Football career: From winning the championship to becoming a legend

When Ricardo saw Cavani's name, he felt inexplicably funny. Was it from old Li Qi's memories of the happy football in which he scored four goals with a great look on his face?

However, at this time, Cardona was still one year younger than Ricardo and had just joined Serie A. He had not yet become the all-around striker and goal-scorer who won three league golden boots in later generations.

In general, Serie A has begun to decline after the Calciopoli scandal. Its small transfer window is not only inferior to that of La Liga, but also inferior to that of the Premier League, which is about to become the world's first commercial league.

This winter, the 6200 Premier League teams used the one-month winter transfer window to recruit and re-adjust their lineups. Although the top teams did not make big moves, they were already at the top of the winter transfer spending list, exceeding 9300 million pounds - or million euros.

Liverpool made some tinkering with their squad, while Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal combined only brought in one player, former Barcelona player and Swedish striker Larsson, who was loaned by the Red Devils.

The real transfer giant is West Ham. After the Icelandic consortium took over, the team had abundant funds and recruited a lot of players, spending a total of 1700 million pounds on buying players. It can be said that they spared no expense in order to avoid relegation.

It is worth mentioning that the transfer of West Ham's Argentine midfielder Mascherano to Liverpool is a special case. Although it has been approved by FIFA, it needs to wait for the final confirmation of the English Football Association. Once the formalities are completed, Mascherano will become a member of Liverpool. The transfer method is loan...

Ricardo took a quick look at the winter transfer situation. Eva had not yet decided where to settle down as her new home, but Sofia didn't care. Everywhere was new, fun, and great.

Eva took a fancy to several detached villas - since her godfather Ricardo would pay the rent, she didn't have to worry about the price - but since Sofia's grandparents were unwilling to leave the small town and move into the city, it would be inappropriate for Eva and Sofia to live in a house that was too big: both Eva and Sofia felt insecure, and it was impossible for Ricardo to live with them openly.

So while Eva was still struggling and selecting, Ricardo decided to take Eva and Sofia to choose a school first, but the school tour would have to wait until next Monday.

Before Ricardo took Eva and the others to visit the school, the 2007/1 Spanish Football League resumed on the evening of January 6, 06. The 07th round of the league started with three matches, including Sevilla's away challenge to Zaragoza.

Juan Ramos sent out the full lineup except Li Qi, goalkeeper No. 1 Palop;

The central defender combination is No. 14 Escude and No. 2 Navarro, the left back is No. 3 David, and the right back is No. 4 Alves;

The double defensive midfielders are No. 8 Poulsen and No. 11 Renato, the left midfielder is No. 6 Adriano, and the right midfielder is No. 15 Navas;

The two forwards are No. 10 Fabiano and No. 12 Kanoute;

Ricardo did not travel with the team due to injury.

With this 4-4-2 main lineup, they were the best team in La Liga in the first half of the season, even beating Barcelona and Real Madrid. However, most of Sevilla's players had just returned from vacation and were not in very good shape. In addition, Zaragoza had performed quite well in the past two seasons, so they were in a tough battle from the start.

The home team broke the deadlock in the 14th minute. Alessandro took a corner kick from the right side, and former Real Madrid defender Diogo headed the ball from 6 yards out. The ball hit the far post and bounced into the net. This was his third league goal this season, helping Zaragoza to lead the visiting team 3-1.

After falling behind, Sevilla organized a counterattack, but they always failed at the last moment.

Alves passed the ball, and Fabiano shot with his left foot from 20 yards on the right side of the penalty area, but the ball went wide of the far post.

Paulson passed the ball and Renato shot high from 25 yards in the middle.

After the home team stabilized its position, it began to threaten the visiting team's defense through counterattacks.

Diogo made a cross from the right, and Diego Milito headed the ball from the front point but it went wide of the post.

In the 37th minute, Zaragoza passed the ball smoothly and Everton's right-foot shot from the top of the penalty area was slightly higher than the crossbar. The first half was very intense, but the pass success rate was less than 8%, and the game was a bit chaotic.

However, in the second half, Zaragoza's rice striker successfully seized the opportunity in the melee!

Zaragoza extended the lead in the 51st minute. Diogo made a cross from the right, and Diego Milito's header was blocked by Navarro; the ball still bounced back in front of the Argentine striker, so Milito shot again from 10 yards. Although the shot was saved by Palop again, Diego Milito's third shot finally shot the ball that bounced in front of him again into the net!

