Chapter 489: Chapter 488: Since We’re Here, Let’s Make a Big Deal of It
Ballack cried even harder.
He nodded forcefully and hugged Deng Kai again.
Then he left the pitch with his teammates.
As the match ended, the reporters went wild, trying to get more insider information from the players about the sudden turnaround of the game.
Ze Roberto: "I don’t know what happened, nobody does. When Deng Kai showed up on the pitch, everything changed. It didn’t look like he did much, but it felt like he did everything."
Ballack: "Deng Kai is the best midfielder I’ve ever encountered, yes, I can say that... His impeccable performance has earned my respect. I wish him and his team continued success in the Champions League this season!"
Berbatov: "I regret missing that critical goal, Sporting Lisbon seized more opportunities. They found their form today; everything they did worked out."
Shi Naide: "Yang Chen won. He told me if Deng Kai got on the field, he would surely help Sporting win. I thought he was joking, but it turns out he just knows his compatriot well enough."
Klaus Topmuller, the manager of Leverkusen: "If Lucio wasn’t suspended, the match might have been different. None of our players performed poorly, but the issue is that too many players from Sporting Lisbon were exceptional."
"One or two might be an accident, but when Feng Te scores a goal, we must look beyond the surface... Deng Kai has changed the team; he makes miracles frequent."
"That’s a key quality that all top midfielders must possess!"
And as the pivotal figure repeatedly mentioned by Leverkusen’s players, Deng Kai was now surrounded by a sea of people.
Reporter: "You led your team to an incredible match, seven to zero. Did you ever think how crazy that is?"
Deng Kai: "No one could have expected such a scoreline. I must thank my teammates and coaches—they prepared everything for the victory!"
"Ronaldo’s shot is world-class. He always scores critical goals when the team needs it most!"
"Ronaldo’s breakthrough is so strong, I can’t think of anyone who can defend against him. He created countless opportunities for us."
"Drogba’s performance today was astonishing, but I know that might not be his full strength. He has more potential to unearth!"
"Kaka is a player who perfectly combines skill and intelligence, he’s always on the same wavelength as you!"
"Feng Te? Feng Te is a treasure of a player—you can’t imagine what he brings to the team! Mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken, boiled pork slices... What I mean is, he does everything very well!"
...
Following the match, all major media outlets released press statements, broadcasting this epic victory to the entire world.
"Deng Kai stages a royal return! A forty-minute substitute appearance, one assist and two shots, crowned Man of the Match!"
"In the name of the core! The true core returns, Deng Kai leads Sporting Lisbon to a seven-goal thrashing of Leverkusen!"
"Sporting Lisbon defeats Leverkusen to advance to the Champions League semi-finals! Deng Kai directs a seven-goal comeback drama!"
"Ballack: After being knocked out of the Champions League, I thought I had lost everything, but Deng Kai told me to focus on the Bundesliga and the German Cup! That gave me new motivation!"
"Six goals in the second half, what magic did Maxa use in the locker room?"
"Maxa: During the halftime break, we didn’t have any tactical discussions— I simply told the players to listen to Kai for everything!"
"Feng Te: Scoring goals feels great, but Kai’s leadership is key. If he wants, he can help any player score goals, anyone!"
After the match, the Sporting Lisbon players didn’t leave the pitch, but instead, they made their way to the stands outside.
The team gathered all the fans from around the stadium to the main gate area.
The place was packed with people.
Even last season’s championship parade had not seen such a crowd.
Because the parade was along a long street, the crowd was relatively dispersed.
Here, though, it was very concentrated.
With the news of the team reaching the Champions League semi-finals spreading, even more fans were heading this way.
The scene now hosted over sixty thousand people.
Normally, after playing at home, especially after a win, the players would thank the fans under the leadership of the coach.
Some did so well, they even went around the field thanking every single fan.
But Lisbon Athletic, by making use of the stands previously set up, concentrated on thanking their fans here, which truly gave off the feeling that the season had ended successfully ahead of schedule.
Because reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League was something that Lisbon Athletic hadn’t dared to dream of in recent years.
Flip through the past few years of the Champions League semi-finals and see what level of teams you find.
What merits did Lisbon Athletic have to share such glory?
This scene moved the club’s senior executives who were present today.
They spontaneously proposed, why not go ahead with a "championship parade" level celebration!
Since everyone was already here, why not go big?
There were plenty of media on the spot, and the atmosphere was just right.
However, due to the lack of preparation, they were missing an excellent emcee.
Someone who wouldn’t have stage fright.
Someone with good eloquence.
Someone who could boast impressively.
Someone who could stir everyone’s emotions.
And ideally, someone with a certain status within the industry.
Maxa: ???
Maxa: I feel the call from deep within my DNA!
In the end, the senior executives decided to let Maxa take the stage to organize things.
To their surprise, Maxa really did well.
Once he took the stage, in less than five minutes, he not only organized the fans neatly but also walked them through the history of Lisbon Athletic, their decline in recent years, their focus on youth training, their rise starting from last year, and their vision for the future.
Many fans were moved to tears at the scene.
The club’s senior executives were shocked.
This...
As for this outcome, Maxa’s personal assistant wasn’t surprised at all.
After all, Maxa had been reciting this stuff for over three years.
Three years!
That’s enough to prepare for college entrance exams!
How much tactics could the youth players learn in these three years?
How many different strategies and combinations had Trigella researched?
How many team and individual honors had Deng Kai received?
Is it so hard for Maxa to recite a few articles praising and extolling virtues?
But this was not all that Maxa had up his sleeve.
Those apologies after defeats, statements deflecting responsibility for losses, and pretend defenses of players that were actually shifting the blame, Maxa had never neglected them either.
He could not allow himself to grow rusty simply because there were few opportunities to use them.
After all, no one could be sure what the future held.
At least for today, Maxa had already prepared a profound apology, which included but was not limited to the sentiment that "Deng Kai, for the sake of the team, chose to play despite being injured. Although it was a hopeless situation, his determination and camaraderie deserve to be remembered by all, and how could we then blame such a leader?"
