Fans were in for a treat this summer. The transfer market was buzzing, and supporters of every team could expect surprises or shocks. Either way, life was no longer as stagnant as a pool of still water.
Italian fans had even more reason to be happy. Italian stars were still slowly drifting away, but this year Italy National Television had made a major move, launching an unprecedented talent-scouting program for the world of football!
The Star of Italy Training Camp was officially established!
The camp was the brainchild of Italian legend Maniero, with Lorenzo Tagi, Italy's decorated former left back, and Carlisle, the King of the Violets at Serie A's Fiorentina, serving as co-founders. Together, they had put together a reality show.
The program aimed to find Italy's true stars of tomorrow.
They would invite forty to fifty promising young players who either played in Italy or were Italian to join the training camp. After four weeks of training and eight episodes, they would select the final eighteen players and form the Star of Italy Team!
At the end of the program, the Star of Italy Team would face EFL Championship side Millwall, the England U19 National Youth Team, and the first-team squad of Premier League giants Arsenal!
That's right. You read that correctly!
Millwall were a mid-table EFL Championship side. The previous year, they had defied all expectations to reach the FA Cup final, where they finished as runners-up and attracted widespread attention.
But the team had also fallen apart as a result, with several key players poached by bigger clubs.
Millwall had brought in a number of new players, so they would need time to gel this season.
Lorenzo Tagi had played for Millwall in the latter part of his career, so the two sides had hit it off right away.
The England U19 side were even more impressive. They had also reached the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup the previous year. Though they had narrowly lost, they had still achieved the best result ever by an England national team in an international tournament.
They were strong, with several star players in the squad, including some who played for top clubs.
The English had agreed to take part simply because their players needed to prepare for next year's European Under-21 Championship. One more match would serve as a warm-up.
Besides, England, a pioneer in football hype, was quite fond of the Star of Italy program.
If the Star of Italy Training Camp made a good impression in Italy and across Europe this year, then an England training camp would probably be launched next year.
The English were passionate about creating stars.
Of course, the real shock was the Star of Italy Team's final match.
Arsenal!
One of the Premier League's super clubs!
They had one of the best coaches in the modern game, one of the best forward lines, and one of the best youth academies!
Getting the chance to play against a top team like that would be the biggest "reward" of the Star of Italy Training Camp!
Just imagine it: you faced a team of that caliber, put in a brilliant performance, and caught Arsenal's eye. You could go from nowhere to joining a top club overnight!
It was a match that could change the fate of many players.
With Arsenal involved, the Star of Italy Training Camp had both commercial and competitive value, drawing attention from across Europe.
For a while, news about the program was everywhere.
One day, word got out that Perotta, the Wolf King of Roma, would join the training camp as one of the mentors!
The next day, it was confirmed that Ancarelli, the Prince of Zebras, would also be a mentor!
Alongside the three founders, this star-studded lineup of mentors was enough to get everyone excited.
Before long, the list of young players selected for the program was finally announced.
The European football world erupted.
"Canyes, 19, a Juventus player who plays right back. He spent last season on loan at a Serie B club, making thirty starts and recording three goals and nine assists. He's a rising star with tremendous speed and excellent dribbling. Last season, he was the second most successful dribbler in Serie B!"
"Jan Lahm, 19, a Liverpool academy center back. He's faster than any other center back, and he impressed in the EFL Championship last season. He's thought to be good enough to become a regular for Liverpool within two years. His future is bright."
"Eddie Parrott, 22, an important member of Porto's forward line last season, when they finished second in Primeira Liga. He clocked the third-fastest sprint speed in the league. A speedy striker who knows how to find space, he's excellent at taking his chances!"
"Troy Ceballos, 20, an important member of Ligue 1 side Monaco's midfield and attack last season. He can play as a winger or an attacking midfielder. He's fast and technically gifted, and there are rumors that at least three La Liga clubs are interested in him. He's valued at as much as seven million!"
"David Soguer, 21, a Milan academy striker. He made five appearances for Milan last season and scored one goal. He's Milan's great young hope."
"Difa Versace, 19, a Fiorentina academy product and a versatile midfielder. He's a rare all-around player!"
"Thomas Baizami, 18, an Inter Milan academy player. He's incredibly fast, the fastest young forward of the past two years—without question!"
