Chapter 115: Chapter 114: This year, there are two invincible teams in Europe.
On the podium, Torres went up to receive his medal in tears.
The players from Atlético Madrid could hardly feel happy.
Three to zero.
This was not the scoreline Atlético Madrid should have produced.
Following that, the young players from Sporting Lisbon went on stage to receive their awards.
Then again, it was Deng Kai who lifted the Youth Champions League’s Championship Trophy.
Ronaldo was extremely envious of this.
A journalist noticed this and interviewed Ronaldo after the award ceremony, "Congratulations, Ronaldo, you not only won the championship of the match. In terms of individual honors, you also became the best forward and assist leader of the tournament, and you were selected for the best team lineup."
"But I noticed that during the group photo, you were always staring at the Championship Trophy that Deng Kai lifted."
"Do you want to lift the trophy? As the captain?"
Ronaldo shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, it’s not like that. I have no obsession with lifting the trophy. I think that’s unnecessary, as everyone will know the effort I put into this championship."
"Kai is the unanimously recognized captain of the team, not just appointed by Coach Maxa, but also trusted by all of us players. Him lifting the trophy on our behalf is the best choice."
"As long as we are the champions, I totally don’t care who holds that thing."
Ronaldo had barely finished speaking.
When Deng Kai walked over and stuffed the Championship Trophy he was holding into Ronaldo’s hands, "Hey, buddy, how can you not hold the trophy during an interview?"
Ronaldo quickly refused, "No, there’s no need, really, I’m not interested in that thing."
While saying so, Ronaldo accepted the trophy, unable to wait.
Then, when he faced the reporter’s camera again, his expression was completely uncontrollable, excited, making faces, just like years later when he lifted the European Cup.
On the other side, Deng Kai was also surrounded by many reporters.
Everyone was full of surprise and questions about his performance today.
Journalist, "Deng Kai, why did you spin in circles on the pitch? This is considered disrespectful to the opponent."
Deng Kai, "If it can distract the opposing defenders, I would even be willing to dance on the pitch... The fact has proven that my actions were effective and they did not violate the rules of football."
Journalist, "But your second spin clearly caused controversy, and the Atlético Madrid players said they couldn’t forgive your provocation."
Deng Kai, "Buddy, this is the final of the Youth Champions League, what’s a little provocation? Without physical attacks, riling up the opposition is exactly what I need to do."
"You don’t think I could have fooled Gabi with a simple dribble if there hadn’t been these emotional preludes, do you? He is one of the best defending midfielders in this tournament."
"Compared to my provocation, his malicious tackle against my personal health should be of more concern. But I understand him, actions made in the heat of the moment don’t represent a person’s character. I won’t hold it against him."
Deng Kai was very proper.
He did not continue to target Gabi.
Both Ronaldinho and Neymar love to show off their fancy footwork.
But the impression they give is different.
Neymar has received more criticism and has a more polarizing reputation.
Because Ronaldinho likes to pull off all sorts of exaggerated fancy moves, yet he’s also willing to endure the anger provoked in opponents. When he’s maliciously brought down, he often stands up with a smile, pulling his opponent up and shaking hands as a gesture of peace.
Whereas Neymar often displays scolding and hatred towards players who defend against him with violent tactics.
But really, don’t you have a clue why they behave like that towards you?
There’s a difference between a tactical foul and a tactical foul made with emotion.
Of course, Neymar is not wrong, but considering his attitude, the actions of others can also be understood.
Deng Kai belongs to those who say, "I know my behavior is provocative, so I won’t mind how the others react."
If we don’t play the nice and proper gentleman footballer, naturally, we can’t expect others to demonstrate a moral sportsmanship either.
Gabi, who saw Deng Kai’s interview in the locker room, couldn’t help but have his bitterness evaporate entirely.
"He sure is a wise one," Torres said, patting Gabi on the shoulder and wrapping his arms around his good brother.
"Yeah, I would adore him if he came to Atlético," Gabi said, hugging Torres with a deadpan expression. "But right now, I still freaking hate the guy! Next time, I must mark him closely, making touching the ball a luxury for him!"
Gabi was confident about this.
Because Gabi, the core of the midfield and the man marker, were different; the former role limited Gabi’s defensive potential.
Having participated in the final, Torres and Gabi also made it into the best squad of this Youth Champions League edition.
This squad included Čech, Robben, Lahm, Van der Vaart, Sneijder, and others.
However, there were also very capable players who didn’t make it because there were only so many spots.
For example, Fan Peixi didn’t snag a spot.
Similarly, Bayern’s Schweinsteiger and Hitzlsperger, Ajax’s Heitinga, and Torino’s Quagliarella were excellent but didn’t make the best squad either.
Meanwhile, Deng Kai’s interview was still ongoing.
Reporter: "You previously said you would teach Manchester United to win the league, and you did it, and so did Manchester United. Now you have won the Youth Champions League, so do you think Manchester United will also win tomorrow’s Champions League final?"
Deng Kai: "Of course."
Reporter: "Why do you always discuss Sporting CP U15 and Manchester United together? Is it because you want to ride on their popularity?"
Deng Kai: "First of all, when I predicted Manchester United’s results this season, they didn’t have much heat, did they? Besides, I never arrogantly claimed I really brought anything to Manchester United. I was just asked for my opinion on them, and then I expressed my view, that’s all."
Reporter: "Okay, so in your opinion, Manchester United is the strongest team this year, right?"
Deng Kai: "It’s not what I think. If they do win the Champions League, the league, and the FA Cup—a treble—then, in fact, they would be one of the finest teams on this planet for this year."
Reporter: "So why do you add ’one of’? Are you worried that Bayern might be the best? Are you hedging your bets? Your IQ is really high, truly befitting of a top university student!"
Deng Kai: "Sorry, Bayern is excellent, but in my eyes, they don’t deserve the ’most’ this year. I’m not leaving myself any room for equivocation. Of course, it’s not because I lack intelligence, but because I have confidence in Manchester United."
"The reason I add ’one of’ is because the strongest team on this planet this year isn’t just Manchester United, but also our Sporting CP U15! We did the best we could at this stage and took every championship we should have won."
The reporters were dumbfounded.
Then several reporters burst into hearty laughter.
The strongest team on this planet?
A U15 team?
Has he lost his mind?
A reporter decided to tease Deng Kai a bit: "But you said Manchester United is a treble winner, and you only have two Championship Trophies."
Deng Kai remained noncommittal: "Yeah, they are treble winners, but the only reason they have one more Championship Trophy than us is simply because they participated in more competitions than we did."
"If we had three competitions this year, then we too would be treble winners."
Reporter: "Don’t you think Manchester United’s players would be dissatisfied with your comparing a U15 team to them?"
"I don’t think so."
Scholes and Keane entered the pitch and headed toward Deng Kai.
Scholes took the initiative to say: "Deng Kai gave us reason to never give up in tough times, he’s one of the reasons we’ve achieved so much this season."
"We all like him a lot!"
Instantly, the flashbulbs went off.
Scholes and Keane posed for photos with Deng Kai between them.
Amidst the flurry of shutter sounds, Deng Kai’s voice reached the ears of Scholes and Keane: "Um... could you sign some footballs for me? I’m a huge fan of you guys!"
