If you are a brother, come and play football

Chapter 172 Investment Master Marco van Basten (Please Subscribe)

"Dejan, you'd better not appear on stage."

After consulting with the team doctor in the locker room, Boskov said.

It doesn't matter whether it's an early or late match; the main thing is to ensure Lu Deyang's health.

"Good coach."

Lu Deyang said.

He felt he was all better, but there was nothing the coach could do about it.

At worst, I can just sit on the bench and chat with my teammates.

"Enrico, you start in place of Dejan. I'll go talk to the referee team about changing the starting lineup," Boskov said.

After saying that, Boskov went to the referee team to change the roster.

Mancini ran over and snatched Lu Deyang's captain's armband, saying, "Looks like we still have to rely on me."

"Be careful, Inter Milan is not easy to deal with today."

Lu Deyang reminded him.

Just understand Matthäus, and combine that with recent news.

That tells you what Inter Milan's current situation is.

The outburst from Manchester United players after they got rid of Mourinho is a case in point.

Inter Milan must be on fire right now. Every player is worried that if they don't perform well, Matthäus will stay with the team. In order to create a good working environment for themselves, Inter Milan needs to show twice the fighting spirit they had in the Milan derby today.

We gave it our all to get rid of our team's best player.

This is absolutely outrageous.

But it actually happened.

"Don't worry, Inter Milan has never beaten us."

Vialli chimed in from the side.

Lu Deyang nodded, but he was still not at ease.

When he came on the field with the coaching staff, Lu Deyang sat on the bench.

He also had a bag of Piedmont hazelnuts and roasted figs that Pezzotti had given him.

Piedmont hazelnuts are known as the king of nuts, with a more intense aroma.

You don't feel anything special when you open the bag, but once you taste it, the flavor lingers on your lips and teeth.

Many chocolate brands and Michelin-starred restaurants prefer to use this variety of hazelnut, so it's not cheap.

Lu Deyang shared the food with his teammates, some of whom had never eaten it before.

This shows how rare this thing is.

Italy exports around 50 tons of nuts annually, and this is just one of them. The price is relatively high, so it's normal that you haven't tried them if you're not from the producing region.

However, once you taste them, you can quickly tell that they are different from the hazelnuts you usually eat.

Just as Lu Deyang had predicted, Inter Milan was a completely different team today. Their spirit was entirely different, and everyone on the field seemed like the protagonist of a shonen manga, fighting with all their might to chase back even when they were beaten.

Just by looking at the comparison between the two teams, Lu Deyang knew he hadn't guessed wrong.

The teammates were careless and will suffer the consequences.

He couldn't help but look at the camera; the Inter Milan players were really going all out to get rid of Matthäus.

This is no longer a matter of working hard.

Dino Baggio received a card for a foul in just the 7th minute.

This is still the San Siro stadium, and even the referee can't stand Inter Milan's actions. At first glance, you'd think it was an English League One team.

Lu Deyang, sensing there might be a problem, opened the system.

I was surprised to see a notification.

[Your good brother Marco van Basten was blessed by fate]

[UEFA introduced a rule prohibiting players from deliberately making tackles from behind due to Tony Adams' foul on you. Such tackles are subject to severe penalties. Marco van Basten benefited from this, preventing his early retirement. As the most handsome of the three musketeers, he also benefited from the boom in endorsements, earning significantly more money than before.]

In 1991, he invested $200 million, which grew significantly, giving him immense confidence. As he later described in his autobiography, his life seemed to resemble the characters in "The Wolf of Wall Street"—everything began to feel like a dream. Coupled with soaring endorsement income, Van Basten began investing recklessly.

In 1996, a Canadian mining company, Bre-X, announced a massive gold discovery, during which its stock price soared from one cent to $280 per share, reaching a total value of $40 billion. Van Basten invested $500 million, only to later discover it was a fraud; the sample had been fabricated by the company's geologists using gold extracted from wedding rings.

After this setback, Van Basten decided to invest in earlier established companies to avoid being scammed again. He chose Enron, a company founded in 1985 with annual revenue of $800 billion. Furthermore, he decided to diversify his investments and invest in the future, setting his sights on the emerging computer market. Having been deceived by BRE-X, he became skeptical of companies in English-speaking countries, and feeling he couldn't beat them, he shifted his investment focus to China.

