"Why isn't Lu Yang rated a ten? Why a nine-point-five? He deserves a ten!"
"Now that's a true genius! Can you believe Lu Yang was rated only C before?"
"No, he isn't a genius. He's a powerhouse! He's on a whole level above geniuses!"
"Forget Lu Yang—Baizami is definitely worth more than a B, too!"
"Moric orchestrated everything and completely controlled the match. He could even set the team's tactics. His understanding of football is absolutely genius-level. He deserves an S!"
"How can you not give S to an all-around center forward like Soguer?"
"If Aguilar can get an S, then Versace definitely deserves one too!"
"Honestly, the B team players were incredible. They played a perfect match under pressure!"
"The A team players were disappointing. They put themselves ahead of the team, and that's unacceptable in football."
"My God, did you see Lu Yang's distance covered?"
"Fourteen kilometers! He ran almost twice as far as Aguilar!"
"Iron Man, no doubt about it!"
"He didn't look tired at all. I even think he was faster in the last few minutes than he'd been earlier!"
"Sarvic covered 12 km, too. The B team ran the equivalent of one and a half players more than the A team! There's no way they could lose!"
The audience had been completely won over by the B team's performance.
That match had propelled Lu Yang's rating to A.
It had also won many of the B team's players a huge number of fans.
Lu Yang had also earned the random reward pack for winning the match.
He opened it.
He refused to believe he'd get another defensive skill. If he did, then the system was really picking on him.
"Ding! You've obtained a star-level skill: Cristiano Ronaldo's Knuckleball!"
Lu Yang's eyes lit up.
Ever since he'd scored a free kick in the thirty-eighth round last season, he'd tried to score more.
But free kicks were extremely difficult, and he couldn't score from them consistently.
Now, with a skill to help him, he might be able to shore up that weakness.
At the very least, he could give it a try when Moric wasn't striking the ball well.
As time passed, Star of Italy's ratings continued to climb.
It wasn't just football fans. Plenty of people who didn't watch football had been drawn in by the young men playing the game.
Meanwhile, with the final three matches approaching, all of Europe had started paying attention to the show, especially the English.
The teams Star of Italy would face next were all from England.
At the Star of Italy Training Camp, players left every day until only eighteen remained.
On the day the squad was finalized, Lu Yang was elected team captain by a landslide.
At the suggestion of the five mentors, the team settled on a formation.
3-5-2!
Lam anchored the defense, giving it a solid foundation.
Lu Yang and Moric formed a double pivot. They could share the workload and cover the gaps in the channels.
Sarvic played as an advanced midfielder. But judging by his and Lu Yang's playing styles, the two of them would likely swap positions often, creating a central attack with two distinct styles.
Of course, the 3-5-2 was relatively straightforward in attack, so it didn't offer as many variations.
The formation's real weapon lay in its two wing-backs.
They could push up as wingers or drop back as full-backs. With the right players, they could create a powerful attacking channel down either flank. But if the players weren't good enough, the formation would lose its attacking threat entirely.
Fortunately, both Star of Italy's left wing-back, Ceballos, and right wing-back, Canyes, were genuine S-level players. Few youth players were better than them.
Soguer and Parrott formed the front two: one tall, one fast—a classic combination.
Soguer would serve as a target man or an aerial threat.
Parrott would be the striker who finished the job in a single strike.
Baizami waited on the bench as their secret weapon.
Of course, they had little choice.
Baizami was extremely fast, but his inability to combine with his teammates was a fatal flaw.
Any attack down his side would practically grind to a halt, without combinations or variation.
So Baizami was best used as a substitute, usually when the team needed to risk everything.
The lineup also sparked heated debate across European football.
France's France Football: Monaco wonderkid Ceballos leads an unconventional Italian national youth team into battle in England. The fearsome lineup is out! Can the Devil Wings take flight and tear Championship side Millwall apart?
Monaco, the biggest selling club in the Top Five Leagues, had made staggering profits in the transfer market over the past decade—far more than the clubs most people thought of as selling clubs.
They had a real knack for finding and developing young players.
Ceballos would undoubtedly earn Monaco a fortune, too.
Germany's Kicker: Porto's wonder striker Parrott, a target for Dortmund, leads an unconventional "Italy U19" into battle against England U19. Let the show begin! Who are you backing?
Kicker had been the first to coin the phrase "unconventional Italy U19," and it had caught on.
That was because, although Star of Italy had players like the twenty-two-year-old Parrott and the twenty-one-year-old Soguer, Lu Yang brought the team's average age down to nineteen.
In that light, it wasn't so clear who'd have the upper hand when they faced England U19.
Spain's AS: Juventus youngster Canyes has a bright future ahead of him. He'll lead Star of Italy into battle in England. Barcelona is reportedly monitoring the young player, who can play in several positions, including right-back and right wing-back.
Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport: Milan youth product Soguer leads the starting lineup, Viola youngster Versace plays as the attacking midfielder, and Soto's favorite anchors the midfield. This lineup could become reality in five years!
Italy's Tuttosport: Italy's midfield duo reunite! Young Maniero and Young Soto herald the dawn of Italian football's revival! The Italian Football Federation should secure Moric right away!
The idea of an "Italy National Team midfield duo" caught on almost instantly. But it also raised a question.
England's The Sun: Chinese-Italian, Croatian, Senegalese... An international mercenary squad of Italians takes on England U19, but England U19 will still emerge victorious!
See? That was the problem... Several players on Star of Italy weren't Italian citizens.
Baizami, for example, was Senegalese.
And Moric was Croatian.
Of course, even someone like Lu Yang, an Italian of Chinese descent, still had a choice. He wasn't necessarily destined to join the Italy National Team. His Chinese heritage gave him a chance of obtaining a Chinese passport in the future.
