Chapter Summaries

After Dejan faked an injury to protect his teammates, Sampdoria won 3-2 and he recovered in the hospital while Baggio praised him publicly. Berlusconi blamed Galliani for AC Milan’s embarrassment and ordered him to leave Italy for a construction project in Malawi.

• Dejan stayed down after Dunga’s foul, and the referee sent off Dunga, Roberto Mancini, and Lanna as Sampdoria eventually won 3-2.
• Baggio defended Dejan at the press conference and called his play elegant, while reporters questioned him about Dunga and compared the two players.
• Boskov had Dejan taken to San Raffaele Hospital, where doctors found nothing wrong, and Monica stayed with him overnight.
• Dejan’s teammates visited him, and he encouraged little Verchowod to pursue his ideals.
• Berlusconi scolded Galliani over the attention Dejan had drawn and ordered him to leave Italy for Malawi.

After Pelé publicly condemned Dunga, Dejan Lu made a restaurant endorsement deal with Roberto Mancini and received a system mission requiring him to earn regular playing time. Learning that Sampdoria’s next opponent was Juventus, Dejan Lu decided he needed to talk to Boskov about returning from the hospital.

• Vialli, Dejan Lu, and Roberto Mancini left the hospital after seeing off the father and son, then watched Pelé condemn Dunga in a televised interview.
• Dejan Lu offered Roberto Mancini permanent authorization to use his likeness at his restaurant in exchange for the IOU, and Mancini accepted.
• Dejan Lu considered future restaurant advertising plans and saw a system prompt saying Pelé viewed him as a phenomenal player, but he needed to earn Cooper’s trust by playing over 25 matches or win a title after leaving in the winter break.
• Dejan Lu learned from a newspaper that Sampdoria’s next opponent was Juventus and decided to speak with Boskov about leaving the hospital.

After recovering enough to leave the hospital, Dejan Lu watched Sampdoria struggle against Juventus before Boskov finally sent him onto the pitch. In Malawi, Adriano Galliani fled an attempted robbery, determined to survive and make something of himself.

• Dejan Lu left the hospital, and Roberto Mancini and Vialli brought him home to celebrate with Monica and Federica.
• Dejan Lu joined Sampdoria's squad for the Juventus match, though Boskov initially planned to keep him on the sidelines.
• Juventus took the lead through Sergei Aleinikov, and Boskov eventually agreed to bring Dejan Lu on after Sampdoria's attack faltered.
• Adriano Galliani left a restaurant in Lilongwe when he saw several men approaching him with ill intent.
• Galliani threw a locked bicycle at the men and ran, imagining Milan's streets filled with lilies as he struggled beneath the sun.

Dejan Lu came on for Sampdoria and strengthened their midfield with relentless defending, then scored from Lombardo’s corner to equalize against Juventus. The match was still ongoing as Sampdoria pulled level.

• Zoff watched Dejan Lu enter the match and began considering inviting him to Juventus.
• Dejan Lu took control in midfield, shielding the ball, pressing Juventus, and helping Sampdoria connect with their forwards.
• Dejan Lu hurried back to head Zavurov’s dangerous cross out for a corner.
• After Vialli won a corner at the other end, Dejan Lu asked Lombardo to take Sampdoria’s set piece.
• Dejan Lu broke free of his marker and headed Lombardo’s corner into the net to equalize.

Dejan Lu scored a late volley to give Sampdoria a 2–1 win over Juventus, then helped see out the match after dominating in midfield. As Sampdoria prepared for their next Cup Winners' Cup match, Roberto Mancini and Dejan Lu worried about Marco Lanna's relationship and finances.

• After Salzano won another corner, Dejan Lu suggested a short routine, and Sampdoria worked the ball into the box.
• Verchowod's header was blocked, and Dejan Lu volleyed the rebound past Stefano Tacconi to put Sampdoria ahead.
• Dejan Lu intercepted a late Juventus pass, and Carlo Longhi blew the final whistle; Zoff then asked Dejan Lu to join Juventus, prompting Boskov to charge over before Dejan stopped him.
• Zoff praised Dejan Lu at the press conference, while Pezzotti attended in Boskov's place.
• At Sampdoria's next Cup Winners' Cup match, Roberto Mancini and Dejan Lu watched from the stands and discussed Marco Lanna's finances and relationship.

