Capítulo 7: A Star in the Making
"Fuck!!"
"Two goals?!"
"Awesome!"
"What an explosive debut!"
"We'll definitely see Louis Dupont in the new season!"
"Is this an unexpected surprise for French football?"
"Don't forget, he's half-Italian. Given the choice, he'd probably pick Italy."
"Italy is so strong, he may not even be selected, right?"
Fans from China are excited. The scene of Louis scoring is replayed over and over again on TV. He first moved laterally and forward, then suddenly retreated and executed a fishhook run.
At the same time, a pass came out of the backfield. Djourou, the defensive player in that area, failed to keep up with Louis's rhythm. And Louis's actions after completing the offside trap were precise. Fixing his gaze on the approaching goalkeeper, he made a quick flick with his calf, poking the ball into the goal.
This series of actions made Zhang Jun exclaim, "Louis showed great awareness in avoiding offside and handled the final shot with impressive composure. It's hard to believe he's only seventeen. He plays like he's been doing this for a decade."
The Arsenal defenders raised their arms, signaling for offside. But the linesman did not raise his flag and instead began running towards the center circle. The referee's whistle confirmed the goal. Seeing this, Arsenal's players had to accept the fact that they had been outplayed by a seventeen-year-old AC Milan youth player.
Being down 2-0 is not the end of the world, but it's demoralizing. Arsenal's substitute forward Giroud had squandered several good chances, including two clear one-on-ones. In stark contrast, Louis had seized both of his rare opportunities to score.
The difference was stark, and it was normal for Arsenal's morale to dip. Conversely, AC Milan's players were energized. On the bench, many players applauded Louis. Allegri rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His assistant, beaming with excitement, exclaimed, "This kid really is the new Inzaghi!"
Allegri smiled too. "If we don't sign any new strikers this season, he might become a valuable addition to our forward lineup."
Of course, Allegri wasn't about to rely solely on Louis for AC Milan's scoring this season. Warm-up matches and official games are worlds apart. At seventeen, Louis was still a bit unpredictable. Allegri preferred a more seasoned player to anchor AC Milan's attack this season and hoped the transfer market would provide answers.
AC Milan's current striker lineup included well-known players like Robinho and Pato, but their performances had been disappointing. Beyond them, there was only El Shaarawy, who, despite his dribbling skills, had a low scoring rate—just two goals and two assists in twenty-eight appearances last season.
Allegri couldn't trust Robinho and Pato, the two notorious nightclub regulars, to lead the attack. Could he count on El Shaarawy? Or gamble on Louis maintaining his current form?
Allegri wasn't willing to take that gamble. He had asked Galliani to find new forwards for AC Milan. Options included Inter Milan's Italian international Pazzini, Barcelona's young talent Bojan, and Italian international Mario Balotelli. Any of these three seemed safer bets than the seventeen-year-old Louis.
In Allegri's mind, Louis was a supplement to the striker lineup, not the main solution for the season.
"We should evaluate him for a transfer," Wenger said.
His assistant Bald shook his head. "AC Milan is unlikely to let him go. After letting Ibrahimovic leave, they're short on forwards."
Wenger nodded. "Let's get a scouting report first."
After Van Persie's departure, Arsenal faced the same "who will score?" dilemma. Wenger was optimistic about Giroud, but his wastefulness in this game made Wenger second-guess himself.
Keeping Van Persie would be ideal, but if not, Arsenal would need to find another forward.
The final score was 2-0. With Louis's two goals in the second half, AC Milan defeated Arsenal in the first game of the International Champions Cup.
The media in Milan began extensive coverage of Louis's sudden rise. Born and raised in Milan, and being the nephew of Milan legend Inzaghi, Louis was quickly embraced as "one of their own."
"AC Milan's new generation striker is born!"
"He's the future of AC Milan's offense!"
"Born in Milan! Vismara's own Louis Dupont is worth watching!"
For a while, Milan's media showered praise, and fans eagerly anticipated seeing the new Inzaghi. Louis's status among AC Milan fans skyrocketed. As a product of Vismara youth training, Inzaghi's nephew, and a Milan native, he perfectly fit the profile of Milan's new prince.
Although it was just a warm-up match, scoring twice had a huge impact. After this game, Louis became a household name in Milan. His rise couldn't be ignored by AC Milan's general manager, Galliani.
Galliani knew AC Milan needed signings, especially a forward. But with money tight, Louis's emergence was timely. Galliani quickly called Allegri.
"Louis? No, no, no. He won't be our main striker solution. He has talent, but he's too young," Allegri said, frustrated. The media hype was getting to Galliani, who even asked if they could pause striker signings.
Allowing Louis to become AC Milan's regular starter would please fans, but Allegri knew it was irresponsible to the club and to Louis's future. It was reminiscent of Real Madrid's "Zidane and Pavon" policy, but AC Milan lacked a player like Zidane.
Allegri read the Milan media reports and frowned more with each one. They were hyping Louis up without considering the consequences. He called Galliani again to discuss the risks and benefits, urging him to expedite the team's signings. To prevent Louis's growing fame from interfering with transfers, Allegri began to reduce Louis's media exposure deliberately.
For Allegri, once the summer transfer window closed, he could use Louis with confidence.
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