Chapter 219: Chapter 219

Even though Dilata’s Mini Cooper is just a 1.5t three-cylinder,

she drives fiercely and quickly. With a push of the pedal, she was at Tang Long’s apartment in no time.

As she kindly gave him a ride home, Tang Long felt it wouldn’t be polite to just leave, so he invited Dilata upstairs for a drink.

By now, it was the end of May, and under the Mediterranean climate on the Apennine Peninsula, the sun was shining brightly and temperatures were rising.

After arriving at Tang Long’s place, Dilata glanced around a few times.

Once she confirmed there were no traces of any females, she felt comfortable taking off her denim jacket, casually hanging it on a chair.

"Coffee or tea? I don’t have any alcohol here."

Dilata didn’t stand on ceremony either. Holding the black tea Tang Long handed her, she sat directly in the middle of the sofa.

Tang Long sat on the single seat sofa.

Outside, the whispering sound of the oak trees blew in by the south wind, filling the living room through the open balcony door.

In Italy, this Southern European country, people are used to turning their balconies into private sky gardens, thanks to the high average annual temperature.

But Tang Long didn’t have the time or interest to bother with these.

So his balcony was quite bare, offering a stark contrast to those around it, filled with flowerpots.

"Tang, what do you think about your teammate Icardi’s situation? I heard he blocked everyone’s number except yours. Is that true?" Dilata asked while sipping her coffee.

"Mauro is an excellent striker. He’s a good friend of ours, and he’s made a great contribution to the club, scoring many goals."

It was clear that Tang Long was deliberately avoiding these topics, sidestepping with vague and indifferent comments.

Dilata gave a faint smile but did not press further.

She intentionally drove to wait for Tang Long after training not to ask about Icardi but about Tang Long himself.

However, when asked if he would leave Inter Milan next season, Tang Long remembered Ronaldo’s reminder and kept silent.

No matter how much Dilata circled around, trying to pry open Tang Long’s mouth, she couldn’t extract any valuable information after a long time.

Exhaling a long breath, Dilata leaned back on the soft sofa, hands behind her head.

"It seems like all of you Inter Milan players have gone through PR training. It’s really hard to get something out of you for us journalists."

Facing Dilata’s somewhat helpless self-deprecation, Tang Long gave a truthful response this time.

"Isn’t it because you journalists always want to create big news, catching shadows here and there? You can’t really blame us players for that." f .r e\ewebnov(e)(l).c om

Seeing Dilata’s somewhat troubled expression, Tang Long felt a bit soft-hearted.

This Italian beauty went through all this trouble to drive him home just to gather some valuable information for a news report, to complete her work.

Rejecting her so firmly seemed a bit unkind.

"There is news; it’s just whether you’d like to listen to it."

Dilata’s eyes instantly lit up, and she leaned forward.

At that moment, the pendant half-tucked between her cleavage slipped out due to her movement, dangling in mid-air.

At this moment, Tang Long finally got a clear look. The upper part of the pendant was a golden circle, and the lower part was a silver crescent hook.

"Doesn’t this hook hurt being caught in there?" Tang Long suddenly asked.

"What?" Dilata was bewildered.

"Nothing. Don’t you want the news?" Tang Long chuckled, "Let me tell you some big news: Bonazzoli is the next Ronaldo!"

"Did Ronaldo say that?"

Seeing that she couldn’t get any useful news after so long, Dilata prepared to get up and leave.

Tang Long called her back, dialing Ronaldo’s number in front of her, putting the phone on speaker on the coffee table.

"Big bro, tell me about Bonazzoli. Is he the next Ronaldo in football?"

Dilata watched the phone in the call, focusing her attention instantly. Sure enough, Ronaldo’s cheerful laughter came from the other end of the line.

"Hohoho! Of course, he’ll definitely become the best striker in the world. I always believe in his potential!"

Tang Long hung up and said to Dilata, "Now you believe it, right? That was Ronaldo himself speaking."

Dilata looked at Tang Long and Ronaldo playing a double act and couldn’t help but smile.

It really seemed just like he said.

But Dilata, after all, is a seasoned sports journalist working at Sky Sports for six years.

She immediately guessed Tang Long and Ronaldo’s intentions.

"Alright, I heard Mr. Ronaldo myself. I can help you hype up Bonazzoli."

"He is indeed very impressive. In the matches against Palermo and Lazio, he scored four goals in two games, filling the void left by Icardi’s absence. He’s certainly a young player with boundless potential."

