Chapter 2216 - 569: The Birth of Paul
"What’s going on?"
Huang Kaiwen pressed: "Toni hasn’t accepted any interviews privately."
Kroos is blunt, but he’s not stupid.
"It was a TV reporter; not sure how they got into the hotel."
Maldini explained: "He provoked Kroos with his words, and Kroos took it upon himself to answer some questions."
"Is there a recording?"
Huang Kaiwen asked.
"Not sure, maybe there is, they want news."
Maldini replied.
"No need to look, Kevin."
Gagliani pointed at the TV in the hotel lobby, where Kroos appeared on the screen.
"Damn it!"
Huang Kaiwen cursed.
Never thought the Germans could be so efficient.
A few people stood still.
The camera was angled upwards at Kroos, no doubt obtained by some sneaky means.
An unseen reporter asked: "How are the living habits in Italy?"
Kroos had a big smile on his face, nodding as he said: "Teammates and fans are very enthusiastic; aside from some difficulty with the language, there’s no problem at all. I’ve already learned Italian."
"Do you regret leaving Bayern?"
The reporter continued to ask.
Kroos didn’t even think before shaking his head: "Not at all, Milan is the greatest team in the world. If you play basketball, you want to be Jordan’s teammate; if you play football, there’s no one who doesn’t want to play with Kevin."
"Besides Kevin?"
The reporter pressed on.
"Still no."
Kroos mocked: "At Milan, everything’s based on ability, and the team cares about players’ routines. After games, we don’t have to wear suits to listen to the manager and club chairman’s speeches."
The reporter’s tone changed noticeably, continuing to ask: "So you also think Bayern’s win rate is less than thirty percent?"
"Of course not!"
Kroos said with a smile.
"Then what is it?"
The reporter pursued.
"No win rate! Just like over sixty years ago, Bayern will still be losers! Some things are unreasonable, you can’t make some people feed others."
Kroos stated decisively.
The reporter, somewhat off balance, asked: "Are you implying something, you’re not talking about football, right? Are you dissatisfied with Germany?"
Kroos sneered: "My love for this country equals its love for us."
"What do you mean, are you saying you feel wronged because of your East Germany identity?"
The reporter pressed on.
Kroos initially wanted to say something.
But thinking of something else, he closed his mouth and stared coldly at the reporter.
The reporter hurriedly picked up the bag and left.
The scene shifted to the host, with a few Germans in suits discussing the issue.
Paol Maldini looked at Gagliani.
He was indeed not good at handling such matters.
Gagliani looked at Huang Kaiwen.
"Stand by Toni."
Huang Kaiwen said: "Regardless of right or wrong, Milan cannot abandon its player, and besides, Toni didn’t say anything wrong."
"This will intensify emotions in the UEFA Champions League final."
Gagliani said with some concern.
"Isn’t the emotion already intense?"
Huang Kaiwen said with disdain: "The Germans keep hyping up the match’s importance to German football, fueling the fire. They want war, then give them war. Tell the Bender brothers to refrain from making comments, focus on playing without taking a stand."
"I will handle it."
Gagliani said.
This approach wasn’t in line with his habits.
He preferred behind-the-scenes deals.
Players could be sacrificed; not even Kroos, he even manipulated the Knight’s Table group back then.
But with Huang Kaiwen’s words, he had no choice.
Maldini expressed concern: "For the next period, we might be the media’s focus, which could affect the team’s preparation."
"Before the European Cup, the UEFA Champions League final is already the main focus, it’s no big deal."
Huang Kaiwen said: "In the upcoming period, we’ll face challenges, try to talk mainly about the games, less about off-field issues."
"Let football be about football, right?"
Maldini said with a smile.
"Perhaps."
Huang Kaiwen continued walking with Gagliani.
It’s not surprising this happened.
Kroos has always been indifferent to the German national team and Bayern.
Soon after leaving Bayern, he made a comment that Real Madrid was a tier higher.
The two men exited; the hotel had already prepared a vehicle.
After Gagliani opened the car door for Huang Kaiwen, he joined him in the back seat.
Huang Kaiwen didn’t know much about 1860 Munich, just some knowledge from when Shao Jiayi played there.
But Gagliani did a lot of work.
From Gagliani’s words, Huang Kaiwen learned about 1860 Munich’s downfall; it wasn’t just missing out on Beckenbauer.
Man-made disasters were a bigger reason.
Both 1860 Munich and Hamburg’s decline was mainly due to management.
Former club chairman Vilmoser resigned over bribes related to the new stadium, with involvement from his son.
Subsequently, 1860 Munich came under the supervision of a regulatory committee.
The current chairman of the regulatory committee is Hasan Ismaik, the first Arab chairman among German professional teams.
This event involving Huang Kaiwen was also led by Ismaik.
"Sounds capable."
Huang Kaiwen said.
Gagliani whispered: "He bought 60% of 1860 Munich’s shares."
"How is that possible?"
Huang Kaiwen asked with some surprise."