Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Selection of Portugal U16 Midfielders (10th Update, Request for Full Subscription)
"Ding, you have gained a victory, and your rating for this match is SS!"
"You have obtained Training Cones*10, Super Training Cones... Star player drop: Vanderfat’s Flash of Brilliance."
"Vanderfat’s Flash of Brilliance: As the first winner of the European Golden Boy Award, Vanderfat’s talent is unquestionable. His passes and shots are full of imagination and threat. Your dribbling +1, long passing +1, short passing +1, shooting +1, agility +1, and clearing +1. You have acquired the purple star-level skill ’Scorpion Tail Flick’."
"Scorpion Tail Flick: There have been many moments of brilliance for Vanderfat, but this one cannot be replicated. Your Scorpion Tail Flick will be harder to block. Your ability to handle the football with your heel has improved. Your ability to deal with balls coming from behind has improved."
"You have spent... and acquired the blue player-level skills: inward dragging and one-touch pass."
"Inward dragging: You drag the ball inward from above with your foot and then change direction. It’s a deceptive basic maneuver for getting past an opponent. After successfully dribbling past someone with this move, your speed and explosiveness will be enhanced."
"One-touch pass: A one-touch pass is a fundamental skill for all top midfielders. Your passing ability has slightly improved. When you execute a one-touch pass, the power and accuracy of your pass will be higher."
The match against Ajax brought another massive boom for Deng Kai.
Especially since Vanderfat, being powerful enough, rewarded Deng Kai with a star player drop.
Compared to that, Sneijder seemed somewhat stingy.
Still not convinced, huh!
But what does adding a bit to the clearing attribute with "Vanderfat’s Flash of Brilliance" mean?
A genius’s moment of brilliance, if it can’t create a threat, then sometimes shooting and passing are just helping the opposition to clear the ball.
That’s way too real.
The technical move "Scorpion Tail Flick" itself wouldn’t qualify as a purple skill, but when it comes with improved ability to use the heel and deal with balls from behind, it’s truly worthy of the title.
The spectacle in the Scorpion Tail Flick lies in the move itself, but the real difficulty is the use of the heel and judgment of balls coming from behind.
It’s easy to kick a ball in front of you, but when the ball flies behind you and you try to hook it with your leg, the difficulty level is not just doubled or tripled.
Hence, only those with solid skills and a fierce mindset dare to show off with moves like the Scorpion Tail Flick. They are truly werewolves.
"Kai, come over here for a sec," Maxa interrupted Deng Kai’s daydream during training.
Ronaldo was also waiting for Deng Kai at the entrance to the players’ tunnel.
Soon after, they entered an office together.
In addition to Trigella, there was a middle-aged man in the office.
"Deng Kai, Ronaldo, this is Mr. Antonio Violante, the head coach of Portugal’s U16 squad," Trigella introduced, "He will be leading the team in this summer’s Euro U16 Championship."
As soon as he said this, Ronaldo became instantly excited.
He knew exactly what this meant.
Both of them hurried to greet Violante.
Portuguese names are quite long, most consist of three or four parts, but they have an incredibly high rate of name repetition.
Jose is the most common, with the Spanish pronunciation being ’Hosay.’
Then there are a ton of others, like Joao, Joao, and so on.
This has caused quite a bit of trouble for football media professionals.
Especially for those who need to pay close attention in the field of football literature.
This Mr. Violante shares the same first name as Veloso’s father, also Antonio.
He had previously stated in interviews with the media that he was keeping an eye on Ronaldo and Deng Kai.
And his visit today clearly intended to have a talk with the two young players.
Just as Deng Kai had guessed.
Violante mainly encouraged the two young players, hoping they would perform well in the youth Champions League final and stating he would keep an eye on their performance in the league moving forward.
If nothing goes wrong, then Deng Kai and Ronaldo will be selected for his roster.
At the same time, Violante also subtly probed Deng Kai’s attitude.
The result delighted Trigella.
