Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 260: The Feeling of Visiting Old Trafford

After Udinese's away win against Napoli, they led the Serie A table with 33 points from 12 matches, extending their lead to 6 points. Fiorentina and Inter Milan followed with 27 points each.

Following this, European football entered the final international break of 2015. The national teams that had qualified for the next year's European Championship began their preparations, while those in the playoffs fought for the remaining spots. The teams that had already been eliminated started preparing for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Portuguese national team had two matches during this international break, against Russia and Luxembourg. Santos used these games to scout for talent for next year's European Championship. With the consent of the involved parties, key players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno, and Coentrão did not travel to Russia and instead took a break.

For Bruno, this was a rare chance to relax. Since the Italian Super Cup in early August and the UEFA Super Cup in mid-August, Bruno had played 22 matches for Udinese and the Portuguese national team in the past three months, almost never being substituted or taken off early.

During the two-week international break, Bruno spent three days fulfilling endorsement contracts and spent the rest of the time in Udine, recovering and enjoying his time with Vanessa.

...

Vanessa had now moved into Bruno's villa in Udine. Although the ban against her in Europe had been lifted thanks to her father's efforts, she had no intention of returning to the entertainment industry. Tired of the deceit and intrigues, she now only wanted to quietly stay by Bruno's side.

In Udine, Vanessa took care of Bruno's meals daily and opened a coffee shop in the suburbs, run in the same laid-back manner as her previous one in Milan, with no advertising or promotions, relying entirely on chance for customers.

Being the daughter of a billionaire, Vanessa didn't need the money. The coffee shop was more of a hobby to keep her occupied rather than a source of income. In fact, Vanessa was not only the heir to her father's billions but also the heir to her grandfather's fortune, which was even larger, estimated at nearly 1 billion euros, mostly in real estate.

When Bruno learned of this, he was stunned. He felt like saying, "Sister, you can take care of me; I don't want to work anymore!" However, his deep love for football kept him from voicing such thoughts.

...

Besides taking care of Bruno's meals and managing her coffee shop, Vanessa spent most of her time studying. She was pursuing a master's degree in Business Economics and Management at Udine University. Despite being a model, Vanessa had not neglected her education, having already obtained a bachelor's degree in Management from Milan University while living in Milan.

On match days, Vanessa would quietly go to the Friuli Stadium to watch Bruno play but never in the VIP section, blending in with the regular Udinese fans instead. Although no longer banned, she chose not to make her relationship with Bruno public, enjoying the quiet life and avoiding the spotlight. Thus, she didn't accompany him to commercial events or award ceremonies.

Bruno, also a low-key person who disliked socializing, respected her choice and spent most of his time at home when not training or fulfilling necessary social commitments.

...

The two-week international break passed quickly. Without key players like Ronaldo and Bruno, the Portuguese national team lost 0-1 to Russia in a friendly but won 2-0 against Luxembourg.

On the afternoon of November 22, in the 13th round of Serie A, Udinese hosted Sampdoria at the Friuli Stadium. Facing a recently changed Sampdoria, Udinese won 2-0.

In the 35th minute, Bruno made a long pass over the top to find Teodorczyk in the box. The French forward cushioned the ball to Badu, who broke into the box and scored to break the deadlock for Udinese.

In stoppage time, Bruno's through ball pierced Sampdoria's defense, and Badu was fouled in the box by defender Zukanović, who was shown a red card. Bruno took the resulting penalty, scoring easily to make it 2-0.

This was Bruno's 13th Serie A goal of the season, keeping him at the top of the scoring chart. The attacking duo of Bruno and Di Natale was the highest-scoring pair in Serie A, slightly ahead of Napoli's Higuaín and Insigne, who had combined for 17 goals.

...

Udinese then flew to England to face Manchester United at Old Trafford. This match, the 5th round of the Champions League group stage, was crucial for both teams' chances of advancing to the knockout rounds.

Over the past two to three years, Bruno had become accustomed to the life of playing away games. Sometimes every week, sometimes every two weeks, he would play an away match, sleeping and waking up in unfamiliar hotels and environments.

If the match was at noon, he would do light warm-ups and stretching in the morning; if in the afternoon, his training would be more intensive; if in the evening, he would follow his usual routine. This habit had developed over the past two to three years.

He would have a good nap at noon to wake up refreshed for the evening match. The game against Manchester United was scheduled to kick off at 8:45 pm.

