Chapter 5: Historic moment
"Huang is a gifted child, no, he is a genius. I don't know why he hasn't received professional football training. To have such a performance without professional training, his talent is probably even more terrifying than what he has shown. Everyone at AC Milan is very pleased that he has joined the team. It is a great day, a historic moment, and he will definitely become an important part of Milan's glorious history."
The flashes from the cameras created a sea of light, as if film cost nothing.
Compared to such big news, the cost of film really wasn't much.
After experiencing hope and then disappointment at the 2002 World Cup, and growing even more disheartened over the past two years, the Chinese football scene was desperately in need of a savior. Everyone had seen yesterday's match, and whether it was the manner of Huang Kaiwen's debut or the strength he displayed, it excited the journalists.
Huang Kaiwen's sharp dribbling skills, his explosive speed, and his strong ability to resist opponents, as well as his precise passing and assisting, although it was less than 20 minutes of play, what he showed amazed even the seasoned fans.
After fermenting for a day, basically the entire country knew about him.
The footage of the match, especially the clips of Huang Kaiwen's appearances, was still being replayed on Dongfang Satellite TV.
Huang Kaiwen also kindly accepted an interview, answering all questions posed to him.
"May I ask, how old are you exactly this year?"
"21 years old, graduated from college a year ago."
"21 years old? You don't look it, and why did you graduate so early, what about your studies?"
Huang Kaiwen rolled his eyes, what did it matter if his studies were good or not?
Besides, his parents were university professors; skipping grades was quite normal for him.
Today's journalists really lacked professionalism and logical thinking skills.
"Not bad, I suppose," Huang Kaiwen vaguely stated, "I graduated from North University of Technology. As for looking young, maybe I have good genes? My parents are professors. It's not a problem for me to graduate early. In fact, I was already studying middle school courses when I was very young. If it weren't for the fear of being unable to establish relations with older classmates, they might have let me attend middle school when I was not even 10 years old."
Elementary school-level courses were not difficult for a clever child. The original host inherited all of his parents' best qualities. The only problem was the cancer gene from his mother's family; otherwise, he would definitely have been a big winner in life.
"Okay, then have you received professional football training?" another journalist interjected, taking over the microphone.
"No, I only attended a football summer camp a long time ago when I was very young."
"So how come you can play so well?"
He voiced the question everyone had in mind.
"Perhaps, this is just talent," Huang Kaiwen remarked sentimentally, shaking his head in a way that made the journalists feel a tickling itch in their teeth.
"What are your thoughts about joining AC Milan?"
"Hmm?" Huang Kaiwen thought for a moment, then organized his words and said, "AC Milan has a great history. I've always been a fan of Milan. Of course, I like many teams, because I like teams that play well, and AC Milan is such a team. Maldini, Stam, Kaka, Shevchenko... This team has the foundation to win everything, and I also want to be a winner. It couldn't be better to join AC Milan."
"Wishing you a victorious start, do you have a girlfriend?"
The focus of the journalists gradually shifted from football to his personal life. The attraction of football itself was not as compelling as the gossip surrounding the stars. Since Huang Kaiwen hadn't played many matches yet, they were more interested in learning about his private life.
Huang Kaiwen answered all questions without showing any displeasure.
The press conference went on for over an hour before ending at the reminder of the press officer.
If they didn't leave now, they would miss the plane and would be left waiting with Daolang for the No. 2 bus on the 11th floor.
The group hurried to the airport to meet up with the main troop.
AC Milan opted for the luxurious choice of chartering a plane. They weren't yet at the point where they could buy a star player for 2 million.
After the plane took off, Carrozzeria approached Huang Kaiwen and asked, "I've heard Chinese girls are quite nice, is that true?"
"Yes, that's true."
"What a pity then, otherwise we could have gone around and had some fun together." The playboy Carrozzeria sighed regrettably, as he had planned to relax and enjoy himself before coming here.
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Huang Kaiwen was somewhat relieved that Milan's schedule was tight.
Although he was determined to build good relationships with his teammates, he never thought of leading them astray in his home country. That was a matter of principle; those who would lead trash around to cause trouble were traitors.
After that, his teammates asked a range of questions they were interested in.
Led by Maldini, who had visited China with Milan over ten years ago, they all had a fairly good impression of the country. They couldn't say they were completely satisfied, but they were able to feel the sincerity and the passion of the fans.
Watching the bustling scene, Ancelotti gave a glance to his assistant coach.
The assistant stood up, clapped his hands and reminded, "Boys, this is a long-haul flight. If you don't want to feel too uncomfortable later, it's best to rest a bit on the plane."
The flight from Shanghai to Milan took 12-13 hours.
And by the time they landed, it would be after ten at night.
Finding some peace at last, Huang Kaiwen also put on an eye mask and rested.
There had been so many things happening these past few days. When the coaching team woke him up later, they considerately arranged for a private car to take him to the hotel.
The assistant coach also said, "In a few days, the club staff will accompany you to look at houses. The club will cover your rent while you are playing in Milan. Also, the club will pay you a portion of your salary in advance, so you have money to live on in Milan."
Hearing about such generous treatment, Huang Kaiwen silently grinned, not sure what to say.
Probably not even Kaka had such good terms initially. He had been too impressive during the tryout, and now AC Milan Club had raised their expectations of him.
This worried Huang Kaiwen.
If only he had held back a bit when playing.
No matter how Milan was treating him like royalty now, if he kept resting on a stretcher, he would probably face a severe backlash. If it weren't for his contract, he might have already thought of running away.