The clock of the countdown to the World Cup is ringing every second, and the curtain of the quadrennial global football feast is about to kick off in great anticipation.

On the eve of this, Europe, the Italian city of Milan, took the lead in detonating a wave of passion among Italian fans.

The sun is shining, the airport hall is crowded, fans hold up all kinds of slogans, and the most common words are: Welcome home!

When the group walked out of the airport, the cheers suddenly broke out and became louder and louder!

In the airport security, inside the personal bodyguards, the group slowly walked out.

Before the Italian national team left for Asia, Pirlo, Gattuso, Materazzi and Zambrotta took a half-day off leave to leave the national team training base and came to Milan instead.

The four of them are casually dressed, chic and handsome, even if it is Gattuso, they have the charm of an alternative iron man, and the man walking next to the four is in a suit and leather shoes, it is Aldrich's brother Andrew, behind them, there is the Millwall club negotiation team, and Andrew's agent team.

When the four of them walked outside, cheers rang out one after another.

The fans who came here to greet them were divided into two groups, the Milan duo, who welcomed their new signings in a clear way.

The crowd cheered and worshipped, which made the four of them feel a lot of emotion.

When they left Italy and went to England, they were unknown, they were uncared for, they seemed to be labeled as death by the Italian media, and there was no future in their careers in this life, because they left Italy, left European football, the pinnacle stage of world football!

But. Seven or eight years later. They came back like saviors. Joining two of Italy's traditional triumvirate, the expectation is to bring Italian football back to the top of Europe!

The teams from AC Milan and Inter Milan have parked their cars outside, opened their doors and waited for their big-money signing star to sit in.

The four stars who were cheered by the crowd stopped in front of the car and turned around in unison to see an illusory figure appear in the slightly empty and deserted airport hall.

The four of them had misty eyes, as if they saw a tall and majestic person staring them away. That's what they've been calling the "head" for seven or eight years.

There was no goodbye between them, not even after the Champions League final, only a letter delivered to them by Andrew himself in Italy.

The four men had the same letter, a beautiful photograph of the entire Millwall team and their coach together after the Champions League final, smiling innocently, and each player with a medal around his neck trying to get closer to Aldridge, huddled around him, with handwritten words on the back of the photo.

Treasure!

Aldridge made no attempt to keep them. did not move with emotion, knew with reason, and let go freely. Didn't let the much-talked-about transfer turn into a soap opera that everyone hated.

This makes the relationship between the four of them and Millwall and Aldridge in the past seven or eight years even more special and detached.

Italy's sons of heaven have returned to their homeland, to the arms of their hometown fans, to the land they are more familiar with and freer, but they know that in this life, there is a brand in their hearts that has become sacred.

Before parting, Gattuso Pirlo, the two turned around, Materazizambrota, the two also turned around, and the four hugged each other.

"Goodbye."

Materazzi was the first to speak.

"Are you sure? I think it's better not to have a goodbye outside of the national team. ”

Pirlo smiled.

Zambrotta said, "That's because you're afraid." ”

Pirlo tugged at Gattuso and said, "What am I afraid of when he's there?" ”

Gattuso shrugged his shoulders and said, "He's messing with me, I can bully him, you can't." ”

Materazzi turned to get into the car, leaving a word.

"Just clean it up first."

Pirlo and Gattuso looked down and smiled, and they both turned to get into the car.

Four people in two, took the car and left.

All four of them knew in their hearts that today's parting would turn their club careers upside down.

Washing away the sacred dark blue of their eyes, Gattuso and Pirlo walked into red and black, and the place where they stood was called San Siro, Zambrotta and Matera were wrapped in blue and black, and the stage under the sky was called Meacha.

Although it is the same battlefield, if the four of them meet again, they will no longer be brothers fighting side by side, and they will no longer be comrades-in-arms who are fighting together.

The crowd outside the airport dispersed, not only the fans chased the whole way, but also the streets and the media's helicopters reported the whole process.

"The World Cup is less than a week away, but at this time, the two giants of Milan City, AC Milan and Inter Milan will announce blockbuster signings, we report on the scene that the four stars who have played for Millwall for more than 5 years, Materazzi and Zambrotta will go to Inter Milan for a medical examination, Pirlo and Gattuso will go to AC Milan for a medical examination, the transfer has come to this point, indicating that the transfer negotiations between the two clubs and the Premier League giants Millwall have been agreed, I believe that the transfer fee of the four players will be astronomical, maybe the madness of the transfer market last summer will continue to play out this summer, and it will still be Italy that sets off the storm in the European transfer market! ”

The medical examinations of the four players were partially revealed by both clubs at the same time, and Italian fans were soon able to see photos of the four showing their toned muscles and smiling thumbs up during the medical examinations.

Half a day later, Inter Milan was the first to announce the transfer news.

"Materazzi and Zambrotta join Inter Milan for £60 million!"

AC Milan went one step further to announce the results of the transfer recruitment.

"Andrea Pirlo and Gattuso join AC Milan for £70 million!"

The fans in Milan cheered, Inter Milan strengthened their defence and AC Milan boasted the best midfield combination in Europe.

In London, Millwall FC officially confirmed the transfer of four players a little later, and published an open letter to fans after the four parted on their official website.

The Lions fans had a day of shock.

