The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

"Mino, don't try to persuade me this time. This kid is too arrogant. If I don't teach him a lesson, how will I face the football world in the future?" Ibrahimovic complained angrily to Raiola, who had specially come back from Paris to watch the game.

"Lin's personality isn't actually bad. Even Mario gets along well with him. Generally, as long as you don't provoke him, he's quite easy to talk to."

Ibrahimovic raised an eyebrow: "You mean I should avoid him?"

Raiola felt a bit tired. They were both agents, but Mendes had a bunch of superstars under his management and didn't have so many problems, while he was constantly running around with a bunch of overgrown children.

In fact, as an agent, Raiola is happy to see Ibrahimovic and Lin Yi clashing before the match, as this would give him more media exposure.

If the two perform well in the competition, their popularity and market value will naturally increase.

Of course, this is all on the premise that the conflict between the two is limited to the realm of football. Otherwise, it would be a loss if they ended up fighting and sending each other to the hospital.

Like coaxing a child, Raiola instructed, "Jerathan, you are one of the world's top players. We don't allow dirty tricks in the game. If you want to teach Lin a lesson, then defeat him fair and square in the game."

As someone who knows Ibrahimovic's personality inside and out, Raiola's opening sentence made the nearly 2-meter-tall giant baby feel very comfortable, so Ibrahimovic responded in accordance with Raiola's meaning.

"Of course, I'm not a cunning person who likes to resort to underhanded tactics. I will defeat him fair and square and let the whole world know that I am the best."

After settling things off with Ibrahimovic, Raiola rushed to the hotel where Manchester City was staying to talk to Lin Yi.

After hearing Raiola's account, Lin Yi generously stated, "Want to beat me head-on in a match? No problem, bring it on, I'm never afraid of anyone."

Aside from Raiola's efforts, the media hype has reignited as the match day approaches.

A photo of Ibrahimovic and Lin Yi looking at each other at the restaurant entrance was captured by gossip reporters and became headline news in major media outlets such as the Milan Sports Daily.

"The Death Stare Between Two Top Forwards", "Gerakan or Lin? Milan or Manchester City?", "Tit for Tat, No Backing Down"

Although the article titles differ, the core meaning is basically the same.

The outcome of the Champions League semi-finals between Milan and Manchester City will likely depend on the performance of their star strikers.

Ibrahimovic is in red-hot form, scoring in all four Serie A matches in March, bringing his total Serie A goals this season to 22, placing him first in the top scorers list.

Lin Yi is equally impressive. After 30 rounds of the Premier League, Lin Yi has scored a total of 24 goals, ranking second in the Premier League top scorers list, only behind Arsenal's Robin van Persie.

Despite the presence of many talented players on both teams, such as David Silva, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, Nesta, and Seedorf.

But the most eye-catching players on the football field are undoubtedly the strikers who can score spectacular goals.

Fueled by media hype, countless fans entered the San Siro stadium with anticipation, eager to witness the performance of two of the world's top strikers up close.

For most team managers, leading their team to the Champions League semi-finals would be a satisfactory result for the management and fans.

Therefore, in this match, Pellegrini and Allegri fielded their strongest possible lineups.

AC Milan, the home team, adopted their usual 4-3-1-2 formation in recent years, with veteran goalkeeper Abbiati, Nesta and Thiago Silva leading the defense, partnered with left-back Antonini and right-back Abate.

In midfield, the starting three lined up were Nocerino, who is known as Ibrahimovic's sidekick, captain Ambrosini, and Dutch veteran Seedorf.

In front of them is Boateng, the most unique and violent attacking midfielder in football today.

Before the match, Ibrahimovic, eager to prove himself, partnered with Robinho, the former cycling prodigy and now the king of nightclubs, to form the attacking line.

Manchester City also adopted their most familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, but due to player suspensions in both matches against Barcelona, ​​the Chilean engineers made a slight adjustment to the starting lineup.

Joe Hart will start in goal, while Kompany, who has returned from suspension, will lead the defense with Richards, Clichy and Zabaleta.

Yaya Toure and De Jong partnered in the defensive midfield.

In the midfield and forward positions, after much deliberation, Pellegrini ultimately opted to leave out Dzeko, whose role was relatively one-dimensional, and fielded Balotelli as the starting lone striker.

Lin Yi dropped back to midfield on the left wing, David Silva played in the center, and Nasri occupied the other wing.

To fill the void left by midfield maestro Pirlo, AC Milan's main attacking tactic this season is to fully utilize Ibrahimovic's ability to draw the opponent's defensive focus in the attacking third, and then rely on his superb individual ability to support and organize, creating opportunities for Boateng, Nocerino, and others to make runs from deep.

After the start of the game, AC Milan continued with their tactics. Thiago Silva, who is in his prime, received the ball in the backfield and immediately launched a long pass to Ibrahimovic, who had dropped back to receive the ball.

Manchester City, having made specific preparations before the match, immediately deployed a large number of players to mark Ibrahimovic, who was the key to their attack.

De Jong and Toure, the two defensive midfielders, stood in front of and behind Ibrahimovic, closely surrounding him.

Even so, Ibrahimovic still managed to stop the ball with his chest, relying on his physical advantage.

De Jong and Toure immediately closed in, pinning Ibrahimovic to the spot and not giving him any chance to turn around and face the attacking direction.

Seeing this, Ibrahimovic, without letting the ball hit the ground, turned his back to the goal and hooked the ball over De Jong's head, landing it precisely at Boateng's feet.

Boateng, without waiting for the ball to touch the ground, completed an aerial connection with Ibrahimovic.

The German-born attacking midfielder, who ultimately chose to play for Ghana, unleashed a powerful volley that startled Joe Hart so much that he dared not catch it with his hands and instead punched the ball away from the penalty area.

When Boateng took the shot, Ibrahimovic used off-the-ball movement to get around De Jong, who was blocking his way, and with his excellent awareness, he was the first to reach the ball.

Facing the onrushing Richards, Ibrahimovic used his left toe to control and flick the ball, successfully dodging the opponent's defense while also creating a shooting angle for himself.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ibrahimovic followed up with another volley with his right foot.

The entire movement was fluid and seamless, with such speed that Joe Hart had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the ball whistled towards the goal.

Perhaps it was because the game had just started and their bodies hadn't warmed up yet, or perhaps it was divine intervention that brought Manchester City together.

Ibrahimovic's follow-up shot bounced slightly off the ground in front of the goal, changing its trajectory, and finally grazed the goalpost and went out of bounds.

Starting with Thiago Silva's long ball from the backfield, this was the first time the ball made contact with the ground. These two consecutive shots were spectacular and won applause from all the fans in the stadium.

Ibrahimovic, who was very satisfied with his performance, showed no regret on his face, despite almost scoring a goal. Instead, he looked proud and smug.