Chapter 1 Napoli's Pre-Season Training

As the new season of the Italian Serie A league was about to begin, Napoli's pre-season training schedule had also been completed.

This summer, the team's recruitment efforts were not significant, especially in attack. They only brought in Chen Hero and Arshavin, and Arshavin would have to wait until January 1st of next year to join.

In addition, the team also brought in defender Salvatore Aronica from Messina to strengthen the defense, and signed the tall center-back Leandro Rinaudo from Palermo as a free agent.

Under Marino's leadership, Napoli's overall recruitment strategy followed a "no emphasis on reputation, only on whether it is useful" approach.

Hamsik and Lavezzi, who were previously brought in by the team, have now become star players, but when they joined the team, they were still relatively unknown.

This team does not have any world-renowned star players. They are basically a group of practical players, so the situation in the locker room is not that complicated.

Reja and Marino's recruitment principles were still small-scale.

This made Aurelio De Laurentiis a little dissatisfied. He once called Marino and criticized him, believing that his recruitment efforts were far from enough, and that it would be best to sign an influential star.

But until the first round of the new season was about to begin, Marino remained silent.

So De Laurentiis could only pin all his hopes on Chen Hero, whom he had personally bought. Of course, Chen Hero could not be regarded as a superstar, but he was at least the top scorer in the UEFA Cup last season, so he was not an unknown person.

In addition, Arshavin's transfer now seems to have benefited Napoli a lot. Because in the European Cup that had just ended, Russia, with Arshavin, performed extremely well and shocked the whole of Europe. Arshavin, as the team's absolute core and wearing the captain's armband, made the whole of Europe and even the world recognize him again. Many people thought he was a newcomer when they saw Arshavin, but after asking around, they found out that he was already twenty-seven! This doesn't meet the age standard of a "newcomer," does it?

Arshavin became famous for his brilliant performance in the European Cup. It also attracted the attention of many European powerhouses, but all transfer rumors did not materialize, because he had already signed a transfer agreement with Napoli in advance in April. After January 1, 2009, he will transfer to Napoli and become a Napoli player.

Many people sighed that Napoli had made a good deal. If they had bought Arshavin after the European Cup, not to mention how much money it would cost, whether they could snatch him from those powerhouses would be another matter.

Now, they have already recruited Arshavin. He hasn't even arrived yet, and his value has already increased. Now everyone believes that a player like Arshavin is worth 30 million euros.

However, De Laurentiis would not sell him. After Arshavin arrives, he will be the team's most famous star. Looking at his sharp breakthroughs, assists, and goals in the European Cup, such a great player can bring so much help to the team after joining!

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The two people who made De Laurentiis feel a little comforted about this summer's transfer window were talking on the phone.

The first Serie A league match of the new season was about to begin. Arshavin was also very concerned about the situation of his new team.

In addition, he also knew about Chen Hero's situation here—although Chen Hero had left St. Petersburg, the inertial effect was still there, and there were still many St. Petersburg media outlets reporting on Chen Hero and paying attention to his latest progress in Italy.

He had turned Italy upside down, so how could he escape the attention of the Russian media?

"Your situation is not good, Hero." Arshavin was very concerned about his teammate. After all, he was there to scout for him. If even he couldn't gain a foothold in Napoli, he would probably be in danger when he went there...

"Hey, it's nothing!" Chen Hero acted tough, unwilling to admit the current situation. "I can't get any energy up for that kind of game. I didn't try my best. I just wanted to find my form and warm up. The league is the main battlefield!"

He had been with the team for two months and played four official matches, including two Intertoto Cup matches and two UEFA Cup qualifying round matches. In addition, he also played four friendly matches.

In eight games, he only scored two goals.

This was definitely considered terrible for someone who saw scoring goals as ordinary and simple as breathing.

Moreover, both of these goals were scored in friendly matches. He started every official match, played the full ninety minutes in three matches, and was substituted off in the seventieth minute of one match. He didn't score a single goal.

This was seriously inconsistent with his image of scoring goals like crazy in the Russian league and the UEFA Cup.

In the matches where he didn't score, the Napoli media and fans didn't skimp on ridiculing him, and some media outlets were even eager to label him as "the biggest flop in Napoli's history" and "the worst signing in Serie A this season."

They were just waiting to see him fail and make fun of him.

Seeing Chen Hero habitually acting like a hero, Arshavin didn't know what to say. He could only cheer Chen Hero on. He couldn't do anything else.

"Good luck, Hero! Don't pay attention to what the media says."

"Hehe." Chen Hero laughed.

