The perfect center forward: Becoming a soccer king from the corner of Chuanu Chapter 111

“Eighth Brother, Lucia is in China. Are we going to the event to grill this lone wolf? This guy is even trying to steal Brother Luo’s most reliable top scorer spot. We must give him a hard time!”

“Absolutely. Everyone remember to watch Old Eight grill him face-to-face at the fan meeting~

We’ll call him ‘King of Wild Shots,’ ‘Lin Daiyu of the Penalty Box,’ and ‘Show-off Extraordinaire’!”

Rubbing his round belly, Li Laoba took out two plane tickets, ready to depart.

Old Eight’s football is very pure; he goes wherever the traffic is biggest!

On July 1, 2017, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the poor uncles and airport staff couldn’t attend the Red Journey celebration on this special day.

Due to the anti-discrimination fighter’s outstanding performance in the Real Madrid fan incident, the enthusiasm of Chinese audiences was very high.

For safety reasons, units under the East China Air Traffic Management Bureau could only restrict the crowd picking up the celebrity to avoid affecting traffic.

Amidst dense crowds, under the protection of staff, Lucia quickly got into a commercial vehicle and headed to Chongming Genbao Base after giving out two jerseys and a quick greeting. He also posted an update on the way.

“Thank you for your enthusiasm, I love my Chinese fans, I hope everyone doesn’t disrupt normal traffic order.”

-[Quality eating broadcast idol, I’m a fan!!]

-[Picture, who else was lucky enough to get a signed jersey like me?]

Wang Dao: [Brother, I’ll take this one. Name your price~]

-[Don’t sell it, upstairs. If you give it to Dao Ge, the market quantity will instantly add a zero!]

-[I didn’t expect so many female fans. In summer, they are really fair and big. I love watching football~]

-[No pictures, no proof? Not professional at all!]

With an internationally renowned star visiting, the positive publicity was booming, and external promotion also added fuel to Lucia’s fire.

Weibo instantly topped the hot search, causing many onlookers to ask, “Who is Lucia??”

As word-of-mouth spread, Grandpa Lu’s fan base continued to grow. This is the passionate market with hundreds of millions of netizens.

Having not been fully satisfied by the first-class meal on the plane, Lucia landed and immediately ate a patriotic meal.

Delicious and profitable~

However, the mental boost from excitement eventually couldn’t withstand the body’s digestive function. The first thing Lucia did after arriving in Chongming was to eat a bowl of large wontons.

The cameraman next to him even provided a narration as Lucia devoured his food.

“One jin of shepherd’s purse, two jin of bok choy, one jin of meat.”

“No crab roe, no shrimp, yet it’s the most flavorful bowl of wontons in Shanghai.”

“It embodies Xu Genbao’s decade of perseverance and his dedication to Chinese football!”

“And the one currently gobbling it down is Lucia, this year’s hottest football rising star.”

“How does this Italian, who can also carve with carbohydrates, rate this bowl of wontons?”

With the microphone near his mouth, Lucia could only end his eating broadcast, “It’s better than Italian dumplings, it’s amazing, thank you for your hospitality~”

His fluent Mandarin was even more standard than Xu Genbao’s, making the service auntie next to him give a thumbs up.

After a simple tour, his first impression was how remote it was, just as Fan Zhiyi said, you could fire a machine gun and not hit a single person.

There was a lecture and sharing session with young Chinese players, a characteristic of the Heavenly Dynasty. In addition, Lucia also reached a cooperation agreement with Genbao Base.

Although he couldn’t afford a £ 60 million mansion, setting up a youth training program to give back to his supportive Chinese fans was a piece of cake.

30% foreign coaches, with the remaining youth coaches mainly recruiting retired athletes who invested a lot of money and effort but couldn’t make a living in football for various reasons.

The locations would be set up in several suburbs of Shanghai, convenient for after-school or weekend activities. The goal wasn’t necessarily to produce players, but rather to foster an atmosphere and provide football-related employment opportunities.

After all, in a system where six hundred million people earn less than four figures, only by being able to support oneself and one’s family is there a possibility of pursuing dreams.

Otherwise, football in China will always be a toy for a small minority, an ivory tower detached from reality.

Ask yourself, would you let your child choose a professional football path with an extremely low success rate and extremely high risks and accidents?

The football path for most ordinary people has been naturally blocked since their birth.

And due to various reasons, even campus football, which is meant to popularize the sport, is generally poorly managed. In short, don’t enter this industry unless your family has a safety net…

Setting up youth training in China, though perplexing, proceeded smoothly.

