Chapter 533: Chapter 532 The Unique Core of the Special Style Portuguese National Team
Next, it’s time to look at those two youngsters, oh no... it’s time to look at Ronaldo.
After all, although Deng Kai has regained his Portuguese nationality, he has already been listed in the Chinese team’s competition squad three times in a row. To serve in the Portuguese national team, he would have to wait at least eight... hold on.
It seems... there’s no need to wait that long?
...
France Football: "Breaking! Trigella bids farewell to Sporting Lisbon! Where will his next destination be?"
Sky Sports: "Bombshell! The Portuguese Football Federation dismisses national team coach Oliveira!"
All Football: "Legendary coach resumes position, initiating the endless glory of the Golden Generation! Portuguese Football Federation officially announces Trigella as the new national team coach!"
Boom!
Following China’s World Cup knockout with a big move, Portugal also pulled out an R after their elimination!
Coaching changes are always a major event.
And this time, the coaching change of the Portuguese Football Federation marks the official handover from the Golden Generation to the Diamond Generation!
This came at least two to four years earlier than people expected!
Looking at these news reports, many fans are asking, who is Trigella?
Seasoned fans immediately got excited.
Trigella, the number one person in Portugal for nurturing young footballers!
A top coach in world football!
Even the world’s leading coach of the year!
Three years, ten trophies!
Moreirense’s double crown winner!
Sporting Lisbon’s Europa League pentachampion!
Sporting Lisbon’s Champions League treble winner!
You know Wenger, don’t you?
Wenger is the English Premier League version of Trigella!
You know Maxa, right?
These two complemented each other marvellously at the time!
Together, they are the world’s number one!
Apart, there are two world’s number ones!
Ever heard of Prometheus, the emperor of football?
Ever heard of Ronaldo, the European Golden Shoe winner?
Barcelona’s new king Quaresma, Inter’s Crown Prince Viana, Liverpool’s wing Simon, all were crafted by his very hands!
I would liken Trigella and Maxa to the Sleeping Dragon and the Fledgling Phoenix of the coaching world in my heart!
Trigella: I politely declined, haha.
The first thing Trigella did after taking office was to draft the national team squad list for the friendlies in the second half of the year.
He emphasized that in the friendlies held later this year and next year, many new and old players will appear, the purpose being to select the best.
So those players who aren’t selected, don’t feel sad, and those who are, must not be careless.
Moreover, the 2003 Toulon Tournament will be Trigella’s second selection, focusing on some ultra-young players who can’t make the national team.
He will decide on the 23-man squad for the 2004 European Championship based on their performances at the Toulon Tournament!
The former targets veterans and strong players, while the latter focuses on the youth, showcasing Trigella’s strategy and the concept of fair play.
As host of the 2004 European Championship, the Portugal team qualifies automatically for the competition, eliminating the need for the European qualifiers.
The advantage is that there’s no pressure, no risk of missing the European Championship.
The downside is the lack of combat experience, which makes it difficult to select truly outstanding players.
Especially at the point of transition from the "Golden Generation" to the "Diamond Generation".
Trigella’s approach resolved this difficult issue.
But just when everyone thought Trigella was handling things pretty well, he did something unprecedented in the world of football.
In front of dozens of media outlets, he took out a blank sheet of paper and wrote a name in the middle of it.
The journalists hurried to zoom in their cameras, and finally, they could see the name clearly...
Deng Kai!
"I know many people are still immersed in the shadow of this year’s World Cup elimination, including many fans and professional players," Trigella said seriously, "but I hope the players can quickly recover from the defeat."
"Because for the 2004 Portugal European Championship 23-man squad, one player has already been selected in advance, and you all must strive to compete for the remaining twenty-two spots!"
"Every time a player is confirmed in my lineup, I will announce it to the whole world on a public platform."
"I hope this method will encourage the players on this list as well as those who hope to be on it!"
"Similarly, the earlier you enter this list, the greater the tactical inclination you may receive! As the first player selected for this list, I can responsibly tell everyone that my Portugal team will be built around and only around Deng Kai!"
"I declare that the miracle storm of Lisbon will sweep across all of Europe in 2004!"
Boom!
Even though there were no thunderous cheers.
The journalists present felt their inner worlds collapsing.
They had never seen such a scene.
This is preposterous!
A national team coach actually announced a European Championship squad two years in advance!
He had even confirmed a teenager not yet seventeen as the sole core of the team!
At this moment, the difference between the journalists became apparent.
The reporter from Record Report reacted extremely quickly.
Portugal had just been eliminated from the World Cup, and morale was at an all-time low for the Golden Generation.
Establishing Deng Kai as the core at this time seemed outrageous but was actually full of calculation.
If it couldn’t be settled now, it would be even harder two years later.
After all, most of the Golden Generation might really not be able to play in the European Championship two years from now.
But what about Figo and Rui Costa?
If their peak form continued until 2006, no one would be surprised.
Trigella is too shrewd!
Watching TV at home, Zidane, who had just returned, figured out a second layer of meaning and explained it to his eldest son, Enzo Zidane "He’s only set up Deng Kai, not Ronaldo."
"Because Ronaldo has already played with Figo and the others, and he has the approval of the Golden Generation."
"When the time comes for the real transition between the two generations, Ronaldo will be the ’good cop,’ and Deng Kai will be the ’bad cop.’ At that time, the relatively weaker Golden Generation’s way of counteracting Trigella and Deng Kai will be to support Ronaldo."
"While Ronaldo, as a forward, needs the support of his teammates."
"But Deng Kai, as a central midfield core, does not need so much support from teammates; rather, he is the one providing support. In the worst-case scenario, the team’s fighting capacity will still not be affected too much."
"This is deliberately leaving a way out for the Golden Generation, and they have no choice but to accept this arrangement."
"After all, having Ronaldo carry on the legacy of the Golden Generation is better than having a complete change of guard."
"But there is one final issue, which is..."
At the scene, a reporter from Bola newspaper asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Trigella, we know that you and Deng Kai have a very good personal relationship. But if you are arbitrarily deciding the national team squad based on this, how are you going to explain it to all the Portuguese football fans?"
"Selecting a national team squad two years in advance is simply unheard of! Not even Zidane, Ronaldo, or Beckham have received such treatment!"
Trigella smiled, "Why don’t you mention some players that Deng Kai hasn’t beaten."
The room was in an uproar.
This...