Don't pay attention to what the media says? How could that be? He had specially prepared a small notebook to record the names of the media outlets that had said bad things about him and ridiculed him at this time.

When I, your father, leap over the dragon gate, I will make you come to me one by one and get slapped in the face! I'm not even afraid of my hands hurting, so don't complain about your faces hurting!

For him, the media's ridicule and the fans' boos did not make him depressed. Instead, they filled him with fighting spirit and made him determined to strike back. These were all his sources of motivation.

He had found a new goal for himself, just like in his last season in Russia, he had set himself a goal of securing the league's top scorer eleven rounds in advance. It seemed crazy, right? But his subsequent performance was even crazier than this goal. He scored twenty-one goals in eleven league matches!

Now, although this goal was not as crazy as winning the Golden Boot in eleven league matches, it could still make his blood boil.

The St. Petersburg media looked down on me back then, and I slapped them in the face three times with a hat-trick. The CSKA Moscow fans insulted me with monkey calls throughout the match, and I stuffed bananas into their anuses.

This time, even the home team's fans and media will not be spared.

But he really didn't expect that his first fierce battle in Italy would not be against northern powerhouses such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, but... his own supporters.

After that incident, he only explained and did not apologize to the fans because he felt that he was right and did not need to apologize. If Napoli wants to improve now, it really can't always live in the glory of the Maradona era. For today's Napoli players and fans, Maradona is the supreme god, standing in the clouds, with dazzling golden light behind him, illuminating the entire universe. But for Chen Hero, when this god stands in the clouds and overlooks all living beings, the huge shadow he casts happens to cover Napoli.

Like the dark clouds over Mount Vesuvius, like a lid covering the entire city of Naples.

The name "Maradona" is both a glory and a burden for the people of Naples. Chen Hero is not a crazy fan of Maradona. He only admires this person, but not to the point of fanaticism. He is not a Napoli fan either. Before he came to this team, he didn't even know what the specific situation of this team was.

Perhaps it is because of this that he can say such words that are completely unforgivable in the ears of Napoli fans.

But he felt that he was telling the truth, it's just that the truth is not so pleasing to the ear...

The Maradona era ended more than twenty years ago, and Napoli has been relegated and bankrupt. They have experienced all the ups and downs that a football club can experience. They have experienced so-called great joys, great sorrows, great winds, and great waves. After the rebirth of Nirvana, why are they still obsessed with the things of the past? It's time to let go of the burden and walk out of the shadows, right?

Although the dark clouds over Mount Vesuvius cover many places, there is still bright sunshine outside the dark clouds, and the clear breeze blows the azure seawater, and seabirds quickly skim over the shore. This is still the beautiful Naples that can make people die contentedly with just one glance.

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In the first match of the Italian Serie A league, Napoli challenged Roma away. CCTV obtained the broadcasting rights from the Italian side, and they broadcast this match with great anticipation, as it was the first time a Chinese player appeared in the Serie A league.

However, what first left a deep impression on Chinese fans was not Chen Hero's appearance, but the huge banner and slogan on the stand directly opposite the main broadcast camera position.

These Napoli fans even moved this behemoth from their hometown of Naples to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome!

This was the anger of the Napoli fans.

Most Chinese fans don't recognize the Italian written on the banner.

But it doesn't matter, because this banner has long been "famous" among Chinese fans through the media's reports over the past two months.

It's just that everyone has never seen it in a live broadcast before.

The meaning of that on it is...

"You don't even deserve to shine Diego's shoes, you bastard!" Many Chinese Maradona fanatics also shouted along with the picture.

For them, even though Chen Hero is a compatriot, Maradona is the god of football in their minds. Gods are not allowed to be tainted and insulted by mortals, even if this mortal is also Chinese.

Of course, people like this are generally those who don't like Chen Hero very much in the first place.

Yao Ming is famous in China and has a huge fan base. He is the most successful basketball player in China, but there are still many "Yao haters." Liu Xiang once won the first men's gold medal for Chinese track and field at the Olympic Games and broke the world record. When he retired from the Beijing Olympics, almost the entire country was scolding him.

So don't think that if you have some fame, no one will dislike you. Those who like you will like you, but those who hate you will continue to hate you.

After this banner was unfolded on the stand, it kept shaking under the efforts of the fans, creating the shape of a wave, attracting the attention of many people.

The commentator of the Italian TV station smiled: "Chen Hero has not played a minute of Serie A match, but he already has a mortal enemy."

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ps, monthly votes, monthly votes! Where are you! I applied to call you!