The Era of Emerald

() "Karin, let's try a piece of hairtail. Madeira is the only place in Europe that produces hairtail."

While Zhuang Mingge and Karin were enjoying the fresh octopus from Madeira Island in the Palace Hotel, Rui Costa led his agent into the lobby of the hotel, and then walked towards Zhuang Mingge's table come over.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sides sat down again and began to negotiate on Costa's treatment in Florence.

The progress of the negotiation went beyond Zhuang Mingge's expectations. With a weekly salary of [-] U.S. dollars and a five-year contract, Costa agreed to the contract without haggling with Zhuang Mingge or putting forward any additional conditions, and then signaled his agent to check The specific details of this contract.If there is no problem with the contract, it will only take a little while for the Portuguese to sign his name on the contract.

"Rui, why did you agree to our offer from Florence so quickly?" After Costa signed his name on the contract, Zhuang Mingge finally raised his doubts.

"Mr. Corleone, no, it's time to call you the boss." Costa smiled bitterly and said, "As the chairman of the Serie A championship team, you can personally run to introduce a young player like me who is not yet famous. to Madeira, and Chairman Azerrado didn't call me until after he sold me to tell me 'you've been sold to Florence', before he even sent anyone to call me!"

Zhuang Mingge nodded, expressing that he understood Rui Costa's mood. Although the status of the players was very low before the Bosman Act appeared, and they had no say in the transfer, the club was making transfer operations. It is the minimum respect for the players to notify the parties involved.Otherwise, even if it is a star trained by Benfica itself, I am afraid it will be difficult to remember the good of the home team after becoming famous.

No wonder after the Bosman Act, among the three traditional Portuguese giants, Benfica declined the fastest. The root of the disaster was planted at this time...

……

The Madeira Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest of Portugal, 869 kilometers away from the European continent.The Portuguese have settled on the island since 1420, and it has become a very famous tourist city in Europe.

Therefore, Rui Costa, who is a Portuguese, naturally wants to be the host and invite his boss to be a guest on Madeira Island.

"Ha, cheers! It's a wonderful thing to drink such refreshing wine in the country of grapes..." Singer Zhuang Ming said with a smile while holding a glass of wine.

On the beach at night, Zhuang Mingge, Karin, Costa and others gathered together to enjoy local Portuguese food—the wine was brewed locally in Porto and shipped directly by air. Although Madeira also produced fine wine locally, according to According to Costa himself, Madeira wine can only be regarded as a real fine wine after it has been stored in wooden barrels for at least 20 years and stored in bottles for two years. Now many of the wines sold in the market are non-aging blended wines, it is better to drink fresh wines. Brewed Porto wine.

"Boss, Portugal not only has good wine, but also Madeira's special meat skewers, which are skewered with laurel branches. Boss, come and try."

"It's so long, at least one meter?" Zhuang Mingge looked at the kebab in Costa's hand, startled.

"Haha, boss, haven't you tried it before? Porto's sweet wine paired with this kind of meat skewers is simply the best in the world!"

"Really? Then I must try it."

The moon had already hung high in the night sky unknowingly. Costa, Zhuang Mingge and others drank happily, and their conversations were no longer as restrained as they were at the beginning, and the topic gradually turned to their common hobby-football.

"Antonio, although Portugal cannot catch up with other countries in the European Union economically, the Portuguese will never lose to any European powerhouse in football!" Costa, who was half drunk, said.

"Yes, yes, Rui, Portugal's golden generation is indeed good, with first-class skills and tacit cooperation... But your national team now has a very big shortcoming."

"Uh... can there be shortcomings?" Costa hiccupped, a little dissatisfied.

"Portugal, there are no strikers." Zhuang Mingge said vaguely, and fell asleep holding the wine bottle. However, his words made Costa on the side fall into deep thought.

No striker...?

Among the top players of Portugal's golden generation, there are Luis Figo, Costa and Paulo Sousa in the midfield; Jorge Costa and Fernando Couto in the back line; even the top goalkeepers like Baia have emerged in the goalkeeper position , but there is still no top shooter on the front line who can convert the wonderful passes sent by Figo into goals!

Although two forwards, Sa Pinto and Jorge Pinto, also emerged in the golden generation, neither of these two scored more than 10 goals in a single season in the Portuguese league, let alone in international competitions?

Who would have thought that the country that once gave birth to "Black Panther" Eusebio would worry about the lack of a top shooter?

Boss, you really hit the nail on the head.Costa shook his head and smiled bitterly. It seems that his dream of the national team is still far away...

"Then, that, are you Mr. Rui Costa?" Just when Costa was saddened by Zhuang Mingge's words, a woman's voice came from beside him.

"That's right, I am." Although Costa drank a lot, he still remained sober. Even if he was drunk, there was a Miss Karin who claimed to be the boss's secretary, who was responsible for sending the two of them back to the hotel. .

"I have a son, he likes football very much, the kids who are much older than him here can't play him, but we don't have the money to let him receive better professional training..." The woman who spoke turned out to be in charge of barbecue for them just now cooking chef.

Costa understood the reason for this woman's visit as soon as he heard it. After all, Portugal's economy can only be ranked last in the European Union, let alone this small island that is a remote area in Portugal.

Although Madeira Island is famous in Europe for its tourism industry, in fact, there are not many local people who rely on this to get rich. Most of the profits are made by those foreign businessmen, and the local people basically rely on these hotels. Working to make ends meet (the Portuguese per capita income in Madeira is less than US$4000).

Costa, who was moved with compassion, readily agreed to the female chef's request, and made an appointment with her to go to her place the next day to see this child who, according to the mother, "absolutely has star talent".

Anyway, I am also on vacation, if I find a good seedling, I can bring it to my new boss as a meeting gift; if not, I have nothing to lose, right?

"By the way, your child, what's his name?" Before leaving, Costa remembered that he hadn't asked the child's name yet.

"Cristiano Ronaldo."