Chapter 1 The Stalemate

"Twenty-seven minutes into the second half, the score is still 1-1. Both sides are deadlocked, and neither has found a way to break the tie."

Sabato was still angry about the previous goal conceded. Xiang Tao was clearly out of position; the area where Mancini appeared should have been his defensive zone.

"Xiang Tao! If you want to atone, give it your all!" he roared onto the field.

Mancini intended to continue his breakthrough from that side. Having transferred from Roma this season, his form hadn't been very consistent, and he was eager to seize the opportunity to show his worth.

With his characteristic Brazilian footwork, he made Xiang Tao lose his balance. Mancini seized the opportunity and suddenly accelerated past him on the outside!

Xiang Tao was no pushover either. Although the Brazilian's footwork had thrown him off balance, his reaction remained impressively quick. Seeing Mancini about to break past him, he immediately twisted around, reached out, and grabbed the hem of Mancini's shirt, slowing his breakthrough speed. Then, he turned around and went in for a sliding tackle!

Of course, he wasn't aiming for the ball. From that angle, it was almost impossible to dispossess Mancini without fouling. So, he was aiming for the back of Mancini's heel, though he couldn't make it too obvious.

He grabbed Mancini with one hand, then turned and slid his left foot in from behind, ostensibly aiming for the ball—this was, of course, a feint. Then, his right foot didn't trail behind but followed his left foot, flanking Mancini's legs from the other direction. With a twist of his body, he executed a scissor tackle, and Mancini fell to the ground with a thud. The ball was naturally lost.

"Whistle!" The referee blew his whistle. Xiang Tao had fouled, and Inter Milan was awarded a free kick.

Xiang Tao, who had been shown a yellow card by the referee, was still glaring fiercely at Mancini, as if he were the one who had been fouled. "Kid, don't let me see you again!" he warned Mancini, still lying on the ground, with his eyes.

Xiang Tao was the card king of Fiorentina this season, having received two red cards and seven yellow cards, with countless fouls. Now, the whole of Italy knew there was a Chinese defender even fiercer than the Italians. Several other clubs already had their eyes on him.

Xiang Tao himself didn't care much, as Fiorentina had the right of first refusal.

※※※

Now that the score was tied 1-1, the question for Fiorentina and Sabato was whether to continue with their defensive counter-attack strategy or to go all out on the attack and try to regain the lead.

"Angelo, what do you think of the current situation?" he turned and asked his assistant.

"Inter Milan wants to win even more than we do, so they'll definitely keep pressing forward. We just need to stick to our defensive counter-attack. Even a draw wouldn't be bad for us."

Sabato considered for a moment. "You're right. Then we'll continue with the defensive counter-attack, find Inter Milan's weakness, and then..." he gestured forcefully downwards with his hand.

※※※

Li Yongle was also getting anxious about his team's failure to score, but he remained calm, sticking closely to Zhang Jun in defense. Zhang Jun was annoyed by his constant marking and mostly passed the ball away after receiving it.

Like Sabato, he was waiting, waiting for the moment Li Yongle relaxed, the moment Li Yongle rushed forward. Just once, one opportunity would be enough.

So, even when his team's defense was in danger, he wouldn't go back to help, even if Pazzini went back. He would just wait in front.

He believed in his teammates. They would hold on and pass the ball forward. Then, the rest would be up to him. He would receive the ball and shoot it into Inter Milan's goal.

Verón tried to break through his younger national teammate Mascherano in the center. But Mascherano showed no respect for his senior, executing a fierce tackle that dispossessed him of the ball.

Mascherano passed the ball to Krøldrup in front. When Li Yongle saw Krøldrup was close and hesitated about whether to move up slightly, he didn't expect Krøldrup to pass the ball out again the moment he received it. As he swung his right leg forward normally, he flicked the ball up, over everyone's heads.

Li Yongle was taken aback. This was the moment Zhang Jun had been waiting for!

He turned and sprinted! He chased after the ball.

"Damn it!" Li Yongle's first reaction was to reach out and pull him back, but he grabbed nothing. He quickly turned back to chase after Zhang Jun.

But how could he catch up with Zhang Jun, who had already burst into a sprint, given the distance between them?

