The Pack Was a Single Flame; Scattered, They Became Stars Across the Sky! The Former Inter Milan Stars' Premier League Showdown!
Otamendi's shout was so loud it almost made his throat ache, and everyone looked at him in surprise.
Now that things have come to this, Manchester City's commercial director Berrada, can no longer keep it a secret. Fortunately, while fans were taking photos with Tang Long, he had already come up with a brilliant idea.
Berrada cleared her throat and solemnly addressed the crowd:
"In UK, becoming a professional football player is always a dream for many children."
"But we must not forget that many players from lower-level leagues fall into poverty after retirement due to various unfortunate reasons."
"At the end of this month, Manchester City will be hosting a charity gala to raise funds to help these people live with dignity and regain the cheers of their former audiences. I hereby announce that the player who won the 3v3 match will represent Manchester City at this charity event!"
Berrada waved his hand, beckoning Tang Long, Sterling, and Otamendi to him.
"You three new signings are new to the club. My expectation for you is that in the future, you will not only demonstrate excellent competitive form in matches and strive for the highest glory for Manchester City, but also actively shoulder your due social responsibilities in life, showcasing the philanthropic side of Manchester City to the people of Britain!"
"It's a great honor to represent the club at this event. Thank you for the club's support!" Tang Long replied.
Upon hearing this, Gracie, who was standing to the side, immediately began to imagine Tang Long, dressed in a well-fitting suit, looking dashing at the charity gala. She clapped her hands and looked at him with a smile.
The Mayor of Manchester, standing beside him, also clapped.
Led by the two, a burst of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted in the audience!
Upon hearing this, Otamendi's lips twitched, and he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
But when he looked at his two teammates on either side, Tang Long and Sterling were also smiling and waving to everyone. Although he imitated them, he was thinking to himself:
"Damn, so this is the reward? I thought Manchester City was so rich, I'd at least give them a Rolex! This is so boring, a charity gala? Please, please, how many Pound Sterling would I get if I went?"
Milner, standing some distance away, was so angry he was practically grinding his teeth to powder.
His eyes gleamed with deep jealousy, a jealousy that seemed ready to burst forth.
"That's so unfair, Hart!"
"How could those three greenhorns represent the club at such an important banquet?"
"We're both native England, and we've played for Manchester City for so many years, aren't we good enough to represent Manchester City club at a dinner? That's ridiculous, Berrada must be crazy!"
In fact, new signing Otamendi, having just arrived in the Premier League, hasn't yet figured out the unspoken rules of the place.
Little did he know that representing Manchester City at such a significant charity gala would greatly enhance the player's personal image and charisma.
The long-term benefits it brings to a player far outweigh those of a Rolex watch.
As a long-established developed country, the UK places great emphasis on the social responsibility of its high-income groups.
Social organizations will do their best to ensure the livelihood of the underprivileged through relatively comprehensive welfare measures;
They also frequently host various charity galas to raise funds and help those living below the poverty line.
Manchester City's players are all high-income earners.
As Commercial Director Berrada implied, representing the club at such a meaningful charity gala and being frequently exposed in front of numerous media reporters helps to establish the player's personal image as compassionate, kind, and willing to take on social responsibility.
And the player's commercial value will also be enhanced imperceptibly!
Berrada possessed a far-sighted vision; his level of thinking was far beyond the reach of the burly, rough-and-tumble Otamendi.
No wonder Milner was indignant; such good things are usually done by the team's veteran England players.
Last year, he and Joe Hart attended a charity dinner in London to raise funds for children with leukemia across the UK.
Why did Berrada give away this precious opportunity for exposure to these three newcomers?
What's more, Tang Long is also here, vying for his starting position!
Thinking of this, Milner turned green with anger and kept grumbling incessantly in Joe Hart's ear.
Joe Hart, no longer feeling the pain in his testicles, said impatiently, "What kind of time is this to be complaining about this? Think about your place on the team next season."
Tang Long had just arrived in Manchester City and finished his live meet-and-greet.
Shortly after, Manchester United Carrington Training Complex welcomed a young passing maestro.
Kevin De Bruyne!
De Bruyne, carrying his luggage and wearing sunglasses, strode confidently into the renowned Red Devils training ground.
Looking at the large, bright red Manchester-United sign at the entrance.
De Bruyne's mind, like a soaring eagle, has already eagerly flown to the upcoming Premier League match.
"Kevin, you've finally returned to the Premier League!"
