If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 302 Europe's Most Terrifying Stadium (Please Subscribe)
The Ruhr region is a well-known industrial area.

From an aerial view, Dortmund's buildings are generally 4-5 stories high, mostly in modern and post-war styles.

However, Dortmund has transformed from an industrial city into a cultural, technological, and sports center in recent years.

The excellent greenery, combined with some avant-garde wall painting, is still pleasing to the eye and doesn't give the feeling of coal dust filling the air.

The hotel I stayed at in Milan this time was near the business district, so it wasn't too noisy, and I could see the bustling Westenherre Road in the distance. That road has more than 600 shops and cafes, which perfectly blend industrial heritage with modern consumer scenes.

The view outside the window alone is enough to put you in a good mood.

After settling in, the Milan players almost all went to restaurants or hotel cafes along the street.

Our opponent, Borussia Dortmund, is no pushover, so it's even more important to relax at this time.

"Small cities are actually not bad."

Maldini sipped his juice and looked out the window.

"Then why don't you live in a smaller city?"

Lu Deyang asked.

If things had been better in China later on...

Small cities have everything they need; if all else fails, you can always shop online.

You can't buy many things in small European towns.

The stories of those star athletes being taken by their parents to neighboring cities to buy sneakers when they were young remain the same even after ten or twenty years. Towns with only a few thousand or tens of thousands of people cannot support certain aspects of consumption.

With so many commercial facilities, there aren't enough people in the whole city to fill the service positions.

“Doesn’t Fernando also enjoy this peaceful life?” Maldini changed the subject.

Redondo wiped his mouth with a napkin, swallowed the pasta, and then said, "What I like is the atmosphere, but I know I can't escape city life, so I've never tried. That's the advantage of knowing yourself."

Lu Deyang nodded in agreement.

Don't let his artsy image fool you, my good bro.

In reality, he is very rational and understands his own needs very well.

I would never torment myself for the sake of poetry and distant places.

Buffon, chewing on a sausage, said, "Most people would find it hard to adjust to leaving a big city. If you have money, it's definitely better to live in a big city."

Lu Deyang glanced at Baggio, who was resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window.

This guy really doesn't like big cities. After retiring, he bought a farm and went back to his hometown to drive a tractor.

"Their sausages are quite delicious."

Totti suddenly said.

Buffon nodded without saying a word, his mouth stuffed with sausage.

"Be careful, your stomach might not be able to handle too much oily food," Maldini reminded with a smile.

This is all experience.

"The young man should be alright."

"That's what Baresi said, sitting on the side."

He feels it very clearly now. When he first joined AC Milan, he was still growing up and could eat two or three steaks with various side dishes and desserts without feeling tired. But now that he is about to retire, he can't eat much anymore.

Fortunately, the team is now starting to promote eating smaller, more frequent meals, which suits him quite well.

As you get older, you don't have as good an appetite.

"Anyway, it's better to be careful."

Maldini said.

Getting an upset stomach while playing away from home is a real hassle.

There are also mild allergies.

Some foreign ingredients are completely unfamiliar to me, and I don't know if I have an allergy. In severe cases, I might go to the hospital, while in mild cases I might not go to the hospital, but it really affects my performance.

Some players tend to be more careful when playing away games, only eating the food they are familiar with.

"Dejan, have you thought about what you'll do after you retire, or where you'll settle down?"

Maldini asked.

"That's too far off. I haven't really thought about it. Maybe someone will offer me a high price to play football or coach in the future. Where I go depends on who pays the most."

Lu Deyang said with a smile.

"cut!"

Maldini waved his hand dismissively, finding the answer too realistic.

Lu Deyang pursed his lips.

He probably retired when the white-turbaned man threw money around.

But if he achieves good results as a coach, the White Headscarf coach would probably want him to go.

Maldini probably thinks that paying double the salary is what he calls a high price.

If a player of Lu Guowang's caliber retires and continues to achieve success as a coach, he will receive enough attention and his salary won't be much lower than Neymar's.

If they really give him 2 million euros a year, Lu Deyang doesn't believe Maldini wouldn't be envious.

Even if you play football your whole life and invest in Ma Baolu, you wouldn't earn that much money. You can earn that much in a year in the Middle East.

Before long, the topic of conversation at the dinner table shifted to investments.

This is the eternal topic for players.

No matter how famous you were as a player, you can't live a carefree life after you retire and run out of money.

Back in his room that evening, Redondo continued reading.

This is one of his ways of keeping his mind at peace.

Some books are quite interesting to read, especially those with good storytelling.

"Dejan, don't you think that constantly pursuing championships can get tedious?"

Redondo suddenly put down his book, turned around, and asked.