Although everyone was a bit confused as to why a foreigner who had never been to China could be so fond of this country, there were indeed many precedents of such internationalists, so it was acceptable.

Some love Chinese culture, some love Mao.

And Lucia, whose soul is Chinese and who has made a living from football since his transmigration, should naturally contribute in return with the money and immense popularity gained from his patriotic meals.

Not only did he eat the large wontons on Chongming Island, but Lucia later flew to Guangzhou and had Cantonese dim sum with Lippi, securing a signed national team jersey for his old father, Pinto, who supports the Italian national team.

Boat congee, steamed ribs, taro paste buns, steamed chicken feet with fermented black beans—delicious Cantonese flavors~

“Thank you for your father’s love. I hope you achieve great results with the Italian national team. When you’re about to retire, you can come to China to play for a few years. Football here is developing very quickly, and the salaries are excellent~”

The Silver Fox, Lippi, was enjoying the final leg of his coaching career. In his view, this road, full of both flowers and thorns, would eventually lead to the other side.

“That’ll be at least another twenty years. For now, I hope my salary in Europe can rival yours, a championship-winning coach~” The two exchanged friendly compliments.

“You’ll surpass me soon. If you get a chance, practice your passing timing. You can’t rely solely on your physicality for your entire career.”

The new head coach of the Chinese men’s national team offered Lucia tactical advice, as if Piero’s left knee ligament injury was right before their eyes again.

“Thank you, I will~” Lucia nodded seriously. With his cheat, he would eventually develop his passing. Bread would always be there.

Which center-forward position player has the strongest passing?

He wondered when the system would randomly select a relevant keyword.

The few days in China quickly ended. He landed many commercial endorsements. At the final celebration banquet, Lucia toasted with white fungus soup to thank the Chinese staff who had assisted him.

An hour later, a post titled “Even Lucia Has to Toast” instantly went viral across the internet.

“Lucia, you were born to be an idol~~”

The future perfect center-forward smiled calmly. He wondered who he learned it from. Do you understand the value of the future GOAT of football traffic?

July 4, 2017, Los Angeles, USA

“Lucia, America is my second home. Disneyland has brought back the joy of my childhood!”

His ‘second home’ rhetoric was identical to what he said in China. After all, Lucia, as an anti-discrimination pioneer, had gained a huge number of American fans.

Balancing all markets was the only way to increase commercial offers.

The Italian coming to America to cash in was a minor matter; the main purpose was to finalize the commercial contract details with Disney.

Just an hour later, the final plan for “Frozen” was settled. Lucia immediately took a photo and shared it after getting the authorization contract.

That’s right, Lucia, unable to endure the little radish’s phone calls, sent it directly to his cute sister-in-law via messaging app.

Little girls are so exhausting. His sister Maria was much sweeter!

Putting his phone in his pocket, Lucia followed the general manager to visit Disney’s film production department.

“This film project is very interesting. Can I invest in it too?”

“Of course, you’re most welcome. You can also do a voiceover as an easter egg then~”

Movies aren’t a guaranteed money-maker. Introducing a small shareholder with over a hundred million global fans and getting free publicity was a no-brainer for the project manager, who readily accepted.

Both culture and sports flourished. Lucia, an international superstar, leaned back strategically—he could rival the boss of triiron tetroxide!

And since his soul was Chinese, this film was also a Sino-American co-production. Perfect~

“Mr. Lucia, I’ll see you out here. I hope our Frozen blind box series will be a huge hit.” The general manager of Disney films shook hands warmly, bidding him farewell.

“Thank you. By the way, can I bring a child for the movie voiceover?”

Lucia suddenly had a flash of inspiration. What gift could be more appealing to a little girl than participating in the voiceover of a Disney animated film character?

He wondered how Valentina, who loved Disney princess movies, would react to this news.

The sense of ceremony had to be maximized. Lucia immediately found a design company that day to create a voiceover invitation card adorned with Princess Elsa.

“Sir, please be sure to pay attention to copyright.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to Disney to get their general manager to sign it~”

Lucia revisited before closing time to complete the final step.

The ceremony was complete: an exquisite envelope containing a performance invitation.

He could barely imagine how excited the little radish on the other end of the phone would be upon seeing this.

And this would also make his old rival, Pep, eat humble pie. Truly a win-win situation~

—————–

Holding the exquisite envelope, Lucia was once again escorted out of the company by the Disney general manager to the lobby.

“Hey, Lucia, you’ve been fantastic for the Italian team.”

A well-built woman approached the Italian forward and greeted him.