"Stop him! Foul if you have to!" Li Yongle shouted to the defenders.

The ball fell from above, and Samuel pressed in from the front. Zhang Jun stretched out his left foot, looking up at the ball as if to control it. Samuel quickly braced himself, waiting for Zhang Jun to bring the ball down so he could tackle it.

Zhang Jun looked up at the ball, but his peripheral vision was scanning Samuel.

Seeing Samuel's stance, he knew what he had to do.

He flicked his left ankle and poked the falling ball right between Samuel's legs. Then, he twisted his body and bypassed the stunned Samuel!

"Ooh! What a beautiful touch and dribble! That was brilliant!"

After breaking past Samuel, Zhang Jun glanced at the position of the goal and realized he was running wide. He quickly corrected his course, cutting into the center of the penalty area. Li Yongle followed up from behind, and Zhang Jun quickly spread his arms to block him off, knowing that Li Yongle wouldn't dare to commit a foul inside the penalty area.

He approached the goal step by step. César felt the pressure. Should he come out or not?

Li Yongle desperately grabbed Zhang Jun's shoulder, his body starting to lower. He was going to try a sliding tackle from behind.

"Come out!" he shouted.

César no longer hesitated and rushed out.

Sensing Li Yongle's movement behind him, Zhang Jun decided to shoot.

Li Yongle slid, César rushed out, Zhang Jun shot... and the three collided.

Where was the ball?

The ball arced through the air in a parabola and then, under everyone's gaze, elegantly fell into the empty net behind César...

"Goooooooal!!!"

At the moment of shooting, Zhang Jun changed from a forceful shot to a delicate chip, successfully evading the interception of both players in front and behind him.

Pazzini pushed Li Yongle away, pulled Zhang Jun up, and hugged him tightly.

"What a beautiful chip shot! Fiorentina takes the lead against Inter Milan on their home ground! Are they determined to avenge their loss in the first half of the season?"

That's right, we will have our revenge! Fiorentina was proving this determination with action.

Li Yongle stared blankly at the big screen. Inter Milan was behind again. From the moment Zhang Jun started his run, if he hadn't been stopped then, it would have been almost impossible to stop him later.

No matter how successful he had been in his defense before, no matter how many attacks he had thwarted, as long as there was one lapse, one mistake, Zhang Jun, not him, would be the ultimate victor.

Mancini waved his hands in annoyance, turned around, and walked back, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was complaining about.

Sabato, on the other hand, was jumping up and down, not behaving like a coach at all. "Haha! Haha! Angelo, we're leading on their home ground! Inter Milan is nothing! If we win in the end, Inter Milan will have had salt rubbed in their wounds!"

In the middle of the massive San Siro stadium, Inter Milan's players stood dejectedly in place, while Fiorentina's players, wearing their white away jerseys, had become the protagonists here, raising their arms and cheering loudly.

"I think the defending champions are facing their biggest crisis of the season. If they can't win this game, the gap between them and AC Milan and Juventus will widen even further. For Fiorentina, as long as they don't lose, it's fine, but for Inter Milan, they have to win, they must win!"

※※※

Inter Milan's entire team was spurred into action, launching a frenzied counterattack in the following ten minutes, with even Li Yongle joining the attack multiple times. Faced with such a dangerous situation, Fiorentina still didn't call Zhang Jun back.

Because all Fiorentina players knew that Zhang Jun was like a dagger stuck in Inter Milan's heart. As long as Inter Milan moved too much, that dagger would sink a little deeper, twisting and making their wound even more painful, so painful they couldn't give it their all.

Sure enough, Zhang Jun's limited counterattacks caused a great deal of trouble for Inter Milan's defense.

Mancini looked quite agitated on the sidelines. He was watching time slip away while his team still hadn't scored. Instead, Fiorentina's several counterattacks had thrown his defense into chaos.

"Fiorentina has unusually resorted to a defensive counter-attack, which Inter Milan, under Mancini, is finding very difficult to adapt to. They can't find a suitable way to break this situation on the field."

