Dancing with the Samba Steps

"Did I hear that right?"

Boskov quickly came over and asked.

"With 100 fans on the field, can you even play?"

"Even Pelé couldn't do it, right?"

"How about adding another person to work with you? At least you'd have a chance to pass and catch your breath," Mantovani suggested.

"Why don't we assign a goalkeeper to the fans and to you guys, so your teammates can help you? But 100 is still too many. How about 50? Try to pick younger fans and female fans," Boskov suggested.

He was worried that the male fans might get too excited and injure the players.

It wouldn't be good to have one or two players injured before the season even started.

"Alright, whatever you say, Coach."

Dejan Lu nodded.

It was indeed a bit crowded with over 100 people.

Mantovani immediately went to communicate with the staff.

Mancini, Pagliuca, and Nushiali were all called off the field.

Nushiali, the second goalkeeper, was quite interesting. He was on the roster for a long time during his career, but his appearance rate was less than one-twentieth, setting a rather awkward record.

The on-site DJ, having received the news, announced the new game format.

Many fans were trying to sell themselves to the staff on the field, hoping to be chosen to play against the stars.

"You're acting crazy."

Mancini quipped.

He never imagined he'd be facing 50 fans one day.

Even if they weren't professional players, just thinking about the number of opponents made his scalp tingle.

"Instead of complaining, you should be thinking about tactics," Dejan Lu retorted. "I'll be holding the ball a lot, so you just need to be ready to receive passes from me. That means you need to run more."

"That's true."

Pagliuca nodded.

"Can you handle long passes?"

Mancini questioned.

Although Pagliuca was an excellent goalkeeper, goalkeepers' distribution skills were generally not great back then.

With 50 people, some would definitely press the goalkeeper, which would be a real test for Pagliuca.

"Don't worry, I won't embarrass you guys."

Pagliuca reassured them.

Before long, the fans started coming out of the tunnel.

They were of all shapes and sizes, men and women, young and old.

For safety reasons, the staff didn't select older fans.

Some fans, upon seeing the stars, immediately got excited and swarmed them, talking all at once.

Mancini was quite popular.

But his face was full of helplessness.

He wasn't a very patient person by nature, but what could he do when facing his supporters?

Dejan Lu pulled Pagliuca aside and they chuckled.

"Alright, alright, let's give you the ball to get familiar with it, and then we'll start."

Boskov stepped in to help his protégé, clearing the way.

Nushiali was assigned to guard the goal for the fans. He glared fiercely at Pagliuca, wanting to teach Dejan Lu and the other two a lesson.

The Luigi Ferraris Stadium was already buzzing with anticipation.

Today's unveiling ceremony was truly entertaining.

A cinematic entrance, a passionate duet between a handsome man and a beautiful woman, and finally, a 3-on-51 showdown.

It was worth the ticket price alone.

When they left, they would definitely brag to their friends and family who couldn't make it.

With the whistle blown, Mancini kicked the ball to Dejan Lu.

Immediately, three fans rushed towards Dejan Lu.

These three were all male fans, and they had clearly coordinated their tactics.

They wouldn't tackle their own player, but they immediately assigned one person to prevent Dejan Lu from making a cross-field pass to Mancini, while the other two were cautious.

They immediately rushed towards Dejan Lu but didn't try to tackle him.

It was clear they had decided not to let Dejan Lu build up his speed.

Even without having seen Dejan Lu's speed, they still chose the safest approach.

Even if they weren't professional players, the space three men could block was still significant.

Boskov stood by the sidelines with his arms crossed, very curious about how Dejan Lu would handle the situation.

Dejan Lu chose to turn around.

"Smart!"

Boskov exclaimed.

Even though the three fans were prepared, they panicked as soon as they saw Dejan Lu intending to pass back to the goalkeeper.

They all wanted to stop Dejan Lu.

Even without looking back, Dejan Lu knew there was an opening behind him. Without a second thought, he flicked the ball with his heel, and it easily went through one of the fans' legs.

Turning around again, Dejan Lu easily got the ball.

This time, facing a few young fans, Dejan Lu wasn't too rushed.

He dribbled in front of them with small steps, toying with them.

