Chapter 425: Chapter 424: As if by divine help, the world’s best
The next day, Trigella and Maxa had an in-depth conversation with Ronaldo. After realizing that Eric Rovai’s remarks had been made without Ronaldo’s knowledge, they relaxed a lot.
They then worked with Ronaldo from various angles and temporarily demoted him to the reserve team.
They indicated that once the controversy had passed, they would bring Ronaldo back, and his position as a starter and his important tactical role on the team would not change.
It was like taking a vacation.
Ronaldo readily agreed.
He wasn’t without brains; he knew that this approach would help the public’s attention dissipate quickly.
If a problem can’t be solved, solve the person who created the problem.
Was Ronaldo feeling aggrieved?
Perhaps a little.
But likewise, this was Ronaldo’s way of advancing by retreating.
Honestly, he didn’t believe the team could make any significant impact in the Champions League anymore.
PSV Eindhoven and Galatasaray were obviously tough nuts to crack.
Lazio could become a devil-level team again at any time.
Last in the group with only two points, how do you catch up?
Going to the reserve team was just fine; by the time the team was eliminated from the Champions League, nobody would trouble him.
Who knows, some fans might even ask him to make a comeback.
When that time comes and both saints Trigella and Maxa seek him out again, Ronaldo won’t just be a starting player and an important member of the team.
Sporting Lisbon inadvertently handed him the core position; of course, Ronaldo could report to the reserve team happily.
Ronaldo believed that the team had hastily executed a poor crisis PR in the face of intense public scrutiny.
Including Deng Kai, no one saw the consequences, but he did.
Until time passed.
October 16th, the fourth round of the Champions League group stage.
Sporting Lisbon still used the 4-3-3 formation, instead of the 3-2-3-2 they had gained some insight into during league play.
This confused many people.
Deng Kai faced his first Champions League match.
Kaká oscillated in his position, trying out the right wing role in Ronaldo’s absence.
Three to one.
Sporting Lisbon easily defeated Galatasaray, achieving their first Champions League victory of the season.
Deng Kai contributed one assist, a modest statistic.
But after his return to the team, the overall performance of the team significantly improved.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Yaya Tu Lei scored goals.
The young Maicon delivered a beautiful cross.
Among these, Yaya Tu Lei’s goal was most meaningful to him personally, as it could be said to have completed his self-redemption, bringing him back from the brink of not daring to play to the professional field.
And all of this, in the eyes of those who understood the game, was Deng Kai’s effect.
Can Kaká play midfield?
Of course, he can.
After several matches, the results got increasingly better!
Can Ronaldo play midfield?
Even more so, with even more explosive effects than Kaká.
But they both had one major flaw, which was a lack of adjustment ability.
They only cared about their own enjoyment, especially Ronaldo, who couldn’t take care of his teammates’ performances.
While Deng Kai could adjust the pace and direction of the attack at any time, bringing out the strengths of each teammate as much as possible and avoiding their weaknesses being exploited by others.
He could play to Kaka’s strength of making incisive runs, Yaya Toure’s wide-reaching coverage, Maicon’s strong attacking intent, and adjust accordingly.
When the player himself wasn’t strong enough in seizing the opportunities, he could step in to help guard against misjudgments.
Normal players play their own football.
Excellent players play the football of themselves and two or three teammates.
But Deng Kai played the football of the entire team.
That was the difference.
On October 22, in the ninth round of the Portuguese championship.
Ronaldo and his agent felt somewhat relieved.
Because Schmeichel was out with a cold, Reina started but performed poorly, having two instances of the ’butterfingers’ phenomenon.
As a result, Sporting Lisbon was held to a three to three draw by Santa Clara.
On December 24, the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
In the last round, Sporting Lisbon’s victory, while Lazio’s form recovered, defeating PSV Eindhoven.
The group points became further entangled, with Galatasaray, Lazio, Sporting Lisbon, and PSV Eindhoven’s points being 7, 6, 5, and 4 respectively.
So, this round was extraordinarily intense.
Galatasaray saw a reversal of fortunes, losing to Sporting Lisbon earlier, they managed to double defeat the Blue Eagles Lazio.
With 10 points, they were the first to advance from the group stage.
Sporting Lisbon and PSV Eindhoven, on the other hand, truly clashed fiercely, fighting extremely viciously.
Kezman scored twice, but his team ultimately lost three to four to Sporting Lisbon.
The biggest hero of this match was undoubtedly Deng Kai, with two shots and one assist for the whole game.
Additionally, Ronaldo scored and assisted, especially highlighting his last-minute clincher.
Drogba scored a goal.
Kaka notched an assist, marking back-to-back games with stats, which was a rare good state for him since joining Sporting Lisbon this season.
Suddenly, Sporting Lisbon climbed to eight points, sitting at second in the group.
While PSV Eindhoven, with four points, was declared out of the race early, with only the possibility of fighting for third place in the last round.
At this point, Ronaldo finally began to panic.
This screenplay... was unlike anything he, no, anyone had anticipated.
From being on the verge of elimination to being in line for advancing in just two European matches.
Sporting Lisbon’s experience seemed almost playful.
...
"It’s fine, Sporting Lisbon has no chance of beating Lazio," Eric Rovai tried to comfort Ronaldo when they met, "Sporting Lisbon’s raw strength is simply not on par with Lazio, especially now that Lazio is regaining form."
"Even if you went back, let alone Sporting has Deng Kai, they still wouldn’t be able to win against Lazio!"
Eric Rovai’s analysis was highly professional.
But he clearly didn’t understand Ronaldo’s character well enough.
"I think if I were to go back, there might be a chance," Ronaldo said, "And we don’t even need to win, a draw would be enough for Sporting Lisbon to secure advancement."
Eric Rovai shook his head, "It’s precisely because of this mentality... Lazio must win, while Sporting Lisbon can pursue a draw. Why shouldn’t they win when your stronger opponent is even more determined than you?"
Ronaldo tried to find common ground with Eric Rovai, "I know, but what I mean is, if I went back, we would at least not lose. You know my strength, I should be able to contribute at this level to the team."
Eric Rovai laughed, "Of course, Ronaldo, you will become the best player in the world. But not now, don’t you understand? A Deng Kai can have you relegated to the reserves, and Deng Kai is not even in the mainstream among European stars..."
"I think there’s no need to stay at Sporting Lisbon any longer, we should look for a transfer... it should be to Paris Saint-Germain... Or Barcelona could work too, but I’m afraid you’ll encounter the same situation there..."
Eric Rovai went on and on.
In the end, Ronaldo completely lost his temper!
He slammed the table, stood up furiously, and before leaving, he said to Eric Rovai, "If you don’t think I’m the best player, why do you want to be my agent?"
"If I don’t even have the ability to change the outcome of the game, how can I aspire to be the best in the world?"