"Bechir Aguilar, 23, a reserve right winger for Serie A giants Roma. He made fifteen appearances last season, contributing two goals and three assists. Serie C side San Remo previously tried to sign him, but negotiations turned sour."
"Moric, 17, San Remo's midfield engine. He plays with great intelligence, has excellent technical skills, and is especially good at organizing quick attacks. His slight build and deep-lying role have led people to call him the next Maniero!"
"Lu Yang, 16, a San Remo defensive midfielder. His technique is rough, but he's strong in defense and can play several positions, including center back and defensive midfielder. He has scored a spectacular Lumberjack Shot and a bicycle kick from thirty-three meters. This year, he led San Remo to the Serie D title, and his performance in their final league match left a lasting impression."
"He has incredible mental strength. After receiving stitches on the sidelines and returning to the pitch, he scored the first hat trick of his professional career in just ten minutes, leading his team to a comeback victory."
"Of course, what made him famous wasn't Maniero's praise or a style of play reminiscent of his coach, Soto. It was his rumored relationship with Sophia Catina, the famous European actress. The media previously reported that Lu Yang was currently living in Sophia's seaside villa in San Remo! Their relationship remains a mystery!"
The long list of selected players had every fan engrossed.
Canyes of Juventus, hailed as Italy's next great wingback! His dribbling was even more dangerous than a winger's!
Lahm of Liverpool, one of the main contenders for a place in Italy's center-back position over the next decade!
Parrott of Porto, whom some called a young Ancarelli!
Ceballos of Monaco, destined to earn a place in the Italy National Team!
Soguer of Milan, hailed as the next pillar of the Rossoneri's forward line!
Baizami of Inter Milan, Italy's fastest young player!
Versace of Fiorentina, the player with the best chance in recent years of becoming a perfect all-around player!
Aguilar of Roma, a semi-regular Serie A player!
Moric of San Remo, Young Maniero!
Lu Yang of San Remo, the Viola's heir apparent, Butcher II, the toughest man in European football, and Europe's prettiest boy!
Yes, Lu Yang's nicknames didn't contradict one another.
He was a tough guy because of football, and a pretty boy because of Sophia.
The list was simply too enticing. Just its release alone prompted Italy National TV Sports Channel to receive more than three thousand phone calls.
The callers all had the same request: they wanted the program to start as soon as possible!
Some of the players had yet to play a single match, but their market value had already soared.
Of course, this list wasn't the football world's Records of the Grand Historian, capable of gathering every hero under heaven.
Plenty of promising young players had turned down the invitation for all sorts of reasons.
In fact, some of the young players who hadn't come were even better.
The reasoning was simple: true top players didn't have time to take part in a variety show like this.
Players who needed the exposure and hype were usually young men still waiting for their chance.
From that perspective, Aguilar, the Roma player widely considered the strongest in the group, was in an awkward position.
There were older players on the list too, including one who was twenty-four, but almost all the truly outstanding ones were under twenty.
They were the real stars of tomorrow.
At twenty-three, Aguilar was already an "old" young player, and his presence here seemed out of place.
Of course, Aguilar himself didn't see it that way.
His agent thought this was a great chance for him to prove his ability and potential again. If Aguilar beat all these so-called prodigies, he might even get an offer from a Premier League club.
And when that happened... he'd have no choice but to apologize to Roma.
Quite a few players had joined the Star of Italy Training Camp with the same mindset as Aguilar.
But some were only there to earn a bit of appearance money, with no ambition at all. Right, Moric?
"Hey, Lu Yang! Over here! I'm over here!"
The production crew's cars were constantly bringing players to Juventus Stadium, the first stadium in Europe owned outright by a football club. Over the next month, they would train and play matches there.
The production crew was sparing no expense.
"Moric!" Lu Yang embraced the excited Moric.
"Don't you notice anything different about me?" Moric asked smugly, spinning around several times in front of Lu Yang.
"You're wearing a skirt?" Lu Yang asked in confusion. Only girls spun around like that after putting on a skirt.
"I've grown taller!" Moric held up two fingers and said dramatically. "Two centimeters! I'm 174 centimeters now! It's only been a month. At this rate, I'll reach 180 centimeters!"
Lu Yang smiled slightly. "Congratulations. But I've grown two centimeters too. I'm 183 centimeters now. I hereby declare myself the strongest 183-centimeter man on Earth!"
Moric stared at him in dismay.
Damn it!
