0051 Ousted Mancini

Lu Deyang quickly secured the contract with Nintendo. Accustomed to taking advantage of others, they still paid a small licensing fee, presumably terrified by King Lu's magnanimity. Little did they know that free things are often the most expensive.

Upon returning home, Monica quickly experienced Lu Deyang's passionate enthusiasm, leaving her sleeping flat on her stomach the next morning.

Ring, ring, ring—

Early in the morning, the household telephone rang incessantly.

"Hello..."

Lu Deyang, having fallen asleep only shortly before, picked up the receiver and asked, "What is it? I'm very busy right now..."

"...Uncle Deyang."

"Paul? Why are you crying? Did your father beat you?"

Lu Deyang rubbed his eyes, sat up, and leaned against the headboard to ask.

"The wall has fallen, the wall has fallen..."

Little Vojvoda sobbed as he spoke.

"It didn't crush you, did it? What? The Berlin Wall?"

Lu Deyang finally reacted.

"Yes... Uncle Deyang, this world is terrible. The people of East Germany are about to endure even more oppression..."

Lu Deyang felt a slight headache coming on. As far as this matter was concerned, wouldn't the East Germans rather be reunified? However, there was no need to explain such things to a child with ideals; he didn't need to face the cruel world at such a tender age. The gap between ideals and reality stemmed from the executors, and the big brother itself was barely holding on; where would it find the time to care about the Germans?

After more than twenty minutes, the little fellow's emotions stabilized a bit.

Monica had been woken up by the noise and kept teasing Lu Deyang with the ends of her hair.

"...Long live the united, powerful Soviet Union built upon the will of the people! Free motherland, our glory, the friendship of all peoples builds a sturdy fortress..."

The singing little fellow immediately asked, "Uncle Deyang, why are you breathing so heavily?"

"It's nothing, I'm working out, doing sit-ups... As a player, you can never forget your primary duty, hoo," Lu Deyang said.

"You're right, I should also work out to keep my body in shape. A strong physique is the foundation. If the German Democratic Republic is gone, we can still create a Democratic Italy." With that, he hung up the phone.

Lu Deyang finally breathed a sigh of relief, turning over to discipline the disobedient female knight.

...

"If we don't go out for a day, we're going to starve to death," Monica said, staring at the ceiling.

"It's fine, I called for delivery. The owner of that shop downstairs is a very nice person," Lu Deyang said, turning on the television.

Monica: ...

Was this a matter of whether the shop owner was nice or not? She gave up struggling and said, "Then eat a little less meat."

On the television, the microphone was practically pressed against Maradona's face. Sampdoria's next opponent was Napoli, and the topic generated immense media attention.

Maradona told reporters, "One day Platini is the king, the next day it's Rummenigge, and then Elkjær. They are all outstanding players, how can you compare them? It's unrealistic. I won't say I'm the best player, but I'm no worse than anyone else."

Indeed, this was classic Maradona. King Diego would occasionally show a hint of modesty, but asking him to admit he was inferior to others was simply too much for his pride, which often led to contradictory statements in his interviews.

The broadcast cut back to the studio, and the host said, "Many West Germans—no, Germans—have already fallen. Baggio failed to win, Roma lost their match, and now it's Maradona's turn... We can see that Maradona is extremely confident about the upcoming clash, but this match still revolves around the Germans. Maradona's Puma King series is wildly popular, and the Germans are hoping he can defeat Deyang in this showdown."

"Didn't Americans approach you for an endorsement? I feel like this timing is perfect," Monica asked.

"They probably haven't caught on yet," Lu Deyang said.

Back then, Adidas was the undisputed overlord of the football world.

After finishing dinner, Monica lingered in the bathroom and refused to come out, leaving Lu Deyang amused and exasperated.

When he looked at the newspapers the next day, he finally realized just how massive the impact of this match was.

*La Gazzetta dello Sport*: "Maradona possesses extraordinary talent and leadership, and coincidentally, Deyang is the exact same type of player. Everyone at Sampdoria loves him. Although Deyang's influence cannot yet be compared to Maradona's, he is destined to become a great player. This match is a preview of the struggle for supremacy in the football world."

