"You've really fallen! You're addicted to women! You're only fifteen years old! You've set a terrible example for teenagers! You're completely ruined…"
It had been almost a month since the Oscars.
And every time Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo were alone, Ronaldo would still lecture him like this.
It got so repetitive that, just to hear something new, Kai even bought every issue of A Bola for Ronaldo and told him to "borrow" some fresh insults from professional haters.
Seriously—just look at those headlines. Absolute madness:
"Kai is vain! After refusing to date Hathaway, he kissed her directly after she confessed—pure attention-seeking behavior!"
"Hathaway lacks basic decency! Kai's values clash with modern North American feminism—he even chooses to use the men's restroom!"
"Three matches, one goal and two assists! Since confirming his relationship with Hathaway, Kai's form has clearly declined—his talent is running dry!"
"When a footballer becomes famous through a celebrity girlfriend instead of football, his ceiling is already limited!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo is becoming the new leader on the pitch—Kai should go act in movies instead!"
"Moreirense defeated Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese Cup? Kai might deliberately lose just to return to Sporting's first team!"
"Moreirense may be eliminated—but Kai and Ronaldo could stay in Lisbon anyway!"
"Sporting Lisbon struggles in the league—the Portuguese Cup may be their only real chance at silverware!"
Portuguese Cup Semi-final.
Moreirense vs. Sporting Lisbon.
Outsiders might doubt Moreirense's belief in winning, but those who knew the history between Triguera and Sporting Lisbon understood—
Moreirense would fight even harder than they did against Benfica.
This was Triguera's best chance to prove:
You made the wrong choice.
During this "dating period"—well, post-Oscars period—Kai also made significant progress on the pitch.
His intensified training had started to show results.
His physical attributes improved sharply, and his technical stats also rose:
Offensive Movement: 71 (+1)
Dribbling: 71 (+1)
Shooting: 65 (+3)
Set Pieces: 65 (+2)
Long Pass: 69 (+3)
Tackling: 54 (+1)
Blocking: 44 (+2)
Clearances: 50 (+2)
Heading: 57 (+3)
Curve: 62 (+2)
Speed: 67 (+4)
Acceleration: 70 (+3)
Agility: 75 (+2)
Shot Power: 62 (+5)
Jump: 59 (+4)
Strength: 60 (+4)
Flexibility: 75 (+1)
Stamina: 66 (+5)
This "phase success" meant major improvement.
But it didn't mean growth would stop.
In fact, long-term training would lead to even greater gains later on.
Kai also gained new skills:
A blue skill: Long Shot
A purple star skill: Individual Combat
Long Shot: Improves shooting ability from outside the penalty area.
Individual Combat: Activates when all passing lanes are cut off or when three or more opponents are within three meters. For one minute, boosts speed, strength, dribbling, ball control, and shooting. Can be triggered three times per match.
These two skills helped cover Kai's biggest weakness—
Firepower.
Yes, even though he scored a lot, his offensive arsenal was still limited.
As his physical stats improved, more attacking methods would naturally unlock.
After all, many techniques only appear once certain attributes reach the required threshold.
For example, shooting and curve directly affect long-range shots and free-kick ability.
Some might think "Individual Combat" is hard for a midfielder to trigger—
But in reality, core midfielders are constantly double- or triple-teamed.
The most famous example?
"I am Lionel Messi—I was born to be surrounded."
At the pre-match press conference, Triguera spoke bluntly:
"I am the head coach of Moreirense. My only mission is to lead this team to victory."
"And based on my understanding of both teams, we absolutely have a chance to win at the Alvalade Stadium."
Reporter: "Why are you so confident? Because of Ronaldo and Kai's recent form?"
Triguera: "They are part of the reason. But there's more. This Sporting team is on the wrong path—from management down to the players on the pitch."
Reporter: "Sounds like you still hold a grudge."
Triguera: "I want Sporting Lisbon to succeed. But if I find that they can't do it without me, I won't shy away from that responsibility."
Reporter: "What about Kai? And his girlfriend? We all know Ferguson didn't like Victoria Beckham. Is Kai facing the same issue?"
Triguera: "As you said, he's in great form. So why should I have anything to say about him—or his girlfriend?"
The reporter didn't get what he wanted, so he went to Sporting Lisbon's coach.
Reporter: "Have you prepared anything special for Moreirense?"
Materazzi smiled confidently:
"Special tactics? No. No need."
"Our goal is the league title. We prepare for teams like Porto. Moreirense… is just an ordinary Portuguese team."
"We have the best striker in the league—Jardel. The most talented young winger—Quaresma. A treble-winning goalkeeper—Schmeichel. And one of Portugal's brightest midfielders—Viana."
"If they play to their level, we can beat anyone."
To be fair—
He wasn't wrong.
On match day, Moreirense returned to Lisbon.
The last time they came here, they visited the Stadium of Light.
This time—
They arrived at Alvalade.
Kai and Ronaldo's "home."
Some players thought the two might get a warm reception from fans.
But what they saw shocked them.
Huge posters of Kai and Ronaldo outside the stadium.
Just as big as those of Jardel, Quaresma, and Schmeichel.
Even Viana didn't have one.
No wonder Sporting Lisbon could always sell players for high prices.
They didn't just develop talent—
They knew how to create hype.
And thanks to the Hathaway incident, Kai's popularity had completely exploded.
Even though Europe likes to think of itself as culturally dominant, everyone still watches Hollywood.
And anything connected to it—
Automatically gets attention.
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