"Dejan, you didn't show anything remarkable when you were at Reggina. Why did you suddenly become so good?"
A reporter asked.
Dejan Lu had become so famous that every detail of his past had been thoroughly investigated.
"Ah, you've asked the key question." Dejan Lu smiled and pointed with his index finger. "I wonder whether you know this, but Americans have become obsessed with Italian olive oil. Newspapers and food programs all say that eating olive oil regularly can help people live longer, right?"
"Of course. Olive oil is selling so well now."
"The price has gone up too, damn it!"
"I can't even buy the brand I usually eat anymore."
With one sentence, Dejan Lu had scratched exactly where the reporters itched.
These days, whether in terms of strength or cultural influence, America was simply too domineering.
For Italian products to conquer Americans made every resident of the Apennines proud.
"So it's because of olive oil?"
A reporter asked.
How naive!
Dejan Lu smiled and shook his head. "Actually, it's because of eating!"
"Eating? What kind of health supplement is it?"
The reporter pressed.
Health supplements were hugely popular in this century. Some people had even sold radioactive elements as health products before.
"No, it's food, just like olive oil." Dejan Lu said, "I found an Italian recipe and improved the hamburger. This eating habit made my body healthier and healthier, allowing me to unlock my own potential."
Dejan Lu had thought about this before. He was so popular, yet he had no way to make money. He could only watch those dog reporters get promoted and make fortunes. That was completely unfair.
For all this time, Dejan Lu had been thinking about how to monetize his popularity.
Before, he had thought he couldn't compete with McDonald's.
But McDonald's had not even entered China yet, damn it, and KFC had only opened a few locations. Lu might not be unable to open one himself.
"Hamburgers?"
"Yes!" Dejan Lu nodded. "Monica and I have recently discussed opening a shop so everyone in Genoa can eat healthy food. Roberto Mancini tried it before and said it was good. Lately, he's been eating hamburgers every day."
Whether he had actually said that did not matter. From now on, Mancini had said it.
It would benefit him too. In a couple of years, once Baggio and the others developed, Mancini's name would practically be overshadowed.
At worst, Dejan the Football King could give Mancini a free card after making a fortune.
With all those McDonald's products tailored to the tastes of different countries, he could reverse-engineer them and stay decades ahead in product development.
When he got home, he would plant advertisements in Pokémon. Later, he could keep planting ads in the works he "created," and with his connections in football, he refused to believe he could not beat those American fast-food chains.
The reporters were dumbfounded.
They had not expected to gain something like this from an interview.
Still, they all thought Dejan Lu merely wanted to open a small snack shop. Plenty of players' families did business these days, and most of them were in food service.
"What did Bergomi say to you today?"
A reporter asked.
That was what they cared about most.
It would be best if the two had argued. Then there would be even more news to write about.
"He didn't say much. Mr. Bergomi encouraged me and said he would keep working hard next time. He's a great player. I've always loved watching him play. Italian defenders have turned defending into an art."
Dejan Lu said.
The reporters were pleased, but also somewhat disappointed.
Wasn't that why managers like Mourinho were reporters' favorites?
If you did not fire off shots when you spoke, there was hardly any news worth writing.
Too many people praised Bergomi and Italian defenders.
Afraid Dejan Lu would say something wrong, Boskov gave the press officer a look and directly led Dejan Lu away.
Press conferences did not have so many rigid rules these days.
The moment Dejan Lu returned to the locker room, he received applause and whistles from his teammates.
"Roberto said he's giving you a car. I think he ought to get his head checked. That Scrooge is actually being this generous!" Vialli egged him on.
He was afraid Mancini would change his mind.
In Europe, people rarely gave gifts that expensive.
"A motorcycle, a motorcycle!"
Mancini hurriedly explained, "I'll take you to Milan tomorrow. You can pick one yourself?"
"I thought it was a car. You've played for so many years and you're still this stingy. Dejan stood up for you for nothing." Pari mocked. He knew very well what had happened during the match.
As a midfielder, he had clashed with Lothar Matthäus more than once himself.
"Then it'll be a car. Fine, we'll go to Milan tomorrow, and you can pick whatever you want!!!"
