Chapter 220: Chapter 219: This Damn Matthaus (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch Song Jiayi for the additional Chapter)
"Okay, the referee has blown the whistle, and the match is over."
"Let us congratulate Moreirense for winning a critical game, bringing them to forty-six points, surpassing Gil Vicente, their opponents in this match, at forty-five points, and ranking third!"
"The top two opponents, Vizela and Rio Ave, are tied at forty-eight points, with Rio Ave temporarily at the top of the leaderboard!"
...
"Climbing to third! Is Moreirense really starting to push for promotion?"
"Guardiola: This year is Deng Kai’s leap year; his sudden growth spurt has dramatically improved his abilities—he’s practically bullying ordinary people playing in the Portuguese league!"
"Trigella: Deng Kai can meet all my requirements—if I were coaching Sporting Lisbon, I wouldn’t only put him on the first team; I would make him a starter!"
"Maxa: Matrazzi’s coaching ability is beyond doubt. The team’s problem mainly stems from issues between the players, which is my oversight. Next season, the team could consider introducing outstanding players such as Deng Kai and Ronaldo to the first team for a trial! Especially Deng Kai, who is already at the Portuguese league level!"
"Eusebio: Ronaldo’s performance is already excellent, but compared to the progress of Deng Kai, Ronaldo is slightly inferior. I think this is the result of Deng Kai starting strength training earlier. Ronaldo should also step up his training!"
"Bayern’s divine doctor Wohlfahrt: Deng Kai’s choice is questionable; he cashed in his talent prematurely, potentially at the cost of stunting his height at one meter sixty-five. It’s been three months since he grew an inch, and strength training has ended his growth period prematurely!"
"By contrast, Ronaldo’s choices are more admirable. He has immense determination and isn’t affected by external influences. He might finalize his physique before this summer arrives, with the next and following seasons poised to be his breakout period!"
"Compared to Deng Kai, I’m more optimistic about Ronaldo. The growth advantage that Deng Kai gained by exploiting his growth period can only be maintained for two years at most. Within two years, players like Quaresma, Viana, Ronaldo and others will either widen the gap or surpass Deng Kai, who will be stuck at a standstill!"
"I have already suggested to Bayern to sign Ronaldo!"
Deng Kai’s explosive performance this season has sparked much discussion in the football academic community.
If Ronaldo is seen as a professional player with an uncertain future, then at the beginning, Deng Kai was not even believed to have a future as a professional player.
But now, Deng Kai’s dominance on the field has even surpassed that of Ronaldo.
Experts have offered explanations, particularly the remarks of Bayern’s medical guru Wohlfahrt, which have received wide agreement.
Wohlfahrt has a prestigious reputation in the field of sports medicine and is a top German orthopedic surgeon.
But his contributions to "psychological therapy" for athletes are enormous.
His clientele includes sports stars like Bolt, Tyson, Powell, Jordan, Kobe, alongside Bayern.
Of course, this divine doctor has also appeared on headlines across major European media recently.
Not because he healed another big shot but because his daughter eloped to the United States with someone.
His daughter, Marlene, was admitted to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts to study and further develop her career, while also working part-time as a model, seeking opportunities to break into the American entertainment industry.
However, the troublesome part is that Marlene’s elopement partner is the Bayern superstar, one of the German triumvirate, and Golden Ball winner of 1990—Matthaus!
If possible, Wohlfahrt would surely use a scalpel to sever Matthaus’s manhood.
He has known Matthaus for sixteen years and is all too aware of Matthaus’s personal life; aside from being outstanding on the football field, his life and emotions are a total mess—he’s a habitual cheater!
But unfortunately, Matthaus is swift; after his contract with Bayern ended on March 10 this year, he transferred to the "New York MetroStars" of the American Major League.
Isn’t this just eloping?
Wohlfahrt was so furious he almost spat blood over it.
When you think about it, the whole affair seemed to be treated as a bit of a joke.
Last year, Matthaus led Bayern Munich in the Champions League final and was ahead of Manchester United for eighty-nine minutes, but this year, he joined the insignificant American Major League, a clear act of irresponsibility towards his own professional career.
Of course, Matthaus claimed that his move to the New York MetroStars was because they promised him a spot in the coaching staff. He had played long enough, and he wanted to transition into a football coach.
Many players who were his rivals during the same era, such as Gullit and Rijkaard, had become head coaches much earlier than him.
Obviously, this incident had a domino effect.
When was March?
The winter window had already closed.
Matthaus’s sudden departure caught Bayern Munich off guard.
On May 10th, after Bayern was eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal, the player Tiger Effenberge yelled at Matthaus in front of the media, accusing him of letting the team down. If Matthaus was still with Bayern, they might have been able to defeat Real Madrid.
Besides, Matthaus’s affair with Marlene also affected the young star Kyle’s decision to join Bayern two years later.
This young player, a childhood sweetie with Marlene, couldn’t compete with the seasoned Matthaus in terms of romance. Though he was frustrated, he genuinely loved Marlene and hoped she would be happy.
However, in 2003, Matthaus’s infidelity was solidly exposed by the American media, leading to a bountiful breakup with Marlene.
Kyle was so angry he could spit blood, and he confronted Matthaus publicly from afar to defend his former love.
He also decisively tore up the verbal agreement he had with Bayern Munich.
In this oral agreement, Kyle had already received a signing bonus of seven hundred and fifty thousand Euros from Hoeness, but after tearing up the agreement, not only did he return every cent of the seven hundred and fifty thousand Euros, he even included a thousand Euros in interest as a gesture to Bayern.
Later, Kyle, who joined Borussia Dortmund, led them as captain to clinch the club’s first-ever Bundesliga and German Cup double crown in the 2011-2012 season, beating Bayern Munich in the process!
Some of these events had already happened, while others had not yet occurred.
So why was Deng Kai also paying attention to this?
Because Victoria, the wife of Beckham who was making a career in the United States, established a "Footballer’s Wives Club" in the American entertainment industry, at a time when sports stars’ wives hadn’t completely converged with the entertainment circle.
Unlike in the future where many actresses and models would be looking to hook up with well-known NBA players in order to skyrocket to fame and fortune.
Victoria could be said to have a keen business acumen.
In this wives club, naturally, was the current North American media focus Hathaway, but also Marlene, who had gained a not insignificant status in the circle thanks to Matthaus!
Their social gatherings were arranged in turns by various members, and sometimes the members would also bring their partners.
Hathaway was busy filming, but she had days off, and these activities weren’t necessarily all arranged in the United States; Victoria was very accommodating of Hathaway’s schedule and location.