"Yes, I think this has opened up a bad precedent for Fiorentina, making their tactics more complex and unpredictable. Imagine a team with the league's current top scorer and a series of powerful attacking lineups playing a defensive counter-attack, relying solely on the speed of Zhang and Gasparoni is enough to make opponents worry. Not to mention they also have a Krøldrup who is gradually maturing. His passes are becoming increasingly unpredictable, I think a bit like Barcelona's Ronaldinho. Look at the second goal that Fiorentina scored. It was his pass that tore through Inter Milan's defense, flicking the ball up while running… that's quite imaginative!"

While the two commentators were chattering away, the game was drawing to a close.

The fourth official held up the board for added time, showing three minutes of injury time in this match.

"Only three minutes left..." Mancini muttered, leaning against the front of the coach's box and watching the game.

Inter Milan was still at a loss to deal with Fiorentina's defensive counter-attack style. Sometimes football matches are just this magical. You might surround your opponent and attack but still fail to score, while a chance counterattack can succeed.

Who did Inter Milan lose to this time? Zhang Jun had specifically assigned Li Yongle to defend, and he did a good job. The first goal came too quickly, disrupting his plans. The second goal was just bad luck on his side.

In the final moments, Li Yongle completely abandoned Zhang Jun and rushed forward to attack. But his long shot hit his own teammate in the back and bounced out of bounds. Seeing the referee indicate a goal kick instead of a corner kick, Li Yongle's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground. Inter Milan, having lost their chance to attack, was watching the league title slip further and further away.

After historically regaining the league title, were they still unable to defend it?

Krøldrup kept control of the ball in midfield, not rushing to pass it and not rushing to dribble forward. He was stalling for time. Verón and Cambiasso went up to press him, but they couldn't get him to give up possession. And Inter Milan's fans had already started to leave, while only Fiorentina's fans were cheering loudly.

The referee finally blew the whistle to end the match.

"Ah! The match is over! Inter Milan has lost the most important match on their road to winning the title. This has pushed them into a desperate situation, with only a theoretical chance of winning the title. And with this victory, Fiorentina has overtaken Sampdoria, who were previously ranked fourth, to become fourth. This victory has paved the way for them to enter next season's European Champions League. Sabato must be very pleased."

Inside the VIP box, Ren Yu Di watched the celebrating Fiorentina players on the field with satisfaction and stretched languidly.

"Li Yongle, after all these years, you still can't beat Zhang Jun."

※※※

Zhang Jun found Li Yongle and wanted to exchange jerseys with him. But Li Yongle, having lost the game, was clearly not in the mood. He waved his hand. "Not today." Then he turned and walked back to the locker room.

Zhang Jun stood on the sidelines, staring blankly at Li Yongle's back. At this moment, another person walked over. Adriano took off his jersey and handed it to Zhang Jun. "There are still four rounds left. I won't let you have the top scorer title."

Zhang Jun also handed over his jersey.

"Then let's see. I'm still ahead for now."

Their hands gripped tightly together as they exchanged jerseys.

※※※

Compared to the mutual appreciation between the team's two main forwards, Mancini and Sabato showed no sign of mutual appreciation at the press conference. Mancini's frustration was palpable. He knew better than anyone what losing this game meant. All the effort of a season! Was washed away by this game...

"...Conceding a goal right at the start of the game was a big blow to us. All my pre-match arrangements were shattered, and we had to start over. Fiorentina played well, and they deserved the victory." Having lost the game, Mancini was not in the mood to chat with the reporters. He politely said a few words and left, leaving the triumphant Sabato to face the crowd of reporters alone.

"Yes, we won the game. We've risen to fourth place, which is a result we can be proud of. My team played very well. Yes, I told the team to try to score at the start of the game. I can say that Fiorentina's attacking strength is the strongest in Serie A."

"Then how do you explain the defensive counter-attack in the second half? Since you're so confident in your team's attacking power..."

"That's perfectly normal. It's precisely because I'm confident in our attacking power that we can seize opportunities to score. The defensive counter-attack was a change made based on the situation on the field. I can't stick to one tactic. I know what you mean by asking that. Serie A teams have thoroughly studied our tactics, but I won't give them the chance to use that against us."

"What are your thoughts on the team's comeback from a series of losses at the start of the season to having a chance to enter next season's European Champions League?"

