The Godfather of Football

Some people say that everyone has a group personality.

Fabio Cannavaro believes this, because he and Ciro Ferrara both have a very obvious Neapolitan personality, that is, they like chaos and noise. Compared with their teammates who like the quiet countryside, they must choose to be in the bustling city center because it is lively enough.

But strangely, when they go on vacation every summer, their choices seem to be completely different, because they have chosen the beach and yacht for three or four consecutive years. They take their whole family out to sea on a yacht and spend their vacation on the yacht, away from the hustle and bustle of the mundane world.

It must be said that the Neapolitans always retain the strong and unyielding sailor character. Even on the sea with strong winds and waves, they still dare to jump off the yacht and act as the tide-riders cheering for their children in the ups and downs of the sea.

Even though Cannavaro's leg injury has not healed yet, it does not affect his excellent swimming skills on the sea. Ferrara is no less impressive in this regard. The two former Naples teammates have a lot of fun on the sea every day.

Perhaps, all Naples people are born to find happiness in the sea.

After a swimming competition, when they returned to the yacht, both of them were already out of breath, but their expressions were very excited.

"I won, Chiro!" Cannavaro said proudly to Ferrara, "I may not be as good as you in playing cards, but when it comes to swimming, you are not as good as me, after all, you are already in your thirties!"

Ferrara looked depressed. This guy was too shameless, but he couldn't refute it in terms of age. Who made Cannavaro only 29 years old, and there were more than two months before he turned 30?

It has to be said that Ferrara's physical function has declined rapidly in the past few years, especially in Juventus. He gradually stopped playing and became a substitute. This made it increasingly difficult for his body to adapt to the high-intensity professional league, and retirement was already in front of him.

"I heard that Cooper has taken a fancy to Stam. Will it affect you?"

The two sat at the end of the yacht, with their feet soaked in the water. In the distance, his wife and children were still playing in the water. The two families were happy and harmonious, enough to make others envious.

"No, Mr. Moratti told me before that he would not let me leave, and I promised him that if I gave him some time, the tibia injury would heal soon, and then I would be able to play at my best!" Cannavaro looked confident.

Tibial fracture is just a minor injury. Under normal circumstances, as long as a few games are suspended and some low-intensity training is carried out, it will naturally heal. But Cannavaro's situation is special, because after he was injured, Cooper and Inter Milan's team doctor did not let him rest, but continued to play, which caused him to not recover even now.

Injuries also prevented him from showing his due strength in the game. Coupled with the constant changes in Inter Milan's central defender combination at the time, Cannavaro was controversial in Inter Milan during his one year at Inter Milan, especially last season. Cooper criticized Cannavaro by name many times, saying that his performance was very bad.

Because of this, many people are speculating that Cannavaro is likely to leave Inter Milan this summer.

But who will be Cannavaro's new destination?

There were rumors that it was Juventus before, but Moggi now wants to get Chievo's central defender Lerotale. As for Real Madrid, their current focus is Beckham and this summer's Asian tour. Although there are news linking him with Cannavaro, there has been no movement.

More importantly, Florentino's most urgent task now is to find a new coach for Real Madrid.

Real Madrid and Barcelona were competing in the selection of coaches before. They both wanted to get Ye Qiu, but they didn't expect that Ye Qiu chose Chelsea, so the two giants are now starting to step up their pace in finding a head coach.

But this does not mean that Cannavaro's situation in Inter Milan is optimistic.

Last season, Inter Milan already had three central defenders. Cannavaro had no advantage in the competition with Cordoba and Materazzi. Now, Inter Milan is linked with Stam and Lucio, especially Stam, which is undoubtedly more disadvantageous to Cannavaro.

"Don't worry, it's okay!" Cannavaro smiled reluctantly and patted his old friend Ferrara on the shoulder. Rather than comforting Ferrara, it is better to say that he is cheering himself up because he knows his position in Inter Milan.

The annual salary of 4.5 million euros after tax means that Inter Milan's annual expenditure on Cannavaro's salary and benefits, plus taxes, will be as high as 9 million euros, which is definitely a huge pressure that any club cannot bear.

You know, when Cannavaro was introduced with such an astonishing salary, it was after the crazy investment of Lazio and Roma, coupled with the craze of the World Cup, and after Nesta, who Inter Milan had been operating, transferred to AC Milan, Moratti had to make a painful decision under pressure.

But nowadays, the Italian football market generally advocates frugality. If Cannavaro can play the strength of a core central defender, the salary expenditure of 9 million euros is still acceptable. However, judging from Cannavaro's performance last season, this is definitely an expense that even Moratti feels distressed about.

And a very important factor is that Cannavaro's leg injury has never recovered, and he is about to turn 30. Everyone is doubting whether he can return to his peak condition.

Because of this, outside sources have revealed that Inter Milan’s attitude towards Cannavaro is very vague. If a team is willing to bid up to 15 million euros, they can take away the Italian national team player who was worth 23 million euros a year ago. team leader.

