"From Serie C to Serie A, this was an enormous gamble. Sampdoria had cleared out Spaniard Víctor Muñoz, only to use a precious foreign-player slot on an eighteen-year-old boy. Perhaps this was the beginning of their decline this season." —Gazzetta dello Sport
"Monica Bellucci's agent revealed that ever since meeting that boy, this highly promising model had become a completely different person. She no longer cared about her career and had even terminated her contract with the company. This was simply self-destructive. Elite Model Management had originally prepared film opportunities for her, but unfortunately, Monica seemed determined to become a housewife." —Tuttosport
La Gazzetta dello Sport did not say anything strange. Mainly because Rivera had brought up the matter himself when he met reporters. He said, "I once advised Galliani to sign Dejan, but Galliani refused. It seems I dragged Dejan into this. Galliani was very pleased when he turned me down. He did not care what kind of player Dejan was at all. He made a huge mistake, and he would realize that very soon."
Entertainment magazines and tabloids were even more eager to stir things up.
There was also Dejan Lu himself.
Monica, who had only just left the modeling world, received another endorsement deal from a fashion brand. It was hard to say that it had nothing to do with how frequently she had appeared in the papers lately.
On one hand, she was beautiful enough already.
On the other hand, she had received plenty of exposure recently.
Football salaries had a ceiling these days. Without finding ways to start a business, there was no way to live like the generation of stars such as Neymar.
It was perfectly normal that he was not highly regarded right now.
Football still spoke through strength, after all.
Fearing that he would not be able to handle the pressure, Mantovani personally came to comfort Dejan Lu.
Rivera had already opened fire in the newspapers, and he was genuinely worried that AC Milan might be determined to poach him.
Vialli had stayed before because his good friend Roberto Mancini was there, and because he had served the club for several years.
What if Dejan Lu simply wanted to leave?
Even with a contract in place, he was not the sort of chairman who was cold and unreasonable.
Fortunately, Dejan Lu had no intention of leaving.
Fearing that something might happen if he waited too long, Mantovani decided to hold Dejan Lu's unveiling ceremony in late June.
Dejan Lu had been appearing in newspapers frequently during this period and had already gotten along with his teammates in advance.
Even the team's young players, Enrico Chiesa and Pagliuca, had followed Dejan Lu's example and bought RS500 motorcycles.
The team was no longer unfamiliar with him either.
An earlier unveiling would be more reassuring.
Whenever he thought of the changes in the team, he felt a little baffled.
Previously, only that kid Roberto Mancini liked motorcycles.
But once next season began, the scene outside Sampdoria's training ground after practice would probably look like a biker gang gathering. It left him caught between laughter and tears.
He needed to find time to remind them to be careful when riding.
"I've been so busy lately that I haven't even had time to prepare for my exams."
The moment Dejan Lu came home, Monica climbed onto his back and complained.
"Making money is always a good thing. You're the most beautiful woman in the Apennines now!" Dejan Lu teased with a smile.
He had just gone to visit Lippi.
Even though Lippi had already left Sampdoria.
During this time, he had met most of the first-team players. Once the new season started, the other new signings would probably be rather confused.
They were all newcomers, so what was going on with him?
Lippi liked Tuscan cigars. They were relatively niche in Italy, and Dejan Lu had specifically bought some before paying him a visit.
There was now a Panasonic VCR in the house. The brand had previously used the National trademark and had only gradually changed to Panasonic in recent years.
Holding a videotape, Monica said mysteriously, "Federica said this American movie was very good, so I borrowed it."
VCRs had become cheaper over the past few years, and videotape rentals were beginning to boom.
For some people, private viewing was more comfortable than going to the cinema.
After watching the beginning, Dejan Lu knew that Monica had probably misunderstood.
She thought the tape would be something sensual.
This was fucking The Shining, Stephen King's classic horror story.
Before long, the pitiful football flower attacked Dejan Lu's arm with a ball, her entire body trembling.
"Should we stop watching?"
Dejan Lu asked.
"No!"
Monica covered her face with the blanket, exposing only half her eyes.
