Mancini's Favoritism

"Good luck, I look forward to facing you again in the league!"

As he left, Kaka raised his fist in a gesture of encouragement.

"Mm, you too, go for the Champions League title!"

Lin Feng replied with a smile.

Kaka paused, turned back, and glared at him; this guy really knew how to hit a sore spot!

What happened in Istanbul two months ago was a topic that no one associated with AC Milan dared to touch.

Leading by three goals at halftime only to pop the champagne early and lose the match had long since become a laughingstock in the eyes of fans worldwide.

The resilient Liverpool side viewed the match as the Miracle of Istanbul, but to the fans of AC Milan, it was a source of profound humiliation.

Never before in the history of the Champions League had a team blown a three-goal lead in the final, yet AC Milan had broken that record.

Come to think of it, AC Milan seemed remarkably adept at creating shocking upsets in the Champions League.

Beyond this year's Miracle of Istanbul, they had also suffered a collapse last year in the Champions League knockout stages; after leading 4-1 in the first leg, they were swept 4-0 in the second, creating the biggest comeback record in Champions League history and cementing the legend of Super Depor!

It must be said that AC Milan was quite unlucky; ever since winning the Champions League in the 02-03 season, the team had clearly been in its Peak Period and was a top favorite for the title every year.

Yet, they always seemed to choke at the critical moment, often suffering the tragedy of losing due to carelessness and arrogance despite holding a massive advantage.

"Oh, oh, oh, we took down AC Milan!"

"We are the kings of Milan City!"

"Screw the Rossoneri, they fell apart in front of us!"

Inside the Locker Room, the Inter players began to sing excitedly.

Nothing thrilled them more than defeating AC Milan; even though it was just an insignificant friendly, they were as happy as if they had won a championship.

Lin Feng had only just started learning Italian and couldn't understand what his teammates were singing.

So he didn't join in; after taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, he sat in the corner and closed his eyes to doze off.

The intervals between matches in the Tim Cup were very short, and after finishing the game against AC Milan, Inter only had one hour of rest.

One hour later, they would face the visiting Juventus at the Meazza Stadium.

This schedule was quite unfavorable for Inter, as they had to play back-to-back matches.

Playing two games within a mere two hours was a dense schedule that placed high demands on the Player's physical fitness.

Lin Feng had never played at the level of the Big Five Leagues before, so he lacked an intuitive understanding of such intensity and felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

Although he had only played for 45 minutes just now, his energy consumption was almost equivalent to playing a full match at the Youth World Cup.

If he couldn't recover his stamina quickly, it would be difficult for him to replicate the form he showed against AC Milan when he faced Juventus next.

Just as Lin Feng was resting with his eyes closed, a system panel popped up automatically:

[Congratulations to the host for completing your Inter debut!]

[Personal Rating: S!]

[Reward: 10% progress toward unlocking the Second Module!]

Eh?

Lin Feng truly hadn't expected that participating in a friendly match would count toward completing his mission.

This was a pleasant surprise!

Watching the progress bar for the Second Module climb by another 10%, bringing the total to halfway, Lin Feng couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

At this rate, completing a few more tasks would allow him to unlock the second module slot.

It was just a pity that he hadn't obtained a second Star player template yet.

Although he had been lucky enough to draw the Ronaldinho template earlier, it was only a fragment and couldn't be used for the time being.

He had to obtain a complete, usable template before the second slot was fully unlocked!

This match had exposed a major issue with the Kaka template: when there was no space to sprint forward and he couldn't utilize his speed and explosive power to threaten the goal, being forced into a positional battle significantly diminished his threat.

This problem didn't just plague Lin Feng; it also troubled Kaka himself.

However, Kaka had Pirlo, that midfield maestro, behind him, so he didn't need to shoulder too many playmaking duties, whereas Lin Feng had no such teammate behind him.

Furthermore, Lin Feng had to consider not just the club, but also his responsibilities to the National team.

The National team didn't have a playmaker as good as those in Serie A, which required Lin Feng to possess a certain level of organizational ability.

When thinking of players with excellent playmaking skills in the Attacking Midfielder position, the first name that came to Lin Feng's mind was Zidane.

Zizou could be considered the perfect fusion of a classic and modern Attacking Midfielder, maxing out both aesthetic appeal and practical utility.

Zidane possessed delicate footwork and an outstanding feel for the ball; not only were his playmaking and passing abilities exceptional, but he was also a master of trapping, ball control, dribbling, and breaking through defenses.

Watching Zidane play, one couldn't help but associate two words with him: elegant!

Even with Zizou's plain, average face, fans still felt his play was elegant and grand, possessing the aura of a grandmaster—one could only imagine how graceful his style of play truly was!

Besides Zizou, there were many other excellent Player modules for the Attacking Midfielder position, such as the all-around Roberto Baggio or Rui Costa, who had maxed-out organization and passing abilities.

However, it seemed that obtaining the templates of these Top Star Players would not be an easy task.

What Lin Feng needed to do now was to complete the tasks issued by the system as much as possible to earn Lucky Draw Chances.

After confirming the reward, Lin Feng curiously took a look at the next stage of the system's tasks.

[Help Inter Milan defeat Juventus and defend the Tim Cup title!]

[Task Reward: One Lucky Draw Chance!]

It was as if someone had handed him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy; Lin Feng had just been pondering how to acquire more Lucky Draw Chances, and the system immediately provided him with an assist.

It seemed that the next match had to be won at all costs!

The Tim Cup used a points system where three teams played two matches against each other, and whoever had the most points would take the championship.

Inter Milan had just defeated AC Milan, earning three points, and was currently sitting at the top of the table.

If they could defeat Juventus at home in the next match, then regardless of the outcome of the final match between Juventus and AC Milan, Inter Milan would lock in the Tim Cup title early.

In the Locker Room, after Mancini finished laying out the tactics, he walked over specifically to Lin Feng's side and asked:

"Lin, can your stamina still hold up? If you can't manage, don't play in the next match."

After the match just now, Mancini's attitude toward Lin Feng had become even friendlier.

Mancini placed great importance on young people, especially young geniuses.

He even favored someone as mentally unstable as Balotelli, let alone a normal person like Lin Feng.

When the club's top management was hesitant about whether to sign Lin Feng, Mancini had been the one to raise both hands in favor.

Having watched the game footage of Lin Feng at the Youth World Cup, he had an excellent impression of him.

He even determined that he was the best successor to Mihajlović!

In Mancini's view, Lin Feng, who had just turned 17, had already displayed such high talent and potential on the field.

If he were signed and nurtured properly, the heights he could reach once he matured would be immeasurable.

The match just now had confirmed his suspicions; this guy was a genius, and a very smart one with an extremely strong ability to adapt.

Mancini wanted to cherish such a genius like a family heirloom, terrified of wearing him out.