Deng Kai showed great interest in joining Portugal’s U16 team, with no signs of refusal whatsoever.
Trigella’s slow-boiling frog plan had successfully completed its first stage.
Little did he know, at this very moment, Deng Kai and Trigella shared the same sentiment.
Being selected for the Portugal national youth team was an essential step in Deng Kai’s career plan, one he thought wouldn’t come for another two or three years.
He hadn’t expected it to come so soon.
It’s like dozing off to find a pillow, stepping outside to find it’s a sunny day!
In the meantime, it was inevitable to talk about the match with Ajax.
The resilience of Sporting Lisbon’s U15 team earned praise from Violante.
Of course, it was clear from Violante’s words that he also believed the Ajax twin stars might be a little stronger.
Ronaldo was somewhat unhappy about this, feeling that he did not receive full recognition, but he could not say anything.
Deng Kai didn’t plan to say anything either.
Not until he heard...
"Speaking of which, Hugo Viana’s foot is alright, isn’t it?" Trigella inquired as he was seeing Violante out.
Hugo Viana was a youth player for Sporting Lisbon, who should be in U15, but he was now playing in U17, and should move up to U19 next season.
It’s quite normal for talented players to skip levels.
Ronaldo would even set a record for going through five different levels within a year, ultimately making it to Sporting Lisbon’s first team.
This summer, Sporting Lisbon would offload Simon and then heavily promote Quaresma.
And when Quaresma made a name for himself, as expected, they would pour all their resources into Hugo Viana.
This player’s team role was as a midfield nucleus, capable of playing as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder, left midfielder, and left winger, among other positions.
As mentioned before, in this stage, manufactured football stars are primarily wingers.
Hugo Viana’s ability to be Sporting Lisbon’s next Crown Prince from a midfield position speaks volumes of his talent.
In the future, he would also become one of Portugal’s most talented midfielders and left-side players.
This goes to show that initially, Ronaldo really didn’t stand out much among Portugal’s new golden generation.
Almost every young star whose name was somewhat known could outshine him.
"His right foot has been fine for a while now; he’s in top form! He’s definitely a better choice than Igor, Vieira, and Meireles!" Trigella assured with confidence.
Igor, a core midfielder of Porto’s U15, an offensive player.
Vieira, Benfica’s U15 core midfielder, an all-round player.
Raul Meireles, Boavista’s U17 core midfielder, good in both offense and defense, who would later make a bold mark at Liverpool and Chelsea.
This is... the midfield lineup for Portugal’s U16!
This is bad!
Are they looking to establish Hugo Viana as the midfield nucleus?
If that’s the case, then Deng Kai is in trouble.
He will most likely be benched.
Although Violante is one of the few coaches who currently prefer a 4-3-3 formation, there are only three midfield positions.
Hugo Viana is an offensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder, weak in defense.
If he’s made the midfield nucleus, there is a significant defensive demand in the team’s midfield.
A defensive midfielder paired with the versatile Raul Meireles would be an ideal midfield combination.
Currently, Deng Kai could not possibly compete with Meireles, who plays in U17 and is capable in both offense and defense.
Deng Kai, on the other hand, is an offensive midfielder, with highlights in defense, but the overall impression is certainly one of strong offense and weak defense.
This skillset overlaps with Viana’s, making him a candidate for Viana’s backup.
But as mentioned before, in a team, the most unfortunate position is not being a substitute, but being a key player’s substitute.
If the key player performs poorly, the team is doomed and eliminated early.
If the key player is formidable, the team is naturally more reluctant to substitute him.
In either case, Deng Kai would not get enough playing time.
It’s better to be Meireles’s substitute.
Once interpreted by some domestic critics, the strong image of Deng Kai as a European football prodigy would be shattered.
With this Portuguese U16 team, you either don’t join, or you must ensure a sufficiently impressive performance and results.
"Um... Mr. Violante, do you know why Ajax lost to us?" Deng Kai spoke up.
