Chapter 389: Chapter 388: Gathering of the Underdogs, Evra, Vidic, Maicon
Chelsea spent 16 million euros to sign Frank Lampard, a sought-after mature youth midfielder from the Premier League, from West Ham United.
As a result, the Blues put together a team that was quite impressive in both lineup and strength.
The team included French national team’s defensive rock and superstar Marcel Desailly, Premier League’s top scorer Hasselbaink, Italian pocket dynamo Zola, Roberto Di Matteo, Albert Ferrer, and Lisbon Athletic’s triple crown member John Terry.
However, no one anticipated that the departure of Quaresma, Viana, and Terry would be the total extent of Lisbon Athletic’s summer exits.
After that, Lisbon Athletic did not sell any more players.
On the contrary, they began a baffling spree of acquisitions from all corners of the globe.
Even more outrageous than last summer.
Record Report: "Exorbitant Acquisition! Lisbon Athletic spends two million euros to buy Nice’s attacking midfielder Evra!"
World Sports Daily: "Suckers! Patrice Evra, an ordinary utility player in midfield, is not truly worth more than 500,000 euros!"
Diario Sport: "Is Lisbon Athletic burning money due to newly found wealth? Can’t figure out what role Evra will play in their squad?"
Record Report: "Quaresma’s Successor? Hard to be dazzled by Evra’s highlights from the past year!"
Honestly, not to mention others, even Evra himself didn’t quite understand if Lisbon Athletic had mistaken him for someone else.
Because when Evra received a call from Trigella, the coach’s first words were, "Evra, first I must make it clear to you that you won’t become a starter for the team."
"But this season, the team will have two regular formations, and you’re my planned starting left-back for the second set."
Evra: "Uh... this... Mr. Trigella, are you sure you didn’t buy a player with the same name by mistake? I started as a left winger and later moved to attacking midfielder. I’m somewhat familiar with these positions in midfield."
"But left-back... I’ve never played that position before."
Laughter came through the phone: "Then it is you indeed. Next season you can start trying, many players shine in positions they have never played before. What do you think, are you interested?"
Where could Evra dare to say he wasn’t interested?
This is Lisbon Athletic!
The powerhouse of the Portuguese league!
The new triple crown champions!
The team holding a spot in this year’s Champions League!
Evra even wished that the new season would come sooner so that when he played in the Champions League, he could notify all his friends and family in advance, especially his twenty-three siblings, to watch him closely on TV.
He, Evra, was about to make a name for himself!
Not long after Evra’s transfer was completed, Red Star Belgrade, the dominant force in the Serbian Football Superliga, announced the record-breaking two million euro signing of their young player Nemanja Vidic by Lisbon Athletic.
This record-breaking term was laudatory, unlike the media’s description of Evra’s fee.
Considering Lisbon Athletic’s unique ability to scout young talent and the obvious gap Vidic was filling after Buttrey’s departure, people began to scrutinize Vidic.
Upon this scrutiny, they found that he was indeed a promising prospect.
Last year he was loaned out to Spartak Subotica, a Serbian second-tier football club, where in twenty-seven matches, he scored six goals, making full use of his 1.91-meter height advantage.
This trait aligned with the style of player Christanval, the tall central defender that Barcelona had brought in this season.
But because Vidic was active outside of the mainstream leagues, it was hard to judge the actual level of his defensive skills.
Of course, at this moment, no one would think that such a player, who mingles in minor leagues, would someday join the ranks of the world’s top central defenders.
At least to Barcelona fans, how could a two-million bargain bin player be compared to our seventeen-million premium selection?
Unfit, you know!
Even some Barcelona fans expressed on social platforms that if they encountered Sporting Lisbon again this season, and if Sporting Lisbon dared to use a ragtag central defender like Vidic, Barcelona would smash them!
Meanwhile, leading Portugal’s U16 team and having just arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, Deng Kai immediately regretted saying, "First Barcelona has to win the Champions League qualifiers."
"Otherwise, they might have to scramble for the Europa League again."
Barcelona fans were so angered they could spit blood.
This was mocking them for only achieving fourth place in La Liga last season.
Barcelona fans, frustrated at having nothing to mock Deng Kai for, were searching everywhere.
And indeed, they found something.
Diario Sport: "Not every reserve team player’s value times ten equates to a first-team star! Sporting Lisbon bought Maicon Douglas Sisenando for two million euros from Brazil’s top football league team Cruzeiro!"
World Sports Daily: "Sporting Lisbon can’t afford the twenty-million Giovane, what even is this two-million Sisenando?"
Some media even interviewed Giovane, who had just joined Barcelona, and he said, "I don’t know Sisenando; I had already made it into the first team when he joined Cruzeiro’s reserve team, so I don’t know about him."
Giovane lied—actually, he had heard that name.
The team had been talking about a reserve player with impressive speed as a right-back.
Giovane wasn’t exactly fast, and he knew this was one of his weaknesses, so he often avoided mentioning anything related to speed.
In the face of Barcelona’s mockery, the Portuguese media Record Report quoted Deng Kai’s response: "Who’s Sisenando? His name is Maicon, remember that!"
Maicon was thrilled to see the report.
He, too, hoped that one day he could respond to Catalans with such boldness.
Reflecting on what Mr. Trigella had previously said to him on the phone, Maicon was filled with anticipation for his Sporting Lisbon career.
"Maicon, you will be our first choice for right-back in the 433 formation. Your speed, stamina, tackling ability, and crossing are all excellent. Unlike Evra on the left, who’s just there for show, you will be the engine of our attack on the right!"
Evra: ???
...
Sometimes, the deep hatred between two parties is actually over a minor issue, it’s the instigation of others that lead to an uncontrollable escalation.
The poor relationship between Deng Kai, or rather Sporting Lisbon, and Barcelona was like that.
Take the recent two waves of debate, for example; it was other media outlets that insisted on comparing and linking Vidic and Maicon, whom Sporting Lisbon had bought, with Christanval and Giovane, whom Barcelona had purchased for a hefty sum.
If your four million was really equal to their thirty-seven million, do you think Barcelona would be pleased?
Deng Kai: Cough cough, we can’t really say that; it’s not equal, it’s greater—heh.
