In the Netherlands, France defeated Italy through Trezeguet's goal in overtime and won the European Cup after winning the World Cup in 1998, creating the legend of the Gallic Rooster.
The victory made the French rejoice, while the loser, Italy, was dejected.
They were not far from the championship. If Wiltord hadn't equalized the score before the end, there would have been overtime? They would have been celebrating the championship.
This European Cup is a failure for the Italians, and pain is inevitable.
But for several players in the Italian team, they had mixed feelings.
Torture, pain, confusion...
Pirlo, Gattuso, and Materazzi have all been selected for this Italian national team lineup, as well as Zambrotta. Of these four, only Zambrotta is the main player, and among the others, only Pirlo is sitting
He was on the bench, but even on the bench, he did not have a minute of playing time.
In fact, their status in the national team is very unstable.
If you compare the clubs of the Italian national team members competing in the European Cup, you can clearly find that except for Pirlo's four players from Millwall, the other Italian national team members are all from Serie A clubs!
In other words, the Italian national team is dominated by local league players.
In this era, for Italian players, playing abroad is basically equivalent to saying goodbye to the national team. Zola dominates the Premier League, while the Italian national team turns a blind eye.
If Millwall hadn't shined so brightly in the European war that it stings the eyes, Italy might not have recruited Pirlo and others, but even if they did, they wouldn't be entrusted with heavy responsibilities!
In other words, if Millwall now recruits the main players of the Italian national team, the other party may refuse because they are unwilling to give up their qualifications for the national team or their main position.
If Pirlo were playing for an Italian team today, he would probably think about it.
Fortunately, Millwall took them in when they were broke and doubting whether there was a way out in football.
But the real problems before them have reached the point where they feel heartbroken.
Obviously he has performed so well in the club. He has defeated the Serie A giants in the past two years, but he only has very few opportunities to play in the national team. Who can bear this?
Club honor, they are only one UEFA Cup away from winning the Grand Slam, who the hell cares about the UEFA Cup!
Like Pirlo, they naturally hope to go further in terms of national team honors. Their situation is completely different from Larsson. When Sweden participates in international competitions, it is a matter of competition. How far it can go depends on luck. But what about Italy?
It may not necessarily be the first favorite to win the championship, but at least the top five or the top three are definitely. Especially now that Serie A has not yet reached the stage of decline, there are many strong players, all of whom are world-class.
The European Cup is over, Pirlo and others can go on vacation.
But before the Italian national team was disbanded, he told his good friend Gennaro Gattuso, who was in the same room with him, about his troubles.
Gattuso actually didn't feel deeply about it, and the same was true for Materazzi.
Gattuso was originally a substitute in the club, so being called up this time was a blessing from heaven. Perhaps it was because he started in the Champions League final and performed well. After all, the "extra points" in public opinion brought about by that victory were too high.
Already.
Materazzi is self-aware. Although he is not inferior to his teammates in terms of honor, it would be a bit shameless for him to say that he is definitely better than his teammates like Nesta, Ferrara and Cannavaro.
Already.
Pirlo was the starting choice to help the team win the trophy in two Champions League finals. At least, he believed that his abilities were no worse than those of Albertini and Dino Baggio, so he felt a stronger sense of the gap.
He obviously found the wrong person to talk to. Gattuso can't think of the long term now, excluding the shadow of the national team's final defeat. He is full of expectations for the new season. Makelele has transferred and left. It is his turn to take over, and he will not give it to others.
Opportunities, we must firmly occupy the main position!
Pirlo also chose to forget about the national team for the time being and will look at it in the future.
At the same time, Aldrich returned to England after his vacation, but he did not return to London with Ivan. He asked Ivan to find a new house, and he went to Exeter City. Rowling returned
He returned to his alma mater to give a speech and invited him to participate.
Aldrich would not refuse active and open social activities if he had time, and Rowling rarely called to invite her, so he did not want to spoil her interest.
In the auditorium of the University of Exeter, Aldrich sat in the first row of the audience, and Jessica sat next to him, looking up proudly at Rowling who was delivering a speech on the stage.
The success of Rowling's creative career in the past two years has turned her into a public figure. The Harry Potter series has achieved unprecedented success. As her friend, Aldrich is also happy for him.
"As you can see, I'm a single mother, and I've certainly been through some of the lowest moments in my life, but I'm lucky, and I want to thank my friend, Aldrich Hall, for helping me
When I was penniless, he generously donated money to let me continue to create and encourage me. He believed even more firmly than me that I could succeed. Without his help, I might have been lost. He is the most important friend in my life.
, and the most special friend.”
Probably recalling the poverty-stricken period, Rowling looked at Aldrich with a smile but moist eyes, and applause broke out from the audience.
The master of ceremonies then unexpectedly asked Aldrich to come up and give a speech.
Most of the people present naturally knew Aldridge, and when he walked onto the stage, the applause from the audience became even more enthusiastic.
But Aldrich's first words after he stood still shocked everyone.
"She's lying! Don't believe her! Ms. Rowling lied to all of you! She's a liar!"
