June 11
The European Under-16 Championship officially kicked off.
Poland struck first, defeating Switzerland and taking three points.
Portugal, however, were held to a frustrating 0–0 draw against the Czech Republic — largely due to the heroic performance of Petr Čech.
Čech had clearly evolved.
Compared to the second half of last year, he looked like a different beast.
He was becoming a wall.
Fifteen saves in one match.
It stunned everyone.
After the game, Ricardo Quaresma couldn't stop complaining.
"At least two of my goals were certain. He saved both."
Hélder Postiga looked like he was questioning life itself. He had fired two consecutive shots — both denied.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, remained composed. He was used to battling Čech.
But after the match, even Ronaldo felt unsettled.
His improvement over the past year had been obvious. He felt far stronger than when he faced Čech last season.
Yet Čech had grown even faster.
It didn't make sense.
Was he… not as talented?
It was the first time Ronaldo truly felt pressure from someone of similar age and potential. Strangely, he hadn't felt this kind of weight when facing Robin van Persie or Arjen Robben before.
Seeing Ronaldo stuck in his own head, Kai nudged him awake.
"Because he was born in 1982. You were born in 1985."
Ronaldo frowned. "What difference does that make? We've both had eight more months to improve. But he improved more than I did. So I'm a failure, right? I can't accept that. I need extra training!"
Kai rolled his eyes.
"You really aren't that smart sometimes."
"He's at the final stage of physical development. That's when growth curves spike the hardest. One year at that age equals three to five years of progress earlier."
"When you hit that stage, you'll explode too. Maybe even more dramatically."
"So don't rush it. If you overtrain now and wreck your body, you'll shorten your career."
"Stick with me. I'll teach you how to preserve yourself. Wolfberries in a thermos cup. Understand?"
Ronaldo nodded helplessly.
"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Stop lecturing me. We have to win the day after tomorrow."
He wasn't wrong.
The group stage had only three matches — single round-robin.
Every result was life or death.
Poland had already taken control.
If Portugal failed to win next, elimination would loom.
Cruel.
As expected, the next day an assistant coach suggested returning to a double defensive midfield system.
But Coach Violante refused.
Portuguese media immediately applied pressure.
"Bola News," which had never liked Kai, was especially aggressive:
"We don't understand why Violante insists on using Kai. The experiment has clearly failed. Portugal U16 are already on the edge of the cliff."
"Kai is not suited for this level."
"He cannot properly support Hugo Viana. Moving Meireles deeper for Kai was a mistake."
"Yes, Kai has vision — but his size is a weakness. An all-round midfielder like Raul Meireles is more suited to this tournament. Even Nuno Inácio should start ahead of him!"
Jiang Yunzhu immediately countered:
"Bola News never bothers to investigate before speaking. Kai has grown significantly over the past year and is entering his physical growth phase."
"He is already taller than Nuno Inácio. So on what basis should Inácio rank ahead of him?"
Bola News had no rebuttal.
They quietly shut up.
June 14
Second round.
The Czech Republic defeated Poland 1–0.
Čech saved a last-minute penalty.
Back-to-back Man of the Match performances.
Clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich were reportedly monitoring him closely.
The Czechs, playing at home, now had a real chance to qualify.
Later that evening: Portugal vs Switzerland.
"Hello everyone, I'm Huang Jianxiang, bringing you coverage of Portugal versus Switzerland in the second round of the European U16 Championship."
"Portugal drew with the Czech Republic in the opener. They must win today."
"Starting lineup:
Front three — Cristiano Ronaldo, Hélder Postiga, Ricardo Quaresma."
"Double attacking midfielders — Hugo Viana and Kai."
"Defensive midfielder — Raul Meireles."
"Back line — Jorge Ribeiro, José Fonte, Ricardo Duarte, José Bosingwa."
"Goalkeeper — Bruno Vale."
Switzerland were no pushovers.
But honestly?
Portugal's lineup was stacked.
With Quaresma leading, it felt like a dimensionality-reduction attack.
Within five minutes, Viana controlled midfield and established Portugal's dominance.
In the 7th minute, something changed.
Kai, who had been acting as a simple distribution hub, suddenly unleashed a diagonal long pass from right to left.
It sliced through the defense and found Ronaldo perfectly.
Ronaldo leapt aggressively for the header.
A Swiss defender hit him from behind, knocking him off balance mid-air.
He crashed to the ground.
This kind of contact is common in football — a clear foul, but not malicious.
For ordinary people, that kind of mid-air collision could send you to the hospital.
For professionals?
It's Tuesday.
That's the difference.
Basketball intensity often comes from self-inflicted stress — explosive stops, cuts, dunks.
Football intensity often comes from what your opponent does to you — body checks, mid-air clashes, scissor tackles, studs grazing ligaments and Achilles tendons.
Basketball fans say football is too slow, too low-scoring.
Football fans say basketball whistles are too soft, blowing nearly a hundred times a game.
Different violence.
Different beauty.
Whistle.
The referee awarded Portugal a free kick in a dangerous position.
The designated free-kick taker?
Quaresma.
Superstar privilege — backed by skill.
In training, Viana had once suggested holding a free-kick competition.
Kai didn't even participate.
His shots stayed on the ground — no way to clear a human wall.
Ronaldo's technique was good.
Didn't make top three.
Viana finished second.
Quaresma? First.
He could strike with power, curl, outside-of-the-boot magic — accuracy guaranteed.
Ten seconds later—
The stadium erupted.
The net rippled.
Quaresma had delivered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [David PONS] And [Titan] for joining my Patreon page!🎉Your support means the world to me. 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 100+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One Piece: Pirate Chat Group]