Mancini gritted his teeth.
At his level, a star player's income worked out to only around ten thousand dollars a week.
Most of the team earned only a few thousand dollars a week. They could not buy several luxury cars with one week's wages like Manager Ten Hag or Sancho in later years.
For Mancini, buying a car would cost one to three months' salary. A sports car might cost nearly a year's wages.
Naturally, it hurt.
But when he thought of Matthäus's smug face, Mancini still felt it was worth it.
Vialli said sourly, "I've known you for so long, and the most expensive gift you ever gave me was a movie ticket."
"Nonsense. Last time I went to your house, I brought good wine."
"Because someone else gave that wine to you."
After returning home, Dejan Lu told Monica about his idea of opening a fast-food restaurant.
"Fast-food restaurants aren't easy to run."
Monica said.
"At least there's still an opportunity now." Dejan Lu said.
"If you want to do it, then do it. No matter what you do, I'll support you!" Monica said.
Dejan Lu put an arm around her back and patted her.
What he wanted was a food empire, not merely one restaurant.
Once he had a reputation, franchises, semi-finished ingredients, and established standards could allow franchised outlets to expand continuously.
These days, many people in China could not distinguish between hamburgers and Western food, and hamburgers really were not cheap.
If he fought a price war, he definitely could not beat international giants.
He could only find another angle.
He remained optimistic about the industry's prospects. Even Wang Sicong had gone and sold beef jerky, and was planning to open a hundred steak restaurants. That showed there was still money to be made in food service if it was done well.
Serie A was the epitome of the World Cup, and nearly all of European football had been shaken.
Sports reporters were all rushing to finish their copy, determined to let fans see the news the next day.
La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote: "During the summer, Gigi Riva, Rivera, and Mantovani all concluded that Dejan was a super genius. Inter Milan proved it in the match. Just as Trapattoni said, Inter Milan played very well, but unfortunately, their opponent was even better."
Tuttosport published a photo of Dejan Lu passionately kissing Monica and wrote: "Today, we will not discuss football. We will only discuss love. If we discussed football, then both Inter Milan and Galliani would be very embarrassed."
Gazzetta dello Sport: "According to informed sources, Dejan is still earning an annual salary of eighty million lire. Sampdoria is surely unable to sit still any longer. They will offer Dejan a new contract before the next match. This may be the fastest contract renewal in Serie A history."
The coach from Scotland, who was in a difficult situation, also saw the newspaper after getting up.
The Times: "Just yesterday, Inter Milan used four World Cup winners to defend against an eighteen-year-old youngster, and then they lost. A supernova has risen. If everything goes smoothly, he will become another Serie A superstar."
Ferguson looked at Dejan Lu's photo and resisted the urge to gasp.
He had seen plenty of geniuses, but very few had risen so quickly.
Very few geniuses scored in their first match, and even if they did, their opponents were usually weaklings.
That Yugoslav colleague really dared to use players. He had sent a newcomer on in a match against Inter Milan.
It was no wonder reporters suspected there was a conflict between him and Dejan Lu.
After all, coaches normally would not arrange a player's debut like that. Combined with Dejan Lu's performance, Ferguson felt Boskov might simply have had too much confidence in Dejan Lu.
Next, The Sun found someone to thoroughly interpret the conflict between Matthäus and Mancini. With the old English-German feud, they were more than happy to stir things up from the sidelines.
After fully analyzing the exchange between the two, they commented: "When you can't take revenge yourself, you need a powerful teammate."
Knock, knock, knock—
Early in the morning, Mancini knocked on Dejan Lu's front door.
"Come on, go to Milan with me."
If he had not seen Dejan Lu wearing pajamas, he would have wanted to drag him away immediately.
"So early, darling?"
After Dejan Lu went inside, Monica rubbed her eyes and asked.
"Roberto is probably worried about the cost of the car." Dejan Lu teased.
That was several months' salary, after all.
Monica snickered beside them.
She never interfered in matters between Dejan Lu and his teammates.
Dejan Lu had always gotten along very well with his teammates.
After Dejan Lu washed his face, he climbed into Mancini's sidecar and the two set off for Milan.
