Although it sounds unpleasant to say, Chinese table tennis really illustrates this point to the fullest.
In the Tokyo Olympics, not a single mixed doubles gold medal was given away to Mima Ito, and people in China almost can’t keep up with who the table tennis gold medalists are, after all, no matter how it’s played or who plays, aren’t the gold medals always ours?
In the process of dominating, the national team has also lost a lot of attention.
Given how it’s considered the national sport in China, it’s not hard to imagine how much the influence of this sport has waned globally.
Of course, this isn’t because we’re too strong, but truly because the opponents are too weak, no matter how much we support their skills, there’s just no way to create suspense, damn it.
Anyway, back to the main point, San Remo’s victory has turned this Italian Cup into a new unavoidable symbol in the football world.
At least in the short term, no other domestic cup matches can match the attention the Italian Cup is getting now.
Unless other domestic cups also witness grassroots miracles.
But a miracle is called a miracle because it’s not supposed to happen.
And considering San Remo’s journey to the title, cutting down Serie A’s fourth place team and a Champions League finalist, this gold content is hard to compare even to other grassroots miracles.
It can be said that AC Milan’s performance has made this trophy of San Remo shine with golden light.
"Congratulations!" Izalelt came over from the sidelines with his jersey, wanting to exchange with Lu Yang.
He expressed regret for this match, but was equally amazed and shocked by Lu Yang’s performance.
Lu Yang did not refuse Izalelt’s goodwill, he took off his own worn jersey and handed it to Izalelt, saying, "Thank you."
"I saw your confidence in yourself," Izalelt praised Lu Yang.
"Is that all?" Lu Yang looked at Izalelt.
Izalelt was somewhat puzzled and then nodded.
"Then maybe you haven’t seen enough," Lu Yang gave Izalelt a hug and didn’t say more.
If Izalelt didn’t see that decisive determination when thrown into a desperate situation, that would really be a pity.
Because that kind of power is really strong.
Strong enough to give a team the courage and ability to change the score even when three goals down.
Highlight this, it’s very important!
A temporary podium is being set up on the pitch, and players from both sides are being interviewed.
Reporter: "Izalelt, how do you evaluate Lu Yang?"
Izalelt: "I can’t describe Lu Yang’s performance in this match, he’s the best!"
Reporter: "If you hadn’t left the field, would all this have happened later?"
Izalelt: "There’s no ’if’ in this world, what happened has happened."
Reporter: "Praxedes, how do you view AC Milan’s defenders and the last goal conceded?"
Praxedes: "That was an unstoppable goal, and I fully understand how frustrating it is not to have stopped it, but I don’t think it’s any one person’s fault. It’s the whole team’s mistake, and we’ll reflect seriously post-match."
Reporter: "Andrés, you underperformed in this match, are you unable to take on the responsibility of AC Milan’s midfield core?"
Andrés: "I’m truly sorry for not leading the team to a championship, but you can’t always expect a commander without troops to win a war. I gave it my all when we faced Inter Milan and succeeded once before. This time, I failed, it’s as simple as that!"
Andrés is subtly criticizing his teammates for not being up to par with him, and not playing the game he wanted.
This statement is likely to stir up some waves post-match.
But Andrés suddenly came to a realization.
He doesn’t want to pretend anymore.
He’s unhappy at AC Milan, the team should either make him the core or get rid of him. Anyway, he refuses to play as some mediocre midfielder any longer, he’s had enough!
If he gave it his all, he wouldn’t mind losing, there wouldn’t be any regrets.
The most frustrating part is clearly having a trump card in hand, yet losing to an opponent with just a plane.
Frankly, he lost this match not because he thought Lu Yang’s performance was too supernatural to last, but because he felt he hadn’t played his best game.
Aggravating!
Reporter: "Morici, you’ve achieved a goal and an assist in this match, some say you’ve elevated San Remo’s midfield to Serie A level, what do you have to say about that?"
Morici: "That’s definitely not true, we are still some distance away from Serie A. Today, we won not because we’re stronger than AC Milan, but because we wanted to win more than they did!"
Reporter: "Sotu, we know you always emphasize strictness on the field. This isn’t the first time Lu Yang has gone against your instructions on the field, and it’s said this time he took a painkilling injection without notifying the team in advance, will you punish him?"
Sotu: "Of course I will, I’ll punish him to get better as soon as possible! We can’t do without him next season, he is already the greatest player in my heart, the greatest!"
The reporter was dumbfounded.
Double standards, much!
When dealing with Becher’s, he comes out swinging, but when it comes to Brother Lu, he cowers?
To this, Sotu chuckled, what do you know.
Lu Yang and I share a deep friendship!
Close enough to joke about! Ninety-nine point intimacy!
Later, Martivini personally awarded medals and the trophy to the San Remo players.
When he hung the medal around Lu Yang’s neck, he said, "Young man, rest well this summer, the future of Italian football needs such a brilliant talent like you!"
It was evident that Martivini was in a good mood.
Although Lu Yang’s absence due to injury will mean the Italy National Youth Team will miss a strong player in the European Youth Championship, San Remo’s victory can alleviate Martivini’s immediate troubles.
With this grassroots miracle trophy, even if the European Youth Championship’s results are unfavorable, Martivini won’t be dismissed immediately.
There are many intricacies in this.
But the only one a bit unlucky is Maniero.
He was called to action by Martivini, and now that Martivini is secure, Maniero finds himself in deep trouble.
Unable to achieve favorable results in the European Youth Championship means the difficulty of taking over the Italy National Team will skyrocket for Maniero.
The situation changes every moment, and there’s no forever winner.
But if you’re strong enough, even if you weren’t in the initial winner’s circle, you will appear in the winner’s photo eventually.
This, too, is an eternal truth.