The dusk of San Siro

I stood in the stands of San Siro, looking at the empty South Stand, and suddenly remembered what Lu Xun said: "Trama is to destroy beautiful things to people." And the story of Milan this season is clearly an absurd comedy, with a group of people who do not understand football performing blasphemy against football in the temple of football.

1. Management's "Governance by Inaction"

Cardina's office must have two paintings hanging: one is "Wolf of Wall Street" and the other is "The Emperor's New Clothes". The American boss regards Milan as the Nasdaq stock code, and the transfer window is not about player adaptability, but "return on investment." Can you imagine it? While other giants were studying tactical boards, Milan management was studying the "expected goal value" in Excel tables; when the opponent was ready for the Champions League final, Cardina forced her to talk to PPT in a conference room in New York to talk about the "brand globalization strategy".

The existence of Scarlo perfectly interprets what a "puppet chairman" is. He is like a puppet led by a thread. Every time he speaks, he has to ask the American boss's opinions first. Even the clichés "fans are our motivation" are stuttering. Once he was surrounded by fans at Milan House, and he was so nervous that he called "rebuilding" "refrying", which caused booing in the stands: "Why don't you fry yourself again first?"

As for Fulani, he probably came out of "The Story of the Office". This expert in PPT's country governance is best at using beautiful words such as "younger strategy" and "data-driven system". But the reality is that the young man he signed to either count the stars on the hospital bed or play mobile games on the bench. Instead, veterans he ignored, such as Florentzi, every time he appeared, it seemed like he was playing in the World Cup final - knowing that he could be eliminated by "data" at any time.

2. Ibrahimovic's "Spiritual Trace Fist"

Ibrahimovic probably never encountered such a magical character setting in his legendary career. The management gave him the title of "spiritual mentor", but did not give him any real power. So you can see a scene like this: on the training ground, the young players gathered together to play with their phones, and Ibrahimovic stood beside him like a lost old father; in the locker room, Teo and Leo were red in the face due to tactical differences, and Ibrahimovic could only play awkwardly in the middle: "Guys, have a cup of coffee to calm down?"

The irony is that when the fans cast a banner "Ibrahimovic, save Milan" in the stands, the Swedes were updating their sunglasses advertisement on social media. Fengxian, who was once a management mascot, has now become the mascot of the management, and even his autobiography will be changed to "From the God of War to the Vase: A Legendary Fallen".

3. Fans' "Performance Art"

fans in the South Stand staged the most exciting "Performance Art" of the season with their actions. When they collectively left the court in the 15th minute, the slogan "GO HOME" they spelled out was clearer than any tactical board - this was the most straightforward eviction order to the management. The fans who stayed on the court turned the booing into rhythmic drum beats, and each sound hit the management's face: Listen, this is San Siro's heartbeat, it is still alive, but you are almost angry to death.

I remember the Super Cup at the beginning of the season. When Milan held the trophy, Cardina forced herself to say in her speech: "This is the beginning of the revival." Now that I think about it, it's just "the last supper." When Reindez hugged his teammates before the end of the game, everyone knew that the next stop of the best midfielder in Serie A will not be Manchester City or Paris - because Milan's management will never learn to "keep the beauty."

4. At the end of the San Siro competition at dusk, the sunset dyed San Siro a dark red. A young fan in the stands asked his father: "Dad, when will Milan win the championship again?" The father was silent for a long time, pointed to the lawn and said: "Wait until those sitting in the VIP box can distinguish offside from corner kicks."

This is Milan's 2024-2025 season: a story about capital arrogance, management absurdity and the collapse of ideals. They proved with practical actions: football is not a math problem, a business plan, nor a beautiful chart on PPT - it is the love of a group of people, the expectation of countless weekends, and the never-ending singing in the San Siro stands.

Now, the song is gradually silencing, leaving only San Siro at dusk, looking at the horizon alone like a betrayed old friend. The wind passed through the empty seats, as if asking softly: "Do you remember why you love football?"