Chapter 253: Chapter 252: Lisbon Conan
"Deng Kai and Ronaldo, too young; Schmeichel, too old. Joao Pinto, Kwame Ayew, only know how to shoot big eagles with bent bows. Look to the Premier League for men of renown!"
"Damn! Another bloody Premier League fan. It’s just the third-ranked league in Europe, what’s to boast about? Didn’t Manchester United have to rely on Coach Kai for the Champions League? According to you, then, all the world’s heroes would have to come from our Primeira Liga!"
Fans chattered animatedly.
Thus a pleasant summer gradually slipped away without anyone discussing Feng Te.
The time had come for the teams to go on pre-season training camps.
...
Alcochete Base.
"Brother Kai."
"Good to see you, Brother Kai."
"Brother Kai is here."
"Thank you, Brother Kai."
As Deng Kai walked past the U19 training field, Wu Xudong and the others continuously greeted him.
Deng Kai responded warmly.
One of the new faces made a point of coming over to thank Deng Kai.
It was Chen Tao.
From Sichuan Quanxing’s youth system, he wanted to come to Europe last year, but the club put him on ice.
After a year-long legal battle and with the support of the foundation established by Deng Kai, Chen Tao had finally managed to terminate his contract to join Sporting Lisbon and become a member of the U19 team.
The current Sporting Lisbon U19 team had a very high Chinese presence.
Wu Xudong, Yu Shihao, Hao Junmin, Chen Tao, Shao Jiawei.
Due to their outstanding performances in the previous season, most of them were key players on the team.
Of course, the team also included Deng Kai’s old teammate Veloso.
Trigella had specifically greeted Veloso, noting that there was a certain probability he would be called up to train with the first team when the season started.
As for whether he’d get a chance to play, that depended on the state of a few senior players.
If Matthaus, Deschamps, and Bento were all in good form, then Veloso would just have to settle for training.
Even so, Veloso was so thrilled he couldn’t sleep for several days, and after sharing the news with his dad, father and son cried in each other’s arms.
Once upon a time, Veloso was dismissed from Benfica’s youth team for the humiliating reason of being overweight.
And now, he even had the chance to join the first team.
Kai is awesome!
Long live Trigella!
What?
Maxa?
Heh, Veloso wasn’t oblivious to Maxa slaving away at Deng Kai’s side; if outsiders didn’t know, how could he not?
But this U19 team also had the next batch of geniuses jumping in, just like when Deng Kai and Ronaldo were promoted.
This time, it was Mutinho who moved up.
The shorty who was even younger than Deng Kai by half a year during the Diamond Generation Tournament, one of the midfield keystones for the future Portugal national team.
And that young Brazilian central defender who came along with Pepe in a buy-one-get-two-free deal.
His name is too long, and I’m too lazy to remember it; since he’s black, let’s just call him Friday.
So this year, not only will Sporting Lisbon’s U19 combat in the youth league, but they’ll also participate in the Youth Champions League.
This is their chance to prove themselves, and an even greater opportunity to demonstrate "Chinese core" to the European football world!
After inspecting all the way, Deng Kai and Ronaldo arrived at the first team’s training ground.
Most of the young players were there.
Pepe, Barzagli, Drogba, Ibrahimovic, Terry.
Among them, Pepe came running over as if he’d found his community.
One doesn’t feel the collective nature of people when isolated.
Once more people are present, it suddenly becomes evident.
Gathering towards familiar faces is instinctive, giving you a sense of security and making you more at ease.
With Ronaldo and Pepe in tow, Deng Kai approached Barzagli and asked in Italian, "How’s everything? Are you getting used to it here? I couldn’t get away on the day you came because it was my mother’s birthday, so I had to let the club staff pick you up. Is everything going smoothly?"
Barzagli furrowed his brow, to speak or not to speak, that voice sounded somewhat familiar...
"Who are you?" Barzagli tentatively asked.
"I’m the one who called you!" Deng Kai revealed his identity.
"Oh! This... I... Wow... My God!" Barzagli was too excited.
He had not expected this at all.
Who could have expected it?
"Really, I guarantee no one could have seen this coming. You’ve done so well!" Barzagli kept praising Deng Kai.
Pepe looked down on this humble man from the Apennine Peninsula in his heart.
Too flattering!
You shouldn’t be currying favor just because Kai shares the same name as the genius in the team on his first day, should you?
Ronaldo: Er... this... He really isn’t my friend, Kai, listen to me explain.
"Welcome aboard! You are a starting player in my heart!" Deng Kai was also very excited; after all, Barzagli was a player he had personally recruited. This sense of involvement was something a puppet without transfer powers could never understand.
Achoo!
Maxa always felt like someone was cursing him.
"And thank you for your encouragement," Barzagli solemnly shook hands with Deng Kai and added, "Absolutely no one could have guessed that Mr. Trigella’s assistant would actually be a ball boy!"
Deng Kai’s smile froze halfway.
Is this... an insult?
Pepe was confused by the side, this... how could it not be?
Pfft!
Ronaldo burst out laughing and kept clapping.
Brilliant!
It was truly brilliant!
"Did I say something wrong?" Barzagli hurriedly corrected himself, "Please don’t misunderstand me, I meant that you look young, yet you’re able to accomplish so many important things, playing such a crucial role in a club’s transfer affairs."
"I can’t help but think of a famous heroic figure and his epic biographical novel!"
Finally, Deng Kai’s smile relaxed.
If the team were full of players like Ronaldo and Pepe with less than stellar brains, he really would have a headache.
Especially in the defense, where players often need great wisdom.
That is also why many center backs are becoming increasingly exceptional.
"Who? Marlon Brando in ’The Godfather’? Or Zhu Geliang in ’Romance of the Three Kingdoms’? Perhaps the wise Socrates? Or maybe Prometheus, the light of mankind?" Honestly, Deng Kai didn’t usually indulge in others’ flattery.
But occasionally listening to it was rather pleasant.
After all, no one could understand just how perfect his transfers were this summer!
Barzagli laughed: "It’s a story from the East, known to every household, and I’ve loved it since I was a child."
Deng Kai nodded, having a hunch.
The Tathagata Buddha from ’Journey to the West’, playing with European powerhouses in the palm of his hand, turning clouds with one hand and raining with another!
"Detective Conan!" Barzagli was clearly excited, "You’re just like Conan, hidden under the shine of Kogoro Mori, but in reality, everything is part of your plan, and you are the true sage!"
"Many people compare Kogoro Mori and Conan to see who is stronger, but in my opinion, there’s no need for comparison. Because the wise appreciate, and fools compare!"
Deng Kai felt like he was going to lose his mind.
"Uh, Maxa, come here for a moment, remember this substitute’s name for me, make sure he stays a substitute forever!"
After socializing with Barzagli was over, Deng Kai, with a slightly larger team, continued towards Drogba.
Drogba also recognized Deng Kai’s voice.
He was surprised that his transfer had something to do with other players on the team.
Is this Deng Kai the son of Coach Trigella and Maxa in communication, the favored child?
What Drogba didn’t know was that he was right about the direction but wrong about the relationship.
Deng Kai had a teacher-student relationship with Trigella, and was also Maxa’s father, his big father!
Then Deng Kai continued with the team towards Terry, exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and mentioned that the climate in Portugal was a bit more comfortable than in England, so he could enjoy it now.
Terry nodded subtly; he was still not quite clear about Deng Kai’s position in the team.
He seemed like a service person.
But... Chief Assistant Maxa seemed to be paying close attention to this side.
