In his previous life, Sandro Tonali can be said to have grown into one of the world-class midfield stars.
He joined AC Milan on loan in 2020 and was eventually bought out, and then won the Serie A championship with the team.
In the end, he was bought by Newcastle United of the Premier League for a high price of 70 million euros + floating price, becoming the historical transfer bidder of Italian players.
And now Tonali is only 17 years old and still in the youth training camp of Brescia.
However, his talent has clearly been noticed and Brescia are ready to promote him to the first team and let him participate in the Italian Serie B in the new season.
Yes, this team that once had Roberto Baggio, Pirlo, and current Manchester City coach Guardiola has been lingering in Serie B.
But for Tonali, being able to play in the first team is the most important thing.
He must play in the professional league before he can attract the attention of AC Milan and realize his childhood dream!
That's right, Tonali is a player with a "childish dream", and AC Milan is his favorite team.
It's a pity that when he was about 10 years old, Milan called Tonali's family and asked him to go to the Vismara Sports Center for a trial training, but Tonali ended up on the evaluation list but was not selected.
It was quite painful for the boy at this time. His parents, older brothers, sisters, uncles and grandmother comforted him, and later let him enter the Piacenza youth training camp, and finally received a trial training with Brescia when he was 12 years old. Invitation call, eventually passed and joined the club.
In Brescia, Tonali has achieved great success in low-level competitions. He has a more special understanding of the game than his peers, which also makes him more confident that he can become a professional football player.
In fact, Tonali's flowing long hair and his Brescia origins naturally remind people of his predecessor Pirlo.
In terms of technical style, Tonali, who is still in the Brescia youth team, is already the team's core midfielder responsible for transitioning from defense to offense. He likes to use long passes to cross the entire opponent's defense line and open up the situation for the team's offense. .
In addition, his set kicks drew arcs, which also excited the admirers of the "master" Pirlo. They believed that Tonali might be Pirlo's successor!
However, beyond that, Tonali and Pirlo are actually two very different players.
Pirlo has shown a certain indifference on the pitch since the beginning of his career, which Tonali has never seen.
Tonali is keen on fighting with opponents, relying on extremely aggressive pressing to interfere with the opponent's midfield delivery, using various postures to protect the ball in the 50-50 competition, and finding the right time to score a sure goal Hard tackle.
Although he is not a very fast player, he can show amazing explosive power in a short period of time when grabbing, filling in and running with the ball.
It is precisely because of this that Tonali was called "Mastiff" during his childhood because of his strong style on the court.
Unlike Pirlo, his long hair does not blow in the wind during most of the game, but hangs freely. After each game, Tonali's jersey will inevitably be covered by the stadium. Turf printing and dyeing.
From this point of view, Tonali is actually more like Gattuso, Pirlo's good partner in Milan.
In fact, Tonali's real idol is not Pirlo, but Gattuso!
He has a mug with Gattuso’s face on it and takes it with him wherever he goes.
Once, his mother accidentally broke the cup, and Tonali was very sad. He later put the pieces back together and still have them today.
The first jersey Tonali wore in his childhood was also related to Gattuso.
His hometown is Sant'Angelo, a small town near Milan, where there is one of the largest AC Milan fan organizations in Italy. The vast majority of town residents are Milan fans, and the local team's representative colors are also red and black.
From Sant'Angelo to Milan, Tonali chose the number 8 behind the two red and black striped shirts he wore: he has never hidden his admiration for Gattuso.
Nowadays, most stars lament that their childhood dreams have come true when they join a new club, which has become a routine expression, but you can rarely feel the true and fierce love like Tonali for AC Milan.
When he joined AC Milan on loan and his dream was halfway realized, this love may have become a burden for him: Tonali was so eager to prove himself in the Rossoneri that he could never get rid of that tension on the court.
He never shook Casey and Bennacer's main position, and by the end of the season, he even ranked behind Mete in the starting lineup.
Taking into account the player's performance and status in the team, AC Milan is not willing to pay a high buyout fee for a midfield substitute.
In order to stay in Milan, Tonali himself chose to cut his salary by a quarter, and the Rossoneri also persuaded Brescia to reduce the amount before completing the deal.
Later, Tonali, who had truly realized his dream, made a leap. When paired with Krunic, he was the team's deep-lying midfielder. Sometimes his role was more like a classic No. 8 position;
During the sprint period of the season, the midfield duo of Tonali and Kessie was gradually fixed. The Ivorian dropped back and almost became the team's third central defender in defense, while Tonali was given higher tactics. The degree of freedom has become the team's back-end firepower on the offensive end.
These characteristics are also important reasons why Pan Yi likes Tonali.
After Xavi Alonso retired, he needed a player to continue to play such a role in the midfield, and it is obvious that Tonali meets Pan Yi's requirements.
Tonali's progress in his previous life also led to his contract extension by Milan until 2027, and all Milan fans believed that he was destined to become the flag of Milan's local players - when the contract was renewed, Tonali did not even want to The salary increase once again proves his sincere love for Milan.
