Chapter 530: Chapter 529: Even with a Football King, There’s No Chance of Winning
Faced with such an impolite request, Milu and Maxa publicly stated that it was impossible.
They believed that a strong player like Deng Kai could start even without any adaptation.
Moreover, Deng Kai had proven everything in two training matches.
Subsequently, a high-level official from the football federation inquired about this matter, stating that Deng Kai’s situation was very bad and it was definitely not possible for him to start.
Maxa stood his ground against the pressure and insisted on starting Deng Kai, ultimately being stripped of his decision-making power!
Maxa was completely sidelined, but he still refused to cooperate with the football federation officials and was eventually sent by the federation on a trip to Sanya.
He no longer needed to worry about football matters.
Milu was shaken by Maxa’s determination.
But he did not have such courage and could only choose to compromise.
The news about Maxa being sidelined sparked considerable discussion domestically, and many people worried about the national team’s performance in the World Cup.
However, the relevant media immediately started promoting Deng Kai’s accomplishments once again.
Simply put, if you have any problems, just think of Deng Kai. Do you still have problems?
Deng Kai became the panacea for all the ills of mainland football.
The mainstream opinion that the national team would secure a top-four finish in the World Cup remained unchanged.
In the end.
Just as the Korea-Japan World Cup was about to begin.
Some domestic media revealed that Deng Kai was no longer at the training camp but was in England visiting the filming set of Hathaway!
And it wasn’t just one media outlet, but countless ones swarming the news.
It was as if they had coordinated their efforts and started attacking Deng Kai for being unprofessional, having a bad attitude, not being patriotic, and so on.
The tone underwent a drastic overnight change.
It left everyone confused.
Could... the direction of the wind change this quickly?
And this public opinion ultimately resulted in, when the national team’s starting lineup did not include Deng Kai, the football federation had something to say, had reasons and justifications.
We didn’t just casually sit Deng Kai on the bench, see? The media is the proof!
This caused countless people who bet on the national team to reach the semi-finals to be on tenterhooks.
But people also believed in the football federation’s intentions, not arranging Deng Kai to start the first match was to discipline him so that he would apply himself fully in the second match.
After all, the second match against Turkey was a tough battle.
Thus, in the second match against Turkey, the national team was sure to win.
As for the first match against Costa Rica... just like cutting through butter.
A no-name team that nobody heard of wasn’t worth worrying about!
In this manner, utilizing Deng Kai’s joining of the national team, the goal for the team was elevated to securing a top-four finish, and then removing Deng Kai... In one go, the strength of the national team didn’t change, but the public’s perception of the team’s strength did.
From the initial difficulty in advancing from the group stage to striving to make it, it had directly turned into a guaranteed advance with challenges in reaching the semifinals.
This irrational conversion was smoothly accomplished with the help of the media.
It could be described as a swap of the heavens!
But the score never lies.
Zero to two!
The national team fell at the first hurdle of the group stage of the World Cup.
Many described the match with phrases like stumbling at the first step or losing due to carelessness.
The European media, which paid great attention to the national team because of Deng Kai, were flabbergasted.
Especially the Portuguese media.
You... this... being completely dominated by Costa Rica throughout the match, where does carelessness come into play?
Looking at this, even if Deng Kai played, the match against Turkey wouldn’t look promising, right?
The European media even started a massive discussion about it, with over half of them believing that the Chinese team could beat Turkey with Deng Kai playing.
Another thirty percent believed they could at least draw.
Such was the influence of the decacrown winner of the past two years.
After this year’s Champions League, Deng Kai’s influence surged.
Especially his choice to play for China, which skyrocketed his popularity.
Even the European media fell into the belief of "invincible with Kai," so the domestic fans’ thoughts were even simpler.
With Deng Kai, wash Turkey in blood!
In the third game, "National Team with Kai" would fight against Brazil, who were highly likely to have already advanced!
The chances of winning are high!
Isn’t it reasonable to ask?
And then in the second round of the group stage... zero to three!
China suffers crushing defeat!
