Now, no matter how Capello decided to "punish" Beckham, the Nottingham Forest Football Club's news about Beckham was over. Beckham was still a Real Madrid player, and the Forest team had no right to criticize another club's treatment of Beckham.
Tang En decided not to talk about Beckham on any occasion. He did not want everyone to put too much attention on a player who had not joined yet. That would be the greatest disrespect to the current players. He did not want to make an enemy in the locker room before Beckham even arrived.
Therefore, he tried to downplay the impact of Beckham joining next season within the team and let the players focus all their attention on the current season's games.
During the Christmas period, Nottingham Forest still achieved good results despite facing a very tight schedule. Other than on December 11th and 16th, where they drew with Aston Villa and Liverpool in two consecutive rounds of the league tournament, they won the other games. In particular, in the final game of the year, they beat Arsenal 1: 0 at home, avenging their away loss to them in the first half of the season.
Currently, the Forest team had accumulated 47 points and was ranked third in the league. Above them were Ferguson's Manchester United and Mourinho's Chelsea, with 57 points and 51 points respectively. The rise of Manchester United this season had broken Mourinho's wishful thinking. After three seasons of silence, Ferguson planned to return to the English Premier League.
After the baptism of the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, who previously only knew how to dribble the ball on the flank and show off his fancy footwork, had matured a lot. He and Rooney formed the backbone of Manchester United and were the core figures of Ferguson's future plans.
Another opponent, Chelsea's manager, Mourinho, was not resigned to having his throne taken by Manchester United, but he also had to deal with the relationship between the club's chairman and the locker room at the same time, which made the famous Portuguese manager somewhat exhausted.
Tang En's league strategy went smoothly. He did not want to waste energy competing with Manchester United or Chelsea for the league title this season. He was well aware of his own capabilities. Now, he was satisfied to be able to return to third place in the league.
※ ※ ※
With George Wood's return, Albertini returned to the substitutes' bench. But even if it were not for Wood, he would not have been able to get through the tight Christmas schedule. His body was not as good as it used to be.
He now put all his energy into teaching Wood how to control the pace of the game and let the team follow his will. It could be seen that Wood was very interested in this. This kid was a person who liked to take charge of everything and hated letting others take charge of him.
With such thoughts, it meant that he was suitable to be the core.
During that time, Tang En was busy with Beckham's matter. The entire club seemed to be busy with this matter. Albertini did not care. It was not because he hated Beckham and did not want David to join the team. It was because he had his own business to attend to.
A few days after Christmas, he received a call from Galliani.
Ever since he left AC Milan, the general manager of the Milan Football Club had only called him once. This was the second time. Both times, they were talking about the same thing.
Last season, when Albertini announced his retirement at the end of the season, Galliani called to convey President Berlusconi's greetings, and then said that AC Milan would hold a grand farewell game for him before he retired, so that he could end his career in style.
The good old Albertini naturally expressed his gratitude to the AC Milan Football Club for this care. He did not mention how the team treated him when he was expelled from Milanello by Galliani.
At that time, Galliani patted his chest and promised that Albertini's farewell game would be a football event, so that Albertini could rest assured and leave everything to him to arrange.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. Galliani called to fulfill his promise.
"Demetrio, I promised you that it would be a football feast. Now it's time to fulfill this promise. " The Italian bald Galliani said on the phone. "Do you remember Athens on May 28, 1994?"
When Galliani said that, Albertini remembered. It was the final of the 93-94 UEFA Champions League. At the time, he was still a main player for AC Milan and defeated Barcelona, known as the "Dream Team" with a score of 4: 0 with his teammates. They won a glorious championship.
"Of course I remember," Albertini said.
"We will recreate that day for you." Galliani laughed. "Barcelona is your opponent in the farewell game. How do you feel? "
Albertini was not as excited as Galliani thought. He was even a little taken aback when he heard the name. He had thought AC Milan would invite Nottingham Forest. After all, the Forest team was the team he had played for the longest time other than AC Milan, and he had achieved the second glory of his career with this team.
Without waiting for Albertini to answer, Galliani continued, "The first half is the Barcelona senior team against the AC Milan senior team. We invited most of the people who participated in that final. It's a Footballer of the Year night. Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard … all the star players you can think of, they will come because of your call. I sent out the invitation letter in your name. As I said, it's a feast. "
"Not bad." Albertini said. "Has the time been set?"
"January 10th."
Albertini thought about it. There was no league tournament on that day, so he could indeed participate. "I have no problem, but Mr. Galliani, can I invite one more person to participate? Just be a spectator. "
"No problem, anyone is fine." Galliani, who was in a good mood, readily agreed, but he soon regretted it, because the person Albertini wanted to invite was none other than Tony Twain, who had lashed out at AC Milan for looking down on people and being too petty half a season ago.