On the other bed, Lu Deyang said with a smile, "How can one get tired of a competition between people? I enjoy the constant victories."

Lei Dong nodded and continued reading.

Lu Deyang turned on the TV; it was too early to sleep.

The German program was quite explicit, but unfortunately he wasn't interested in dragoons.

I randomly picked a movie channel, and it was showing "Escape to Victory".

Redondo, intrigued, also started watching.

This movie features many football legends, and interestingly, the villain is German. The Germans don't seem to mind self-criticizing World War II at all.

The plot is simple: at the end of World War II, a football match is held in Paris between officers and prisoners of war.

Bailey, Sylvester Stallone, and Bobby Moore play prisoners of war trying to escape to avoid being killed.

The original plan was to escape during halftime, but someone decided to defeat the Germans first.

They eventually escaped and dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Germans.

It looks like a fairy tale. Early American sports movies were quite mainstream, praising the spirit of perseverance in sports.

"If it really is Pele and his team, the Germans have no chance at all."

Redondo said with a sneer.

The legends like Pelé in the movie are not as strong as those in real life.

This is rarely seen in movies.

“After all, it’s an American movie, so of course an American has to be the lead,” Lu Deyang said.

Caroline Laura looked quite good at that time.

American movies love to cast Canadians as French people.

The Irish and Italians used immigration.

Europeans are actually not very popular.

Seeing the audience rush onto the field at the end gave them time, leading to a victorious escape.

Comedies set during World War II are quite interesting.

The next morning, after getting up, Lu Deyang saw that Totti and Buffon's room doors were open, and members of the team's medical and coaching staff were gathered there.

"what happened?"

"Have loose bowels."

"Tardelli said with a gloomy face."

"Two people?"

Lu Deyang asked.

"No, only Gigi."

"Tardelli said."

When Buffon, lying in bed, saw Lu Deyang, his eyes revealed a very complex emotion. If he could express such emotions at any time, Buffon could retire and go straight into the entertainment industry.

Totti walked over and said, "This guy has been up all night, even though we ate the same thing."

"Gigi should regret it now."

Lu Deyang shook his head and said.

He knew what Buffon was thinking.

Rossi had been training hard and waiting for his opportunity, and now it's here!

The young player is also worried that he will lose his starting position for good, after all, Rossi is also a capable player.

Hey.

Unfortunately, even the King of Land Balls can't cure this.

Should we tell Buffon to drink more hot water?

Many teammates came over to watch the excitement.

Maldini was surprised that Maldini's prediction was correct, and at this moment he felt a little embarrassed.

He's not the kind of person who curses his teammates.

After all that trouble, they're missing their starting goalkeeper before the match even starts.

In the restaurant, Sacchi reminded everyone, "You all need to be careful not to lose any more players before the match; this is the semi-final."

Many people became serious.

For lunch, everyone chose Italian food.

No one tried it anymore.

"Gigi cried just now. What a coward."

Totti put down his plate and complained, "I told you he didn't need to worry, yet he still cried."

"He's not as confident as you are."

Lu Deyang said.

After all, there's no competition for Totti's position.

Baggio has been playing on the wing and as a striker for the past few years, and it's even more impossible for Totti to make way for a foreign player.

Boban was still playing as a substitute on the wing at this point.

With the Little Prince around, he had no chance to even try going to the mid lane.

But with Rossi around, Buffon would really be scared.

Totti scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled.

After all, they have a good relationship.

Affected by Buffon's unexpected injury, Milan players have become much more cautious.

Nothing else happened when we set off at 3 p.m.

Dortmund fans were shouting loudly outside the window.

They were much more aggressive than when Sampdoria faced them, probably trying to put pressure on the Milan players in this way.

Dortmund's performance in the past two years has given them hope of dominating Europe.

However, if they want to win the Champions League, they have to get past AC Milan.

No team can say for sure that they can beat Milan.

Moreover, it's a two-legged semi-final, with home and away matches to minimize the chances of an upset, unlike the final where bad luck led to an extra-time loss and a golden goal defeat.

This competition format has not been cancelled yet.

If the game goes into extra time this year, the team that scores will still be suddenly eliminated.

"German fans feel more enthusiastic than Italian fans."

Baresi looked out the window and said.

"Tickets in Germany are also cheaper than in Italy."

Lu Deyang said.

Tickets for the Bundesliga have always been the cheapest among the four major leagues.

The season tickets for those London teams are the most expensive.

Lu Deyang saw the statistics for the 2014 World Cup: Arsenal's season ticket cost 2300 euros, and even for a less desirable position, it cost around 1150 euros. Bayern Munich's highest season ticket at the time was only 750 euros, while Milan had a season ticket for 2000 euros, but for a less desirable position, it was only 200 euros, a significant difference.