Dejan Lu considered Nintendo’s offer to adapt Pokémon and agreed to meet with them, while preparing Sampdoria for a difficult away match against Roma. Before the match, he drew a single-match experience card for Francesco Totti’s performance in Italy’s Euro 2000 semifinal against the Netherlands.

• Kumatani Gensuke visited Dejan Lu and told him Nintendo wanted to discuss adapting Pokémon for its GameBoy console.
• Dejan Lu agreed to meet Nintendo, saying he cared more about getting his work to a wider audience than related fees.
• Boskov told Sampdoria’s players to defend carefully, seize scoring chances, and pass to Dejan whenever they could.
• The players discussed fears of nuclear war and conspiracy theories before Dejan Lu used the system lottery.
• Dejan Lu drew a single-match experience card for Francesco Totti in Italy’s Euro 2000 semifinal against the Netherlands.

Dejan Lu met young Francesco Totti before Sampdoria’s match against Roma and invited him to consider joining Sampdoria. Dejan set up Vialli for an early goal, while Totti argued with Mancini in the stands.

• Roma manager Luigi Radice watched Dejan Lu warm up and praised his talent.
• Dejan Lu asked mascot Francesco Totti about his ambitions, offered him advice, and invited him to Sampdoria.
• Sampdoria attacked early, and Dejan Lu chipped a pass over Roma’s defense for Vialli to score.
• Mancini worried that Dejan Lu’s partnership with Vialli threatened his place in the team.
• Totti told Mancini he was considering Dejan Lu’s invitation but dismissed Mancini’s status as second captain.

Dejan Lu scored another spectacular goal against Roma, lobbing Giovanni Cervone after dribbling through pressure. Watching from the stands, Francesco Totti realized that a captain had to earn authority through his ability on the pitch.

• Roma's players and Luigi Radice struggled to understand how Dejan Lu had scored despite their defensive numbers, while the home crowd rallied behind the team.
• Vialli dispossessed Ruggiero Rizzitelli, and Dejan Lu drove forward past Giannini and Desideri as Roma's fans urged their players to stop him.
• With five Roma players surrounding him, Dejan Lu curled a powerful lob over Giovanni Cervone and into the goal.
• Rossi praised Dejan Lu's skill as Sampdoria's players celebrated, and Totti concluded that a captain needed to be the best player and command respect through strength.

Sampdoria routed Roma 5-0 after Dejan Lu scored a spectacular goal, and Dejan spoke with Totti and Roberto Mancini after the match. A system notification then showed how Totti’s future might unfold and granted Dejan the Coward Buster skill.

• Roberto Mancini and Totti traded insults as Chiesa waited to enter the match.
• Dejan Lu set up a chance for Salzano, then scored from a corner after sending the cleared ball back into Roma’s box.
• Boskov sent Chiesa on as Dejan Lu left the pitch, and Dejan later found Roberto Mancini and Totti in the stands.
• Dejan Lu told Totti he could stay in Rome and offered to help him if he ran into trouble.
• Sampdoria defeated Roma 5-0, while Roma received five yellow cards and two red cards.
• Dejan Lu read a system notification about Totti’s possible future and received the Coward Buster skill.

Dejan Lu and his teammates relaxed in Rome after their victory before he returned home and received a letter from manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama praising his work. Dejan Lu discussed his recent stories with Kumatani Gensuke and left him considering how Ogawa might teach people to defend themselves.

• Dejan Lu, Roberto Mancini, and Vialli discussed football, celebrities, and a possible Sampdoria invitation while they waited for their bus in Rome.
• Dejan Lu and the others watched two planes pass overhead, then returned home with their teammates after the match.
• Kumatani Gensuke delivered Dejan Lu a letter from Mitsuteru Yokoyama praising his children’s work and urging him to guide young readers through his stories.
• Kumatani Gensuke asked whether Dejan Lu’s recent manga had become less profound, and Dejan Lu explained that he wanted to offer readers warmer stories.
• Kumatani Gensuke asked Dejan Lu to have Ogawa teach readers ways to protect themselves, and Dejan Lu understood what he meant.

Dejan Lu prepared for Sampdoria’s heavily hyped match against Diego Maradona’s Napoli while avoiding the press’s attempts to draw him into controversy. Roberto Mancini, frustrated by his suspension and by being left out of the news, came up with a plan to give Sampdoria a famous trio of its own.