Occasionally, he would even proactively send the ball in front of the young fans, and as soon as they reached for it, he would pull it back, causing the young fans to stumble clumsily, making the spectators in the nearby stands burst into laughter.

Noticing someone else rushing over, Dejan Lu pushed the ball outwards with his right foot, immediately pulled it back, and smoothly flicked it to his left foot. Without stopping the ball, he nudged it forward.

A bull's tail feint followed by a ball-and-body separation!

This kind of spectacular dribble instantly elicited excited cheers from the stadium.

Mancini, who had been roaming the sidelines, had his mouth wide open.

He thought his own skills were quite good, but seeing Dejan Lu's dribbling today, it was on a completely different level.

Ball control!

The gap in ball control was immense.

The bull's tail feint technique was created by Brazilian players a long time ago, but not many players used it well.

Dejan Lu not only executed it with ease and flair but also successfully switched feet while nudging the ball, combining two dribbling moves.

What followed next made Mancini almost curse.

Dejan Lu weaved through the beautiful female fans like a dancing butterfly, using the Marseille turn and other small tricks with masterful skill.

The most crucial thing was, was this even playing football?

It looked like he was flirting with women on the field.

He clearly saw a female fan grab Dejan Lu's butt.

Mancini had a feeling that his team's vice-captain might no longer be the fans' favorite player in the new season.

"Pass, pass!!!"

Mancini, who had been running foolishly for half the day, waved and shouted.

Dejan Lu slightly turned his body and glanced over. The fans who had been running towards him swarmed towards Mancini.

But Dejan Lu didn't pass. Instead, he nudged the ball forward and accelerated towards the penalty area.

He had deceived those fans with his eyes. There were almost no fans left in front of him.

As expected, in a casual game, no one likes to stay in the penalty area.

Nushiali was stunned.

Damn, even 50 pigs wouldn't be dribbled past this quickly.

Given the level of skill Dejan Lu had displayed, without any defenders protecting him, Nushiali was sure that as long as Dejan Lu shot, he would definitely let him score.

The goal-scoring rate for one-on-one chances in mainstream European leagues is less than 40%.

However, for top strikers, this figure is higher than 70% or even more.

This is even with his own teammates constantly tracking back to apply pressure.

The current situation was no different from a shooting drill. Nushiali had absolutely no confidence that he could make a save.

This experienced substitute goalkeeper made a decision.

"Come on!!!"

He yelled and rushed out of the penalty area.

Dejan Lu was very young, and youth represented instability.

Nushiali wanted to create pressure on Dejan Lu in this way, causing him to make a mistake when handling the one-on-one situation.

A one-on-one situation tested not only skill but also a psychological battle.

Goalkeepers were inherently at a disadvantage, so some clever individuals wanted to seize the initiative.

Colorful jerseys and strange behavior were all meant to affect the opponent's shooting quality.

"Pass!"

Seeing Roberto Mancini following him all the way, Dejan Lu simply passed the ball horizontally.

Mancini received the ball and immediately lifted his foot. Nushiali moved quickly to the ground, and the ball bounced off his chest back to Dejan Lu.

Some fans had already started running back to defend. Dejan Lu knew he couldn't delay any longer.

He feinted the ball immediately. Nushiali didn't have time to get up, lying on the ground and using his lower body to expand his blocking area.

At this moment, Dejan Lu suddenly stopped and lifted his right foot.

Fake shot!

After the feint, the ball was actually closer to Nushiali, who could reach it with his hand.

Nushiali, realizing he'd been tricked, was a bit annoyed and tried to reach out and swat the ball away.

But Dejan Lu reacted faster than him. Instead of adjusting, he switched to his left foot and shot the ball forward. The next second, the ball was already in the net.

Snap, snap, snap—

Brilliant!

Brazilian fans would cheer for brilliant dribbling.

Italian fans also appreciated flashy techniques.

Even Boskov couldn't help but applaud. Even in his homeland of Yugoslavia, he had never seen a player with such absurd ball control.

Setting aside the dribbles past the fans.

His composure inside the penalty area, his series of feints and changes of direction, and finally, the balance shown in both his left and right feet.

Boskov was certain that the new number 7 would be an important member of the team.

Thanks to "Huanhuanlv" and "Kan Shu Wo Zhi Kan Zong Heng" for their rewards.

Please keep reading, everyone~