But in the transfer market, there are very few candidates.

This is undoubtedly happy and sad for Cannavaro.

He is happy because no one is interested in him, so he can continue to stay in Inter Milan and continue to live with his high salary; what is sad is that he was pursued by countless teams a year ago, but no one cares about him a year later. I have to say it's a big humiliation.

Of course Chiro Ferrara is also very aware of the details. He is also depressed for his friend, but he has no choice. No matter how big a professional player is, he is far less powerful than the club because the latter holds the ownership of the former. , sell it if you want, and it’s hard for you to refuse, unless you want to hang around without dignity.

Just when the two of them were silent, the phone on the yacht rang.

"I'll pick it up!" Ferrara patted Cannavaro on the shoulder and climbed up.

Not long after, I saw him getting out of the yacht, "Hey, Fabio, your phone, Oliari!"

Ogliari, head of marketing department of Inter Milan, is responsible for transfer operations.

As soon as he heard the name, Cannavaro's heart skipped a beat and he remembered this piece of information. Transfer?

He obviously paused and his movements were a little stiff, but he still pulled his legs out of the water and climbed onto the yacht, but his movements were a bit slow, and it seemed as if every step he took was very heavy.

Ferrara patted Cannavaro's shoulder comfortingly at the door, turned and walked to the end of the yacht, leaving Cannavaro alone inside talking on the phone. He believed that there must be many things that Cannavaro did not want to be exposed to. heard.

"Hello, Fabio!" Ogliari greeted on the phone, but there was no laughter like when he saw Cannavaro.

"Hello, do you have anything to do with me?" Cannavaro found it difficult to make his tone relaxed.

"Yes, something happened!" Ogliari was obviously hesitant about how to speak, but finally he decided to get straight to the point, "You know, the club management has decided to make certain adjustments to the business strategy. We want to get a better team. A leaner, more competitive team, that’s the front office’s idea, and that’s Cooper’s idea.”

After a pause, Oliari continued: "We have always gotten along very well with you, and there are some things we don't want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so I decided to inform you personally... "

"...Maybe in the eyes of many people, we did a very stupid thing, but we still decided to sell you because Chelsea offered you a transfer offer of 10 million euros, which allows us to invest in other projects." A place we couldn’t resist! ”

Cannavaro no longer remembers what Ogliari said in the end. The only thing he remembers is that he was like a walking zombie, dealing with Ogliari, and his mind was buzzing. It’s only worth 10 million euros, which is outrageous!

Cannavaro punched the table with an angry punch, which seemed to shake the entire yacht, so Ferrara turned back to look at him, but did not come over, just waiting there. Yes, this is respect.

Soon, Cannavaro called his agent Enrique Federer.

"I know you will call, Fabio!" Enrique Federer's voice was loud.

"I just walked out of Stamford Bridge. I met their head coach Ye Qiu and the agent in charge of this transfer, Eliza Moon. They both confirmed the transfer with me. Yes, and tell me that they have signed an agreement with Inter Milan. Unless you refuse, you now belong to Chelsea!"

This undoubtedly made Cannavaro's originally hopeful heart completely immersed in the Mediterranean. He felt as if all his strength had been drained. He didn't know why it suddenly became like this?

Didn't Moratti promise him not to sell him? Didn’t Cooper say that he wanted double wings and an immobile back line?

"Fabio!" The agent finally found a quieter place where he could talk properly, "I talked to Ye Qiu and he is full of interest in you. He is also convinced that you can reach your peak state again at Chelsea. And he promised that you will not have to cut your salary when you come to Chelsea, it will be 4.5 million euros after tax, and if the team wins the honor, there will be an additional generous bonus.”

"That's a pretty good deal, Fabio!" Enrique Federer concluded.

Cannavaro finally accepted this reality, "But, Enrique, I don't want to leave Serie A, I don't want to go to the Premier League!"

In this regard, Enrique Federer has long expected that the captain of the Italian national team went to the Premier League. This is really too risky and may affect Cannavaro's status and influence in the Italian national team. After all, now Serie A is the number one league in the world, and the Premier League has only risen faster in recent years.

Take a look at who are going to the Premier League, right?

Desailly, Zola, Vialli and others have all passed their prime, and going to the Premier League is considered retirement, but Cannavaro is not yet at the stage of retirement. Another example is Veron, who has been in a slump since he went to Manchester United, and is now desperately trying to escape from the Premier League. It is said that he may join Inter Milan.

"Don't be so pessimistic, Fabio, Ye Qiu is right, many Serie A stars come to the Premier League either to retire or perform poorly, but you also have to see Henry and Vieira, they didn't play well in Serie A, but in the Premier League, they became superstars, and I can see that Ye Qiu and Chelsea are very ambitious."

