Chapter 213: Chapter 212: No Wonder Brazil Doesn’t Want You
"As for Viana, I think he’s overthinking it. Viana, listen to me, you’re a true genius, and there’s no need to doubt yourself. Your performance in this match was certainly no worse than anyone else’s."
"Of course, Viana has just recovered from a serious injury. I suggest he doesn’t need to rush to prove anything on the field, because excellence doesn’t need proof. Focus on your health, never play while injured. There’s a long future ahead, and he is destined to become a member of Portugal’s national team’s midfield."
In the end, the reporters also asked about Deng Kai’s performance as Ronaldo.
Deng Kai heaped high praise, "World-class! Invincible! Awesome! His dribbling crushed Robben, his passing surpassed Sneijder, his agility outshone Van der Vaart, his killer instinct was greater than Iniesta, and his finishing ability completely outclassed Fan Peixi and Torres!"
Honestly, the reporters were blushing as they listened.
This... Isn’t this shameless?
Even though Ronaldo truly was awesome in this match with one shot from Sichuan, wasn’t it a bit much to blow his trumpet like this?
At best, you could see a glimpse of the future based on his existing skills.
But it wasn’t as earth-shatteringly revolutionary as described.
Are you describing Ronaldo just now?
Or is it Optimus Prime?
However, Ronaldo, pretending to just pass by but actually eavesdropping, was very happy.
Kai has a good eye.
The immense talent that I, Ronaldo, have hidden for many years hasn’t escaped his keen observation.
I never wanted to be too high-profile. Being fast and good at shooting was enough. But you all insisted that I pass, that I show my dribbling skills, that I learn all kinds of feints.
Now look, even an assist hat trick has come.
In the end, I still became what I initially disliked... the invincible all-rounder, Ronaldo!
...
This match had a huge impact within Portugal.
The last time a Primeira Liga team made it to the final of the Taça de Portugal, that was the last time!
"Moreirense defeats Sporting CP to step into the final first, between Porto and Boavista, who will take the opportunity?"
"Take the opportunity? Are you unaware Sporting CP didn’t lead for even a second? This Moreirense is definitely strong!"
"Did Sporting CP lose the game because they let their guard down? Deng Kai and Ronaldo are both from their academy, how could they bear to play hard? Deng Kai with a hat trick, Ronaldo with one goal and four assists, would they have managed any of that with real defense?"
"Feng Te: Let me say it again, my ancestry is with Sporting CP too!"
"So Benfica didn’t seriously defend against Ronaldo and Deng Kai either? So all the Primeira Liga teams are making way for Moreirense? Deng Kai’s six goals and twelve assists, Ronaldo’s thirteen goals and three assists, were they all because of teams letting their guard down?"
"A scorpion kick in midair! Getting up from the ground to make a diving tackle shot! Deng Kai: Football should be played like I do!"
"Manchester United fans heatedly discuss Ronaldo and Kai’s performance on the field, with over sixty percent of fans believing Ronaldo can be brought in as a backup striker for the team!"
"Ferguson: Reason tells me that Ronaldo and Deng Kai are still not ready to withstand the intensity of the Premier League games, I should wait. But my gut tells me, even if they came to the team now, they could still help Manchester United!"
"Beckham: Having talented youngsters like Ronaldo and Deng Kai on our bench would be great. That’s where I started from too, and they can do the same!"
"Deng Kai: Sorry, no bench-warming!"
Scholes, Cole, Yorke: FFS!
Despite the praise for Deng Kai and Ronaldo, losing the game still caused some trouble for Sporting CP.
The conflict between Quaresma and Jia De’er escalated further.
Jia De’er publicly lashed out at Quaresma, "I am the team’s primary penalty taker. If a player doesn’t even follow the team’s rules, he’s simply an unqualified product!"
"That’s right, I said ’product’! Because in my eyes, players like Quaresma are just assembly line products created by clubs, and they are overrated by people."
"Just like Simon’s struggles at Barça, without my drawing the defense away, Quaresma couldn’t possibly have had the stats he has this season."
"Sometimes I really don’t understand why he needs so many unnecessary dribbles when he gets the ball? Does it make him look skilled? If you want the team to win, just pass me the ball, there’s no need for all that fancy stuff!"
One had to admit, some of what Jia De’er said was quite pointed.
But Quaresma quickly retorted, "I can’t accept playing with someone who doesn’t put the team’s victory as their primary goal. Your hat-tricks are important, sure, but if you’re only chasing goals and not seeking to bring victory to the team, then you really don’t deserve to be at Sporting Lisbon!"
"And do you really score that much? Then why didn’t you lead the team to first place in the standings this season?"
"A forward who only scores ’easy’ goals, what kind of legendary striker is that?"
"Look at Deng Kai in the last match, look at those top forwards in the Serie A. Only players who have the ability to score impossible goals deserve to be called true stars."
"That’s the very reason why you’ve never been favored by the Brazilian national team! Even without Ronaldo, you don’t deserve to be the main striker for Brazil’s team! Because you’ve never thought about bringing a victory to the team!"
Quaresma’s words were a direct insult.
Compared to the Sporting Lisbon production line’s manufacturing of wingers, the Brazilian national team’s selection was obviously more topical.
Especially since just over ten days ago, after recovering from a major injury for five months, Ronaldo returned to the field, only to relapse into injury without any opposition after just six minutes. Afterwards, Inter Milan announced that Ronaldo was expected to be out for a year!
Brazil had lost Ronaldo, just as Inter Milan had.
This also cast the spotlight on the selection of a central forward for the Brazilian national team.
And Jia De’er, who had just won the European Golden Shoe last year, was undoubtedly one of the answers.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Jia De’er was not called up by the Brazil team!
Many were discussing this issue.
It seemed a bit odd.
There were rumors that Jia De’er was acting like a diva, demanding that the coaching staff guarantee his starting position and central role in the national team.
Others speculated it was because Jia De’er’s style did not mesh with Rivaldo, who had just won the Golden Ball and FIFA World Player of the Year, and Rivaldo had signaled that the national team should not call up Jia De’er.
Some said that the Portuguese league’s goal-scoring statistics were inflated and that Jia De’er was just a second-rate forward; Brazil had many more forwards better than him.
In short, Quaresma’s words were rubbing salt into the wounds.
The relationship between the two had completely broken down.
While they didn’t refuse to play together, there was now virtually no interaction between them on the field.
There was almost no passing between the two.
With both core players acting this way, the team’s performance was as one might expect.
Sporting Lisbon gradually lost the chance to compete for the Primeira Liga championship.
Their next goal seemed to be at least to qualify for the Europa League.
When people turned their attention to Moreirense, they inevitably looked at their league performance.