"There's nothing to say. Our strength deserves this result. Fiorentina is strong, stronger than you think!" Sabato gave a meaningful chuckle.

※※※

"...Fiorentina's victory in this match has not reduced the chaos at the end of the Serie A season in any way, but has instead made the situation even more chaotic. Although Inter Milan still has a theoretical chance of winning the title, they still have a chance, and they won't give up easily. AC Milan and Juventus are also still close behind after winning their respective matches. After successfully entering the top four, Fiorentina, facing the pressure from Sampdoria, cannot relax either. Their remaining matches, in addition to striving for victory, have another task, which is to ensure Zhang Jun's place as the league's top scorer..." Li Yan typed out this round's summary on his laptop.

He thought of Sabato's last words at the press conference again.

That rascal really has confidence in his team.

Based on Fiorentina's current form, it shouldn't be a problem to hold on to fourth place in the league, and the suspense over Zhang Jun becoming the top scorer should also be minimal. Chinese football has finally produced a top scorer in a foreign league.

The season is coming to an end, and Zhang Jun has also been selected as an over-aged player for the national Olympic team, preparing to play in the Beijing Olympics... I just hope he doesn't get too tired.

Thinking of the top scorer, Li Yan decided to call Zhang Jun.

※※※

Zhang Jun was at home watching a movie with Sophie. The home theater and surround sound made them feel like they were right there. Just as they were watching a tense part, Li Yan's phone call suddenly pulled Zhang Jun and Sophie back to reality. This environmental contrast made Zhang Jun very unhappy. He didn't even look to see who was calling, answered the phone, and said in an indifferent tone, "Who is it? What is it?"

"Haha, it's me, Zhang Jun."

Zhang Jun recognized Li Yan's voice and signaled Sophie to turn down the volume of the TV. As a result, Sophie pressed pause.

"Ah, what's up?"

"Well, I'm writing an article, and I wanted to interview you about something real quick."

"You're being so formal... Ask away. I refuse to answer sensitive topics, though."

"Actually, it's not a big deal. I just wanted to ask you... Are you determined to win the top scorer title this season?"

"Of course." Zhang Jun thought of the moment he shook hands with Adriano. He felt that football was more interesting because of these opponents. "I don't just want to be the top scorer, I want to be the top scorer with more than thirty goals!"

Li Yan was stunned.

※※※

This was truly a very, very distant era. Since the 1958-59 season, when Inter Milan's Angelillo became the top scorer in the Italian Serie A with thirty-three goals, Serie A had not seen a scorer score more than thirty goals in a single season for half a century.

Li Yan really wanted to ask Zhang Jun if he knew the history of Serie A, if he knew what his words meant for Serie A. If he really achieved what he said, then he would break the curse of Serie A's top scorer not exceeding thirty goals, which had been in place for forty-nine years. If he really did it, then if anyone said that Zhang Jun wasn't strong enough, he, Li Yan, would be the first to slap that guy in the face.

When Li Yan put down the phone and continued writing his article, he paused for a long time, considering whether or not to write down Zhang Jun's "bold statement."

He knew that his article would not only be seen in China but that some Italian media would also use it as a reference because he was the reporter closest to Zhang Jun—other than Sophie. If these words were disclosed, what kind of impact would they have on Italian football? He thought he could roughly guess.

The final result of his consideration was to write down this passage. He believed in Zhang Jun. He wanted to make the Italians marvel at a Chinese forward.

※※※

"Not only do I want to be the top scorer, but I also want to win the top scorer title with more than thirty goals."

When Andrea Calligaris saw this sentence, he almost choked on his breakfast. This was the article that Li Yan had sent him. They had an agreement that Calligaris would give him priority access to some exclusive news from Italy so that he could send it back to China. And Li Yan would give him priority access to various news about Zhang Jun and other Chinese players, so that he could enjoy exclusive treatment.

He put the bread in his hand on the table and began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, looking for historical data on Serie A, historical data on the top scorer. After searching for a long time, he found nothing. He turned to ask the most senior editor in the news agency.

"Ferrenno, do you know who has scored the most goals among the top scorers in Serie A history?"

The old editor, with a face full of wrinkles, heard Calligaris asking him, so he put down the work in his hands and lowered his head to think. "The 1949-50 season, AC Milan's Nordahl, thirty-five goals."

