Chapter 233: Chapter 233
"This is simply a dream season, I never thought I could perform a hat-trick in Serie A!"
"The feeling of scoring in front of the fans at Meazza is just amazing, I will never forget the moment the fans in the north stand chanted my name. At that moment, my body was trembling, my blood was boiling!"
"But I know, if it wasn’t for Tang Long’s help, I wouldn’t have scored so many goals, let alone start for Inter."
"Tang Long has brought me to a height I never originally thought I could reach, this is very clear to me."
"As a teammate, I sincerely hope he can continue to stay at Inter Milan next season and fight alongside me!"
"God bless, may we both stay at Inter next season, or if Tang Long transfers, please bless us to go to the same team together!"
The excellent performance of the young Bonazzoli has also attracted the attention of many teams.
But unlike Tang Long, most of the interest in Bonazzoli comes from mid-to-lower tier Serie A teams.
Verona once privately contacted Ronaldo, hoping the great Ronaldo would help transfer Bonazzoli to Verona.
After all, their 38-year-old veteran striker Tony is set to retire at the end of the season.
The legendary Tony, with 22 league goals this season, has left Verona eagerly wanting to introduce a strong and reasonably priced center forward to replace the retired Tony.
Udinese, who secured safety two rounds in advance, also extended an olive branch to Bonazzoli.
They claim they can offer Bonazzoli a starting position, with a post-tax salary of 1.1 million euros, more than doubling his current annual salary.
Besides that, teams like Atalanta and Cagliari are also interested in Bonazzoli, including him in their scouting reports.
Add to that the article by Sky Sports’ senior media person Dilata, who called Bonazzoli the successor of the great Ronaldo, which sparked a small buzz in Italy.
Seizing the opportunity, riding this momentum, Ronaldo first proposed Bonazzoli’s renewal request to Inter Milan’s management.
The great Ronaldo’s offer: 2 million euros, contract extended to 5 years!
Inter Milan is seriously evaluating Bonazzoli’s status within the team.
The negotiations between both sides are in a tug of war.
Sporting director Ossilio promised to give the great Ronaldo a definite answer before the season ends.
While things are taking shape with Bonazzoli, for another client Tang Long, Ronaldo is in no rush.
Despite clubs like Real Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Barça discreetly contacting Ronaldo.
Inter’s sporting director Ossilio also occasionally probed for information from the great Ronaldo.
But regarding Tang Long’s destination next season, the great Ronaldo still maintained his stance of silence:
"I won’t negotiate transfer matters for my clients with any club before this season ends."
By the end of May, in the Apennine Peninsula’s Mediterranean climate, with little rain, temperatures constantly soared, with the perceived heat exceeding 30 degrees for several consecutive days.
Men wore comfortable, breathable T-shirts and shorts, while women’s skirts grew shorter and shorter.
Standing on the streets of Milan, with lush plants in apartment balconies and walls densely covered in thriving ivy, you could feel the sense that midsummer had truly arrived.
Fans’ moods, like the incessant cicadas on the oak trees, have become urgent and impatient.
On Sunday match day, at twilight near a café by Milan Cathedral, Ronaldo didn’t have the time to watch the Milano derby; he was continuously responding to various messages on his phone.
In the square beside the cathedral, hundreds of black pigeons flew and circled around, landing occasionally to forage.
The sunlight hitting the slate pavement in front of the cathedral reflected a faint golden sheen.
A black pigeon, startled by chasing children, flew onto a table outside the café.
Tilted its head, cooing as it looked at the bread crumbs on Ronaldo’s plate.
"Help yourself, it’s all yours." Ronaldo smiled slightly and pushed the plate towards the pigeon.
"Sir, here’s the newspaper you requested." The attendant handed over a newspaper.
Ronaldo crossed his legs and spread the newspaper on his knee.
It was the latest "Gazzetta dello Sport," and Ronaldo’s hand could still feel the warmth from the printing press’s ink machines on the paper.
The headline was prominent:
"30 games, 7 goals, 26 assists, a new king at Meazza ascends!"
Ronaldo skimmed through the content.
"Gazzetta dello Sport" lavished praise in the article, calling him the king of Meazza stadium, leading this 111-year old establishment towards its 4th UEFA Europa League trophy in history.
"Tang Long, at only 18 years old, showcases the maturity of a 28-year-old player."
"From Ronaldo to Vieri, to Milito and Icardi - Inter never lacks strikers, but excellent attacking midfielders are truly rare."
"Tang Long’s arrival has filled this void. The last time someone dazzled in midfield was the Dutchman Sneijder during the Treble-winning era!"
"But Tang Long outshines Sneijder with his phenomenal attacking statistics. By the final round before the Milan derby, the young Chinese has already set an all-time single-season assist record for Inter, while Inter, defying expectations, defeated Juventus and claimed the Coppa Italia title!"