"Can't I, Mr. Galliani?" Albertini asked when he heard no response from the other end of the phone.
"Ah, no … there's no problem. As I said earlier, you can invite anyone you want. After all, this is your farewell game. You're the host on that day, my dear Demetrio. "
※ ※ ※
During the next day's training, Albertini told Twain about the matter. Of course, he did not say that AC Milan did not consider the Forest team at all in the beginning. Twain happily accepted the invitation and did not express any doubts about AC Milan inviting Barcelona and not Nottingham Forest.
On the one hand, it was in line with the "future" he knew, even though the game was a year late. On the other hand, Twain also wanted to take the opportunity to participate in that "grand event." It was not common for so many Footballer of the Year to gather in one place.
Seeing that Twain was so happy and looking forward to it, Albertini did not say anything else.
A few days later, the Italian media began to report news related to Albertini's farewell game, introducing to the fans which star players would attend and what kind of scene it would be. Then, they began to review Albertini's career and patiently evaluated how important Albertini was to AC Milan.
Since he was so important, why did he leave earlier? Why didn't he stay back then? Last season, Albertini revived the Forest team, eliminated Inter Milan and a number of strong teams, and led a group of youngsters into the Champions League final. Many in the Italian media sighed — was this the Demetrio Albertini who was abandoned by AC Milan because of his age?
※ ※ ※
Time always passed quickly. The appointed day arrived in the blink of an eye.
Albertini left Nottingham that morning and returned to Milan. On the one hand, he prepared for the evening's farewell game, on the other hand, he met up with old friends from back then, and on the other hand, the players' union and the Italian Football Federation invited him to a banquet. The former was to thank him for his years of work in the players' union and to send Albertini off after his retirement. The latter was to discuss with Albertini the direction of his development after his retirement.
Before he went abroad, Albertini had been the chairman of the players' union. Although he resigned from that position after he went abroad, his long-term position in the players' union allowed him to accumulate a deep network of people in the Italian football scene. He made a lot of friends and was very popular.
The Football Federation hoped that by hiring Albertini to take up a position in the Football Federation, they could better cooperate with the players. They wanted Albertini to become a bridge for smooth communication between the two sides.
Twain had once persuaded Albertini to stay on the Forest team and start as an assistant manager after his retirement. On one hand, it was to help Twain, and on the other hand, it was to accumulate coaching experience. But Albertini rejected the proposal because he wanted his children to grow up in Italy. After all, England was just a station, and he was still Italian.
Twain could never convince him of the reason of "family." He could only personally send Albertini off when the time came.
Albertini returned to Milan early and was greeted by flowers and the laughter of his friends. It did not look like a farewell match, but more like a reunion of old friends who had not seen each other for many years.
Twain, on the other hand, took a flight to Milan after a day of training in the afternoon. He did not have any other arrangements there. He was just going to watch the farewell match in the VIP box at San Siro as Albertini's guest.
Shania was not in Milan, but in Paris. Otherwise, Twain could have taken the time to visit Shania.
After dinner, Twain went to San Siro alone and kept a low profile. Other than sending Albertini a text when he arrived in Milan, he did not have any other contact. Albertini wanted to bring Twain along, but he refused. Galliani, that old fellow, was right about one thing. Today belonged to Albertini. He was the host tonight.
Twain did not want to appear in the cameras of the reporters.
Because of the recent Beckham incident, he had already been exposed for long enough.
Twain still wore sunglasses at night and blended in with the fans entering the stadium, intending to "hide in the city."
But he miscalculated.
Galliani's bald head was very conspicuous under the lights at the entrance. Seeing Twain walk over, he had already extended his hand in advance with a warm smile on his face. "Mr. Twain, since you're here, why didn't you let us know? If I hadn't happened to see you in the surveillance footage, I would have really let you in. "
Because of the incident with Albertini, Twain did not have a good impression of the bald man. But today, he was the host, and Twain was the guest. The necessary etiquette still had to be shown.
"Hello, Mr. Galliani. I really didn't know you could speak English so fluently. " Galliani spoke in English, which surprised Tang En a little. However, his face quickly regained its calm. "I'm well aware that your club must have done a lot of preparation work in preparation for Demetrio's farewell match. You'll be very busy tonight. So, it's inconvenient to disturb you, so I came myself. "Twain extended his hand and the two shook hands.
"You're the guest of honor that Demetrio specifically invited. If we don't treat you well, Demetrio won't be happy. Tonight, he's the host here. "Galliani pointed to the San Siro stadium behind him.
Since the host insisted on serving Twain, Twain did not decline. He followed Galliani into another passageway that ordinary fans could not possibly take.
"This leads directly to the box. You won't be disturbed by the media at all. We all know that Mr. Twain has been annoyed by the media recently, right? "Galliani chatted with Twain as he led the way. "Right, I forgot to congratulate you. Successfully signing Beckham will definitely greatly increase your club's global influence, won't it?"
