I AM the Football Star

”The Premier League and La Liga are too stubborn!”

Martivini complained at his own home.

In his home, a few people were seated.

There were confidants from his work, his closest business partners, as well as Maniero and Lu Yang.

This lineup is essentially Martivini’s core circle.

Realizing that VAR is a great innovation that could become his significant achievement, Martivini has been promoting VAR globally, making a bit of money while frantically accumulating his credentials.

But the most influential Premier League and La Liga simply do not buy into Martivini’s plan.

Without their approval, the Five Major Leagues won’t fully implement it, and most smaller leagues outside will hesitate.

Getting these two on board basically means conquering the global market.

The importance of this is self-evident.

Lu Yang and Maniero exchanged a glance, seeing the other’s thoughts.

But Maniero was reluctant to speak.

After all, he was a superstar from that era.

To personally bury that era, to bury the most glorious era of Italian Football, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

But Lu Yang knew that destruction leads to creation.

Indulging in the glory of the ”Little World Cup,” Serie A would only fall faster.

So, Lu Yang said, ”In fact, you should understand what they want.”

After Lu Yang finished speaking, Martivini, who had been complaining, suddenly stopped talking.

He started pouring wine into his glass, but after pouring it, he didn’t drink.

After a long while, Martivini turned to Lu Yang and said, ”Everything is getting better, isn’t it?”

Lu Yang shook his head.

Martivini took some reports from his desk and said, ”The year before last, the sponsorship amount received by Serie A stopped declining for the first time, and the viewership of Italian Football completely stabilized. Even international popularity increased.”

”Last year, the revenue of Italian Football rose significantly! Viewership surged! International popularity skyrocketed! Its international reputation made a comeback, surpassing the previously dominant Premier League and La Liga!”

”This year, due to the strong emergence of Florence, Juventus’s comeback, and San Remo’s disruption, all data for Serie A continues to soar. As long as an Italian team makes it to the Champions League semifinals, Serie A is bound to surpass the Premier League and La Liga again this year, maintaining the number one spot in the influence rankings of the Five Major Leagues!”

”With such a thriving Serie A, why should I bow to them?”

Martivini’s neck turned red.

He was talking about the pride of Serie A.

The world’s number one league, the Little World Cup, these honors were fought for relentlessly by them, including Maniero and Ancelotti across three generations of stars.

Now, if the Premier League and La Liga want this position, sure, but you have to beat us fair and square!

Otherwise, no chance!

The Premier League and La Liga saw their fierce competition over the past two years, only to be caught off guard when Serie A revived and once again topped the Five Major Leagues.

The decision-makers of these two major leagues were furious.

Now, how could they possibly cooperate with Martivini in anything?

”It’s all an illusion!” Lu Yang spoke up, ”Most entertainment activities in this world rely on core competitiveness.”

”What is core competitiveness? Some say it’s core technology. This notion is somewhat correct, but not entirely.”

”On a smaller scale, core competitiveness is technology. South Korea’s advanced cosmetic surgery and mature idol training systems allow their male and female stars to output crazily, causing a Korean wave across Asia.”

”But as the mainland strengthens, these things will soon be absorbed and surpassed by the mainland. This will lead to a Chinese wave sweeping the Asian market!”

”True core competitiveness is... strength!”

”Economic, justice, culture, balance of power, or even multiple aspects of strength. Such places gradually become centers of various industries and nations, heralding true prosperity.”

”The shift of the world’s number one league and the center of European Football essentially reflects the influence, relations, and status among European powers.”

”The downturn of Italy’s economy is a foregone conclusion, difficult to reverse within ten to twenty years. With the entry of capital, the future center of football will inevitably fall on the Premier League!”

”But before that, it might first go to La Liga. The Premier League has its advantages but also disadvantages, depending on its and La Liga’s ability to draw capital.”

After Lu Yang finished speaking, Martivini fell silent again.

Because what Lu Yang said, he knew, and he couldn’t refute it.

The loss of stars, and such, are all surface issues.

These are the appearances that become evident after the outcomes are determined.

”By reasonably using public opinion, at least during my term, Serie A will be the world’s number one league!” Martivini voiced his private ambitions; he didn’t want to be considered the sinner of Italian Football.

He also knew that the decline of Serie A was just a matter of time.

But since he miraculously revived Serie A with the help of Lu Yang, Maniero, and others, he saw no reason to bury Serie A with his own hands again.

”And then?” Lu Yang smiled, ”Your successor comes along, sells Serie A for a good price, and then shifts the blame onto you?”

Martivini was taken aback.

”Serie A is merely superficially prosperous; everyone was deceived before. In fact, Italian Football had many problems during Martivini’s tenure,” Lu Yang said, ”With such rhetoric, along with the opposition gaining power, you’ll have to bear the blame whether you want to or not.”