[Van Basten invested in numerous internet companies, including what later became three major portal websites. Every time he saw an increase in the number of Chinese internet users, Van Basten felt he had made a wise investment. The Chinese internet demonstrated enormous potential, and his early bank investments were also quite successful.]

However, in 2000, the bursting of the dot-com bubble, coupled with the "most disastrous merger in US history" with Time Warner, caused AOL to quickly fall from grace. The internet industry entered its first winter, and influenced by Nasdaq, AOL's stock had fallen below one dollar. Although you advised him to continue holding, Van Basten decided to liquidate his position. To make matters worse, Van Basten, who had $2000 million in assets at the bank the previous year, saw his assets reduced to only $1300 million due to the bank's poor investment decisions.

After selling his stocks, Van Basten liquidated his investments in the bank. Just as he was about to decide on his next investment, Enron was rocked by a massive scandal involving fraud across the board, from product development to financial accounting. Van Basten's investments were all wiped out, and he ended up in the hospital.

During his convalescence in the hospital, Van Basten carefully considered the gains and losses and decided to consult you. He believed that your unparalleled expertise on both the court and in business would surely guide him. Following your advice, in September 2001, Van Basten bought a large number of Apple shares at $0.89 each. A month later, due to the iPod's launch, the stock price rose to $1.30. His wife urged him to sell, but he refused. Later, when the iPhone was launched and the stock reached $17.43, Van Basten still firmly held onto his shares. Having missed one opportunity, he didn't want to miss a second.

It wasn't until 2024 that Van Basten sold his shares, which brought him over $80 billion in assets. After acquiring the struggling AC Milan, Van Basten said in an interview: "I'm not a good investor, but I know how to invest in better people. Clearly, Dejan is the person I'm talking about..."

[Acquired Skill: Guaranteed Investment]

Skill: Guaranteed Investing – Marco van Basten's investment acumen is far less impressive than his footballing prowess, but he wasn't always unlucky. Having this skill means that if one of your investments loses money, other investments may benefit.

Lu Deyang: ...

He had indeed heard about Van Basten's near bankruptcy.

At that time, Cruyff's father-in-law wanted to help him resolve the issue, but he refused and hired a lawyer instead.

Then he faced a €3000 million fine, until he reached a settlement with the Dutch tax authorities a few years later.

In the investment field, Van Basten was also quite a scumbag.

Unexpectedly, thanks to Lu Qiuwang, he didn't have to retire early; he earned more money playing football, but also lost even more money. Most people couldn't be that precise.

Every investment will result in a loss.

No wonder the skill I acquired is called "Guaranteed Investment".

Well, it's just a shame that Basten was born in Europe. If he had been born there, he wouldn't have had to wait so long to be swindled into bankruptcy.

Lu Qiuwang was quite surprised that he eventually bought Milan from Red Bird.

However, given Van Basten's eye for talent, it remains to be seen whether his player acquisitions will be effective; perhaps he's also a Van Basten himself.

In any case, this is good news for fans who like the Dutch team.

Lu Deyang sighed for a moment before deciding to enter the lottery.

[Your good friend Marco van Basten joined Ajax's youth academy at the age of 7, received early guidance from Cruyff, and even replaced Cruyff to make his professional debut. Therefore, we've drawn a player whose youth academy career wasn't particularly successful. Ding! You've obtained a single-match trial card for the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League, Arsenal vs. Real Madrid.]

Rice!

His time with the youth team was indeed not very successful.

After seven years at Chelsea, he was released due to his slender physique, but later made a name for himself at West Ham.

Later, Sir Alex Ferguson jokingly said that Arsenal owed West Ham £50 million, and he always said that Rice owed far more than £100 million.

"Dejan, the coach is asking if you want to wear another shirt."

"No thanks."

Lu Deyang waved his hand and said.

He then noticed that Boskov was watching him and quickly refused.

It's already April, why add more clothes?

In a few days, even substitutes won't need to wear jackets anymore.

Boskov was a little too nervous.

If Lu Qiuwang hadn't refused a few days ago, the coach would have bought him a mobile phone.

