*****
"Listen, Ribeiro."
"You are your father's pride. Your father has always been watching over you and protecting you from heaven. He is proud of you, proud of you! He cheered for every goal you scored! "
The Intermediate Specific Skill Card of the Spirit Master came into play at this time. Li Ang's words were like a hypnotist hypnotizing a patient. They entered Adriano's ears like magic.
"Is that so?" Adriano looked up and said helplessly.
"Yes." Li Ang nodded vigorously. "Your father has always had a dream. He dreamed of seeing his son wear the Inter Milan jersey, lift the Serie A title, lift the UEFA Champions League title! Lift the UEFA Ballon d 'Or! "
"He has always been protecting you and watching over you from heaven. He dreamed of seeing this day!"
Adriano's eyes lit up.
"If I do that, will Dad see it?"
"Yes!"
"Will he be proud of me, proud of me, and applaud me?"
"He has always been proud of you, proud of you! He will applaud and cheer for you! "
At this time, Li Ang got up and took out a box from the drawer of his desk.
Opening the box, Li Ang took out something from it.
"It's from your mother." Li Ang handed it to Adriano. "She said that your father left this for you. If you wear it, your father will always be with you. He will always be by your side, protecting you, cheering for you, proud of you, proud of you!"
Adriano was stunned. He stared blankly at the thing in Li Ang's hand. It was a bullet. It was pierced and tied with a red string.
This is …
*****
"Wear it." Li Ang looked serious. "Ribeiro, let him listen to your voice after you score a goal. Let him listen to the cheers for you in the Meazza Stadium. Let him be proud of you, proud of you!"
Adriano stood up. His eyes were solemn and sincere. He lowered his head and let Li Ang put it on his neck.
He gently stroked the head of the bullet.
The Brazilian's tears gushed out again. He gently kissed it and muttered to himself,
Father, I miss you so much. Are you doing well in heaven?
Li Ang turned his head and felt a lump in his throat …
He let out a long sigh of relief. He felt that he had made the most correct decision. This was even more important and precious than winning a championship trophy!
PS: Two-in-one chapter.
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