novelraw Chapter 895 - 616: The 37-Year-Old Captain Tears Up His Retirement Letter for Him! Saudi Tycoon Faints at the Oil Well!
Chapter 895 - 616: The 37-Year-Old Captain Tears Up His Retirement Letter for Him! Saudi Tycoon Faints at the Oil Well!
Tang Long's appearance at Milan Malpensa Airport spread across social media at lightning speed.
Reporters followed along, watching him walk into the Inter Club accompanied by his agent, Ronaldo, under a barrage of cameras.
Just as the reporters swarmed halfway, Tang Long and Ronaldo came out.
This in-and-out took just half an hour.
Italian reporters were excited and full of speculation.
"It seems the talks were very smooth, the possibility of Tang Long returning to Inter is very high!"
Faced with the journalists' strong desire for interviews, Tang Long smiled slightly, pushing the Brazilian beside him forward and leaving quietly in a car escorted by Inter staff.
Over the years, Tang Long has gradually become accustomed to facing the media in this manner.
Leave the bustling to Ronaldo, and quietly leave by himself.
At the age of thirty, many things about fame and fortune have long ceased to concern Tang Long.
But a sentence from his former young mentor, now Inter's head coach Chiwo, has always remained in Tang Long's heart. As time passes, these words stand the test of time, becoming a permanent guiding light on Tang Long's journey to winning the Golden Ball Award four times.
Chiwo said, "Tang, remember, on the football field, what earns you respect isn't which country you come from, your skin color, your language, or different cultural backgrounds—only skills on the field are the only rule for earning everyone's respect."
As for skills, naturally, they can only be showcased on the field.
Ronaldo's agency has grown larger, becoming, after Raiola's death, the sole rival to Mendes.
Under his agency, he has clients like Mbappe, Haaland, Salah, Arnold, and many other stars;
But unquestionably, among the galaxy of stars, Tang Long is the brightest sun among his clients.
Tang Long is grateful for Ronaldo's career planning—from starting at Inter, joining Manchester City, reaching the pinnacle at Real Madrid, and finally returning to where his dream began—Inter, which was inseparable from Ronaldo's behind-the-scenes strategies.
And Ronaldo's excellent negotiation skills also secured Tang Long one of the top three salaries in the world, amassing hundreds of millions of Euros in wealth over his career.
Towards Inter, Tang Long also holds gratitude!
Specifically, it's towards individuals like Berni, Chiwo, who are both mentors and friends, Ranocchia, Bonazzoli, Gualin, Santon, who are lifelong brothers, and the lovely Meazza fans who cheered for his goals and cried over his departure from Inter back then.
This explains why Tang Long rejected a Saudi offer of over a hundred million annually and returned to Inter for a post-tax annual salary of just 7 million Euros—
In the twilight of his career, after winning all honors, Tang Long wants to join his old brothers for something they have never achieved before.
In Serie A, overthrow Juventus' league dominance!
...
Official Announcement: Tang Joins Inter Milan as a Free Agent, Signing for Three Years
Even though he had already spoken with Tang Long on the phone about the negotiation progress, Ranocchia, the captain of Inter, cried when he saw this news on the official website.
Born in 1988, Ranocchia is 37 years old this year.
After the 2024-2025 season ended, he announced his retirement, concluding his 19-year career.
His last match at Meazza Stadium was meant to be a farewell ceremony with the home fans; he longed to bid them farewell with a proud victory over Juventus, drawing a less-than-perfect but complete end to his career.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Inter only managed to draw with Juventus, failing to prevent them from celebrating yet another League Champion at Meazza Stadium in front of 80,000 Inter spectators.
"Don't lift me up, it's not suitable!"
Ranocchia refused his teammates' suggestion to lift him into the air.
For the longtime Inter captain, not toppling Juventus in Serie A is an eternal regret in his career.
He thought this regret would accompany him for the rest of his life until his death;
But unexpectedly, Tang Long came back!
The usually steady Ranocchia even ran a red light, rushing to the club, angrily pushing open the head coach Chiwo's door, shouting:
"Christian, I take back what I said, I'm not retiring, I want to keep playing!"
At the time, Chiwo was sitting on the couch chatting with assistant Berni;
Seeing Ranocchia panting, they burst into laughter.
"No, no, you've retired. You're almost forty, what can you still play? Go be a coach with your good brother Santon in the youth team." Berni laughed.
Berni and Chiwo weren't surprised at all by Ranocchia's reaction.
They were even just sitting in the office, waiting for the old captain to find them.
"Haha, if I didn't lose my meniscus, I'd really want to come back; I'm three years younger than Andrei, it seems I retired too early!" Santon came in laughing.
Ranocchia looked at Santon, and his originally anxious expression softened.
"David, if Tang hadn't left Inter so early, maybe your career could have continued for a few more years..."
"Why say that," Santon appeared open and optimistic, "That's all old history. Now that Tang is back, our team's entire atmosphere is completely different. I don't know about the subsequent transfer market, but having played so many years in Serie A, I can guarantee that as long as Tang is with our team, we won't fear any team in Italy, including Juventus!"
Ranocchia took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and nodded.
"That's why I don't want to retire, even if I can't be a starter next season, even if I don't get paid, I'm willing to play for the club for free for a year!"
"Having been teammates with Tang at Inter and Manchester City, no one understands him better than I do. His arrival will not only offer us transcending support on the field but also stabilize the locker room."
"Now Inter needs someone like Tang, who has won four Golden Balls, to hold the fort. In this regard, he can reduce a lot of my burden and do many things I can't."
Berni restrained his smile, nodding solemnly.
He said one word, "Dawn."
"Tang's return lets us see the dawn of winning the title in Serie A. As far as I know, he is very interested in the Serie A title because it is something achievable through hard work, unlike his years in the China national team, where despite all efforts, it was just a round of 16 finish."