Lu Deyang felt that the thing was heavy when he held it in his hand.

If needed, you can borrow a teammate's phone or a landline from a roadside shop.

And it feels great to call back.

Lu Deyang felt this was influenced by old Hong Kong movies, where a pager beeping was used to advance the plot.

The first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

An opponent whose background is well-known is not surprising.

Baresi and Verjoward both played exceptionally well.

Inter Milan played well today, but lacked skilled wingers.

Sampdoria mainly relies on Lombardo.

Chiesa's playmaking ability is limited; his role on the field is more that of a winger and a poacher.

The atmosphere in the locker room was fairly lively during halftime.

The main reason is that the league title is a foregone conclusion for Sampdoria; winning the championship is only a matter of time.

Even if we lose one or two games, it doesn't matter. In fact, even if we lose, we might win the championship early because the opponent didn't win. That's how it is when you have a huge lead.

"Can I make the Serie A All-Star team?"

"Mancini asked, while eating a banana."

"You probably don't have a chance, do you? First, each team gets one person. Who among us is more qualified than Dejan?" Dossena said with a smile.

He's more likely to make it into the European All-Star team than the Italian Serie A All-Star team.

"Could it be that Baggio is on the same team as Dejan? If so, he might beat me?" Mancini asked again.

"Don't worry, there are plenty of people who are more qualified than you to represent Italy in the European All-Star team."

Vialli complained.

After suffering a series of setbacks, Mancini threw a banana peel at Vialli.

Vialli had already guessed he would do this, and easily dodged it by ducking his head. Paryuka reached out and grabbed it, but unexpectedly there was still a piece left inside, which burst into a ball of jam in his hand.

"You guys are disgusting."

Pagliuca tried to wipe her hands with Vialli's jersey with some disgust, but Vialli avoided it again.

In his many years of battling Mancini, his reactions off the field were faster than on it.

Materazzi looked on with some envy. He still didn't have a single friend he could joke around with, and the senior players in the first team mostly took care of him.

Noticing his expression, Wiljoward patted his arm and said, "You can go out with Marco and Enrico when you're free; you're all about the same age."

Materazzi nodded.

"Alright, it's almost time. Get ready to go on stage."

Boskov clapped his hands and shouted, "I'd like to remind you, watch out for Inter Milan, their attack is stronger than ever today."

"Understood, boss!"

Back on the pitch, Sampdoria did not make a single mistake for over 40 minutes.

Redondo made a strong breakthrough in midfield, breaking past Dino Baggio and orchestrating a play. Parry then passed the ball to the wing, and Lombardo cut inside, almost scoring against Inter Milan.

But just two minutes later, Brehme delivered a cross from the byline to Klinsmann, whose header successfully breached Pagliuca's goal.

"Perhaps it's the decisive blow!"

Rossi looked at the camera and said to the sidelines, "There are four minutes of stoppage time. If Inter Milan can hold on until the time runs out, they can beat Sampdoria for the first time in several seasons... Well, the winning goal is off. I saw Dejan walking towards Boskov. I believe he is preparing to come on. The Nerazzurri must be very familiar with this scenario."

Rossi said with schadenfreude.

The last time Lu Deyang came on as a substitute against Inter Milan, he created 4 goals in 8 minutes, which caused Inter Milan to suffer a bitter defeat.

Inter Milan were ridiculed for a long time because of that match.

Who the hell would concede 4 goals in 8 minutes?

Conceding three goals in the first half is about right.

Shh! ! !
Boos finally erupted at the San Siro stadium.

Lu Deyang standing on the sidelines is the epitome of Italian terror.

For fans outside of Sampdoria.

Boskov followed Lu Deyang to the sidelines and continued to persuade him, "Deyang, you haven't had much time to warm up. Playing like this makes you very susceptible to injury."

"It's okay, Coach. Enrico often goes on the field without warming up, and he's never been injured much."

Lu Deyang said with a smile.

"How can that be the same..."

Boskov realized he had misspoke as soon as he opened his mouth and explained, "Everyone's constitution is different. Enrico is someone who is less prone to injury."

"Don't worry, Coach, I'll take good care of myself."

Lu Deyang said.