This is his 12th league goal this season, and Zaragoza leads Sevilla 2-0!

Juan Ramos then sent Puerta and Maresca to replace David and Navas to strengthen the attack. After the two came on the field, they did improve Sevilla's hardness and breakthrough ability, and gradually gained a greater advantage in the chaos.

Fabiano and Kanoute had chances to score in the penalty area, but they missed the goal. However, Sevilla managed to pull one back in the 71st minute.

Alves broke into the right side of the penalty area and made a low cross. The home team goalkeeper Cesar and the defender tried to intercept the ball at the front point but failed. Fabiano, who was lurking at the far end, shot into the empty goal from close range and scored his seventh goal in the league, helping Sevilla to narrow the score to 7-1.

After that, Sevilla continued to attack wildly, but they were unable to score a second goal... So in the last minute of the game, Sevilla, feeling frustrated and helpless but very proud, had no choice but to lose both the game and face.

In the 95th minute, Diogo and Fabiano had a verbal disagreement near the baseline and started to talk back to each other. The dispute then gradually developed into pushing and punching each other... The two sides officially started a fight which attracted the attention of their teammates. Fortunately, the players of both teams did not escalate the dispute and pull the two apart. They were both sent off with red cards.

最终萨拉戈萨以2比1的比分力克联赛领头羊，近6轮首尝胜绩，塞维利亚则是3连胜遭遇终结，仅领先少赛2场的巴萨3分。

Ricardo, who was watching the game, was also a bit helpless. His injury couldn't help, and indeed after returning from vacation, it was obvious that the whole team had not yet recovered to their best form and hadn't found the rhythm.

On the second day of the game, Raiola also brought Pimenta to visit, mainly to discuss several matters that Ricardo had arranged before; in addition, Pimenta's help was also needed to arrange Sofia's schooling, so Ricardo did not hide Eva and Sofia from them.

But Pimenta, who was also conquered by the cute Sofia, looked at Ricardo with a strange look, which made Ricardo feel a little embarrassed.

Raiola looked calm. After all, as a well-known agent, he had dealt with many mistress stories of star players. Although it was rare to see someone like Ricardo who could play with multiple women and was relatively harmonious, there were some who did. As for those who were more complicated and even more messed up, there were even more.

After saying hello and exchanging contact information, former flight attendant Eva served tea and fruit to everyone before taking Sofia out to play, leaving the conversation to Ricardo and Raiola.

Raiola first asked Pimenta to take out a medium-sized luggage bag and put out a lot of products inside.

Ricardo knew at first glance that it was a sports fashion brand product jointly created by himself and Nike, because the RR logo was printed on the packaging of all the products.

Raiola: "The first batch of samples of your sports fashion brand has been developed and produced. They are all what you urgently need, such as shin guards, plate socks, elastic self-adhesive bandages, tights and tops. We brought a batch of samples for you to try first..."

Ricardo: "Oh? It's finally out? I can't help but try it out! Not bad, it generally meets my design ideas and aesthetics, and the craftsmanship is also good. How much does it cost?"

Raiola: "Currently, the patterns are made directly in the design studio in Milan, which is more expensive. If the trial is good and the products are mass-produced, Nike will arrange for them to be produced in the OEM factory in China. The cost will be reduced by 85% compared to now, and the cost of a single piece will not exceed 3 euros.

Ricardo: "Damn, is OEM in China so cheap? The price-performance ratio is too advantageous, and the profit margin is quite good! Later on, we will make shoes, clothes and other protective gear, and sports equipment. We want to be the most professional and fashionable one!"

Raiola: "Well, this slogan is good. I will give feedback to the current brand operation team..."

"In addition, Nike also thinks your ideas and designs are great. They have decided to assign an experienced operations team to be responsible for the early development of the co-branded brand. The experience store will also open in Milan in three days, on January 1th - this is the auspicious day your father asked a Chinese Feng Shui master to calculate, and he said you believe in this. It just so happens that you have sick leave, so you can go back and attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony. After all, it is your own business."

Ricardo: "Well, that's good. It's good to have Nike's help in the early stages... But I told you that I need to find professional talents to manage my projects and funds. Do you have any recommendations?"

Raiola: "Yes, we are looking for them, but your requirements are too high. Is it necessary to set such a high threshold given your current industry situation? Not only are such talents hard to find, but the price they demand is also high..."

Ricardo: "We need to look at things from a development perspective. It's true that our temple is still small for now, but believe me, next year our family will be different. We must have high-end talents who can control the overall situation to help us. Please keep an eye on it! Although there is no rush, we must be prepared for any eventuality. We can talk about it first. I believe that their increase will be greatly reduced next year..."