Dilata grabbed the denim jacket draped over the chair and slung it over her shoulder with one hand.

"Now you owe me a favor. Next time I interview you exclusively, make sure to give me some big news, or I might really lose my job."

As Dilata stepped out of the apartment building, a paparazzo lurking in the corner snapped photos continuously.

The paparazzo glanced at his watch.

"In and out, exactly one hour. Enough time to have fun."

He then expressed envy and jealousy, "Damn, Tang really is fortunate, managing to date the leading lady of Sky Sports. Jealous!"

Icardi’s training boycott has made Juventus very happy!

As the direct beneficiaries, Juventus no longer have to face Icardi in the upcoming Coppa Italia final.

Icardi is known as the "Juventus killer." Last season, he scored all three goals in two matches against Juventus;

This season, Icardi scored an additional goal in two encounters with Juventus.

In the last four meetings between the two sides, Icardi has been the top scorer among all players.

Now that Icardi is caught up in the training boycott saga, it’s a relief for Juventus manager Allegri.

After all, the most prolific forward in the opposing team can’t play, which is undoubtedly great news for Juventus.

However, Allegri still doesn’t dare to relax, because even without Icardi, there’s Tang Long standing behind him.

Though Icardi hasn’t played in the past two games, Bonazzoli, who took his place with Tang Long’s help, scored four goals in two matches, showing incredible efficiency.

Although three of those goals were against a weak team like Palermo, it indirectly proves one thing: Inter Milan’s attacking power is dispersed and not solely dependent on Icardi.

Sometimes when the team needs a goal, Tang Long can step up, moving from midfield to the frontline, and frequently delivering crucial performances.

Even so, Allegri adheres to the strategy of "respecting opponents tactically while underrating them strategically."

At the pre-match press conference, Allegri expressed his confidence in the team’s pursuit of a treble this season.

"As you have seen, we secured the Serie A championship three rounds ahead of schedule this season."

"I believe the second trophy of the season, the Coppa Italia, will soon be ours."

"This is nothing surprising; it’s just Juve’s normal performance. What I’m looking forward to most is the Champions League final against Barça."

"It’s teams like Barça that are Juve’s real adversaries. Defeating Barça and winning the Champions League is the only way for Juve to lead Italian football to resurgence."

"I’m eagerly anticipating the showdown against Messi’s Barcelona. It keeps me up at night, filling me with passion for my work!"

Allegri purposely placed a significant focus on the upcoming Champions League final against Barça.

Conversely, he downplayed the Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan, as if Juventus winning the Italian Cup is already a done deal.

Allegri’s comments are rooted in his high confidence in the team’s capabilities!

This season, Juventus secured the Serie A title three rounds early, with a dominant nine-point lead over Rome.

Meanwhile, in two league matches against Inter Milan, Juventus maintained an unbeaten record with one win and one draw.

Especially in these two matches, Juventus got into the game very quickly, being the first to score.

In terms of competitive form on the field and player strength, Juventus leads Inter Milan in almost every aspect, except on the frontline. With Icardi present, the attack comprising Tevez and Monata could potentially be on par with Inter.

However, due to Icardi’s boycott incident, this gap has also been erased.

Allegri is declaring to everyone that Juventus’ aim this season is crystal clear: to become the second Italian team, after Inter Milan in 2010, to achieve a treble!

Therefore, the match is highly anticipated across Italy.

The Italian President is reportedly expected to watch the match live.

Meanwhile, fans in China are also incredibly excited!

If Inter Milan can defeat the formidable Juventus, then their genuine Chinese player Tang Long will secure his first league trophy of the season.

This would allow them to proudly proclaim Tang Long as a champion player.

At the same time, CCTV Sports Channel 5 is busily preparing for the match, considering it the most important match of the season so far.

The level of preparation even surpasses that for the Juve vs. Barça Champions League final.

The reason is simple: the match’s exclusive broadcast rights were acquired for 7 million euros by CCTV Sports 5 director Wang Wen from Milan and Sky Sports.

The goal is to capitalize on Tang Long’s popularity and garner significant attention and viewership.

If the hype is well managed and high viewership is achieved, the advertising fees for the program will also skyrocket.

Hence, after a discussion, the channel deemed the nearly half-billion RMB value of the single-match broadcast fee as well worth it.

A week ago, CCTV Sports started frequently airing commercials to boost momentum for the match.

[Inter Milan vs. Juventus, a national derby occurring in the Coppa Italia final!]

[The hope of the entire village! Let’s see if Tang Long can win the first championship title of his career!]