Almost instantly, Mancini unleashed a long-range shot from 40 meters out, sending the ball over the corner flag.

Lu Deyang shrugged at Boskov and began doing the final stretches on the sidelines.

Chiesa came off the field and gave Lu Deyang a high-five, after which Lu Deyang quickly rushed back onto the field.

"Everyone be careful, hold the line, hold the line."

Suarez also made substitutions, with Massimo Theosi replacing David von Tolan and the midfielder being replaced by an attacking midfielder. This was a typical substitution to strengthen the defense. Not only that, he also replaced striker Bianchi with Marco Grossi, changing the formation to 4-5-1, leaving only Klinsmann up front.

Loud boos erupted from the away fans' stands.

More than 2000 Sampdoria fans were mocking them relentlessly.

Playing at home and leading by one goal, they actually planned to win the game by stalling for time?
Does this approach compromise the dignity of a wealthy family?

"Don't waste time, remind the opponent to start the game quickly."

Lu Deyang shouted after he came on stage.

Mancini immediately rushed towards Inter Milan's penalty area.

Zeng Jia reluctantly threw the ball to his teammate only after being urged by the referee.

Giuseppe Baresi unusually controlled the ball in his own half, preferring to be pressed rather than pass it out.

With only three minutes to go to victory, the Inter Milan captain is already impatient.

Mancini immediately reached out to foul, but Baresi passed the ball across to Ricardo Ferrari, who then immediately passed it to Baggio.

Dino Baggio, still trying to stall for time, was met with a sliding tackle from Redondo.

Baggio, having finally managed to dodge the ball, quickly passed it to his teammate.

De Cidli received the ball and rushed across the halfway line. He had no intention of creating a threat; he simply wanted to get the ball away from Inter Milan's half.

Dossena, who was coming to meet him, was beaten by him with a change of direction. De Cidli wanted to continue dribbling forward, but Lu Deyang immediately rushed up and made a sliding tackle.

"Beautiful, precise side slide tackle!"

Neat.

Without even touching his opponent, he successfully kept the ball. Lu Deyang got up, took a step forward with the ball, and then made a diagonal pass.

boom--

The ball rolled past Bergomi and into Lombardo's path.

Lombardo dribbled the ball and charged forward quickly.

Baresi immediately prepared to cover on the wing, but Lombardo immediately dribbled inside.

He played like a top-class winger today. "Don't let him find an opportunity to pass the ball out!"

Suarez shouted from the sidelines.

Baggio quickly went over and stretched out his foot.

Lombardo deliberately changed his footing rhythm while dribbling the ball, and Baggio, instead of touching the ball, tripped Lombardo.

"I didn't touch him!"

Baggio, who had a yellow card on him, excitedly reached out and shouted.

"That was a free kick, don't try to deny it!"

Mancini rushed up and shouted.

"You don't need to say anything more." The referee put his whistle to his lips and blew it, signaling a free kick.

boom--

The away fans cheered.

Penalty kick, here it comes!
"Deyang, Deyang..."

Mancini and Vialli waved and shouted enthusiastically in the attacking third.

After a brief silence, the Nerazzurri erupted in a loud chorus of boos, attempting to put psychological pressure on Lu Deyang.

For the seven or eight seconds he ran into the frontcourt, the boos from the Meazza not only didn't stop, but became even more piercing.

"They were scared."

Mancini scoffed.

Lu Deyang smiled and nodded, bent down to place the ball, and stood behind the ball on its left side.

two!

Four players formed a human wall, but only two chose to protect their legs with their hands.

Lu Deyang took a closer look and it was indeed true.

What the hell!

Is his obsession with Matthäus really that deep?
The last time we played Inter Milan, when there was a free kick, the entire Inter Milan player covered the area below.

He said that Inter Milan today is different.

Hey.

That German midfielder was somewhat of a figure of fame, as he inspired such courage in others.

beep—

As the whistle blew, Lu Deyang took a small step back with his left foot.

With the left foot supporting the weight and the right foot taking a slight step forward, you accelerate forward.

One step, two steps.

After two steps, he swung his arm and rubbed the inside of his right foot out.

boom--

If only I could have a rainbow, to span the heavens like a long bridge.

