Chapter 280: Chapter 279: Cool Notebook (Requesting Full Subscription)
The page was filled with a dense array of curses: "Deng Kai, I fuck your great uncle’s grandson’s class teacher’s old leader, you inhumane butcher, the biggest devil of Sporting Lisbon, the hypocritical dictator from the East, the enchantress who seduced Lord Maxa because..."
There were too many.
There were also many small fingertip-sized wrinkles on the paper.
These were the traces left behind after the paper had been moistened by tears.
Where paper’s been wet, marks are set.
Ibrahimovic remembered all these pains.
One day, he would make Supervisor Deng, no, he’s not here now, he could directly curse... he would make Deng Dog repay everything!
His current forbearance was only for the exhilarating moment of turning the tables on Deng Dog after his stunning breakthrough!
What?
For my own good?
Ibrahimovic laughed.
What kind of person is Ibrahimovic?
He practices the yielding Tai Chi, enjoys the elegance of golf and ballet, likes the gentle lines of the Venetian painting school, adores marshmallows and cream puffs, listens to classical piano music, and loves wearing loose Taoist robes...
See?
In his bones, he has artistic genes, a gentle soul.
Forcing such a person to exchange blows in concrete and steel, physical pain is secondary; it’s the torment of the soul that’s truly devastating.
The style of a big target man from the rugged football school is definitely not Ibrahimovic’s cup of tea.
But money is hard to earn, shit hard to swallow.
Under someone’s roof, one must bow their head.
Ibrahimovic kept a detailed account of all of it for Deng Kai.
Kid Deng, just don’t let me get ahead, otherwise...
"Hey, Ibrahimovic, you like to write in a diary too?" Ronaldo passed by Ibrahimovic’s room, and caught up in his writing, Ibrahimovic had forgotten to close the door, "And a pink cover, no less. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a fan of such a manly color."
"Uh... yeah, a little pink book, recording some of the beautiful things in life!" Ibrahimovic displayed an innocent smile, afraid that Ronaldo, who was in cahoots with Deng Kai, would discover his big secret.
"You’ve got a motto on here too?" Ronaldo walked into the room.
Ibrahimovic was particularly nervous.
He didn’t want Ronaldo to see his diary, but would that be too obvious?
As Ibrahimovic was struggling internally, Ronaldo flipped to the first page: "A man of perseverance will be rewarded by heaven, lie on straw and taste gall, can three thousand Yue soldiers swallow Wu? Not bad! This phrase is quite profound! Though shouldn’t there be a line before this one?"
Seeing that Ronaldo did not continue to flip through, Ibrahimovic relaxed a bit: "I found it online, this saying is very popular in China, it really inspires me."
Ronaldo nodded and left Ibrahimovic’s room.
Back in his own room, Ronaldo took out his diary, flipped to the first page, and there it was written boldly: Those with aspirations succeed, breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, a hundred and twenty passes finally belong to Chu!
He felt like he had found the second half of that phrase.
From being the one and only star, to just another star among many, Ronaldo actually had a bit of trouble adjusting.
Before, Deng Kai’s passes were always meant for him.
Now Kid Deng was supposed to pass to Drogba, Pinto, Viana, Quaresma, and others.
Ronaldo was quite distressed about this.
But he also knew it was related to his own lack of strength, so he found that phrase to motivate himself.
He believed that eventually, Sporting Lisbon would belong to Cristiano Ronaldo!
Then, not only would Deng Kai have to pass to him, but everyone on the team would have to pass to him!
He wanted to enjoy the thrill of having all the ball rights and taking his shots!
...
On October 21st, the first round of the second leg of the UEFA Cup began.
Sporting Lisbon’s opponent was still Gaziantepspor.
This time they were guests in Turkey, getting a taste of what the retirement home for stars felt like in advance.
It must be said, it really could be done.
In terms of comfort, it was definitely better than Sporting Lisbon and even most of the teams in the top five European leagues.
It made some players not even want to return.
Too bad they only wanted aged superstars, not young stars without enough popularity.
Ibrahimovic, finally getting a starting opportunity again, took this match very seriously.
It gave off a sense of déjà vu of Drogba.
He struggled valiantly in the forest of muscle he loathed.
In the twenty-first minute, Ibrahimovic’s battle bore fruit.
He received Matthaus’s long pass despite being sandwiched between two players.
After chesting the ball down, Ibrahimovic held off the opponent, using his footwork to manoeuvre.
Waiting for Viana to come up for support, he passed back to Viana and then tried to shake off the defending players to find a position.
Viana passed laterally to Deng Kai.
Deng Kai sent a through ball with a lob!
Ibrahimovic was brought down by a defender’s embrace.
The referee blew the whistle.
Free kick!
This was a free kick just outside the penalty box arc, an excellent position.
Quaresma and Deng Kai both stood behind the football.
On the Gaziantep side, one defender actually lay on the ground, clearly aware of Deng Kai’s Ground Cutter.
Quaresma ran up.
Deng Kai took the free kick straight at the goal.
He did have the technique to curl the ball into the net.
But the Gaziantep players put in a great effort, jumping high and blocking the football.
The ball smashed into the wall and flew back, Quaresma didn’t stop the ball and volleyed with the outside of his foot, creating a peculiar arc that just passed through the dispersing wall’s gap.
Whoosh!
The ball went in!
That outside of the foot by Quaresma, definitely deserving of praise.
"GOAL! Quaresma scores! Deng Kai’s free kick was so close, both shots were of high caliber!"
"Of course, we mustn’t overlook the origin of this free kick. Ibrahimovic, a rare starter, performed beyond expectations. Though he isn’t as fierce as Drogba, with his body and technique he’s also an excellent pivot forward!"
In the twenty-ninth minute.
After receiving Deng Kai’s through pass, Ibrahimovic’s body feinted left and right, deceiving the center-back behind him and completing the turn.
Bang!
A turn and shot from the edge of the penalty area, powerful.
Unfortunately, the goalkeeper performed brilliantly, conceding only a corner to Sporting Lisbon.
Drogba, watching the television, felt a strong sense of crisis.
This was exactly the playing style Deng Kai had suggested to him.
Drogba wasn’t fully recovered from his injury, and even after recovering, he would need a lot of practice.
But Ibrahimovic only had to overcome his dislike for physical play to naturally possess these skills and timing.
That’s the disparity in talent.
Drogba was truly worried.
Then Deng Kai took the corner, but the football was cleared by the opposing players.
Matthaus controlled the first touch outside and passed back to Deng Kai.
At this point, Sporting Lisbon’s players were still within the opponent’s penalty area.
The opponent didn’t dare to clear it out rashly, waiting for Deng Kai’s pass.
Ibrahimovic, quick-witted, suddenly darted from inside the penalty area toward Deng Kai, wanting to receive the ball on the left side of the penalty area and utilize his role as a bridgehead.
Gaziantep’s defensive line became disorganized instantly, as players followed Ibrahimovic out, while his original spot was taken by Barzagli, who was then marked by another defender... Changes occurred.
Bang!
Deng Kai crossed again, accurately locking onto the header.
Ronaldo found the best spot amidst the series of movements, leaping high.
He didn’t need to look for the football.
He trusted the football would find him.
The love of Kai should still be there.
