"Kai attended the Golden Globe Awards ceremony and caused a huge stir, making everyone laugh and cry!"
"A very interesting young player. No stage fright, very humorous. This is the best talk show I've seen all year!"
"Zidane, Ronaldo, Ferguson, and Kai jointly delivered the most entertaining talk show in the history of the awards ceremony to the fans!"
"He shouldn't play football — he's a comedy master!"
"C. Ronaldo, has the successor to the 'Alien' finally appeared?"
"What kind of magical friendship is this? In order to push his teammate Cristiano to improve, football Caesar Kai directly set him up against Ronaldo!"
Watching the news roll out one after another, Ronaldo's heart nearly collapsed.
Of course, he thought he was a football genius and would have a bright future.
But to say he could rival Ronaldo… sorry, he couldn't say that.
That's a two-time World Footballer of the Year and a Ballon d'Or winner.
How dare Kai say that?
This bastard!
Was it just because when we played football after school, I never let him win? Is revenge really necessary?
So vicious!
Farke!
It was completely different from the media and fans' carnival.
The major gambling groups in Portugal were now panicking.
Because of the hype from the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Kai's invitation, and the presence of Zidane and Ronaldo as witnesses, the number of bets on the next match between Sporting Lisbon and Casa Pia increased dramatically.
Everyone bought Sporting Lisbon to win!
Who could handle that?
The two teams had met once before. It was Kai's second match after returning from two months of special training.
Sporting Lisbon crushed second-placed Casa Pia 4–1.
Now they were facing each other again, and Sporting Lisbon was in excellent form. The probability of winning was already high.
Although the payout for betting on them was small, too many people still couldn't resist placing money on them.
If the handicap stayed balanced, the bookmaker would almost never lose money.
But if it became unbalanced, the bookmaker would be in serious trouble.
And the bookmakers were competing with each other too.
If one bookmaker gives one cent profit per dollar and another gives two cents, where do you think bettors will go?
On top of that, gambling groups from the rest of Europe were trying to invade the Portuguese market.
So this match had turned into a life-and-death battle.
…
"The most valuable single youth match has been released! The penultimate game of the Portuguese U15 regular season! Worth 10 million euros!"
"Unbelievable! A youth match worth more than 70% of a Champions League game and 30% of a World Cup match!"
"Is Portuguese football welcoming spring or a nightmare? If Sporting Lisbon wins, the betting groups could lose over 10 million euros!"
"The euro is officially launched! The battle at Alvalade Stadium will become the best promotional stage for the new currency!"
On January 1, 1999, the euro was officially issued.
It became the single European currency.
The dollars and pounds previously used to evaluate transfers and salaries would gradually be replaced by euros.
And football's first impression of the euro… was this youth game worth tens of millions.
Sporting Lisbon finally realized how terrifying this supernova Kai really was.
For the first time, they sold out Alvalade Stadium at regular first-team ticket prices!
Even the first team hadn't done that in years.
The revenue from this match nearly covered the entire season's youth expenses.
On the day of the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Sporting Lisbon U15 had a match and defeated Qatar Sport 3–1.
Ronaldo scored a goal.
Kai did not attend because he was at the awards ceremony.
January 4th.
The highly anticipated match finally arrived.
This game was also a direct battle between Sporting Lisbon and Casa Pia for second place in the region.
The winner would take second place and advance directly to the North–South regional competition.
Since this was also the penultimate game of the regular season, it was practically Sporting Lisbon's last chance.
With the winter break approaching, many heavyweight guests came to watch.
Club owners, head coaches, and players were present.
Even Portuguese Super League title matches rarely attracted this much attention.
Before kickoff, Trigueira appeared in the locker room and repeatedly emphasized the importance of unity.
In his words, as long as you were united and did your job well, even without flashy stats, you would still stand out.
The young players understood.
But when everyone entered the tunnel, Kai, walking at the back, pulled Ronaldo aside and said:
"Cristiano Ronaldo, you know, sometimes a player only needs one masterpiece to become famous."
"Some players' highlight moments are their job… and some players' job is to create highlight moments."
Ronaldo understood and nodded.
Today, he would cherish every chance even more.
Beep!
The whistle blew and the match officially began.
Both sides were extremely excited.
Within the first five minutes, the intensity far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Many fans even felt like they were watching a Portuguese Super League match!
In this kind of high-speed battle, one side would eventually crack first.
Then the leading side would gradually take control.
Players who could break the deadlock in such fierce confrontations always attracted the most attention.
And players who scored first or delivered the killer blow were worth even more.
In the seventh minute, that player stepped forward.
"Kai has the ball. He's controlling the rhythm and signaling his teammates to slow down."
"Kai is an excellent midfielder with great vision. He probably thinks Sporting Lisbon is stronger than Casa Pia, so there's no need to rush."
"Earlier he was already adjusting the tempo. The whole team is dropping back. But whether they can slow the game depends on Casa Pia. If Casa Pia keeps pressing high—"
"Oh! Through ball!"
"Kai suddenly plays a direct pass!"
"Beautiful! A scalpel-like through ball!"
"He fooled everyone. The slowdown was just an illusion. Kai launched a lightning-fast counterattack with one pass!"
"That kick ripped straight through Casa Pia's midfield and defense!"
"Ronaldo appears out of nowhere! His speed is insane! The chemistry between him and Kai is perfect!"
"One-on-one! Ronaldo is through! He's scored nine one-on-ones this season — the king of breakaways in the U15 league! Can he finish again?"
"GOAL! One–nil!"
"Chris— no, no, let's call him by his real name… C. Ronaldo!"
At Alvalade Stadium, the home fans roared in unison:
"C Ronaldo!"
Ronaldo stretched out his hand and called Kai over to celebrate.
The two sprinted toward the corner flag, jumped high, turned mid-air—
Fans who knew them shouted together:
"Siuuuuuu!"
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