So when The Sun called Star of Italy an international mercenary squad, it was a jab at them.
But really... comparing Star of Italy to England U19 was a little unfair.
How long had Star of Italy even been training together?
And they weren't Italy's best youth players, either. They were just one group among many.
There were plenty of better young players already in the national team or playing for top clubs. They had no need to join a reality show just to get more exposure.
So Star of Italy could only be called Italy U19's second team. They weren't the country's true elite.
But England U19 had plenty of players competing in major leagues.
Players with Parrott and Ceballos's experience and ability were standouts on Star of Italy. On England U19, they were the norm. Otherwise, why would you be selected for a national youth team?
As the debate raged outside, pressure on Star of Italy naturally mounted.
Before they knew it, the team had come to shoulder the honor of Italian football.
The program makers had originally planned these three matches purely as a gimmick. The results hadn't mattered.
But now... Star of Italy could no longer afford to lose.
If they did, they would tarnish the reputation of Italian football as a whole.
The consequences would be far too serious.
And after two years of decline in Serie A, the Italian people were even less willing to accept that Italian football was still on its way down.
Since Maniero and Soto had left the national team, Italian football hadn't won in a long time.
This time, although it wasn't an Italy National Team match, every Italian was treating it like one.
They didn't want to lose.
In the dorm room.
Lu Yang and the other four still shared a room.
Before bed, Versace suddenly asked, "So, Lu Yang, would you play for Italy?"
Lu Yang thought it over. "I don't know. I'm not good enough yet for that to be a decision I need to make. Of course, some people want me to play for Italy, while others want me to play for my homeland. It's a difficult choice."
"But even if I play for Italy now, I think I'll play for my homeland someday, too."
Versace smiled. "It doesn't work like that. Youth competitions are one thing, but once you've played for Italy's senior national team, you can't represent your homeland anymore."
"FIFA is revising its rules on national team eligibility," Lu Yang said. "They'll probably change that rule. After an eight-year cooling-off period, a player might be able to change nationalities and compete internationally for another country."
Soguer laughed. "Eight years? Who can wait that long? That's not realistic."
Lu Yang didn't say any more. They could see what happened down the road. Who knew? Maybe even in his thirties, or nearing forty, he'd still be good enough to represent his country.
After all, to put it bluntly, even a forty-year-old European star could become a starter or even a key player for China's national team!
By that reckoning, Lu Yang's career could last for three or even four eight-year periods.
There was always a chance.
But everything was uncertain, too.
"What about you, Baizami?" Soguer turned to him.
"Of course I'd rather play for Italy!" Baizami answered honestly. His home country was poor, and once he'd come to Italy, he'd never planned on going back.
"Moric, what about you?" Soguer asked next.
He'd been acting a little strangely that day.
It was as if someone had told him to ask these questions.
"I want to go home," Moric said after a moment's thought. "My family is all in Croatia. They miss me, and I miss them."
Moric's situation was different.
"But Croatia... isn't very peaceful right now," Lu Yang said, thinking broadly. "I saw a news story the other day saying your country might go to war with... If war breaks out, Croatia won't be able to compete in international tournaments."
Moric fell silent for a moment, then said, "Then I should bring them over as soon as I can. By then, the only thing I might be able to do for my country is donate more money. I'll have to earn more!"
Lu Yang nodded.
Soguer, meanwhile, gradually broke into a smile.
After hearing from Soguer that neither Moric nor Lu Yang was opposed to representing Italy, Maniero spent the whole day smiling, too.
Italy's two midfield stars really might return to the footballing world.
For now, it was just a media-friendly slogan. But years from now, who could say Moric wouldn't match Maniero, or Lu Yang wouldn't surpass Soto?
At the very least, Maniero was sure Lu Yang had a chance of surpassing Soto!
On July 7, Millwall's squad arrived at Juventus Stadium.
Two days later, the Star of Italy Ultimate Trilogy would begin.
The city of Turin felt as if it were on the eve of the New Year. Everyone was buzzing with excitement.
All three upcoming matches would be broadcast live across Europe!
Almost everyone would be able to watch.
Many football legends from Italy and England said they wouldn't miss the matches.
Millwall's players also made their determination clear: "We're a Championship team, one of the strongest sides in the second tier of English football. We're not here to fool around and film a show. We're here for preseason training."
"We'll treat them like genuine opponents and take them seriously. We won't hold back, even if they're a bunch of kids!"
Millwall's manager was even more blunt in an interview: "The engine is the most important part of a car. Our engine comes from the Premier League. He's been called up to the England National Team many times and is an undisputed star!"
"As for those kids' engine, well, it comes from Serie D, Italy's fourth tier. I can't imagine how any great players could come out of a league like that."
"We'll win the match. As for the score, I'll have my players ease off in the second half."
Their arrogant, brash manner was just like English football itself.
Rough, but powerful.
Little Moric, for one, had something to say about that.
Moric said, "I may be an engine from a lower league, but I've got plenty of horsepower. I hope Millwall can keep up with our attack. Don't go saying we're picking on old men!"
"As a team cobbled together from the ground up, I don't think Millwall is any different from us. Maybe their players have more experience and are stronger, but our players have more talent and inspiration. We're eager to beat Millwall, and we believe we can win. Millwall are just here for a preseason run-out. Our mindsets are different, and that'll show in the way we play."
"Fans, as my good friend Lu Yang would say, I've seen this match before. We win!"
Moric's response thrilled the media. They had another juicy topic to run with.
For the next two days, football outlets all over Europe argued back and forth, and the excitement never let up.
The argument continued right up until the match between Star of Italy and Millwall finally kicked off!