Chapter 244: He Can Be the Next Ronaldo
Juventus failed to pull off another miracle for the rest of the game, with Inter Milan's fearsome defence holding the score at 3-2 until the end.
When Ibrahimovic fired the ball into the air with a last-ditch shot, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game.
It's just a league, it doesn't decide who wins it, and the winner is happy or not ecstatic; The loser will not cry, but secretly gritted his teeth and hoped that he would be embarrassed again in the next round.
Juventus players made their way to the dressing room, while Inter Milan, led by captain Zanetti, saluted the fans.
At the bottom of the North Stand, Ricardo simply threw his jersey and shoes into the stands on a whim, causing a scramble.
It's a good thing that there is a scramble, which shows that he has been recognized by the fans.
Considering he's only played 10 competitive games for Inter Milan, that recognition hasn't come easily.
Just as he was about to walk towards the dressing room, Ronaldo was stopped by a tall figure.
It was a 1.95-meter-tall Nordic man, and there were many jokes about him, and his various coquettish remarks were widely circulated.
Zlatan. Ibrahimovic.
Now 23 years old, he still looks a little young. The smile on his face was special, it was the surprise, apprehension and adoration of the naughty boy who saw his idol, "Ronnie, can you exchange jerseys with me?" Ibrahimovic shouted.
"Yes, you're doing well." Ronaldo was in a good mood after the win, he smiled and nodded, took off his shirt and handed it to Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic also handed Ronaldo his shirt: "You played fantastic, I could watch 100 replays of that goal. You're my idol, Ronnie, and it's an honor to play with you. β
Ronaldo smiled: "You're great too, Ibrahimovic. β
"You can call me Zlatan," Ibrahimovic looked at Ricardo again and raised an eyebrow, "You played very well, little one." If you still perform like this next time, I will ask you to change your shirt. β
Ricardo smiled and said, "Okay." I've heard of your name for a long time, and I'm looking forward to the next fight, and I hope you can have a performance that is refreshing for me. But I hope that after the next fight, you won't call me the little guy again. β
For those who worship Ronaldo, Ricardo always has a particularly good impression. This can be regarded as a gathering of likes.
"Haha," Ibrahimovic laughed, "I'm older than you, so it's normal to call you a little one." Even if you can really reach the height of your brother, you are still a little guy in my eyes. β
"Okay," Ricardo shrugged helplessly, "big man, see you later." β
"Goodbye, little one."
At the post-match press conference, Mancini's emotions were high. The team has been drawn before, so he has a phobia of press conferences, and he always doesn't want to face the questions of reporters. Today, Inter Milan played beautiful attacking football (in his eyes) and won the final victory, and he can finally raise his eyebrows again.
Capello lifted his glasses and said a bunch of clichΓ©s with a blank face: "Congratulations to Mancini, Inter Milan played very well today, they deserved a win." We had some chances and we made some mistakes and I think a draw would have been fairer, but that's how it is sometimes. β
'Ronaldo is still the best striker in the world and Vieri, Adriano and Ricardo are also fantastic, they dominate the game.
'We also made an offer to Sao Paulo in the summer, but we didn't talk to Ricardo in terms of personal treatment, so unfortunately we missed the opportunity to sign him, and I think Ricardo would be a good fit for my tactics.
"Ronaldo is still the best player in the world today, not one of them. And Ricardo showed potential that was not inferior to him. Roberto Mancini has a good hand, and Juventus are not bad either, so let's see at the end of the season. β
Finally it was Mancini's turn, he was flushed, and the first question from the reporter made him furious: "Congratulations, Inter Milan won the game today." But I personally think that winning is not convincing, what do you think? β
Mancini raised an eyebrow: "I think our victory was impeccable. On the contrary, Juventus didn't play as well as I thought, and their goals were mainly based on luck. β
"But Inter Milan's midfield is very disorganized, all three goals were achieved by relying on the passing cooperation of a limited number of players and the individual ability of the stars, and the performance of the back line was a disaster."
"I don't think we have the same standards." Mancini held his breath and almost didn't burst into a foul mouth.
Fortunately, the attitude of others is better. In the 10 games he played, Ricardo contributed nine goals and 12 assists. How would you rate his performance? β
'His performance was phenomenal, not just in this one, but in the previous games. I believe he can be the next Ronaldo," Mancini said without hesitation, "and of course he has to continue to work hard to turn his talent into strength." β
"Now you have too many good attacking players on your hands, Ronaldo, Adriano, Ricardo, Vieri, Recoba, Cruz, Martins, Keeley. Gonzalez, Van der Meyde...... Do you feel the distress of happiness? β
'Yes, they're all good enough to have a place in the starting line-up, but I have to make a trade-off. I'll decide who starts based on how they're in training. Mancini said insincerely. In fact, who will play is not just about the state in training, but also about many factors: the likes of the fans, the preferences of the club's hierarchy, the game between factions in the dressing room......
"Will Ricardo continue to start?"
'If he continues to perform like he did today, for sure.'
"Why didn't Veron start today? Do you no longer trust him? β
"It's a tactical necessity. Sebastian is a very good midfield maestro, he has enough quality to lead the team forward, but we have to face different opponents and sometimes different tactics, so he has to understand that not every game I will start him. β
β¦β¦
After this game, Inter Milan have 21 points from 4 wins and 9 draws, climbing up one place in the standings and narrowing the gap to Juventus to 10 points. AC Milan beat Chievo to 28 points and close the gap with Juventus.
So far, Inter Milan remain the only unbeaten team in Serie A. Although Mancini's team has not played well many times, they have always been unbeaten, which is also a kind of ability.