The Best Player

As the undisputed hero of the day, Dejan Lu was hoisted up by his teammates, sitting on their shoulders and pumping his fists towards the stands.

The Ferraris Stadium had descended into madness.

Even though it was just a 2-1 victory, and not a final, beating the reigning champions in Serie A, with their number seven outplaying the world's best among four World Cup winners, was as unbelievable as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"Dejan!"

"Dejan!"

"Dejan!"

For several consecutive matches, Boskov hadn't given Dejan Lu any opportunities, significantly lowering their expectations.

Perhaps he was just good at fancy tricks but not as effective on the field.

Even so, it was decent for a young player, as he was handsome and could dominate newspaper headlines, which wasn't easy for Sampdoria.

No one had expected Dejan Lu's debut performance to far exceed their expectations.

Were the previous expectations too high?

No, they were too low!!!

Sampdoria had been playing well in recent years, but today's match was the most exhilarating they had experienced.

The last-minute winning goal sent the fans to heaven.

If it weren't for the safety barriers, who knows how many fans would have rushed onto the field.

Male fans wanted the hero's sweat-soaked jersey, while female fans simply wanted to take the hero to bed.

Football is a sport that stirs the blood.

When a fan says they'd share their girlfriend with Mourinho or someone else, they're probably being honest.

Mantovani wiped the corners of his eyes.

So good!

It was truly so good.

The president, who was dedicated to seeing his hometown team rise, had made a huge gamble that summer. The signings hadn't cost much, but the foreign player slots in Serie A were precious.

He hadn't signed teammates of Van Basten or Gullit, nor had he gone to South America to find South American stars like Caniggia or Balbo.

Now, it seemed, his gamble had paid off.

And it had paid off completely.

The team had several World Cup winners in their thirties, core players like Mancini, Pari, and Vialli in their mid-twenties, and young talents like Lanna and Dejan Lu, who were under twenty but already playing as starters or rotation players.

With this lineup, Sampdoria now had the strength to compete with the top three northern teams.

Even though Sampdoria was also a northern team.

Even ten minutes after the match had ended, his heart still hadn't settled.

This was the football he wanted.

In a corner unseen by Mantovani, a middle-aged man put down his glasses and left with a hint of disappointment.

Massimo Moratti had witnessed his father's creation of the great Inter Milan era and his affection for Inter Milan was no less than anyone else's.

He had even handed over the family business to his elder brother, and his personal assets were only around 2 billion, which wasn't much among football club owners.

But his passion for football was unimaginable to many wealthy individuals.

Glancing back at the young number seven, Moratti suddenly felt the urge to buy Inter Milan and bring that number seven to Meazza.

Monica walked to the lower stands amidst the fans' cheers.

Dejan Lu directly jumped over the advertising boards at the edge of the field.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

The fans were chanting along.

Dejan Lu leaned in directly.

The two kissed through the isolation net.

Click.

The reporters at the sidelines were going crazy.

This was bound to be tomorrow's headline.

Ever since this kid came to Sampdoria, their jobs had become much easier.

Trapattoni was stopped in the tunnel by a reporter from Italian public broadcaster Raiuno (RAI1). The veteran coach, who didn't want to attend the press conference, agreed to an interview.

"Giovanni, if 10 is the highest score, what would you give Inter Milan's players?"

The reporter asked.

Both La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport used a 10-point scale for player ratings, unlike the 5-point system used by West German media.

"Ten points. The players performed exceptionally well, but it wasn't their fault they couldn't win. I made some misjudgments in controlling the game."

Trapattoni said frankly.

There was no point in blaming the players now; it was better to be generous.

"Are you saying that you are responsible for today's loss?"

"Yes, if we had focused more on offense instead of defense, the outcome might have been different. Sampdoria's firepower shouldn't be stronger than ours. I will learn from today's match."

The old coach smiled and left immediately, not wanting to say anything more.

Football is played with the feet, and whatever the loser says will be ridiculed.

Press conference room.

The press conference room at the Ferraris Stadium was a bit shabby, but Boskov sat as if on the throne of a Roman consul, surveying the entire room like it was his kingdom.

Dejan Lu, as the biggest contributor of the day, attended the press conference with him.

The main reason was that Dejan Lu had thought of a great way to make money, directly monetizing the huge attention he and Monica were receiving.

"Vujadin, can you talk about Dejan's performance today?"

"Dejan, will you ride your bike into the stadium again?"

"Dejan, do you have anything you want to say to Galliani?"

"Mr. Boskov, will Dejan become an important player for the team from now on? Why did you bench him before? Do you have any conflict between you?"

"Dejan, what did Bergomi say to you? How do you evaluate this defeated opponent?"

"..."

The reporters were too excited.

If it had been the Dutch Trio shattering the Three Horsemen, there would have been buzz, but not this much talking point.

Both combinations were strong in themselves, so it was normal for either side to win or lose.

But today, Dejan Lu had single-handedly broken through the backline of West Germany and Italy. When they returned, they would dare to write that Dejan Lu himself had defeated Inter Milan.

Boskov smiled and pulled the microphone closer, saying, "There are no issues between Dejan and me. Dejan visited me before the summer training camp. He is a polite and cultured young man, and also a genius. The reason I didn't let him play earlier was that I wanted him to appear in the match with a perfect record. As you can see, that's what happened."

He felt no guilt saying this, as his previous decision not to let Dejan Lu play was also for Dejan Lu's consideration.

"Then how would you evaluate Dejan's performance today?"

"Impeccable!" Boskov said. "I don't want to use such an adjective for a young man because I worry he might become arrogant, but I truly couldn't find any flaws in Dejan. When you consecutively dribble past Matthäus, Bergomi, and Brehme, you are... one of the best players."

The old coach paused slightly. He had originally wanted to say "King of the World."

But he was afraid that the media would overhype the term and put too much pressure on Dejan Lu.

Before the internet, the spotlight could be deadly. The reach and coverage of traditional media far surpassed what came later.

Keep in mind that Manchester United's super-genius George Best had retired only a few years ago.

Both were number 7s, both were eye-catching geniuses. Boskov was genuinely afraid that Dejan Lu might become the next Best.

Thanks to NATE2046, It's raining, and Lao Mei Cooks Wine for the tips.