I AM the Football Star

Chapter 95: Chapter 38: Winds Rising Over Sunshine City, San Remo Wields the Checkbook (Part 3)

Everyone knows that Serie A is in decline, with stars and fans slipping away, but no one knows what to do about it.

Capital has moved on, and naturally, the stars follow the capital, while the fans follow the stars. It’s a pattern.

But... can Italy forge its own stars?

True stars are built on the back of victories.

But fake stars can be cultivated through other means.

Not aiming to create a group of top stars like Carrel, Ancelotti, Maniero, or Sotu, but at least a batch of popular young star players, that shouldn’t be too difficult, right?

The emergence of Sofia and the skyrocketing popularity of Lu Yang have inspired many in Italian football.

Soon, the Italian football scene was about to host a grand event.

...

”Hey, Arthas.” Lu Yang answered his phone.

”Lu Yang, pack your things and come to Turin.” Arthas was very excited.

”What’s going on?” Lu Yang was a bit puzzled.

”The sports channel of RAI has invested heavily in planning a football reality show, which will use a reality show format to document the training process of talented players. The show’s preliminary name is Star of Italy, and it will invite over forty super rookies playing in Italy to gather together.” Arthas said, ”You’ve been selected too, Lu!”

”Do you know what this means? You are one of the over forty young players in the entire Italian football scene considered the best! With your perfect performance, you’ve captivated the public and won over the judges!”

”I used my personal connections to check, and it’s true, you’re the only one from the Italian D League! Most of the others are talents from Serie A, Serie B, the main trainees or even substitutes in the first team!”

After hearing this, Lu Yang was indeed a bit excited, but he quickly realized, ”I’m a Serie B player now, not from the Italian D Division, sir. By the way, what about Morici?”

Arthas replied, ”Unfortunately, Morici didn’t make it. As I said, you’re the only one from the Italian D, uh, Italian Third Division.”

Lu Yang thought for a moment, then asked, ”So isn’t it a bit strange? Why am I the only one from a lower league? Is it really because my talent or performance attracted this so-called Star of Italy program?”

Arthas paused, already having an answer in his heart.

Lu Yang’s inclusion probably had something to do with Sofia.

He has a massive following!

Arthas knew some inside information that the Star of Italy training camp reality show was essentially aimed at rapidly gaining fame for young Italian players before they even set foot on the real stage, creating false stars to retain fans.

This idea borrowed from the Premier League, and the method comes from the Eastern Korea’s training trainee selection system.

Arthas was able to access this layer of information because the official initiator of the training camp invitation was none other than his brother, Maniero!

Yes, who else could manage it but Maniero, someone with high enough football prestige, a strong national presence to attract viewers, capable of earning the trust and willingness of young players to learn, being friendly, and without the usual club or national team entanglements!

”I want Morici to be part of it too, or I’ll refuse to join the training camp.” Lu Yang said with a smile and a firm tone, ”Arthas, I believe you can do it, right?”

Arthas gave a wry smile, ”Okay, I’ll try to figure something out.”

This Lu Yang knows how to negotiate and leverage his value, ensuring he’s not exploited for nothing, which is great.

But it just means that his agent has to put more effort into negotiating for every inch.

Luckily, Morici’s reputation as Little Maniero should be enough to convince the show producers.