In early August, the Portuguese government announced some minor revisions to tax laws.
It was a routine adjustment—only a few clauses were changed, barely affecting ordinary people or most industries.
Tax laws get updated all the time. Someone finds a loophole, the authorities notice it, and then—boom—patch applied.
As for the people exploiting those loopholes?
Yeah… they usually get fined or punished hard.
This time, however, things got interesting.
The official in charge of the tax department was a wealthy Portuguese tycoon.
Normally, that wouldn't matter.
But this guy also happened to be a senior executive at Sporting CP.
Sporting CP had been underperforming for years, and fans were already pissed.
Everyone had been waiting for the club president's re-election.
This rich boss—ambitious, passionate about football, and loaded with cash—announced his candidacy just a month ago.
And then—
bam.
He got arrested.
Just like that.
Honestly, the politics in football?
Deep as hell.
Now, let's be real.
If you've got money, tax issues usually aren't the end of the world.
He'd probably be out in a few months.
But timing?
That was the real killer.
He would miss the election completely.
And more importantly—
he was the main backer behind Triguera.
With him gone, the current club president secured re-election.
He ignored the highly respected Triguera and instead appointed veteran coach Augusto Inácio as the new manager.
Fans immediately started complaining.
But things were about to get even messier.
Just two days after joining, Augusto gave an interview:
"The squad is unbalanced—too many old players, too many inexperienced ones. There have been almost no signings in the past two years. Poor results are normal."
"If we want success, we must bring in top players."
He then submitted a transfer list worth over €30 million.
At the top of that list?
Mário Jardel, the Primeira Liga's three-time Golden Boot winner from FC Porto.
Transfer value: €15+ million.
Now, to be fair—
Jardel was a monster striker.
With him, any team could dominate the Portuguese league.
But the real question was:
Is a league title in Portugal worth €15 million?
This wasn't the Premier League, Serie A, or La Liga.
Even in Europe's secondary leagues, top talents usually moved to bigger stages like Italy.
A €15 million "rising star" usually meant someone with the potential of Ronaldo or Zidane.
So…
Was Jardel really that guy?
Triguera immediately opposed the move:
"Sporting CP already has a system. We haven't won titles recently, but we're not far off."
"What we need is a top-level coach—not just star signings."
"From Luís Figo to Simão Sabrosa, and now Ricardo Quaresma—we've always produced stars. Quaresma has what it takes to lead this team forward."
Augusto fired back in the media:
"A top coach is already here. What's missing are the players."
"If a team constantly turns youngsters into superstars, doesn't that mean the rest of the squad isn't good enough?"
"Could Juventus reach a Champions League final without signing Zidane?"
"Without Ronaldo, how does Inter Milan talk about a revival?"
"Without Jardel, how does Sporting CP win the league?"
"I'm here to turn Sporting CP into the Juventus of Portugal… the Inter Milan of Portugal!"
Big words.
And fans?
They ate that shit up.
The tide quickly turned in Augusto's favor.
But here's the problem—
Augusto was the head coach.
Triguera was the chief assistant.
If they clashed like this?
There was no way both could stay.
A few days later, Sporting CP officially announced:
They had signed Mário Jardel from Porto for €17 million, offering him the highest salary in the league.
Augusto welcomed the signing—
but also hinted that he needed more control over the team.
The very next day?
Triguera received a notice.
He was being reassigned to coach the youth team.
He was so pissed he nearly coughed up blood.
In the end, he chose to coach U17—
because Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo were there.
Meanwhile, the original youth coach, Maxa, was promoted to the first-team coaching staff.
Augusto clearly valued him, seeing him as a tactically skilled coach who could compensate for his own shortcomings.
And honestly?
That was fair.
If you lack tactical depth, just hire someone who has it.
Simple.
As for Maxa…
The day he left U17, he was crying like his life was over.
Because deep down, he knew—
his "coaching genius" image was about to get exposed.
"Kaizi… how am I supposed to survive without you?"
"Kaizi… just let me stay!"
"I can even be Assistant Coach Triguera's assistant!"
At first, Triguera suspected Maxa had been sucking up to Augusto.
But seeing those tears?
Yeah… no way that was fake.
He even felt a bit guilty.
"Damn… I really misjudged him."
So Triguera comforted him, told him to work hard, adapt to the new environment, and prove himself.
Maxa cried even harder.
Because honestly?
If he actually had the skills—
he wouldn't be crying like this in the first place.
And so—
Sporting CP U17, under Triguera, officially entered pre-season training.
He brought in several players from the old U15 squad:
Kai
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ângelo
Rúben Semedo
Duarte
The day before training began, Triguera invited Kai and Ronaldo to his home.
Over dinner, he dropped a bombshell:
"Several clubs have offered me head coaching jobs."
Kai and Ronaldo immediately perked up.
Then—
he added:
"But I turned them all down."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Jardel doesn't fit Sporting CP's system."
"We rely on wingers. That means the striker must give up authority, support wide play, drop back, act as a pivot…"
"Jardel? Strong, yes. Tall, yes. But his technique is rough, his movement is lazy, and he doesn't function as a pivot."
"He's just a goal machine."
Then came the conclusion:
"This transfer strategy will fail."
"I bet Augusto Inácio gets sacked by the winter window."
Kai understood immediately.
If that happened—
then after winter…
Triguera would very likely take over as Sporting CP's first-team manager.
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