Before the news of the transfer market was boiling, they didn't want to believe it, because it had been many years. Every transfer period. This is where the news appears. But none of them came true, but this time, not only did the rumors come true, but four main players left on the same day!

This scene is very similar to the summer of 98, when the main force of the Millwall half team was divided by the European giants!

The Lions fans were shocked and calmly accepted the reality, and most fans were still grateful for the four for their contributions to Millwall in the past. I wish them all the best when they return to Italy, and the fans are not too worried about the future because they have Aldrich!

"The new season is not yet here, Millwall is the first to bag 130 million pounds!"

Millwall's earning power is too ruthless!

The cost of these four players coming to the team that year was almost zero, and it is understandable to pay salaries, which team does not pay players salaries?

So it's fair to say that Millwall netted £130 million!

This is also in line with Millwall's impression to the outside world, which is simply a model of a club that combines competition and management in the world today!

Finalising the transfer of players before the World Cup is also Aldridge's idea. And the transfer was announced at a time when the team was still in the process of flying to Japan. In this way, he avoided the harassment of Fleet Street, and when the plane landed, he was fully in the role of national team manager and would no longer respond to any questions about the club.

On the other hand, it is also to minimize the negative public opinion impact of the departure of the four generals, and the World Cup will soon be held, and the eyes of the world will focus on South Korea and Japan, and Fleet Street will not hype Millwall's transfer news, giving fans a buffer space, and after the World Cup is over, the news of the transfer of these four people has long been outdated, and everyone accepts it.

The England national team will travel directly to Japan because all their matches will be played in Japan, and according to the shape of the group, the group stage will all be in Japan, and even if they enter the knockout round, future matches will be played in Japan.

An hour before the plane arrived in Japan, the atmosphere on the plane was not as warm as it had been when it set out.

The flight time from London to Japan is a bit grinding, and everyone has to go through jet lag, which is not uncomfortable, but it will be a little uncomfortable in the end.

The players were busy with their own business on the plane, some listening to music, others reading books, and others chatting quietly.

Smack

Aldridge stood in the aisle of the plane and clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the players.

Joe Cole pushed Rooney, who was still snoring next to him, and Rooney opened his eyes and rubbed them, and saw Aldridge facing everyone in the aisle, so he pulled himself up and held his head high.

Aldridge's expression was stern, and after looking around at all the players, he said in a deep voice: "When the plane lands and we step off the plane, our World Cup journey officially begins!" ”

The players stopped their other movements and listened intently, at which point their eyes involuntarily became determined.

Aldridge continued: "As we set off, there were voices from the outside world that set us goals and people who decompressed us, saying that we were young and that we should do our best. But I want to tell you that when we set foot on Japanese soil, when we actually step onto the stage of the World Cup, we have only one goal: to win the championship! ”

Win!

Aldridge spoke loudly, the players breathed sluggishly, and some people showed incredible colors in their eyes.

They didn't dare to think, they couldn't believe that the coach in front of them would say such a thing.

Aldridge looked at Owen and said in a deep voice: "Without the goal of winning the championship, we can't go to the Hercules Cup!" ”

Owen couldn't help but nod.

Aldrich looked at Xiaobei again and said: "Without the belief of winning the championship, we will not be able to burst out beyond our level of combat effectiveness!" ”

Xiaobei also nodded firmly, and the light of victory in his eyes became stronger and stronger.

Aldridge spread his hands and said, "Our goal is the championship, and this is something you should always keep in mind!" Why? If you don't step on that stage with firm conviction, you may give up halfway, you will relax, and you will tell yourself: enough, I can express Xiàn, I can explain to the fans, the top 8, the top 4, for me at this age, it may already be a great achievement! Wrong, wrong, wrong! What is the effort to go further? What is a guaranteed top 8 to meet the standard? What is it that we are still young and is a tempering? F！ If you have such a thought in your heart, we may not even be able to make it out of the group! We're weak, yes, we're young, yes, we're not favored, yes. But why can't we be champions? Why can't it be? Why? I sue all of you that we can be! Is it difficult? Difficult! But as long as we win 7 games, we're world champions! If you have such ambition, such a desire to conquer, and a possessive desire to hold the Hercules cup tightly with both hands! We are crawling, we are kneeling, we are bleeding and legs are broken, and we can go to the top of the world! ”

The players on the scene were completely enthusiastic, and the youngest Rooney stood up directly, clenched his fists and shouted: "I want the World Cup!" ”

The other players also got up and nodded to each other with slightly hideous expressions.

At this moment, they swept away all the different thoughts about the World Cup in their hearts, and firmly and unanimously told themselves: champion! Go for the champion! If you don't want to be a champion, you might as well not go!

The most affected of them was Terry, who also stood up and yelled, it was hard not to be affected by the atmosphere, and he could feel that he was closer to all his teammates, because everyone had the same goal, as if Aldridge's words had made everyone from different parts into a single whole.

And this is a kind of ability and courage that he can't feel in Ranieri, Ranieri is a good coach in his heart, but in terms of ability, Aldridge's impact is more profound and shocking.

You can't help but die for him, fight for him, listen to his commands, accept all his arrangements, Aldrich is like a mad preacher, with a demagogic magic, and that's what a strong team needs! (To be continued......)