Chapter 579: Chapter 578: The Premier League’s Number One Centre-Back
Gary was speechless, choked with emotion, and could only watch as Deng Kai’s figure receded into the distance.
"O’Shea had predicted correctly, Deng Kai really did get past Gary!"
"Stepovers! Deng Kai is doing a series of stepovers!"
"That move is almost identical to Cristiano Ronaldo’s! It’s rumored that Ronaldo’s stepovers were learned from Deng Kai, and now it seems to be true."
Cristiano Ronaldo: ???
Bang!
"Deng Kai flicks the ball to change direction—is he going for a breakthrough?"
"No! Deng Kai has such good control over the football; that flick isn’t for changing direction, but for preparing to shoot directly!"
"O’Shea still has his balance, he even manages to stretch out his leg! His anticipation is getting better and better!"
Bang!
Deng Kai performs a fake move again.
A fake shot and a real breakthrough!
O’Shea was completely out of options, collapsing to the ground with a crash; he was utterly duped by Deng Kai.
Following the same flicking move, there were two consecutive fake moves—who the heck could defend against that?
The control required for both feet is too high.
Continuous fake moves with the right foot are based on the flick of the ball with the left foot being just right.
But as a right-footed player, Deng Kai’s left foot couldn’t possibly make a perfect touch on the ball.
Did he... actually train his left foot?
The next moment, Deng Kai caught up with the football.
Ferdinand rushed over.
Deng Kai decisively accelerated, overtaking the football before Ferdinand could reach it.
???
Everyone was stunned!
Why didn’t Deng Kai fire with his right foot the moment he reached the football?
Instead, why did he choose to overtake it?
"It’s a matter of step frequency!" said Diego Forlan from the Manchester United bench. "One flick followed by two fake moves were stunning, but it must be Deng Kai’s limit."
"His touch and step frequency are elite among players, very rare. But... I’ve seen someone stronger than him."
"Speaking of which, that kid has quite the connection with Deng Kai; he’s a fan of Deng Kai."
Solskjaer nodded.
Every Red Devil was well aware of Deng Kai and also knew who Forlan was referring to: "Lionel Messi!"
Forlan added, "Of course, there’s also Maradona... Because he reached his limit, thus the step frequency got messy. Especially under the pressure from Ferdinand’s tackle, if Deng Kai tried to shoot with his right foot, the football would be too close to his supporting leg, and it would definitely fly off."
"He had to take an extra step, but that would mean... he couldn’t complete the shot before Ferdinand made contact with him!"
Veron also noticed some nuances: "Aside from possibly flying over, there’s another problem with shooting directly with his right foot—if Ferdinand’s final step is high enough, he could potentially block the shot."
"Ferdinand is a world-class center-back; he can do that."
The Manchester United players nodded in agreement.
They knew Ferdinand’s capabilities.
That distance isn’t something ordinary Premier League center-backs could interfere with, but it certainly was within Ferdinand’s range of interference.
Beneath the grand reputation, there stood no weak soldier; a single word for Ferdinand... impregnable!
Blanco, nodding while frowning, said, "However, he’s already entered the penalty area; if Ferdinand really knocks down Deng Kai, it could be a penalty."
Blanco highlighted a crucial point.
Ferdinand’s imposing frame contrasted sharply with the slender Deng Kai.
If he couldn’t control his power in time, Deng Kai could potentially win a penalty.
Considering Ronaldo’s diving skills were already quite good, and according to Ronaldo, he learned this move from Deng Kai, then... Ferdinand was in danger!
Bang!
Deng Kai moved past the football, planting his right leg firmly, bracing himself, and leaning towards the right side.
He prepared for the incoming collision.
Of course, the only purpose of this was to make sure that when Ferdinand collided with him, his body would be one solid mass, preventing the uneven force distribution from potentially fracturing any part of his body.
The worst that could happen was some soft tissue contusions after flying out and falling to the ground.
But in the next instant, the entire stadium gasped.
Ferdinand somehow managed to arrest his momentum.
His right foot stepped over Deng Kai at his side, his right hand behind him, and his left hand took control of Deng Kai’s left shoulder.
It formed a complete encirclement.
Absolute containment!
Ferdinand’s play was fast and slow, powerful yet gentle, firm yet delicate.
He made a world-class defense.
Guardiola and Deschamps, among others, raised their eyebrows.
Too strong!
Is this the Premier League’s number one center-back according to Manchester United?
His reputation is well deserved!
If he could make this high level of defense a norm, I would have no problem saying he’s the number one center-back in the world.
The main referee’s whistle, already in his mouth, was rendered useless.
Ferdinand didn’t give Deng Kai the slightest chance to draw a penalty.
"Ferdinand is terrifying," said Fran, his heart still racing, "If Deng Kai could have shot with his left foot, he might have found a slim chance to shoot while leaning against Ferdinand."
"But under such strong opposition, getting a shot off at all would have been a success, with no possibility of guaranteeing quality."
"However, by using his long legs to his advantage, as Ferdinand’s right leg stepped out, it blocked all shooting lanes between Deng Kai and the goal."
"His grasp on defensive positioning and the details in the midst of combat have reached their best. Any other center-back would be hard-pressed to perform better than him..."
Bang!
The football rolled out from behind Ferdinand’s left foot where it had landed.
Not fast.
But until the ball rolled into the goal, Barthez was unable to make any save attempt.
In that moment, the twenty-three people on the pitch and the eighty thousand in the stands all watched the ball roll into the net.
Ferdinand incredulously looked at Deng Kai, who was "in his arms".
No one cheered.
Because no one knew what had happened in that instant.
All eyes turned to the big screen.
The replay began.
In the moment Deng Kai leaned against Ferdinand, his right leg touched Ferdinand’s left leg.
At the same time, his left foot pulled over the ball.
During this process, he could have attempted a shot with his left foot.
But Ferdinand anticipated this move, and the place where his right foot landed perfectly blocked the trajectory of Deng Kai’s left-footed shot.
If Deng Kai could pass the ball, it would mean Ferdinand lost!
Such defense was terrifying.
However, Deng Kai didn’t shoot with his left foot, but instead dragged the ball back behind him.
He let the ball go around his own right foot and Ferdinand’s left foot, then gently flicked it.
V-cut plus flick!
This was a... transformed left-footed rabona shot!
Only at that moment did Ferdinand realize why Deng Kai had leaned against him.
It wasn’t to draw a foul!
Deng Kai did it to ensure his right foot was extremely close to Ferdinand’s left foot, ensuring that the ball pulled back wouldn’t be blocked by Ferdinand’s left foot.
In a crossover, both men anticipated three or four layers of each other’s play.
But in this wave, Deng Kai was on the fifth layer.
After Deng Kai passed the ball with his left foot from behind, he completely lost his balance and tumbled to the ground.
It wasn’t much to do with Ferdinand; Deng Kai himself became unbalanced after making the extreme move.