"Did you drive this because you're unhappy about it?"
Before long, Dejan Lu began complaining.
Riding in a sidecar could look pretty cool sometimes, but traveling more than a hundred kilometers in one was not pleasant. The motorcycle's suspension was mediocre.
"No, I thought you liked motorcycles."
Mancini said.
After more than two hours of fussing around, they arrived in Milan close to noon.
Mancini immediately dragged Dejan Lu to look at Ferraris. He had already said the words, and he could not bring himself to break his promise.
"How much is the F40?"
Dejan Lu asked.
"Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars!"
A salesperson immediately came over and answered.
Mancini nearly cried.
Dejan Lu curled his lip. "Wasn't it four hundred thousand when it launched? Your markup is outrageous. I'm not buying it."
He pulled Mancini away directly.
Mancini looked back and said, "You can have an F40 if you really want one."
"Then should we go back?"
Dejan Lu teased.
Mancini froze for a moment. Only after seeing his expression did he give Dejan Lu a punch in irritation.
"At the end of the season, I'll use someone else's money to buy one. That car is handsome, isn't it?" Dejan Lu said.
Football salaries were too low these days. Spending his own money on one hurt a little.
"It really is."
Mancini nodded. He liked sports cars too.
"Actually, the 928S is fine too, and it isn't expensive." Mancini said.
"Forget it. I don't like that model." Dejan Lu pulled him along to get lunch.
The 928S was Jackie Chan's ride, and it cost several tens of thousands of dollars. Dejan Lu mainly did not like its rear end.
"Let's go look at Japanese cars."
Dejan Lu said after the meal.
He remembered that Japanese cars were cheap at this time, and there were quite a few classic models.
Because of their fashionable appearance and low prices, Japanese cars sold well in Europe these days. From 1980 to 1990 was their golden period for European sales.
Japanese cars also appeared often in Jackie Chan's films and New Art City movies.
He did see a Corolla AE86, but driving that car did not seem very lucky.
In the end, the two bought a 1978 M1. Since it was old inventory, it cost only a little over twenty thousand dollars.
"It's not that I wouldn't let you pick a Ferrari."
Mancini said.
"Don't worry, I like this car myself." Dejan Lu waved a hand.
To save Mancini's face, he could not pick a car that was too cheap.
A car that was too expensive would burden Mancini.
If not for this M1, it really would have been hard to choose.
He would have to repay the favor someday. Judging by how lovey-dovey Mancini and Federica were, they should be having a child soon.
On the way back, Mancini simply left the motorcycle in Milan, found a driver to take it back, and hitched a ride in Dejan Lu's car.
The first thing he did was make Dejan Lu drive to Vialli's place.
The rich second-generation heir lived by the sea in Genoa, and he had an impressive collection of movie merchandise.
When the two arrived at the villa entrance, Mancini squeezed over and repeatedly honked the horn.
When Vialli came out and saw the red M1, he teased, "Roberto finally bled heavily. Though I thought he'd buy a Ferrari."
"Dejan didn't want one himself."
Mancini said somewhat guiltily.
Vialli did not continue teasing him. He pulled them both inside to examine his new toy.
"Human Cannon?"
Dejan Lu asked immediately.
Vialli gave a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect you to know it. I thought this TV show was really cool when I saw it before."
"It really was great."
Dejan Lu praised it.
Dinosaur War Party Koseidon was the first tokusatsu show he had ever watched.
"Want to make our own work together?"
Vialli urged. He wanted to play the protagonist and fight little monsters again.
Roberto Mancini shook his head hard.
Every time, he had to play the villain. A handsome man like him was born to be the protagonist.
"Roberto, I have a once-in-a-lifetime request."
At the sight of the camera, Dejan Lu's eyes lit up.
He had not decided on a hamburger brand yet, but he could shoot an ad first and keep it in reserve.
A few hours later, Vialli and Roberto Mancini were finally ready. Wearing short outfits they had bought on the spot, the two did several clumsy cartwheels in front of the camera. After barely managing to steady themselves, they immediately held up hamburgers and said in awkward Chinese, "Da sha han bao bao, di shu ji shen hao, kao xi kao bu dao..."
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