Chapter 6: The Youth Season Begins (1996)
January in Milanello came not with snow, but with a sharp frost that coated the pitches in crystalline lace.
The youth season was upon them.
And for Marco Bellandi, this was no debut. It was a reckoning.
---
Section 1: The Naming of the Squad
Coach Mauro stood in the locker room, clipboard in hand.
"Starting XI for our U-13 match against Torino Academy…"
One by one, names were called. Some players shifted anxiously. Others stood to attention.
Marco's name was called fifth.
He nodded once.
Position: Centre midfield.
No one argued. Not even the older boys.
Cristian had graduated to the U-15s. Marco now sat on the spine of the team.
---
Section 2: Pre-Season Friendlies
January's calendar was littered with preparatory matches. Bologna. Genoa. Udinese.
Marco approached each with the same slow-burning focus.
His game was not explosive. It was orchestrated.
In a 2–2 draw against Genoa, he completed 73 of 75 passes.
One assist. Zero goals.
But the coaches circled his name twice on the report.
"Every phase flows through him," Mauro said.
---
Section 3: A New Rival—Leonardo Rossi
He arrived in February.
Leonardo Rossi. Age 13. Naples-born. Midfielder.
Tall. Bold. Aggressive. A natural ball carrier.
On his first day, he challenged Marco during rondos.
"You pass like a librarian," Leonardo quipped.
Marco looked at him. "And you run like the book is chasing you."
That night, Leonardo mocked Marco's notebook. "What are you? A journalist?"
Marco wrote one line in it:
> "Rossi: operates on instinct. Weak on containment. Dangerous in disruption. Unreliable in transition."
The rivalry had begun.
---
Section 4: Early Matches
March brought the season's first real tests.
Milan vs Torino: 3–1 win. Marco assisted twice. Controlled possession like a metronome.
Milan vs Inter (youth derby): 1–1. Marco's best performance yet—10 recoveries, 92% pass accuracy.
Leonardo? Scored the equalizer.
Post-match, Coach Messina said, "Rossi is thunder. Bellandi is gravity."
---
Section 5: The Clash of Styles
By April, Marco and Leonardo were playing together.
The coaches hoped they'd complement each other. But it was more civil war than synergy.
Leonardo drove forward at every opportunity. Marco calculated, delayed, then constructed.
In one match against Atalanta, Leonardo lost the ball twice in transition.
Marco, quietly, began intercepting his space. Not out of anger—but to restore structure.
Post-match, Leonardo shouted in the locker room: "You cut off my lane!"
Marco stared at him.
"If your lane weakens the system, it deserves to be cut."
---
Section 6: The Coaches Debate
Mauro and Messina watched the two from a distance.
"They'll never be friends," Mauro said.
"Good," Messina replied. "Tension is pressure. Pressure reveals shape."
The staff decided to run two variants of the 4-3-3:
One with Marco as regista.
One with Leonardo as box-to-box engine.
It became an internal experiment: control vs chaos.
---
Section 7: First Breakthrough
In late May, against Roma, Marco played his most complete match.
Roma pressed high. Most panicked.
Marco? He dropped deep, invited pressure, then released wide. Time and again.
In the 78th minute, he played a blind reverse ball to the left wing.
Assist. 2–1. Match won.
Rossi approached him post-match.
"Nice pass."
Marco nodded. "Nice run."
A truce? Maybe.
---
Section 8: The Notebook Evolves
Marco began expanding Iterazione with color-coded tags:
Red for errors.
Green for tempo control.
Blue for positional risks.
He also started a second column: Leonardo Watch.
In it, he mapped every strength his rival exhibited.
> "Day 147: Rossi moves best when shadowed. Give him a mirror—not a leash."
---
Section 9: A Personal Moment
In June, Marco's father visited.
They sat together outside Milanello, watching youth players train.
His father said softly, "You're different, Marco."
"I know."
"Does it hurt?"
Marco thought.
"Sometimes. But not when the ball moves correctly."
His father nodded. "Then move it right, son."
---
Section 10: End of Season Reflection
Marco ended the season with:
8 assists
2 goals
92% passing accuracy
13 starts
He received the youth captain's armband for the final match.
Afterward, Coach Mauro gave him a sealed envelope.
Inside: a scouting report from the senior Milan staff.
Handwritten at the bottom:
> "Bellandi sees ten seconds ahead. That's a lifetime in football."
Marco folded it carefully.
Then walked into the Milanello sunset, notebook in hand, and a new entry forming.
> "Year One: I built rhythm. Next, I will bend it."
---