Someone next to him exclaimed: "No wonder he's the living database in the news agency! He can remember these things just by lowering his head!"

Calligaris didn't have time to marvel. He continued to ask: "Then who is the most recent person to score more than thirty goals and win the league's top scorer title?"

This time, Ferrenno didn't think and answered directly: "The 1958-59 season, Inter Milan's Angelillo, thirty-three goals."

"...Has it been forty-nine years?"

Ferrenno nodded and then asked: "What are you asking these things for? These materials are covered in dust, and no one will remember them anymore. Serie A is becoming more and more focused on defense, and it is simply impossible to score thirty goals in a season." He laughed.

Calligaris waved the manuscript in his hand and then said to him: "I have someone in my hand right now. He plans to win this season's top scorer title with more than thirty goals."

"Wow! Who is it?" Someone in the office asked loudly.

"Fiorentina's Zhang Jun, who has currently scored twenty-six goals."

The office was silent, and Ferrenno's mouth twitched, laughing strangely.

Finally, when Calligaris was about to hand over the written manuscript to his editor for review, the editor didn't believe that a Chinese forward could say such a thing.

"Andrea, you have to know that Chinese people are very shy. They are very modest and won't say such big words casually. You must have gotten something wrong."

Calligaris called Li Yan and then handed the phone to his editor. Li Yan swore on the other end of the phone that he had heard Zhang Jun say this with his own ears and that there was absolutely no mistake.

Because they had cooperated many times before, the editor couldn't doubt that Li Yan would lie or fabricate fake news. Although this news was indeed sensational, it wasn't worth fabricating fake news and ruining his reputation for this sensational effect.

So the editor took the manuscript and went to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief repeatedly read this manuscript five times and finally made a big stroke: Publish it!

Calligaris called Li Yan and said that the manuscript had been approved and would be published tomorrow.

Li Yan smiled slyly: "Andrea, I'm telling you, just wait for the good show to start tomorrow."

※※※

Li Yan's words were quickly confirmed.

When *La Gazzetta dello Sport* and *Titan Sports* were released in Italy and China respectively, many people were shocked.

Those familiar with the history of Serie A were very clear about what Zhang Jun's words meant, and those who didn't understand roughly understood after listening to the tireless explanations of the reporters.

In short, if Zhang Jun really succeeded, he would complete something that no one had been able to do for nearly half a century. Neither the Italian local stars nor the foreign superstars could do it.

And this honor would belong to the Chinese.

The reaction in China was closer to patriotism and national honor. On the Italian side, they were analyzing the possibility of Zhang Jun's words being successfully realized, and what kind of achievement it would be if he succeeded.

Zhang Jun has currently scored twenty-six goals, which is already a remarkable achievement. Since the 1958-59 season, the highest number of goals scored by the league's top scorer has been twenty-seven. There are still four rounds left in the league, and it is theoretically not difficult to achieve a score of more than thirty goals, but that is only theoretically not difficult. You must know that football matches are full of variables, and no one dares to say that they will definitely score in their next match. Four goals may be achieved in one match, or not even one goal may be scored in half a season. A striker is a very special position, very dependent on form. If the form comes, not even Yashin would be able to stop him from scoring, but if there is no form, even an open goal would be missed.

Look at Fiorentina's opponents in the last four rounds.

The 35th round is against Empoli, the 36th round is against Palermo, the 37th round is against Reggina, and the 38th round is against Chievo.

The opponents cannot be considered strong, but there are two relegation teams inside: Palermo and Reggina.

In the final stage of the league, teams fighting for relegation are often more difficult to deal with than those fighting for the league title or for the Champions League qualification, and Fiorentina should know this better than anyone, because they were fighting for relegation last season.

※※※

Just when the outside world was marveling at Zhang Jun's bold statement and guessing about it, the person involved himself was very calm. Seeing the increasing number of reporters at the training ground every day, and facing the various questions they raised about the total number of goals, Zhang Jun was very calm.

"That's right, I said those words, and I will show you." Zhang Jun said in an interview with Sky Sports outside the training ground.

