"Violante: We are a youth team, and the health of the players is paramount. I will not let Postiga play with an injury. I wish him a full recovery as soon as possible!"
This news made Postiga very uneasy.
Almeida, on the other hand, was very happy.
Although Postiga is the better player, competition between players often comes down to competing with yourself.
If your body is in good condition, no one can easily replace you.
But if your body keeps having problems, no one can help you.
The fact that Almeida replaced Postiga happened right in front of Cristiano Ronaldo, which had a huge impact on him.
He now had a deeper understanding of how important a healthy body really is.
It seems Kai didn't let his family cook braised pork trotters and sweet-and-sour pork ribs for him because ingredients like trotters and ribs are expensive.
Well… that must be the reason.
Soon, the schedule for the group stage quarter-finals was announced.
Portugal's draw was extremely unlucky.
They drew the seeded opponent of this year's European Junior Championship… the Netherlands!
Well, now there was no need to compare the four talents of the Netherlands with the four talents of Lisbon.
Because the result of the match would give everyone the answer directly.
Players from both sides were gearing up, eager to compete with each other.
Wesley Sneijder: "Maybe this is fate. I made a mistake in the UEFA Youth League, and God has given me a chance to make up for everything. The training at the end of the season was very important. I believe I've regained my confidence to challenge Kai."
Rafael van der Vaart: "The head coach and I reviewed that match again, and I saw my shortcomings. This time I will not give the Portuguese a chance. Especially Kai."
Arjen Robben: "I hope Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't switch wings this time because he's afraid of me."
Robin van Persie: "At the club I lack the support of top midfield teammates, but the national youth team is different. We have the best midfielders under 16 in the world. I will eliminate Portugal with my goals."
Facing the Dutch players' statements, the Portuguese side refused to back down.
Ricardo Quaresma: "Calling yourselves the best in the world at the U15 stage is ridiculous. When you've played in U19, U21, or even first-team matches, you will understand what the phrase 'best in the world' really means."
Hugo Viana: "Van der Vaart is very good. He's known as the most talented attacking midfielder in the Netherlands. Coincidentally, some people say I'm the most talented attacking midfielder in Portugal. I believe Portugal's best talent is truly the best."
Cristiano Ronaldo: "I'm eager to score against the Dutch team, and I believe I have the ability. I already scored against their four-talents club teams, and Kai and I are the Netherlands' natural nemesis!"
Kai: "Personal competition is meaningless. I just hope Portugal can eliminate the Netherlands and reach the semi-finals. As for comparisons between me, Sneijder, and Van der Vaart, I don't care about them."
"They are strong, they are strong… but I am the strongest."
"So… are you ready?"
The last sentence from Kai's interview directly stabbed the hearts of the four Dutch talents.
Why the hell were you talking to them like they were kids?
Could you show a little more respect?
The authoritative Dutch football media outlet "International Football" sharply criticized Kai's attitude:
"A player who does not respect his opponents will never gain the respect of others."
"Kai may not speak often, but when he does, he should be responsible for his words."
"Does he really not care about personal performance? If that's true, then why not let the more balanced Raul Meireles play his position, and instead allow better defensive players like Daniel Semedo or Miguel Veloso to take the role?"
"That would be the most correct formation for the Portuguese team."
"We hope Kai will be more responsible in future interviews instead of casually brushing off the media and fans!"
Dutch fans loved this criticism.
Aside from fans of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, Dutch supporters were almost the group that hated Kai the most.
As for the reason…
Kai responded mercilessly to "International Football":
"I defeated Feyenoord and eliminated Groningen and Ajax at club level."
"In the UEFA Youth League, the goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo and me, as well as our assists, are higher than those of each of the four Dutch talents."
"I don't understand why players who were defeated by us are always considered better than Ronaldo and me by the media."
"Of course I stay cautious and respectful toward opponents. But if you ask me to behave obediently toward a group of losers… sorry, I can't do that."
"Being favored without results is itself disrespectful to victory."
"So who should be more honest and respectful to the fans?"
"How long will the Dutch media continue hiding the fact that Portugal is stronger?"
"How long will they keep pretending that Ronaldo and I are not better than the so-called Dutch Avengers?"
"Now I've said it all."
"Dutch media… is this the respect you wanted?"
Kai fired back.
The Dutch media suddenly fell silent.
Media outlets in Spain and Germany quickly reprinted Kai's quotes.
Because everything he said was true.
As the losers, why did some people still claim that the four Dutch talents were better than the four talents of Lisbon?
Was the message the Dutch media gave their fans actually true?
Or were Dutch fans simply numbing themselves?
Without a doubt, Portugal won this pre-match public opinion battle.
In online discussions, Portuguese fans completely overwhelmed the Dutch fans, forcing them to retreat.
…
"Hathaway, what's going on? Have you decided yet?" a staff member came over to chat with Hathaway.
"Decided what?" Hathaway looked confused.
"Whether you're going to the football match tomorrow," the staff member said. "The European Junior Championship quarter-final! Netherlands vs Portugal!"
"But I'm not interested in football." Hathaway really didn't understand. Director Garry Marshall had asked her the same question two days ago.
The staff member looked disappointed.
"But if you don't go tomorrow, we won't get to watch the European Youth League."
Recently, due to lockdown restrictions, the filming progress of the Princess Diaries crew had sped up significantly.
Combined with Anne Hathaway's rapid improvement in acting, the crew moved quickly and finished filming all scenes in the Czech Republic.
Next, they would return to the United States for final filming and post-production.
The crew had already booked flights for the day after tomorrow.
Director Garry Marshall was very satisfied with Hathaway's filming condition.
As a veteran who was very open about young people's relationships, Marshall didn't mind giving Hathaway a little reward.
For example, letting her meet her little boyfriend.
Marshall didn't want Hathaway's performance to decline after returning to the United States just because she was lovesick.
After all, the movie required Hathaway to feel like she was in love.
"You're leaving the day after tomorrow? But me and…" Hathaway suddenly felt a strange feeling in her heart.
She couldn't help but complain a little.
What the hell is Kai doing?
Why hasn't he come to visit her yet?
Didn't he say he would come after finishing his team's match?
What kind of match takes this damn long?
Or had his match already finished long ago, and he was just following Ou Shaoshan's games every day, leaving no time to see her?
Did he really think she was that unimportant?
Hathaway felt extremely emo.
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