The ball, with a slight spin, flew past the jumping wall and then veered towards the goal in the six-yard box. Zenga didn't even wait and immediately dived to his side, but to his despair, the ball was too close to goal; it grazed the inside of the right post and bounced into the net.

"Deyang!!! ...

The Sampdoria players on the pitch are shouting.

Sampdoria fans in the stands are chanting.

There were also the coaching staff on the sidelines, and Sampdoria's substitutes who rushed to the sidelines.

It's as if there's only one name in this world.

"Deyang!!!"

"Dejan Goal!"

"When Dejan approached Boskov, I said the winning goal was canceled, and I was right. Klinsmann probably didn't expect this either. The German striker played well today, but he had to face Dejan, even if it was just Dejan with three minutes of stoppage time."

"There will always be times in life when you can't fight back. This isn't because you lack effort, but because objective facts don't allow it. Knowing that Dejan wouldn't lose, Klinsmann's goal was just a goal. He can get a bonus after the game, but it can't bring Inter Milan a victory because of this goal."

"But I want to say that it's not over yet. In the match against Dejan, you can't relax until the last second. Suarez's substitution of two defensive players was a very wise choice. If Inter Milan can get a draw, that would be a victory!!!"

1: 1.

The scoreboard shows 91:33. One and a half minutes of the four minutes of injury time have passed, leaving a little over two minutes remaining.

Even without hearing Rossi's commentary, Suarez thought the same thing.

He yelled at the players on the field, "Everyone back to defense, forwards back too! We just need one point!!!"

Baresi was also clapping to encourage his teammates.

Inter Milan players quickly adjusted their mindset, acting as if the goal had never happened.

Everything was to prove that they became a better team after leaving Matthäus.

……

Robin van Persie, watching TV, waved excitedly.

Although he is only eight years old, he has already joined the youth training team of Rotterdam SBV Elite.

Unfortunately, ever since he was old enough to understand, his football idol has been Lu Deyang.

Marco van Basten, a fellow Dutchman, has been abandoned by Robin van Persie.

Children have a purer perspective; they only follow the best players.

And this is just one of thousands of Dutch people.

"Robin, you haven't done your homework again!"

When Van Persie's mother came home and saw her son, she said with some helplessness.

After the divorce, the son became quite rebellious.

Even though he was just a primary school student, he was a notorious troublemaker in the whole school. He was the only one in the entire first grade who would skip school.

"I've finished writing."

"Okay, let me check it out."

Van Persie finally had no choice but to say to his mother, "Anyway, I'll become a player in the future, so what does it matter if I do my homework or not? I'll win many championships with Dejan at Sampdoria and earn lots of money to buy you gifts!"

"Do you want to become a player like Francisco Totti?"

José Rice retorted irritably, "Even players need to have a certain academic record. Besides, I don't need your money; I have my own."

She is a jewelry designer.

Van Persie's father was a sculptor.

Neither of them is short of money.

The only problem is that my son is a bit rebellious.

Hearing his mother say that, Van Persie reluctantly went to his room.

He vowed that when he had money in the future, he would definitely install a TV in his bedroom so he could watch football.

Inter Milan players returned to their positions.

This made Luis Suarez, who had originally wanted to make a substitution, change his mind.

The players on the field have already stalled for enough time, and he has no way to stall for time again by making substitutions.

Fortunately, there were less than two minutes left in the game.

If they can hold on until the very end, they can secure a draw at home.

It's disheartening to say it out loud.

These are not words that a wealthy family should say, but reality is just that cruel.

After Lu Deyang came on, he would be satisfied as long as he could get a draw.

After Inter Milan kicked off, Klinsmann dribbled forward himself and only passed the ball back to Vialli when he rushed towards him.

In an instant.

Vialli, Lombardo, and Mancini charged toward Inter's half like mad dogs.

Sampdoria are never satisfied with a draw.

De Cidli had barely caught the ball when Mancini was already beside him.

Inter Milan's midfielder, not daring to be careless, quickly passed the ball back.

Unfortunately, the ball was miskicked.

Seeing this, Baresi decisively started his attack, taking the lead and sending a long ball into Sampdoria's half.

Inter Milan's formation instantly pushed forward.