The thirsty stayed thirsty while the flooded drowned.
You're already 180 centimeters tall. What the hell are you still growing for?
What's next, your magic staff won't stop growing either?
"By the way, have you seen the rankings?" Moric remembered something that made him angry as the two of them caught up.
The Star of Italy Training Camp had finalized its participants. Forty-five players would take part. Once filming reached the group training stage, most of them would be eliminated, leaving only a twenty-four-man squad.
Then those twenty-four would play against Millwall, England U19, and Arsenal.
In fact, only eighteen players from the squad would be able to play.
And even among those eighteen, only the eleven starters would get significant playing time.
Naturally, the selection process called for ratings.
To make the show easier for viewers to follow and to demonstrate their professionalism, the production crew had divided the players into four tiers before they arrived at the training camp. The ratings were based on player statistics, the level of their leagues, and evaluations of their past training performances.
S, A, B, and C!
Only five players had received an S rating.
They were Canyes, Aguilar, Ceballos, Parrott, and Lahm.
Moric had received a B rating.
Lu Yang had received only a C.
There were eight A-rated players, twelve B-rated players, and twenty C-rated players.
Moric was furious about the list.
"They rated Young Maniero as a B! I'm so mad!" Moric said. "I'm the best midfielder, the best!"
Lu Yang didn't like the rankings either, but he knew they didn't mean much.
The training camp would update the players' ratings every few days.
What mattered more was getting a high rating at the end.
For now... it made sense that players from bigger clubs would receive higher ratings than those from smaller clubs. It was an advantage that came with playing at a bigger club.
Of course, understanding the reasoning didn't mean accepting it.
"Hey, look! It's that Inter Milan guy, Baizami!" Moric spotted a new arrival as they chatted.
A Black player, not much taller than Moric—about 175 centimeters at most—with dreadlocks and a defiant look about him.
His name was Thomas Baizami, and he really was defiant.
The media had reported that he had even gotten into a physical altercation with his youth coach and Inter Milan's youth director while at the club's academy. His behavior had been appalling.
He had almost no friends in the youth team. After he left Inter Milan, the other academy players had even held a celebration and gone out for a big meal.
That's right, Baizami had left Inter Milan that very morning.
San Remo had paid 250,000 euros for him to replace Vedian, who had left the club.
Vedian had transferred to Serie B side Benevento for 1.5 million euros, setting a new record for San Remo. He was also the most expensive transfer in Serie B so far this year!
The fee of 1.5 million euros was fair for Vedian's ability and statistics.
Though they had sold him a bit cheaply, San Remo hadn't had much choice.
Benevento genuinely wanted him, and Vedian genuinely wanted to leave. Besides, it was hard for a Serie D player to fetch a high fee.
That was the sorrow of playing for a small club.
In fact, compared with Arnold, who had also been poached by a Serie B team for 500,000 euros, Vedian was doing great!
San Remo had come out ahead in that deal.
But market experts weren't optimistic about whether Baizami could fill the gap Vedian had left behind.
Baizami was a problem player!
He was a hothead!
His talent was undeniable, and his speed was said to be the best among Serie A youth players.
But... he wasn't very smart.
The Inter Milan youth director Baizami had beaten had just posted a diatribe about him, revealing another fatal flaw: Baizami couldn't fit into the team's attacking system.
"He's an idiot! He can't understand tactical instructions. All he can do is dribble and run and run and run! He can't even handle the most basic Overlap Coordination! He has no idea when to cut inside or when to pass the ball. He simply doesn't have it in him!"
"He's a damn Forrest Gump!"
That statement had also seriously damaged Baizami's rating at the Star of Italy Training Camp. The production crew had lowered his rating from A to B.
Of course, no matter what anyone else said, to Moric and Lu Yang, Baizami would be their teammate next season. So the two of them smiled and greeted him.
But Baizami walked past them with an aloof air, showing no interest in getting to know them.
Moric was a little embarrassed.
"Relax. Coldness is a lot of people's way of protecting themselves. For fragile kids like him, it's one of the few ways they know how to guard themselves," Lu Yang said, unfazed.
He was here to play football, not make friends.
As long as Baizami could play well, Lu Yang would make sure he didn't run into any trouble at San Remo.
Otherwise... no matter how well Baizami got along with Lu Yang and Moric, the coach and fans wouldn't like him.
Professional football could be very realistic!