Porto Fino.
As Dejan Lu prepared to board, he rubbed Little Curly's head and told him, "You have to become a great football star someday and play for whatever team I'm on."
Cristiano Ronaldo curled his lip.
Clutching the check, Mrs. Dolores said to Dejan Lu, "Thank you for your help."
"You're welcome. Cristiano and I really hit it off."
Dejan Lu said with a smile, waved his hand, and turned to board the ship.
Cristiano Ronaldo's family stood on the shore, reluctant to see him go.
A friend who sincerely helped them without asking for anything in return was truly rare.
Especially after Diaz became an alcoholic, they had barely had any friends left.
Only after boarding did Dejan Lu check his rewards.
Beginner Gift Pack 2
Elegant Genius—Cristiano Ronaldo's idol, Rui Costa, was a representative of Portugal's Golden Generation. His trademark dribbling, like a swan's light, swaying dance; his precise and deadly through balls; and his seemingly effortless touches constantly created brilliant assists and goals for his team. He was one of the iconic classical attacking midfielders. With this skill, your passing ability as an attacking midfielder will be greatly enhanced.
!!!
At last, he had a boost for the pitch.
Fuck.
If he had a ball right now, Dejan Lu would really have wanted to try it out.
With this skill, it should at least be enough for Bing Er, right?
There was also a Portugal's Golden Generation gift pack.
When he opened it, Dejan Lu's eyes widened.
Luís Figo Template Card (Age 12)
What the fuck was this?
Twelve-year-old Figo?
The good news was that Lu really was extraordinarily gifted.
The bad news was that he might be a late bloomer.
Even twelve-year-old Figo was not developed enough.
But on second thought, it was still a good thing. Ball feel was something innate; no amount of training could break through its upper limit.
Even twelve-year-old Figo was still a super genius.
His ball feel far surpassed that of ordinary players.
Although Figo's outright speed was not particularly fast, whirlwind counterattacking football was not in fashion either.
Figo's style suited this era quite well. These days, wingers who just slicked up their arms and mindlessly charged down the flank belonged at the kids' table.
He kept reading.
Activate Mission 3: Claim after winning the championship...
All right.
There was no next mission either.
For now, it seemed that winning Bing Er would complete the mission as well.
He just needed to work hard after returning.
It was still a two-point system.
Two points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss.
As defensive tactics became more refined, more teams began pursuing draws whenever they could not win.
It would not be until the 1994 World Cup in the United States, when FIFA changed wins to three points in order to encourage attacking football, that domestic leagues around the world would begin adopting the system.
Although he had not paid attention during this period, the team's situation should not have been bad. They were not far behind first place.
January 4, 1989.
At Calabria Train Station, Dejan Lu spread his arms after getting off the train, drawing curious looks from nearby passengers.
He had finally returned to his loyal Calabria.
Traveling long distances really was not easy in those days.
He hailed a taxi outside the station and headed home.
Dejan Lu casually struck up a conversation with the driver.
"How has the team been doing lately?" Dejan Lu asked.
"What?"
The driver was somewhat surprised by his fluent Italian language.
"I mean Reggina. I'm a local," Dejan Lu said.
The driver, who had originally intended to take a longer route, finally gave Dejan Lu a careful look and said in surprise, "You're that Chinese player, Lu's nephew."
"...That's me."
Dejan Lu said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
A player being known as a businessman uncle's nephew showed exactly what kind of impression the locals had of him.
"The team's results have been pretty good while you were away. We all thought you'd gone back to China. Oh, and I'm very sorry about your uncle," the driver said excitedly.
Dejan Lu: ...
He had only played twice in total. Why did it sound like he had been dragging down the team's results?
Once they reached his doorstep, Dejan Lu paid and immediately got out.
The team's stability did not surprise him. Coach Nevio Scala was very talented.
Though he would not become particularly famous in the future, he later won the Toyota Cup and UEFA Super Cup as Borussia Dortmund's manager, becoming one of the club's distinguished coaches.
Later, he went to Ukraine to manage Shakhtar and even won a domestic double.
That résumé might not have been enough compared to elite managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and the Professor, but it was already quite remarkable for a third-division coach.
After entering the house, Dejan Lu immediately opened the windows to air the place out.
After resting for a few minutes, he got up to sort through his luggage. After dinner, he went to bed and listened to the radio.
The radio was a Sony model released last year, but the Cherie Chung sticker on it had already started fading white.
"...Lothar Matthäus has once again had an argument with a teammate. Multiple Inter Milan players have said that Matthäus has some problems with the way he conducts himself. Perhaps that was why Bayern had dumped him before..."
Early the next morning, he went to the team.
Reggina's training ground was extremely shabby.
After being away from the team for several months, Dejan Lu's appearance still caused quite a stir.
"Man, I thought you were going to become a business tycoon."
"Want to go sea fishing tonight? I asked out two nurses."
"Come to my place for a party after this weekend's match? I recently bought a Japanese stereo system. It wasn't cheap!"
"A new game console was released recently. Want to go to Milan and buy one together? I deliberately saved up some money!"
Nevio Scala watched the situation on the training ground from afar and said to his assistant, "Dejan is quite popular with the team. Even after being away for so long, no one seems to have any issue with him."
He had only joined Reggina this season and had barely met Dejan Lu.
His assistant complained, "Who wouldn't like a teammate who is rich, generous, and doesn't compete for a position?"
Nevio Scala smiled and nodded.
That was indeed true.
The reason he could tolerate a player with connections was also because the team did not have that many players.
And Dejan Lu only earned the minimum salary.
Every field had people with connections. He was not incapable of adapting.
Now it seemed that the young man could at least serve as a lubricant in the locker room.
That counted for something, but in the next second, Nevio Scala's eyes widened.
Someone passed the ball to Dejan Lu. Dejan Lu crooked a finger at his teammate, then dragged the ball and made several successive cuts, somehow beating two players.
A fluke?
But then Dejan Lu performed a Marseille turn, leaned against his opponent, and flicked the ball over his head, leaving him completely dumbfounded.
Technical moves like that should not have appeared from a player in the third division.
Even among Serie A players, only the very best could pull them off—like that Argentine who had a pile of illegitimate children and hung around with Napoli's mob.
Nevio Scala was deeply curious about what Dejan Lu had experienced during his leave.
Had he suddenly figured it out?
Could he really be a genius?
Before you continue