They want to contest the ball's trajectory; all they need to do is control the ball and delay the ball for a little while.

Klinsmann had the same idea, but he was alone in front of the penalty area, facing both Materazzi and Verjoward.

Wiljoward was well aware of the Germans' ability to seize opportunities, so he chose to use his body to generate force subtly, bumping into Klinsmann the moment he jumped.

With no one interfering, Materazzi easily headed the ball away.

Redondo had only taken one step with the ball when he spotted Lu Deyang in the middle and quickly made a through pass forward.

"Fight back!"

With Lu Deyang's shout, he launched a long ball forward.

The ball landed with remarkable precision, right in front of the penalty area.

Oh shit!

Baresi cursed inwardly.

His performance declined rapidly due to injuries.

Vialli was running ahead of him, and he had no way to deal with him in a short time.

The ball landed right in front of the penalty area, and the Inter Milan captain decisively tackled Vialli to the ground.

Giving a free kick is better than giving a penalty kick.

beep—

"Yellow card! Baresi chose to foul Vialli to prevent him from getting the ball and creating a one-on-one opportunity, but in doing so, he gave Sampdoria a free kick. I believe fans all over the world, like me, are looking forward to Dejan's next move."

Suarez clapped and shouted to the field, "Well done, Giuseppe!"

He knew very well that his captain had made the right choice.

It's like having an open goal in the final moments, and you insist on using your hand to block the ball, giving away a penalty kick.

The open goal was about to be breached, giving them a chance to save a penalty kick.

The same is true now.

This one-on-one opportunity was too dangerous. Giving him a free kick would have been a better chance if Lu Deyang hadn't made a good play.

After all, Lu Deyang's free-kick accuracy isn't 100%.

Shhh!
Shhh!
Shhh!
The San Siro stadium erupted in even louder boos.

It's even more urgent than before.

The Nerazzurri even looked up at the sky and questioned God, "Does it have to be so cruel?"
For a powerhouse like them to only want a draw is such a humble request, yet it has become an unattainable dream.

"Form a wall. As long as we can block this free kick, we can delay the game a little longer."

Baresi took the lead and stood in the human wall, shouting.

"Yes, be careful, we still have a chance."

Bergomi also joined the human wall.

I really want to win.

Even if I can't win, I don't want to lose.

Bergomi was practically clenching his back teeth.

If possible, he would even be willing to bite the ball to prevent Lu Deyang from taking the penalty.

This determined defender is willing to give everything to avoid defeat.

But that's how cruel competitive sports are.

Bergomi adjusted his breathing, ready to jump immediately.

He knew very well that the old captain was about to retire, and the burden of Inter Milan's defense would fall on his shoulders.

He, who also shares the same name as Giuseppe, is not lacking in courage and responsibility.

Inter Milan quickly formed their defensive wall.

More than 70,000 fans at the San Siro were intently watching Inter Milan's penalty area.

Countless people in front of their televisions held their breath.

The position was almost the same as before, and the position of the human wall was also almost the same.

Can Lu Deyang deliver the decisive blow to his opponent?
beep—

A clear whistle rang out.

Lu Deyang took a running start and then did the same action again.

Damn!

Zeng Jia immediately dove to the side; he had judged the direction correctly.

But this time, the ball was even higher, and Inter Milan's goalkeeper could only watch in despair as it flew between the post and the crossbar into the goal.

Boom—"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

"Deyang!!!"

The away fans in the stands have gone crazy.

Everyone was frantically waving whatever they had in their hands.

They couldn't wait to rush onto the field and celebrate wildly with the players to release their joy.

"I told you!"

"I told you!"

"I've already said that!"

Rossi shouted excitedly, "I told you Klinsmann's game-winning goal was canceled, but now it's Dejan's game-winning goal. There are only 4 minutes of stoppage time, and Dejan only needed 2 minutes and 55 seconds to finish off his opponent."

"Let's congratulate Dejan and Sampdoria in advance on winning this season's Serie A title!!!"

Lu Deyang turned to the sidelines and pointed to himself.

He was indicating that he was not injured.

Boskov immediately rushed to the sidelines and shouted to the fourth official, "Substitution! Substitution!"

(End of this chapter)