For example, Veloso, who already thought he was invincible as a defensive midfielder, suddenly realized after seeing Pepe that a defensive midfielder his age could actually be this monstrous?
Yu Shihao originally believed he was already capable of playing center back at the professional level, but Barzagli could strip the ball from him without even using his body. It felt like an adult bullying a child.
Hao Junmin thought his footwork was already excellent, but then he discovered that Ibrahimović—a giant nearly 1.95 meters tall—had even flashier dribbling skills and softer touch than him. How the hell was he supposed to compare?
Shao Jiawei and Chen Tao also felt their physiques were already polished enough to compete with adults.
But after meeting Drogba, they realized beasts could also play football.
No, not beasts.
This guy was basically a Warcraft character!
Kai used to think his speed allowed him to do whatever he wanted, but in front of Terry, he finally understood just how difficult it was to run against a top defender.
That sliding tackle accuracy was completely ridiculous!
That's right.
What the outside world viewed as a demotion was actually a "secret joint training camp" for Ibrahimović and the others.
Before sending them down, Triguera had personally spoken with them in detail.
They were forbidden from leaking any secrets. Otherwise, they would never return to the first team.
The true purpose of the demotion was to help them adapt in advance to the team's formation and tactical system for the new season.
Veteran players had seen everything before and adapted quickly.
Whether the new season succeeded or failed mainly depended on whether this group of young players could handle it.
Of course, all of this was also part of the act used to sell Jardel.
There wasn't a single person here who didn't support Triguera's move.
Among everyone present, only Ibrahimović knew the whole truth.
Kai believed Jardel wasn't suitable for the team, so the club had staged this massive drama to cooperate with him. The status Kai held within the club...
It was terrifying.
Moreover, Ibrahimović, with his sharp football instincts, vaguely realized that the system they were practicing could not be controlled by Viana alone as the midfield core.
Judging from Viana's adaptability, this tactical setup wasn't fully suited to him either.
It wasn't because Viana played badly. On the contrary, he was extremely talented.
But this formation demanded too many things and contained countless tactical variations. Even Ibrahimović and the others still couldn't fully understand everything yet.
Neither Quaresma nor Viana could completely handle it.
So that vacant midfield core position...
Ibrahimović had already guessed who it belonged to.
August 27th.
Sporting Lisbon welcomed their final warm-up match before the start of the new season.
They lost.
The media immediately exploded.
"Letting Jardel go is the biggest mistake in Sporting Lisbon history!"
"Triguera is a football war criminal! Not only did he fail to buy a superstar this summer, he even sold the team's only true attacking core!"
"The Brazilian God of War leads Porto to a three-goal victory! Porto is fully prepared for the new season!"
"Deco praises Jardel: 'The strongest striker in the Portuguese league, without question!'"
"Jardel says: 'Deco's passing is magical. He should join the Brazilian national team with me!'"
"Furious Sporting Lisbon fans smash club windows: 'Triguera, go back to coaching youth teams! We want Jardel, not twenty-three million euros!'"
"The club's upper management are liars! They promised to invest ten million euros, but instead made a net profit of fifteen million before the window closed! If Quaresma's unsold value is included, the profit reaches thirty million euros!"
"The players recalled to the first team performed like complete shit in the final warm-up match! Their movement was chaotic!"
"Not only does this team lack a super striker, it now needs a super Deco as well! Sporting Lisbon is hopeless!"
"Only two days left! Sporting Lisbon is sitting on piles of cash—why aren't they buying anyone?"
"Shocking! Troublemakers return to first-team training! Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo spotted training with the squad again! Was the so-called punishment all fake?"
"Porto strongly condemns Sporting Lisbon for having no bottom line! Players like Kai and Ronaldo should have had their contracts terminated!"
…
The outside world was in chaos.
Sporting Lisbon's operations this summer had left everyone completely confused.
Some smart people had already started noticing clues when Kai returned to first-team training.
But to truly confirm their suspicions, they still needed to see whether Kai would appear in Sporting Lisbon's opening Portuguese league squad.
If Kai made the squad, then the earlier demotions were probably just part of the performance.
That would mean Sporting Lisbon had already decided to sell Jardel from the moment he fought with Ronaldo, and immediately began planning this entire drama.
If that were true, then Triguera's scheming was terrifying, and his methods unbelievably sophisticated. He would have manipulated not only the entire European media but also all the clubs interested in buying Jardel.
But then again, Triguera had only recently returned after being away from the team for half a year. His understanding of the first team probably wasn't deep enough for such an operation.
Most likely, Triguera had only provided unconditional support from upper management.
The true mastermind had to be someone who deeply understood the squad and could earn Jardel's complete trust.
Only that person would confidently believe the team would not collapse after selling Jardel.
Especially after such massive changes to the squad this season.
That person was...
The God of Transfers—Saint Maxa!
Soon enough, this theory was confirmed.
No...
It exceeded some people's expectations entirely.
August 30th.
One day before the opening round of the Portuguese league, Sporting Lisbon's chief assistant coach Maxa announced the club's eighteen-man squad in advance.
Kai and Ronaldo were both included!
But just when everyone thought the press conference had ended, Maxa leaned toward the microphone and continued:
"Of course, new season, new atmosphere. In order to reassure both the fans and the players, I will now announce the starting lineup as well!"
"I hope every player can devote all their energy to the match."
"And I hope every substitute remains ready at all times to step forward when the team needs them!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo, Drogba, Quaresma."
"Viana, Kai."
"Matthäus, Deschamps."
"Terry, Fonte, Barzagli."
For a moment, the media went completely insane.
Drogba, Terry, and Barzagli—the three newly signed young players—were all starting?
Fine.
But Ronaldo and Kai too?
Didn't that make all the previous punishments completely meaningless?
With Matthäus moving deeper, Kai was basically becoming the midfield core.
How outrageous was that?
And Sporting Lisbon had never even used a 3-2-2-3 formation before. How dare they suddenly switch to a back three?
This tactical change clearly existed to add one more midfielder.
And who was that extra midfielder?
Did anyone even need to ask?
It was Kai!
For Kai alone, the entire formation had been redesigned.
Triguera spoiled Kai way too much.
Could he seriously not coach a team without hugging Kai's thigh?
And the craziest part was...
At Kai's level, he already wanted to become Sporting Lisbon's true superstar?
Look at Maxa—that was what a real coach should look like!
Maxa: "So what exactly does a famous coach look like then?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 260+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Marvel: Living the Laid-Back Life]