"So, do you know that no one in Serie A has been able to score more than thirty goals in a season since the 1958-59 season?" the beautiful reporter and host asked.

Zhang Jun smiled: "I only found out about this later, but I think I have already scored twenty-six goals, and there are still four rounds left. I am in good shape now, so it should not be a problem. In short, no matter how much you ask, I can't tell you. Let's wait and see when the league is over."

Due to the bold statement mentioned earlier, the 35th round of the league, Fiorentina's home game against Empoli, has attracted much attention. Many people wanted to see if Zhang Jun could score in this game, and if he couldn't, they would suspect that Zhang Jun was talking nonsense.

As a result, Zhang Jun did not score in that game. Fiorentina won a narrow 1-0 victory over Empoli at home. The goal was scored by the attacking midfielder, Krøldrup, who scored his fifth league goal of the season.

After the game, many comments believed that it was impossible for Zhang Jun to score more than thirty goals. Zhang Jun did not express any opinions. Facing interviews with the news media, he still answered that he could complete it.

In the next 36th round, Fiorentina faced a difficult opponent, Palermo, who was fighting for relegation.

Zhang Jun still started in this game. In the final stage, he started every game and played for ninety minutes in every game. Even Sabato was providing the possibility for his "bold statement" to be realized.

And so were his teammates.

They tried their best to assist Zhang Jun to ensure that he became the top scorer, and to ensure that he became the Serie A top scorer of half a century.

Because Zhang Jun did not score in the previous round, Adriano, who had been holding back, had narrowed the distance: twenty-six to twenty-four.

At the beginning of this game, Palermo relied on the home advantage and launched a fierce attack on Fiorentina. Fiorentina also continued the defensive counter-attack tactics that started with Inter Milan, first trying to stabilize the situation and then looking for opportunities to counterattack.

In the early stages of the game, Fiorentina's goal was in danger, and they were almost broken several times. If it weren't for good luck and Frey's outstanding performance, Fiorentina would have been three goals behind.

At the critical moment, a key man was needed. Zhang Jun once again played this role. His goal in the 39th minute broke the situation on the field and changed the direction of the game.

"GooooooooooooooooAL!!!" The Sky Sports commentator roared, dragging out his voice. As the voice grew smaller and smaller, he suddenly burst out with a loud roar, "Twenty-seven! Twenty-seven! Zhang Jun's twenty-seventh goal! After the end of the last game, everyone was doubting whether he could realize what he said. Now, Zhang Jun has proven his confidence with practical actions. He is three goals away from thirty!"

The big screen played the scene of Zhang Jun's goal just now. After receiving Jørgensen's cross, he poked the ball into the near corner of the goal with his toes in front of the defender. The goalkeeper couldn't block the angle in time and could only watch the ball roll into the goal.

In order to grab this ball from the defender, Zhang Jun paid the price of having a blood opening of about three centimeters cut on the inside of his thigh by the defender's cleats.

But Zhang Jun, who scored the goal, was very excited and did not care about the blood still flowing from his leg, until the referee ran up to him and signaled that he would not be able to continue the game like this unless he went off the field to receive treatment to stop the bleeding.

Zhang Jun then noticed that his thigh was bleeding and quickly ran off the field, waving to signal the team doctor to come up and stop the bleeding.

Feng Qing ran over slowly with his box and then skillfully but quickly treated Zhang Jun's wound. Then he patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder: "Tell the referee that you're okay, there's nothing wrong with your body now. Go up and score a few more goals!"

Zhang Jun got up and jumped, feeling nothing unusual in his injured thigh. Then he raised his hand to signal the referee in the field.

The referee saw Zhang Jun's gesture and waved his hand inwards, telling him to hurry up.

"Zhang Jun is back in the game! It seems that there is nothing wrong with his injury."

Fiorentina was leading Palermo 1-0, which made Palermo, who was fighting for relegation, feel uneasy. They attacked desperately in the second half, hoping to score a goal and keep a glimmer of hope for the team.

Zhang Jun could understand the mood of his opponents. After all, it was a very uncomfortable thing to watch the team you were playing for being relegated to Serie B. He had experienced such a process last season, but now was not the time to sympathize with his opponents. He had to achieve what he said himself.