Ricardo was modest, but he was actually quite proud: My business is small? That's because I didn't tell you the whole story. Wait, when the financial crisis comes next year, there will be a lot of high-quality talents waiting for me to recruit. But I must keep an eye on them first, or else they will be snatched away by other companies!

Raiola: "Well, I admire your habit of preparing for a rainy day, Ricardo; don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on it. Before Christmas, I just recommended a talent to your uncle Charles, Bruno Bernard, a Frenchman with extensive experience in serving charitable organizations and institutions. He also knows a lot about football and has good connections in European politics and football. I also appreciate your concept of setting up the European Football Healthy Development Foundation..."

"And don't worry, he is one of us. He fully understands your ideas and has given you a lot of specific and actionable suggestions. Your uncle has seen it and said it's pretty good. He plans to try it out for a few months and should start taking over the establishment of the foundation soon."

Ricardo: "Okay, as long as you and my uncle trust him, let him do it first. If he does a good job, we will never treat him unfairly. I will go back to Milan in a few days to see if I can meet him..."

Raiola: "Well, I don't need to go there in person to handle these matters. I can let Pimenta contact you. But there is another matter. I must hear your most honest opinion first. Of course, you can think it over and then reply to me, but it has to be quick. The other party wants to receive a reply before the Champions League knockout round starts."

"It's a strong team in a certain island league. They want you to join them next season..."

Ricardo: "Oh? Did I contact you secretly? I see. My Nordic brother also called me a few days ago to ask for my opinion... So what's your suggestion, Uncle Mino?"

Raiola: "Oh? You know? That saves a lot of trouble. Yes, they asked for our opinions through a third party. I think it's a good thing for you. They are very sincere. Although their leader may retire at any time, as long as he doesn't retire, the team's stability and combat effectiveness are guaranteed; and their original core players are old and leaving, and it's time for a replacement..."

Ricardo: "Well...let me think about it for two days and tell you the answer when I return to Milan."

Raiola: "That would be great. See you then..."

The day before Ricardo's RR sports fashion experience store opened, the first leg of the Spanish King's Cup round of 16 was also held, with Sevilla visiting Rayo Vallecano.

Juan Ramos used almost the same starting lineup from the previous game - except for Fabiano who was suspended due to a red card, hoping to activate the main lineup through a victory, but in the end the two sides ended up with a dull draw, and David also sprained his ankle during the game.

The performance of the Sevilla team is still not ideal. It is obvious that they are still looking for their form after returning from the holiday. It seems that the first half of the season went too smoothly, and the players were too relaxed during the holidays.

Juan Ramos also has some regrets because last season was too smooth. The final three-game winning streak successfully took the lead in the league. The whole team was sunny and positive, so he gave the team two more days of vacation. Unexpectedly, the team couldn't find the rhythm when they returned in the second half of the season.

In addition, the organizer and offensive core Ricardo was injured during self-training during the holiday, which also had a small impact. Although he should be able to resume training on the weekend, I don’t know if he will not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the whole team and thus affect the subsequent games...

However, Juan Ramos has no time to think too much, because the 18th round of La Liga will be held in three days. The main striker Fabiano is suspended due to a red card, and Ricardo has not yet recovered from his injury. He can only hope that the new aid Korzakov will integrate into the team as soon as possible.

Ricardo, who secretly returned to Milan to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of his own sports fashion brand experience store, did not attract much attention. After all, Chiara, Sarafina and Julian were all in Milan at the time! Ricardo, who was afraid of leaving clues that would be difficult to explain, just wanted to finish his business quickly and return to Spain overnight.

Ricardo met with Uncle Charles and also had a meal with Bruno Bernard. After a preliminary acquaintance, Ricardo was quite satisfied with this head of a charity foundation with brown curly hair; however, whether he has the ability or not still needs time to test...

Ricardo also quietly talked to Raiola after the opening ceremony of the experience store and gave the answer he had thought about while taking Sofia to experience the school in the past few days:

"Well, I am not opposed to changing leagues, but I need to confirm with Barcelona first whether they can guarantee my starting position. If they still cannot guarantee my starting position next season, then please help me submit a transfer application... As for a certain strong team, you can give it priority as long as you agree to my three conditions: 1. Starting position, 2. Let me participate in the 08 Olympics, and 3. Once the boss retires, I will be allowed to leave at the original price..."