Turin, the city that ranks in the top 10 of the world's most famous football destinations, should be familiar to anyone involved in football, as it is home to Juventus, one of Italy's two most successful football teams. Compared to AC Milan's glittering seven Champions League trophies, the old lady only has a "pitiful" two championships, but she is the first club in football history to achieve the "grand slam" of three major cups (Champions League, Europa League and European Cup Winners). Not to mention that it has won 31 domestic top-flight titles, second only to Real Madrid and second in Europe's top five leagues, while AC Milan has only 18 league titles. (PS: In reality, this season, that is, the 15-16 season, Juventus achieved five consecutive league titles, tying Real Madrid's record.) ）

It can be said that in the last two or three decades, Juventus has been a calling card and symbol of the city, and indeed of this traditional football powerhouse.

Historically, however, it will be surprising to learn that the Old Lady should have had an even more sworn enemy here than the two Madrid duo today: the Torino Football Club. The team that bears the name of the city also ruled the Apennine Peninsula and created a dynasty in the forties of the last century. Ten of the starting eleven of the Italian national team came from that team, which fans and the media called the "Grande Toro", and this "team of gods" propelled Turin to its peak and created the "Grande Torino" (Age of Grande Torino).

Just when they swept across Italy and won the Serie A "five consecutive championships" (1942-1943, 1945-1949 five seasons, 43-45 two seasons due to World War II, the national competition could not be held), just when they wanted to get rid of their rivals who had won five consecutive championships and continue to fight for the sixth consecutive league championship trophy, the most tragic disaster in football history occurred: May 4, 1949, On their way home from an away match against Benfica de Portugal, the plane carrying the team crashed into Mount Supega near the airport, resulting in the total destruction of perhaps the greatest team in football history, and there will be no more team of gods in the world.

(Again: The author believes that this air crash can surpass Manchester United's Munich air crash and become the most costly disaster for two reasons.) The first is direct losses: the former killed all 31 people on board, including 18 players, 2 coaches, 2 club officials, 1 team doctor, 3 journalists and 5 crew members; In the latter, 21 of the 44 people survived, including Duncan Edwards, who later died after rescue efforts failed, a total of 8 players, 3 club officials, 8 team reporters and 4 other personnel. The second is the follow-up impact: although Manchester United sank after the plane crash, it also won the FA Cup runner-up, and five years later, with the rise of a group of outstanding players such as George Best and Dennis Law, it began to revivenation, and defeated Benfica in the tenth year after the crash to win the team's first European Champions Cup; Torino were not so lucky, and the team fell into a complete slump, and it was not until 27 years later, in 1975-76, that they won the league for the seventh time. Of course, this is more like a return to the past, and since then Torino has been reduced to a second- or third-rate team, occasionally making a difference, but most of the time it has been in the middle of Serie A or even the second division. As for the Italian national team, which was originally based on the Torino God team at that time, it was even worse, in the 1950 and 1954 World Cups, they failed to qualify from the group, and in 1958, they fell directly to the qualifiers. ）

The current president of the Torino team, Urbano Cairo, took over the team in the autumn of 2005 after the team lost its qualification from the second division to Serie A due to bankruptcy, although it was promoted in the first year after taking charge, but returned to Serie B after the league for several years, during which he was repeatedly criticized by fans, and there were plans to sell the team. Fortunately, in 2011, he hired Giampiero Ventura, a well-known veteran coach of Italian football, to return to the first division of the Torino team, and also finished seventh last season, thus securing European qualification after a 20-year absence.

Such a team with a glorious history and now being able to fight in the middle of the Serie A league has sent someone to take the initiative to contact him, which is really a hundred-inch pie suddenly falling from the sky!

As soon as the son of the club president reported his identity, Li Mudi felt that the speed of his heartbeat increased more than doubled, and he almost fainted directly from seven orifice. This is really not inferiority, after all, with his current results in Castilla for most of the season, under normal circumstances, it is considered a gamble to be able to take over a team in the middle and upper reaches of Serie B in the summer, and he must have the full support of Gines behind him. But now that a down-and-out century-old team suddenly appears in front of him, isn't it worth getting excited for a while?

In the following minutes, Li Mudi listened to the other party's unhurried description of his background, and at the same time called up the FM system in his mind and began to check the specific information of the Torino team.

This season, the team has not been able to continue its previous glory, with ten rounds of the league remaining, only 8 wins, 9 draws and 11 losses in the 13th place in Serie A, and the opponents to face are Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and Napoli, so it can be said that they have said goodbye to European qualification in advance. The results weren't bad, but it was time for something to change. In reality, Ventura, who has been in charge here for five seasons, will also leave at the end of the season to take over the reins of the Italian national team from Antonio Conte. In other words, this summer will be the perfect time to take over Turin.