She had beautiful blonde hair, a good figure, and decent looks, though she was of average height. Her slightly plump legs looked dynamic in black stockings.

Lucia, who enjoyed reading the “Lord Ye Hates Dragons” column on Dongqiudi (All Football), felt that the woman who called out to him looked familiar.

“Let me introduce myself, my name is Chloe, and my father and you should be colleagues~”

Seeing Lucia accompanied by the distinguished general manager of Disney Film Studios, Chloe took the opportunity to strike up a conversation.

“Are you Ancelotti’s new daughter?” Lucia felt his phrasing was a bit awkward.

“Yes, I was also very optimistic about your performance before. Keep it up~” After a friendly exchange, the three parted ways.

The charismatic Ancelotti, though a bit clumsy when smoking cigarettes, looked quite imposing when smoking a cigar.

After helping Real Madrid win their tenth Champions League trophy, he married his girlfriend, Marian, who was eleven years his junior, in Vancouver, Canada, and also became a stepfather to her 19-year-old daughter.

With a sweet love life and a wife who was “like a wolf and a tiger,” it was no wonder that Ancelotti’s career had temporarily entered a low point.

Back in his office, the general manager was stunned by the revenue from the Manchester United blind box project provided by Goldman Sachs Capital.

What on earth happened in these two months? This was too easy to make money!

Disney only tricked children and girls with princess dreams. How did this blind box appeal to both boys and girls?

“Tom, I want all the information on that girl in the lobby within 3 minutes.”

“Boss, I wasn’t there just now. Which one was it?”

“The one who greeted Lucia. Go check the surveillance and retrieve the data.”

Soon, the resume was delivered to his desk. After glancing at the brief information, the general manager puffed out some smoke and spoke.

“Arrange a role for her, say her fellow countryman introduced her.”

“Okay, boss!”

Since ancient times, investing in talent has been a highly profitable business. Leaving a good impression with a small, convenient favor might lead to unexpected delights later.

After all, this month’s sales data on the financial report was too strong, and given the Italian’s rapid rise, he was very likely to become the LeBron James of football.

Ancelotti’s stepdaughter felt a warmth in her heart upon receiving the text message. This was an Italian helping an Italian. She must find an opportunity to repay Lucia properly in the future.

—————–

The following day, Lucia first enjoyed the beautiful Los Angeles scenery at 4 AM, then politely declined the invitation from the boss to take a helicopter for breakfast during rush hour.

Indeed, taking a taxi was much slower than a helicopter, and making Kobe wait for half an hour was a bit embarrassing.

“I’ll pay, for keeping you waiting~”

“On my turf, you listen to me. Honestly, it would be even better if you joined Milan~”

“Definitely in the future, I’ll come to San Siro to watch my games then!”

Both fans of the Rossoneri, they filmed a small commercial together, arranged by Raiola.

Afterward, Lucia posted an Instagram update: “Starlight doesn’t fail those who travel, watching Los Angeles at 4:30 AM with the GOAT of basketball.”

This, however, displeased LeBron, who publicly complained on ESPN about football clubs being too hasty with retiring jerseys and erecting statues.

The petty guy was simply praising Kobe and got triggered.

Lucia, fighting fire with fire, directly reposted a young LeBron’s quote to mock him.

“Honoring Jordan, should all # 23 jerseys be retired??”

Moments later, Lucia, still in the US, received a barrage of “ape-like” attacks. In the fans’ eyes, this footballer had courted death!

The Italian forward, exiled to Golden State, finally went to the famous entertainment city of Las Vegas.

After greeting Neymar, who was playing in a tournament, Lucia played some slot machines by himself, then met up with a “pure American sweetheart” he’d arranged on Instagram to experience the joy of “playing ball.”

Celene, who was Asian and Central American mixed, was better. The pure American was a bit rough, not only with her skin but also her ball skills.

Fortunately, her stamina was good, and she completed a “game” with great emotion, finally being “scored on” by Lucia’s powerful shot.

The voluntary video recorded by the girl was saved by Lucia just in case, to avoid being unable to participate in commercial activities in North America like Brother Luo in the future.

As the live broadcast date approached, Lucia, currently flying on American Airlines to Heathrow Airport, had no idea that his old club, Betway, had already opened a betting market for the Italian’s transfer.

Real Madrid 1:1.8

Manchester City 1:4

Chelsea 1:5

Paris Saint-Germain 1:6

Juventus 1:11

Manchester United 1:13

Others: 1:17

Seeing the odds released, people were a bit confused. How did Real Madrid and Manchester City suddenly become the top two teams?