In the 90th minute, just after the game ended, Deng Kai’s silhouette as he furiously threw the towel and rushed to the locker room became the headline.
Europeans were dumbfounded.
Bild: "It’s hard to explain why China wouldn’t play Deng Kai—such behavior is incomprehensible!"
Kicker: "Any sane person would have started Deng Kai in this game. And if not starting, he should’ve been brought on as a substitute early in the second half, but the Chinese did something we could never have imagined!"
Sky Sports: "The Chinese coaching staff made decisions beyond our comprehension! What on earth was Milu doing?"
Republic Newspaper: "According to insiders, Milu had completely lost control of the Chinese team, but he couldn’t say anything or he would face a huge compensation penalty!"
France Football: "This is a day that let soccer fans around the world down! Everyone thought that China, playing in the World Cup for the first time in history, would show off their skills, but it seems they never even thought about winning!"
Torino Sport Newspaper: "Other than not wanting to win, we can’t find another reason! This Chinese team behaves abnormally!"
Through football knowledge: "The complaint lines are overwhelmed! More than thirty million netizens on Through Football Knowledge are petitioning with their real names to have Deng Kai play!"
Soccer News: "The coaching staff’s decision-making error requires someone to take responsibility. Of course, Deng Kai’s lack of cooperation in attitude was also a spark for the incident. If he had apologized to the coaching staff, it wouldn’t have escalated to this!"
But whether it is foreign media speculation or mainland media steering, the result everyone was getting... was that Deng Kai would definitely play in the third match.
However...
Deng Kai was still not on the starting list.
The fans were completely outraged this time.
But their complete outrage was already too late.
Because China’s World Cup had already come to an end.
Throughout the match, Deng Kai continued to sit on the bench, benched.
But what was strange was that after the team lost to Brazil with an embarrassing score of zero to four, Deng Kai let out a sigh but then slowly started to smile.
China lost.
But he... won!
Countless reporters flooded the field, circling around Deng Kai, asking for his feelings.
Asking if he regretted joining the national team.
Deng Kai shook his head, "Of course not. On the contrary, I feel honored to be able to participate in this World Cup in this way."
"Maybe I haven’t left anything for soccer fans from other countries, but this is all I can bring to Chinese soccer as a Chinese soccer player!"
"Here, I announce... Chinese soccer... dawn has arrived!"
Having said that, Deng Kai left the field.
Heading straight to Lisbon, instead of returning home.
If all goes as expected, it will be difficult for him to return home, because from today on, there will be too many people wanting him to disappear.
The words of Deng Kai were vague, and many reporters didn’t understand what he meant.
Online, many knowledgeable domestic soccer fans were already wailing:
"I told you, don’t let Deng Kai come back, you just wouldn’t believe me!"
"Now look what’s happened! Holding such an ace and not playing it until elimination!"
"That’s too bullying! My Kai has never endured such treatment!"
"Magical! It feels like I’m living in the dark medieval ages of Europe!"
"There’s definitely a problem here! Why suppress Deng Kai and not let him play!"
"Go back! Deng Kai, hurry back to Portugal! Never come back to the national team!"
"It’s too late! Kai has already been entered in the game roster, which counts as playing. Even if he goes to Portugal now, he’ll have to wait eight years to play for Portugal!"
"This... I’m instantly furious!"
"I’d rather Deng Kai switch back to Portuguese nationality, truly! I will always support him, the king of Chinese players! But I absolutely don’t want to see him ruined by the worms of domestic soccer!"
Of course, there were also a very small number attacking Deng Kai.
Questioning why he didn’t play.
Mainly journalists from Soccer News.
They obviously came with an agenda to release certain news.
But these media outlets quickly lost their bounce.
Because they sensed some sensitive information.
Or the real controllers behind these media had been progressively ’invited for tea’ by the officials.
Starting from the moment Deng Kai said "dawn has arrived."
A superstorm swept through the mainland soccer world!
The meaning of Deng Kai’s return was not to play soccer, but to let people clearly see... even with a king of soccer, the national team still couldn’t win!
Couldn’t win!
