Chapter 183: Chapter 182: The Most Outrageous Recruitment in History (Please Subscribe)
Trigella knew exactly who Deng Kai was talking about, as he was very familiar with Portugal’s youth training: "Are you speaking of Benfica’s Maniche? I don’t recall much about this player, just that he has a bit of a temper and it seems he hasn’t made any outstanding technical performances."
Maniche, formally known as Nuno Ricardo de Oliveira Ribeiro, yes, doesn’t contain any part of the word ’Machini’—such is the Portuguese penchant for bizarre names.
Research related to their names could even make up a separate course.
Maniche was around twenty-two or twenty-three years old at that time, nothing more than an obscure, illegitimate son.
But in the future, he would become world-famous as Mourinho’s first disciple.
Porto, Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan—he could indeed be considered a prodigal son of top clubs.
Yet his greatest strength wasn’t here but in his stunning performances for the Portugal national team.
In two consecutive tournaments, Maniche scored goals that helped Portugal eliminate the formidable Netherlands team, earning him the title of ’Dutch Nemesis’ and cementing his status as a world-class star.
He was one of the most formidable defensive midfielders in Portugal’s history!
The next day, Moreirense grabbed the tail end of the winter transfer window and sent a loan request to Benfica.
If Benfica were willing to let Maniche go at a low price, they were open to it as well.
That was probably the greatest support Trigella could hope for from the Moreirense owner.
Benfica did not hesitate even a second before they agreed.
It was clear they really didn’t fancy Maniche at that time.
However, the deal was promptly rejected by Maniche himself, with lightning speed.
The media were very interested in this transaction, since Moreirense were the exciting party this winter.
Trigella’s sole designated purchase!
Just that fact alone wasn’t something ordinary players could refuse.
At his age, Maniche of course knew Trigella’s strength in selecting and training players.
The reporters all asked questions.
"Maniche, do you not want to go to the Portuguese premier league? Do you aim for the top division?"
"Do you think Moreirense’s tactics aren’t suitable for you?"
"Do you dislike Moreirense’s weather?"
"Do you have any disagreements with Deng Kai or Ronaldo? Otherwise, why not join?"
Facing a barrage of questions, Maniche blurted out profanities right there: "Because they want to bring in a defensive midfielder."
The reporters all thought it was no surprise, considering it was normal for a team centered around Deng Kai to arrange for one or two defensive midfielders.
Seeing that the reporters had forgotten something too, Maniche could no longer hold back: "But I, damn it, am a right winger!"
Uh...
The reporters were taken aback.
Maniche was actually a right winger.
Damn, everyone had forgotten what position this inconspicuous player at Benfica played after he was loaned out.
But come to think of it, telling a right winger that we need you to be a defensive midfielder for our team...
Maniche didn’t just go off on them felt somewhat out of character; it seemed he wasn’t that hot-tempered after all.
This was simply the most ludicrous recruitment in history!
"I beep your beep beep beep..." Maniche’s subsequent Portuguese expletives were censored.
It could be considered a joke of the Portuguese transfer window.
Bringing in a right winger to play as a midfielder, how unprofessional was Trigella?
Of course, Trigella was also embarrassed.
Because he genuinely couldn’t remember what position Maniche played.
Deng Kai said to buy, so of course, he bought.
Trigella still trusted Deng Kai’s judgment.
In the first half of the season, everybody said that the Chinese players weren’t up to par, but what was the result? Didn’t Sporting Lisbon’s U17 team enter the north-south division as the top team in their region?
Facing so many criticisms, Deng Kai accepted an interview with reporters on the last day of the winter transfer window, responding to the incident, "Mr. Trigella certainly knows that Maniche is a right winger; he just sees qualities in Maniche that an excellent defensive midfielder should have."
"Honestly, from my personal view, I think Maniche as a right winger is nothing special; no one remembers him, and the media can testify to that."
"But Maniche as a defensive midfielder could potentially become a national hero of Portugal!"
"Whether he comes to Moreirense or not isn’t important, but I hope Maniche can start from himself and find the path that suits him best."
Once these words were out, there was even more discussion.
Deng Kai’s words were too bold.
Too overconfident.
Bola newspaper: "Who does Deng Kai think he is? Does he know how humiliating it is for a right winger to be asked to play as a defensive midfielder? Does he even know what it means to be a national hero of Portugal? Even Figo wouldn’t dare to say that about himself!"
Bola newspaper opened fire.
Record Report: "Led by the likes of Figo, Portugal’s golden generation made it into the European Championship; who doesn’t dare call themselves a hero? Whether it’s during the growth phase or at the end of a professional career, what’s so humiliating about players switching positions? Are there few players who have soared in performance after changing positions?"
Record Report defended their stance.
In the end, Bola newspaper simply left a comment: "Regardless, Moreirense, who failed to get strong reinforcements during the winter transfer, won’t be able to achieve good results, let’s not forget they still haven’t escaped the relegation zone!"
...
"Ding! You have acquired the blue player skills Curve Ball and Volley Shot."
"Curve Ball: The curve of your free kicks is enhanced, allowing you to bypass the wall more easily."
"Volley Shot: The accuracy of your volley shots is enhanced. Due to your friendly relationship with Zidane, when you attempt a volley shot with a side kick using your left foot, there’s a chance to activate the special effect ’Flying Immortal Outside Heaven,’ greatly improving and optimizing the force, curve, speed, precision, and path of the football."
Deng Kai looked at the two skills and was satisfied.
Flying Immortal Outside Heaven, eh!
The 2002 Champions League final hadn’t arrived yet, and Zidane’s Flying Immortal Outside Heaven had already been pre-experienced by Deng Kai.
He was like a beta tester.
Isn’t that better than the "electric bicycle"?
After all, even if the Flying Immortal Outside Heaven failed, it would still be a volley shot.
If your Ronaldo’s electric bicycle failed, that’s just stumbling over the ball; not even a bicycle left, too risky.
This is why Deng Kai hasn’t dared to try an electric bicycle on the pitch to date.
He just didn’t have the cheek for it.
On February 2, the 17th round of the Liga Portugal kicked off.
Moreirense was challenging Feirense.
This was also a team near the relegation zone.
The schedule for Moreirense during this period was quite favorable.
They would meet the top teams in the league only in the last part of the season.
This gave plenty of time for Deng Kai and Ronaldo to adapt.
Of course, this also meant that Moreirense might face a streak of losses towards the end of the season.
In the 29th minute of the game.
Ronaldo created a corner kick with a breakthrough on the wing.
This breakthrough was originally unsuccessful, blocked by the opponent, but Ronaldo was lucky to pick up a corner kick.