Aldrich spoke loudly and with a smile on his face.
The whole audience exclaimed, but Rowling and Jessica still stared at him with smiles, not minding his unreasonable accusations at all!
The scene fell into dead silence, as if everyone was waiting for Aldrich to give an explanation.
"Allow me to briefly introduce myself. My name is Aldrich Hall, and I am a football coach. Part of my job is to train young players, and before training them, my colleagues and I will conduct training on the players.
Evaluation, one of which is potential evaluation. If we think this player has potential, then we will do our best to cultivate him. If we think he does not have this aspect
Talent. There is no room for improvement, so we will not waste time. Therefore, I do not have the magic power to make a mediocre person talented. Ms. Rowling just lied. She has potential. She has creative talent, which
It was hers, not given by me. Without me, she could still succeed, and she could still stand here today to give a speech to you and share the secret of her success."
Aldrich's words gave everyone at the scene a false alarm. Many reporters came today. They hoped that Aldrich would actually stage a show of turning against his friends here.
Having experienced a lot of big scenes, Aldridge has absolutely no stage fright here. Even if he is not prepared before, he can still win the applause of the audience.
"I'm sorry, I didn't go to college. I don't have profound knowledge, and I haven't been influenced by elegant arts, but I know that if you want to accomplish something, you need to work hard. I spent 8 years to become a football coach.
, in order to become a successful football coach, I have devoted 14 years, and I plan to continue to devote. Keep working hard. Within the scope of my work, I will see successful people
, those famous stars, I will also see losers, every May. There will be many unknown players given up by the club. Just now I mentioned potential, is potential important to success? Of course it is important, but everyone’s potential
It's different. Like me, when I was 10 years old, I knew that I couldn't become a professional player. If I insisted on playing football, I might be unemployed now..."
"Confusion, frustration, temptation, laziness, etc. are all enemies. Part of my job is to help my players defeat these enemies, make them calm, patient, correct their mentality, and hone their tenacity. These intangible qualities are often
That's the key to success, and look, Ms. Rowling is a great example of that."
...
Although Aldrich's impromptu speech was not necessarily particularly exciting, due to his star effect, he still won applause from the audience. When he came off the stage, many students even cheered. They were probably fans.
At the end of the event, Aldrich took photos with many people present and signed autographs for them, making him even busier than the main character Rowling.
As he walked out of the University of Exeter, a group of reporters who had heard the news surrounded him.
From the day the Champions League final ended, the paparazzi in Fleet Street were searching for Aldridge everywhere. After more than a month, the legendary young coach finally showed up!
"Mr. Hall, the England national team returned home from the European Cup group stage. How do you evaluate the performance of the national team? Is Keegan still suitable to lead the England national team?"
Reporters surrounded him, and of course the topic was about football.
Aldrich was in a good mood today and responded patiently.
"I think the national team just lacks some luck. We should also give Coach Keegan more time. He took over the national team in a hurry. It is too early to draw conclusions now."
"Is the disastrous defeat of the England national team just because of luck? Isn't Neville's mistake in giving the opponent a penalty in the end fatal?"
Aldridge smiled and shook his head and said: "I have coached Millwall for six years. Although the club is different from the national team, I have never put the responsibility on a certain player because of the team's failure. This is unfair.
It’s the team that competes, not individual players. Gareth four years ago, David two years ago, Phil today, you must ask me what I think? My answer will not change, he is not
sinner.
You may not accept my answer, so think about it from another angle. If England advances early, even if Phil makes a mistake or fouls in the last game, so what? Will you define him as a sinner? He is a sinner.
No one can decide victory or defeat in the first two games. He just committed a foul in the last game, that's all. He should not bear the responsibility for the loss for the entire national team. This is too heavy."
After all, it was a player from another team who made a mistake, and it has nothing to do with him. If Aldridge said a few nice words, it doesn't matter whether public opinion condemns him, but it can earn him a good reputation in the industry.
"Mr. Hall, will Millwall introduce heavyweight players this summer? Anelka's agent declares that he is willing to play for you. It would be his honor."
"Haha, I can't guarantee anything else, but Millwall is not interested in Anelka. You can report it directly with my exact words. He will not put on Millwall's jersey, and neither will we."
We need so many forwards."
"But aren't Millwall going to sell Henry? Aren't you looking for a replacement? I know Millwall has Klose, who is very good, but if he can't replace Henry, Millwall is still prepared.
Do you want to choose?"
Aldridge laughed it off and said: "It's nonsense, how could we sell Henry? He scored 49 goals last season, 49! Why should we sell such a shooter?"
"But Henry's agent has announced that Henry will not renew his contract with Millwall. Real Madrid has made an offer of 23 million pounds in player plus cash, and Inter Milan and Juventus have made an offer of 32 million pounds in cash. Millwall
Are you forcing yourself to keep Henry? He only has two years left on his contract!"
Aldrich was really caught off guard.
However, he still maintained his normal expression on the surface, shaking his head and saying: "He will stay at Millwall."
After saying this, Aldrich got into Rowling's car, then took out his phone to call Adam, his expression became slightly gloomy.