After briefly going through the team information in his mind, Li Mudi hurriedly focused his attention on the conversation. This Valentino Cairo doesn't look old, but his demeanor and deeds are really amiable, just a little familiar, just a little familiar, just when they met, they were talking to strangers about how hard he usually worked, how much he loved football, and how much he ......loved it, and Li Mudi's brain hurt a little, so he finally found an opportunity to interject and asked: "I don't know what you have to do with me this time?" You know that I will be returning to Madrid in the afternoon to prepare for the trial the day after tomorrow. ”

As soon as he heard the other party's euphemistic reminder, the little handsome guy realized that the two of them had been sitting down for a while, but they hadn't talked about anything serious at all. Hurriedly took a sip of the coffee that had cooled down, cleared his throat, and then officially entered the right rhythm.

"I said I was a fan of yours, and it's not a lie. Last year, you coached Real Madrid's reserve team, which scored 10 goals in a single game with 10 different Academy players, and that game caused a sensation, right? ”

This is the first milestone event in Li Mudi's coaching career, and it will naturally be kept in his memory forever, so he naturally nodded and said that of course he still remembers.

Valentino Cairo continued to ask with a smile on his face: "Actually, I really didn't notice you for the first time because of that game, about three or four years ago, my cousin came to Madrid with the then Torino U15 team to participate in a friendly match, I didn't have anything to do with me to cheer together, you were the manager of Real Madrid U15 in that game, do you remember this?" ”

U15 friendlies? Li Mudi didn't pay much attention to the previous identity arranged by the system because of the crossing, and some details even needed the tips of the FM system to remember. However, the game mentioned by Valentino was quite impressive, when the U15 coach at the time was unwell, and Li Mudi took the place of the opponent to temporarily command a game, but because it was the first time he played the role of head coach on his resume, it was still very special. After thinking about it, he nodded again and responded, "Remember, that should have been four years ago." ”

"Haha, it was that game that made me remember you all at once." Seeing the puzzled expression of the other party, the handsome little guy hurriedly explained: "Thirteen or fourteen-year-old children, all rely on their individual ability, running and kicking blindly all over the field, even if there is team cooperation, it is very simple. But you are very different, I still remember about fifteen minutes into the game, you took advantage of a dead ball opportunity, summoned two young players to your side, and pointed them out. Then Real Madrid's style of play was more targeted, although it was still a few simple routines, but every time it hit our target, the game was out of balance in an instant. After the break, you guys were even more like they were reborn, and we were firmly pinned down in the backcourt and beaten up. After 60 minutes of play, the score turned out to be 13-1, and the coach and I had been comforting a few crying little guys on the way back to Italy, which was so cruel! ”

Hearing this, Li Mudi also felt very funny, he was really too rigid at that time, thinking that the game was to win, and he would win a few if he could, and he would never let go of water. However, the youth game is different from the official game before the adults, the former does not focus too much on the final result, but mainly focuses on cultivating children's interest in football. Thinking of this, he hurriedly apologized: "I was so young at the time, I was not sensible, and what I did was really wrong." None of your young players doubted their lives because of that game and gave up football, right? ”

Valentino Cairo burst out laughing, and only when he had laughed enough did he respond: "Only a few of the young players who played at that time are still playing in the development team, and most of them have not continued to develop professionally. Of course, there are reasons for talent, family, etc., but no one can say exactly what role that game played, so it cannot be ruled out that you single-handedly caused the unexpected death of the future emperor superstar. Well...... In this way, you owe a lot to the Torino club! After that, he looked at Li Mudi, who was a little crying and laughing, with a very meaningful gaze.

I had boldly guessed that the son of the club president took the initiative to chat with him, and he may have something to do with that position. So at this time, this kid seems to be playing a sharp edge, is he expressing any meaning? Thinking of this, the smile on Li Mudi's face gradually subsided, and his expression became a little serious.

After thinking about it for a while, I felt that I really didn't have that kind of clever heart, and I couldn't play with those twists and turns, but I was worried that it would be too reckless to ask the other party's true intentions directly, leaving people with the impression of being shallow and uncultivated, and I really didn't know what to do for a while.

Here I have to praise this Italian rich third generation of his grandfather is very rich, very good at dealing with people, seeing that the other party suddenly has no intention of continuing to speak, combined with the content of the previous conversation, he probably guessed what the situation was, smiled and said: "What I said before is undoubtedly 100% true, this time in this not very suitable situation to invite you to talk to me in detail, the first reason is to express my appreciation and love for you, second, It's that I think it's time for the Torino team to completely transform, and you're the one I think is the best leader! ”