• Dejan Lu comforted Paolo Verchowod after the boy called in tears about the Berlin Wall falling.
• Dejan Lu and Monica watched coverage of the coming Sampdoria–Napoli match, and newspapers published competing opinions about Dejan Lu and Diego Maradona.
• British reporters asked Dejan Lu to support Peter Shilton’s side of their feud, but Dejan Lu stayed out of it.
• Boskov told Dejan Lu not to comment on Diego Maradona and confirmed that Dejan Lu would start against Napoli.
• Roberto Mancini brooded over his suspension and the press’s focus on Dejan Lu and Vialli, then decided to invent a catchy name for a Sampdoria trio and submit it to newspapers.

Mancini explained that he had defended Dejan Lu because he considered him and Gianluca part of his Sampdoria family, while reporters and tourists swarmed the team ahead of the match. Dejan and Monica struggled with the sudden attention, and Mancini’s televised comments cast himself as Dejan’s guide and big brother.

• Mancini told a reporter that he had defended Dejan because the referee had failed to ensure fairness, then described Dejan and Gianluca as family.
• Dejan Lu found Lanna exhausted after Lanna’s partner had questioned him about chatting with a waitress.
• Dejan Lu and his teammates trained amid crowds of British and German reporters and tourists, who also stopped Pagliuca and Lanna for interviews.
• Monica told Dejan Lu that British reporters had posed as students and harassed her and her roommates, leaving her unable to stay at school.
• Dejan Lu watched Mancini tell reporters that Sampdoria was a family and that he was Dejan’s guide as Dejan developed.

Dejan Lu turned down an Adidas endorsement in favor of pursuing Nike and prepared with Sampdoria for a heavily publicized away match against Diego Maradona’s Napoli. Before kickoff, he drew a Johan Cruyff single-match experience card, leaving him poised to face Napoli with a new advantage.

• Mantovani told Dejan Lu that Adidas wanted to sign him, but Dejan Lu asked him to contact Nike instead.
• Sampdoria traveled to San Paolo Stadium, where Napoli fans taunted the team and chanted for Diego Maradona.
• Boskov warned his players to avoid the fans and instructed them to contain Maradona while giving the ball to Dejan Lu.
• Dejan Lu drew a Johan Cruyff single-match experience card while preparing for the match.

Sampdoria and Napoli began their highly anticipated match at San Paolo Stadium, with both managers setting up to contain the opposing star. Dejan Lu repeatedly broke through Napoli’s defense with Cruyff Turns and Genoa Spins, but the chapter ended before his attack reached its conclusion.

• Maradona dazzled the crowd during warmups, while Dejan Lu dismissed the attention and the players prepared for the match.
• Boskov and Alberto Bigon exchanged greetings before Napoli and Sampdoria revealed lineups designed to target Dejan Lu and Maradona.
• Luigi Agnolin started the match, and Dejan Lu’s early run and cutback created a chance for Salzano that Francini blocked.
• Maradona evaded Pari and passed toward Careca, but Dejan Lu and Lanna stopped the attack before Sampdoria regained possession.
• Dejan Lu drove through Napoli’s midfield, evaded Alemao and other defenders, and combined with Mannini near the penalty area.
• Dejan Lu used two consecutive Genoa Spins to evade Ferrara and Napoli’s defense as Lanna watched in amazement.

Sampdoria and Napoli traded attacks as Dejan Lu and Diego Maradona became the targets of increasingly rough challenges. Dejan Lu finally scored with a quick turn and a shot that ricocheted off the post and crossbar over the line.

• Dejan Lu created an early chance for Vialli, but Giuliani saved the shot after Vialli failed to finish.
• Diego Maradona dribbled past Dejan Lu and several Sampdoria defenders before Pagliuca gathered his tight-angle shot.
• Dejan Lu beat four Napoli players in the penalty area, but his shot struck the post and went out.
• Carezo fouled Diego Maradona from behind, and Luigi Agnolin showed him a yellow card as players from both teams gathered.
• After Pagliuca quickly restarted play, Marco Lanna sent a long ball toward Dejan Lu, who spun past Baroni and shot into the Napoli goal off the post and crossbar.

