Icardi, You Can Win the European Golden Shoe!

Over the past few days, aside from his daily training, eating, and bathroom breaks, Tang Long had poured all his energy into the Cloud Training field.

His synergy with his sparring partner, Iniesta, was growing higher and higher.

He discovered that every time he selected a sparring partner for passing drills, an inconspicuous number appeared above the heads of the candidates—[Proficiency].

Beckham, Pirlo, Ronaldinho, Xavi, and the others were all at 0%.

Because Tang Long had repeatedly chosen Iniesta, his proficiency with Iniesta had risen to 40%.

His rating for each training session was also getting higher and higher.

It started at 6.5, then gradually climbed to 7.0, then 7.5.

The direct feedback was that Tang Long's short passing attribute had seen a significant improvement!

From Monday to Friday, over these five days, Tang Long had spent over 50 hours in Cloud Training.

He had completed over 50,000 passes with Iniesta!

His short passing attribute had risen from 55 to 68!

This passing rating was already at the average level for a Serie B midfielder.

He had reached the standard of a mediocre professional player.

Although it was still difficult to compare him to the mainstays of Inter Milan, such as Kovacic, Hernanes, or Medel.

But in daily training, he could now barely keep up with the rhythm of his teammates.

He was no longer making outrageous passing errors.

Saturday afternoon.

The entire Inter Milan squad took a high-speed train to Rome, where they were set to face the Red Wolves at the Stadio Olimpico.

During the final adaptability training session on Sunday morning, the Inter Milan players arrived at the Stadio Olimpico to step onto the pitch and get a feel for the venue.

In a scrimmage, Tang Long delivered a brilliant pass to Icardi, helping him easily slot the ball into the net.

"Beautiful, Tang, that was a very comfortable ball."

Icardi smiled, turned back, and gave him a thumbs-up.

After training, while showering in the locker room.

Tang Long took the initiative to walk over to the stall next to Icardi.

Due to the poor economic situation in Italy over the past few years, the Roma club hadn't had much money to improve the stadium's infrastructure.

The showers at the Stadio Olimpico were still the same facilities from the turn of the century.

The shower area had no partitions.

So, Tang Long and Icardi were completely exposed to each other.

Some say that when two men are completely exposed to each other, it is the moment their relationship is at its closest.

In this context, "being exposed" was not just about physical visibility, but also implied a sense of mental openness and acceptance.

"How come I feel like your passing is actually pretty decent?" Icardi, covered in bubbles, scrubbed his hair and squinted at Tang Long. "It's not as bad as Guarin said. At your age, it's already good enough!"

"It's mainly because your positioning is so good. If it were someone else, even if I put the ball on a plate, they wouldn't be able to score."

"Haha, I'm not being modest, but my striker technique is still top-tier in Serie A. Look, I'm neither strong nor tall, yet I can still play center-forward; I make my living on my movement and shooting."

"I can see that. Otherwise, how could you have scored 9 goals in 11 league matches? I think you'll have no problem winning the Serie A Golden Boot!"

Tang Long's words clearly ignited the passion in Icardi's heart.

He quickly washed the foam off his head, wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and said excitedly to Tang Long:

"Do you know, Tang, if I win the Serie A Golden Boot, I'll be the youngest Golden Boot winner in the hundred-year history of Serie A—22 years old!"

"You'll definitely have no problem. As long as someone keeps feeding you the ball, let alone the Serie A Golden Boot, who knows, maybe even the European Golden Boot could be yours!"

"European Golden Boot? You're even bolder than I am! I'd better start with Serie A first."

This shower conversation brought the relationship between Icardi and Tang Long one step closer.

Sunday afternoon, on the eve of the match.

Outside the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, the voices were deafening, and the scene was incredibly lively!

The atmosphere was so intense it felt as if it could ignite the entire city of Rome.

The warm Mediterranean winter sun shone on the faces of the home fans, reflecting the heat and anticipation in their eyes.

The red jerseys of Roma danced in the crowd like flames, forming a sharp contrast with the blue sky.

Not far away, a group of fans was spontaneously organizing a warm-up.

They shouted the team's slogans and performed synchronized movements, as if gathering strength for the upcoming match.

"Roma! Roma!"

"Whoever defends the colors of Rome is our hero!"

"Roma! Roma!"

"Whoever defends the history of Roma is our hero!"

The air was filled with the aroma of hot dogs and coffee.

The vendors' stalls were packed with all sorts of pirated jerseys and fan scarves.

Strangely enough, these stalls selling pirated goods were located just 100 meters away from the official Roma club store.

Club staff were present at the scene to maintain order, but they seemed to turn a blind eye to these copyright infringements, even stopping by to chat and laugh while smoking.

Such a relaxed scene would be absolutely impossible to see in the Premier League.

"Uncle Gali, how's business lately? How many jerseys can you sell in a day?"

"Haha, business is good today! I've already sold 12 jerseys and 18 scarves!"

"We're playing Inter Milan at home today—it's a big match, you must be making a killing!"

"The main thing is that my source is cheap. Your official store charges 79 euros for a genuine jersey, plus another 10 euros for printing a number. Mine are pirated and only cost 15 euros, with any number you want. Only a fool would buy your genuine jerseys!"

"Exactly, only a fool would buy them, I wouldn't either! With the current economic situation in Italy, anyone who can afford to spend 40 or 50 euros to watch a game in person is already rich; only a fool would buy a genuine jersey! By the way, where do you source these jerseys, and what's the cost?"

"Yiwu, China. The wholesale price is 5 euros each, with free shipping on orders of 100!"

The blue bus of Inter Milan slowly pulled into the stadium.

Boos erupted instantly!

But the booing didn't last long before it turned into cheers!

Roma fans, dressed in red jerseys, swarmed toward both sides of the VIP entrance fence.

The home team's bus had arrived!

"Totti! Totti! Totti!"

"The Wolf King Totti!"

The reason the fans were chanting Totti's name was partly out of adoration for him; after all, he was the Wolf King of Roma.

But what excited the fans even more was that Totti was the only player on the entire Roma bus to open his window!

Totti was waving at the fans!

This handsome, mature Italian man had a face as chiseled as an ancient Greek sculpture, with a gaze that shimmered with determination.

Totti pointed his finger toward the back of the Inter Milan bus, then smiled and made a gesture as if raising his fist to punch them.

This action instantly ignited the fans' passion!

"Beat them to a pulp!"

"F*ck them! F*ck Inter Milan!"

"Let the Milanese see the power of our Roma!"

"Go Totti, go Roma!!!"

The Inter Milan bus slowly drove into the garage of the Stadio Olimpico.

Tang Long sat in the last row of the bus, looking back out the window.

The clamor of the Roma fans gradually faded away.

Berni took off his headphones and couldn't help but complain to Tang Long:

"These southerners are so damn noisy, even my headphones can't block them out!"

"Every time Roma plays Inter Milan, they act like they've been injected with adrenaline. Isn't it just because they were suppressed by Inter Milan for two consecutive years from 2006 to 2008? They act like every match these past few years is a quest for revenge. These southerners are all just bumpkins!"