Real Madrid tickets are under 2000 euros. This also shows that British fans are the richest. There isn't much difference in ticket prices between German teams. Season tickets for the Ruhr duo are about the same as Bayern Munich's, while teams like Wolfsburg cost just over 100 euros for a season. Tickets for Bundesliga teams are generally cheaper.

Fans would certainly prefer to experience the atmosphere of the stadium in person.

Dortmund fans are among the most fervent Bundesliga fans.

Their working-class background dictates that they possess ample passion.

The Milan bus received a lot of greetings along the way.

"I want to report the Germans for plotting a new Nazi scheme."

Redondo said with a smile.

"Then the German leadership will come out and apologize to us tomorrow."

Lu Deyang joked.

The Germans will apologize whenever someone mentions this.

They acted just like the Japanese devils.

When I got off the bus, I experienced the "enthusiasm" of the opposing fans again.

Many Milan players were determined to teach the home team a lesson.

Lu Deyang entered the stadium, where Sacchi was already waiting.

"Deyang, let's go to the press conference and see your old friends."

Saki smiled and waved.

"The Germans might not welcome me."

Lu Deyang said.

He has faced Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in European competitions, and each time the score was high.

It would be a miracle if the Germans welcomed him.

The two arrived at the press conference venue, but their opponent had not yet arrived.

After waiting for about three minutes, Hitzfeld and Stefan Reutt hurriedly arrived and sat down.

"Mr. Sacchi, was today's match difficult for you?"

"What are your impressions of German football, Dejan?"

"Mr. Hitzfeld, do you think you can beat AC Milan?"

"Dejan, what are your impressions of the city of Dortmund?"

"Arigo, I heard your team has a large-scale flu outbreak, is that true?"

"..."

Saki had a face printed on it.

He had no idea where the reporter got such outrageous information.

But he's not in the mood to play games with reporters right now.

The Milan coach grabbed the microphone and said, "My team has no problems. That's all I wanted to say before the match today."

A commotion immediately erupted from the audience.

I didn't expect Sacchi to get upset today.

Sacchi has been quite easy to talk to during this period, and the reporters haven't been worried about this issue.

Upon seeing this, Lu Deyang grabbed the microphone and said, "False news will affect the team. I have seen that you have brought in at least 9 players for AC Milan, 7 of whom are forwards. If this continues, we will only be able to play 2-1-7 next season."

Many reporters laughed along with him.

After all, Milan won the title too early, so they naturally need to give Milan some advice, especially since players like Van Basten and Baresi are retiring and some of Milan's current forwards are not good enough.

Marco Simeone was simply ignored by the reporters.

"So, is there any discussion within Milan about signing players?"

one reporter asked.

"No, the team will discuss this matter before the season ends. I specifically consulted with the team's management."

Lu Deyang said, "Considering player signings during the season will affect the players' performance. AC Milan is a professional football club and would not do something so outrageous."

"Is there anyone you particularly want as a teammate, Dejan?"

one reporter asked.

"I haven't really thought about that."

Lu Deyang said.

"If you could choose randomly, disregarding Milan's current squad, who would you most like to play with?" the reporter pressed.

Lu Deyang thought for a moment and said, "If possible, I would prefer Cesare Maldini. That way, the tenth-ranked Ballon d'Or winner would have to call me uncle, since he and my father were teammates."

Many reporters laughed.

Damn it, Lu Deyang is no ordinary cunning man.

This question is clearly a trap.

With so many great players, if you mention one, you'll offend others, and they'll have good news to write about.

You mentioned Pele.

They could write, "Dejan thinks Pelé is better than XX," since you want Pelé as your teammate.

But answering in a joking manner will obviously not offend anyone.

That's a bit too smooth.

The persistent reporter pressed on, "So, who do you hope Milan will sign in the summer transfer window?"

"Roberto Mancini, because seeing him reminds me that I am also a successful entrepreneur."

Lu Deyang said.

Royt looked at Lu Deyang, who was speaking eloquently, with a hint of envy.

The Dortmund captain and his teammates are under a lot of pressure.

He wouldn't be able to chat with reporters so easily.

Lu Deyang answered a few more questions, and the reporters finally began to ask Hitzfeld questions.

"Mr. Hitzfeld, what are your chances of winning?"

one reporter asked.

Hitzfeld stated bluntly, "Fifty percent, we might win, we might lose. There's no point in asking that question. If I could predict the outcome of a game, I'd be a billionaire and would already own my own team."

Hitzfeld's career was quite successful; he started coaching right after retiring, in his early 30s, which shows his passion for football.

After more than a decade of coaching, Hitzfeld is still under 50 years old, making him a young manager in the football world.

