Chapter 2258 - 577: Italian Summer

Chapter 2258: Chapter 577: Italian Summer

"Yes, I think the bet is for a meal."

The host in the live broadcast room said.

On the bus, Inzaghi shuffled his cards back into the deck and said, "I’m done, I’m done, my luck is bad today, I’m going to raise a toast."

"Sure, but you need to sign the IOU first."

Ramos held out the IOU.

"Come on, don’t you trust me?"

Inzaghi pointed at his face and asked, "I’m the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, would I owe millions and not pay back?"

Ramos didn’t say anything, just stared at Inzaghi.

Kaka covered his mouth and giggled.

Inzaghi reluctantly pressed his handprint onto the IOU.

Nesta laughed and said, "It seems my luck isn’t too bad today, usually I’m not good at card games."

Kaka rolled his eyes silently.

If you weren’t about to retire, you wouldn’t have lost everything today.

Having teamed up with Huang Kaiwen for so many years, and watching him play, Kaka knew Huang Kaiwen went easy on Nesta.

Otherwise, Nesta wouldn’t have dared to announce his retirement today; he’d still have to earn for a few more years.

Milan City was adorned with lights and decorations.

Though it was daytime, the lingering smoke in the air still conveyed the city’s joy.

Italian fans always have a special fondness for fireworks.

They love lighting them when they’re excited.

Huang Kaiwen greeted the fans, sat down again, and refused to go outside.

No other reason than the poor air quality.

In the live broadcast room, Crudeli was extremely excited. He was shouting and introducing, "Today’s start is from San Siro, ending at St. Kevin’s Stadium. It’s a perfect farewell with trophies from San Siro to welcome a new era. Though St. Kevin’s is a brand new stadium, it’s undoubtedly the best football venue in Europe, no comparison. The AC Milan Club invested heavily to build this modern stadium, a capacity of 100,000 is fitting for Milan’s status as a European powerhouse. Plus, we’ll see the team win the UEFA Champions League on their doorstep next season..."

The new stadium was in the suburbs.

After all, the city center of Milan didn’t have the space to build a stadium.

And St. Kevin’s Stadium wasn’t just any stadium. It had many additional facilities built in phases over several projects.

There’s no doubt that it’s the best stadium in Europe.

The bus finally reached its destination.

Many fans, just like the players, saw the true face of St. Kevin’s Stadium for the first time.

The stadium’s exterior was styled in Ancient Roman architecture.

The design team referenced many historical building renovations, blending the latest technology with Ancient Roman style, grand and majestic, yet symmetrically beautiful.

Enormous arches and intricately carved columns made one feel as if they had traveled back to that era.

Inside the stadium, Nesta asked in surprise, "Where are the lights, why don’t I see them?"

"It’s a concealed design."

Huang Kaiwen said.

To maintain the overall aesthetic, the new stadium tried to minimize exposed modern technology, hiding them without affecting functionality.

It’s not a difficult task.

It just requires spending a little more money.

Huang Kaiwen and the young lady had no objections in this regard.

After all, the new stadium was designed as a landmark meant to eventually become an essential part of Milan tourism.

The money spent would eventually be recouped.

Later, it could be marketed in tourist brochures as featuring design elements excavated from Ancient Roman artifacts, with some stones supposedly used in Roman architecture of the time.

A few stories added for flair.

It took quite a bit of time to reach the locker rooms.

The players marveled at the new stadium’s grandeur.

After changing into their uniforms, they stood at the entrance of the tunnel.

As the performers entered, many Italian players stared wide-eyed in amazement.

Whether they were children or youths in 1990, they shared fond memories of such performances, the opening ceremony of the Italian Summer!!!

Only this time, the performers wore black and red tights, holding Milan team flags in their hands.

Music filled the stadium.

"This isn’t a gentle dance; gathering together to compete, a warm welcome to you from all directions, competing hard on the field..."

Gianna Nannini and Giorgio Moroder’s voices immediately pulled people back to that hot summer.

Nesta’s memories were transported back to that summer, when he was still in the Lazio Youth Team, changing from a forward to a defender, far from being branded a traitor by the fans.

The young Nesta dreamed of winning a youth team championship and being called up to the first team.

At that time, he’d never dreamed of becoming Lazio’s captain.

Nor did he think about the distant UEFA Champions League Trophy.

He only thought about improving himself.

Besides training, talking with teammates about the upcoming World Cup, imagining the Italian stars’ performances.

Many Italian players were lost in memory.

After all, the team’s local players were relatively older.

Then the performer who stepped out left Huang Kaiwen wide-eyed, it was Shakira.

She was still singing "Waka waka," and Huang Kaiwen couldn’t shake the feeling her movements were awkward.

After these performances, Gagliani appeared with a microphone.

He loved speaking in front of fans.

Standing at the center stage, Gagliani said, "Today, club president Mrs. Berlusconi couldn’t make it to the St. Kevin’s Stadium, which is a bit of a letdown, but we’re here to celebrate Paul’s birth."

Boom—

"Paul!!!"

"Paul!!!"

"Paul!!!"

St. Kevin’s Stadium immediately erupted into a frenzy.

Some fans even held up Paul’s number ten jersey.

Huang Kaiwen looked at Maldini, whose face showed a hint of unease.

After all, the Rossoneri used to chant that name in his honor.

No wonder the Yellow Ball King specifically named his son after a close teammate.

Once the cheering subsided a bit, Gagliani continued, "This season we won the Italian Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, Coppa Italia, Serie A, and European Champions Cup—six trophies in total. Now tell me, who are the champions?"

"Milan!!!"

"Milan!!!"

"Milan!!!"

The deafening chants of Milan reverberated across the sky.

The Nerazzurri trying to nap away from their rival’s celebration found it impossible.

It was just too noisy.

Guardiola, on crutches, entered with Cesare Maldini, receiving a warm applause from the fans.

Guardiola’s frequent injuries often left fans unsatisfied with his tactics and starting lineups.

But at this moment, fans were very grateful for everything Guardiola contributed to the team.

Taking the microphone, Guardiola said, "I won many championships with the team, but there were times when I wasn’t on the pitch. So I feel a bit ashamed, I am grateful for your support and patience."

Saying just that, he immediately handed the microphone to Cesare Maldini.

Looking at the magnificent new stadium, it took Cesare Maldini a while to speak, "I am already a relic of the old era; the time ahead belongs to you!!!"

Only then did Huang Kaiwen enter the field with his teammates.

The cheers at St. Kevin’s Stadium were the loudest yet.

Some fans were still chanting Paul’s name, making Paul Maldini, now in the management, visibly uncomfortable.

As they approached the stage, Cesare Maldini handed the microphone to Huang Kaiwen.

With an arm around Nesta, Huang Kaiwen said, "I know and am grateful for your love and expectations for Paul. But Paul is still a child, and his future is long, maybe one day he’ll become a Milan player, but not now. At this moment, we should thank some people for their contributions. Alessandro made saves for the team; that’s just a small part of his Milan career. Let’s thank him for his contributions on the defense and in the locker room over the years."

Sensing the tears he couldn’t hold back any longer, Nesta, smiling, finally wept.