The ball flew over the wall and curled straight into the net.
"Beautiful! A direct free-kick goal!"
"Kai puts Moreirense back in front! Considering the time left, this could be the winner!"
"What the hell happened to Ference's wall? They didn't even jump!"
"That's a huge mistake! The goalkeeper looks completely confused—he's already yelling at the wall!"
"Ference clearly underestimated Kai's free-kick ability. This guy has scored world-class goals before—how could his free kicks be bad?"
"Are there any midfielders who can't take free kicks? No! Absolutely not!"
Kai: …uh…
In the end, with one goal and one assist from Kai, Moreirense secured their second consecutive win.
Kai delivered a goal and an assist in back-to-back matches, fitting into the team seamlessly.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, who had been the brightest star in youth training, he still contributed—but only for one half—and once again failed to score.
Well… not scoring in a single match apparently counts as a "goal drought."
After all, everyone could see that Ronaldo's performance had dropped compared to his youth days.
Some media outlets immediately jumped on it:
"After heart surgery, Ronaldo seems to have become ordinary!"
"The Portuguese genius, Cristiano Ronaldo, ruined by injuries!"
"Ricardo Quaresma's successor no longer shines due to heart problems!"
"Simão Sabrosa is no longer dominant on the left, and Ronaldo has lost possession the most in the team for two straight games!"
"One goal, zero assists in two games—would he have been better off without surgery?"
"A fake genius is being exposed! Ronaldo only dominated youth football because of superior speed and physique. Against real pressure, he's a mess!"
Two games: one goal, one yellow card, plus several dangerous free kicks and corners.
Objectively, that's solid.
But compared to his ridiculous youth stats—1.5 goals per game—it suddenly became "disappointing."
These comments only made Ronaldo train even harder.
So hard that his teammates started getting scared of him.
With that level of training intensity, were you trying to pick up money off the pitch or what?
Even veterans stopped doing extra sessions.
But the younger players were influenced by Ronaldo and increased their workload too.
They even turned training into mini-competitions—suffering, but having fun.
"He's unbelievably hardworking," the assistant coach sighed, watching Ronaldo train. "There are plenty of talented players, but very few as stubborn as him. Honestly, I almost hope the media keeps criticizing him."
"Why?" someone asked.
"Because if everyone praises him, I'm afraid he'll lose motivation."
Triguera shook his head. "He's a great player. His professionalism might even become legendary in the future. But…"
Kai finished the sentence: "He'll never become the leader of the team."
The assistant coach looked at Kai, confused.
How could that be?
A player this good should obviously be a leader.
Kai smiled. "Leading by example can make you a great general—but the greatest marshals aren't always the ones fighting on the front lines."
"When Ronaldo puts all his energy into training, he has no energy left to manage relationships with teammates."
"He'll earn respect—but not necessarily friendship or support."
The assistant coach frowned. "Why?"
Kai shrugged. "If you had a colleague who always stayed late and worked overtime on their own initiative… would you like him?"
"No—you'd probably hate him. Even if he's doing his job perfectly."
"Humans are naturally lazy. But Ronaldo's existence forces others to work harder."
"If people can't overcome laziness on their own, they'll start hating whatever forces them to."
"When I was a kid, I hated my parents and teachers for making me study."
"When I grew up, I hated my job and my boss for squeezing me."
"And when people have kids, they complain about the pressure—but still expect their kids to succeed."
"Self-disciplined people try to change themselves."
"Undisciplined people blame everything else."
"Unfortunately… 99% of people fall into the second category."
"So Ronaldo will earn respect—but not love."
Triguera chuckled. "Then why do you seem to like him so much? Sometimes you even train with him. I remember you dragged him out for extra sessions more than once—he looked like he wanted to die."
Kai looked out at the players on the pitch.
"Because I'm also self-disciplined."
The assistant coach tilted his head. "But everyone likes you."
Kai shrugged. "That's because some people think self-discipline is purely personal—like Ronaldo."
"But I think it affects others too… so I control it a bit."
Assistant coach: "In other words—better emotional intelligence."
Kai grinned. "Hey, I didn't say that."
That night.
Back at the dorm, Ronaldo still looked annoyed.
Kai noticed and asked, "If there's something you can't figure out, why not ask your master?"
"Are you even qualified?" Cristiano Ronaldo snorted. "I just don't know how to balance flashy moves and simple ones."
Classic Ronaldo.
Give him a choice, and he overthinks it to death.
Kai nodded. "Do you know about ancient Chinese martial arts? The Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, the Thirteen Life-Destroying Swords, the Seventy-Two Shaolin Techniques…"
Ronaldo rolled his eyes. "What, can I use those to play football?"
"You could… but that's not the point," Kai said calmly. "I'm telling you—fixed patterns are useful for beginners."
"With your brain, making real-time decisions based on situations might be a bit… difficult."
"So I'll give you a formula. Just follow it."
"When your opponent is weak and not very physical—after every three flashy moves, add one simple dribble."
"When your opponent is strong but not aggressive—two flashy moves, then one simple."
"When your opponent is weak but defensively solid—two simple moves, then one flashy."
"When your opponent is strong and aggressive—three simple moves, then one flashy."
"Stick to these ratios and you won't get confused."
"Don't tell me you can't handle kindergarten-level math."
Ronaldo nodded, clearly satisfied.
His eyes were already looking ahead—
—to the next match.
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