On page two, they published an exclusive interview with Rivera, who said, "This is an evenly matched contest, and the quality of the teammates surrounding Deyang and Maradona is roughly comparable. I cannot give an accurate prediction, but the war between these two geniuses deserves our utmost attention. Going to the stadium to watch? As long as the Soviets don't march in by that day, I will definitely be at the stadium."

*Corriere dello Sport* specifically interviewed Baggio, who stated, "I know these are two very great players, but what I want to say is that while a genius can be excused from tracking back, Deyang constantly participates in defense, so I think Sampdoria has a better chance of winning. Platini couldn't do without Bonini, Rivera couldn't do without Lodetti, and Maradona couldn't do without Careca and Alemao, but Deyang has never needed fixed teammates. When Mancini was suspended, Deyang was still unstoppable. Perhaps that is the difference between a number ten and a number seven? Deyang can be Maradona himself, but he can also be Careca and Alemao. Anyone who has watched him defend knows I'm telling the truth."

*Tuttosport* simply reprinted a report from *Mundo Deportivo*, featuring a special interview with Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff, who remarked, "I know there are always young talents in football, but comparing them to Maradona is unfair. No one is more talented than Diego. Diego is an alien, and everyone else is merely followers trailing behind."

On the way to the training ground, Lu Deyang discovered that some British people reacted even more intensely than the locals.

At the entrance of the training base, a British reporter intercepted him and relayed a message: "Peter Shilton spent a fortune hoping you'd win. He said he supports you, and many other British people support you too. So do we."

Lu Deyang gave no response.

Solve your own grudges amongst yourselves; King Lu was not responsible for cleaning up that kind of mess. The injustice of a handball was certainly hard for the parties involved to let go of. Yet the Englishmen didn't even bother to offer any sponsorship, only hoping to use King Lu to fight their battles for them.

Did they learn this crap from the Japanese?

Just after changing into his kit, Lu Deyang was called into Boskov's office.

"Coach, is it about the match?" Lu Deyang asked after sitting down.

"Yes." Boskov handed him a cup of coffee and said, "There is a great deal of controversy surrounding Maradona, and news about him always sells well. But you are different; you shouldn't make any public comments about him, otherwise it will only bring trouble."

"I understand, Coach," Lu Deyang said.

With the British making such a fuss now, Lu Deyang couldn't be bothered to get involved.

"Good. Go train, you'll be in the starting lineup," Boskov said with a smile.

Compared to Chiesa, the one-year-younger Lu Deyang gave him much less peace of mind—wait, no, he gave him much less trouble. This young man was far more mature than he appeared. When Lu Deyang first rode his bicycle into the stadium, Boskov had thought he was a troublemaker. Now, looking back, reality was completely different from his initial impressions. If all players were this hassle-free, he wouldn't have to worry about their antics off the pitch at all.

On the training ground, the players were playing rondo, with Mancini acting as the one chasing the ball. It was clear his mood was less than stellar, and his tackles were extremely decisive.

"Hey, are you trying to murder someone, you asshole!" Dodô dodged his foot and shouted.

"This guy is probably miserable about not being able to play," Pari remarked.

His four-match suspension had not yet concluded.

Mancini rolled his eyes.

It wasn't just because of the suspension; lately, there was hardly any mention of him in the newspapers. Even if Lu Deyang performed brilliantly, shouldn't they at least mention him in the reports? Even Bond had his Bond girls!

Reports about Lu Deyang always seemed to pair him with Vialli. Whether it was Vialli or Lu Deyang, he had been the one to get close to them first, which drove Mancini slightly crazy. Originally, it was him and Vialli, him and Lu Deyang. But now it had turned into Vialli and Lu Deyang, while he was left sitting in the stands.

Although he knew that wasn't how things actually stood, it still felt like he was being squeezed out.

When heading home that evening, he didn't even wait for Lu Deyang, riding off on his motorcycle ahead of the others. Upon returning home, he ignored his wife's inquiries and collapsed straight onto the bed.

At that moment, Mancini noticed a photograph in the newspaper featuring Maradona, Careca, and Alemao—the three South American stars.

A flash of lightning went off in his head.

The South American Three Musketeers!
The Dutch Trio!
The German Holy Trinity!

That's it!!!

Now all he needed to do was think of a catchy moniker, anonymously submit it to the newspapers, and before long, Sampdoria would also have a legendary trio that everyone talked about, meaning he would never have to worry about being left out again!