After winning five titles with Grasshopper in Zurich, he returned to Germany to coach Borussia Dortmund.

He deserves a lot of credit for this team's current lead over Bayern Munich.

"Ottmar, your team tends to be defensive. Will you continue to play that way today?"

the reporter asked.

Hitzfeld nodded and said, "Yes, we will try our best to protect our goal and look for opportunities, but I don't want to talk about the team's tactics right now. Let's end the press conference here."

Hitzfeld got up and left, and Lu Deyang and Saki also headed towards the locker room.

"Coach, are you a little anxious?"

Before even reaching the locker room, Lu Deyang asked directly.

Sacchi's condition isn't quite right today.

Sacchi rubbed his temples and said, "We've been on a winning streak for too long. Even the smallest problem with the team makes me very worried, wondering if the worst might happen. I'm even worried that Francisco might suddenly have a stomachache during the game and use up one of our substitutions."

Totti and Ludjohn cooperated very well.

If he could, he would definitely start Totti.

However, if Totti really makes a mistake, not only will it waste a substitution opportunity, but it will also disrupt the tactical plan.

"There's really no need to worry so much. Even if our winning streak is broken, it won't affect our achievements this season," Lu Deyang advised.

"I know, but I can't control my thoughts. Never mind... I'll go back to the locker room first."

Saki patted Lu Deyang's arm and forced a smile as he spoke.

He didn't want to make the players worry.

Lu Deyang didn't ask any more questions and simply pushed open the locker room door.

They were having a lively chat in the locker room.

“Dejan, I said there aren’t many beautiful women in Germany, what do you think?” Albertini asked immediately.

"I support you, Demi."

Lu Deyang said with a smile.

Germany probably has a lot of Slavic or other mixed-race people, but I always feel like there aren't that many pretty girls there.

"See, Dejan thinks so too."

Albertini said with a smile.

"Heidi Klum, buddy!"

Redondo reminded him.

“I think the Brazilian models are prettier,” Albertini said.

Lu Deyang changed his clothes without saying a word.

However, he still supports Albertini.

He has never really liked Heidi Klum's face shape.

Her figure is impeccable, long and slender, which is rare even among supermodels.

This was actually being discussed in the locker room today.

Lu Deyang immediately remembered the small tent.

He thought Götze's girlfriend was quite pretty.

I wonder if I'll be able to draw that genius who mysteriously perished today.

When he bent down to change his shoes, Lu Deyang chose to participate in a lottery.

[Your good friend Roberto Mancini has missed several major tournaments due to his personality, but never due to injury; he's quite lucky in that respect. Therefore, we'll draw a player who frequently misses major tournaments due to injury. Ding! 2013-2014 German Cup Round 4, Borussia Dortmund vs. Bochum, Marco Reus Single Match Trial Card]

Wow, a little rocket.

This can be considered one of Dortmund's representative players.

When they were at Borussia Mönchengladbach, they were also known as the New Marin.

Neither Marin nor Reus had particularly successful careers.

However, Reus's highlights were longer than Marin's.

During his heyday, he attracted the attention of many top European clubs, but he rejected them all.

It's a pity he couldn't retire at Dortmund.

Reus was still very strong in the 2013-14 season.

Despite frequent injuries, Reus delivered a double-double of 20 points and 20 assists, making him a world-class winger this season.

Compared to his technical skills, Reus's positioning was more impressive.

He is a typical player who knows how to find space and often appears in the opponent's danger zone to receive the ball.

Moreover, his passing ability is quite good; he is also a player who can use both feet, just like Lu Qiuwang.

If he hadn't been so frequently injured, he could have reached even greater heights.

It would be quite interesting to see Dortmund's future flag used to challenge the current Andreas Müller and Ricken.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be matched up against Ricken today.

As for that Müller.

Lu Deyang wasn't really that interested.

Years have passed, and Andreas Müller doesn't seem to have grown much. He still has a bad temper and is very arrogant, always taunting his opponents after scoring a goal.

Lu Deyang couldn't help but look at the little prince.

Looking at it this way, the two people's situations are actually quite similar.

Is this a common problem among Genius Number Ten?

"What's wrong, Deyang?"

Totti asked, puzzled.

"It's okay, let's go, let's go out and warm up."

Lu Deyang stood up and jumped around, feeling the tightness of the sneakers before speaking.

One by one, the Milan players walked out of the locker room.

The locker room at the home stadium was also opened.

However, the players from both sides did not communicate and instead went out through their own tunnels.

Even before stepping out of the passageway, you could feel the enthusiastic atmosphere.

Even Ludwig, who had played at Westfalenstadion a few years ago, became serious. You can win here, but you can never win over the fans in this stadium...

(End of this chapter)