"Ah! Krøldrup's breakthrough successfully caused Palermo's defenders to foul in front of their own penalty area! This is a free kick for Fiorentina. Zhang Jun is standing in front of the ball, and he will definitely shoot it himself! For the goal of thirty goals, he will definitely not let go of this opportunity!"

Zhang Jun stood in front of the ball, looking at the wall that was being lined up nervously, and everyone's face was full of anxiety. How similar was this to their expressions last season?

But... I'm sorry, although you need a victory to avoid relegation, we also need a victory.

Zhang Jun let out a breath and then started to run, swing his leg, and kick the ball.

The ball bypassed the upper part of the wall and then began to fall. When it reached the front of the goal, it was already very low. The goalkeeper couldn't save it, and the ball flew past his hand.

The ball went in!

"Oh! GoooooooooAL!!! This is his twenty-eighth goal!! Twenty-eighth!! He is only two away from thirty! Zhang Jun! Maybe he can really do it... something that no one has been able to do since 1959! He has already broken the record for the most league goals in a single season since the 1959-60 season! The previous record holders were the top scorer of the 1959-60 season, Juventus's Sivori, and the top scorer of the 1960-61 season, Sampdoria's Brighenti! Regardless of whether Zhang Jun can achieve what he said about scoring more than thirty goals, his twenty-eight goals this season are enough to enter the annals of Serie A!"

Zhang Jun raised his arms, but lowered his head. He was quietly enjoying his moment.

This was his moment, and everyone, no matter how famous or how high their status, was his audience. He was the center of the entire stadium, the protagonist of the entire stage.

※※※

In this game, Fiorentina won a final victory 2-1 away from home. Zhang Jun was on the front page of all newspapers the next day, because he had already scored twenty-eight goals.

"...There are two rounds left in the league. These are Zhang Jun's two rounds. Everyone is watching him, watching whether he can achieve what he said, watching whether he can really score thirty goals! Regardless of the reason, many people are indeed looking forward to it with excitement. Fiorentina has given us many surprises this season, but I want to say that only this one, this one is the biggest surprise, if it succeeds..."

Li Yan wrote in a round-up article.

He was very optimistic about Zhang Jun, so he would always support Zhang Jun.

Sophie took Li Yan's article to Zhang Jun. After reading it, Zhang Jun said to Sophie: "Well, a writer is a writer. I feel so excited and look forward to myself after reading it... Since Li Yan thinks so highly of me, I can't let him down, right?"

Sophie smiled: "Zhang Jun is becoming more and more confident in himself."

"I've been holding back for so many years, so let me go wild once, right? I haven't won a golden boot in any season since my debut. If I'm going to play, I'm going to play big, hehe!"

※※※

"...Round 37 of the league, this season is coming to an end, but Zhang Jun's number of goals is not coming to an end. In the home game against Reggina, he scored another goal, which was his 29th goal of the season! Although Fiorentina was forced to a draw at home by Reggina, who urgently needed a victory to avoid relegation, the gap between them and Sampdoria has widened to four points. It can be said that Fiorentina is certain to enter the European Champions League qualifiers next season, so the city of Florence was filled with cheers and laughter over the weekend. With one round left in the league, Fiorentina will challenge an opponent who cannot be considered weak away from home. Let's wait and see what Zhang Jun and Fiorentina can do?"

Li Yan was writing his round-up article again.

Zhang Jun's achievement has caused a sensation in China, and the reaction in Italy is equally great. Top scorer with 29 goals... Shevchenko and Ibrahimović have actually withdrawn from the competition for top scorer, while Adriano is four goals behind Zhang Jun. This gap cannot be considered small for Inter Milan's last round opponent, Lazio. It is too difficult for Adriano to score five goals in the last game and still hope that Zhang Jun does not score a goal.

Many Chinese media could not wait to "give" Zhang Jun the top scorer of Serie A this season.

In Zhang Jun's heart, just winning a top scorer cannot satisfy him. He needs goals, more and more goals. Thirty goals is his bottom line.

"There is still one goal left to reach thirty, which is nothing to me... I know Chievo is not weak, I know what you mean by asking this, but I just want to say that I will score in the next game, definitely, I keep my word!" On TV, Zhang Jun said confidently.