Cannavaro shook his head vigorously, "I am confused now, I can't think, Enrique, I... Is there no team in Italy that wants to strengthen the central defender? Or La Liga, is there no one?"

Enrique Federer on the other end of the phone hesitated, "There are indeed teams in Italy that want to strengthen the central defender, but you know, the finances of many teams are not satisfactory now, and they may not even be able to play in European competitions, So if you go, you will have to take a big pay cut, and you won't be able to play in European competitions. "

"Real Madrid and Barcelona both want to strengthen their central defenders, but I have had some contact with them. The most important thing for them now is the introduction of head coaches and frontcourt players. You know, this is the tradition of La Liga. Barcelona's president Laporta vowed to introduce Beckham and Ye Qiu before, but now Beckham has gone to Real Madrid and Ye Qiu has gone to Chelsea. He has to find a suitable replacement to appease the anger of the fans. "

After saying so much, the agent's meaning is very clear, that is, if Cannavaro refuses Chelsea, he can only continue to stay in Inter Milan and wait for interested buyers to come, which may make him lose face.

Many times, professional players are so embarrassing. When they are in glory, everyone lifts them up, and when they are in trouble, everyone throws them down.

"Believe me, Fabio, I think you should have a good talk with Chelsea and listen to Ye Qiu's ideas." The agent gave his own advice, and there are both his plans for Cannavaro and his own interests in it, because Cannavaro does not cut his salary, and he can also get his own benefits from it.

"I'll think about it!" Cannavaro sighed.

…………

…………

Just when Cannavaro was still hesitating, Chelsea finally announced two belated transfers.

The official website announced that the team introduced goalkeeper Van der Sar and right back Maicon from Ajax at 8 million euros and 15 million euros respectively. These two players are Ye Qiu's old players in Ajax. Now they are reunited at Stamford Bridge, and no one is surprised.

After announcing this transfer, the Italian Gazzetta dello Sport once again published explosive news. Chelsea launched a strong attack on Pirlo and Nesta, raising the offer for Pirlo to 30 million euros, and the transfer offer for Nesta to 55 million euros. Both transfers were surprising.

But AC Milan's general manager Galliani announced that all offers for Pirlo and Nesta were rejected.

"Everyone knows that we are not short of money. We will not be tempted by the money of nouveau riche. The most important thing for us this summer is to stabilize the team's lineup, further improve the team structure, and continue to attack European competitions and Serie A titles."

At the same time, Chelsea's offer for Arsenal's three stars has also been further increased. Among them, the offer for Vieira has been increased to 40 million euros, and the offer for Henry is as high as 60 million euros. This makes Arsenal hate it. Wenger even directly scolded Chelsea's nouveau riche behavior in the media.

"I believe that everyone will criticize Chelsea's practice of disrupting the transfer market. They want to put themselves on the opposite side of everyone. I can't understand Ye Qiu's behavior. It's just like a nouveau riche!"

Ye Qiu's counterattack is also very simple. You say I am a nouveau riche, yes, I am a nouveau riche, so he offered Henry three times his salary at Arsenal, which will also make Henry's weekly salary as high as 120,000 pounds, and Vieira's salary is also as high as 120,000 pounds.

You know, the Gunners have long been dissatisfied with Campbell's joining the team and getting the highest salary in the Premier League of 99,000 pounds. Chelsea's sudden announcement of raising the salary is undoubtedly salt in Arsenal's wounds, making Vieira, Henry and other leading stars strive for their own treatment in the club's contract renewal negotiations.

Relatively speaking, it is natural for the club to hate Chelsea, but the players will not. On the contrary, they will use Chelsea to exert pressure and increase the bargaining chips.

The most important thing for Manchester United's Ferguson now is to operate Ronaldinho's transfer. When a reporter asked him about his approach to Chelsea, Ferguson secretly mocked Wenger, thinking that he was too petty to do so.

"I welcome more capable head coaches to the Premier League, such as Ye Qiu of Chelsea!"

But within just one day, when the media broke the news that Chelsea turned to Ferdinand after failing to pursue Nesta, and offered the Premier League's top central defender a top weekly salary of 120,000 pounds, Ferguson was so angry that he almost vomited blood. He cursed in the newspaper, claiming that he stood on the same front with Wenger and opposed this practice of disrupting the market.

It was in this storm that Chelsea announced that Danish star Grønsjær had transferred to Birmingham for 2.5 million euros, which was also Chelsea's first income in the transfer market this season.

But soon, Ye Qiu made another move and brought in French left-back Patrick Evra, who performed well last season, from Monaco, France, for 3 million euros. This transfer also announced that Ashley Cole was completely out of Chelsea.

Because, in the official news announcing the introduction of Evra, Ye Qiu commented on the French left-back, "He will be the Ashley Cole of Stamford Bridge!"

That is, when announcing this transfer, Ye Qiu also announced a truly earthquake-level signing!