De Bruyne tilted his head back and took a deep breath, looking up at the gloomy sky.
Speaking of Manchester United manager Van Gaal, although he finally got his long-desired Serie A top scorer award winner Icardi...
However, he is still not satisfied with the current lineup.
He insisted that if the team wanted to dethrone Chelsea from the defending champions in the new season, it would be far from enough to have Icardi's keen eye for goal; they also needed to pair him with a god-like passer.
After Manchester City launched a fierce counterattack against their tentative bid for Tang Long, and Ranocchia was snatched away from Manchester United, Manchester United did not lose heart. Instead, they set their sights on another rising passing master in Europe football, De Bruyne!
With 16 goals and 27 assists in 51 appearances, Kevin De Bruyne delivered a remarkable Bundesliga performance De Bruyne Wolfsburg last season.
Through in-depth discussions with the coaching staff and Manchester United management, Van Gaal analyzed that although De Bruyne's assist efficiency is not as high as Tang Long's, he scores more goals, and in terms of overall attacking efficiency, he is even better than Tang Long!
If it was a pity that Tang Long and Icardi, the two former Inter Milan super partners, couldn't be reunited at Manchester United, then now, if they can successfully sign De Bruyne, that pity will disappear.
Moreover, De Bruyne, born in 1991, is 24 years old and has many years of experience in top professional leagues in the Premier League and Bundesliga.
Based on Van Gaal's many years of experience leading teams, De Bruyne is more mature and stable than Tang Long.
Bringing De Bruyne Manchester United would also involve less risk.
Manchester United's management has been raising funds from various sources, diverting the budget originally allocated to Tang Long to De Bruyne, eager to make a move.
However, they still face fierce competition from Chelsea!
Mourinho is determined to bring this former player back.
He wants to bring the Belgium to Chelsea to make up for the team's disappointment at missing out on Tang Long.
But at this critical juncture, just like Tang Long, De Bruyne's personal will played a crucial role!
He told his agent that he would prefer to go to Manchester United over Chelsea.
"I was ruthlessly kicked out of Chelsea in the first place, why would I go back there?"
"Manchester United have a fantastic squad, and with the addition of Icardi, they absolutely have the ability to win the Premier League title this season!"
"This guy is the youngest Golden Boot winner in Serie A's 100-year history. When I was at Wolfsburg, if Icardi had been there, my assist count might have doubled! After all, my teammates at Wolfsburg were always missing my assists."
The reasons why De Bruyne wants to come to Manchester United have only been half-explained.
The other half remained in his heart, inspiring him to keep becoming stronger!
In last season's UEFA Europa League Round of 16, Wolfsburg faced Inter Milan.
Wolfsburg, who had hoped to secure a direct qualification for next season's UEFA Champions League by winning the UEFA Europa League, were defeated 5-3 by Inter Milan over two legs due to their poor Bundesliga ranking!
In the two-legged tie, Tang Long's performance was more dazzling De Bruyne's.
Especially after losing 1-2 to Wolfsburg in the first leg, Inter Milan staged a remarkable comeback in the second leg!
Tang Long's frequent brilliant through balls in the middle left the Wolfsburg players in awe.
What made it even more embarrassing for De Bruyne to talk about was that in that match, Tang Long actually used the exact same Low-trajectory Curve Shot long pass as him!
In the eyes of the Belgium prodigy, Tang Long's Low-trajectory Curve Shot might be slightly inferior to his own in terms of speed and spin.
However, his timing in making tackles is exceptionally precise, and his judgment of the forwards' positioning is far superior to his own!
Seeing his Bundesliga -dominating skills overshadowed by an 18-year-old from Serie A, De Bruyne was first shocked, then filled with resentment.
"Since Tang went to Manchester City, I'm going to go to their arch-rivals Manchester United and have a showdown to see who's the king of passing in the new Premier League season!"
Icardi was overjoyed at De Bruyne's arrival.
The initial frustration of not being able to attend because of his old teammate Tang Long was swept away as the Belgium provided him with several brilliant assists during training!
He often put his arm De Bruyne during training, and the two would chat and laugh, exchanging ideas about positioning and passing.
"Yes, I like running like this. You actually guessed it! I really didn't expect that!"
"A little more force is fine, I'll insert it from behind as quickly as possible."
Although it was their first meeting, the two hit it off immediately on the court.
De Bruyne was amazed by Icardi's striker's instinct in front of goal and his choice of running routes;
As for Icardi, he always manages to comfortably deliver through balls to De Bruyne!
