Chapter 4: The Invisible Man of the First Team

Chapter 4: The First-Team Wallflower

Allegri did not believe that anyone could successfully transform their position in just half a year. However, he would grant Inzaghi some face. After all, Inzaghi was the coach of the club's youth team and a club legend. If he recommended a youngster for the first team, that courtesy had to be extended. But that was where it ended. He had no illusions that promoting a teenage striker from the youth academy would save the team. AC Milan needed to be much more aggressive in the transfer market.

Yet, Galliani offered little positive response to Allegri's demands for reinforcements. With Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva sold, they needed to bring in a striker with genuine goal-scoring ability and a center-back in their prime, didn't they? Otherwise, who was AC Milan supposed to rely on for goals? Pato, whose legs were going weak from partying in nightclubs, or Robinho, the former king of step-overs? Of course, compared to Pato and Robinho, they were at least somewhat reliable. As for Li Mo, he was simply too young. Allegri had no intention of including him in the first-team squad for the new season. In his eyes, Inzaghi's recommendation was, at the very least, tainted by a hint of personal sentiment. Allegri wouldn't reject a young player recommended by the youth camp; it was just one more mouth to feed at the first-team canteen.

Li Mo received the news from Inzaghi during afternoon training. "The first team?" Li Mo was stunned. He then realized the situation and said, "Uncle, your influence really is something."

Inzaghi smiled slightly. "It’s not just my influence; it’s that your abilities have outgrown the youth academy. But Li, remember, in the first team, the most important thing is patience! You must patiently wait for your chance."

"I understand, Uncle," Li Mo nodded.

A mentor can bring you through the door, but your path is your own to walk. He could use Inzaghi's reputation to get his foot in the door, but whether he could stay or make a name for himself in professional football could not rely on the reputation of his elders. Otherwise, given how many "second-generation" players there were in the world, how many actually made it? Elite father-son duos like Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini, who both played for a giant like AC Milan and won the Champions League, were rare. In the end, everything comes down to one's own ability.

Li Mo felt confident about his future at AC Milan. He had grown up in Milan; his parents, his sister, and all his friends were there. If possible, he was more than willing to play for AC Milan.

Li Mo's family was overjoyed by the good news. His mother, Martina Inzaghi, spent half the day preparing a table full of delicious food, waiting for him to come home. His sister, Li Ruo, who was studying at the University of Milan, specifically asked for leave to return.

"Little brother, you actually made the first team!!" Li Ruo exclaimed, looking up at Li Mo, who was now a head taller than her. "Did you grow again?!"

Unlike Li Mo, Li Ruo had more "prominent" Italian features: a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, a pointed chin, and long, straight black hair. They looked nothing alike. It was hard to imagine they were twins.

"Yeah, I'm one hundred and ninety-one centimeters now."

Li Ruo looked envious. They came from the same womb, so why was the difference so huge? Just then, a crowd of teenagers arrived, cheering and shouting. "Congratulations, Li!" "I'll be watching your matches!" "Good luck!" They were all sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen years old—Li Mo’s friends since childhood.

"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat," Martina, whose figure had grown a bit rounded, said with a smile as she emerged from the kitchen, leaving her husband, Li Shengli, to continue wielding the spatula for the Chinese stir-fry.

Most of the people living in this community were AC Milan supporters. In Europe, the bond between football clubs and their local communities is very tight. Everyone was looking forward to seeing Li Mo play for the AC Milan first team.

Li Mo arrived at the first-team training base the next day. However, because several players were participating in the European Championship that summer, the squad was not fully assembled. Furthermore, the players had just returned from a vacation, so pre-season training focused mainly on physical recovery and conditioning. Once the team was fully gathered, they would head to the United States for a series of commercial friendly matches, at which point training would shift more toward tactics and technique.

Consequently, Li Mo became the first team's invisible man, clocking in for training every day. With his fundamentals yet to fully recover, he remained entirely overlooked.

On July 1st, the team was given a day off for the European Championship final. The Italian national team had made it to the final, and Li Mo's home was packed with neighbors and friends. As it turned out, they witnessed a final that left all Italians silent. Spain crushed Italy four-nil to lift the trophy, becoming the first team to win consecutive European Championships. They completed a historic treble of the 2008 Euro, 2010 World Cup, and 2012 Euro. Italy, meanwhile, looked like the fading glow of a setting sun.

A few days later, the Italian internationals from AC Milan returned to the training base. Spirits were low. However, the base became much livelier—not just because of the returning internationals, but also because of the youth players promoted from Vismara.

Li Mo's routine remained unchanged. Because of the issues with his fundamentals, he seemed even further away from a debut. The team's first pre-season action was the TIM Trophy, a friendly tournament featuring Italy's "Big Three": AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Juventus. The rules were peculiar: each match lasted forty-five minutes, and the three teams played each other. The winner of each match earned three points; if tied, a penalty shootout decided the winner, with two points for the victor and one for the loser.

In the TIM Trophy, the youth players, including Li Mo, did not get a chance to play. With the team playing Juventus for the first forty-five minutes and Inter Milan for the second, there simply was no time to give the youngsters a run-out. AC Milan lost one-nil to Juventus and two-nil to Inter, finishing last in the tournament yet again. While this was a standard result for such an event, it triggered another round of media criticism directed at Allegri.

Allegri likely wouldn't see any of that, though. The day after the tournament ended, he took the team to the United States to participate in a red-hot commercial tournament: the International Champions Cup. AC Milan's first opponent? Arsenal from the English Premier League.