Chapter 5

The next morning, before Siena's morning training, Chen Yu waited at the entrance of the stadium for Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn was just getting out of a car with the head coach, Maridimo. Seeing Chen Yu, Mendelssohn whispered to Maridimo, "This is the Chinese person. He wants to try out for our team."

Maridimo, 55 years old, from Milan, Italy, had coached 12 teams in the second and third divisions, with extensive experience in lower leagues. However, because there were many Chinese manufacturing workshops near his residence, he had no good feelings towards the Chinese, believing they were lawless and uncultured. Without waiting for Mendelssohn to speak, he said disdainfully, "Chinese, your skills are only good enough for the Chinese second division. Here, you can only play in amateur leagues. I'm sorry, but I can't let you try out, as that would be a waste of our time."

Chen Yu, who had not really expected much from joining Siena, was still angered by Maridimo's attitude. "Coach Maridimo, Chinese football is indeed low, but it's certainly not worse than your amateur football. Not all Chinese players are inferior to Italian players."

Maridimo sneered, "OK, then prove it to me. If you can prove you're better than Italian players, I'll personally apologize to you."

Chen Yu replied with a cold laugh, "I don't need your apology, but I will prove it to you." With that, Chen Yu held his head high and left the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

In a beautiful two-story villa in the wealthy district of Tramonti in Florence, Gao Fei was diligently learning Italian from a young, tall Italian female teacher. His agent, Uncle Zhang, was sitting nearby reading a book. Gao Fei, with a foundation in French, was learning Italian quickly. The teacher often praised him, and the class atmosphere was very harmonious.

The grammar lesson ended quickly. The Luxembourg teacher took her payment and left. Gao Fei stood up and let out a long breath, "Damn, I haven't even mastered French, and now I'm learning Italian. Do they think we foreigners are all linguists?"

Uncle Zhang, whose real name was Zhang Shubin, was originally a translator for a club in China. He later became an agent and now managed half of the Chinese players playing in Europe.

"Learning more when you're young is never a bad thing. No one can play football forever. You need to have a backup plan," Uncle Zhang said calmly.

"Uncle Zhang is always right..."

Gao Fei was smiling when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was a call from his new friend, Chen Yu.

"Chen Yu, hello. Is there something wrong? Did the tryout fail?"

"Yes, they didn't even give me a chance to try out."

"Oh, it's nothing. To Italians, the only people who can play football are Italians. Chinese people don't understand football at all. I'll introduce you to Fiorentina 1926. I'm sure you'll like the team."

"Okay, thank you, Gao Fei."

"Don't thank me yet," Gao Fei waved his hand. "We'll see. Having a fellow countryman in the same team is a good thing. I've been here for a few days and haven't really connected with the foreigners. Besides, your position doesn't compete with mine. If I were a forward, I wouldn't let you join."

Gao Fei's straightforwardness impressed Chen Yu, who chuckled, "Since you put it that way, I won't say anything formal. I had Xu Fei record a match yesterday. I'll bring it to you. In the professional world, you can't just talk; you need proof."

Gao Fei said, "Of course. In foreign countries, you can't rely on connections. But I made a copy of Xu Bing's tape. Do you have any other videos? If so, give them to me."

Chen Yu hesitated and shook his head, "No, I don't."

Gao Fei said, "Oh, even just this one tape will be enough to impress Mr. Vesmes. I'll talk to Uncle Zhang and get back to you."

"Okay, see you."

"Xiao Fei, who were you talking to?" Uncle Zhang, who had been listening, sounded a bit puzzled.

"Chen Yu, Uncle Zhang, the one I told you about this morning, the guy I saw playing in the park."

"What kind of 'high person'?" Uncle Zhang, used to Gao Fei's exaggerations, said calmly.

"Today, my childhood friend was beaten up by some foreigners while playing football. He asked me to help teach those arrogant foreign students a lesson..."

"What? You went to play in a pickup game again? I've told you many times not to play in pickup games. It's very dangerous. They're not professional players, and they don't know how to play gently. You could easily get injured. You're at a critical point in your career. If you get injured, your whole life could be ruined."

Zhang Shubin's nagging, like that of Tang僧 (a character known for his incessant lecturing), made Gao Fei's head hurt. He quickly said, "Yes, yes, Uncle Zhang, I won't play in pickup games again. Please let it go. Oh, about that 'high person,' his skills and awareness are incredible. I've never seen a better forward in China. I want to recommend him to the club."

Uncle Zhang's attention finally turned to Gao Fei's topic. "Are you serious? That's impossible. Siena is not a big place. If there were such a Chinese football talent, I would have known. Even if I didn't, the scouts would have found him."

Gao Fei took out the tape and slapped it on the table. "You see for yourself. His awareness is incredible, like he's been playing professional football for years."

"You're exaggerating more and more..." Uncle Zhang picked up the tape, put it in the VCR, and turned it on. His eyes were glued to the screen, "Hmm, he's really good. How can he play so well? Xiao Fei, does his style remind you of anyone..."

Gao Fei laughed, "He doesn't remind me of anyone, he's like a beast. How can an amateur play so well?"

Uncle Zhang wasn't in the mood to joke. He said seriously, "His style is very similar to the famous Chinese forward Hao Dong. Look at how he dribbles and breaks through; it's very similar."

Gao Fei's expression also became serious. "Exactly. I was also surprised. I'm planning to recommend him to Fiorentina 1926. It would be a waste for someone like him not to play professionally. We have great chemistry, and I think he could easily be a starter at Fiorentina 1926... Hey, what are you thinking, Uncle Zhang..."

Uncle Zhang seemed lost in thought and didn't respond. When Gao Fei called his name, he snapped back to reality. "I'm not thinking about anything. Xiao Fei, your position in the team isn't solid yet. Don't worry about these things. Focus on training, and I'll handle it."

Gao Fei laughed, "Uncle Zhang, I just want you to talk to Coach Vercellino. We need a good forward to partner with Rigano. Coach Vercellino has been worried about this."

"It seems Vercellino has found a candidate," Uncle Zhang said. "But give me this person's phone number. What's his name?"

"Here's his phone number. His name is Chen Yu."

"Okay, I'll remember that. I'll take the tape and show it to Vercellino to see what he thinks."

Uncle Zhang seemed a bit distracted.

Gao Fei said, "Alright, I'll leave it to you, Uncle Zhang."

Uncle Zhang smiled, "No problem. We're all Chinese, so I'll do my best to help. Dinner is ready. Let's eat. I'll talk to Vesmes tomorrow and see what he thinks, then we'll decide."

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