Year 2004. The year of the European Cup, the year of the Olympic Games.

It was the height of summer in June, and the preparations for the 16 teams participating in the European Championship were in full swing, and the focus of major European media reports was of course on this.

The Gallic Roosters are aiming to defend their titles, the German chariots are re-emerging, the Azzurri are eager to achieve glory again, the uncrowned kings of the Orange Tulips, the proud Three Lions England, the host Portugal who is at the end of the golden generation and the little Ronaldo is making his debut on the international stage, and the Matadors are eager to break through...... There is an endless amount of news to write.

However, transfer rumours of football stars are also rampant, and as in every summer, they attract people's attention and affect the hearts of fans.

Milan Sport: Milan duo are actively in contact with Sao Paulo to try to buy Brazilian supernova Ricardo, and it is reported that Juventus and Real Madrid have also joined the race.

Torino Sport: Fabio Capello is ready to bring in veteran Emerson from Roma while also trying to bring in Ajax star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Marca: Real Madrid are preparing for a big purge, with the intention of bringing in Roma captains Totti and Samoel, and competing with Milan for Brazilian star Ricardo.

As: Florentino made an offer of €80 million to Inter Milan for Ronaldo, which would break the world record for transfer fees if successful.

Daily Sport: Barcelona have extended an invitation to Portuguese star Deco, who plays for Porto, who will be the final piece of the puzzle for Barcelona to win the title.

The Echo: Irving's contract extension is not progressing and may be seeking a transfer.

The Independent: Everton star Wayne Rooney is expected to join Manchester United.

Team report: Chelsea have made an offer of €30 million for Marseille star Didier Drogba.

Kickers: Bayern Munich are interested in a rebuild, with Sao Paulo's Brazilian star Ricardo and Bayer Leverkusen's Lucio among their targets.

These dizzying transfer news have different words, and some even contradict each other, leaving people at a loss as to what to believe.

For example, Ricardo was suddenly linked with the Milan duo, and suddenly he was almost signed by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern, and suddenly it was rumored that Chelsea was interested in him and joined the competition.

It was destined to be a sad summer for fans in São Paulo. Because they let Kaka go last year, and this year they will most likely lose Ricardo.

With Kaka's departure, Ricardo is already a well-deserved number one name in São Paulo, and he has been in excellent form this year, leading the team on multiple fronts. In 39 appearances, he scored 38 goals, led the team to defend the São Paulo state title, temporarily topped the Brazilian league and reached the last four in the Copa Libertadores. However, in the two legs of the semi-finals, they were unlucky enough to be held to a draw by the Caldas team from Colombia, and finally lost 3-4 on penalties and missed the opportunity to defend the tournament.

How São Paulo is willing to lose such a star!

Many fans poured into the Brafonta training base, holding placards.

"Licardo, don't leave us!"

"We love you, Licardo!"

"Stay, God-given son!"

Ricardo was deeply moved, but no one could stop him from leaving this summer to pursue a higher level of football.

Juventio, the team's sporting director, said in an interview: "We did receive a lot of offers, some of which have activated Ricardo's repudiation clause, so we had to accept the offer. However, please be assured that the club has no intention of selling the star of the house and we are in active negotiations with Ricardo to find a solution. ”

It's throwing the pressure on Ricardo's side.

After discussing with Susan, Ricardo also gave an interview: "I love São Paulo, I love the fans, I love the weather, I love the food. There were two voices in my head, one that told me, stay and continue to give great games to the fans here. Another voice told me that it was time to leave, to meet the recognizable style of football, and to try a new challenge. It was a difficult decision, Sao Paulo is a great club, there are fans who love me and it was hard for me to make a decision, really. I need to think again. ”

Although there is no obvious statement in the words, fans can also grasp the hint of Ricardo that he does want to go.

Thousands of fans signed a petition asking Ricardo to stay.

There are also some fans who believe that Ricardo has already contributed a lot to Sao Paulo, and in these two years, he has made 123 appearances for the team, scoring 124 goals and contributing 69 assists. It was time for him to leave. He is not only the hope of Sao Paulo, but also the hope of Brazil, who needs to play at a higher level and improve his ability to lead Brazil to the World Cup in the future.

In the past two years, the team has won five championships (including the Toyota Cup), and he does not owe anything to São Paulo.

At the end of June, the Milan sports newspaper released the news: Ricardo has negotiated a personal deal with AC Milan and is about to sign a contract and will join after the transfer window opens.

As soon as the news broke, many of Ricardo's relatives, friends, and familiar reporters called to inquire.

At this time, Ricardo was participating in the training camp of the Brazilian team to prepare for the Copa America.

When asked about it, he always replied: For the time being, he has not considered the transfer matter, and the decision will be made after the Copa America.

In fact, he does get close to a club in Milan, but not AC Milan.

It's just that there is no agreement with Inter Milan on the issue of personal treatment now.

Farah advised him to play in the Perfect Continent Cup first, and if he can perform well in the Copa America, he may be able to increase the advantage in negotiations and get a higher salary.

This season Ricardo has performed well at club level, but has not performed well in the national team. He played in friendlies against Haiti, Ireland, Hungary and France and World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Argentina, starting two of them, scoring only one goal each against Ireland and Argentina.

This achievement is not dazzling.

So we can only hope for a performance in the Copa America.

……

In Europe, the European Championship is in full swing. England youngster Wayne Rooney, Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, France's spiritual leader Zinedine Zidane all performed well, Italy and Spain failed to qualify from the group, Germany was eliminated by the Czech Republic, and dark horse Greece was black.

With the host Portugal losing 0:1 to Rehhagel's Greece in the final at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, the European Championship also came to an end.

The America's Cup is about to begin.