It's a pity that such a flag eventually left Newcastle.
Milan finally chose to sell him after receiving a high offer of more than 70 million, and Tonali himself could only painfully accept this reality.
Of course, Tonali doesn't have so many worries now.
He is still looking forward to the new season and is preparing to perform well in Serie B!
At this time, the sound of the doorbell came from outside. Tonali looked down from the balcony and found a car parked outside his yard. It was an Aston Martin.
Then, standing in front of his door, a man with an East Asian face was ringing the doorbell.
This person... looks so familiar, he can't be...
Tonali's sister Mathilde went to answer the door.
"who are you looking for?"
"Does Sandro Tonali live here?" the East Asian asked with a smile.
Mathilde looked back at Tonali who walked into the house from the balcony, and nodded: "Yes, what can I do?"
The man was obviously relieved: "Fortunately, I asked a taxi driver to take us here, otherwise, I would have been lost! I am..."
"Pan Yi, you are Pan Yi!" Tonali has confirmed that he did not admit it wrong, it is really Pan Yi!
Not to mention that Tonali is already a quasi-professional player and is well aware of the trends in world football. Of course, he will also know Pan Yi, the best head coach in the world;
Just saying that he is a die-hard AC Milan fan, it is impossible not to recognize Pan Yi!
Six years ago, Pan Yi joined AC Milan as an assistant coach, and then won the Triple Crown with the team!
Every Milan fan knows how much Pan Yi contributed to this Triple Crown.
"Yes, it's me." Pan Yi laughed.
Just as his status as the former Chelsea head coach was very useful when he was looking for Alphonso Davies, now Pan Yi's "red and black blood" can obviously also play a very good role in recruiting Tonali.
"So sir, why are you here today..." Tonali was a little surprised.
Although Pan Yi's story of discovering new talents all over the world has been spread to be a bit miraculous, Tonali is still a little unprepared for the day when it is his turn.
Is it true, will I really be favored by Pan Yi?
Pan Yi nodded in affirmation: "Yes, I think you have heard of the name of our club, right? You also know that I am the owner of this club now, right?"
Tonali nodded.
To be honest, even if you are just a fan, it is almost impossible not to know the name York City.
Regardless of Pan Yi's binding relationship with this team, York City itself has the flavor of an "Internet celebrity team", and York City's performance last season was enough to make it popular.
Because they won the FA Cup as a third-tier league team and qualified to represent England in the Europa League!
In addition, they are also preparing to build a stadium that will be the envy and admiration of European giants!
Many well-known large companies in the world have reached sponsorship and cooperation agreements with York City. It can be said that based on these specifications, York City is completely at the level of a Premier League team.
"Stop talking outside, please come in." Mathilde quickly greeted Pan Yi into the house.
Pan Yi walked in, looked out the window at the back, and praised: "It's really nice here, the environment is very elegant."
The Tonali family lives in an Italian town called Lodi Province. This town has a population of more than 10,000 and is 4.3 kilometers away from Milan. This is why most of the people in their town are Milan fans.
Of course, this kind of town is not as complicated as modern cities like Milan or London, and its style has a unique flavor.
"Mr. Pan Yi, you really want me here today..."
But Tonali has no intention of chatting with Pan Yi now. He is actually very nervous now and has always wanted to confirm Pan Yi's true purpose of coming here.
It's no wonder that Tonali is now just a 17-year-old player in the youth team of a Serie B team. Suddenly a head coach ranked number one in the world appears at home, and he can't relax no matter what.
Can you imagine a player of this caliber resting at home when someone knocks on the door and there is Guardiola, Ancelotti or Wenger standing outside?
Originally, it was a very happy thing for him to play in the official matches of Serie B. Now he suddenly goes to hang out with Pan Yi, and he also has to play in the English Championship, and he can also play in the Europa League! Before today, this was really an elusive dream.
Pan Yi smiled and said straight to the point: "Well, I believe you have guessed the purpose of my visit this time. We hope you can play for our team, and we have reached an agreement with Brescia, so I To be able to be here.”
Tonali nodded in realization.
It is true that Pan Yi came to Italy in person, just to buy a youth team player from Brescia - although he is about to play for the first team - so it is actually difficult for Brescia to refuse.
And Pan Yi is likely to have given Brescia an offer that is even more difficult to refuse.
That's right, Pan Yi directly threw away two million euros. This amount of money is already a sky-high price for a Serie B team!
"To be honest, Mr. Pan Yi, I believe that few people will refuse your invitation." Tonali hesitated and expressed his doubts, "But can you confirm that I will go to England to play football?" Would football be a good choice? I will be able to play in Serie B this season soon..."
Pan Yi laughed.
Isn't this the value of Tonali?
Everyone knows that Pan Yi came to poach him personally, and his salary will definitely increase after he goes to the British Championship, but Tonali still considers his own development first.
After all, you have to kick the ball first before you can score.
