Baixar aplicativo
14.28% Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes. / Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Moment of Glory

Capítulo 33: Chapter 33: The Moment of Glory

Chapter 33: The Moment of Glory

 

The coach of Lanciano was gripping his head, almost wanting to tear his hair out in frustration. He kept shouting at his players on the field, hoping they could settle down. Despite a meticulously detailed plan that considered many factors, who could have anticipated Bruno would take another corner and, once again, assist a goal for Novara?

 

Until today, Rudy, the vice-captain, had been the regular corner taker. Bruno had taken corners only once this entire season! Lanciano's coach had overlooked Bruno and Novara's tactical change, and now they were in trouble.

 

Conceding three corners and a goal within the first nine minutes was not the start they had hoped for. The coach immediately made adjustments, signaling his team to retreat slightly and stabilize during these chaotic minutes after conceding.

 

Novara, aware of Lanciano's intentions, did not plan to let up. Holding the advantage, they continued pressing high after taking the lead.

 

Initially, Lanciano could cope, but gradually their inferior overall strength began to show.

 

In the 18th minute, under pressure from Novara's Swiss forward, Haris Seferovic, a Lanciano center-back attempted a pass to his defensive midfielder just ten meters away—a normally secure action. However, just as the midfielder was about to control the ball, Bruno burst forward from behind, tangling with him and pushing the ball towards the left flank.

 

Simone Pesce chased down the ball and quickly advanced up the left, creating an immediate counter-attack opportunity. Seferovic also pressed forward, and together they created a two-on-three situation in the left half of the field.

 

Pesce, skilled with the ball at his feet, maintained a clear view of the area as he broke into the box. He then made a swift pass back to Seferovic, who cleverly used his body to block the Lanciano defender, letting the ball roll past him towards the penalty spot.

 

"A quick counter for Novara!"

"Pesce breaks down the left, crosses inside, Seferovic lets it through... to Bruno at the penalty spot..."

"Goal!!"

"GOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"

"In the 18th minute, Novara scores again!"

"Bruno! Bruno! He nets his twentieth goal of the season!"

"A clean finish, the Lanciano goalkeeper had no chance to stop that shot!"

"Novara leads 2-0!"

 

After the goal, Bruno sprinted towards the Novara fans in the stands, sliding to his knees.

His teammates quickly surrounded him, joining in the celebration.

"Bruno's first shot of the game results in a goal. His ability to seize opportunities is incredibly reliable. He rarely shoots, averaging just two or three attempts per game, but he's netted twenty goals—an efficiency that would embarrass many forwards."

 

With the second goal, Novara firmly controlled the match. Lanciano, overwhelmed and demoralized after conceding twice, struggled to mount any threatening attacks.

 

During the halftime break, coach Tesser lavishly praised his team's first-half performance and encouraged them to keep up the effort: "I believe if we keep playing steadily, victory will be ours!"

 

The second half saw no immediate changes from Lanciano. They attempted an early push but failed to make an impact. As the game reached the 70th minute, Tesser began making substitutions, with Bruno, Buziogli, and captain Rubino successively taken off.

 

When Bruno was substituted, the entire stadium erupted in applause.

With two goals and an assist, Bruno continued his excellent form, directing Novara to victory in this title-deciding match.

With his season stats ending at 40 games, 21 goals, and 32 assists—leading Serie B in both goals and assists—his 32 assists doubled the previous record and might remain a permanent part of Serie B history.

 

Lanciano couldn't turn the game around and eventually lost 3-0 to Novara.

When the referee blew the final whistle, Piola Stadium turned into a sea of joy, with 11,000 Novara fans singing to celebrate their team's first Serie B title in 65 years.

On the field, Novara's players celebrated wildly, with coach Tesser thrown into the air amidst cheers.

 

Watching this, Bruno was overjoyed. Although just a Serie B title, it was his first official championship in his career, a moment of significant personal importance.

As Novara's star player, Bruno naturally became the focus for journalists post-game. Amidst the barrage of questions, he remained calm, stating, "I want to say, this isn't just anyone's doing but the result of efforts from everyone associated with the team—my teammates, our coach, the staff, and those who weren't at Piola Stadium tonight."

 

When asked about potentially leaving Novara, Bruno expressed his affection for the club and gratitude but noted the uncertainties of professional football: "I love Novara and am grateful to them. At least for now, I have no plans to leave. However, football is unpredictable, and I can't guarantee I'll stay. No matter what the future holds, Novara will always have a place in my heart."

 

(End of Chapter)

 

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.


next chapter

Capítulo 34: Chapter 34: The End of the Journey

Chapter 34: The End of the Journey

Novara held a grand trophy presentation ceremony at Piola Stadium. After each player of Novara ascended the podium to receive their championship medals, an official from the Italian Football Association handed the "Wings of Victory" trophy to Novara's captain, Rubino. Rubino invited Bruno to lift the "Wings of Victory" trophy with him. Amid the cheers of over ten thousand Novara fans, the two held the somewhat small, light trophy aloft.

Afterward, Rubino gave a victory speech on behalf of the team, which also served as his farewell announcement. The veteran, soon to turn 36, decided to retire at the end of the season.

Following the ceremony, the entire Novara team boarded a bus for a grand parade through the city. While such celebrations might not occur for a powerhouse club winning Serie B, for a small team like Novara, winning Serie B was a monumental occasion.

That evening, the De Salvo family, the owners of Novara, hosted a celebration party at a hotel in Novarello. The players, dressed up, attended with family or girlfriends, except for Bruno, who arrived alone.