Sampdoria and Napoli traded attacks in a tense match, with Dejan Lu scoring an acrobatic goal and Diego Maradona threatening the Sampdoria defense. After halftime, Lanna set up Dejan Lu for another goal, bringing his assist total to six.

• Dejan Lu scored an extraordinary goal from Lanna’s assist, prompting cheers from the away supporters and celebration in York.
• Diego Maradona dribbled past several Sampdoria defenders and forced Pagliuca to make a save before halftime.
• Boskov noticed blood on Dejan Lu’s socks and told him to get checked, while praising Lanna and Pari in the dressing room.
• After the restart, Napoli lost possession, and Lanna carried the ball forward as Sampdoria counterattacked.
• Lanna crossed from the byline, and Dejan Lu volleyed the ball into the goal to give Lanna his sixth assist.

Dejan Lu led Sampdoria to a 4:1 victory over Napoli at San Paolo Stadium, scoring twice as Diego Maradona managed to pull one goal back. After leaving the pitch, Dejan Lu met a young British fan who called him a hero.

• Maradona scored for Napoli after a quick exchange with Crippa, narrowing the score to 2:1.
• Dejan Lu beat Napoli's defenders and lobbed Giuliani from near the edge of the penalty area to make it 3:1.
• Dejan Lu dribbled past Napoli's defense and scored again, extending Sampdoria's lead to 4:1.
• Boskov substituted Dejan Lu, and Maradona watched him leave the pitch while resolving to change himself.
• After showering and changing, Dejan Lu left the stadium and met a British child who said he was Dejan Lu's hero.

After Sampdoria’s victory over Napoli, Dejan Lu befriended Prince Harry during their hotel stay and advised him on handling people around him. Harry’s mother publicly praised Dejan as a friend before the team left for the airport.

• Dejan Lu met Prince Harry at the hotel and reassured him about sending away his bodyguard and his worries about his mother.
• Harry told Dejan Lu about his former bodyguard Mr. Barry’s death and his parents’ troubled relationship, while Dejan advised him to smile and speak carefully around people he disliked.
• Vialli and Roberto Mancini joined Dejan Lu and Harry for breakfast, where Harry introduced himself as Dejan’s friend.
• Boskov led Sampdoria to the airport, and Dejan Lu waved goodbye to Harry as he boarded the team’s coach.
• Harry’s mother faced reporters in the hotel lobby and praised Dejan Lu, saying he was their friend.

Aboard the plane, Dejan Lu gained Staff Mastery and Charming Smile after the system described how his influence shaped Harry’s rise to become King Henry IX. Sampdoria returned to a hero’s welcome as the victory over Maradona sparked worldwide debate and left fans dreaming of a title.

• Dejan Lu received Staff Mastery after his team’s victory and the East German crowd cheered for them.
• The system recounted how Dejan Lu’s influence helped Harry grow into a popular, disciplined figure who eventually became King Henry IX in 2027, then awarded Dejan Charming Smile.
• Newspapers and football legends across Europe and beyond argued over Sampdoria’s victory, Dejan Lu’s performance, and what the match meant for football.
• Sampdoria arrived home to an overwhelming airport welcome, where fans hailed Dejan Lu as a Genoa hero and anticipated the season’s title race.
• Several conspicuous visitors with British accents waved checkbooks among the local fans.

Dejan Lu calmed Sampdoria’s frenzied fans after the team returned from its win and was rested ahead of the Bologna match and the Inter Milan fixtures. As his fame brought a flood of endorsement offers, Roberto Mancini grew disheartened by the attention Dejan received while his own role went unmentioned.

• Boskov sent Dejan Lu to calm the fans at the airport, and Dejan’s speech persuaded them to clear a path for the team.
• Boskov told Dejan Lu he would miss the Bologna match so he could recover for the Italian Super Cup and the upcoming match against Inter Milan.
• Monica told Dejan Lu that reporters and classmates had been pestering her since his win, and Dejan asked her to help review new endorsement contracts.
• Paolo Mantovani warned Dejan Lu not to accept offers too quickly as companies competed to sign him, and Dejan later signed deals with brands including Walkers and Ferrero.
• Sampdoria gained sponsors for its training kits and an airline deal, while Roberto Mancini became dispirited after newspapers praised Dejan Lu and omitted him from coverage.