A friend asks to talk about Koko, the successor of the horse team who was ruined by the affair.
Francesco Coco was born on January 8, 1977 in Paterno, Apennines. Like Maldini, Koko was also an elite member of Milan's academy, rising from his peers at a young age and being promoted to the Milan first team as a substitute.
I have to say that there are too many similarities between Koko and Maldini. They can both play as left wing-backs, they are Italian players, they are all Milan's own children, they all have handsome faces...... It was destined that Koko would be seen as the successor to the team.
It's just that succession always takes time. And when Coco was just starting out, it happened to be Maldini's peak. At this stage, not only is the team formidably strong, he is recognised as a historic left wing-back, but his health is also amazing, and he rarely has been sidelined due to injury.
In this context, even if Milan attaches great importance to Koko, they can't find an opportunity to help him take the position. So in the first two seasons of his debut, Koko could only accept the status of a substitute. The only thing to be thankful for is that the team's successor is quite versatile, in addition to playing as a left wing-back, he can also play as a left midfielder, and he doesn't have to worry about his own skills. In his second season of debut, in 1996-97, he made 14 appearances in Serie A. For a rookie, it's already pretty good.
If this trend continues, it will only be a matter of time before Koko emerges in Milan. However, in the summer of 1997, Milan brought in another world-class left-sided player: Ziggy. The German star, like Koko, is the kind of versatile player who can play as both a left wing-back and a left midfielder.
Ziggy's arrival will naturally compress Koko's playing time. In the following 1997-98 season, Koko simply said goodbye to Milan as a loan player and went to the middle and lower clubs to train, leaving his footprints in Vicenza and Torino successively.
On the days of loan training, Koko's performance was quite eye-catching. By 2000, the team successor had not only returned to the San Siro, but had also increased his role and was an important member of the Rossoneri. Koko's most representative game in Milan was Milan's Champions League match against Barcelona. It was with Koko's pass and shot that Milan defeated their archrival Barcelona.
However, just as Koko was in full swing, the news was unfavorable one after another. First of all, the addition of Karadze forced Koko to face a strong competitor. Then came the arrival of Trim, who gave Koko a taste of not being treated well by his own coach.
In Trim's view, Milan already have Serginho and Kaladze on the left, and there is no need for Koko at all. So during Trim's time in charge of Milan, Koko was in an extremely awkward position. In order to ensure his status in the Italian national team and qualify for the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the successor of the horse team can only bid farewell to Milan and seek opportunities to play at other clubs.
At this time, Barcelona needed to strengthen the left wing. The then Barcelona coach Rexage simply let out cruel words, and he didn't need anyone except Koko. Against this backdrop, Milan hit it off with Barcelona and loaned Koko to Camp Nou.
Since Lexage released such words, then he will naturally reuse Koko's. In fact, during Rexach's time at the helm of Barcelona, Koko was indeed a regular in Barcelona's main line-up. Until the second half of the 2001-02 season, the 25-year-old Koko was still a regular for Barcelona.
It was with his good performance during his time at Barcelona that Koko was selected for the Italian team for the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and got a lot of playing time. In the focus of Italy's battle against the host South Korea, Koko fought for the blue team to the point of breaking the blood, which made people moved.
At this time, Koko can not only be the main force in Barcelona, but also prove himself in the Italian team. It stands to reason that Barcelona, as a loanee, should take advantage of the situation to buy out Koko. But the reality is that Barcelona returned Koko to Milan without any nostalgia, and there is no intention of buying out the successor of the horse team.
As for the reason, it's not that Koko didn't perform well in Barcelona or anything, it's purely a son of heaven and a courtier. A large part of Koko's reason for playing for Barcelona is that Rexage appreciates him. However, Rexach's record at the helm of Barcelona was not good, and after the end of the 2001-02 season, the coach who admired Koko was sacked. Van Gaal, who succeeded Lexach, is not interested in Koko.
In this way, Koko, who is still the main force of Barcelona at the age of 25, was returned by the Camp Nou. At this time, Milan, the left side is still the configuration of Kaladze and Serginho, and the probability of Koko playing the main force is not high. Although Carlo Ancelotti kept Koko on his side, the team successor decided to say goodbye to the San Siro......
Fortunately, Koko's performance is quite good both in Barcelona and in the Italian national team, and he doesn't have to worry about finding his next home. For example, Milan's city brother Inter Milan has a great appreciation for Koko. Don't hesitate to use Seedorf as a bargaining chip, but also let Koko wear the Nerazzurri's shirt.
In Koko's first season with Inter, in 2002-03, the team's successor performed quite well, making 20 appearances in Serie A, which is at least an important rotation for Inter. However, in the following 2003-04 season, the 26-year-old Koko suddenly fell off a cliff, and only played three Serie A games for Inter Milan throughout the season. Considering the high cost of Inter's introduction of Koko, as well as the player's high annual salary. The 26-year-old Koko is already an out-and-out burden to Inter.
Everything has a reason, and Koko's fall naturally has his reasons. The successor of the horse team was ruined in the affair. The beautiful woman who had an affair with him couldn't count them on her fingers. In addition to this, what a love triangle farce. What's even more outrageous is that Koko also made a bloody plot of being stabbed by a beautiful woman because of his abusive feelings......
The so-called color is a steel knife for scraping bones. Although Koko's physical fitness far surpasses that of ordinary people, his demeanor is not something that ordinary people can compare with. As a result, Koko's body was hollowed out, not only did he suffer frequent injuries, but his competitive form also dropped significantly.
At this point, Koko's football career was completely ruined. In the following days, the successor of the horse team, let alone being the main player in Inter, even if he was loaned to a middle and lower club, he couldn't understand. Back in 2007, Koko announced his retirement.