"You have to believe that I like to give young people opportunities the most." Pan Yi asked confidently, "Do you know Mark Baker?"
Tonali nodded. This high center forward is now York City's number one player. He has won consecutive Golden Boots in League Two and League One, and also scored a key winning goal in the FA Cup final, which made him famous. , many strong Premier League teams already want to buy him.
"When he came to our team, he was just a young player who might not even be able to play in the fourth level league, but now you can see his achievements."
At this point, Pan Yi paused. He noticed that Tonali's eyes flickered a little and asked with a smile: "You seem to be worried about something. It's okay to just say it. Sandro, I like people who are straightforward and straightforward!"
Tonali hesitated and said: "I'm not afraid to be honest, Mr. Pan Yi, I heard that the English league pays great attention to physical confrontation and the rhythm is very fast. But our Italian team plays more delicately and the rhythm is slower. I'm worried I won't be able to adapt to the English league style."
Pan Yi laughed, "I understand, you are afraid. Sandro, are you actually afraid?"
Tonali's ears turned red, "No...I'm just...just a little worried!"
"Worried?" Pan Yi laughed even harder, "Then I should be more worried than you, because I paid a transfer fee of 2 million euros for you, and I also have to pay you a good salary. If you can't adapt to England League, I will suffer more than you, but why shouldn’t I worry?”
Tonali was stunned by what Pan Yi said. He had to admit that Pan Yi was right.
Of course, Pan Yi will definitely not worry about whether Tonali can adapt to the English football style.
After all, Tonali is still more inclined to "Pirlo" now, but as long as he undergoes some physical exercise and training adjustments, he will soon become "Gattuso", and finally complete the integration of the two and become A versatile midfielder.
Are there still people who doubt that Gattuso cannot gain a foothold in the Premier League? ? ?
"No one can have smooth sailing as a professional player. If you want to succeed, you have to take risks. Do you just want to stay in Brescia forever? Or in other words, you don't want AC Milan to take a fancy to you one day and want to spend a lot of money. Will the price come to buy you?”
This last question hit Tonali so hard that he was speechless.
Yes, isn't everything he is doing now just trying to get AC Milan to notice him?
Compared with staying in Brescia and possibly remaining unknown throughout his career, going to York City will definitely give him more exposure, and they still have European competition to play in!
If nothing else, just say that Baker, whom Pan Yi just gave an example of, may be more famous than ordinary Serie A and Premier League players!
"For adaptation issues, our team has a complete set of plans and facilities to help players. As long as you believe in us, we will not let the players down. This is the consistent style of our club."
After saying this, Pan Yi deliberately left Tonali some time to think. After he was almost done thinking, Pan Yi continued.
"I talked to our head coach Scaloni and there is no way we can guarantee you a starting position because no player in our team can guarantee that."
"In the midfield position, Rice, who is as young as you, was our absolute main force last season, but that was obtained by sweating more than others on the training ground and working harder than others on the field. , that’s what he deserves.”
"For you, Sandro, your position can only be fought for by you. If you think this is not safe, then I am sorry. But I will not change my attitude. I will not deceive any player, even if it means But after your rejection, you can only get the starting spot you want through your performance in training and games!"
This was the first time Tonali heard such frank words. In his impression, when poaching someone, shouldn't he say something nice and make all kinds of promises?
But Pan Yi didn't make any promises, but Tonali felt very convinced.
That's right, no team will allow a player who doesn't work hard in training and plays a terrible role on the field to be the starter, even if he is a big name like Ronaldo or Messi!
"I hope you can carefully consider our proposal and take this step. I believe you will reap the fruits you want to reap!" Pan Yi finally concluded the conversation and prepared to leave.
When Tonali sent the visiting guest to the gate, he was thinking about Pan Yi's words, his own future, and whether he could get a chance to prove himself from the transfer throughout the process.
When Pan Yi got in the car, Tonali suddenly knocked on Pan Yi's side of the car window.
"Mr. Pan Yi..." Tonali hesitated at the end, but quickly said firmly, "I will let my agent talk to you. I am glad that you can make a special trip to come here!"
After speaking, Tonali stretched out his hand.
Pan Yi smiled and shook hands with him, nodded and said: "Don't worry, Sandro, I never do useless work. I come to you just because you are worth finding!"
After saying that, Pan Yi stepped on the accelerator and drove away, and the Aston Martin flew away in a cloud of dust.
Then he glanced at the rearview mirror again, with an easily detectable smile on his face: "Okay, the first one is done."
Although Tonali's expression could no longer be clearly seen, it could be seen from the fact that he stood on the roadside for a long time and refused to leave, as well as his final words, that he was already yearning to go to York City.
Of course, Pan Yi will not rush to let Tonali make a decision immediately. It is best to let the other party figure it out for himself.
As the saying goes, you can't eat hot food if you're anxious!
"So, which one is next?"
Pan Yi glanced at the small piece of paper he had posted on the center console, and the names of several Italian players were clearly written on it.
Barrera, Bastoni, DiMarco, Scamacca...
