When people see the trophy above the shelf in the living room, they think that carries old memories of scoring and winning, well, this one recounts a different story.
Back in 1986, at the age of 24, I played for AC Milan, an Italian football club . I remember dining with my teammate Paolo Maldini , the night before the final match or as the Italians call “ The Grande Finale” against Juventus club . While we were chatting about victory , a black-suited man approached us , he asked to have a talk with me. He didn’t introduce himself he just said : “Help us win tomorrow , and you’ll be a millionaire and this is the first payment “ . He handed me an envelope with 250 grands cash .
I returned to the table , trying to keep a straight face , but it was obvious to Paolo Maldini that something happened . He asked me if I was okay , I said “ Yes , just an old friend “ . We continued our dinner , not sharing the passion we were sharing before , after all we finished and each of us returned home .
That night , with my head heavily lying over the pillow , bundles of cash I carefully hided under the bed , thinking “ If we won the cup , the 10 million prize would be divided between the players , staff members , and the club owner would keep most of it , and now I have the opportunity to earn multiples of what I would own if we won ! Only , if I help Juventus win that stupid match “ and continued to say “And I’m young , that money would help me in the future”. For real , there wasn’t any opposition from my good side . I made up my mind .
I woke up the next day exhausted , I slept an hour or two only . The only thing I was thinking about is how to finish that day . And as usual , before the match , we players motivate each other , shouting and singing together . I pretended to share the passion with them , clapping and shouting with the teammates , but Paolo Maldini knew that there was something wrong . While I was wearing my t-shirt , every staff member greeting me , the manager gave me a “ High-five” . As I entered the pitch I took a look at all those fans who came here to see their club win the cup . At that moment , I saw the same black-suited man between the crowds , he smiled and winked . I felt lost .
The referee whistled , the match started , maybe I was irresolute but still , greediness and selfishness controlled me . I was playing with my body not my heart . After a chain of passes , the ball reached my foot , I naively passed the ball to one of the opponent strikers , then I ran after him, as if I was trying to fix my mistake , he didn’t miss his chance , he scored. I pretended to feel sad about it , sad from the outside , happy from the inside .The first half ended.
Before I entered the locker room between the two halves , I saw a young Ac Milan fan, his face was painted with red and black , the colors of the club ,despite the colors , it was full of sadness . I saw my manager, perplexed , digging in his files and tactic sheets , giving orders to all players aggressively , trying to save his dream .
Something tickled me right in the heart , I asked myself , trying to escape from answering “ Am I the person who is about to destroy a manager’s dream ? Am I the person who is about to disappoint millions of fans?! How egotistical am I !
At that moment I discovered that we’re not 22 players playing , we are millions . Its not about looking out for number one , its about working to make your team number one . The good thing that it wasn’t too late , I bursted outside willing to give it all. I did well , scored a goal , and assisted the second . The match ended , we won the cup , or I won myself .
Next morning , I remember sending the money back to that man after I found that he was one of the financial managers in Juventus club attached with a message which says:
“Success without honor is an unseasoned dish…
it will satisfy your hunger , but it won’t taste good”
I was so lucky to avoid falling into a deep hole of redemption . When I returned back to the club dorm , I found Paolo Maldini just in front of me , he said
“Ero sicuro che avrebbe fatto la cosa giusta”
“I was sure you would do the correct thing”