As usual, Bruno went to the hotel gym for training, accompanied by Udinese's fitness coach Diamanti. Guidolin's coaching staff had two fitness coaches: Diamanti and Bordon. Over the past two years, Diamanti had basically become Bruno's personal fitness coach.

Bruno joked, "You won't find a girlfriend if you spend all your time with me, Diamanti." Diamanti, used to such remarks, would sternly criticize Bruno's actions and occasionally sneakily increase the weights on his barbells, making him work harder.

...

In all fairness, Bruno's physical fitness had significantly improved during these two and a half years of training with Diamanti. Standing at 1.83 meters and weighing around 75 kilograms, he had an ideal physique for a professional footballer, balanced and athletic, yet strong in physical confrontations on the field.

Even players like Maguire and Danilo, whom he once considered tough guys, now found it hard to push him off the ball. Swimming was key to Bruno's excellent physique; he swam almost daily, even in freezing winter, never missing a session.

His life seemed monotonous, almost mechanical and boring, yet fulfilling, with a tightly scheduled routine. Perhaps because they spent so much time together, Diamanti had become one of Bruno's closest friends in Udinese. They discussed many topics, including Manchester United.

"You seem to be in great shape today," Diamanti said with a smile.

Bruno's performance in the morning gym session indicated how he might fare in the match. Diamanti adjusted Bruno's entire training routine based on these morning sessions, ensuring he was in the best condition for matches. Today, however, no adjustments were needed as Bruno looked enthusiastic.

...

If the Qatari consortium's takeover of Manchester United succeeded, Bruno would be wearing a Manchester United shirt next summer. But now, he was an opponent at Old Trafford, a strange feeling indeed.

Moreover, the Glazer family was holding on tight, with the Champions League as one of their crucial assets. If Bruno could lead Udinese to victory and knock Manchester United out of the Champions League, it would deal a significant blow to the Glazers, possibly accelerating the Qatari takeover.

This match was also Bruno's final push for the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Four days later, the final shortlist for the Ballon d'Or would be announced. With voting in its crucial phase, this Champions League match was a last-ditch effort for Bruno to make the final three.

Despite the high stakes, Bruno seemed unfazed, even eager. He was used to pressure and didn't easily show it.

"Don't you think you're more eager to prove yourself?" Diamanti chuckled.

As a key member of Guidolin's coaching team, Diamanti knew why Bruno stayed at Udinese this summer. The Middle Eastern oil capital had intervened, promising to sign him for Manchester United next summer while providing Udinese with a 10 million euro sponsorship for stadium naming rights.

Bruno raised an eyebrow, not denying it. "This will be a highly anticipated match. Who wouldn't want to prove themselves?"

Diamanti nodded, understanding. After all, even after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United was still a giant in football. A match filled with superstars and crucial for the Champions League group stage would undoubtedly draw global attention.

For Bruno, this was also a chance to showcase his abilities.

"Aren't they trying to buy you?" Diamanti asked curiously.

Bruno looked at him seriously, nodding. "Yes, so I need to show them what I can do!"

Diamanti was taken aback. That logic...made perfect sense!

...

As evening fell and lights came on, the roads leading to Old Trafford were filled with Manchester United fans in red jerseys, singing and dancing, heading to the stadium with anticipation.

Even though Manchester United's recent form was poor, and many thought the team was past its prime, the fans remained hopeful, wanting a surprise victory at Old Trafford.

When the Udinese bus drove down the road to Old Trafford, many Manchester United fans shouted at them, some with aggressive words. Clearly, they would be the most unwelcome guests tonight.

The closer they got to Old Trafford, the more Manchester United fans there were. The bus was briefly stuck in the crowd but managed to reach the stadium on time thanks to Manchester police maintaining order.

However, at the stadium, even more Manchester United fans were waiting. Some civilized ones simply booed or sang team songs, but a small group of aggressive fans hurled insults at the Udinese players.

"Get out of Manchester!" "Get lost!" "You won't leave here alive tonight!"

These fans were soon restrained by the police. In fact, Manchester United fans were relatively tolerant; Bruno had encountered much more extreme fans of other teams.

"Honestly, I'm a bit nervous," Cancelo admitted to Bruno while changing for the warm-up.

"It's normal. Everyone feels that way their first time here," Bruno reassured him with a smile.

"What about you?" Cancelo asked.

Bruno smiled, "I still get a bit nervous, but it'll go away soon."

Cancelo thought for a moment and understood what Bruno meant.

(End of Chapter)

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