Galliani quietly mocked Nottingham Forest as a "small team in the countryside."
How could someone like Tang En, who liked to treat everyone other than his own people as imaginary enemies, and who had an incomparably dark mentality, not be able to decipher this kind of overtone? He chuckled. "Not at all. We're a small team with no background. Even if we bought 11 Beckhams, we still can't compare to a powerhouse like AC Milan. I can even memorize AC Milan's glorious history … "
"How surprising. Are you also an AC Milan fan, Mr. Twain?" Galliani asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"No, I'm used to understanding all the details of every opponent." Twain stopped in his tracks and said very seriously, "That way, when we meet on the field, we can easily beat them." He finally retaliated.
The word "easily" provoked Galliani. His eyebrows twitched, and there was something unfriendly in his eyes as he looked at Twain. Twain did not avoid it and met Galliani's gaze.
This embarrassing situation only lasted for a very short few seconds before the two laughed at the same time.
"I understand why the Forest team can achieve such excellent results under your leadership. Mr. Twain, you're an outstanding manager. "
"Haha, thank you for the compliment."
"But I wonder if Mr. Twain is interested in a change of environment in the future?"
Galliani's question made Twain wary. He smiled and said, "Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? But to be honest … I don't like to be controlled. "
This was tantamount to a rejection. Everyone knew who AC Milan belonged to. It was not Sacchi, Capello, Ancelotti's AC Milan, or even Galliani's AC Milan. It was only Berlusconi's AC Milan. The English club's methods did not apply to Italian teams.
If Twain wanted to maximize his power in AC Milan, he would certainly be badly bruised. Because there was a tougher person in his head — Berlusconi.
"What a pity." Galliani shrugged.
"I don't think it's a pity. Not all managers are suitable for a powerhouse like AC Milan. If I were to coach this team, I'd probably be scolded by the media for 'losing the dignity of a powerhouse' every two or three days. "Twain laughed heartily.
As they chatted and laughed, the two had already walked to the door of the private room. Galliani opened the door for Twain. There was no one in the private room yet.
"Your room, Mr. Twain."
"Thank you, Mr. Galliani, for leading the way." The two men exchanged pleasantries before Galliani left. He still had more guests to take care of.
The private room was not big. After Twain sat down, there were still a few seats left. Maybe people would come in a while. Twain did not think these seats would remain empty during the game. With Demetrio's popularity in Italian football, there would be a lot of people coming to support him tonight.
Of course, it did not rule out that others would take the opportunity to make friends with the big shots, establish connections, and build a network of connections.
None of this had anything to do with Twain. He was just here to watch the game and support Albertini.
This small private room was only part of the VIP grandstand on the top floor of San Siro. It was still a little far from the central area. It was naturally further away from the important VIPs.
Twain believed that the most important seats were reserved for important people, such as Berlusconi, Leonardo, Galliani, and other senior members of the club, as well as the VIPs invited by AC Milan. He did not get an invitation to enter the private room. Clearly, AC Milan was still a little reluctant about Albertini's invitation. One had to know that half a season ago, both sides had spat at each other through the media.
Twain did not care. Even if he was asked to sit with Galliani and Berlusconi, he would not be willing.
Twain placed all his attention on the field. Compared to this luxurious private room, he preferred to watch the game like a fan in the stands. The fanatical atmosphere made him feel close to it.
The players had not yet appeared, and the fans were gradually entering the stadium to take their seats. However, there were already a lot of giant flags with Albertini's portrait fluttering in the stands. Of course, there were also the portraits of other AC Milan star players who had retired for many years. There were even red fireworks lit in a few corners. This was the symbol of the Italian Football League. Twain could not help but smile when he saw this familiar scene.
Putting aside the story of Albertini being betrayed by the person he loved the most, this was really like a festival.
The television in the private room was playing a special program that the Italian television station had made for Albertini's farewell match. It was currently a review of Albertini's brilliant career.
Twain looked up at the television. He had already seen these scenes once in his previous world, but it still felt good to watch it live now.
The only pity was that before he transmigrated, when he saw this program on the Internet, the host spoke in Italian. There were no Chinese subtitles. He could not understand anything other than looking at the images.
This time, it was still an Italian program. He could not understand anything other than looking at the images.
The door behind him was pushed open, and the sounds from the corridor could be heard. None of this interrupted Twain. He was not interested in the person who was coming in. He did not have many friends in Italy anyway. It was the same for whoever came. So, he continued to look up at the television screen.
The door was quickly closed again.
There was no other sound in the private room other than the Italian coming from the television.
At this time, a pleasant female voice suddenly rang in Twain's ear. "Sir, do you need me to translate for you?"
Twain was startled. When he saw clearly who the woman who was whispering in his ear was, he was even more surprised.
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