[Football] Wait, Do Goalkeepers Have to Play Striker Too?

Ailo, full name Andrea Lorenzo Rossi.

Good news: He's of mixed Chinese and Italian heritage, holds Italian citizenship and a club membership, and is a thoroughly legitimate Milan youth academy prince.

Bad news: He came of age in 2018 and 2022, the darkest eras in Italian football. The Azzurri missed two consecutive World Cups, Serie A fell to Europe's fifth-best league, and Milan's glory had faded.

When the blue army of the Apennines became a legend and the red-and-black flag wavered in the wind, Ailo thought: Shouldn't a hero step forward?

Revive Milan!

Rise, Italy!

To do it, he made a northern campaign from goalkeeper to defender to striker, training himself from a reserve keeper into the last hope of the Apennines' attack.

He went on to win every title there was, and even got involved with the young scion of the Agnelli family?

But at the start of the story, he was just a little nobody who nearly had his shorts pulled off.

After learning his friend's true identity:

"Wait, Gio, your Agnelli is the Agnelli? Ferrari, Juventus, and Fiat all belong to your family?"

"...You only just figured that out?"

"I thought you just had a fancy name."

In short, Ailo is

Milan's new standard-bearer after Maldini, Inzaghi's beloved boy, and the Agnelli heir's secret lover.

Serie A champion, Coppa Italia champion, Champions League champion, European champion, World Cup champion, youngest Ballon d'Or winner...

Long-form serial, currently ongoing.

The male lead supports only one club and never transfers.

The protagonist's matches with Milan's first team begin in the 2025-2026 season.

I'm not a football expert. If anything is way off, just think of this as a parallel world.

Thanks to the protagonist's efforts, Italy made it to the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Coming soon:

[Football] A Brave Cotton Doll Fears No Hardship

Cotino, a cotton doll sewn by the goddess of weaving herself.

One day, he was watching a match while lying on a cloud. He got so excited that he rolled right off

"Ahhh, Cotino!"

The other cotton dolls cried out in alarm as he lay on the green field, staring blankly at the blue sky.

Cotino: Well, since it's come to this... I might as well play football.

He joined AC Milan.

The kits were beautiful, the fans were passionate, and even the air smelled of espresso.

He scored a hat trick in his debut, then got kicked hard by an opponent and sprang a leak.

Cotino (back home, taking out a needle, thread, and cotton): Stuff, stuff, stuff.

Coach Ancelotti: Cotino, you're too soft in a challenge. You go down at the slightest push. How about building some muscle?

Cotino (still stuffing himself with cotton): Stuff, stuff, stuff.

The next day, the whole doll was as hard as a brick.

Maldini gave him a pat and was astonished. "Huh? Why are you so hard? Are you sick?"

Cotino (after thinking for a moment): ...Meow.

Maldini: Why are you imitating me?

National team dorm, late at night.

Inzaghi woke at a faint noise and opened his eyes

Cotino was sitting at the foot of his bed, threading a silver needle through his own arm and calmly sewing himself up.

Inzaghi: Ahhhhh! Cotino! Don't give yourself a fancy new stitch pattern!!

Theme: Cheer on your dreams