Horror movies had that kind of magic. They made people unable to stop.
Dejan Lu was extremely uncomfortable watching it, while Monica kept gripping his arm.
By the time it ended, it was already past one in the morning.
Dejan Lu rubbed his arm and said, "Go to sleep. We still have to go to the stadium for your unveiling tomorrow."
"Mm!"
Monica buried her head against his neck and gave a soft hum.
Dejan Lu had just fallen asleep when he felt someone shaking his arm.
When he opened his eyes and saw the pitiful-looking Monica, he pulled her into his arms, patted her back, and said, "Sleep. I'm right here."
This time, he wanted to coax Monica to sleep first.
Unexpectedly, the girl was not sleepy at all.
She insisted on talking with him until nearly dawn before finally falling asleep.
Ring, ring, ring...
The landline at home rang without stopping.
Dejan Lu jolted upright, glanced at the alarm clock, and cursed, "Damn it, we're going to be late."
He quickly threw back the blanket and gave Monica a pat, reminding her, "Get up. We're going to the stadium for the unveiling."
"Hm?"
Monica rubbed her eyes sleepily, completely unaware of the situation.
A few seconds later, a piercing scream rang out. She scrambled toward the bathroom in a panic.
Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
This was the stadium shared by Genoa and Sampdoria, built by Genoa Club.
It had been renamed in memory of Genoa's legendary captain.
The derby between the two teams was equally fierce and was called the Lighthouse Derby. However, because Genoa had been relegated, the hostility between the two sides was not as intense.
Later, Sampdoria also declined, and the Lighthouse Derby lost its fame instead. Many people did not even know the two sides were bitter city rivals.
More than forty thousand fans packed into this stadium, which held fewer than thirty-seven thousand people, today.
Mainly because entertainment was scarce. During this period, Dejan Lu had appeared frequently in newspapers and on television, and Sampdoria fans were extremely curious about this foreigner who had stolen the heart of Italy's most beautiful woman.
Roberto Mancini lowered his head to look at his watch and asked, "Shouldn't it have started already? Why haven't we seen Dejan yet?"
"Who knows? Could he be late?" Vialli joked. "In that regard, he really is like an Italian."
"He did grow up in Calabria," Roberto Mancini said.
Federica watched Vialli chatting enthusiastically with her husband and could not help shaking her head. She had no idea how they could have so much to talk about.
Head coach Boskov looked toward Mantovani and joked, "It seems our young genius has perfectly adapted to the Italian sense of time."
Mantovani had called him back to Italy early just to meet Dejan Lu.
Mantovani smiled and said, "Young people always have their own business. I believe he will not disappoint us. Rivera and Riva could not both have misjudged him, could they?"
Though he was not that professional himself, he trusted the judgment of professionals.
That was also one of the secrets behind Sampdoria's rise.
A stir gradually spread through the stadium. The main character still had not appeared, and the fans were growing impatient.
Boos gradually began to ring out across the stadium.
The city of Genoa had always been passionate, uninhibited, and good at expressing itself. The fans immediately made their dissatisfaction known.
"Paolo, do you hear something?"
Boskov leaned closer and asked.
The noise from the fans was too loud. Without getting close, they could not converse at all.
Paolo Mantovani turned his head and asked, "What sound..."
Before he could finish speaking, his voice was drowned out by the roar of an engine.
The Sampdoria chairman's eyes widened. A red-and-white motorcycle shot out from the players' tunnel, both people on it wearing helmets, yet he recognized them at once.
The motorcycle slammed heavily onto the grass without nearly stopping, roaring straight toward the two men.
Before he and Boskov could react, the rider swung the rear around and came to a steady stop right in front of them.
The entire stadium instantly fell silent.
Even the stadium DJ, who had been teasing Dejan Lu for his poor sense of time, fell silent.
The cameras at the sidelines immediately turned toward the center of the pitch.
Monica, sitting on the back seat, removed her helmet, tossed her long hair, and said with a smile, "Sorry, Mr. Chairman, we're late!"
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