He almost exclaimed in surprise, "Besides Tang Long, the only person in the world who understands my positioning best is De Bruyne!"
The mutual respect between the two star players brought a smile to Manchester United manager Netherlands Van Gaal's face.
He told his assistant coach, "See? That's the chemistry between star players. They don't need many words because the language of football is always the same. I've been coaching for almost 30 years, and I firmly believe in that."
Meanwhile, Tang Long and Ranocchia were also sweating it out on Manchester City's training ground.
After repeatedly watching Aguero's video footage, Tang Long's AI system received a large amount of data and, in a very short time, basically mastered Aguero's positioning habits and understood his football thinking.
He fed Aguero just as many treats on the training field De Bruyne fed Icardi, and perhaps even more.
The 27-year-old Argentina star has shown excellent form, telling everyone that he and Tang Long are a match made in heaven. He said the club's historic transfer was not expensive at all, and it was a great deal!
Ranocchia also played a very important role in Manchester City's possession-based tactics.
The importance of Italy center-backs is in no way inferior to that of Tang Long!
With his link-up play and ball distribution in the backfield, Manchester City's attack became more layered and varied.
This also allowed midfielders like Silva, Tang Long, and Yaya Toure to be fully freed up.
Shaqiri's speed on the training ground has Liverpool manager Rodgers exclaiming that he's faster than the wind!
Shaqiri declared, "Give me the flanks, and you guys just charge into the penalty area!"
Handanovic's arrival finally cured Everton's instability in goalkeeping.
This ailment has plagued them for five or six years. Now, Handanovic's composure and dominance in front of goal have given Everton high ambitions for the new season, as they aim to challenge their city rivals Liverpool in the derby!
Handanović directed his teammates. "Just keep an eye on the guys making forward runs, and let me take all the long-range shots from the middle!"
The Tottenham Hotspur training ground was filled with frequent, loud banging sounds, like firecrackers exploding!
Guarin's shots are more accurate than ever; fewer powerful long-range shots go wide, and more spectacular goals!
He exuded arrogance. "Haha, from now on, if anyone calls me 'Guafei' (a derogatory term for a measly airplane), I'll blow their head off from 50 meters away!"
Meanwhile, Podolski, the Germany star who returned to Arsenal after his loan spell, has undergone a qualitative leap in his football thinking thanks to the tactical training he received in Serie A over the past six months.
His use of space on the training ground was masterful, so much so that Wenger would cheer loudly after every training session. Podolski gave Wenger a big hug. "Boss, I'm still your most trusted kid!"
Japan player Nagatomo Yuto has always been known for his physical prowess.
During Norwich's training camp, the 29-year-old full-back displayed an amazing ability to sprint back and forth on the right flank, like a tireless engine, which amazed his teammates and made them very happy to cooperate with him.
Norwich's players had never seen anyone with such freakish physical abilities; he seemed to never tire of running!
Nagatomo Yuto bowed and said, "Is the training over already? Was it a bit too short? Alright, Alli!"
Tang Long.
Ranocchia.
Icardi.
Guarin.
Podolski.
Handanovic.
Shaqiri.
Nagatomo Yuto.
These eight former Inter Milan players played for Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, and Norwich, respectively.
The teams are located in Manchester, London, Liverpool, and Norfolk.
Last season, eight outstanding players came together to help Inter Milan win a double title;
This season, eight heroes are scattered across Britain, each fighting their own battles and drawing their swords to strike their enemies!
When gathered, they are a blazing fire; when scattered, they are countless stars.
Last year's gathering in Milan, filled with laughter and conversation, is now a thing of the past.
Tonight, Britain is divided among its various factions, and as they meet again on a narrow path, they will once more forge a new chapter of glory.
As the saying goes, "Let us drink from this golden goblet, for even a sharp blade will not spare us!"
The 2015-2016 Premier League season has begun, and a fierce battle among Inter Milan and other top teams is about to erupt.
(Just one chapter of 4200 words today. I've been severely overworked these past few days, working long hours during the day and only getting four hours of sleep a night to increase updates. I feel like I can't go on anymore, my heart is pounding... Please allow me some rest today, I'll go to bed early, and I'll be fully refreshed tomorrow, aiming for 10,000 words! Don't worry, as long as you keep following, I'll keep updating. The more you follow, the more I'll update! Have a great weekend!)
(By the way, in the first game of the new season, who would you like to see Tang Long play against? Please choose one from the six former Inter Milan players.)