Recently, Bruno's girlfriend had broken off contact with him due to his somewhat aloof attitude, suggesting perhaps they were not meant to be. Moreover, Bruno didn't have any other significant romantic interests; his acquaintance Vanessa Hessler had met him only twice, and they hadn't even exchanged contact information, hardly qualifying as friends. Bruno naturally wouldn't invite her to the party as it would imply a declaration of their relationship.

At the party, the club owner, Massimo De Salvo, congratulated Bruno and expressed gratitude for his outstanding performance throughout the season. However, neither touched upon the topic of renewing his contract. This wasn't because there were two years left on his contract and no need for renewal but because De Salvo knew well that the small pond of Novara couldn't contain the soon-to-be soaring dragon, Bruno—even though Novara had been promoted to Serie A.

The De Salvo family, despite their wealth, had never been heavily invested in transforming Novara into a top Italian football club. Bruno knew from the lack of a pay raise proposal throughout the season that they had no intention of retaining him, and he had no desire to stay at a club with limited prospects.

Although he didn't explicitly state his intention to leave during the post-game interview, those words were just formalities for the media—believing them would be a mistake.

Both sides understood that with the season's end, their relationship would naturally conclude.

After Massimo De Salvo left, Giaretta stayed behind and quietly asked Bruno, "Tell me the truth, Bruno, are you planning to leave this summer?" Given their good relationship, Bruno pondered briefly before responding, "If the right opportunity comes, why not?"

Giaretta probed further, "What constitutes a 'right opportunity'? Are you looking for a big club or a high salary?" Bruno shook his head and explained, "Given my current situation, moving to a big club would be challenging. Even if I did, I couldn't be sure of my position. What's the point if I'm just warming the bench? And as for a high salary, who do you think would offer that to a newcomer like me who's only played one season?"

With a slight grin, Bruno added, "Cristiano, has any club made an offer for me?" Giaretta nodded, admitting, "Of course, talents like you will always have suitors. Several teams, including big names like Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, and upper-mid-tier clubs like Udinese, Napoli, and Sampdoria, have made offers. There are even some from teams fighting relegation..."

Surprised, Bruno chuckled, "I had no idea I was in such demand." Giaretta seriously added, "Do you not realize how popular you are right now? At eighteen, with 21 goals and 32 assists in Serie B, setting a new assist record for the league, everyone in Italy who cares about football is watching you. My colleagues tell me your fame rivals Juventus's new star, Paulo Dybala. I remember you haven't signed with an agent yet, right? I suggest you sort that out soon. This summer is going to be very busy for you."

Bruno sighed at the mention of signing with an agent. Many had approached him over the past few months, either volunteering themselves or recommended by teammates, but Bruno didn't trust them. With no doubts about his future and now equipped with an "extra edge," he didn't believe his development could be any less than his original trajectory.

Top stars usually have agents who are either trusted family members or top professionals. None of Bruno's family seemed capable of being an agent—his parents were uneducated, his brother was a third-tier professional player, and his sister was an ordinary worker.

So, professional agents were his only option. Yet, no top-tier agents had approached him. In Bruno's view, the real top-tier agents were Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola, and neither had contacted him yet.

Scratching his head in frustration, Bruno remarked, "Let's wait and see. I'll settle this soon. If any club makes a convincing offer, just let me know, and I'll negotiate my terms directly with them."

Giaretta shook his head, "Don't come to me with this. I won't be Novara's general manager for much longer, so I won't be involved in any transfers."

Surprised, Bruno looked at Giaretta, who explained, "I've submitted my resignation and will leave at the end of the month."

Bruno inquired, "Where will you go?"

"Udinese," Giaretta replied.

Bruno was speechless, understanding perhaps why his future self transferred there; Giaretta likely played a crucial role.

Smiling, Giaretta said, "Interested in joining Udinese? I've recommended you to Mr. Pozzo, and he's very interested."

Bruno responded, "For me, it doesn't matter where I go. I just want to play football peacefully. If Udinese can guarantee my position and offer decent financial terms, that's acceptable."

"Alright, don't rush to decide. Once I start at Udinese, I'll handle your transfer properly," Giaretta whispered.

Bruno nodded, "No problem. I don't have the energy to worry about transfers right now. I'm about to join the Portugal U20 team and won't be back until July."

Giaretta, puzzled, asked, "Are you participating in the U20 World Cup in Turkey?"

"Yes," Bruno didn't hide it.

Startled, Giaretta exclaimed, "Then I need to act quickly."

Confused, Bruno asked, "What do you mean?"

Laughing, Giaretta explained, "You're going to the U20 World Cup. If I don't move fast and you end up winning, your value could skyrocket, and Udinese would have to pay a lot more."

Amused, Bruno murmured, "You really have a lot of faith in me..."

(End of Chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

 

 


Load failed, please RETRY

Status de energia semanal

Capítulos de desbloqueio em lote

Índice

Opções de exibição

Fundo

Fonte

Tamanho

Comentários do capítulo

Escreva uma avaliação Status de leitura: C33
Falha ao postar. Tente novamente
  • Qualidade de Escrita
  • Estabilidade das atualizações
  • Desenvolvimento de Histórias
  • Design de Personagens
  • Antecedentes do mundo

O escore total 0.0

Resenha postada com sucesso! Leia mais resenhas
Vote com Power Stone
Rank 200+ Ranking de Potência
Stone 39 Pedra de Poder
Denunciar conteúdo impróprio
Dica de erro

Denunciar abuso

Comentários do parágrafo

Login

tip Comentário de parágrafo

O comentário de parágrafo agora está disponível na Web! Passe o mouse sobre qualquer parágrafo e clique no ícone para adicionar seu comentário.

Além disso, você sempre pode desativá-lo/ativá-lo em Configurações.

Entendi