First of all, the national youth team and the senior national team are two completely different things.
Joining a youth team does not lock a player into choosing that country later.
Secondly… yes, Chinese football is frustrating right now.
But compared to what it becomes years later?
Right now it's basically flying.
At least the current generation still has backbone.
Players like Yang Chen and Fan Zhiyi are actually playing in Europe's top leagues. Domestic youth training still produces real talent.
However…
Because of the long-term mess inside the Chinese Football Association, national team quotas aren't handed out fairly.
Sometimes you don't earn your spot.
You buy it.
How many matches you want to play?
How much money you paying?
Simple as that.
Dirty as hell.
Kai didn't want to get stuck in that kind of cut-cock circus.
So he made his own plan.
Take the royal road.
Dominate.
Be so damn strong that nobody dares question you.
If you beg to return to the national team, people treat you like trash.
But if the association begs you to come back?
Green lights all the way.
Didn't you see how shameless they were when they naturalized a bunch of mediocre foreigners before?
Throwing money like idiots.
Taxpayer money, burned for nothing.
What a joke.
So yeah — maybe they don't care about "a talented Chinese kid overseas."
But if you add one more label:
"Wanted by the Portuguese national team."
Everything changes instantly.
Once someone else wants you, suddenly you're priceless.
Even if it's dog shit, they'll still pick it up and study it like it's gold.
Human nature is hilarious like that.
So Kai would never miss the chance to join Portugal's youth setup.
This summer's European Junior Championship might be uncertain.
But next year's World Youth Championship?
He was absolutely taking that one.
No debate.
April 12th.
Sporting CP vs Oeiras.
A routine 2–0 win.
Nothing special.
Except one thing.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored again.
That made it 40 league goals this season.
Forty.
At U15 level.
That number was disgusting.
The nickname "Little Alien" was spreading fast.
This was also the final match of Stage Two.
Sporting, Benfica, FC Porto, and Câmara each finished top two in their divisions and advanced.
Four teams.
Round-robin.
Six matches.
Whoever had the most points would be crowned 1998–99 Portuguese U15 champion.
These four basically represented the peak of Portuguese youth football.
Benfica were slightly weaker.
The other three? Anyone's game.
Especially Porto.
Their striker Hugo Almeida hadn't scored as many as Ronaldo, but his physique was ridiculous.
At U15 level he looked like a grown man bullying children.
People joked he could already play U19.
Porto also had midfielder Flavio Igor and defensive mid Sergio Organista, both long-time youth internationals.
Stacked squad.
No easy matches ahead.
April 14th.
FA Cup semi-final.
Manchester United vs Arsenal.
Two matches in four days.
Pure war.
David Beckham scored first.
Then Roy Keane got sent off.
United down to ten men.
Chaos.
Peter Schmeichel saved a penalty like a madman.
And then—
Extra time.
Ryan Giggs intercepted Patrick Vieira, dribbled half the pitch solo, and smashed in one of the greatest FA Cup goals ever.
Game over.
After the match, Giggs yelled at the camera:
"Forward to the Triple Crown!"
Instantly, the "treble" talk exploded again.
Some mocked them:
"You're third in the league. What treble? The 'third place treble'?"
Others suddenly remembered something.
That kid.
Kai.
The one who boldly predicted United could win the treble.
And now?
He himself was still competing for two trophies.
People joked:
"Even a kid dares dream big. United better not chicken out."
Back in Lisbon.
Tactics class.
But this time it wasn't just coach Trigueira.
First-team assistants.
Analysts.
Video staff.
All present.
Because the first team had nothing left to fight for.
But the youth team?
Everything.
Youth products like Simão Sabrosa were already skyrocketing in value.
The academy's reputation was exploding.
All thanks to this golden generation.
Unfortunately…
Today's tactical meeting felt heavy.
Because their next opponent was terrifying.
Ajax.
"Individually, their forwards aren't as strong as Ronaldo," Trigueira said.
"But they're at the absolute peak of normal U15 level."
Then he paused.
"And their midfield… is ridiculous."
Cristiano had basically become a unit of measurement now.
"Ronaldo-level."
Above normal players.
Below true monsters.
Fair, honestly.
Compared with kids like Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Philipp Lahm, and Bastian Schweinsteiger, Ronaldo was strong—
But not overwhelmingly gifted.
What made him scary was growth.
He kept leveling up like a damn game character.
Relentless.
Still…
Ajax had two midfielders.
Two absolute freaks.
Both more naturally talented than Ronaldo.
Both playing Kai's position.
Which meant…
Kai was about to get double-teamed to death.
And when two elite midfielders combine?
It's not one plus one.
It's one times one hundred.
Pure nightmare fuel.
The entire Dutch league already knew their names.
Big clubs were watching them.
The Ajax twin engines:
Rafael van der Vaart.
Wesley Sneijder.
If you translated that setup?
It was basically the youth version of Zinedine Zidane plus Rivaldo.
Yeah.
Good luck, Kai.
No pressure at all.
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